4mm Morfa - The race is run.

[Steve Cook]

Morfa - Back on track.

On the flip side, C&L ready made track would have you stood you in for the best part of ?40 for the same (?4.10 / yard). I can safely say that it terms of appearance, the extra investment is well worth it. Granted, I'm not paying for it, but over the lifetime of the layout, I think the track cost will pale into insignificance, as well as looking the mutts nuts  ;D

 

[Simon Dunkley]

Morfa - Back on track.

Just done some sums. To date I've made and laid seventeen half yards of track. Each half yard has 48 chairs on each side, that's 96 for both sides which multiplied by 17 gives a total number of chairs used as 1632 (not including points). Because of moulding failures and dexterity failures the grand total will be greater than this. Checking with the C&L website 500 chairs cost ?15.50 thats 3.1p per chair. So far I've used ?50.59 worth of chairs. There is some way still to go.

Good job I didnt do the sums before I started; I might have put myself off.

The equivalent flexi-track from C and L would have cost you ?34.85 (assuming you could buy a half yard) and you would have had less personal satisfaction from it  - and also would have had to remove the webbing. You need to consider the marginal cost rather than the total cost.

 

[Neil]

Morfa - Back on track.

Cookie and Dunks, you forget my Yorkshire genetic code means that I'm easily frightened by prices in double figures. I'm afraid the comparisons with flexi don't quite stack up as well as you imply as iIve not counted the cost of timbering and rail, not sure I dare either.

CME, there's nothing second class about detailing commercial products; I've a length of C&L flexi, and a length of SMP flexi, where the branch curves off stage through the backscene. With the sheer reach required, along with having to thread the rails through the hole in the sky I reckoned the ply and chairs were impractical. To this date no one has spotted the difference until I pointed it out. It even has the webbing left in place, though to be fair it is placed well towards the rear of the layout.

 

[Simon Dunkley]

Morfa - Back on track.

Cookie and Dunks, you forget my Yorkshire genetic code means that I'm easily frightened by prices in double figures. I'm afraid the comparisons with flexi don't quite stack up as well as you imply as iIve not counted the cost of timbering and rail, not sure I dare either.

Not at all: I was aware of the extra bits, but mindful of your genetic code I omitted to mention them for fear of scaring the horses...

 

[28ten]

Morfa - Back on track.

Hi,

Wonderful work

I like C&L/SMP in 4mm, yet in 7mm I feel that - judging by the little that I have done in 7mm - the chairs look a little on the chunky side - I hope that doesnt offend anyone.....

I think that even if the C&L product is correct in 7mm it doesnt look quite right to my eyes - the Exacto product looks good though.

My issue is that I love looking at others hand-built track/great trackwork, yet the thought of doing such doesnt excite me (the opposite in fact ), so more strength to those that do.

I will super-detail Peco et al. products in 7mm......

If I was still modelling '00' (sic) I would use SMP for the flexi and maybe look to use Talig points........

Keep up the good work,

CME :wave:

I agree Exactoscale looks better.
Trackwork is something of a hidden cost in layout building, it is always suprising when the full cost is calculated

 

[Neil]

Morfa - Back on track.

Cookie and Dunks, you forget my Yorkshire genetic code means that I'm easily frightened by prices in double figures. I'm afraid the comparisons with flexi don't quite stack up as well as you imply as iIve not counted the cost of timbering and rail, not sure I dare either.

Not at all: I was aware of the extra bits, but mindful of your genetic code I omitted to mention them for fear of scaring the horses...

Too kind old boy.

I'm on the finishing straight of the eighteenth half yard so the cost has gone up a bit more. I'm also just about out of chairs, but I see that C&L are doing a deal on three and four bolt chairs if ordered by the thousand. More sums and a browse of e-bay are on the cards.

 

[Geoff]

Morfa - Back on track.

Oh!!....  sod the cost Neil, you can't take it with you, keep laying the track as quickly as you can because I want to see this finished before I pop my clogs ;D
Have you not checked the price of chairs in the EMGS stores ?
Must say the track looks superb, I feel like pulling mine up and starting afresh.

Cheers,
Geoff

 

[Neil]

Morfa - Back on track.

Hello Geoff, better not pop those clogs anytime soon then, even with material stocks and mojo high it takes a long time to go a short distance. What will really hold up the game is the coming need to build three feet of timber trestle on a three foot curve and get the multiple straight longitudinal baulks lined up so the chairs sweep gracefully (first time for everything, not usually noted for my grace) from one side to the other and back again before repeating on the next one. More bloody sums I suppose.

 

[Phill Dyson]

Morfa - Back on track.

Inspirational stuff Neil  8)...........watching with great interest 

Phill  :wave:

 

[Neil]

Morfa - Back on track.

I'm on the finishing straight of the eighteenth half yard ....

... and I'm still on the finishing straight. I'm afraid that I was at home to Captain Cock-Up whilst laying the second rail, for some inexplicable reason I had decided to use the three point gauges the wrong way round (gauge narrowing on the curves anyone?) so remedial action has had to be taken. Grrrr.

 

[Neil]

Morfa - Back on track.

I'm pleased to report that the track gauges came off the last section about an hour ago, and I was able to run a train up to the current end of the line.

Here we are to the south of Morfa, where the transition from coastal plain to esturial embankment will happen.

 

[Steve Cook]

Morfa - Back on track.

Good stuff Neil, looking lovely 
If you need any heavy hydraulics to test the line, just shout 

Steve

 

[Simon Dunkley]

Morfa - Back on track.

Will you stop putting up photos like that? Even without the scenery, etc, the composition and lighting make it believable.

 

[Neil]

Morfa - Back on track.

The lighting is nothing more than an energy saving bulb in a pound shop clip-on holder, the secret weapon is to use the ordinary macro setting which permits the use of the telephoto facility. Dial as much in as you can get, stick the train on a curve and hey-presto. Works every time.

 

[Neil]

Morfa - Back on track.

As tracklaying has come to a grinding halt, I need something else to keep going with. I don't fancy any heavy woodwork as yet so adding the scenic bump will have to wait. I did spot some well priced 6mm square hardwood strip in the ironmongers in Machynlleth. Hapilly this is spot on for the timber viaduct, so ten metres of the stuff came home with me. I'm not sure if this will be enough, I have an idea I'll need more, but it should be sufficient to make a good start, from which I'll be able to asses the final quantities.

Must go and see how the C&L chairs on e-bay are doing.

 

[Neil]

Morfa - Back on track.

Way-hay the C&L chairs are mine, at about a penny a chair too. Better hurry up with this bridge then.

 

[Geoff]

Morfa - Back on track.

Hi Neil,
I was looking on ebay earlier and wondered if you are going to bid for these ? http://www.pricedumper.co.uk/online-sho ... ine%20worm
Should add the finishing touch to the viaduct !           

Cheers,
Geoff

 

[Dukedog]

Morfa - Back on track.

Way-hay the C&L chairs are mine, at about a penny a chair too. Better hurry up with this bridge then.

Hi Neil,
Nice to see some more progress with Morfa.

Are you going to use normal 2 bolt chairs on the bridge?
The reason I ask is that I understand that the timber trestle bridges on the Cambrian used special chairs to enable the fitting of vertical outside check rails.
I don't suppose these are available from the likes of C&L though.

Cheers
frank

 

[Simon Dunkley]

Morfa - Back on track.

Way-hay the C&L chairs are mine, at about a penny a chair too. Better hurry up with this bridge then.

With the money you have saved, you can buy an NCE Powercab and start yourself down the DCC path.

You know it makes sense.

 

[Neil]

Morfa - Back on track.

Geoff - That's taking realism a step too far.

Frank - I'm afraid that it'll be three bolt chairs for the bridge (instant evaporation of all finescale credibility) and no I won't be adding the horizontal guard rails. I'm fairly sure I could bodge up a look-alike version of the proper fixings but I'm also fairly sure that the Bachmann mechanisms wouldn't have enough clearance to avoid grounding. What I'm not sure of is my ability to make it look as sharp as the track that's already laid, so with my ethos of not doing anything I can't do neatly, I'm going to pass on this one.

Dunks - What planet are you on?