Thomas Visits Bride Bay

[Dad-1]

I'm a sucker for having too much to do ........ but you have to keep moving forward.
I made a layout for one of my Milton Keynes clubs designed to be driven by children at exhibitions.
The "Thomas At Silver Fox Island" proved to be very popular with exhibition organisers in the M.K,
Hertfordshire, Northampton, Cambridge patch of central England. Now living on the Dorset coast
I proposed the local Bridport & District MRS do the same, particularly as the current club layout needs
at least 2 large vehicles & 4 operators which strictly limits show we can attend.

Now passed through committee stage we're almost ready to start. It will follow closely my other layout,
being a folding clam-shell small enough folded to slide into the rear seat well of the average family car.
Dimensions of the outer framework 38 inches x 40 inches & just 6 inches wide.
While the club will finance the layout I will provide the two Select DCC controllers, enough stock to run
the twin tracks and much of the basic scenic components like ballast, styrene landform, scatters &
some pieces of track.

Anyone who knows me will not be surprised by my detailed planning, the full extent of which is here :-



I have already gathered some more Bachmann American HO locomotives that have already been fitted with decoders.



To give a good guide look at the first of my signature links. More to follow once wood bought.

Geoff T.

[flying scotsman123]

I do enjoy your layout threads, I think I've read all of them! Are you using the HO Thomas stuff next to OO stuff, and does it show? Oh, and any news on Castell Mawr, I was enjoying that until it all had to be packed up

Anyway, I'll be back

[Bufferstop]

What's with the paper Geoff? Given up smoking? The wrappers off large yoghurt pots make a reasonable alternative to the back of a fag packet.

[Dad-1]

Hi flying scotsman123,

Thomas HO .... quite honestly it's not really too much out of place or scale. Firstly as the majority of figures we use are already
HO, the other thing is on the Thomas layout there will only be HO locomotives, mixed with a few pieces of OO wagon stock. So
I find it visually fine. The stock picture shown is with them on TSP, but even there they don't look bad.

Ahh Castell Mawr, I have done a few bits here and should get on, but living so near our caravan on the coast we're always popping
down to the sea. I also can only work on it outdoors ..... when home & when the weathers good enough ..... don't get too many
days like that.

Thanks for the kind comments - I'm just a big kid of 72 and thoroughly enjoy 'playing', used to do it with car engines once !!

Geoff T.

[flying scotsman123]

Ahh Castell Mawr, I have done a few bits here and should get on, but living so near our caravan on the coast we're always popping
down to the sea. I also can only work on it outdoors ..... when home & when the weathers good enough ..... don't get too many
days like that.

Know what you mean with the weather, it's hard enough getting enough go up to go out in the shed when the weather's horrible, at least it's dry when I get in there!

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

I'll clear something up: The Bachmann Thomas range is in reality OO locos and rolling stock - it's just packaged as HO because it's sold on the American market. Most of the rolling stock uses existing Bachmann UK toolings.

[Dad-1]

It's Like This !!!
June was when the Bridport Club said O.K to building a Thomas layout. Yes I had the basic idea in my head,
which was not difficult as I'd already built one.
Club colleague Derek was going to be our woodwork man, having many sophisticated tools like a band saw &
router to name two of many I don't have & don't know how to use. Our trouble was & is that we're both rather
busy people & finding time to start just didn't work out for many months.
Well, at last we began this month, the exact date escapes me. With the work being done in Derek's garage I
would concentrate on having the right bits & pieces, but always forgot my camera.
At last ........I did take along this week.





The main clam shell structure is together in exactly the same way as shown in my signature link. We have tested
some of our wiring, from controller desks to track and now are fixing the track bed in place before addition of
all remaining track & wiring.
You may notice a white wheel on Henrietta, there is a children's bed-time story to go with that which I may add
here later.

Geoff T

[Lofty]

I wondered where this had drifted off to.

With the amount of stuff you have you will be able to hold your own exhibition at some stage

[Dad-1]

Too much going on - I can't cope !!

Time to go down to the beach then ? The first of what will probably be 5 Beach Huts.
Still wet & unpainted on the other side - well you have to hold it somewhere !!



Tomorrow I hope we can find time for more track laying. We have checked one half, both tracks & electrically all's fine
but we need to paint under the bridge before the other sides track-bed is permanently fixed in place.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Last evening I built another ....... well almost, started watching T.V.



So easy to make, that is unless you loose some microstip as I did. I searched, got fed-up
and watched TV, came back before bed couldn't see it. Later went to clear my mess off the
kitchen table ready for morning - There it was on the floor - Me blind ?? or perhaps hung-up
on my wooly pulley. But by magic I now have it again.

Until I ring Derek I don't know if we'll be working on the layout today. This has sat around as
ideas too long I want to get results now.

Geoff T.

[Lofty]

Very simple but effective Geoff

[Bufferstop]

I guess much of the scenery will be below rail level, as the hinges don't seem to be much above it.

[Dad-1]

Hi Bufferstop,

One side will be the sea, a generally sandy bay, as a result there is considerable depth that can be used to sink
higher landform into this 'cavity' from the station & open landscape side.
With the board join & hinges under a detachable tunnel, ridge & road bridge, it offers perhaps somewhere near
to 6" above track & high tide level. It's being modelled at high tide as the space between the bridge and sea is
rather too small, but that's part of modelling 'compression'.

Just had lunch, a nice roast chicken dinner. Now back to do more.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

We did more today, although progress is slow in comparison to the previous fold-away Thomas layout.

First we have the twin tracks, all wired in & tested on what will be the station half. Note how small
those beach huts look, we'll have 5 in different colours on the beach close to a sea-wall & perhaps sand
dunes.



Bridge construction started.



Close of today's building, note some painting under what will be a bridge over the coastal inlet in the far distance.



I feel we're moving now, both Derek & myself have been too busy previously to allocate the required time.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Almost there on my beach huts ........
A few minor differences in addition to colours. Now have to add edging around rooves and final
painting. I think the white plastic one will be painted yellow.
Done more on the layout, but nothing to photograph at present.



Geoff T.