St.Oval - A scenic Set Track Oval

[Mountain]

I've seen the panniers fitted with this equipment. It is very interesting. LNER... Like the N2? Once had a beautiful Mainline example. It ran like a dream and looked the part to!

[Lysander]

One of these Mountain...



Tony

[Mountain]

Yes. That's them.

[Dad-1]

St Oval is always there to run new locomotives in.

https://youtu.be/o346cTz1bj8

A nice video of that EXPENSIVE Heljan 1361 class No: 1363 pulling 13.
Not an easy loco to get running well, and I expect extremely good running.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

I've decided I need to do more on St Oval.
It's been a slave to testing out wagon builds and running in any new locomotives that'll go around 1st radius curves.
Since it was started virtually 9 years ago several layouts have been constructed, 3 in conjunction with my local
buddy Derek, my large Castell Mawr, and many dioramas.
Well Derek is moving away to Hampshire, I now plan to get on with this as he won't be around to distract me into some
other projects ...... distractions ? Don't lay any money on me NOT being distracted !!

Today a few more trees have been delivered and I dusted some of the last 5 years detrius away. A few photographs later
I came to the conscusin that my original idea and design are just as valid now as they were back at the beginning of 2010.

Walking the track for a visual inspection I spied some work being done in the garage.



Looking down to the creek, the view improved now I've moved the station house and old forge about. A good improvement.
Now I MUST make up window frames for what was the old forge and now becomes a fisherman's cottage



The moved Station Masters house gives even more appreciation of the lane falling away towards the creek.



Perhaps this will revive my MOJO ........... I certainly hope so.

Geoff T.

[Lysander]

I love this little layout, it just keeps getting better.

Tony

[Bufferstop]

St Oval has that extra ingredient, charm. Not based on anywhere in particular, but reminiscent of loads of places where the railway line has let people glimpse somewhere that they would love to come back and walk around time and again. For me it was the Nidd Gorge glimpsed from a nodding donkey as it entered Knaresborough station before burrowing under the town and bursting out onto the Plain of York.

[Dad-1]

I thank you for the kind comments Gentlemen,

It's amazing how one can miss out on certain products. We all frequently go through magazines and such, but
I wanted some railings, couldn't recall ever seeing what I fancied. O.K, I thought, I'll make some myself, not
at all easy my soldering let me down. A quick on-line search revealed that Ratio did exactly what I was looking
for, not that the title "Stanchions Double Rail" would have caught my eye !!



This is the longest single wire length, but you can easily join wires within a stanchion if needed. Me I'm lucky as
this, roughly 80 mm length, was the longest I needed. I also prepared a 45 mm strip. Painted satin black they will
do exactly what I wanted ........... to be followed with a picture in the next few days.

Geoff T.

[Mountain]

That fence looks nice.

[luckymucklebackit]

I thank you for the kind comments Gentlemen,

It's amazing how one can miss out on certain products. We all frequently go through magazines and such, but
I wanted some railings, couldn't recall ever seeing what I fancied. O.K, I thought, I'll make some myself, not
at all easy my soldering let me down. A quick on-line search revealed that Ratio did exactly what I was looking
for, not that the title "Stanchions Double Rail" would have caught my eye !!



This is the longest single wire length, but you can easily join wires within a stanchion if needed. Me I'm lucky as
this, roughly 80 mm length, was the longest I needed. I also prepared a 45 mm strip. Painted satin black they will
do exactly what I wanted ........... to be followed with a picture in the next few days.

Geoff T.

Agree Geoff - these railings are superb, I used them on my elevated fuel tanks on Allenshaw, the annoying thing is although they make these, they do not include this pattern in their other kits that have handrails. The materials supplied for the water tower walkway handrails are an absolute joke, of course it is an easy way to force the builder into extra expense to finish off an otherwise excellent model.

Jim

[Dad-1]

So many jobs that I'd left behind ..........

The Old Forge building that's now become a fisherman's cottage converted from an old shed/store
needs more windows making up. I did these windows on what was going to be the front elevation
and will now become the rear. I was then using Kristal Klear an old long standing American product,
now with an equivelent Glue & Glaze from Humbrol.



I managed to find my Jigs for making up the outer frames for windows. While commercially available
window frames are easier, by making my own I can produce any size and glazing bar pattern I want.



Outer edges can be irregular as these will be stuck to internal walls and not seen. For continuity I'll be
glazing windows on this building with Kristal Klear.

Also boats to paint up ....... SO much was just left, not exactly abandoned, shall we say postponed ??

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Dave, You are too kind !!

There is so much one can add, and it's not really influenced by cost. Although within reason I can
spend what I want, there is an inner desire to try and use skills rather than money. Probably something
to do with my Yorkshire parentage ?

That small whitemetal yacht came as a fishing boat with fisherman, but there was a stub that drilled out
and using a sewing needle for a mast fits the bill, all for £4.99. Even better the resin motorboat was £2.
Finding bargains like these comes with taking a VERY LONG TIME to make the layout, yet it's always there
at the back of my mind.

Tonight one more outer window frame, then to add glazing bars to all 5.

Funny I couldn't give a damn about running trains, certainly at the current time it's all about creating the scene.

Geoff T.

[PinkNosedPenguin]

Hi Geoff,
I seem to have missed this thread - and I see it goes back a long way ! A great layout with very simple track plan but superb scenic potential.
You may have noticed I have started a small roundy roundy of my own here - which is considerably smaller .
I wonder if you could explain how you cut the arches for your curved viaduct please? Does it have 'straight' arches of constant radius with columns wider on the outside than the inside? I will have a curved viaduct on my little micro layout, and am wondering whether to go for stone arches or a simpler steel girder affair (with short sections of straight girder panels joined together at an angle to form the curve . . .)
PNP

[TimberSurf]

There is so much one can add, and it's not really influenced by cost. Although within reason I can
spend what I want, there is an inner desire to try and use skills rather than money.

Finding bargains like these comes with taking a VERY LONG TIME to make the layout, yet it's always there
at the back of my mind.

Funny I couldn't give a damn about running trains, certainly at the current time it's all about creating the scene.

Geoff T.

This post resonated with me strongly. All three sentences depict my thoughts exactly.

It is about the personal journey, with clever use of materials and skills (or learning them)

[Michaelaface]

looking forward to future developments on St.Oval!