Jigsaw Puzzle

Building a model railway, particularly a finescale one based, be it at best loosely, on a real location, feels a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle with only some of the box art in front of you.

This, let me be clear, according to "18.2mm and All That" is largely a Good Thing. It is part of the fun.

I can while away happy hours in a departure lounge trying to work out how the elements will fit together. I can even while away happy hour in a  lounge before departing and trying to work out where the door is.

Like doing a jigsaw puzzle often the moment a difficult piece is finally found is followed by the thought that it was so obvious you don't know why it was such a struggle to find it earlier. Answers to most questions are easier with hindsight.

However, I'm not at that stage yet, I'm still struggling to get the edges in place having hopefully correctly identified the corners.

Two things have brought this to mind. The first is assembling the 3D jigsaw that is a bullfrog manual point motor. I can't remember who first suggested I try these but I'm sure when they did there was a UK distributor. Ordering from the USA meant I ended up with both a hefty shipping charge and a £19 VAT/Royal Mail handling fee.

This is probably a good example of a product where overseas sales might best be handled as a downloadable file for laser cutting/3D printing and a parts list for the locally sourceable components.

The other is trying to finalise the timbering arrangements for Upwold in Templot. This, I suspect, could take some time, but will be worth it in the end. I think a little knowledge, garnered from David Smith's excellent book, is turning out (sorry)  to be a dangerous thing. I'm just not sure where I should be interlacing sleepers and where I should be using timbering.

Hopefully this link might take you to the Templot file. Otherwise here is a screenshot.

Obviously all offers of help will be gratefully, indeed grovellingly, received.

Once I've got the timbering sorted I can think about designing the point rodding and signal cabling, and in case anyone wants to help with that the intention is the groundframe will be placed on the platform opposite the entrance to the loop.

Meanwhile if you are thinking this is just more procrastination can I just say that  construction of the goods vehicles is coming along well. What isn't is my confidence level that I have the right braking arrangements for ex-GWR vehicles in the late 50's and early 60's. Yet more parts of the jigsaw.....

Signalling Diagram

In the absence of a signal diagram for Llanrhaiadr Mochhnant I thought it would be relatively easy to convert the signal diagram of Llangynog. Here's one I did earlier.

It seems my Photoshop skills are a bit rusty, because it has taken an hour and I really need to start again.

So I did, this time using Anyrail to produce the basic diagram. This is just the basic export tweaked in Snapseed. The next step will be to combine this with the text from the version above, and another version with the switches in yellow so the blue indicates the alternative route. And here we have the finished version:

Why am I doing this? Well I'm enjoying the challenge, of course, but if I ever do build LM it would be useful supporting material for display with the layout. The main reason I'm doing it though is actually to check that I've got the point rodding arrangements right. I think I'm now pretty sure what went where now. Well almost, I'm not sure if I'm right in putting a facing point lock at the up end and that there isn't a second catch point to protect the running line from the loop at that end. What I do know is that there are two sets of point rodding running in that direction.

What a difference a day makes

I had been hoping to get to Railex this year, not having been able to go last year.

Unfortunately during the week someone stole my wallet with all my credit cards and the cash I'd earmarked for spending at the show, so that idea went out the window.

The good news is it meant I had a day at home on a Saturday when the wife was working and I wasn't, and that I decided to prioritse work on the layout.

I had a list of things I wanted to get done by the end of the day. Now anyone looking back through this blog will realise that I'm notoriously bad at keeping to my self imposed deadlines but for once I didn't do too badly.

It helped that on the Friday before work I finally fixed the point operating mechanism with a replacement DPDT switch - you don't need a DPDT for the electrics but generally they are larger than SPDT switches so provide sufficient mechanical throw to operate the point blades. A couple of quick remedial dabs with the soldering iron and I was back with a fully operational layout, meaning Staurday could be devoted to scenics.

I'd also used Friday evening to make a start on the replacement for the road bridge. The original version was built from card and scenic papers. I quite liked it but a decision to go for 3d corrugated textures on the goods shed and platform shed made me worry that the 2d look would be too obvious, so I swapped over to using Wills sheets. If anything these have more 3d texture than I would like.

Anyway by the end of Saturday the  components of the new version were complete and painted, and I just need to assemble them. I'm not 100% happy with the colouring of either the stone or the brickwork but I think that just needs a bot of tinkering to sort out. Overall I think it is an imporvement.

Note that the various components of the bridge are yet to be joined and are just leaning against each other

The next thing you might note is that finally there is some ground cover in place. Shaping the polystyrene block to form the landscape was a bit messy since having dug out my hotwire cutter I couldn't find the resistance wire and had to resort to using a fretsaw. next time I'm going to use foamboard formers instead so that I have a little more control. The ground cover itself is hanging basket liner teased with a dog metal grooming brush. The great thing about this material is that it is thick enough to use to give more structure to the landscaping and also that joins are easily disguised. It needs mowing with scissors and then it form the base for further scenic treatments.

The Base Toys lorry converted to a flat bed

 On my wishlist for purchase at RAILEX was a replacement body for my Base Toys lorry. Since I couldn't go I bit the bullet and very quickly fabricated a flatbed  for it. In the background you'll see a platform is in place, and on it is a little balck shed....

The usual facilities

This is the shed/urinal that was found, in some form or another, at the end of most platforms on the Tanat Valley. I'm afraid I miscalculated a few things when assembling this one so it is destined for the scrap bin, but  building it was a useful exercise. This is the building which forced my hand to move to 3d sheets rather than printed paper because although there are some excellent corrugated iron textures available they wouldn't work for the free standing walls of the gents.

Minimum space modelling

Finally here is an aerial shot showing the current stat of play. From my perspective the great thing is that from now on everything that needs to be done is easily broken down into jobs that can be fitted into a couple of hours here and there. I need to finish off the ballasting after I put in the point rodding,  rebuild the gents, finish the signal box and build the goods shed and put down textures for the platform and the goods yard. Incidentally since the layout is set after the end of passenger services the platform is going to be modelled in an overgrown state. The black shape is a weighbridge. i'm still undecide about whether or not to go ahead with that idea because the shed would obscure the view of the signal box from "the ideal viewing position" Then the backscene needs to be finished. A grab shot lat last night included some odd shadows that have made me wonder about putting a suggestion  hills onto the backscene rather than sky.

Moody