Model Railway Forum

Hi Glencairn,
Yes, it's fun when I get to run the trains although recently I don't seem to have had much time for this or for work on the layout. No worries as I have managed to sort out my workspace by putting up some shelves, throwing some stuff out and putting the little bits and pieces into more rationalised containers instead of being piled on my work desk. So now I can actually see the work top and I can sit and work from this place. For the last couple of years, I was using the floor at the top of the loft stairs as my work desk while I was sitting on the last step. When I used to get up after half an hour's work, I was as stiff as a board. So now all I need to do is find some time.

Flying Scotsman


Car Transporter


Old Faithful

I cleaned the track on the layout last week. This left a trail of knocked over figures and other small scenic features, as well as some shifting of buildings and other larger structures. So it seemed like a good moment to re-lay some track. The hammering left a further trail of knocked over stuff, so I suddenly, on the spur of the moment, decided to carry out my long-postponed plan to remove the island platform and replace it with straight track. The rationale for this is that the Y shaped points are a derailing nightmare, hence I hardly ever use this part of the layout. Hopefully, the straight track will allow all of my locomotives and rolling stock to use this part of the layout on a regular basis. I've removed the track today and I've cleaned the baseboard around that area. I've also given the track earmarked for that place a good hoovering, and I intend to clean it with IPA (not the beer) tomorrow. Also tomorrow, I hope to start repainting this part of the baseboard, so that the colours match the new positioning of the track and station platforms, and paint some other adjustments to the painted road and stream.

You See That Building, Lose It


Heave-Ho


Last days of Shankly Signal Box


Coming Down


Put Your Backs into It


Eagle-eyed viewers will have noticed that these photos show the island platform as it was in July 2021 with the signal box and Triang station building (with Margate poster) still on it. Also, when I say 'island platform' there isn't actually a platform, only a painted one on the baseboard. Another item to add to the to-do list.

The Demolition Continues

One Last Look


Ready


Steady


Gone

Demolition Daze













Sorry. No trains in these photos.

Happy Easter to everyone at MRF.

Here are some random photos taken earlier in the year (with trains this time).

Hi Everyone,
I mentioned on 22nd March that I had re-laid some track and had taken up some more for relaying. This didn't go as well as I had hoped, so I took up the second lot and re-laid it again. It still wasn't perfect, and I was going to take it up yet again, but work didn't give me time to focus on the layout at all. When I did finally manage to get a bit of Railway Time, I couldn't stop myself from tidying up some of the knocked-over / moved-out-the-way scenery, and started running trains. Now I think that I'll keep the track as it is for a few months and enjoy having it in action again. Most of my locomotives and rolling stock are fine on the track, but sometimes some of them don't seem to like certain places, especially going clockwise, strangely enough.

I took a few photos today after a train running session as I was itching to put some new ones on the Forum. I had to take all the photos on one side of the layout where most of the scenic features were in reasonably good order.

Hi Everyone,
I had a little photo session yesterday. I'll comment on these photos in another post. Hopefully, next week.

The Shankly and Gdynia Railway is Back!

Hi everyone,
As mentioned back in February, I took up the island platform and replaced it with a single straight line of track. I knew that relaying the track so that it joined up with the oval would result in a slight change in the position of the track on the curve that went under my tunnel. I was right about this, and as a result the whole structure of the tunnel no longer sits correctly on the new track. Hence, I haven't been able to put the tunnel back on the layout. Perhaps I'll be able to do some rebuilding work on the tunnel so that it fits, but for the moment the SGR is tunnelless. I've painted some makeshift backscenes and put some buildings and trees onto that corner while I mull over my next move. This mulling process will probably be very long.

You are having fun with that railway of yours! Most of my modelling is "Thinking". Haha! Glad it is not just me, but you certainly have put a lot of time and effort in. It looks good.
Used to have one of those signalboxes that you have demolished. They are actually lovely little buildings. I found that smearing grey into the brickwork and wiping it off the surface of the bricks gave the model a very realistic look. I think those Triang/Hornby buildings were ahead of their time.

IanAlan wrote: ↑Fri Jun 03, 2022 9:29 pm This mulling process will probably be very long.

Some days I just look at the list of things to do --------

Then decide to run trains instead. More fun.

Glencairn