Osgood
Western Thunderer
Last edited:
simond
Western Thunderer
A little progress…
The b****y decorator who was due to finish the lounge Monday, deferred to today but fell off a ladder whilst working elsewhere yesterday, so now he might be here next Monday, maybe. I suppose it’s better than him falling off a ladder here.
Whilst the house looks more than a bit chaotic, this has, in any case, given me a bit more time to add some detail and tidy up the back of the locoshed which is pretty much inaccessible when the layout is back in place.
The carriage sidings now have some static-grassed embankments, ballast, buffers, and will be further decorated with some gorse, and some other bits & pieces. Currently waiting for watered-down Polyfilla ground cover to dry out, and I can then finish off around the base of the coal stage.
Happy days…
simond
Western Thunderer
I’m quite pleased with the gorse and the path though it’s a pointless bit of modelling, as it is pretty much entirely invisible from anywhere when the layout is back in its corner…
Debris of War primed stainless wire wool with flock. Needs a touch of yellow for the flowers.
Path is sand on pva, coloured with watered down matchpot Homebase bitter chocolate masonry paint.
Track needs a bit of toning down, and the second buffer stop needs rustifying.
Debris of War primed stainless wire wool with flock. Needs a touch of yellow for the flowers.
Path is sand on pva, coloured with watered down matchpot Homebase bitter chocolate masonry paint.
Track needs a bit of toning down, and the second buffer stop needs rustifying.
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
Pointless maybe but you know it's there...
Suffolk Dave
Western Thunderer
Nice work! I love the attention to detail.
simond
Western Thunderer
Synchronicity…
I had brought in a baking-tray with about an inch of soil from MrsD’s vegetable patch about two weeks ago, and left it to dry on top of the central heating boiler.
then Mike @Quintus responded to Grahame @Dog Star about how he used it as ground cover, so I thought, mmm, good idea,
Post in thread 'Melcombe Magna'
7mm - Melcombe Magna
I merely spread a thin layer of PVA over the area and sprinkled excess dried earth on using a sieve. Left it to dry a while and brushed the excess into a tray for reuse. It’ll benefit from a few clumps of grass, and may need a little building up to meet the “concrete” aprons. Pretty pleased with that, and as Mike said, there’s a lifetime supply in the garden.
I had brought in a baking-tray with about an inch of soil from MrsD’s vegetable patch about two weeks ago, and left it to dry on top of the central heating boiler.
then Mike @Quintus responded to Grahame @Dog Star about how he used it as ground cover, so I thought, mmm, good idea,
Post in thread 'Melcombe Magna'
7mm - Melcombe Magna
I merely spread a thin layer of PVA over the area and sprinkled excess dried earth on using a sieve. Left it to dry a while and brushed the excess into a tray for reuse. It’ll benefit from a few clumps of grass, and may need a little building up to meet the “concrete” aprons. Pretty pleased with that, and as Mike said, there’s a lifetime supply in the garden.
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
Looks like you have nice soil your way Simon. We have quite a clay soil that can be clumpy.
I have noticed the lurking 1366 by the way.
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
Synchronicity...
(1983 studio album).
(1983 studio album).
Chas Levin
Western Thunderer
Simon, please excuse my curiosity, I've tried to resist asking - it seems nosy, but: why did you bring in a baking try with an inch of soil and leave it to dry on the boiler? I've been wondering what you were going to use it for, before you read about it being used as layout ground cover...
Chas Levin
Western Thunderer
OH - sorry, I completely missed that point of that, didn't I? Just recovered from Covid: can I blame it on that, please? 
simond
Western Thunderer
Since it’s out in the middle of the lounge, it might be worth reviewing the baseboard construction. It’s a bit experimental, and I would regard it as a qualified success. Those of you who follow my meandering waffle will know that I intend to build an extension over our garage, and that PD loco is a module intended to be a part of a future layout with rather more running potential. To that end, all the buildings lift off the baseboards, and the structure can be lifted without its legs, though to be fair, it’s large, unwieldy and despite my efforts, quite heavy.
The basic structure is a slanted “T” shape, made of two wooden girders. The top of the T comprises 62x38 studding wall timbers separated by vertical webs of 3mm ply 150mm deep.
sorry, photo rather dark. The ends of the beam are also 62x38 and form sockets for the legs to slot into. everything is glued - blue evostick weatherproof - and pinned with 1.25” panel pins.
the top & bottom of the main spine are rather larger. They are 150 x 20, again separated by webs of 3mm ply glued & pinned.
As you can see, the leg simply slots through a hole made for the purpose, its dowelled into a hole in the upper timber.
the spine is quite long - overall 3.6m, the top of the T is 1.5m, but the end is 2.4m from the rear edge, hence the “slant”.
initially I had intended to have only three legs, but fitted a fourth behind the turntable to add stability. Annoyingly, having cut all the timber correctly for the cantilever that joins the fourth leg to the spine, I assembled it upside down, so the leg socket was on top. To be fair, it was the end of a long day…. But that meant that the fourth leg is screwed on, rather than just fitting into a socket.
The baseboard top is also 3mm ply. It is supported on stripwood bearers that are screwed to the top of the spine, with some triangular webs to increase the stiffness of the structure as required, mainly at the back.
At the front, the stripwood is joined by a batten, and a thin strip of the 3mm ply was screwed to the batten ends to form the curve, and glued to the baseboard edge. I cut two 100mm strips of ply which I varnished as a front and then glued these to the batten & curved strip so no fixings show. Behind the fascia, I have lots of tortoises, wiring, and a curtain rail which allows the least scenic aspects to be hidden if / when we have guests.
The clunky great switch controls the led strip which is a useful additional light source on the workbench which is under the layout.
The electrics are DCC, so obviously there are only two wires…
The control panel uses an Arduino Mega to read the switches and connects via a CAN bus to the various Arduinos on the panel above the Lenz LZ & LV which control (L to R) the turntable, layout lights, and the points. Next to the LV is a Lenz USB/LAN interface which allows JMRI to connect to the layout,thus I can use it to program decoders, etc. The points are not DCC controlled, but if I built the CAN to X-bus interface, could be, I guess. On the right of the shelf is an old lab power supply which everything runs off. I’m going to get an arm for the control panel, as it currently sits on a shelf next to the workbench, and that isn’t ideal.
Weight-wise, with everything removable fitted, I can easily lift the leg at the thin end, and at the front of the T, the legs at the back are somewhat more loaded, and whilst I could lift them, I think I’ll enlist a few pals when it’s time to move it to the extension. Free beer & curry is most motivational, I find. I’m guessing that it’s probably 50-60kg or so.
Any questions, do ask!
atb
Simon
The basic structure is a slanted “T” shape, made of two wooden girders. The top of the T comprises 62x38 studding wall timbers separated by vertical webs of 3mm ply 150mm deep.
sorry, photo rather dark. The ends of the beam are also 62x38 and form sockets for the legs to slot into. everything is glued - blue evostick weatherproof - and pinned with 1.25” panel pins.
the top & bottom of the main spine are rather larger. They are 150 x 20, again separated by webs of 3mm ply glued & pinned.
As you can see, the leg simply slots through a hole made for the purpose, its dowelled into a hole in the upper timber.
the spine is quite long - overall 3.6m, the top of the T is 1.5m, but the end is 2.4m from the rear edge, hence the “slant”.
initially I had intended to have only three legs, but fitted a fourth behind the turntable to add stability. Annoyingly, having cut all the timber correctly for the cantilever that joins the fourth leg to the spine, I assembled it upside down, so the leg socket was on top. To be fair, it was the end of a long day…. But that meant that the fourth leg is screwed on, rather than just fitting into a socket.
The baseboard top is also 3mm ply. It is supported on stripwood bearers that are screwed to the top of the spine, with some triangular webs to increase the stiffness of the structure as required, mainly at the back.
At the front, the stripwood is joined by a batten, and a thin strip of the 3mm ply was screwed to the batten ends to form the curve, and glued to the baseboard edge. I cut two 100mm strips of ply which I varnished as a front and then glued these to the batten & curved strip so no fixings show. Behind the fascia, I have lots of tortoises, wiring, and a curtain rail which allows the least scenic aspects to be hidden if / when we have guests.
The clunky great switch controls the led strip which is a useful additional light source on the workbench which is under the layout.
The electrics are DCC, so obviously there are only two wires…
The control panel uses an Arduino Mega to read the switches and connects via a CAN bus to the various Arduinos on the panel above the Lenz LZ & LV which control (L to R) the turntable, layout lights, and the points. Next to the LV is a Lenz USB/LAN interface which allows JMRI to connect to the layout,thus I can use it to program decoders, etc. The points are not DCC controlled, but if I built the CAN to X-bus interface, could be, I guess. On the right of the shelf is an old lab power supply which everything runs off. I’m going to get an arm for the control panel, as it currently sits on a shelf next to the workbench, and that isn’t ideal.
Weight-wise, with everything removable fitted, I can easily lift the leg at the thin end, and at the front of the T, the legs at the back are somewhat more loaded, and whilst I could lift them, I think I’ll enlist a few pals when it’s time to move it to the extension. Free beer & curry is most motivational, I find. I’m guessing that it’s probably 50-60kg or so.
Any questions, do ask!
atb
Simon
Last edited:
Dog Star
Western Thunderer
In the absence of either photos of the construction process... or 3D drawings using English projection... I do not understand what you have done to build the support structure for your layout. What can you offer in the way of explanatary notes / sketches?
thank you, Graham
simond
Western Thunderer
Hi Graham,
if I remember correctly, English projection is also known as First Angle, though Third Angle has been more common here since the war, as that was the de facto standard over the pond, and we shared a lot of drawings with them. All my drawings are 3rd., as that is what our CAD system is set to, I think my brain defaults there too…
I have a plan of the layout which I’ll find & post, but I don’t know if I have drawings now. There were construction photos which were unfortunately lost in the great RMWeb photo fiasco, but I’m not sure which bit of construction is unclear - there is a box-section spine, with a box section cross piece, at the ends of which are the legs, mounted on castors.
A series of battens, about 30 x 10 mm are arranged across and screwed to the top of the spine, and the board was glued and pinned to these.
A low level fascia improves the look at the front, and provides a bit more stiffness to the baseboard itself.
and that’s about it!
if I remember correctly, English projection is also known as First Angle, though Third Angle has been more common here since the war, as that was the de facto standard over the pond, and we shared a lot of drawings with them. All my drawings are 3rd., as that is what our CAD system is set to, I think my brain defaults there too…
I have a plan of the layout which I’ll find & post, but I don’t know if I have drawings now. There were construction photos which were unfortunately lost in the great RMWeb photo fiasco, but I’m not sure which bit of construction is unclear - there is a box-section spine, with a box section cross piece, at the ends of which are the legs, mounted on castors.
A series of battens, about 30 x 10 mm are arranged across and screwed to the top of the spine, and the board was glued and pinned to these.
A low level fascia improves the look at the front, and provides a bit more stiffness to the baseboard itself.
and that’s about it!
Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
Please, Simon - it seems to me, you have a fairly massive baseboard (bigger than a grand piano but lighter), with a slender appearance at the front and needing only three legs. The T-shaped spine gives a foundation and the baseboard hangs from the top and sides of this. The legs have castors so you can move it around the room single-handed. I guess there is a straight access to the door of the living room and to the flight of stairs to the future room above the garage too. Does this all sound right? It is an interesting structure but if I tried one it would have to be much shorter to negotiate my upstairs landing.
simond
Western Thunderer
Graham,
maybe this will make it clearer;
backscene lifts off
Baseboard approx outline - square cutout is where the turntable module fits
Board made transparent to show understructure
The box section "T" structure, with the cantilever for the fourth leg.
the 10 x 30mm battens that support the surface sheet. There are obviously lots of these, spaced approx 300mm apart..
Richard
It is mounted on castors, but it is a bit unwieldy to move around single handed.
Getting it into the to-be-extension is a very pertinent question. With the buildings & legs removed, and the board is about 3.2m east-west and 2.5m north south and a little less than 300mm from bottom of spine to top of gradient to coal stage, which is the highest fixed point, but importantly, the dimension from the inside of the front curve to the rear end of the cantilever is less than 1.8m. The shelf supporting the Lenz and Power supply stuff can be easily unscrewed. It should go through a door, just, given enough hands.
The removal plan is to take the board, out through the Patio door, around the outside of the house, and into the extension through a juliet balcony before the balcony rail is installed. It will not go up the stairs.
The proof, indeed, the pudding itself, is still a long way away...
There is a contingency plan. If it cannot be shifted whole, I will remove the portion of the baseboard with the points on, this is a good deal smaller & lighter, and of course, contains much of the difficult work. This will be brutal, but the trackwork should be able to be retained, undamaged. The turntable module also can be removed without too much pain, although both of these would severely disrupt the scenery. At least that is relatively easy to reinstate, as is the plain track. All the track within the shed is part of the shed, as is the coal hole so they lift off and unplug. The remaining track would be lifted and relaid if the worst comes to the worst.
we'll see when the time comes!
Simon
maybe this will make it clearer;
backscene lifts off
Baseboard approx outline - square cutout is where the turntable module fits
Board made transparent to show understructure
The box section "T" structure, with the cantilever for the fourth leg.
the 10 x 30mm battens that support the surface sheet. There are obviously lots of these, spaced approx 300mm apart..
Richard
It is mounted on castors, but it is a bit unwieldy to move around single handed.
Getting it into the to-be-extension is a very pertinent question. With the buildings & legs removed, and the board is about 3.2m east-west and 2.5m north south and a little less than 300mm from bottom of spine to top of gradient to coal stage, which is the highest fixed point, but importantly, the dimension from the inside of the front curve to the rear end of the cantilever is less than 1.8m. The shelf supporting the Lenz and Power supply stuff can be easily unscrewed. It should go through a door, just, given enough hands.
The removal plan is to take the board, out through the Patio door, around the outside of the house, and into the extension through a juliet balcony before the balcony rail is installed. It will not go up the stairs.
The proof, indeed, the pudding itself, is still a long way away...
There is a contingency plan. If it cannot be shifted whole, I will remove the portion of the baseboard with the points on, this is a good deal smaller & lighter, and of course, contains much of the difficult work. This will be brutal, but the trackwork should be able to be retained, undamaged. The turntable module also can be removed without too much pain, although both of these would severely disrupt the scenery. At least that is relatively easy to reinstate, as is the plain track. All the track within the shed is part of the shed, as is the coal hole so they lift off and unplug. The remaining track would be lifted and relaid if the worst comes to the worst.
we'll see when the time comes!
Simon
Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
I suppose, the railings on the Juliet balcony could be a pair of gates. For exhibitions
simond
Western Thunderer
Finally got everything more or less back in place and cleared the workbench so it’s at least useable…
and printed v2 of the Mica. Well, it’s probably v7 or something, but anyway. The approach has changed somewhat as I made the W irons open at the bottom so the boxes can slide in, the springs will hold them in, and I’ll generate some plates to close them. The plate that joins the solebars together is also new. This allows me assemble the buffer planks with the buffers and coupling and a piano wire spring, Peco/Webster’s style, between them, before sticking it to the ends of the solebars. The W irons are now separate from the solebars, and fit on over a couple of spigots. Needed a touch with the scalpel around the holes for a lovely snug fit.
I printed the plate flat on the build plate of the printer, which predictably caused an elephant’s foot, and because I hadn’t thought about it, it was a bit of a pain to get off the plate, but it came out flat. I might try the same approach on the solebars, with adjustments for the foot, unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll work on the buffer planks which didn’t come out right. Some work needed there, and the T stanchions need to be a few thou thicker.
Annoyingly, I broke the handle on one brake lever, but managed to stick it back on. I’ll make it a wee bit thicker and hope it doesn’t show. The brakes themselves came out nicely, and fitted without any effort. I’ve no idea what went wrong with the Vac cylinder as I’ve done them before, but it was so bad it went straight in the bin.
The brake cross shaft was too tight a fit, so I’ll need to have a look at that too.
The axleboxes slide nicely in the W irons, and I think with a little work, they will also work with the Parkside kit too, as I still have one of them to build.
progress!
Simon
and printed v2 of the Mica. Well, it’s probably v7 or something, but anyway. The approach has changed somewhat as I made the W irons open at the bottom so the boxes can slide in, the springs will hold them in, and I’ll generate some plates to close them. The plate that joins the solebars together is also new. This allows me assemble the buffer planks with the buffers and coupling and a piano wire spring, Peco/Webster’s style, between them, before sticking it to the ends of the solebars. The W irons are now separate from the solebars, and fit on over a couple of spigots. Needed a touch with the scalpel around the holes for a lovely snug fit.
I printed the plate flat on the build plate of the printer, which predictably caused an elephant’s foot, and because I hadn’t thought about it, it was a bit of a pain to get off the plate, but it came out flat. I might try the same approach on the solebars, with adjustments for the foot, unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll work on the buffer planks which didn’t come out right. Some work needed there, and the T stanchions need to be a few thou thicker.
Annoyingly, I broke the handle on one brake lever, but managed to stick it back on. I’ll make it a wee bit thicker and hope it doesn’t show. The brakes themselves came out nicely, and fitted without any effort. I’ve no idea what went wrong with the Vac cylinder as I’ve done them before, but it was so bad it went straight in the bin.
The brake cross shaft was too tight a fit, so I’ll need to have a look at that too.
The axleboxes slide nicely in the W irons, and I think with a little work, they will also work with the Parkside kit too, as I still have one of them to build.
progress!
Simon