A Nice Little S7 Layout

Chuffer

Active Member
My belated thanks for the more recent welcome messages and apologies for not responding sooner - it's ages since I last posted, mostly because I've been so busy with my weathering business duties that I've had little spare time at all to make very much progress with the layout.
I've altered the track layout slightly by removing a couple of superfluous sidings that Julian only added because he wanted to operate the layout from the rear at shows and it made for more interesting movements. I'll be operating from the front as I want to organise a full scenic backdrop that precludes operating from the rear and I'm trying for a more run down look with fewer sidings and imminent closure anticipated.

Two replacement bridges are built and installed at the left hand end in a slightly different position and, instead of it being a terminus, the station is now modelled as a through one with a new bridge at the right hand end, under which the track passes briefly before petering out into weeds and overgrowth as the line is presumed closed from there onwards.

There's a new corrugated roofed engine shed that's built, painted and weathered ready to be plonked into place and I decided the signalbox was slightly too large for the location with its now much reduced trackwork so I've replaced it with a much modified and smaller Peco one. This is the fairly recently introduced platform mounted box that I've converted into one with a brick base - there was an excellent article in the R/Modeller some while back that inspired this idea, utilising the same kit. It's a bit shallower front to back which allows me to have a scenic shrubs and bushes area behind it so it won't now be perching right on the front edge of the layout as before.

Here's a shot of it just plonked in place - it now has the original signal box's nameplate installed since taking the photo. Nobody will see it from this side but it's a nice little kit that when modified and painted in tired GWR colours, doesn't look too bad to my eyes. Full interior detail using Springside kit parts with a nice signalman figure that again probably nobody will see either - the things we do for fun . . .
And that's not a back scene behind it but some storage boxes in the workshop - Devon stars aren't that large!

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I'd re-ballasted much of the track work (original ballast in the above image) before calling a halt (no pun intended) as I decided to rewire the layout completely (should have done this first of course . . .:oops:). A very good friend, Adrian Newson, who's an electronics whizz volunteered to organise this as I'm not very clever in the fizz-bang dept. and he's already arranged replacement point servos and other such electrickery that we'll be installing next month. We're retaining the Tortoise motors for the signals. I'm happy with the soldering iron as long as he tells me which bit to solder to what. Even DCC requires a little thought and isn't quite the 'just need two wires' idyll some have mooted in the past.

My Lionheart pannier's weathered and running nicely, the Impetus Ruston 88DS that I previously sold to a client (it sat unused on my demo stand at shows for years purely as a display piece and talking point) has now come home, been re-wheeled back to S7 standards and fortunately he'd already had an excellent Zimo sound chip installed so it sounds delightful as it putters and rattles along. Powered by an RG4 motor, it has smooth control and happily runs at a scale 9mph or thereabouts, which is about right. Always in distressed green I may ring the changes and repaint it in a similarly distressed pale blue or possibly washed out yellow.

Here's the pannier (photographed on my diorama) when I slightly revamped the weathering more recently - still a work in progress as there are one or two extra detail bits yet to be added - and those windows need cleaning. With the very fine wheels re-spaced out to S7 dimensions I've fitted cosmetic plastikard frame side overlays to reduce the resultant added gap between wheel backs and frames.

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I'm awaiting delivery of a Lionheart 45xx in BR lined green next, which I'll be weathering in suitably worn condition and I'm debating a solitary WR coach for it to pull - either a single B set coach or possibly a Hawksworth one. We'll see. Still open to ideas regarding a possible single railcar of some description too - maybe the imminent Heljan one could be converted to S7 and have an authentic sound chip installed?

If I'd been able to devote more spare time to it, there would have been more progress to report. I suppose quite a few alterations have been carried out, having read the above, but I'll upload more piccies soon so you can see a little of what's been going on. Once the layout's wired up as we'd like, I can then get on with the scenics that I've been champing at the bit to get started upon. At the moment everything looks very brown and grey as there's no new greenery installed as yet, but hopefully that will all change over the next few months.

Martyn

 
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Dan Randall

Western Thunderer
Hi Martyn

It's great to see you've made some progress on the layout, which I was only thinking about it a couple of days ago funnily enough. Scrolling through the photo galleries on my phone, I came across the pictures of Wyebridge I'd taken a couple of years ago at the S7 Brightwell bash (the ones in the post that started this thread). Spooky!

Please don't keep us in suspense for too long with the additional pictures. :)


Regards

Dan

p.s. Nice work on the pannier tank. :thumbs:
 

Scale7JB

Western Thunderer
Is this the layout that was taken to the Mark - Somerset S7 show a few years back?

It is truly delightful...

JB.
 

Chuffer

Active Member
Hi Dan,

Once the electrics are sorted, progress will hopefully be far swifter and I'll add photos accordingly. For the moment it's all a bit brown and drab looking, as mentioned, but as soon as I can I'll post further images. The photo of the signal box shows a scrap of the little greenery still remaining from the original that I'm mostly replacing. I'm using styrene foam blocks for landscape covered with plaster bandage that I then paint brown/green purely as a base colour for the later to be added scenic grasses, shrubs etc. Keeps it light as well, given the boards are already fairly heavy. Loads of trees to be made as well.

I've always had a soft spot for pannier tanks and the Lionheart one runs very sweetly and its sounds are excellent. I've modified it with extra detail, swapped out the smokebox dart for a Laurie Griffin one, extra pipe runs etc. When Masterpiece eventually release their 57xx I'll have one of those added to the roster.

More progress reports when I have made some.

Hi JB.,

Probably, although I only ever saw it when it occasionally appeared at the Wells, Somerset show. Julian is aware of my plans for this to be revamped in typical imminent closure condition and I hope he'll still be able to recognise it once I've done the dastardly deeds.

Cheers,
Martyn
 

Dan Randall

Western Thunderer
Two replacement bridges are built and installed at the left hand end in a slightly different position and, instead of it being a terminus, the station is now modelled as a through one with a new bridge at the right hand end, under which the track passes briefly before petering out into weeds and overgrowth as the line is presumed closed from there onwards.

Hi Martyn - I realise your weathering business takes up a lot of your time, but do you have any pictures of the above (or of any other layout progress so far), that you can post please? I'm getting Wyebridge withdrawal symptoms! :)

Also, the Orion Hawksworth auto trailer pictures recently posted in your web site gallery look excellent, but would you be able to post some close-ups of the ends if possible please?


Regards

Dan
 

Chuffer

Active Member
Hi Dan,
Progress on the layout is slow because, as you mentioned, I have to concentrate on customers first. However, following a workshop re-flooring and part waterproofing exercise, I've now cleared the workshop (garage) of most of the 'that could be useful one day' clutter gathered over the years and have at last got the layout assembled along one wall - and I finally have room to swing the proverbial once more.

Adrian redesigned all the layout electrics, stayed for a couple of days to help me soldering all the connections and wiring and we now have a new control panel installed and this is operating nicely. He fitted new external contact switches to the existing Tortoise motors, which operate the turnouts but for the signals, he reckoned these motors weren't ideal and organised some tiny MERG servos, which I'm just fitting to the last signals today - I've replaced one wonky signal ladder, made supports for one of the two ground signals' servos and hope to finish the last one tomorrow.
The supports mentioned are some excellent laser cut wood items similar to the home made plastikard ones described in the latest Guild Gazette (Page 24).

The signals' wiring is in place but not yet connected up to the control panel or the servos and Adrian's returning soon to supervise this. He'll also talk me through the programming of each servo in order to set up the signal arms' travel limit and speed. I've read the instructions but, as usual, the electrical details have wafted into the mists as my brain struggles to retain anything vaguely fizz-bang. Arty-farty I can do, electrical/mechanical wizardry leaves me a mite flummoxed. In the meantime I've just been tootling locos up and down to test the track work.

Talking of which, I've always understood drawn steel track required little cleaning as (in the words of Ian Rice many moons ago) the more trains you run over the rails, the cleaner they allegedly become. When I built Monks Eleigh for Michael Brooks some years back, I chose steel rail partly because of that advice (I think it looks better than nickel silver) and aside from a couple of areas that were prone to rust, the track seems to have behaved itself, cleanliness wise. This rust was occurring where any solder flux residue hadn't been properly cleaned or where rails were embedded in plaster. I didn't paint the rail sides assuming there was no need as they couldn't be seen, but apparently the moisture content of plaster of paris stays present for many months and this was slowly rusting the rail surfaces. Lesson learned and noted for future efforts.
My problem with Wyebridge's track is that no matter how often I clean the rail tops with a track rubber or cleaning fluids, by next day some areas of rail are badly tarnished again, which affects the running. Not all areas are affected, just a few and it's becoming quite frustrating. I don't want to get stuck into the scenics until I'm sure the track work's running faultlessly.
I visited the excellent Wells show in Somerset at the weekend and bought some RailZip whilst there, which I'm told will help with the problem - time will tell.

For the moment, there's nothing much new to photograph as visually not a lot's changed but I will be starting on the greenery shortly and I'll post images as and when there's something worth looking at.

I delivered the coach to my customer at the Wells show, having only finished it a few days before and didn't take many photos before packaging it up. Here's one view showing some of the front end:

wt2 - 1.jpg

Close-ups can be cruel and reducing the image size for posting here means the lining looks a little crimped in places, but it isn't really. I used Fox waterslide transfers and getting the straight lengths to curve around the roof line at each end was an 'interesting' exercise. I used Decalsoft to really soften the already quite thin transfers until I was able to push and prod the lining into place. Tricky doing so without damaging or breaking up the strips. Once all the lining and numbering was done, everything was carefully sealed in with cellulose varnish

Each grab rail on the prototype has fixing screws and base plates above and below the rails as they are complete castings. The kit has holes pre-etched into which you solder brass wire but I felt I should try to represent the securing bits so I made mine using very narrow brass strip with simulated bolt heads applied with a riveting tool and the ends of the strip were filed to a half round shape so they would partially nestle around the wire. Once soldered in place, they appear as part of the handrail and the illusion is achieved. Drove me potty, though, applying all those tiny details and it's not something I'd wish to do too often . . .

wt2 - 1 (1).jpg

This is the only shot I have partially showing the other end of the coach and already I've spotted a painting error. The vertical wire running down the middle panel should have been painted black, as should the tell-tale paraphernalia above it. Or at least I think it should be black if the preserved examples are correct. Simple to put right if the client wants me to.

The loco is a Masterpiece 14xx and is weathered closely as per photos supplied by my customer. The only thing I altered was to replace the crumbling front vacuum hose (apparently a faulty batch of metal spring hoses) with my own, which I make using the outer black plastic casing of single core electrical wire. I thread this 10BA, which creates a ribbed effect and makes it supple enough to bend to shape and glue to the spigots once the central core wire is removed.

Thanks to you and everyone who seems interested in what I'm up to and I'll report back again with layout photos as soon as possible.

Cheers,
Martyn
 
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Dan Randall

Western Thunderer
Many thanks for the in-depth reply and photos Martyn - keep up the good work. :thumbs:


Regards

Dan
 
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Jon Fitness

Western Thunderer
Lovely stuff! The extra work on the autocoach handrails was definitley worth it. The tip about making vac bags sounds good too; I'm away to have a go when I get home from work tonight!
Jon F.
 

Big Train James

Western Thunderer
Well, I don't know about all that other stuff, but I do think that these last two photos are beautiful. :thumbs: I'll take more whenever you have the opportunity to post them.

Jim
 

Chuffer

Active Member
Thanks guys. I should have mentioned John Dornom, who lives nearby and who kindly lent me his Orion auto trailer that was featured in MRJ some time back. Despite having crawled underneath and all over a preserved one at Buckfastleigh (with the help of the South Devon Railway staff, I should add) when I was previously building and painting a JLTRT resin bodied one, I still found the pipework and general connectivity clutter beneath the underframe a total minefield when trying to interpret the Orion kit instructions. They do their best to tell you what goes where but some parts are omitted and working out which castings they do supply are intended for which area beneath is testing, to say the least.

Because John was aware of the problems, he lent me the two Wild Swan books on autotcoaches, but most importantly his superb finished model, for a few weeks and knowing how much of a stickler he is for getting everything just so, I rather guiltily just copied his model's detailing on mine.


I'll take a photo of the vacuum pipe wire later today so you can more clearly see what I do to get a reasonable version of the hose.
Martyn
 

Chuffer

Active Member
Couple of quick photos of the pipes:
The outer casing is shiny but once threaded it becomes matt. You can see there's a fair amount of plastic swarf that is simply cleaned off with a fine file or piece of emery and the ends can be a bit ragged until sliced off. I use a fine broach to open up the holes and file down the spigot of the cast pipe and the small casting of the other end that's fixed to the buffer beam to allow the hose to squeeze over them and secure them with superglue.
The hose is quite bendy with its concertina ribbing making it more so, but I occasionally leave a short length of the soft single strand wire inside and bending the hose to the correct curve afterwards keeps its shape. Just depends on the length of hose needed and the severity of the bend required.
Just a quick tip when using superglues if you weren't already aware. If you can't get the glue to set firmly enough to secure any such tiny details, a touch of water on both joins will set the glue instantly. Can't recall who told me this but it does work. Superglue and water? Not a combination I would have imagined but apparently the water eliminates the air and the glue just sets straightaway. Leaves a white powder residue but this is simply brushed off with a stiff brush and/or painted over.

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P1070333.jpg


Lionheart pannier with hose attached, CPL screw coupling and twisted wire securing chain on down pipe - also home made hose.
Smokebox dart is a replacement from Laurie Griffin. Reminds me I may replace the front bunker steps with more appropriate 74xx versions with their rear cutouts.
Well I must get back to the weathering tasks for the day.
 
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John Miller

Western Thunderer
............Just a quick tip when using superglues if you weren't already aware. If you can't get the glue to set firmly enough to secure any such tiny details, a touch of water on both joins will set the glue instantly. Can't recall who told me this but it does work. Superglue and water? Not a combination I would have imagined but apparently the water eliminates the air and the glue just sets straightaway. Leaves a white powder residue but this is simply brushed off with a stiff brush and/or painted over.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that superglue was partly developed during the Vietnam war as a faster way of closing wounds instead of stitches or clips. Hence it's affinity for moisture.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
I seem to remember reading somewhere that superglue was partly developed during the Vietnam war as a faster way of closing wounds instead of stitches or clips. Hence it's affinity for moisture.
Your not wrong, super glue was primarly developed for the medical environment in combat situations.

Superglues work on the exclusion of air, be it water or another surface (fingers ;))

Superglue accelerators (Zap Kicker etc) are a water based or chemical based film sprayed onto the joint, aerosol IPA used for cleaning electrical contacts is good as after a few seconds dries off and leaves no residue.
 

rusty

Active Member
Looking very nice. Have you changed it to make a through station? Will you have any parts of the layout at the Mendip Group event in June? Looking forward to more views. My Great Malvern project is in need of stimulation!
Julian
 

Chuffer

Active Member
Hi Julian,
Yes it's now a through station but with the track lifted beyond the right hand end, so acting as a terminus. the track only extends just beyond the bridge and there's a pile of sleepers across the rails.

PHOTO 3 .jpg
Still sorting the platform fencing - it needs weeds, under and overgrowth around its footings and I keep moving the telephone kiosk - see the previous image. I will probably reinstate some of the wall posters to add colour and more trees yet to be made and 'planted'.

PHOTO 2a .jpg

Another view with the replacement signal cabin, new loco shed and revamped siding layout from the original.

Must dash - got to attend a speed awareness course - mutter, mutter . . .
 

Osgood

Western Thunderer
….Must dash - got to attend a speed awareness course - mutter, mutter . . .

Don't be in too much of a hurry though!

One of our local policemen was on speed gun duty in a village.
Took an age for the first speeder to come along - he gonged the car and waved it in. He said to the young driver:
"I've been waiting all morning for you", to which the quick witted lad replied:
"I'm sorry officer, I got here as quickly as I could".​
The policeman laughed so much he simply had to let him go…...
 

Chuffer

Active Member
Still incomplete so it's not quite ready to exhibit. I haven't been invited to any shows yet and given these are the first shots of it that I've made public, that's probably why. I know Cygnet (was Wild Swan) want me to do an article for the MRJ so there will be much photographing from all angles and lots of text to be written, which may also help promote S7 to a slightly larger public.

I have rolling stock to build (only have three wagons completed at the moment!) and a Class 122 bubble car is next for building to represent the final days of passenger operation. Given I'm not a huge fan of non-steam propulsion, it's the use of sound that for me brings the models to life and diesels sound so much more convincing in model form than steam. I like the sounds on my two Lionheart locos - they're not the original L/heart ones as I've gone for more convincing (to my ears) alternatives, but there's still a lack of bass response from the speakers, which are restricted by space available. Gordon Gravett has always shied away from sound because he feels the steam sounds he's heard sound to him like two matchboxes being rubbed together - and I can sort of understand his point. Technology improves with time but physics don't, so diesel models generally have room within for better, larger speakers, which is why they can sound that bit more realistic and convincing.

Interestingly I've already been asked if I'd be prepared to sell the layout but it would be nice to exhibit it beforehand if invited and I'd like to play with it for a few months at least before letting it go - if indeed I do.

PHOTO 4 .jpg

Another view and the continuous wrap around back scene makes a massive difference to the perception of landscape continuing beyond. I took a series of photographs in the hills around Exeter, stitched them together in Photoshop and had a 17ft x 3ft eyeleted banner made by a local firm, which is suspended from steel tube framework that encases the layout. It's easier to match the colouring of the plants, trees and shrubs to a background photograph than do it the other way round.
The photo above reminds me of the telegraph poles that are yet to be made and installed so these pictures are a little premature really. I just felt the need to post a few views to get some feedback and suggest anyone pick holes they may have spotted where I've got things wrong etc. Please feel free to shout at anything you think's odd or unlikely. Sometimes we get tunnel vision and need to step back from a project to spot the errors and mistakes.
More photos soon.

Martyn
 
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