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The Woodfield branch

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fourtytwo

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Norfolk UK
Hi all this is my OO layout under construction, it is a fictitious branch terminus with two platforms & substantial goods facilities, exclusively steam era, DC powered.
This layout was previously listed here as noname as I could not think of one!
I notice planning & baseboard construction started sometime in April 2021, all the track has finally been laid and wired up. I have no buildings and very little stock as this is my first adventure in OO after 35 years in N gauge (never again).
For completeness here is the up to date trackplan
gyreworkb-1.png
And here is a picture illustrating the present scorched earth
A BR 2-6-2T awaits departure with 4 coaches, A Fowler 2-6-4T is in the ash road and some wagons await the goods shed, coal staithes & cattle dock!
P1170117.JPG

The goods shed (under construction) & engine shed (waiting construction) are both Metcalfe kits from the S&C stone range as the station is assumed to be in hill country somewhere. I enjoyed the Metcalfe kits in N, the OO ones being a hell of a lot bigger!! I found a B grade pencil was just about right for colouring edges thus avoiding paint. Very hard to get tiny dabs of UHU for the windowsills. Its taken me a few days (on & off) to do the walls and end gables so far.
 
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Cowley

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Hi all this is my OO layout under construction, it is a fictitious branch terminus with two platforms & substantial goods facilities, exclusively steam era, DC powered.
This layout was previously listed here as noname as I could not think of one!
I notice planning & baseboard construction started sometime in April 2021, all the track has finally been laid and wired up. I have no buildings and very little stock as this is my first adventure in OO after 35 years in N gauge (never again).
For completeness here is the up to date trackplan
View attachment 102489
And here is a picture illustrating the present scorched earth
A BR 2-6-2T awaits departure with 4 coaches, A Fowler 2-6-4T is in the ash road and some wagons await the goods shed, coal staithes & cattle dock!
View attachment 102490

The goods shed (under construction) & engine shed (waiting construction) are both Metcalfe kits from the S&C stone range as the station is assumed to be in hill country somewhere. I enjoyed the Metcalfe kits in N, the OO ones being a hell of a lot bigger!! I found a B grade pencil was just about right for colouring edges thus avoiding paint. Very hard to get tiny dabs of UHU for the windowsills. Its taken me a few days (on & off) to do the walls and end gables so far.

That’s a nice track plan you’ve got there with lots of operational interest. Is it set in the S&C area?
 

fourtytwo

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That’s a nice track plan you’ve got there with lots of operational interest. Is it set in the S&C area?
Thank you for the kind comments. I would have to say yes (to S&C) as those are the buildings available to me and I am looking for a stone effect but it could be any area where structures are built of the local granite so that could include derbyshire, the borders and scotland! as well as yorkshire, cumbria & parts of wales. So I have cast my net as wide as possible with an eye also to stock & locomotives. Not being a scratch builder of any skill I cannot afford to have a narrow localisation.

I confess parts of the trackplan are squashed (smaller radius points) but from the beginning this was designed as a semi-portable layout so there is an inconvenient baseboard break right through the station throat area, the only other way around that would have been to make that side of the room from three boards (two short & one long in the middle) instead of two equ sized boards BUT at the time of baseboard construction the trackplan had not quite settled the way it has in particular in relation to platform lengths that I had little experience of in OO.

One operational issue is uncoupling! ATM I am keeping the tension lock system (as at least it's standard amongst manufacturers) and using the hand-of-god with a bent peice of card enabling uncoupling to take place anywhere rather than being restricted to the location of ramps. I wonder what others do for personal non-exibition shunting layouts with tension lock or does everybody change them to something more sophisticated ?
 

Cowley

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It’s all about making compromises look not too compromising isn’t it? :)
Re the coupling situation - I model in N gauge but the theory is the same, I’ve got magnets set under the track in strategic places that uncouple wagons if I pull to a stop over the top of them. The replacement couplings also have magnets in them which open the jaws of the couplings.
I wouldn’t say it was a perfect solution but when you get the hang of it it’s pretty satisfying not having to use hands…
The only thing is that you want to get those set in before you do any ballasting etc. Although I did lay the track before I added them and it wasn’t too difficult.
Here’s a clip of a freight dropping some wagons off on my railway. One of the magnets is in the siding next to the heap of sand:

 

Iskra

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This looks very interesting, and is very up my street with the S&C/peaks theme. I look forward to watching things develop :)
 

Peter C

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Hi all this is my OO layout under construction, it is a fictitious branch terminus with two platforms & substantial goods facilities, exclusively steam era, DC powered.
This layout was previously listed here as noname as I could not think of one!
I notice planning & baseboard construction started sometime in April 2021, all the track has finally been laid and wired up. I have no buildings and very little stock as this is my first adventure in OO after 35 years in N gauge (never again).
For completeness here is the up to date trackplan
View attachment 102489
And here is a picture illustrating the present scorched earth
A BR 2-6-2T awaits departure with 4 coaches, A Fowler 2-6-4T is in the ash road and some wagons await the goods shed, coal staithes & cattle dock!
View attachment 102490

The goods shed (under construction) & engine shed (waiting construction) are both Metcalfe kits from the S&C stone range as the station is assumed to be in hill country somewhere. I enjoyed the Metcalfe kits in N, the OO ones being a hell of a lot bigger!! I found a B grade pencil was just about right for colouring edges thus avoiding paint. Very hard to get tiny dabs of UHU for the windowsills. Its taken me a few days (on & off) to do the walls and end gables so far.
Sorry I didn't respond to this sooner - been away over the weekend. :)
This is ringing all sorts of bells: thanks for saying you'd already shared something about it else I'd have been sitting here for ages! That trackplan looks really nice - especially the nice long run-around loops and the goods area.
The Metcalfe kits are super - I've got one on my layout and might use that pencil trick. If you have any other troubles when building any more, try using a Pritt stick: I've used that on all my Metcalfe kits and it seems to work (although whether all of the models are going to fall apart in a few years' time remains to be seen... ;)).

-Peter
 

43055

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8 Mar 2018
Messages
2,884
Hi all this is my OO layout under construction, it is a fictitious branch terminus with two platforms & substantial goods facilities, exclusively steam era, DC powered.
This layout was previously listed here as noname as I could not think of one!
I notice planning & baseboard construction started sometime in April 2021, all the track has finally been laid and wired up. I have no buildings and very little stock as this is my first adventure in OO after 35 years in N gauge (never again).
For completeness here is the up to date trackplan
View attachment 102489
And here is a picture illustrating the present scorched earth
A BR 2-6-2T awaits departure with 4 coaches, A Fowler 2-6-4T is in the ash road and some wagons await the goods shed, coal staithes & cattle dock!
View attachment 102490

The goods shed (under construction) & engine shed (waiting construction) are both Metcalfe kits from the S&C stone range as the station is assumed to be in hill country somewhere. I enjoyed the Metcalfe kits in N, the OO ones being a hell of a lot bigger!! I found a B grade pencil was just about right for colouring edges thus avoiding paint. Very hard to get tiny dabs of UHU for the windowsills. Its taken me a few days (on & off) to do the walls and end gables so far.
Very nice start you have made there.
One operational issue is uncoupling! ATM I am keeping the tension lock system (as at least it's standard amongst manufacturers) and using the hand-of-god with a bent peice of card enabling uncoupling to take place anywhere rather than being restricted to the location of ramps. I wonder what others do for personal non-exibition shunting layouts with tension lock or does everybody change them to something more sophisticated ?
Personally I don't change the couplings unless I have to which most are NEM. The only changes I have made is to the Cross Country mk3's from Hornby with the NEM couplings gave a large gap between the coaches so they have been replaced with the magnetic hunt couplings.
 

fourtytwo

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2 Jun 2021
Messages
75
Location
Norfolk UK
It’s all about making compromises look not too compromising isn’t it? :)
Re the coupling situation - I model in N gauge but the theory is the same, I’ve got magnets set under the track in strategic places that uncouple wagons if I pull to a stop over the top of them. The replacement couplings also have magnets in them which open the jaws of the couplings.
I wouldn’t say it was a perfect solution but when you get the hang of it it’s pretty satisfying not having to use hands…
The only thing is that you want to get those set in before you do any ballasting etc. Although I did lay the track before I added them and it wasn’t too difficult.
Here’s a clip of a freight dropping some wagons off on my railway. One of the magnets is in the siding next to the heap of sand:

Very well put regarding compromises, being in the eye of the beholder & all that!! Nice video, I find in OO hand uncoupling is quite easy and fast with a bit of practice so the hand of god is barely noticeable to me at least for the time being :) I am actually hoping to shunt single wagons around the yard so it may have to remain that way.
This looks very interesting, and is very up my street with the S&C/peaks theme. I look forward to watching things develop :)
I was in the peaks on holiday last year, the Gritstone is very similar in colour & texture from a distance to granite. It makes a change from everything being in brick.
Sorry I didn't respond to this sooner - been away over the weekend. :)
This is ringing all sorts of bells: thanks for saying you'd already shared something about it else I'd have been sitting here for ages! That trackplan looks really nice - especially the nice long run-around loops and the goods area.
The Metcalfe kits are super - I've got one on my layout and might use that pencil trick. If you have any other troubles when building any more, try using a Pritt stick: I've used that on all my Metcalfe kits and it seems to work (although whether all of the models are going to fall apart in a few years' time remains to be seen... ;)).

-Peter
I bit the bullet as you suggested Peter and started my own thread. Thank you for the kind comments, the run-round loops were hard to fit but I managed to stick with large radius for the passenger side. Nice to find another Metcalf fan but the Pritt stick doesn't smell as good as UHU <D on the red doors I used a red crayon on the edges, a lot less fiddly than paint.
Very nice start you have made there.

Personally I don't change the couplings unless I have to which most are NEM. The only changes I have made is to the Cross Country mk3's from Hornby with the NEM couplings gave a large gap between the coaches so they have been replaced with the magnetic hunt couplings.
Thank you. I am learning OO, does NEM refer to the coupling itself or some sort of box the coupling plugs into if the vehicle is new enough to have one ?
 

Peter C

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I bit the bullet as you suggested Peter and started my own thread. Thank you for the kind comments, the run-round loops were hard to fit but I managed to stick with large radius for the passenger side. Nice to find another Metcalf fan but the Pritt stick doesn't smell as good as UHU <D on the red doors I used a red crayon on the edges, a lot less fiddly than paint.
You're very welcome :D
You've done a good job with those loops - the one with the headshunt reminds me of somewhere like Bodmin General or maybe Kidderminster Town.
Haha :lol: I might just try that crayon technique. Thanks!

-Peter
 

fourtytwo

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Norfolk UK
At long last the goods shed is complete! A few difficulties with the instructions :rolleyes: but got there in the end. The opening doors are a right fiddle and it's really only practicable to change there position with the entire building removed from the layout. As for the railway doors the way the building is constructed prevents the runners ever working the doors being stood away from the wall by card folded around from the outside at an early stage of construction. Anyway here is the completed article, 1st OO building in 40 years for me......
P1170118.JPGP1170119.JPGP1170120.JPG
And now on to the engine shed!
 

Peter C

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At long last the goods shed is complete! A few difficulties with the instructions :rolleyes: but got there in the end. The opening doors are a right fiddle and it's really only practicable to change there position with the entire building removed from the layout. As for the railway doors the way the building is constructed prevents the runners ever working the doors being stood away from the wall by card folded around from the outside at an early stage of construction. Anyway here is the completed article, 1st OO building in 40 years for me......
View attachment 102612View attachment 102613View attachment 102614
And now on to the engine shed!
That looks very nice - it fits into the area really nicely.
I had a similar problem with the doors - particularly the ones for the track. One solution I had on a previous incarnation of my layout (pre-RailForums thread) was to raise the whole building up, maybe on a thick piece of card, to railhead height: then the doors should be able to open and close. The only trouble would be setting the card at the bottom to make it look like part of the building!

-Peter
 

43055

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Thank you. I am learning OO, does NEM refer to the coupling itself or some sort of box the coupling plugs into if the vehicle is new enough to have one ?
I've always called the small couplings like this one on the 08 NEM and then the part some clip into is a NEM socket if I am right.IMG_20200412_163957.jpg
 

fourtytwo

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That looks very nice - it fits into the area really nicely.
I had a similar problem with the doors - particularly the ones for the track. One solution I had on a previous incarnation of my layout (pre-RailForums thread) was to raise the whole building up, maybe on a thick piece of card, to railhead height: then the doors should be able to open and close. The only trouble would be setting the card at the bottom to make it look like part of the building!

-Peter
Thankyou :smile: the only worry I have is it is rather squashed against the backscene but I wanted as much open space in the goods yard as possible. I guess for now the rail doors will be permanently open, I wonder if anyone has ever motorized all the doors o_O<(
I've always called the small couplings like this one on the 08 NEM and then the part some clip into is a NEM socket if I am right.View attachment 102621
Ahh thankyou for the picture :smile: I dont have any new stock nor have I examined any closely although this to me looks like the narrow Dapol type coupling rather than the wide Triang/Hornby one. I understand the NEM system is a socket fitted to the stock that in turn can have a range of couplings plugged into it rather than the coupling being directly attached to the stock, does that sound right ?
 

RichJF

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As someone who loves shunting & moving stock about in a limited space on a layout, I really like the amount of sidings & variation in your trackplan!
 

fourtytwo

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Norfolk UK
As someone who loves shunting & moving stock about in a limited space on a layout, I really like the amount of sidings & variation in your trackplan!
Thank you :smile: I can't wait to get my hands on some more wagons and some smaller shunting loco's (Xmas beckons) BUT I am also learning about track & loco wheel dirt in OO being just as important as couplings, lot's to learn and experiment with.
 

43055

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Ahh thankyou for the picture :smile: I dont have any new stock nor have I examined any closely although this to me looks like the narrow Dapol type coupling rather than the wide Triang/Hornby one. I understand the NEM system is a socket fitted to the stock that in turn can have a range of couplings plugged into it rather than the coupling being directly attached to the stock, does that sound right ?
Yes that is right.
 

43055

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Hi, can you explain what you did with your ballast please? Have you done the whole area and then just put the track on top? Is it loose?
I did the track first then ballast which some of it is loose by the way I glued it.
 

fourtytwo

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Engine shed complete though no scenery, the workshop becomes the yard bothy (engineman's tearoom / foreman's office).
I left the supplied duckboards off the roof as i have never seen any in real life and the similar goods shed roof doesn't have any.
P1170124.JPG

I am now beginning to look at ballasting, I still have some "N" Granite so that's my material but as this is an "experimental layout" I want to make the glue much weaker to ease track lifting whilst still resisting the pull of the occasional vacuam cleaner pass, I reckon maybe 10% PVA vs the usual 40-50% & water/washing up liquid should be worth a shot, need to do an experimental length first of course. I read in a few places about using alcohol instead of washing up liquid but it's become so fabulously expensive thanks to Covid i think it's a non-starter.
 

fourtytwo

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Looking good so far, I like your buildings :)
Thankyou there Metcalf kits :smile: I have just been following your layout thread with interest, I wish I had more stock but having only just started in OO hopefully it will come in time. Your cast resin station building looks nice, who makes those models ?
 

Iskra

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Thankyou there Metcalf kits :smile: I have just been following your layout thread with interest, I wish I had more stock but having only just started in OO hopefully it will come in time. Your cast resin station building looks nice, who makes those models ?
I've actually got to the point that I have too much stock now; there's only so much you can have out and run at a time on a smaller layout! They are really nice looking aren't they! They are Hornby Skaledale, they are very well built too. I've not been able to do much to my layout recently, due to being hectic and working away. Come January things should calm down and I will do some ballasting :)
 

Cowley

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I am now beginning to look at ballasting, I still have some "N" Granite so that's my material but as this is an "experimental layout" I want to make the glue much weaker to ease track lifting whilst still resisting the pull of the occasional vacuam cleaner pass, I reckon maybe 10% PVA vs the usual 40-50% & water/washing up liquid should be worth a shot, need to do an experimental length first of course. I read in a few places about using alcohol instead of washing up liquid but it's become so fabulously expensive thanks to Covid i think it's a non-starter.

I think I’d be tempted to go more or less normal with the PVA because if it doesn’t set properly then you may have to glue it again which means more chance of the ballast moving around. The end result would be that you want the ballast solid and it’ll always take the same amount of PVA to achieve that really.
If it comes to lifting it later I’ve used hot water, white spirit or even petrol to dissolve the glue as once it starts breaking down it’s pretty easy to lift it and clean the track up.
I also mist the ballast with a spray bottle before applying the PVA as once it’s damp it stay in shape a bit better.
Just a few thoughts though, everyone does things their own way. :)
 

Peter C

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Engine shed complete though no scenery, the workshop becomes the yard bothy (engineman's tearoom / foreman's office).
I left the supplied duckboards off the roof as i have never seen any in real life and the similar goods shed roof doesn't have any.
View attachment 103331

I am now beginning to look at ballasting, I still have some "N" Granite so that's my material but as this is an "experimental layout" I want to make the glue much weaker to ease track lifting whilst still resisting the pull of the occasional vacuam cleaner pass, I reckon maybe 10% PVA vs the usual 40-50% & water/washing up liquid should be worth a shot, need to do an experimental length first of course. I read in a few places about using alcohol instead of washing up liquid but it's become so fabulously expensive thanks to Covid i think it's a non-starter.
Those buildings both look very nice. Was the engine shed easy to build? I assume given it's a Metcalfe kit it probably will be but there are some kits in their range which are a right pain!
That's one of the best things about card kits - you can change them about and move bits (or even just remove whole sections) and it'll work. If you've got the right number of pieces, that is :lol:

When I did the last bit of ballasting for my layout, I used a fifty-fifty PVA-water mix (I think). It probably wasn't exactly half-and-half, but after a few attempts at getting the right kind of consistency and things, it all came together. I didn't add washing-up liquid to my mix but it does seem popular. @Cowley's tip about misting the ballast with water before applying the glue really does work wonders. (I'll have my fee in cash... ;))

-Peter
 

43055

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Engine shed complete though no scenery, the workshop becomes the yard bothy (engineman's tearoom / foreman's office).
I left the supplied duckboards off the roof as i have never seen any in real life and the similar goods shed roof doesn't have any.
View attachment 103331

I am now beginning to look at ballasting, I still have some "N" Granite so that's my material but as this is an "experimental layout" I want to make the glue much weaker to ease track lifting whilst still resisting the pull of the occasional vacuam cleaner pass, I reckon maybe 10% PVA vs the usual 40-50% & water/washing up liquid should be worth a shot, need to do an experimental length first of course. I read in a few places about using alcohol instead of washing up liquid but it's become so fabulously expensive thanks to Covid i think it's a non-starter.
Very nice work. Never noticed that engine sheds/buildings didn't have duckboards.
Those buildings both look very nice. Was the engine shed easy to build? I assume given it's a Metcalfe kit it probably will be but there are some kits in their range which are a right pain!
That's one of the best things about card kits - you can change them about and move bits (or even just remove whole sections) and it'll work. If you've got the right number of pieces, that is :lol:
I think my shed is the same but in red brick and I would say it was relatively easy to build. Inside there are a few cross supports for the roof and that is about it.
 

fourtytwo

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Those buildings both look very nice. Was the engine shed easy to build? I assume given it's a Metcalfe kit it probably will be but there are some kits in their range which are a right pain!
That's one of the best things about card kits - you can change them about and move bits (or even just remove whole sections) and it'll work. If you've got the right number of pieces, that is :lol:

When I did the last bit of ballasting for my layout, I used a fifty-fifty PVA-water mix (I think). It probably wasn't exactly half-and-half, but after a few attempts at getting the right kind of consistency and things, it all came together. I didn't add washing-up liquid to my mix but it does seem popular. @Cowley's tip about misting the ballast with water before applying the glue really does work wonders. (I'll have my fee in cash... ;))

-Peter
I guess it's about patience, you need a few days anyway so glue can go off on one set of assemblies before starting the next (I used UHU & about 1/3 of a big tube), I did make the odd mistake the most serious I was able to correct nearly invisibly involved the sequence of the end wall, whether to blame the instruction clarity or to much haste I am unsure! I am doing a trial of ballast blobs with various strengths of glue, will report back when fully cooked off in the airing cupboard :)

Very nice work. Never noticed that engine sheds/buildings didn't have duckboards.

I think my shed is the same but in red brick and I would say it was relatively easy to build. Inside there are a few cross supports for the roof and that is about it.
Thank you, I guess even with the pencil in the corners you can still see occasional white stripes. Another interesting thing is the instructions allow for the glazing panels to fit inside or outside whereas on the goods shed they are outside only. I chose the latter to match the goods shed and also because I am pretty sure thats the way they would be on the prototype.

An electrical day today, decided to auto cab-control the approach line & traverser according to the setting of the goods yard connecting crossover so the goods operator can drive trains all the way to/from the yard & traverser without the intervention of the station operator, simple idea proved awkward in practice and had to add another relay but worth the effort to improve operation.

Sunday

Results of the ballast glue (pva) strength test are shown in the following pics, the three samples left to right are 2pts water/1 glue, 3pts water/1 glue, 4pts water/1 glue all on a piece of 12mm marine ply after ~40Hrs drying time. This showed no noticeable difference in adhesion strength or crush resistance however the weakest mixture was marginally easier to remove. IMOP this shows the 1/1 standard strength to be way over the top! I am tempted to continue the series another day to see how much dilution really does become to much!

The samples were first dried, then vacuumed, then crushed, then vacuumed again, then wet for 15 mins and a medium pressure blade scrape, followed by a light pressure blade scrape on the other side.

This automerge is a bit of a pest!!
 

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Cowley

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Interesting…
I like the experiment you’ve set up there. I must admit that I’ve always been set in my ways with something like this but that’s not to say it’s correct. It’s just how I’ve always done it (I think as well though ballasting is one of those things you just have to grit your teeth and get on with).
I shall watch how it goes with interest.
 

fourtytwo

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Just to be completely boring I duplicated the experiment with ratio's of 6, 8 & 10/1 with much the same results except I added a dry scrape attempt (flat blade from the side) that removed ballast on all samples but the basic adhesion (anti vacuum cleaner) and crush tests remained good. Given I am extremely interested in easy track re-use I think I will be using the 10/1 mix :lol:

So this deranged software will merge this post with the last!
However managed to snatch a few hours and make a start on the ballasting using N granite chips & 10/1 water/glue, here is the result
P1170142.JPG
There is a significant increase in running noise over the ballasted track but not enough to worry me, if anything perhaps a bit more prototypical.

UPDATE 191021 TO AVOID THE DREADED AUTOMERGER!
Experimented with ballast mixes for the shed area & ended up raiding the barbecue 8-) this when sieved through a metal tea-strainer produced very fine grey ash AND from the charcoal bag dust when sieved gave black cinders & the larger pieces will be coal. The mix also used fine sharp sand but no granite at all. The picture shows the mix laid before glue.
P1170155.JPG
 

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fourtytwo

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I have some progress to report as the enclosed pictures show

P1170164.JPG
P1170165.JPG
P1170166.JPG
Ballasting is pretty much complete at an amazingly weak mix of 10pts water to 1pt pva, this was after some trials to ascertain it was strong enough to resist the vacuum cleaner, the intention being to make it easier to clean track for re-use.
Quite a lot more stock has been acquired, the loco stud now standing at 5, the one poor runner being a Hornby with traction tyres (never again). Last picture shows some cattle wagons in the cattle dock.
Slowly building & painting buildings etc, the latest being the water tower. I have been lucky to get some diecast signals & water columns that are being restored, hopefully one day the signals will operate with some form of layout interlocking using servo's as the mechanism.
Obviously still a whole heap more to do and I am always impressed by other peoples amazing progress.
 
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Cowley

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I must say that there’s some very nice looking ballast going down there and your experiment has been interesting. :)

I have some progress to report as the enclosed pictures show

View attachment 104647
View attachment 104648
View attachment 104649
Ballasting is pretty much complete at an amazingly weak mix of 10pts water to 1pt pva, this was after some trials to ascertain it was strong enough to resist the vacuum cleaner, the intention being to make it easier to clean track for re-use.
Quite a lot more stock has been acquired, the loco stud now standing at 5, the one poor runner being a Hornby with traction tyres (never again). Last picture shows some cattle wagons in the cattle dock.
Slowly building & painting buildings etc, the latest being the water tower. I have been lucky to get some diecast signals & water columns that are being restored, hopefully one day the signals will operate with some form of layout interlocking using servo's as the mechanism.
Obviously still a whole heap more to do and I am always impressed by other peoples amazing progress.

I really like the track layout especially around the shed. It’s always good to have a couple of outside stabling roads the way you’ve got it set up.
 
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