The Welcome Mat

Welcome to this Blog. Hopefully you may find it of use (i doubt it but it doesnt stop me hoping does it?). All my skills are normally self taught, and at the moment i'm a lone ranger when it comes to my layout with the occasional help from friends (normally it involves alot heckling).

I've never yet got a layout really past the electrics stage. I normally lose interest which is why i've decided to become involved in lots of things so i can vary my time between different things. All the work you see on Westleigh is my own work and all the photos you see on my fotopic sites are again my own work. I'm amazed i havent started to play with it, perhaps leaving the vast majoirty of the wiring to the end helps.

My main interest in railways is principally the early 90s. Even though i only just got into double figures in terms of age just as privitisation came in, i find it a very interesting period. My earliest memories were at Salisbury, Oxford and Bristol. So to counteract this aswell i tend to model the northwest scene during 1990 to 1994. However i also do the Wessex area during the same period and the scottish lowlands during 1988-1990.

I do have a little interest in the 1996-1998 privitisation period. I'm more aware of this period than the sectorisation period and again i wouldnt mind if it turned into this era.

I also am working on a project of Devizes station in 1963/64 just before alot of the line was rationalised and eventually closed. This however is a very very long term project and probably wont get anyway for many many years yet.

I do spend alot of time in the summer out an about doing photography particularly of civil jet aircraft. I'm certainly no David Bailey but i'm reasonably proud of most of the photos taken.

Anyway i suppose i really should get off the computer and get on with some modelling work, except work has a tendancy to get in the way!

Sunday 27 November 2011

Health and safety 4mm scale.

The last few days ive been busy doing so of the backlog of jobs that needed doing. The first was to install an orange flashing light to the digger at the front of th layout. This is powered by two batteries and can be switched on from the panel.

The other things that have been done are the the board for the dynamis reciever to sit on. Its high enough that it can be seen from most locations.

Ive also been adding scenic details such as ventilators and suchlike which are mainly from the excellent unit models range.

I've also added two of the oxford bedford TK crew lorry and mobile workshop. The workshop however has been repainted in to post 81 yellow to match the crew bus which is a later/darker shade of yellow.

Ive still got all the bigger jobs to do such as the fiddle yards and to tidy up the front fascia as one bit is slightly too high and looks awful.
Still more work to do!

Monday 21 November 2011

The new modelling season begins.

Its been a while but i carried out the first work on the layout today for a while. The dynamis unit IMHO is so much better to use than the powercab i dont know why i didnt use one first.

Anyway i've begun the extention board today so i can run trains through and increase the flexibility. I'm also doing both the fiddle yards while i do this. It can still be operated as a fiddle yard to station but the extra yard i hope should reduce the boredom. Once there is something tangible to show then i will post some piccies. Apart from that its been mainly adding details which i've been meaning to add.

Also while its down to do the fiddle yards i must start the track weathering. Before i do this though i'm taken a sheet of wood laid some old steel sectional track and ballasted it. I will use this to try out various weathering techniques before i start on the layout.

I've also got the uprights for the lighting rig out to see if i can do a front board for the layout. From this i also hope to add the lights which are simple directional lamps from ikea (£3 each when i last got some). These will be wired into one circuit (and checked by a sparky before i plug them in) with a switch mounted on one of the uprights.

All of this work i plan to take the next few months taking me over in to next season and hopefully some show bookings but its still looking very very spartan.

Saturday 19 November 2011

Sounds interesting

Well it had to happen. Two sound chipped locos have arrived. One class 37 and one class 20 both from the bachmann stable. However these both have howes decoders fitted. They sound good and once ive worked out how to turn it down i think will be even better. The 37 was D6707 in green but its now becoming 37116 in LLB. Perfect for my period.

Theres lots more to report but it can wait till monday as its another 180 mile round trip tomorrow so for now i will say ta ta.

Thursday 10 November 2011

Back in blighty.

Sorry for the lack of updates. Ive been in the canaries so havent really had the chance to do modelling. But im all ready now to start the modelling season. A full update will be posted in a few days with my plans.