[kristopher1805]

Things are going well so one Manning Wardle runs backwards (downhill) and the other forwards (uphill) and they each seem happier in these rolls. The Peco LBR coaches are running nicely one about 20 grams was added but the lightweight bolster wagons are a menace so may become static exhibits and the work given to Peco bogie wagons which are good.

The return loop for Porlock Weir, the loco shed and the gas works have to be completed but otherwise it goes quite well, perhaps more scenery needed so that's another effort.

I'll take some photos soon but the mess from construction is still in the way in fact the whole railway room and sub room need a good tidy up and look a mess and I have rather neglected the big railway of late, yet to start the Jones Nuremburg style station building but I have the plans to 4mm = 1 foot scale now so that should make it easier.

 

[kristopher1805]

The main station comes along and now looks liike this, passengers have turned up including a party of shooting enthusiasts

I have added some backscenes these are the basic Peco ones as I wanted this to have a slight fairy tale look to it.

The woodshed is completed but in the Peco catalogue it has been spray painted, I also have a farrier/blacksmith next door

 

[kristopher1805]

Next up is the other loops, I am finding that with a few trains I need to store them somewhere so the 'Lynton' end has now 4 loops, 2 with tight radius through the woods and two at the Lynton end for the passenger services that can hold the Heljan Manning Wardles with 12 inch radius.

sorry about the poor quality these days but anyway it shows the little station in the woods 'Hawkcombe' so behind is logging and wagons are brought down to the station until a train is made up then empties are brought up and the filled wagons taken away for the sawmill. so the station has 2 sidings, there will be a village here and a lot of trees once it is all fully tested and works well enough

Another view is here

Looking the other way shows the village although this will move closer to the station and have a few lanes etc.

 

[kristopher1805]

This view shows the look back from Hawkcombe towards Porlock, so in this case I have a couple of trees framing the track which has now been ballasted. the point in the distance is to allow trains towards Porlock Weir but I am not sure how I will treat this line it is supposed to end in a runaround loop using insul frogs however the village of Hawcombe sits on the space it needs so I'll have to be creative somehow.

 

[kristopher1805]

The other end of the station is here with the Porlock Weir line to the right and the Lynton to the left a few houses and shops, in fact the left line has now been ballasted all the way the other one will be next, not sure about the frames for the supports and how to disguise them so still giving that some thought the corner ones are covered by scenery so in particular the ones behing the station are the most pressing but at least the return loop is reasonably tucked away.

 

[kristopher1805]

Had some problems today and as usual the Heljan Manning Wardles were at the centre of this, In this view we see the cross-over from this the goods loop comes in right and then the main line, the goods loop is too tight for the Heljans so as the Lynton service should pass at Porlock and thus connect with the Wier the crossover must be used so the train coming in from the right has to stay left and so crosses but - you guessed it off the track it comes, well after relaying, piutting in a new point on the main line, had a lot of trouble getting the thing lined up.

Just seemed that the Taw running cab first was off the track it just felt that the flange was hitting the point and stopping, feels like the flanges are too wide and it was ramming into the point and stopping, it worked elsewhere but I assume that the plastic insul joniers were misaligned - maybe

Anyway that then lead to having to modify the back of the loco trailing truck due to derailments, I also noticed that the GVT 4 wheel coach might have a misalignment of coupling height and this could be putting load on the pony truck causing the loco to lift and thus reducing traction on the back driving wheels

Who knows still working on this problem.

 

[kristopher1805]

Eventually I got this loco Taw to function as it should and pass through the crossover without derailing - hurrah! - well until I added the train but still some progress all the same

Meanwhile have been ballasting by my cheating method and I have started adding the grass, anyway this photo shows the mainline on the right splitting to enter the platform for the Weir on the right and the main line to Lynton on the left.

The Centre field is the location of the loco shed and I have the parts to build this now under construction, meanwhile my ground plan turns out wrong so just hope it works out, The goods shed is in the back left and the public access is from the left in front of the switch panel, so there is a biot more to see but it is looking better steadily.

 

[kristopher1805]

Sorry but to be clear the train sits on the goods loop so I added the photo below shows the other side of the corner, the goods loop comes in alongside the goods shed -ish and the main line to the middle

on the right of the photo above will be the gas works

 

[kristopher1805]

I have a mostly built loco shed it has come out a bit longer than I anticipated but looks OK overall and fits the OO9 locos nicely but getting the track layout right will be difficult

This photo shows the area allocated but ignore what you see I have just been trying out layouts but I am not getting quite what I like.

 

[kristopher1805]

The gas works will cover this area the two N gauge hoppers are approximately where the coal sidings will be.

 

[kristopher1805]

Going the other way the main line to Lynton is nearest and the other is to Porlock Weir, since this was taken ballasting and grass groth had occurred.

 

[kristopher1805]

I like this photo, 'Bridget' tows a freiught train at Porlock station

Meanwhile I thought the last ebay Woody Bay station went for £102 I thought a bit rich, just yesterday one went for £122

 

[kristopher1805]

I have been adding ballast and now a few roads and a few grassed areas so all that is going ok and I have the loco shed partly built it needs the roof finishing and some interior detailing if I can be bothered so maybe half done

Here is the line to the Porlock Wier not yet added but the junction is in as you see.

The loco shed is here, it came out longer than I anticipated and looks like it can hold 6 Manning Wardle tanks!

Dunno what is wrong with the camera I just get uploaded poor quality images I think it is now too old and am considering an upgrade, the nwer iphones in our house take fantastic images so I want that quality.

Anyway feel free to comment

 

[kristopher1805]

The town corner here is currently open and the back return line can be seen, grass is growing and the detached villas are awaiting families to move in

 

[kristopher1805]

View from the station at Hawkcombe looking back towards Porlock, grtass and trees popping up everywhere, some track has now appeared on. the line to Porlock Weir as well and there is more grass about so things are developing but the trains have not been running very much during this period.

The weathered Baldwin Hummy has developed a short when in reverse so I'll send that away to Bachmann

Anyway I like this view starting to feel like a railway and these long curves are always nice even when forced on me by the limitations of the Heljan locomotives.

 

[kristopher1805]

Looking the other way from above and showing Hawkcombe halt beyond are the two 'Lynton loops' and off from the halt are the two loops for the forestry operation and the return loop on the right running along the back of the layout.

 

[kristopher1805]

So I now have nearly all the bits I need to finish the layout and relaid some of the track to use the N gauge R3 curve in the 'Minehead loop, have decided to move the farrier and wood shop and put the coaching Inn on this site will adapt a Metcalf kit, work on the engine shed has improved matters there, roads, walls and other works in hand - need a few 1920's cars such as a bull nose Morris, a Jowett, that sort of thing but have yet to find a source.

I want to better disguise the grey upright here on the left. also have the gasometer to construct.

 

[kristopher1805]

OK this photo shows the newly built old coaching inn, 'The Crown' usually this is made in a square, I built one to the other hand because the corner needed it the other way this one I built in a line which anyway is more prototypical of the usual thing so looks OK the difficult bit being the big grey thing sticking out of the baseboard. From this angle it looks quite good I think anyway a lot going on but as usual IO will feed you a photo each day.

Meanwhile I am still struggling with smooth operation and some problems persist
1. Peco electrofrog points needing to be held hard on the get the electric through point blades, this is almost all the new electrofrogs.
2. The Heljans still play up, derail very sneekily and then throws itself off the track ion the most inaccessible place.
3. The Glyn Valley stock is wider than the L&B and this knocks the newly placed trees hey ho all inb a days modelling.

 

[dwb]

I like the way the coaching inn has come out

David

 

[kristopher1805]

Thanks for the comment, I have tidied up the roof from the other angle this photo taken before adjustments, the question is how do I fix this either easy to access or stuck up and hard to remove which will look rather better.

A poor photo but it shows the issues with the roof

Meanwhile the Manning Wardles are getting better, had a few circuits out of them and careful adjustment of the track has partly solved the point issue, just not used to this sensitivity in OO9/N which is not there in OO code 100 even code 75 looks relaxed in comparison. The other issue here are track pins, if they are not knocked home fully then they trigger the Bemo couplers and uncouples the train. so Im now have something to fit in between the rails that allows me to knock home the pins - how do the gluers manage when they have a sharp bent curve?

A longer range view of the above shows that rumours of trains running have encouraged the citizenry to turn out in the hope of catching a train! people everywhere like a silly 1950's western people admiring the one shop! however my Porlock is much more genuinely busy.

So more done, ballasting, pinning down, testing, running a train or two, and the gasometer construction will bring modernity, I suppose it will have to be 'Somerset Gas' so mopre to look forward to and a lot of pictures to show.