Rye Sands

[paulc]

Just found this cameo Will and had to go back to page one to read the history of it .
In a word 'fantastic'. It's so simple and yet the whole scene just draws you in . Well done .

 

[Heacham]

The main baseboard is very sturdy (despite being 5mm ply throughout). However, the trackbed rests on three thin cross members, and is floating at the left hand end. I used left-over ply from a packing crate and I think moisture must have got into the end grain. The pier has also always been on a bit of a gradient but the broader undulations have definitely got worse. I think I'll splash out on proper marine ply for any future builds (at least where I'm using an open frame construction with a ply trackbed)

Will

Hi Will

I have been constructing a new 4' x 18" board and I deliberately didn't skimp on the ply so bought the best Birch ply I could find. It was expensive at £110 for a 8x4 sheet but that included 6 cuts to get the big cuts i couldn't do at home done.I have found even that has moved a bit on the bits I have cut but not assembled yet. My model building workshop has been getting very hot recently so some layers in the ply have probably dried out at different rates. The stuff I had originally bought at B&Q warped within a couple of days of me cutting it and that was supposed to be their top grade.

regards

Simon

 

[40057]

Hi Will

I have been constructing a new 4' x 18" board and I deliberately didn't skimp on the ply so bought the best Birch ply I could find. It was expensive at £110 for a 8x4 sheet but that included 6 cuts to get the big cuts i couldn't do at home done.I have found even that has moved a bit on the bits I have cut but not assembled yet. My model building workshop has been getting very hot recently so some layers in the ply have probably dried out at different rates. The stuff I had originally bought at B&Q warped within a couple of days of me cutting it and that was supposed to be their top grade.

regards

Simon

I’m not at all sure that ‘quality’ or ‘ price’ will be good predictors of the likelihood of warping. I always assume ply will want to warp and try to build in protections when I use it in model buildings. If, for example, I need to use a strip of plywood 2” wide I will cut this in half longitudinally. Flip one strip over and use the two 1” strips next to each other. If there is a tendency to warp, the two halves will fight each other as they wish to bend in opposite directions. The result may be the structure stays straight or nearly so. Similarly, over a long length, I will cut the piece almost through at each intermediate support — so the sections effectively bend independently over short lengths, not along the whole length. Not a complete solution, but I would say reduces the problem considerably.

 

[Willl]

Here's a bit of a retrospective from Uckfield this weekend just gone

I was fortunate in the run up to the weekend that the layout had been in a state of near-completion for almost a year, and has been thoroughly tested (including being taken home on a number of occasions, which gave a few opportunities for dodgy wiring or loose scenics to show themselves. As a result, other than the water, a few seagulls, and weathering the final bits of stock, preparations were fairly stress free.

I arrived at the show on Saturday morning (a bold strategy for my first show, although I was confident the layout could be set up in time). I started things off badly by forgetting to bring an extension cable, but the OTCM guys and Uckfield club members were quick to save me. Fortunately, the rest of the weekend went off without a hitch.

The layout was in an excellent spot between the MRC's Caledonian Goods Yard and Prickley Pear kits - fitting given I am a member of the MRC, and had two Prickley Pear wagons running on the layout! I was also sharing the room with Laxfield and the Scalefour society, which led to a fair few people assuming that Rye Sands was part of the P4 display. All credit to Peco for making OO track look this good




The layout ran perfectly all weekend, with the stock playing ball and providing beautifully slow running. The only upsets were both self-inflicted when I 1) knocked the controller off the table, unplugging it from the layout and causing a momentary intermission, and 2) snapped the top off the boat's mast with the uncoupling tool.

One major takeaway was just how critical good slow running is when exhibiting; Rye Sands is not a large layout, and I was trying my best to keep things moving, so being able to leave a loco crawling was essential in providing opportunities to chat, switch stock around, or just have a drink. On the point of layout scope, there were times when I did rue the simple track plan, as operations got very repetitive. That said, the simplicity was made up for by the ease of setup, and the fact that I could basically run the layout without thinking by the end of Sunday - definitely a good thing, given the surprisingly significant mental load required to make (vaguely) engaging conversation whilst shunting.

I was also unprepared for the need to field invites from exhibition managers... next time I will make sure to bring some printouts. If there are any exhibition managers reading this who are currently attempting to decipher my email address from my mad scribbled notes, please drop me a PM!

Although outnumbered by members of that other forum, It was heartening to have a few Western Thunderers drop by, particularly @Andyj given I have been harassing him with questions about RT Models Sentinels for the past 6 months!

The Uckfield team put on a hell of a show, and couldn't have been more welcoming. I would have attended as a punter anyway (seeing Flintfield, Ditchling Green, Sheep Dip, East Lynn Quay, Laxfield, Janes' Creek, Fryers Lane etc etc in one place was like Christmas) so huge thanks to Adrian for having me along. I will have to think up something new so I can come back.

Rye Sands is out again at the Portsmouth show on the 15th.

 

[Dog Star]

An excellent set of photos, thank you for sharing.

 

[Phil O]

Will, yet again, another excellent layout, but only viewed at a distance, due to the numbers also trying to get a view of it.

 

[Willl]

Will, yet again, another excellent layout, but only viewed at a distance, due to the numbers also trying to get a view of it.

Thanks Phil, and sorry you weren't able to get a proper look at it. The show was very busy, so much so that at times I was struggling to move around the layout to uncouple. Still, better that than me standing around operating for thin air!

The layout has picked up a few more invites so hopefully you'll get another chance to see it

 

[Heacham]

It was a really good exhibition, I loved watching Rye Sands and loved the simplicity of the track plan. Last year I went on the Sunday by car and it took me 3.5 hrs to get home instead of 2. This year I decided to go by train but it had to be on a Saturday it only takes 2hr 20 mins with one change but Sunday on the train would take 3 changes and over 3 hrs. I deliberately did not get there until after 12 as I thought like most exhibitions it would be quieter in the afternoon but to my surprise it was still really busy all afternoon.

Simon

 

[Willl]

It was a really good exhibition, I loved watching Rye Sands and loved the simplicity of the track plan. Last year I went on the Sunday by car and it took me 3.5 hrs to get home instead of 2. This year I decided to go by train but it had to be on a Saturday it only takes 2hr 20 mins with one change but Sunday on the train would take 3 changes and over 3 hrs. I deliberately did not get there until after 12 as I thought like most exhibitions it would be quieter in the afternoon but to my surprise it was still really busy all afternoon.

Simon

Thanks Simon. To be honest it didn't quieten down noticeably until about 4pm on the Sunday!

 

[Andyj]

Was good to meet you and see the layout in the flesh Will. You got Paul (Prickley Pear kits) thinking about building a small layout having been viewing Rye Sands all weekend.

 

[Willl]

Was good to meet you and see the layout in the flesh Will. You got Paul (Prickley Pear kits) thinking about building a small layout having been viewing Rye Sands all weekend.

Thanks Andy! I do think Paul was rather taken with it. Given the quality of his rolling stock I'd be very interested in seeing his take on a cameo layout

Will

 

[Willl]

Another Folkestone harbour brake for Rye Sands. As with the previous one, it's a 3D print by Chris (chuffinghell on the other forum). Top quality and very easy to put together. The number is a bit of rule 1 - I'm supposing the SER built an additional brake for use at Rye Sands (I'm not sure why they would need it though... It's not exactly hilly down there!)







I think they make rather a nice pair! It will also provide some slightly trickier options for operations, as trains could be made to arrive and leave with a brake on either end

Will

 

[2996 Victor]

Ver' nice! Such a great layout!

Cheers,
Mark