Wordsworth - 00 Loft Layout

[mikem64]

Hi John,

That's exactly what I was hoping for, I loved my old layout but with this new version I've aimed at using less track work to give a more open feel. Once I can extend down off both sides of the base boards I think it really will give the layout the space it requires, trains will look like they are going somewhere rather than just round & round (Which is fun also, I still love watching one train even now chugging by)

So where am I at present, nice to say some more scenic work completed, also had some new fleet additions with a recent purchase of the Bachmann 2004 limited edition A2 Sir Walter Scott & class 40, both excellent runners, the new diesel depot will look great with the growing diesel fleet.

I love how quickly the layout changes its image just by adding some green stuff, all those idea's I've had bouncing round my head are starting to take shape nicely on the layout, those trains are going to look super as they pass by...LOL

Had a seep point motor fail Sunday, been great up until I ballasted that section, aint that always the case, took approx 1hr to finally find out what the problem was, the motor part was fine it was the frog switching part that had failed, so all the loco's kept stalling at the frog, because it had just been ballasted you automatically believe thats what the problem is......No after testing the motor off the layout & on the lay, traced the fault to an intermittent switch, that little disc that moves between the connection strips. New seep fitted & all fine again.

So they say pictures say more than words, lets have a look at the photo's.


Sir Walter Scott joins the Wordsworth fleet.


Also joing the fleet a second class 40, already had fun double heading with my other unit.


Crazy Joe found his way back onto the layout, taken up residence end of platform 2, Rail company not happy....LOL


Grassed area then continues round passed the working signals in the background.


A new paddock goes in for the farmers fields, some live stock & wheat field if it all goes well.


I've got the farmers tractor crosssing installed & all weathered down.


Then I thought about the farmers animals, they need drinking water so a small pond is being created.


I've added some trees to see how many I need before addding the grass & realistic water, also toned the stone wall down using the airbrush.


After all that work I thought a take away from the hotdog man would be good....LOL

So my task over the next few days will be seal the pond area with acrylic varnish, I can then addd the realsitic water just like I did round at the church pond.

Hope I've given you all some fun in this update & I'll catch you all again soon.
Mike.

[Dad-1]

Crazy Joe's ....... shouldn't it be Crazy Mike's ?
Always enjoy seeing what you've been up to, even if we have
to wait a month ...

Geoff T.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

New ? layouts looking good, plenty on new features, Double headed class 40's, now there's something I've never seen, double 31's, 47's and even triple Deltic's, but never double headed 45/46's or 40's, now that would have been a sight to see.

manna

[mikem64]

Hi Gents,

Well here we are again with yet another layout update, nothing massive I'm afraid but at least movement in the right direction. So this time work continues around the new animal paddock & corn field idea.

In the animal paddock I've used Woodland scenics realistic water for the watering hole, then the usual Woodland scenics scatter & clump foilage / underbrush. Then for the wall climbing shrubbery I've used Heki products as they look so realistic in my opinion to anything esle on the market.

For the hay field I'm testing out the old favourite of mine, teddy fur. Not sure if it will remain as I've got to tie this in with some WWS 2mm static hay which I've ordered along with some Preiser field workers (These have now arrived from my ebay order). If it all goes as I've envisaged I should end up with a very nice camemo piece.

I then can't come any further forward on the baseboards with the scenery until I complete the back baseboard section around the station / Rockware glasss buildings.

So it's photo time again.


Lets start with a Bachmann 08 passsing the area being worked upon.


Here's my hay field attempt with the farmers worst enemy, a 100 year old Oak tree slap back in his field.....LOL


Looking over the wall into the animal paddock with watering hole.


I've had an attempt at tractor tracks between the gates.


Found my farm buildings which my daughter & son-in-law purchased for my old layout, they just had to go back into the theme.


Here the herd starts to make it's way back after milking....Watch those trains girls.


Finally it's drinking time for the herd.

Well there we have it, hope you all enjoy these latest pictures, I know I do & when I need that pick me up during the day it's nice to have a quick peep.

Cheers Mike.

[Bufferstop]

Hi Mike the new Wordsworth has got a more open feel to it, I like it!

[mikem64]

Hi Gents,

Well after the last update I've not been back into the loft, I have been busy working on a new building for the layout instead. Whilst I was doing the scenic work around the farmers paddock & corn field I suddenly realised my Grand Station which was designed for my old layout didn't quick catch the feel I want for this new version of Worthworth.

Yes the station looks grand & impressive but when sat next to the extra long platforms on my new layout it some how feels very small, so I thought I need something bigger, as big as the Rockware / Factory building. So that was it I just needed to break away from the scenic work to test my theory.

It's taken a while but I've finally got the new look which I feel is better, now to turn the 2d plan into a full 3d building, so the test build has started & below is the main entrance, not fully finished but give the look I'm after. The only funny side to this building is I'll never see this view as this sits against by backscene, it's the platform side I'll get to view.... So why design something I'll never see ? I know it's there, but also I need this ection so I can upload to the kit site. Another modeller might have the station the opposite way round like I did at North Fangore where the platforms were behind the main fascia & the platforms were against the backscene.

Anyway here is a quick peek at the new Wordsworth Station Fascia.


The main entrance to the platform is via the lobby area.


Ive tried to give the lobby a nice look by not only having a tiled floor but a good looking ceiling.


This is the new station fascia access via some steps.


Main station fascia from a slight angle.

Well that's the end for this update, hopefully my next upload willl show the platform view along with the two side extensions.

Until then, keep on building
Mike.

[mikem64]

Hi Gents,

Well after being cut off by Photobucket I'm testing my new Flickr account, I can't upload using the new Java uploader as all I keep getting are time outs, but luckly there is still the old version available which I'm using for this test photo.

20170701_101341 by Michael Martin
I've created a new corn field & added some figures as they harvest the field

I'm not sure if I've copied the link correctly so if I've made a mistake let me know. I'll then start adding photo's into my new account for all to view.

Cheers Mike.

[Dad-1]

Clear and enjoyable.
Sorry to see you've lost all that history, not at all practical to try and re-insert from another source.
I had that problem when I left Photobucket for Imageshack, who then decided on going subscription
only. I wouldn't and fair enough after a few months the links were broken. Imageshack are still there
and still only subscription, but starting at a low cost for a light capacity, and rising as one may want
more space.
I fear that in the long run that may be the only semi-reliable way. Nothing better than semi-reliable
as any company can go to the wall and with it all it's services.

Geoff T.

[mikem64]

Hi Gents,

Well here are some photo's from my second visit into Flickr, hopefully I've ironed out a few issues like the linking photo ID & authors name.

So after a few hours in the loft over the last two days I've been busy beavering away at the back of the baseboards towards the backscenes, not the easiest of places to work as it's right on arm length & saying that you need to be leaning on the front section os the boards, hence why work stopped to allow this process.

I've just got the finisging touches to do now like the static grass in a few areas & the mixture of flock & bushes. I can then move to the front section of the board do this west side & finally get it finished.

I've also been trying out a new technique for making hedgerows which I've picked up from our War Gaming collegues, this involves using rubberised horse hair as the sub structure which is then coated in flock scatter.

I've also been testing out the new Peco layering spray (Believe it's WWS rebranded) & I'm very impressed with how it works, a fully 10 out of 10 from me.

I've a few more to make to finish the scene but they are so cheap & quick to make I'm sure a few more will be dotting up on the layout.

So here a few snaps.


Some rubberised horse hair matting purchased from you know where.....LOL


Cut out some strips approx 10mm wide


Apply the Peco Layering spray, then sprinkle on your scatter building up two to three coats.


Two sections together form a nice boundary between the railway & the factory site, gate house access bewteen the head office block & the boiler / furnace building.

With one secction of the layout nearly complete, it will soon be time to move onto board 2, will this be the Station area, or will it be the diesel shed area ? We will have to wait & see.

Hope you enjoy this like update, & please join me again in my next post.

P.S Still having linking issues, had to strip out manually the photo ID & Authors name, must be doing something wrong as I've folowed the suggestions, go the the photostream in Flickr, click the photo, then click the share icon, go to BBCode, set image size & copy the link back into the thread on the forum page....ummm

Will have another bash in my next post

Cheers Mike.

[TimberSurf]

Mike
The hedges look really good, very impressed.
But they do look a little straight and angular on the layout. If you don't want to glue them in a curve, drill holes in the baseboard in a curved centre line, stick matchsticks or toothpicks in them, then skewer the hedge onto the row of wooden spikes! If you also paint the toothpicks brown, you can "raise" the hedge to be more realistic, so it doesn't touch the floor. (then use scatter and grass as undergrowth)

[Bufferstop]

stick matchsticks or toothpicks in them, then skewer the hedge onto the row of wooden spikes!

I wish people would stop pinching my methods
Just shows, give any problem to a group of "bashers" and they'll all come up with the same solution.
The change of rules at Photobucket seems to be down to a group of new owners, who would seem to be milking it for every dollar they can, probably before deciding it's not profitable and shutting it down.

[mikem64]

Hi Gents,

Well back with another small update, had to break off from the scenery as I've reached where this corner section meets with Wordsworth station, so I need to know the meeting point.

As I said the old Grand station just didn't feel right for my new venture, hence the new build which I've just completed. I feel this time I've got it right with the size of building / platform ratio.

All the old platform sections I've ripped up, stripped off the top covering paperwork & I've started to recover the card sub bases in newly printed paper.

I've nearly got platform 1 completed just the two end ramps to go in, section of platform walling & I can then finish my corner scenic work. As for that new hedgerow it's not finished yet, just placed onto the layout for those sections to dry plus more sections required to reach the land owned by the Railway company. It can then all be glued into shape ready for the static grass applying either side.

I've been looking at what's left to do on the baseboards & when you add it up it's really not that much, which means I can then start phase 2 of the build which is adding the east & west side extension boards. These should be simple projects as they'll be no more than 30cm wide. Then it's phase 3 at the opposite end of the loft, this is the section I'm still confused about.

I want to create two layouts in one on this section, basically the two dcc lines from the main layout completing the long loop, then I want an independent 12v DC twin track layout in a loop so I can run my DC fleet. The trick here is do I have both layouts using one station, or do I have one layout crossing over the other purely in a scenic world using bridges & field / hills / embankments ?

Still plenty of time to iron these little ideas out ass phase 3 is still a few steps away....LOL

So lets look at the new large Wordsworth Station.

20170723_105924 by Michael Martin, on Flickr
The station newly completed still on the work bench.

20170723_142511 by Michael Martin, on Flickr
Wordsworth Station sitting on the layout as a DMU arrives at platform 1.

20170723_140729 by Michael Martin, on Flickr
Main building & platform sections now in place, subway access to platforms 2 to 4 is on the left side while small covered seated section on platform to the right.

20170723_142459a by Michael Martin, on Flickr
A closer inspection of the four canopy supports & the main access to / from the station on platform 1.

It's taken sometime but I'm very happy how this new station has worked out, really gives me the feel I wanted. So it's back to the scenery which means I can now finish the work on the east baseboard meaning work can start in the west corner next to the station or I carry on with work onto the north boards which has the engine sheds. Which way will I go find out in my next update.

Cheers Mike.

[Bufferstop]

Hi Mike nice progress, on flickr from photostream select the image, choose BB code and the image size you want, copy the highlighted code to the clipboard and when inserted into your post, as you say, strip out from [url= to before [img and after /img] to the end, if you want to restrict the viewers ability to browse. Photobucket have scored a real home goal, they are now being quoted by business commentators as the classic example of how not to do it, having taken over the top spot from Gerald Ratner. Real smart move *iss off the owners of your future source material.
B308 has taken a simple route, just posted a single block of links to the thread the images should be in. It's then a simpler task to move a link to the correct place in the thread when you spot it.

[Dad-1]

Mike,

Are you going to try to replace some of you photographs ? I've managed to find a way to reinsert via
a different host. Yes it's work and takes time, but to loose all you've done before is such a shame.
I never re-named my photographs and the image number included in the PB embedded link shows
it. As a result I delete the PB cat image you have when you close your PB account, keeping just the
photo number which I can then find in my files and insert via that new hosting setup.

Geoff T.

[mikem64]

Hi Geoff

I keep looking at the task, then it dawns on me how many images I've posted over the years then makes me think how long will it take.

I've deleted my pb account as they were only copies from originals I store on my WDcloud drive, I then have a backup copy stored on my WD book drive, finally to complete my paranoia I have that backed up onto my BT cloud account.

I think best course rather than trying a one hit mass reload would be plan to do x amount at a time. As you say the link info is intact so jot down the photo id's, find the originals then resize before uploading to my Flickr account.

I've been playing around creating my own web gallery on my own web site, plus I've been looking a posting the photos within my web site server, then copy the links from my site into the forum.

Promise I will make a start once I figure out whats best & easiest.

Cheers Mike.