7mm Iceni Road TMD

[InvernessTMD]

I managed to get hold of some more A1 sized foamboard last week, so today I measured up and cut to size the rest of the backscenes.

This photo shows them placed in position, the right hand one has been done for ages! The trusty TRAMM is sitting on some infilled track. The shell on the right is the wagon shop.


This photo shows the rough position of the loco shop, it will be higher, almost to the top of the backscene, hiding the exits and to some extent the wagon shop. There will be gantries across the gap carrying pipework and cabling, with possibly an office block above the exit.


Looking past the sunken fuel road towards the works, the coach is a Heljan Mk1 with commomwealth bogies and ETH gear. I plan to have some of the big loco jacks visible in the loco shop, with possibly an overhead crane partly visible. I may put a viewing window in the 'outside' wall so people can look in.


Still to make is the fiddle yard board (will be 2' by 18"), but I think I will need more foamboard! I still need to get more angle to make the checkrails and then infill it all.
Quick question, can you get 3mm foamboard? This is all 5mm and it is a right pain to trim to fit between the rails as the sleepers raise it above the rails...

 

[Heather Kay]

3mm foam board.

http://www.foam-board.co.uk/3mm-white-foamboard/

 

[InvernessTMD]

Thanks Heather... though I did do my best Yorkshireman's impression at the prices..." 'Ow Much??!!" But then I looked and realised it was for multiple sheets! Not sure I need a full pack of it though!

Edit: 4D in London do it in 700x1000mm sheets, might have to see if I can work out a visit next time I am at Liv Street.

 

[Heather Kay]

I know what you mean about the prices! 4D would be a good option. I ought to try and pay a visit, if I can get over my allergy to London.

 

[Osgood]

Foamboard - I bought some dirt cheap 3 or 4 mm sheets from Ebay for temporary signs. It was really good value but I did notice the remaining unused material warped badly. No problem for my signs but I wonder how it might affect a model construction.

My question then is: Are there differing qualities of foamboard?

 

[Ressaldar]

I experienced warping on 5mm foamboard, because I had only applied the plasticard to one side - forgetting that as with plywood and formica, a balancing sheet is always required - needless to say the balancing layer has been applied and all is now flat .

cheers

Mike

 

[InvernessTMD]

There will of course be internal detailing on the buildings as well so that should avoid that issue!!

Heather, 4D is well worth a visit! When I worked at Grand Central we had 4 hour layovers at Kings Cross and it was only 10-15 mins away by tube, should be a similar distance on foot from Liv St now..

 

[InvernessTMD]

Some more dodgy phone pics of progress!!

This one is of the basic shell of the loco shop, it is going to be quite a size! The taller wall will have viewing windows cut in so that the internal detailing can be seen. I thought it looked too tall but when I put my 50 in suddenly it didn't look too bad!! (this part is supposed to be the lift shop, where bogies can be removed. I need to speak to Peter Clark for a couple of sets of jacks, unless there is another source of the big, floor mounted ones?)


The top part of the buildings will be clad with this stuff, box profile sheeting, which I need to get more of!


I intend to have part of an office above the middle two tracks between the buildings to help disguise the exit more.

I have even toyed with the idea of having full length backscenes on both the long sides, with the viewer looking along the layout from the 'stops' end, as if they are peering over a wall... Would then negate the need for viewing windows, but then I might put them in anyway and have the end and one side backscene remoable depending on what I feel like doing

 

[InvernessTMD]

It grows!! On the right is the fiddle yard, excuse the bit missing, I ran out of material of the right length!! (also excuse the state of the floor!
This is the full length of Iceni Road, just over 6' including the backscenes. Still tempted to do it looking into the layout from the stops...

 

[InvernessTMD]

More progress, the backscenes are now a triple layer of mounting board sandwiched between two lots of foamboard. Fiddle yard board is complete apart from a view blocker. I have cut down the stops end backscene but done so in such a way that I can make an extension to bring it up to full height depending on how I want people to look into the layout.

I have laid the copperclad sleepers on the fiddle yard board now, just need to solder the rails and wire it all up. The cut down end can be seen on the left. There is a capping piece on it now that can come off.


looking "over the wall" towards the buildings. The 'flat' roof is just holding the bits together and stopping them from falling over. Did any depots have flat roofs?


Only the stops end is fixed at the moment for access reasons. Once I have the track infilled then I will attach them properly.

 

[InvernessTMD]

Bit more progress (being laid up after an op has its benefits!!) Fiddle yard track laid and gapped, just needs wiring up. I was thinking of using the bolts that join the bits together for transferring the power, rather than a jumper cable (only need two wires...) The little sector plate will take an 03 and should just take an 08!! there will be a low end wall so stop overruns heading for the floor. I have also measured up and realised I need 30ft of checkrails!! The grounded van I think works in the corner, either that or a fuel tank?
I have made an error in that when I laid the track on the main bit, I forgot about the backscene at the end, so I have had to have the rails protruding off the fiddleyard board!!

 

[InvernessTMD]

More progress, The first of the near 30' of checkrails going in!!



other side done


And infilled! A colleague knows of a shop where he lives that does foamboard of the 3mm variety, which is a perfect fit...


End on


Excuse the lack of windows in the TRAMM and the glare!

 

[InvernessTMD]

Fiddle yard has been wired and checked for shorts! (no kids running round this time, I waited until they were in bed!) I have also decided to use the bolts that join the layout and fiddle yard together for transferring the power across, the washers have now been fixed and connected up on both sides.

 

[InvernessTMD]

Once again excuse my crappy carpets!! (I did tell them a month before we moved in that they needed cleaning... the girl dealing with us at the time was less useful than a chocolate fireguard!!)

Bit more infilling going on, Just the last little bit round the point on the right. Once I get the checkrails in then I can infill the 4 foot as well. The gap in the infill at the toe ends of the blades on the left point is for the dummy point lever.



Underneath I have installed the point motor on the left point, the point decoder is in place, just need to fit the other point motor and wire it all up...

 

[InvernessTMD]

I fitted and wired up the other point motor yesterday evening, so this afternoon I fitted the last piece of the infil (right at the far end in the photo below, between the centre tracks.
Today I made up the shells for the depot buildings, there is going to be a passageway/office above the tracks between the buildings, and towards the camera there will also be a pipe/cable bridge. The wagon shop building is much smaller than the loco lift shop, which kind of dominates the scene. Visable in the lift shop will be the big floor jacks, I may even have more than one set so that I can actually pose a loco in there on the jacks...



Looking out towards the fuel pad from the fiddle yard entrance. Excuse the gaps round the buildings, once the outer skins are on they should disappear.


I'm kinda stuck now as I can't really do anything else until I get the checkrails in and infilled, then I can think about painting the 'concrete' and fixing the backscenes and buildings in position. Only a couple of months til a show!!

 

[InvernessTMD]

Progress has really slowed down!! Still waiting for the brass angle for the checkrails, and I need to order more profile cladding sheets...
I have done the fronts of the two buildings with the upper cladding, and the covered bridge between the buildings has been clad. I cannot fix the buildings in place until I have done the checkrails and painted the 'concrete' ... only a month and a half til a show

 

[InvernessTMD]

Still waiting for the brass angle for the checkrails!! The lower brickwork has arrived and been fitted to the buildings, I am able to temporarily bolt the backscenes in place at the moment for making sure it all fits!
On another note, the exhibition on Sunday was a success, with two show invites, one next year and one the year after!!
I took some photos and will upload them in a few days once I have finished this week of silly o clock earlies!

 

[InvernessTMD]

Brickwork!! These are Tim Horn creations, need mortaring and weathering, which will be done later


Looking out from under the 'bridge', still loads to do!


Looking 'over the wall', it is getting crowded in there!! The wagon roof in the bottom left of the shot is the grounded van from Leeming Yard. Still not sure it will be a permanent feature or if I will put something else there, such as a portakabin sorry, portable building for the shunters or even a fuel tank.


Usual point gremlins that I always seem to get! Neither point motor wanted to work, might have to change them for something a bit bigger that can cope with handbuilt pointwork... I ended up treating it as four separate roads, with the crossover just cosmetic!

 

[40126]

Well done Simon, correcting the 'portakabin' word. My wife works in that industry & she informs me all the time that, that is a trade name.

Steve

 

[InvernessTMD]

I remembered from the last time I called it that!!