The Maidenfield Railway - OO - Modern, Diesel, UK

[westbrom]

Looks very good so far


Neil

[rmg1919]

It's a lot more hard work than I thought it would be, and I've not even got all the track laid yet!! Any ideas on the retaining wall?

[dr5euss]

Noch sell retaining walls - have a look on the Gaugemaster website for them

[rmg1919]

Today's update: managed to lay some more track... have had to order some more points and track as was beginning to run out. Hopefully that should arrive soon (Friday?) so that I can give it a real push at the weekend.

On the retaining wall front:

Noch sell retaining walls - have a look on the Gaugemaster website for them

Thanks for the tip. Just had a look, but at £17 for 65cm, I don't know if I can really justify spending ~£70... Would much sooner see the money go on a loco.

Have therefore been thinking about either:

Option 1: Scalescenes Printed Card Retaining Wall (£3.99 + Materials)

Option 2: Whack a load of plaster on the 'wall' and then score it to look like bricks before painting it.

I'm currently thinking Option 2 might be best - as it would give the wall a real texture, but would obviously consume a good deal of time. I think I recall seeing a viaduct someone had made using the same method: looked very good though.

[mortyfootball]

Have you though about using embossed plasticard on a backing of thin mdf or balsa? Cheap and easyto make.

Shaun

[rmg1919]

Have you though about using embossed plasticard on a backing of thin mdf or balsa? Cheap and easyto make.

I keep forgetting that "plasticard" exists - largely because I have yet to find a local place that stocks it... However, your suggestion has made me take a look in the yellow pages, and I see a few more model shops listed that should have some... (am I right in thinking this is where one buys plasticard?)

Providing I can get some, I think the plasticard route is the one I will take - placed on, as you suggest, a thin backing. Will probably use whatever material for the backing is cheapest... Thanks for the advice!

[mortyfootball]

The plastikard I've bought was of ebay and the net. Wills do a lot of different shapes and sizes of brick/stonework, but the packs are quite small.

Depends on what type brick/stone you want your wall to be made out of.

SHaun

[rmg1919]

Latest update: All 3 of my HSTs are in pieces - awaiting blacking out and lighting additions. So, popped into Maplin today to pick up some LEDs etc. and - would you believe it - they had NO RED LEDs in stock!!! And only had ONE yellow and ONE green... terrible.

In other news, the 4 Dapol signal gantries arrived today, and are also in pieces - awaiting construction, painting and at some point wiring/lighting.

I also picked up some Balsa wood the other day for use in constructing a gentle incline.

All in all, progress has slowed a little - BUT hopefully the weekend will see some progress... and I'm still waiting on the extra track I ordered, so I have an excuse!!

[mortyfootball]

I also picked up some Balsa wood the other day for use in constructing a gentle incline.

You may need to strengthen this with something as balsa may snap under some of the weights of the locos. A little bit of MDf will do the trick (sorry if you already know this).

SHaun

[rmg1919]

You may need to strengthen this with something as balsa may snap under some of the weights of the locos. A little bit of MDf will do the trick (sorry if you already know this).

Shaun, thanks for the tip, will probably be using some thin plywood-type strips... I had forgotten how incredibly light balsa wood is!! Light enough to make me think perhaps I should model aircraft rather than railways!!! More fun? Maybe... or maybe not!!!

Anyway, latest update: have been busy 'bashing' (?) some of those Dapol Signal Gantry kits together and modding them so as to:

A) Accommodate up to four tracks;
B) Accommodate functional colour signal lights;
C) Have a more realistic looking access ladder...

The result so far:


A close-up of the signal included with the kit, with 3mm holes drilled with two 3mm LEDs present.


Another close-up; this time with the lights off, and the green signal activated:


I'm still trying to figure out what the best method will be for "cable management" - but will probably, given space constraints, send two of the signals cables down one side of the gantry, and the other two down the other...

Of course, I still have to paint it; weather it; add signal number plates; finish the ladder; and figure out the cabling, but other than that, I'm pretty pleased with progress... I have to say kitbashing etc. is so much more fun than just doing a "Hornby Skaledale" or whatever where it is all virtually done for you... Of course, it takes a lot longer though

[mortyfootball]

Very realistic that, I like it a lot.

SHaun

[Ironduke]

that looks good :^) 3mm LEDs are just the right size too
LEDs don't use much current so the wires dont have to be very thick. See if you can find "wire wrap" wire: very thin single strand wire with teflon insulation, it comes in all colours.

Wire wrap is a quick way of making prototype digital circuits by wrapping the wire around the square posts of the IC sockets (just in case you were wondering)

[rmg1919]

that looks good :^) ... See if you can find "wire wrap" wire: very thin single strand wire with teflon insulation, it comes in all colours.

Thanks for the tip - will see what I can find...

Have also just taken a couple more pics to show how terrible the Virgin HST looks "at night" without additional 'blacking out'. Don't get me wrong, the cab being slightly lit up is nice, but the 'glow' coming out of the bodywork is just plain WRONG.

[Ironduke]

you could argue that it's going so fast that the nose is heating up?

[Ijdagger]

Re-entering the atmosphere in a virgin train, what will branson think of next?!!