TFW’s workshop

[Tim Watson]

All set up ready for Barry Norman to photograph the layout.


The whole Belle Isle area is now a great deal more ‘busy’ and I think railway-like.

The south end has filled in a bit but there is still a long way to go.

Maiden Lane station works better now with some more detail, but it then highlights the need for a little more detail in the neighbouring buildings, but not too much. The newly-labelled TYLOR tower has become quite a centrepiece, as it is a little more colourful than hitherto.


The layout will crate up on Sunday and then to Ally Pally 21st-22nd March.

Tim

 

[iak63]

Whooooosh!

 

[JimG]

I can remember the start of this layout - at the 75th anniversary London show at Wembley in the 1980s!! The embryo baseboards and other bits and pieces were on show on the 2mm Society stand across the way from my S scale layout. That S scale layout is long gone.

Jim.

 

[oldravendale]

Me too, Jim! I remember it planned as a layout of phenomenal scale which many individuals doubted would reach completion. It's final form has become more apparent over the years and whenever I've seen it at an exhibition it's justifiably always attracted significant crowds. It may just be enough to attract me to Ally Pally this year as I normally only attend O Gauge shows (with the exception of my local, Railex at Aylesbury).

Two mm models rarely excite me but those that do are always "railways in the landscape" ("Chiltern Green" is the other one I remember as a ground breaker) which this fulfills admirably.

Congratulations to all those involved in this epic project and my personal grateful thanks to all those who knew they'd never see it finished but wanted to pass something of real value on to future generations. All in all a bit reminiscent of Pendon....... Hopefully it will eventually justify its own permanent home in the same way as I believe that, like Pendon, it has an appeal well outside simply the model railway fraternity.

Brian

 

[Tim Watson]

Thank you both for the kind words. We took this photo today of the model of the model on the model. Without this device, I don’t think people would have understood the philosophy behind the project.

This was signed off by the MRC committee in December 1983. Whilst the layout looks complete, there is a huge amount yet to be done.

Any Western Thunderer who wants to come round the back is very welcome - the two operator end views are some of the best to be had.

Tim

 

[Susie]

This was signed off by the MRC committee in December 1983. Whilst the layout looks complete, there is a huge amount yet to be done.

Tim

I remember after we had given Chiltern Green and Luton Hoo its last outing we all met up at Mike Randell's (I think) to discuss what we would do next. We all said that we would have less time to give to model railways in the future, and so Copenhagen Fields was born! However by then I was finding 2mm scale too small and have not been involved in CF, but still find it truly magnificent.

Susie

 

[Tim Watson]

The planning started after Easter 1983, when we were at York. The group meeting may have been at our first house in Enfield, Susie. Mike was adamant that the layout had to show trains going front - to - back of the scene, hence the NLR.

Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

The recent improvement in detail to Maiden Lane Station showed up the scenic flats next to it.

I therefore dug out Brian Dollemore’s original 1996 drawings of our terraced houses and made an 80% copy which was then mounted on thin ply and hand painted.

The effect on the layout is satisfactory, especially when viewed from five feet away.

The strange chimney pot on the station building is actually a hole in the back scene, through which an iPad peers, so that the operators can see the front.

Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Any Western Thunderer who wants to come round the back is very welcome - the two operator end views are some of the best to be had.

And if we look underneath will we see the Piccadilly Line?

 

[Tim Watson]

Yep

Tim

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Thanks for the Piccadilly Line reminder, I have seen Copenhagen Fields in it's early days and couldn't remember if it was modelled.

Nice 1923 standard tube stock - is it a 7 car train?

 

[Tim Watson]

No only four cars, Dave. I believe they ran in short formation in the early days. We will soon have another station modelled at York Way. The original Cally station was completely hand made. The new one has etched windows and 3D printed details - how times move on.

Tim

 

[Osgood]

Not wanting to pre-empt the magazine article, Tim, but to what extent have you used forced perspective?
For example, have you altered the scale of the housing on either side of the streets from front to back arrowed in red below?
Or is it just part of the clever visual illusion!

 

[Tim Watson]

Those houses are all the same scale Tony, the massed effect gives a real effect of distance, not easily achieved in the larger scales. The streets might get slightly narrower towards the back. The way we achieve our perspective effects is to layer houses and factories from front to back. Everyone knows how big a London house is but factories come in all sizes. We therefore have e.g. 1:150 houses, 1:??? factory, 1:200 houses, 1:??? Factory etc. The layout drops down to 1:450 at the back. Nothing is planned, we simply play around with lumps of wood until it looks right (with some resemblance to the prototype). We use factories as view blockers to avoid lines of sight that aren’t comfortable and rarely actually make a building with perspective in it - the exception is the Midland Roundhouse as seen in the photos below:

It all looks a bit alarming in isolation, but works well enough on the layout.

Especially in the distance.

Our greatest asset is the immense size of the layout and its depth.

Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

Valour now has two safety valves. The low shroud was made by soldering a piece of brass the correct thickness to a larger lump so that it could be held. The two holes were then drilled, the top milled out and the sides were filed to give the base effect.

The shroud was then removed from the big block and two safety valves turned from a non-tarnishing metal.


There is a nice casting available from N Brass, but it is a little bit big and doesn’t quite get the effect of the valves sitting inside the shroud.

..and the brass might tarnish...


Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

I was a bit worried that the proportions of the safety valve shroud were not quite correct, but then found this photo of Butler Henderson

There are some big sandboxes that are very visible behind the rear wheels. It is often easier to make things sweated together as the filing is more likely to be true.

Before they were split two holes were drilled in place, potentially for the sand pipes.

These holes were actually very useful for stabilising the boxes with a hand held tapered pin whilst soldering them in place.

I don’t think I will fit the sand pipes as they are live to the body, rather than the frames and they will stand a good chance of getting pranged.

The cab has also been detailed with the seat backs and firebox door now in place.


Tim

 

[simond]

Tim

I hesitate to offer suggestions, but how about sand pipes from monofilament fishing line?

you could heat set the shape then glue in place?

atb
Simon

 

[Tim Watson]

The engine brake gear on Valour is now complete. The etches in the kit for the hangers were a bit fragile and weren’t quite the correct shape to have the shoes sit close to the wheels. They were therefore used as a pattern by sweating them onto a double layer of 20 thou nickel silver.


The lump was filed broadly to shape, having first drilled holes as required.


Once separated, the rear hanger had the shoe etch attached with a pin.


The middle brake has less detail and the front is only schematic - reflecting the visibility of these items behind the valve gear and motion support bracket. They are supported by pins either attached to the chassis or the hangers themselves, ‘clipping into place’ through holes in the chassis or the hanger.


The stretchers are made from thin PCB, gapped for insulation, whilst the longitudinal pull rod helps to locate the brakes in the correct fore and aft position.




These brakes are semi-permanently fixed, as if they needed removal then more major work would also be indicated for the chassis.


Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

The guard irons at the front were made from one piece of 10 thou N/S bent into a staple shape and soldered behind the buffer beam, which also had two convenient slots to locate it. Guess who made a mistake filing up the second guard iron on the first go. The kit version is also visible, but this would have been soldered to the metal front frame extensions that I did not use.

The irons had to be well forward to avoid clouting the bogie wheels.

The front frames were made from a block of Tufnol which was Araldited onto the front assembly. The white axle muff is temporary.

Valour is nearly finished, apart from the tender brakes: I may be able to make and fit these at Missenden this weekend. She will pass over to Ian Rathbone for painting as well, hopefully to be ready for the centenary of the entry to service of the engine in the summer. Certainly to be running on CF at the 2mm Association's Diamond Jubilee event in Derby.

Tim