The Ashbrooke Renewal Project by Whoshotjimmi

[whoshotjimmi]

A short while ago, I announced the end of work on my first project, Ashbrooke, with the promise of a new project to follow. Though I was, and still am, very fond of the first project, I had grown increasingly tired of the many faults and mistakes that I had made during construction. Not to mention the difficulty I would have in retrofitting the layout with certain other features such as lighting etc.

A new project had to fulfil a number of criteria:
- Better quality of baseboard
- Better overall standard of construction
- Modular design concept - boards must be transportable and retain the ability to expand the layout in the future (I have drawn up plans for a number of boards)
- Full DCC capability

Additionally, the layout must:
- Retain operational interest
- Be simple enough to be operated by one person

The design I have come up is (in the short term at least) far more simple yet still operationally interesting. Elements of the design have been borrowed from elsewhere though the layout will have its own individuality and personality. I have chosen to grow upon what was achieved on Ashbrooke - hence the thread title - rather than start completely anew. The 3 initial boards I have planned are being built with the "backstage infrastructure" that is already present on the original Ashbrooke, such as the fiddle yard, with some minor alterations.

The layout will feature a half station and the Eastern approaches, much like old Ashbrooke, though the track plan is more realistic and the scope for change of period and location is larger. The layout is intended to be a direct replacement for the previous layout in terms of location (Cheltenham/Gloucester), though the station plan now envisages a junction rather than a mere through station. The station itself takes inspiration from a number of locations, namely Rochdale, Blackburn, Huddersfield etc - in other words, moderately important stations on small junctions.

I am looking forward to what, I hope, will be another satisfying build. Only, this time, I hope to end up with a much better result.

James

The first board built

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Some out of service units showing what will be the positioning of lines in the station area

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[35011 GSN]

looking good already love the pacers

[whoshotjimmi]

Thanks GSN. Sadly, the pacers are all out of service at the moment due to the location and era of the layout. However, I envisage that pacers will one day return....

Progress has been made on the project today. Track laying has begun along with some platform edging and a little ballasting. Photos are ready but, apparently, the board attachment quota has been reached. Basically, I have altered the sleeper spacing on the track and have positioned the platform 1 & 2 edging. This section has already been ballasted. Bay platform 3 is next on my hit list. I hope to share picture updates with you all shortly and expect progress to continue apace.

James

[413x]

Nice trains i shal follow this layout with interest good luck on the build


alex

[whoshotjimmi]

Ok, as promised, a few pics of progress.

Firstly, I have been spacing apart the sleepers on the Peco Code 100 track. I cut away the plastic on the underside and then remove every 5th sleeper.

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The track becomes much more unstable and less easy to use once this is done. It also requires a couple of frustrating hours per track piece to get it just right. However, the results are worth the effort due to the far better realism as the next pic shows.

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Once a couple of pieces of track are complete, they are glued to the baseboard and I have then started to build the platforms using the Peco brick sided kit. A Northern Class 153 inspects the work.

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I then ballasted using a 50/50 mix of fine grey and fine dark brown ballast.

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An overall view of the station area with track as it will be situated. More to come!!

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James

[whoshotjimmi]

A few snaps of some more progress. Sides for platform 3 have been added as well as part ballasting. Some scalescenes tarmac has been added at the back of the board and then bachmann security fencing has been placed on top. A little more ballasting on the platform 4 track as well as a little bit of scenery. Having run out of platform sides, platform 4 remains, as yet, untouched. It is the next job on the list.

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Only one more piece of track to add on the scenic portion of this board (a third of the board will be covered and serve as the scenic break). I am already reasonably pleased with what is happening at Ashbrooke and hope to have another update soon!!

James

[mjtuna]

[whoshotjimmi]

Small update from Ashbrooke. Progress on board 1 continues apace and all track is now laid on the scenic portion of this board.

A view of the bay platform from track level.

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The latest area to be attended to. The track layout imagines a line used to run along the platform edge.

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Platforms 3 & 4

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An overall view. The trains on display are currently not in service due to being from the wrong era but highlight that the timescale of the layout can be altered in the future.

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That's all for now!

James

[413x]

Nice stuff mate looking forward to seeing what it will look like with the platform covers.. i think its a shame that you are not going to be using your modern stock as the look quite good there

[whoshotjimmi]

I agree that the modern stock looks at home. It is a plan of mine that, in the future, the layout will be able to be run in a different era - indeed the layout is deliberately designed to be able to transcend era and location. However, this is all the modern stock I have and I am still collecting stock for the early 90's era that it is actually to be set in. It is only when you start collecting stock that you realise just how expensive the whole thing is. My Intercity class 47 + 7 coaches cost over £200 alone. Just a small number of full length trains take one into the thousands of pounds region. So collecting modern era stock is a long way off yet! There will be a few additions to the Ashbrooke fleet in the coming month or so - so watch this space! In the meantime, I will continue work on board 1. The platform tops are a work in progress. I haven't decided exactly how it will look as yet and wish to experiment a little. The next step is to tackle the road overbridge which will act as the scenic break as well as housing the station building. I do not think it will be a quick process as I plan to use a number of ready made products that haven't yet hit the market.

Thanks for the comments. Hopefully more updates will be available soon!

James

[whoshotjimmi]

Hi all,

Thought I would just share a couple of shots I took.

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James

[whoshotjimmi]

Hi all,

A little bit of progress today. I have added a little more scenery - some fine turf and static grass to give it a further dimension. Also, I have started painting the rail ties using Humbrol number 62 matt acrylic paint. I experimented also with number 54 metallic with regards to the rail sides, but was not totally happy with the outcome, so it has not been applied to the board. I think the key is moderation. Once all rails, ties and sleepers have been painted and weathered, the overall effect will be palpable - so don't be fooled by the relatively clean looking track at this stage! I have also cut out some scalescenes platform tops on some thin card to have a look at what the platform will potentially look like. This is not an actual attempt at creating a platform surface, so I am well aware that it looks fairly shabby. However, it has given me a good idea of how it will all pan out.

Static grass and fine turf have added to the unkempt nature of this particular area. 59206 surveys it. This area has also had the rail ties painted.

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Further scenic enhancements have been made opposite platform 4.

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Finally, we take a look across the temporary platform surface at a couple of Northern 153's. Currently, they have nowhere to go....

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James

[413x]

good progression james

[whoshotjimmi]

Not much has happened recently due to a lack of time - all I have really done is add some cross supports to the platforms before I put a permanent surface on. You may be able to see this in some of the pictures. I have also finished painting all the sleeper ties. For anyone who is building a layout but is not keen on painting rails etc, I would just like to say that, though it is not the most obvious feature on a model railway, it makes such a huge difference.

The next job on the board is to wire up the DCC. I won't be using a bus in the most traditional sense of the word, but I will feed each line to a main wire. The feeders will be attached to the track underneath the road overbridge, out of sight. I will then tackle the backscene and overbridge.

The main reason that I am posting today, however, is to announce the new arrivals at Ashbrooke! So here they are:

I had an amount of trouble with this one to start with - the forward lights on each end were not working and it took me ages to work out why (during which time I managed to snap the buffer beam off one end). The problem turned out to be the pieces of plastic that feed the light to each side had been placed the wrong way round. On the Heljan models, the lights are fed by a piece of sculpted plastic from a single bulb. If this is not in the right place, the light will not travel down the plastic. Anyway, 26038 joins the fold.

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After a long delay to production, I finally got my hands on this beauty. Hornby's fabulous 31439.

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A look across at both locos with a Regional Railways liveried 153 for company.

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A not unfamiliar scene at New Ashbrooke. The platform surface is temporary and will be replaced with a far better standard of surface shortly. So don't worry about the fact that it is peeling and has wet patches!

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Just for reference, both locos (as well as a Bachmann 37 in my collection) have been fitted with the Hornby Sapphire decoder. It is well worth the extra money over the standard Hornby decoder and is on a par with, if not better than, the more expensive decoders on the market. I strongly recommend.

As always, thanks for looking and I shall try to work more diligently on the layout and update more often!

[whynot]

That all really does look very good - especially the trackwork and platform edges. Impressive!