6x4 Starter layout - For sale?

villan · Postby **villan** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 11:42 am

There's some great work. Can't wait to see it with some ballast down around the shed area

Durseytu · Postby **Durseytu** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 12:27 pm

jamest wrote:Hi Stu,

The 47 is a class act, it runs lovely and looks the business - I wasn't intending to go earlier than BR blue but the two-tone green livery is very nice - I have my eye on a class 25 one now!

Yeah I had almost gone for a BR blue version, but I have been looking for early diesel locos since i'm still running steam locos alongside (basically an excuse to run both steam and diesel) and I think I prefer the colour of the two-tone green anyway. It certainly looks the business pulling a rake of Mk1 maroons. Well to-ing and fro-ing anyway, the pva on part of the layout is still wet and alas I can't run a full circuit with it! :cry:

The 25's look lovely too, although the Bachmann two-tone seems almost impossible to get a hold of at the moment. My local shop is only very tiny and can't hold much stock it seems. Perhaps I might consider a Heljan 26 instead. Does anyone know if they come with compatible tension-lock couplers?

Cheers,

Stu.

jamest · Postby **jamest** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 7:17 pm

Hi all,

Been laying concrete this week! Used some wills sheet to fill in around the shed area and make a path to the refueling point. I have decided to remove the water tower and have a hut beside the refueling point.
Having a final mull over it all before I really commit and start spreading ballast about!
Friday afternoons are a good time for photos in natural light - actually got a bit of sun in North Devon today:

Fuel area

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Total concreted area:

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Off to Small world in Barnstaple tomorrow to get some advice on the type/colour of ballast to use in the depot area. And to get some advice on my Baccy 08 - I'm not very impressed with its performance - its a bit hit and miss - I'm fed up with nudging it all the time! I have run it in - honest!

Cheers for now,
James

Durseytu · Postby **Durseytu** » Sat Feb 27, 2010 12:24 am

Looking very good, you've certainly got the concrete laid nice and close up to the rails (and yes a bit of sun is nice, I managed to get a few good shots too)

.

With regards to the 08, I have a bachy 04 that was a bit badly behaved when I first got it, but they all seem to benefit from a good long run-in. My latest 47 I gave an hour in both directions. Other than that its all down to keeping the rails and wheels clean. The downside of 0-6-0's is that they have less pickup points on the wheels!

Stuart.

jamest · Postby **jamest** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:21 pm

Hi all,

Right ballast time for the upper level - I've been bent over the layout this afternoon chasing bits of ballast around with my brush! Eventually got it pretty good and brought out the pipette.
I've tried to be doubly careful around the points as I am using wire in the tube, and it works best when the wire can actually move in the tube! Because the upper level is on foam and glued down I have no hope of recovery if I do jam things up. It'll have to be hand of god then.
I've changed the shed next to the re-fuelling point again - I think I'll use a portakabin next to the shed for the main office.
I've also painted my concrete and weathered it a bit by dry brushing on some sleeper grime and blending it with my finger. I'm really glad I went for black ballast now - I think it looks pretty good:

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Cheers,
James

Itsonlyme · Postby **Itsonlyme** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:26 pm

that looks really good, which ballast did you use for that?

Tomcat75 · Postby **Tomcat75** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:25 pm

That whole area looks great. I like how the diesel tanks have been enclosed by the walls. Was the concrete area plasticard??

Nige

jamest · Postby **jamest** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:31 pm

Hi,

Thanks for the comments chaps.

The concrete is Will's sheet - painted. The ballast is Woodland scenics 'medium cinders' B83, £2.70 from my local shop for 18 cubic inches - plenty for this project.

The enclosed fuel tanks are all one unit from the Hornby skaledale range.

Cheers James.

trainsandco · Postby **trainsandco** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 6:36 pm

wow, James that is coming on really well!!!!

Keep up the good work

Ben

villan · Postby **villan** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 7:57 pm

Some cracking ballasting there. I used graphite ballast and then sprinkled some real coal dust over it while it was still wet with glue, but I think the black ballast looks great..........and I bet a lot less messy than trying to mess around with the dust like me :lol:

Its coming along really good.

jamest · Postby **jamest** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 7:07 pm

Hi All,

Got quite a bit done this week. After the ballasting I set about the brickwork around the cutting. I have 'made' it using scalescenes brick paper from the retaining wall 'kit'.
I'm pretty happy with the end result and I'll have to get some matt varnish this weekend to give it all a protective layer. I had to spray water around a bit for ballasting and was a little worried when some of the walling done previously 'bubbled' a bit. But it all dried ok - phew!
Done the the traditional friday afternoon pictures in the sunshine - its actually getting a bit hot in the conservatory now when the sun is out - the layout will move back to the garage in the hotter months. The car can fend for itself then!
Here we go: