Wednesday 29th May 2024

Worklist:

Reconfigure the engine shed head shunt point motor to the correct orientation.

Repair the pipework frame hiding the fiddleyard aperture.

Line the shelf spaces for the two new boards.

The two new boards were set up alone and the control panel/power was connected. Geoff then used the MERG point configuration device to reset the point correctly. This can be a laborious job, but it was quite quick this time. Stephen repaired the frame with epoxy glue.

A sheet of old packaging protection MDF was found to enclose the two shelves used to store the new boards. These are in the 'machine shop', where high levels of sawdust are created. Side panels were cut out of the 3-4mm MDF and bolted in place. Off-cuts were fixed to a batten to form a rear shelf for the top. Another offcut of thin ply sealed the open side.

A panel of old starched roller blind material will be cut to size and captive magnets used to fix it to the steel frame.

Friday 17th May 2024 - The show gets on the road again

Friday 17th May - getting to the show.

We took photos of how it went in to aid packing on the return journey.... (oh yeah?)

Definitely no room for passengers!

We had loads of help unloading at the venue, and setting-up went really well.

Note the new timber support frame for the new boards.

Christine's extension for the drapes was fitted without any issues.

It was soon early evening and our next job was to find somewhere to eat because our hotel was short-staffed and they were unable to open the restaurant that evening - thanks PI. This actually turned into a highlight of our trip, as fellow exhibitors recommended the Greyhound Inn, off the town square, only 150m from the venue. It had a tranquil internal courtyard space, friendly staff and wonderful food and beer. Obviously, we went back the following evening too!

Wednesday 15th May 2024

The whole session was focussed on packing everything ready for the drive down to Salisbury, for the Salisbury & South Wilts Railway Society Exhibition 2024. A list comprising everything needed for a show had been updated and formed the basis of our work now.

The two new boards (cottages and stone mason) were bolted into their end plates to form a solid and hopefully secure block.

The two main station boards were bolted into their double-deck frame.

Then the top and single side panel were dropped in place. The five trestles were collapsed as best they could be. The new support frame was also broken down. The lighting poles and the three lighting troughs (100mm plastic gutter) were grouped together.

The end of the station board was placed on top of the fiddleyard board, which remain unrestrained.

The now five backscene panels were wrapped in bubble wrap.

Fiddleyard cassettes were thoroughly cleaned and wrapped together. The crates at the front contain pretty much everything else. All construction and modelling tools, power supplies, controllers, nuts and bolts, etc., etc. The hoover, extension leads and the like stay loose, to be squeezed in where possible.

Then we'll pack it into two cars on Friday and make our way down to Salisbury!

Wednesday 8th May 2024

Worklist:

Review new wagons.

Review water tower feed pipe and make a canvas hose.

Final weathering to Edwards yard and buildings.

Trees - titivate existing and finish a new one.

Review everything needed for exhibition.

Paint reverse faces of end backscenes.

Geoff had produced 4 of his new 4 ton block stone wagons and Stephen 3 of them. Geoff had gone for the 'heavy wear' appearance, applying considerable distressing to the timbers and Stephens' had mild dents and scratches. 

Geoff had added the loco water tank feed pipe with an isolation valve and a tap. Stephen later added a canvas pipe using a length of black heat-shrink tubing.

Stephen displayed all of the 3D printed yard clutter he had painted and weathered, which will be added loosely, along with a few vehicles. Geoff now applied a mixture of weathering powders to the yard roadway, doors, windows etc. After 'refreshing' the foliage of the tree overhanging the bridge, Stephen added foliage to a small spare tree wire armature, which was then 'planted' on the front of the layout.

We then turned our minds to the exhibition, just 11 days away. Going through a previous checklist, we were able to tick quite a few things off  fairly quickly. However, the new boards meant a few things had expanded or changed e.g. the spare controller was now the new board controller, so a new 'spare' was required. We checked through 'special' bolts and tools required for the new support frame. We seemed to have acquired a third box of bolts, but couldn't conclusively match bolts to boards. The answer was to separate what we could identify (backscene bolts) and put the rest in one box. After we set the layout up at the show, a proper sort-out can be carried out.

Equipment - Power supplies for the layout and lighting were assembled together with extension leads, RCD's etc. Tools, repair items, spares, were all identified and boxed up. An hour later we had a good grasp of the situation and were happy. We then discussed the route and timings for the trip down to Wilton, including hotel and exhibition hall check-in times etc. When finished, we were greatly relieved and could now look forward to the show. The final job was to paint the back of the end backscenes dark grey. These had several splodges of white paint when the front was repainted painted.

Stock will be checked over, cleaned and oiled. One more Wednesday and then were off!

Wednesday 1st May 2024

Worklist:

Fit new rainwater pipe.

Complete foliage around pipework (track leading to the fiddleyard).

Fit magnets to engine shed.

Add foliage to the long fence.

Add weeds to base of all buildings.

Assess the pallets and crates printed to date.

The third downpipe needed a double swan-neck, which Stephen fabricated from 4mm plastic tube. It took a fair bit of trial and error to get the joints correct, then a lot of filing to achieve the final shape. This was spliced onto 3+ lengths of 3D printed downpipe, and suitably weathered.

Main building cladding, windows and rainwater goods are all 3D printed.

Geoff continued to build-up the foliage on the pipework frame looping over the track going into the fiddleyard.

The engine shed is located over 4 vertical cocktail sticks, but is not fixed down, meaning it could fall off in transit. Rather than bolts, Stephen chose magnets - round magnets in a bucket (below) and rectangular magnets in a plasticard toolbox. Both were glued to the brick plinth with epoxy glue, 'diagonally opposed'. Countersunk holes were made in the plaster floor and 4mm screws inserted through to the plywood below. Both ends of the building were now perfectly held in place, but it can be removed for access to the lighting and the interior generally.

Geoff moved on to applying foliage to the long, bare Peco fence running up to the bridge. A variety of materials were used, starting with PVA, then a light spray of isopropyl alcohol diluted with water, which allowed to glue to spread more easily.

Both then moved on to applying small amounts of foliage along the bottom of the factory buildings and the cottages. Mostly subtle hints of weeds with occasional long grass clumps made from cut-down self-adhesive 'dots' of grass and a few electrostatic grass clumps.

Finally, an array of old 3D printed pallets was amassed, with many stacked and glued together to see how it might look. These were printed from drawings created 'in-house', but Geoff had also been experimenting with newly downloaded files, with varying success. Some of these included timbers which were far too thick to be used, often due to poor draughtsmanship. A selection of solid cases were also discovered which should make for an interesting yard. Geoff jokingly suggested that the front building could become a pallet/crate manufacturer. That's not a bad idea!

Stephen had made up one of the new flat wagons, but didn't have suitable wood for the decking and ends. Geoff had printed a few more wagons 'for homework' and supplied some of the basswood sheeting used on the prototype and the original stone wagons.

That water tower still needs a feed pipe!

The end of the layout
(so far....)