A cunning plan

There has been some comment on the NGRM forum recently that no one ever posts a track plan of their layout. Well, here is one of mine. Obviously not to scale and my curves are somewhat smoother than shown here but it gives a fair idea of what goes where.

So a quick pictorial trip along the line as it stands today. There is a large expanse of missing sky beyond Town Quarry, basically all the bit that has never been exhibited. My original plan was to have a photo printed but as it gets bigger and bigger behind the new bit I'm not sure and may resort to painting a roll of wallpaper lining paper a pale blue.

This is Underhill Town

Underhill Town station from the bridge

'Olwen' and train emerging from Parrot cutting

Sandy Brook bridge

A train startles some geese as it rumbles over the bridge

Double headed Baldwins on a P Way train

Town Quarry junction and the upper level and adit of the quarry

A rake of empty skips waiting to be loaded

'Olwen' blasting up the grade through Rock Beach cutting

A train wafts past an abandoned cottage in the countryside on its way to Underhill

Rock Beach Lighthouse siding with 'Brigitte' passing by

Rock Beach halt

The village of Rock Beach and the lighthouse

Upper Bay pretty much as it is at the moment showing the connection to Rock Beach, the hidden sidings are hidden behind the foam core board at the back

 

Bridge over platform two

It's been a finishing things off sort of week down on the Island. Firstly a couple of cattle wagons, a 3D print one which I'd put the couplings at the wrong height, an easy fix. The one nearest the loco I reconstructed from bits I found in a bag of bits kindly donated by Stan Williams and so put it back together and put some spare Dundas Models chassis bits under it. I think it's a Colin Ashby kit and has CV markings on it so I'd be interested to find where it previously ran.

The new footbridge and platform are now populated and in action, here a sand train has run round and is ready to depart for Port Lucy.

Two passenger trains at Underhill Town

I had a retail therapy moment one gin soaked evening and as a result an AGR models special edition PECO obs coach arrived. The livery is lovely but being me I needed to add a few bits and bobs and so the roof got extra ventilators and brass hand rails. I also changed the pale blue vents to copper as I prefer that, a few passengers and a repaint of the roof into a light grey and Bob's your uncle. Very nice.

I painted the tram van and it entered traffic. It is slightly shorter than the tram carriages but by putting an open in between it looks just the job.

I've been doing some testing of the new platform and the new station at Upper Bay, here Dennis and a tram train are in the station at Underhill Town.

"Should we put the luggage in here?"

Testing continues

The name and works plates arrived from Narrow Planet for all the new Dave |Malton locos.

Here they are fitted, I really like all three locos. The only fly in the ointment is that the chassis under 'Cat' the Beyer Peacock is rather lumpy compared to the other KATO 109s I have. Maybe I'll get a fresh one to replace it as the body is very pleasing. 'Oy' and 'Grace' have no crew but I've ordered some figures from Modelu to put this right.

I got this 3D print a while ago and have been wondering what to do with it. I was going to put an Arnold Kof under it that I have in my drawer but even that was too big. I made it up and painted it and then remembered that I had a little Japanese chassis that had been the failed power unit for Lord Stoner's inspection saloon.

I glued in as much lead as I could and fitted the chassis. It doesn't run brilliantly but maybe a little running in might improve it.

 

Couplings fitted, on test down at the wharf

Finally this week I've finished off the new oil tanker which is based on an FR one with an ex road tanker sat in a bogie open wagon. This is a Coopercraft tanker on a Minitrains chassis. I bought the transfers ages ago for something else which they didn't fit but they were perfect for this.

Plenty of stuff

I've been intermittently quite busy. The first project to be finished is the little Avonside on the Percy chassis, its come out really well and once it has a crew and some plates it will be finished. It runs beautifully and fits perfectly with the IoSR fleet.

Here it is with my oldest surviving loco, 'Syd'

'Puck' is slightly bigger but they look at home together

Here it is on its first trip to Underhill with my rake of PECO four wheelers; all designed by Dave Malton, top chap.

While were looking at Underhill, there have been a few changes at this end of the line. With the operational other end having two platform faces it makes it easier if there is another platform at Underhill. The station wasn't designed to have a second platform but I worked out that I could just about fit a little one in between the goods yard and the run round loop.

Originally I was just going to have the passengers get to the new platform on the barrow crossing but it became obvious that as soon as there was a train in either platform no one could get to or from platform 2.

I found the old footbridge from what had been a part of the original layout but it didn't quite end up in the right place... so...

I dug out the remaining bit of Ratio footbridge and set about building the new bit.

A trial fit and for once my measuring wasn't to far out.

After a bit of work and a lot of messing about with paint, the extension is ready to install. What a fiddly bloody thing to paint, it doesn't bare too close an inspection but should be ok from usual viewing distances.

The layout extension hasn't seen much work but all the new structures are painted and ready to plant.

This is the pair of lever frames.

Due to a filthy, wet and windy Sunday afternoon I also made a new van to go with the tram coaches. It means I can have two tram trains but now I'm having the urge to build a third tram coach...

Here is the finished van with a sheep wagon that I've re assembled from a bag of bits that 009 superstar Stan Williams sent me. The van also has some bits from the same bag; lots more to come from said bag.

 

Cat and that

Since my last post I've made some progress in the garage despite the arctic weather and numb fingers. So apart from adding some basic scenery using mostly foamcore and hot glue gun.

The cutting which hides the points to the hidden siding is working well and one trees and greenery are added properly I'm sure it will be fine.

The other end of the station is also taking shape. The hidden sidings will be hidden under a lift off scenic section which can be seen lolling on the track. I'm still working out how to achieve this in practical terms but the ideas are swirling.

Meanwhile in the slightly warmer sofa area of the living room lap tray I worked on the buildings for Upper Bay. First new build was a pair of ornamental lever frame shelters; one for each end of the station. Lever frames are Wills of course.

I've struggled with the Ashover carriage bash, Not sure I like the result particularly but maybe it will grow on me. Here it is without roof and with painting underway.

Here it is mostly finished. I think what I've created is either something from Japan or the IoSR's very own FR Barn. Anyway it's finished and once the garage is warmer I'll try it out with some of the other carriages in the fleet.

The next of Dave Malton's minis arrived, this one being a shrunk IoM Beyer Peacock type of thing. I'm calling it 'Cat' as it's a Manx cat which is after all, a foreshortened moggy. It is again a fantastic bit of design work and comes with three types of cab, having seen the cab fittings nicely printed I decided on the full open version.

 

Next on the laptray of joy was the water tower. It is based loosely on the original Tan y Bwlch one complete with urinals behind the stonework. The stonework is the most notable thing really as it is made from the new Wills slate walling sheet, again designed by Dave Malton at PECO. It is just the thing. The tank will be a slate slab build so rather Welsh considering it's on the Isle of Stoner. 

I contemplated having a corrugated iron lid on it for a while but in the end I've plumped for open.

Another TyB feature is the coal drop onto the approach road. Before the preservation era this was a very un photographed are and the only known image of it is a still from the film 'The phantom light' which was partly shot at TyB and on the FR. The coal drops dropped into a little walled yard and so so will mine. This is the wall which is Wills sheet with individually cut styrene stones on the top. A long and annoying evening but as it's right at the front of the layout it needs to be detailed.

This is it in place, there will be a yard door too. The wall and stairs are pre made ones that I rescued from a previous layout, they happen to be exactly the right size for the location so who am I to argue.

Next building is the tiny goods shed. It was small in reality at TyB, being part of the current café. (When open again a purveyor of excellent cake, by the way.) This is the first proper building I've made with the new Wills sheet as mentioned above and I think it works very well. I have to make and fit the sliding door but otherwise job done. 

Here they all are in situ. The only remaining structure to construct is the crane.

When I was adding details to 'Oy' the mini Manning Wardle I only had one RT brass coupler so I put it at the back but by the good offices of Rob, Mr RT Models I now have one for the front. Just waiting for the plates to arrive and it will be done. A nice, useful loco.

Here is 'Cat' with all the additional pipework and handrails on. Some liquid gravity and paint and Bob is your fathers brother.

This little beauty is a custom designed loco by Dave Malton sitting on my new Percy chassis. Can't wait to get my mits on it. It is based on an Avonside loco and will be called 'Grace' after my daughter.