Glen Ogle

[gtmspyder]

I can assure our members that the quality or type of biscuits in the tin, will in no way affect the quality of the finished tin spray booth, ;D although they may well affect the enjoyment of the emptying process ;).

Today, I used the new spray booth for a project I am helping my eight year old Grandson with at his junior school.

I was asked if I would attend a class with him called family learning, in this, school children and parents/carers are encouraged to attend a class in the afternoon from 1.30 to 3.15pm where various activities take place.

This particular class was to make an astronaut which was to complement there academic subject of space travel.

The class was taken by the arts and crafts teacher, who told the six parent/carers and there children, that we were going to make a fifteen inch tall, (approx) Astronaut out of bubble wrap, masking tape, plastic bags and silver paper, whoopee, deep joy. :D

Any way, we commenced to make the body out of bubble wrap and masking tape, lots of masking tape, and at the end of the session, we did have a reasonable representation of a body, minus head, and painted white.

The next week we were to form the feet and hands from silver paper we were told, and home we came.

The craft teacher had a made up model to show us what the finished model would look like, if we followed her instructions, but during my weeks sabbatical before the next session, I got to thinking, as you do, and decided that our model would have proper boots, not scrunched up silver paper wrapped around his stumpy legs, so I cut out some boots from scrap timber, painted them white, made some oxygen bottles from a couple of pieces of dowel, to strap to his back, and presented these to the second class session last week.

This week, I have made some wooden gloved hands, and it is  these that I have christened the new tin spray booth with.







Already for fitting once I have fitted some pins in his wrists which will be pushed up into his arms to connect arm to wooden wrist/hand.

Regards,

BrianT.

[gtmspyder]

After what seems a long lapse, I am back to modelling on Glen Ogle.

You may remember I built a removable turntable come sector plate, which was to be mounted at the bottom of the Glen, which would line up with the scenic track at the front of the layout, but could also be slid to line up with the proposed track that was to run down the rear of the scenic section, and be capable of being turned through 180 degrees, so that stock did not have to be touched at all.

This would accept cassettes made from electrical trunking of 100 x 50mm section, which would accept three lengths of 009 Peco track, this trunking can be lifted off the turntable base, for storing stock, and helps to facilitate the turning of the turntable, by sliding back from the connecting fixed track.



The return track down the back of the layout has now been laid, it starts at the top as a single track from a return loop off stage, and splits into a double track towards the bottom, this gives additional storage space should it ever be required as it then leads onto the triple tracked turntable cassette.



Some of the stock at the bottom of the double tracked storage roads, ready to run onto the storage cassette.



This next photo shows the cassette loaded with an assortment of stock at the bottom of the return track. The cassette, is positioned onto the turntable by two wooden "ELL" sections, which allow the cassette to be placed on, and slid along the turntable back and forth, so that when the turntable is spun, the cassette can be drawn away from the delivering rails to allow the width of the cassette to clear the structure.



Here, the loaded cassette is being turned and moved towards the scenic line.



Here, the turntable/cassette has been positioned ready for stock to run off onto the scenic section of track, ready for it's journey up the Glen.



So I am back into the modelling groove, I have already started to make the small board that will attach to the other end of the layout, which will carry a return loop of track to connect the track from the deviation scene, round to the off scene return rail which runs down behind the scenic climb up the Glen.

This 2ft square board will incorporate a "Y" point in it's circumference, that might, at some time in the future, branch a track off down to the village of Killin.

That's it for now folks,

BrianT.

[gtmspyder]

A little more modelling done today, the back scene has gained a cut-out range of mountains which have been blended into the foreground scene.

I bought another 8ft mountains back-scene, cut along the mountain tops paper picture, removing the sky part, I then glued them to 6inch strips of ply, and used the jigsaw to follow the mountain top contours.

I then screwed the ply behind the scenic layout, and hung the original back-scene behind that.

This seems to have improved the look of the scene.



I blended in the back of the layout board into the plywood mountain range with coloured filler, here, the filler is still wet and darker than I hope it will be eventually.



That's it for tonight folks.

BrianT.

[gtmspyder]

Here we go again, I've been busy doing other things, amongst them, a visit to look at the snow in the Cairngorms, so the modelling has been on hold.

I have been wall making with DAS modelling clay, and the walling now runs from the garage at the lochearnhead end three quarters up the road to Glenogle head.



I made a mould from plasticard so that I could get all the wall sections the same height and thickness, filled it with DAS, and then scribed into the soft DAS with a dental pick, peeled the DAS from the mould, turned it over and scribed the reverse side, before setting each section to air dry.

When hardened dry, I went along all the scribed lines once again with the dental pick to remove the fash created by the first pass.  Ran the base and ends of the wall sections along a flat file to square them up,  then using water colours, I painted the sections as appropriate, before planting them in a bed of polyfiller along the roadside up the Glen.

I did a couple of damaged sections to fit in.



And re-grassed the roadside upto the wall.



I think it looks quite effective.





I have also spread a little light coloured flock along the top of the scenery bank where it meets the back scene, to blend one into the other, I hope.



A long view back down the Glen shows this better.



the Land Rover parked on the drain culvert over-bridge seems to have collected an early leaf fall.



The old rustic footbridge over the river tumbling down the glen, provides the only access to the new station halt at the head of the Glen, there are rumours that this halt might be in for some redevelopment in the future, so the bridge might have to go.



the Forestry Commission seems to have been busy at the junction to Killin.



Well, that's about it for now.

Regards,

BrianT.

[gtmspyder]

Killin Times

There are fresh stirrings in Glen Ogle, the "Times" has to report.

Since the Laird went round the village with his collecting tin last week, the sum of money pledged by the good citizens of Killin, Kenmore and the surrounding countryside, has allowed the consortium building the new railway up Glen Ogle to expand there aims, to make a junction at the head of the Glen, and survey the area to bring a new line down glen Dochart to serve the tourist traffic visiting the village of Killin.

A new company is to be formed from the good Burghers of Killin and Kenmore, to commission a new steam driven pleasure boat to travel the length of Loch Tay between Killin and Kenmore as soon as the line reaches Killin.

A new interchange station is to be built on the site of the small halt at the head of Glen Ogle, where the proposed new line will veer away from the existing line being built towards Crianlaric, and head down Glen Dochart.

This has also been aided by the consortium winning a contract from the Forestry commission, to carry locally cut timber from the surrounding areas, by rail, to the timber sawmills at Crianlaric, thus easing the heavy congestion on the A84 and surrounding roads.

The First Minister for Scotland, made this announcement in Edinburgh yesterday, saying "This would be a good start to Scotland's Independence
bid later this year,  should the pending referendum have a favourable outcome, the new Scottish Government would Nationalise the Glen Ogle light railway and continue to fund it's onward journey with all due haste".

The opposition parties have accused the First minister of offering a bribe to influence voters in our area.

We will continue to monitor the work and keep our readers up to date with all the news about this exciting development.
The Editor.

[gtmspyder]

Killin Times

Today I went to the head of Glen Ogle to see the developments being undertaken there.

There is much activity at the site, the temporary structures, placed there by the original contractors, when the deviation had to be cut through the solid rock due to a collapse in the old tunnel have been cleared away, apart from the stone water tower.

More blasting has cleared a slightly larger area of land and a passing loop is being created to accommodate two trains.



One of the two new points was being installed as we watched, with wiring for the point operating motors which will fit into the excavated hole beneath the toe of the point, being run to a new signalling facility.





The second point was laid a little while later.With the point operating motor again being fitted in a hole excavated beneath the toe end of the point.



The two interlinking sections of track were then laid, and the contractors rolling stock were driven across to test the new installation.



Jenny Jones, staff reporter, Killin Times.

[gtmspyder]

Hello again, The more observant of the forums readers, may have noticed the more even lighting in my last posted pictures.



This is due to my new lighting rig that spans the length of the layout.



The work I did on the new interchange station yesterday, has progressed a little more, the platforms have been laid, and additional scenic plaster work has been added.  The new plaster is still wet hence the very dark colour.  I mix the poly filler type plaster in the usual way, but I add poster paint to the mix to achieve the base colour I require.  The platforms are 6mm Balsa wood cut and shaped to size, glued in place, and a thin smear of the plaster mix laid across the top to simulate a tarmac finnish.



A view back down the Glen across the interchange station, again shows off the very even lighting from the string of surface mount LED's, tape mounted, and fixed in my case to a length of 25mm black plastic conduit, slung across the middle of the 2ft wide base board.  The back scene is supported in the same way.



Onwards and upwards we go.

BrianT.

[tebee]

It's starting to come together very nicely Brian.

Really got a very nice spacious feel about it that's missing from many layouts .

Tom

[gtmspyder]

Thank you Tom, glad you like it.  :)

Got to electrically test the points today, then I can get on with ballasting the new track work and scenifying the new area.

Because the loco's are radio controlled, I also want the layout point diagram board to be fitted to a similar small box on a wander lead, as I want to be able to switch the points using double pole, double throw switches.  Somewhere I have seen a circuit diagram showing dpdt switches with an associated capacitive circuit that allows this type of switch to be used without burning out the point motors, but I can't now find it, is anyone out there able to help please.  I have a capacitor discharge unit that I made up many years ago which I can resurrect, it's the associated circuitry that allows the dpdt switches for route indication to be used that I am after.

Another job pending is to make a fly swatter static discharge grass applicator, I have had the parts for some time, but have not needed it as the layout was not at a stage where I needed it.

Bye for now,

BrianT.

[Hugh Norwood]

I'll pm you when I've found my notes, Brian.

[gtmspyder]

Thank you Hugh, much appreciated.

Regards,

BrianT.

[Hugh Norwood]

If you are wanting to use "normal" switches (i.e. those that are not centre-off) then have a look at the following sites
http://www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/electrics-switches.htm
( go down to "SPDT Switching (suggested by LisaP4) )

or
http://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/Electrical.html
(go a long way down to
"One Wire plus return Point Operation with individual capacitor" )

Both circuits are identical. I have tried this out and it works for both SEEP and PECO motors. If I had found this before I started work on Angst I would have used it.
You do need cable of at least 16/0.2 (which is rated at 3Amps)
Be warned about connecting electrolytics the wrong way round - they explode.

You'll note that only one "pole" of a switch is required. If you use a double pole switch, you can use the spare pole for powering a route identifying light - or - not needed in your case of course - as the switch to provide back-up to the blades on the point for power to the frog.

[Scott Rixon]

How are you finding that rather nice cassette system? Does it still rotate nicely, without derailing all the trains?

I like the idea of trunking, but I was looking at more of a removable system on my layout..

[gtmspyder]

Thank you for your trouble Hugh, It was the circuit with the capacitor and two diodes per point I was after.

Regards,

BrianT.

[gtmspyder]

Hello Scott.

The trunking cassette system for the rolling stock I am using is fine, the carriages are of course to HO scale, and will just slide down the trunking sides, so if you are considering this method, check your rolling stock width.

I doubt you could use the trunking as stock carriers without some foam packing, but I have not tried it.

Rotation of the turntable, which revolves on ball bearing is very smooth, so there are no jerks as it turns to derail the mounted rolling stock, and sliding the trunking back and forth to clear the square ends, back from the circle circumference, does little more than roll any loose rolling stock along the rails a little way if it is able.

I have yet to fit some ends to the trunking to stop any errant rolling stock from taking a dive to the floor, but as I am still building rather than operating the layout, which incidentally, I much prefer,  it is of small matter at the moment.

Regards,

BrianT.