Sunday 13th January 2013

The layout is currently on its Christmas holiday at Halesowen.

We did some pre-Mickleover testing and basic maintenance today, including changing a point motor servo.  Dave undertook some driver training and has almost mastered the 'Kadee shuffle'.  Allen's latest acquisition also got a thorough test run.

The layout lights were installed and wired up.  Then we ran some trains so we could take some pictures to see how it looks!

Here are some more images of the layout.
They include some rather un-prototypical photos of the Forney - note that not in one single image is it lying in the ditch!

Sunday 9th December 2012

Well, another year almost over and how are we doing?

At today's meeting we concentrated on the framework for the lighting rig.

The full set of supports were fitted and a front beam prepared.

The layout is off for its Christmas holiday in Halesowen now, in preparation for the Mickleover exhibition in February.

Have a great Christmas!

Sunday 4th November 2012

Well, it  has been a very long time since last we posted any news about the layout.  With the summer holidays various other activities we have had few meetings recently.

Next Tuesday will be Allen's birthday and he arrived with a fantastic birthday cake.

It tasted even better than it looked.  Many thanks Mrs Law.

This week we got down and dirty!  It was time to cover the polystyrene scenics and we began with strips of newspaper stuck down with PVA glue.  Once this was set we painted it in a glutinous mixture of dilute PVA, filler powder and brown paint.  The resulting mixture was applied liberally by Allen and Dave, and has smoothed out the contours.


Now all we have to do is wait for a couple of days for the mixture to set.  Hopefully the colour will improve as it dries.

Sunday 22nd July 2012

Another Sunday meeting has come and gone but this time we do have some clear evidence of the work done. 

Allen installed the final "lifting" magnet for the un-couplers and has got them all working.  Next time we must try a proper running session to really test them out.

The rest of us turned our hands to the scenic items.  Hunks of polystyrene were hacked about and then glued down; it looked like a snow-storm at some times, but the end result was worth it.

The landscape is starting to take shape.

Sunday 1st July 2012

One problem with meeting just once a month is that progress can often seem slow on the layout.  For about a year we don't seem to have made much obvious advance in the look of the layout, although we have been busy with improvements to the running and uncoupling on the layout.

Well, this month's meeting changed that.  Since first made, the boards have been just flat slabs, so we decided the time had come to add some scenic elevation.

Front boards have been cut and fitted to give an idea of the undulations at the front edge.  In future meetings we will "back-fill" behind these to give some contours to the layout.  It is amazing what a change these boards have already made to the look of the boards.

One unexpected problem they have caused is the increased difficulty in putting bogie vehicles onto the rails now that you can't get your eyes down to rail level, but this can be solved by using a railer.

In addition, we have added some crossing points to the layout near the station area.  This has given a route for our proposed road across the board - with a suitable cut-out in the front board to match (just visible in the picture).  Again the crossings have been made with wooden coffee stirrers; what would we do without them!

This month we welcomed another new member.  Miles has moved up to the area from Kent and brings his enthusiasm for the Maine railroads.  Welcome Miles.

Most of the mechanisms for lifting the magnets have now been fitted and just a few bits of wiring to complete before they are all working.  Each mechanism requires a big hole in the baseboard, but we have managed to cover the completed mechanisms.  Next meeting should see them all completed, and ballasting repaired.

More Civil Engineering

Another month, another meeting and yet more holes appearing in the base-boards!

This month we continued to fit the lifting magnets for operating the Kadee couplers.  Allen has produced a new etch for this, which he was fitting into the existing holes.

Meanwhile Dave and Ken were excavating more holes for the remaining magnets.

Here is a short video showing the magnet at work.  Look out also for the three-way stub point at the end.



Dave brought along his Bachmann Rail-bus, which is very impressive, with tremendous details. The fairly long, 4-wheel chassis did show up some unevenness in the track-work, but it looks superb.  The rail-bus only has a driving cab at one end, but luckily it fits onto the turntable.