7mm The Rise and Fall of Holme Lacy?

SimonT

Western Thunderer
During the time that I have been serving you this bilge, Holme Lacy has grown and grown like some out of control teenager whose destiny is to play in the second row (says 5ft 6in of ex-scrum half/blind side wing forward). Overall, it no longer did what I wanted it to do and it didn't do things that wanted it to do. I messed with making it bigger by looking at building the western end of Titley Junction onto one end of it (Three branchlines diverting off from the end of the platform), but that wouldn't work in the space available. I could only get platforms that could take two coaches and the loco when I wanted to run three coaches as at the real Holme Lacy. I couldn't run freight trains that looked like a proper freight train (17 wagons is the threshold of proper, found by lots of messing on Blea Moor).

Back in the shed I had started to build the support structure that will support my proper layout (a plan in progress) and thought to try putting together the two fiddle yards that I had built for Holme Lacy. Bolted together they could take the long cassettes that worked on Aberbeeg and which take a proper length train. Better still there would be room for a big loco cassette (9F or a Western) and an extra foot of wriggle room. I opened up the stock box and laid out a train of 16 tonners, with brake, and my green 37. I knew what I was missing. Holme Lacy would never do it.

By chance I opened the flight case that held the stock from Brokenborough, my first S7 layout. This was a small GWR terminus in Wiltshire set at about 1900. Most of the stock was scratchbuilt (have you ever tried to get a kit for a GW one plank bulb frame open).

This gave me food for thought as Brokenborough was a very relaxing layout to take to shows and play with. Time for another coffee and to sit and look at what I had in front of me. Gradually a little germ of an idea started to grow. A new small trainset where everything fitted on the 10ft baseboards e.g no extra fiddle yard. Setting it at around 1900 would allow some Edwardian glamour and of course the endless summer that was La Belle Epoche.

This was Brokenborough.
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So.... Everything was removed from the baseboards and stored for reuse. A little positioning of buildings and points on the bare boards begat a plan. The boards were repaired as this will their third layout and there were a lot of holes from previous points and bits of wire. A trip to Cotswold Outdoors gathered in three foam camping mats for underlay and I started to build. There are no photographs of this early stage as shots of holes being filled with resin filler are too racy for these extroadinary times (Banning alchol in Pubs, I ask you. At least Wayne Pivak is no longer the most unpopular man in Wales!).

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A view from across the yard towards the platform. The siding under our nose will probably recieve a cattle dock and coal merchant.
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I am musing on a crossing across the centre of the scene to go between the box and the birch. The starter is gratuitous as this line would most probably have been worked one engine in steam.
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Motive power will probably be the 517 and No.644. I might add a 2721 (available from a well known supplier of locomotive kits). As I've been running the R/C 57XX on the track, I will probably keep to R/C and fit the Protocab gear to the locos.

Back in the snug, work has started on servicing the stock after 25 years stuck forgotten in the box. The IKB clerestory compo needs re-roofing as the masking tape canvas roof has fallen off. Stuck buffers and tight axles are being cleared. I need to do something about couplings. Brokenborugh used Dinghams and I will try some version of the AJ in their place. I'm actually enjoying all this.

And the name? Working under Holme Parva at the moment. Yes, I know it's twee!

Stay Safe

Simon
 
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LarryG

Western Thunderer
I am interested in the use of foam camping mat. Does PVA glue track and ballast effectively to this material?
 

SimonT

Western Thunderer
Larry,
used on four of my layouts with dozens of shows to test it. I glue the foam to the baseboard with spray carpet adhesive. On the middle photo the autocar is on the ply wood edge to each baseboard. The plywood is firm, unlike the foam, and ensures the rails are kept aligned in 3D.

Usually the track plan is a Templot print which is glued down with a thin layer of PVA; too much and the paper gets wet and cockles. The sleepers are glued down with minimum PVA. Mark the crossing nose and switch heels for the turnouts. I then ballast with a Artex/stone and thinned (4ish to 1) PVA mix that gets spread with a spatula. Clean all off the sleepers, this can be done dry. Then lay the rails. I'm sure you can adapt the technique to what I have done here; I will have to do the ballasting the old, slow boring way!

Good luck!
Simon
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Thanks for the explanation of the technique Simon. I am considering the foam. Also a pal is loaning me some thin foam board to experiment with.
 
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