A bigger better empire.....

Check back tomorrow for the full story!!

new year, New direction?

Well i said i would do a big update and here it is. The last few weeks have been busy as would be expected at this time of year. It doesnt mean however no modelling has been done. In fact quite the opposite actually as plenty has been done, however it does seem that for every job that has been completed another presents itself.

Firstly ive been busy on the presentation of the layout. The fascia has been rubbed down and resprayed. I prefer to spray rather than brush paint as A) its quicker and B) i think you can get a smoother finish and C) its alot easier!
Ive also made a new piece for the section in front of the scenic break. This now has got a single piece rather than the ugly fill in piece.
This teamed with some new signage which has been laminated looks far more professional. The curtain has also been given a wash.

The 3rd rail instalation has also been gaining pace. The chairs have been painted an are now attatched to rails. I'm planning to get the rails in place this week. Then i need to add some wiring using black multicore wire. I then need to add all of the associated boxes and signage.

The one job i havent started for lack of funds to do it is the fiddle yard. At the moment it isnt that important as the layout isnt being operated but i need to think about it seriously soon as it needs to be done. I'm just making sure i havent left any alternatives before i begin.

Ive also been adding some greenery of various shades to the areas that need to try and bring out some life and disorganisation. This in some respects is something that can be tweeked for years.

Apart from that its going to be a quiet start to 2012 for Westleigh. I hope however the start 2013 will be anything but.

Happy new year.

Too long

Dont go away. Im still here just been rather busy. A full update musing on the sailient parts of 2011 will be posted tomorrow.

Its Electrifying

Well i turned the layout round to get better access. Ive got all my 3rd rail kit out(peco chairs and Z gauge rail) so i can make a start tomorrow. While im doing this the fascia will get a complete rub down and repaint. I also need to adjust the height of one as its higher than its neighbours. Ive also got the scenic break to do as its currently a little bit poor in a few areas.

But enough for this post. Its late so time to leave it till tomorrow. Depending on the progress i might get some photos done too!

Going for the 3rd time

Well the last few days ive been very busy. Ive finish my lighting kit and am now just waiting till i install it in a loco.

The biggest thing is the instalation of 3rd rail so i can run both sr emus and a 508 or a GMPTE class 504 unit depending on where its set. Its all using peco parts which are getting alot easier to come by. im only adding it to the platform, cleaning siding and loop line. The rest of it will be off limits to DC units. Im aso going to whether the track soon too. But i dont really now how so im looking for tips on how to do it.

Anyway enough for now.

Its all rosier down south....

Its something i have been wondering for a while, modelling to the southern region. I already have a few dckits kits of epbs, mlvs, demus etc and i was brought up on the 50s and 33s out of Salisbury. Ok and lots of 47/8s at bath road too, but sometimes the whistle of those big EEs gets very tempting. The hornby model is not bad if you replace the horrid working side lourves with fixed ones. I know people say the windscreen is wrong but dont see it myself. Perhaps i need to fit a 3rd rail (i already have the chairs and the rail). I could always say it was a merseyrail extention if i wanted to move it back north.

Maybe something to seriously consider. I already have about half the stock so perhaps its a worthwhile way to go. Only time will tell......

The show must go on

Well theres another expo invite in the can. I suppose this means i need to actually crack on and do the fiddle yards and extention board. Oh and the rm article. Oh and all the rolling stock jobs. The list gets ever and ever longer. One day there will be nothing on there. I suspect however it will be when the layout is finally retired
Anyway enough yaking, get cracking!

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!

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.

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.

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.

A lack of cab power...

Well ive decided to get rid of the power cab. It was just too limited. Its being replaced with the dynamis which is another unit i have lots of expierience of. Its a well thought out unit its only main achiles heal being its wireless connection or lack of it at times.
i hope to change them at the nec so it will be a seamless change over.

Dynamic Dynamis

Im wondering whether the dynamis is going to be better for me. Why? Well it seems my power cab is limited in being unable to use two locos at once and things being automatically reset. Now given i know the dynamis does everything i want i wonder if now is the time to change. Dump the powercab on ebay and use those funds to get a dynamis. Its so so tempting. It all hinges on what one of the dcc gurus say.

And now for something completely different, ive begun writing and article for the railway modeller on westleigh. Im looking at the moment for it to be printed in around 18 months time so no rush then accept there is as there is around a 12 to 14 month lead time. Better get writing!!

Making a bigger empire

I spent some of today planning the new fiddle yards. One to replace the current yard. The other to extend it at shows to a through run. I will also have to put in a filler board so the scenery doesnt just end. An over bridge would probably be best. I intend to make the fiddle yards with route setting so i can build this into the panel rather than have seperate panels for each yard and also because i have space in the panel to put this in. Quite how im going to do that electronically i dont know yet but thats half the fun.

I also installed a wiring harness into my lima 156. Thankfully there is enough room in the roof space to hide all this. The 156 will also get lights eventually along with an underframe conversion with the seperate detail. Just need to get round to doing it!

Illuminating times.

Bit of a while since an update. Ive spent the last few days sorting out the lights on 31132. I've also drawn up a replacement diagram for me to use as a diy set up. This i will dually fit to 37003 and 37707. More on this as it develops.

Apart from that work has been quiet. Ive put together a plan to operate the layout in 1998 which to me is one of the few other other interesting eras there were. In 98 the 31s, 37s and the immingham 47s were just about still around. But the new liveries and locos of privitisation were just arriving. A quite colourful period you might say. Certainly alot more interesting than dull rail blue and todays railway scene.

Anyway more to come tomorrow when i can write up my master plan slightly more in depth. Then i hope it might make some sense....

Black kettle.....

also a dirty black kettle....

Who'd have thought it.

Just spotted this beauty in temple meads. Long time since ive heard that ee whistle.

Constructive day

A really constructive day today in more ways than one. I've had to replace the lighting transformer as it had failed. It was simply an old lima train set controllr hard wired in and switched on. Thankfully i had a spare so i used that and they now work. Hopefully the yard lights and bufferstop lights will arrive soon so i can get on with that.

Secondly today i fitted some 8 pin wiring harnssess to my lima locos so all i need to do is simply plug the chip in. Simples really.

And lastly today i made up a holder for the control unit out of some 1mm thick plasticard. This will give me somewhere to put the handset when not in use.

Thats more or less it for the time being. I've still got the tipper lorry to do so i may do that tomorrow along with adding a few more small details. Im also still looking at the best way to chip a pacer unit.... I could be here a while!

Testing new technology

This is simply no more than a test to see if this new fangled email system works. Well we find out because if this appears it obviously does.... And if it doesnt you wont see this at all!

DCC new age!

Westleigh has finally joined the new age and is now DCC. Its also still DC too. How come?

Well the layout was originally wired for DC cab control using centre off switches. All i have done is convert one of the cabs to a DCC control. By changing a plug i can operate DCC or DC quite safely (though not both together). The NCE powercab i am currently using is very good although i'm having a few problems but these are mainly due to lack of knowledge on my part. I'm using bachmann 36-553 chips for their cheapness and ease to get. For my lima models i'm using a NEW652 wiring harness (8pin socket to you and me) so i dont have to chop the plug off so chips can be swapped around.

Apart from that very little has occured since the show. I've decided to add a fiddle yard at the other end so i can run through trains. This along with the replacement for the others will be 5 roads in a ladder style. It can run however in the exsisting set up for home or even show use.