The Strogaloft - Construction Begins... Again!

[poindexter]

Nice layout mate. and as impulse buys go, that 47 was a good one!

[DrStroganoff]

Thanks Poindexter... yes I'm well pleased with the 47.

Well today has been frustrating... went for a jolly to B&Q earlier, to spend my Xmas voucher. While I was there, I spotted these 'link and light' fluorescent tube lights that looked perfect for the loft. Got them home, one didnt work, so went straight back and got a replacement. Once I actually got them in the loft, I realised the link-leads were just over a foot long... not long enough.. but I proceeded to fix up some wooden baton to screw them to... Got one up, and then when fitting the bulb in the 2nd, the end of the bulb just crumbled away, *sigh*, so back to B&Q tomorrow.

Anyway, I'm well impressed with the one light I did get installed, I can now see what I am doing in the station area !!! Soon it will all be lit as good as this... hopefully.

Heres some pics....

Wife got me a 'Sound Of Music' taxi for xmas


As well as some Noch workmen


Here is the light. I think I am going to run them horizontally along the layout, rather than the way they are now...


Spotters view from the bridge


I may actually do some work on the narrow gauge area oen day...




And I also bought a piece of wood today, and cut it to fit this raised area on the left.. currently waiting for glue to dry...


Happy new year everyone !

[DrStroganoff]

Evening all.

Some serious work going on in the strogaloft today! A good friend has been round to help me fit my lighting up in the loft, and its coming along very nicely... He made the mistake of saying he enjoyed doing it, so now I'm going to rope him in to help me do my backscenes next!



Im thinking of laying some boards on top of the lighting, so as to box the layout in... And then maybe even stick some 'sky' backscene to the undersides of the aforementioned boards.







Now the glue has dried on this raised up area, I am needing some low relief buldings...


And heres the billboards again... just because.... hopefully less grainy this time.


*Austrain accent*, "Remember when I said the train on platform 1 would be on time?.... I lied"

[DrStroganoff]

Me again!

Having a really tough couple of weeks in work at the moment, but on the plus side I'm doing plenty of overtime... cash in hand... So to cheer myself up today I thought I would take a jolly to the model shop and see if anything took my fancy.... and as usual, it did.

You know me, I cant resist a bargain, and for the princely sum of £52 I came away with a new Baccy Class 150 Sprinter, DCC fitted (split from a train set). Runs very nicely indeed, well pleased with it !

Next on the shopping list is a CMX track cleaner, because I'm fed up of knocking things over when using a track rubber. Very difficult with catenary !!

[thebritfarmer]

It's a nice little runner isn't it? I received the same (but as a set) for Christmas. Really pleased with it, nice weight and a smooth runner. My first Bachmann product and will be buying more. Think I may also get one of the CMX as I have heard they are really good and worth the money. Can I ask what make is your catenary is and where did you get it from?


Regards
Scott

[DrStroganoff]

Hi Scott, yes from what I've read the CMX sounds like the best track cleaner around. I've tried one of the Dapol ones and it didnt really do much for me...

A couple of years back I had a model shop (how time flies), and when I closed I was left with all of this unsold catenary... so I figured I'd use it rather than sell it !! Its Electrotren, but released under the Hornby International banner... I know you can get it from OnTracks.

I should really get a loco with a pantograph to justify having catenary shouldnt I? Roll on the Baccy 85 !

[DrStroganoff]

Evening lads.

Another new loco joins the fleet... I've had my eye on one of these for a while, I suppose mainly for nostalgia purposes as I had one years ago. A Lima Class 59 in National Power livery! I got it off the bay, DCC fitted, so that has saved me a job! Have just given it a quick run and it performs as well as one would expect a Lima loco to! Its not that bad actually.

Its going to be a bit of a project, as the chunky wheels do not like my home made level crossings one bit. Anyone know anything about re-wheeling Lima locos? Or which wheels I will need?

Am also planning on fitting a lighting kit. A few detail bits are broken, like handrails etc.. also need to remove the tension-lock coupling and fit a kadee. Its definately a 'doer-upper'. But I likes it.

[hope5]

There is something quite likable about those 59's despite the canny similarity's they have to the 66's (which themselves are quite likable) Might have to consider that as a purchase. Nice layout.

[DrStroganoff]

Hello lads.

Time for another little update.

The wife has had her friends around today, so I've been hiding in the loft ! Had quite a good running session actually, must be the first time in months I've had the 2 circuits going at the same time without any problems.

I had a couple bags of Javis bushes in the post this morning, so have been getting a bit green-fingered!

Have also been adding a few street-lights and some pavements...

Mc Scenery and new McLighting




Pavements. I make these using Superquick papers, glued onto cork. Seems to work out at a good height.
I'm still waiting the mrs to finish my Metcalfe low-relief cinema to put in this area!!


The shelf in my recording studio where my models live! Just because !


Have a good weekend lads and ladettes.

[Black-Marlin]

Anyone know anything about re-wheeling Lima locos? Or which wheels I will need?

JimS-W of this parish prbably knows more about that than anyone else on the planet - I would PM him if I were you....

Nice to see the Strogaloft retains its ghost and has not given it up yet!

Regards,
Gavin

[DrStroganoff]

Evening all.

Ah, gotta love a bank holiday off work with nothing to do. Out for a lunchtime pint, and then spent the rest of the day in the loft.

Determined to get the class 25 running nicely, I gave it a good wheel cleaning and a dab of oil, and fair play, it ran very sweetly for the whole time I was up there, with the rake of mk2's in tow.



Finally finished the low relief cinema that the Mrs started ages ago and never finished...


Got the jigsaw out, and cut the next bit of the low relief area, in the process of being glued down.



Now then, what do we think of this for an idea.... Instead of having the station as a terminus, how about having another raised-level area with the station building above the platform? I made a mock-up of the sort of idea I mean...






Oh, and Gavin, I took your advice and PM'd Jim, who kindly gave me the info I needed! Cheers!

[DrStroganoff]

Hello all. Its been a while since I updated, not since the last bank holiday weekend actually!

Still working at my low relief town scene. Unfortunately the town still only consists of the local cinema.

Heres a pic of where I'm upto. Have painted the roads black with poster paint, and have started making a little road bridge at the end.






Next board to sort out is at the far end of the loft. I have taken the roundhouse off, as it is never used, and I think this end of the layout deserves something more interesting. What that 'something' is though I havent decided yet....


And one of Kestrel to finish!


I've been fancying a new loco for ages now... I ended up selling the Class 59 on, as I am a bit too skint to be spending further cash on it for new wheels etc... And I cant see me spending any money on the layout for the forseeable future, as we are having a baby! due in November. Very excited about that... Not so happy about giving up my music studio for the 'baby's room'

Have a good bank holiday all !

[thebritfarmer]

At least the movie theatre will be getting lots of revenue Always great to see updates on this layout.

Congrats on the baby, very exciting news I am sure.

[DrStroganoff]

Thanks britfarmer!

Yep, with the baby coming I have cut my spending wayyy back... But I did sell my roundhouse engine shed the other week, so had a bit of paypal money to play with, so purchased a couple of Superquick/Metcalfe kits to keep me busy.

Have spent this weekend putting together one of the kits, and making some retaining wall... nothing exciting I know, but it seems like ages since I did anything on the layout.

Annoyingly, my pictures came out very orangey...

Here is the Superquick kit placed in the far corner of the raised town area, next to the cinema.. I'm thinking of having some kind of playground/park/town square in the middle of this bit.



And then, here is the new bit of retaining wall roughly in place, to show you how the town area will continue to the right, onto the next board:


I've really got to sort out some backscenes... I think its really letting the layout down.

[DrStroganoff]

Well I just figured out why last weeks photos came out so naff... had the camera on the wrong setting...

Have spent today doing some armchair modelling infront of the telly... have made a little scenic area, kind of a town square I guess to go on the raised area of the town... Also made a bit more of the retaining walls.

I made it by cutting a large piece of card to shape, then doubling up the thickness of the card around the edges to mount the pavement paper on... then painted the middle area brown, blasted it with static grass and glued some trees on... result.

I've decided the town is going to be one of those annoying one-way systems... just thought I'd mention that incase you were wondering why the road was a bit narrow !

I'm quite pleased with it !





And the newly-fixed tunnel mouth going under the town...