Isle Ornsay

[Tigger]

Tom, this collection looks excellent - well done!  It does make me wish that I'd got a larger loading gauge for the L&TR though!  Mick's work on Ratio coaches is truly excellent and along with the articles in the News is splendidly inspirational.  Will you be using a two-colour livery?

I must finish that rake of new coaches which has been half-built for far too long...

On the other matter, yes - it might be an idea if you transferred this thread to the Rolling Stock section!

Sadly it's unlikely that I'll get to Barton on Sunday.

[invercloy]

Right returning this thread well and truly to the layout as opposed to stock...

I've got this entire week booked off work for the sole purpose of doing modelling, mainly to try and make a dent in the list of things I need to get through to prepare Isle Ornsay for Sparsholt in April.  The first of which is the build the fiddle yard, the final remaining board.

The fiddle yard will only be used at exhibitions, as at home I will have a much smaller fiddle yard, or potentially a small layout mounted on the top of my workbench.


Here it is connected to the end of the yard where it enters the tunnel. 


The other end of the tunnel.  The Minitrains Plymouth diesel gives an idea of the size, it's 1.2m long x 500mm.  Around the edge of the board strip wood (should) help avoid cassettes emptying themselves onto the floor!  I used MDF for the surface of the fiddle yard to help with the ability to slide cassettes around.


The fascia board is held up at the rear by a slide in removable end panel (left hand side), and a magnetic catch (right hand side, top).


When the end panel is removed the fascia can be folded down, this will help protect cassettes for transport to/from exhibitions, and also will help protect the programming track from damage in transit.

I've begun using hand wheels which are designed for attaching bed headboards to bases for joining baseboards together.


I've got to use a few different lengths for baseboards joints, holding legs to baseboards, and braces between legs, so had to order a few different sorts.  Also in the image (bottom right) is an adjustable foot, I'll begin working on the legs tomorrow.  All being well I should be able to run the first train the entire length of the layout on Friday :)

[invercloy]

I've now fitted all the legs to the layout, they work well and take up very little space.  They are a scissor arrangement that sit across the depth of the boards, as shown below.  Between some legs there are ply braces.  This all makes a pretty stable base, especially considering they're the first baseboards I've built.



And with the layout all set up what else was there to do but play trains?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xthDHBmtvzM

There's some work to do on some of the track around baseboard joints which has lifted from the foam slightly, this will be pinned down more firmly at these locations.  It was nice to have an operating session, and has highlighted a few very minor things to address before Sparsholt.

[Isle of Stoner]

Looking good. Looks like real carpentry rather than my hacking and sticking.

Running trains too. Very flash! ;D

John W

[invercloy]

Looking good. Looks like real carpentry rather than my hacking and sticking.

Running trains too. Very flash! ;D

John W

'real carperntry' ? Thanks, John, but this is definitely 'hacking and sticking'.  It's not my forte, and I've learnt a lot of things not to do again when building these boards!  Still, as long as they don't fall over and what sits on top of them looks pretty I'll be happy.

[Tigger]

I thought "wot Plymouth?" - then I saw it! :)
Tom, this is all looking very good indeed and as John has already said, it looks to me to all be very well thought out and neatly and carefully executed.  I rather like your method of joining baseboards - we need something better than 6mm roofing bolts on Buccabury so I might suggest this approach.  When I get a chance I'll post a view of the trestle legs I built for Buccabury to replace the old Ikea standard trestles (which were good but weren't designed for exhibitions and were very bulky!)  You don't look as though you need to see them but others might be interested.
Well done Tom - If I'm able to get to NGS I'll look forward to seeing progress.

One last thing, I found on the MRC layout 'Happisburgh' that even once it was operational we spent all our time and energy building for it and it only ever got used at exhibitions.  This is certainly not healthy for a project so I'd advise anyone that as soon as a layout can be used, for goodness' sake spend some time running trains.  It keeps you focussed on why you're building it, helps to find problems while they can still be dealt with and the layout modified if necessary and also means that you don't get bogged down into a drudgery of nothing but layout building without having the fun of operating.
As folks might have gathered, I enjoy operating the L&TR as a proper working railway.  I'm not content with just watching the trains go round and round and luckily the design of the L&TR and the length of run I have allows plenty of time to view the trains on the move in the countryside.  The station-to-station run takes 50 secs to a minute.

[Graeme Dunbar]

Yes, very well planned and executed Tom! Where did you get the screws with hand wheel ends?

On my last four boards (not NG, not really a layout even, just some demonstration/test tracks) I used T-nuts too, but used hex-socket cap screws and an Allen key.

[invercloy]

Thanks David & Graeme.  I took a long time planning this, in fact I was planning it before I started building Dunbracken, but it was meant to be a purely freelance layout 'somewhere in the Lochaber region'.  After Dunbracken was built I found the documents in the National Archives, and it all kind of planned itself from there really.

The handwheels are from BP Fittings here: http://www.bpfittings.co.uk/pc/Male-Threaded-Handwheels-Knobs-c10676.htm
There are various thread diameters and lengths and handle designs.  Out of the 26 I ordered only one had the handle come loose from the thread.  I've used them to attach the baseboards to one another, the legs to the baseboards, and the braces to the legs.  It all makes for a very quick assembly and take down time.

I ought to write up the use of the hand wheels for the News really as several people have asked me about them.

Graeme, what is there in the way of narrow gauge centric exhibitions in Scotland? I'd love to be able to take Isle Ornsay north of the border at some point.

And finally, David, don't worry, now that I've got my new controller (Gaugemaster Prodigy Advance 2) I'll be playing trains a lot more often :)

[Tigger]

Well done Tom - you do that! ;D

Meanwhile, as promised, a photo of the trestles I built for Buccabury.  Standard A-frame design, 2"x1" wood, hinged at the top and with standard location dowels to fit into the inner corners of the baseboard frame.  The bottom strut of the A is a hinged half-metre length of 6mm studding with a nut which keeps the A-frame legs at the correct distance.  It is hinged up for transport and in use it passes through a section of aluminium angle on the opposite cross-member; it is this angle which bears against the nut.  The legs are secured for transport with two discarded post office rubber bands around them.  These then hook around small cup hooks on the legs and their tension keeps the legs tight against the nut on the studding.  That's also a convenient way to store the bands during the exhibition where they can be found during the breakdown!  Also, in transport mode, the diagonals on the legs keep the studding from flapping about.  The two trestles you can see supporting the rest have additional brackets incorporated into them, which fold out and support the shelf (which you can also see) for the controller and coffee cups.  (This was only a mock-up; the bracket pivots were not finished and lengths of rodding were being used.)  These brackets are within the existing envelope so these trestles take up no more storage space than the others.  The studding enables the leg height to be adjusted for the best fit on the exhibition floor!  Simple, light, robust and pretty easy to store and transport; the overall depth of each support is slightly over 4".  I built one more than needed so if any were to be damaged there is an instant replacement.  Also, construction is screwed but not glued; again, if there is any damage it will be easy to replace the appropriate piece.

[Tigger]

Oh yes - one word of advice - when buying timber for layouts NEVER, EVER buy the ready-wrapped packs - you know the sort, eight pieces to a pack and wrapped in plastic.  When you take off the wrapping there is an explosion and you realise you've actually got four corkscrews, two aircraft propellers one banana and a dog-leg. :o  I always select from the individual lengths and invariably reject three or four times as many as I keep, what with all the rotten twisted and bent stuff, plus I try to find timber that's as shake and knot free as possible. ;)

[Graeme Dunbar]

Tom,

I'm not sure there are many specialist model railway exhibitions in Scotland, but I may be mistaken - Gauge O Guild is lurking as a thought in the back of my mind.

Most exhibitions are of general railway modelling, even to the extent of including wargaming, model boats, aeroplanes, dolls houses or whatever other clubs the host MRC has links with. Also, many or most MRCs are part of the Association of Scottish MRCs and there is a lot of quid pro quo. Attracting clubs from further afield is quite difficult I understand, though Dundee is twinned with Orleans and the respective clubs visit each other I believe (the French club comes to Dundee most certainly).

Of course I am duty bound to say you should come to Aberdeen (November) but personally I think I'd try Perth (June) as it is an excellent hall, a good central location, has a good range of layouts and attendance, yet is quite intimate. I know a number of other modellers who regard Perth highly too. Glasgow (February) is the "big one" ("big yin"  ;D) and you will get crowds but I find it can be a bit soul-less. Dundee is a fair sized show, Aberdeen has been through a thin patch but is trying build up again. I know nothing of the shows in central belt (except Glasgow), the south and on the west coast, but Inverness, Elgin, Cupar and St Andrews are all small shows. Malcolm will be able to tell you about the shows further south.

Anyway, all exhibition organizers round abouts would be glad of an NG layout, I'm sure. A few well known layouts and exhibitors have found their way North.

[invercloy]

Those trestles look very neat, David.  I had wondered about doing something similar until I saw the design I've gone for which a friend of mine has employed on his O-16.5 layout.

Graeme, I'd happily do any to be honest, but thanks for the notes on the characters of the various events.  I'll see if I can get an invite to a show up there once the layout is finished.

[Hugh Norwood]

"Nice legs..." (In the words of a (punk?) song)

I agree about the wood selection. One mourns the demise of the local hardware shop (the sort that would sell screws individually if required and had wellies and paraffin stoves hanging from the ceiling). B&WickesBase don't offer the same sort of service...

[invercloy]

Is now a good time to admit that I must have found the only entirely straight (yes, I checked) two packs of stripwood in Homebase?

[Tigger]

That many? ;D