Lindfield and Griffendon Narrow Gauge Railway.

[Mike Griff]

Hi folks,
Probably 12yrs ago, after years of interest as a child and onwards, i started to build an N-Scale layout in a small back room. It was a figure eight main line and some 8' X 7', i had track laid and it was wire and sectioned, i had used a Dremmel style drill to mark realistic track lengths onto the rails to give the diddly de diddly da of the carriage wheels when the domestic authorities removed permissions around the railway in an indirect manner that meant altering my masterpiece in a serious way. This destroyed my motivation completely and Beeching sindrome followed.
I kept my stock untill recently but deposed the offending authority. Now, living in a different country, Ireland, I have allowed my deep held interest to resurface and with unemployment a part of my life have sold the bulk of my N-Scale stock and commenced the Lindfield and Griffendon Narrow Guage Railway.
You may have viewed my stock previously, this is the layout progress so far.
The railway is starting life as a single track station to station run over three 4' x 1' boards through country side. It is a freelance scheme, possibly early '30,s, and i will use the occasional kit but intend to try my hand at scratch building the features as i go.
In the ensuing pics, you will see the first board. It and its brothers are built from recycled high grade wooden "laminate" flooring, a piece of 9mm ply and some galvanised wire mesh, it is fairly light in weight and very strong due to the flooring thickness of 20mm.
I have wired the track sections in the commonly used system of DC control utlising a common return. ie only switching the red wire thus only switching one side of the railway power supply.
An engine shed is proposed for the left front section of the station area and if you look closely you will see a simple solution towards creating an ash pit. The remaining two base boards are built but not tracked at this stage, the second will attach at right angles to the photographed board ,the third board forming the second station board will fit end on to this middle board, creating an L shaped railway that has the potential to grow in a modular fashion.
At this stage i need to order more track for the existing development and while i wait its funding and arrival i will delve into the black art of scenic modelling. Having got this far in the past i am keen to break the scenic barrier and move forward.....here goes. Mike http://www.flickr.com/photos/griffrail/  

[Graeme Dunbar]

Mike,

Your baseboards do look solid and well made. There should be no problem with sagging and warping there! They are a good size too. I've become a convert to "shelf" layouts and look forward to using the technique in my next layout as space is limited.

[Mike Griff]

Hi Graeme,
Thanks for the comments. The room i use for now is fairly small and has things around it like book shelves and window sills, it would have been great to build a station board on one wall then run all the way round in country side to another station or maybe into a tunnel to hidden sidings, i prefer the station idea, to give an operation environment, maybe in the future.

[Graeme Dunbar]

Mike,

Yes, there are plenty of options when running baseboards round the walls of a room as if shelving. Some bits can be permanent and others removable. Regarding fiddleyards there were a couple of articles in Railway Modeller some time back. One was on visible fiddleyards that looked like sidings and the other was a microlayout where the sector plate was in view. (At least the stock on it was in view but the track and sliding mechanism were hidden by a wall or fence from the normal viewing position). On a small layout a traditional fiddleyard takes up a lot of valuable real estate.

[Mike Griff]

I,ve recently started to add scenery to the L&G Narrow Guage Rly, much of this of course is suck it and see, but i,m starting to feel a little more confident as i progress.
In my set of photos showing some of the construction you may recall the wire mesh "land" structure, i was debating what the covering should be and finally settled on Plasterers Scrim Tape, this is a self adhesive tape in varying widths that is a mesh/bandage style product used for plaster board joints and so ideal to take Plaster or filler. Then i decided upon using Polyfilla with Artists Acryllic paint added, with some PVA to prevent cracks. The pollyfiller worked well but the box got empty real quick, the colour for the grass is a bit blue and i should have stuck with soil colour instead of getting "clever".
I then added hanging basket liner from Lidl. Stuck down with PVA it appears to do the job ok, after it set i scuffed it up with a knife blade.
To commence buliding ops i have used 9mm ply as abasis for my platforms, one station and one goods, and some Goodfellas Pizza box as a dummy station building is under construction.
Road way is appearing in the right hand corner courtesy of Acrylics.
I hope this is not to run of the mill for you all, its still new to me so i get all upcited.Mike http://www.flickr.com/photos/009rail/

[Mike Griff]

Hi guys,
Since July i've done a little more to the Lindfield and Griffendon Narrow Guage Railway. The first board has been ballasted and a tree made (half a tree actually), i'd added a backscene board and in the left corner i had painted some trees n stuff, then built my half tree to fill in the corner space in front of the painted tree to give depth and hide the corner join, i also added another low profile tree to its left. I have scratched a buffer stop from plasticard and covered it with broken cocktail sticks a la fence post, the shallow tanked area inside this structure is filled with mixed ballast, brown and black with some weeds added, looks good, its a shame really cos the shed will hide it. Scratched water tower is in place close to this buffer stop with a "home built " ladder (the railway maintenance crew knocked it together) personally i wouldn,t send the P.M. up it but hey ho!. I,ve fitted some rod style point controls, they work but i will find a better way of building the next ones.
Some foliage has appeared on the hillside to the left courtesy of some Lichen and Woodlands Scenics Underbrush.
I would love to post some pics for you but it seems that if you don't use Flickr often it forgets who you are, this is the second time this has happened to me and i don't feel like supporting them much. I can viev my old photo,s but i can,t get into add any, s'a bitch innit.
                                                                                          Mike.

[duttonbay]

I haven't loaded any photos to Flickr for a couple of years, but was able to login again today, and get into the upload pages. I'm surprised that you are unable to do so. Disappointed too, because I enjoyed seeing your last batch of photos.

John

[Mike Griff]

MMMM, Going to have to try again!

[invercloy]

Bizarre, I've not experienced that issue before.  Have you tried logging into yahoo instead (as they're part of the same group your details should work there too).  There must be a 'forgot your password' type service that should help.

[Mike Griff]

Hi all,
It appears that Yahoo disable an account un-used after a period of time, as i only used my yahoo account as an ID for flickr i lost access, i'm now waitng for yahoojimiflip to reactivate me. I've also changed pc's lately so need to sus out the photo upload dodah,(note to self; don't get stressed its only athingamy).

[invercloy]

Very odd, I have a yahoo account for a flickr photo stream (two in fact) and never use yahoo for anything else... Hope you get it sorted soon.

[Mike Griff]

OK, the Lindfield and Griffendon Narrow Guage Railway Company announces herewith that the unreported disputes within its Board has finally been resolved, as of the recent few weeks the Planning Officer has decided the railway must relocate (an apartment 5 miles to the north west).
This has resulted in the railway company renaming as Griffendon Narrow Guage Railway or GNR for short. Planning is now in house and ruled only by the creditors/share holder. MEEEEEEEE.

[Mike Griff]

Hello again chasps;
Just back from flickr land.
I,ve been heading on with Griffendon Narrow Guage Railway and added some scenery and things. I had a go at my first Scratch building, the station building, its planted using a couple of nuts n bolts and weathered. I still have to add gutters n pipes, some steps at the customer entrance round the side and then continue with the platform. Meanwhile, Tonto disgui.... oh railways. I started the Engine shed too, this and the station building are straight off the top of my head and maiinly Slaters materials, the window frames are from Wills though.
I built a buffer stop in there somewhere, that was a plasticard skeleton clad in cocktail sticks and filled with ballast.
The watercrane is a part of a Dapol kit, and the tower is a mix of N guage tunnel butresses and slaters magic, all painting (including the backscene) is hand brushed using Acrylics, though the sky is emulsion test pot variety. Watch out for the crows.
Thats it for.......oow no, me loco.
I painted the scratch loco body and weathered it too, same principle as the other stuff. I have to say it looks better in real time, this close up stuff is a b for showing the wrinkles, rather proud of that. I have to detail her a bit then satin varnish. All for now then, here's the link for the photies. http://www.flickr.com/photos/009rail/

[Mike Griff]

Hi again,
I,ve done a little more to Griffendon Narrow Guage Railway.
I finished painted and planted the engine shed and was well pleased with my efforts. I,m not so pleased with my photos, I had this wierd shadow on them, turns out its the camera lense, DOH!
I built some "wooden " fence around the station platform from plasticard and scratched up a low relief goods shed. I also built a coaling stage from wood from a craft counter in the local post office. Further fenceing was made from cocktail sticks, the ends removed, cut them in two, drill two 0.8mm holes in each, soak in mucky paint over night,  thread with 5 amp fuse wire and set posts in holes. Works for me.
I bashed a Dapol 00 crossing, the gates were way too long but one was broken on arrival so I shortened the other to match and followed up by building another set from Evergreen plastic strip, a Dapol coal merchants cabin has been planted as a crossing keepers cabin at the distant crossing. I also had a go at a signal. Evergreen strip for the bits and the lever and arm actually work.
I feel very pleased with how the layout is going, I,ve joined the second boarrd on now and layed the track, it will be great when I can run a train, must get a chassis. If you are interested in seeing the rather poor photo,s its http://flickr.com/photos/009rail/
Regards Mike.

[Mike Griff]

Hello again,
I,ve done a little more bodge creating around the Griffendon Narrow Gauge Railway.
I had a Grafar 08 chassis in the bits box along with a DMU chassis from the same stable, the first now powers (not especially well) a freelance scratch built saddle tank in the traditions of the GNGR, I have to find some cash from somewhere, these paint jobs are starting to get me down.
I was at a loss with the DMU, one thing that tickled my fancy was to try and create a diesel inspection vehicle/ directors transport thingummy and so I set about it. It was a half hearted job really as I didn't think it would work out and unfortunately it shows in the workmanship, I got impatient and frustrated, a symptom of other stuff i fear.
My attention then moved to the second scenic board. I formed the landscape  from wire mesh as before, covered this with plasterers scrim tape and covered the lot with Polyfilla mixed with a little PVA to prevent cracking and (not enough) brown paint. There are two valleys on this board and so this dictated I build viaducts, out came the Slaters plasticard. I will apply some coping stones and also some detail around the arches before weathering and proceeding with some grass and other details around the hills.
I need to get some people on the staion board, do any of you worty people have recommendations for appropriate (or not) figures circa late '40 ish figures? I'm looking for railway staff and public figures.
I hope you find my efforts entertaining, I must admit to gaining great enjoyment from this model and its keepig me relatively sane, your honour. A few more pics to the collection. http://flickr.com/photos/009rail/
Bye for now.