Ballast

Langstead – Episode 13: The (Semi)-Permanent Way

Andy Carter 2 Comments
There hasn’t been an update for a while. Things were put on hold until I moved flat (which recently occurred). So rather than talking about wagon weathering as suggested in last episode (and I will do soon, I promise), I will be talking about moving flat and how this has affect my Main Layout and Salford Chapel.

If you want to remind yourself of some of my original objectives, especially with reference to my Main Layout, you can do so here. The main challenge I originally faced was storability, and maximising relatively low amounts of space in my old flat. I’m rather pleased and excited that this requirement has now changed and I have much more space at my disposal.*
*This was a requirement that the new place should have a facility for me not to have trains in the living room as dictated by Leah…
I now have something of an office/studio/workshop, whatever you want to call it (perhaps it should be called Man-Room) dedicated to, and amongst other things, my layout(s). 
This is all well and good, however at my old flat the boards simply went on the extended dining room table. Now I don’t have anything to put them on…
My original objective of Storability is now less important. In fact the layout can now be fitted on something semi-permanent. – I’m always reluctant to make something fully permanent in case I change my mind about something, want to move things, or actually do require space again in the future.
So I had a couple of possible solutions…
Buy a frame: A quick search of Google suggests that it is completely feasible to purchase just a frame for model railway baseboards. These are more on the expensive side and there’s a feeling of out sourcing the problem to someone else rather than coming up with a better alternative on my own.
Possible idea – frame with folding legs. (Imagine without baseboard).
Build a frame: I could build it myself. A bigger issue with a frame is it’s rather inflexible and more permanent than I’m willing to make it. I’d have to therefore factor in folding or detachable legs into the frame equation making things liable to expense and complication. (I really don’t like complication). 
Now here’s an idea – IKEA do various cheap tables, the beauty of these is they have detachable legs. I know this because I’ve got a desk in this format. They’re simply made up of a disk – mounted to the wood, then a pole screws into the disk to provide the leg. Simple! The other thing I could do is buy some trestles and be done with a frame completely, but I still think we can go one step simpler…
What about just buying the IKEA legs and attaching them straight to the baseboard itself…
The legs cost £2.50 per pack. In a pack you get one leg, one mounting disk and the necessary screws. So we’re looking at £20 for 8 packs (remember I have 2 separate boards so it’s 4 legs per board), which considering some of the alternatives is the most cost effective simple solution.
One minor setback is the screws that come as standard (right) are far too long for my board. I popped into B&Q and purchased some shorter ones (left). You’ll want to get self-tapping screws, which will ram themselves into your baseboard far easier than normal ones. The alternative is to drill pilot holes (a hassle). 
I’ve laid my board track side down on a blanket on the bed. This will cushion the force I will need to apply to screw in the metal disks for the legs and ultimately protect the track. Hopefully you’ll not have to do this if you’re building your base-board-IKEA-solution first. 

First decide where you want to place the disks. If you’re starting from scratch you can plan this hole operation from the start with more precision. Because I’m doing this backwards and my track is already laid, I want to avoid attaching the disks bellow points – where I may want to add motors, wiring and things that require drilling at a later date. This optimum location was about 6 ½ inches from each edge. I then measured and marked out each disk position. 
Using a bradawl, score out where you want to insert screws. For some reason I couldn’t find bradawls in B&Q. But really all you need is any old sharp spike. Fortunately I found this…
A TWIST GIMLET. Possibly the most exiting name of any tool you’ll ever find. It did the job just as well. 
I’ve since learned that it’s actual job is to drill small pilot holes in wood by hand. And, well that’s what I’m trying to do. 
Next, make sure the disc is lined up with your pilot holes and simply pop in the screws. Now my baseboard is ply wood, which accepts screws, nails and twist gimletage with relative ease. If you’ve got a denser wood it might not be so easy. Even so, you’ll need to apply a fair bit of force for the screw to take. I found a mixture of using my electric screwdriver and a ratchet screwdriver were best for the job.
After that attach the screw in leg to the disk…
…and repeat…
And that’s it. Nothing to it really!

I’ll be able to detach the legs and store the boards as before should I need the extra space for guests or need to move the boards at a later date. 
And there both boards sit in Man Room with aforementioned glass display cases for rolling stock!
In the meantime, Salford Chapel (the shelf layout) takes a spot on an actual shelf…

Langstead – Episode 12: Rails

Andy Carter 2 Comments

There’s been a lot of talk about Salford Chapel and as a result I haven’t posted on my Main Layout for a while so it’s time for a couple of updates… 
A Minor Derailment 
I’m not going to lie. You’re going to get derailments on your model railway… Mimicking real life? Well you’d hope not, but let’s not forget we’re dealing with moving parts a 76th of the size of their real life counterparts. It’s bound to happen every now and then. I’ve even been at exhibitions where I’ve seen it occur, so don’t worry it – it happens in the pros… You’ll quickly find out that there are either certain types of rolling stock or certain areas of track that potentially cause frequent problems. There are usually some common causes. 
Above is an example of a the common Hornby Point (R8072/3). Common because the curve on it fits the 2nd radius oval standard set by Hornby and thus slots easily into most layouts. (Here you can see them littering my layout). The problem with these are they aren’t really designed for trains to run over the curved alignment at (what I’d consider to be) mainline speed. 
You’d be better off using this, the Hornby Express Point. Named aptly for more appropriate line switching at higher speeds. For realism they look and work a lot better, but for the space conscious modeller, myself included, they take up more room and do not fit so nicely into the design of your layout. 
Why do the standard points cause derailments you might ask? Well, certain rolling stock have a tendency to jump the guide/check rails and/or frogs – but I will come to this shortly.
99% derailment issues will happen over points but there’s usually other factors involved…
Rolling Stock Wheel Base: 
Remember these? Well I have a set of three, and in certain scenarios they are a real problem child going over the aforementioned points. Being pulled – they’re not a problem – and I think this is because the loco or next wagon is providing some guidance. However when shunted/pushed the lead wheels tend to slip up and over the frog (this is the ‘V’ shape made by the adjoining rails). 
Different wagons are fine over the same stretch of track in the same conditions. It just so happens that the wheel base of these wagons are such that they are derailing in this scenario. Not a lot you can do in terms of altering the wheel base but there is a solution which I’ll get to shortly.
Bogie Type:     
The Parcel Van pictured above has only 2 wheels at each end. In this example the axel is fixed, and this van causes me no problems what so ever. I do however have a version of a similar sized van where the axel is allowed to pivot. Just like a 4 wheel bogie setup on a coach or loco. 
This is just asking for trouble.
These unusual 2 wheel bogies slip over points regardless of push/pull formation and regardless of direction. I’m not sure if such vans exist in real life? It doesn’t appear to be a very good idea. Hornby seemed to have reverted to fixing the axels on later models.
My suggestion if you have any offending vans would be to run them at the rear of your train. I’ve also noticed they actually prefer running at speed when being pulled. More tension in the coupling and a more precise guidance perhaps. They certainly don’t work very well being pushed at speed that’s for sure. 

Coupling Mismatch:
This is a new problem. All Hornby models of old had the same sized coupling components. Nice big chunky hooks  and bars with plenty of give.
Newer models though (and those of different brands) are fitted with these daintier versions. Smaller hooks and smaller catchment areas. The result means a closer coupling and better realism. Using these new couplings together, no problem. There’s a slight flex in the joint for running on curves and they work perfectly. Problems start to arise when you use the old and new type together. The larger hooks tend not to fit in the smaller catchment area, and the smaller hooks often unlatch from older couplings. 9 out of 10 times though, you’ll get it working, however be aware that occasionally whilst being shunted (and not surprisingly over points) the couplings may knock each other in ways that will derail your wagons. 
So now we know some derailment causes what can you do about them? 
Well, I’ve already outlined a few pointers. Stay away from the weird 2 wheel bogie vans, try to couple like for like wagons and be aware that some stock will cause you problems. I’m not going to say, ‘Don’t buy X and Y they always derail’, because chances are elsewhere on your layout they’ll work fine. It always seems to happen in those really specific places. 
Now, if those places are the standard Hornby (Or Peco by the way) point – here’s a potential fix. 
It just so happened that a new loco I got for Christmas was frequently derailing at these set of points. This was bemusing because up until now these points hadn’t caused me any problems. Unfortunately this will almost certainly happen to you. One fullproof set of points for all your rolling stock will inexplicably be a problem for that certain one train, coach or wagon!
(For the following explanation imagine loco running from right to left on the curved allignment). 
On closer examination I noticed that the wheels of the train appeared to be coming astray just after the frog on the outer rail. It was only until I observed the other side of the train on the inner rail did I realise that the check rail just wasn’t doing its job properly. 
To solve this I improvised extending the check rail by introducing some unused sleepers either side. 
Success! The sleeper, now acting as a further check rail, pulls the wheels back on course. I’ve since read up on the internet about hornby point derailment cases and learnt that older hornby points (of which I had) were known to have smaller check rails. Newer ones have been improved but if you’re experiencing derailment issues why not try this!
I applied the same method to other problem points and this even solved the issue created by the odd wheel base wagons! 
Completing The Roadway
Elsewhere on my layout this is what I’ve been up to…
You may remember from previous episodes that I left a gap in ballast laying to leave room for a level crossing. Well now it is time to plug that gap.
Most good model shops will stock thin cuttable plastic (normally in white). These come in a variety of flavours ranging from piping to girding and from stairways to thin strips. 
They also do fairly large sheets, and this offering from Evergreen I’ve have cut to shape the curvature of the track and stuck down with superglue. 
If you’ve not opted for one of the many pre-made level crossings out there and you are planning a level crossing on a straight section of track, this will be a pretty simple procedure of marking, measuring and cutting. I, however, have made things difficult for myself by locating the crossing on a curved section of track. This was initially done to save sections of straight track for points as space was at a premium. 
After a few failed attempts of cutting the plastic by simply winging it I came up with a solution…
Take a spare piece of track that matches the curve radius you are trying to mark out. Turn it upside down and then you can mark where the rail touches the plastic. This will in turn create three pieces: One piece to fit outside of either rail and one piece to fit inside (this will need to be trimmed so the wheels do not touch it). Put these in place and keep making sure a variety of rolling stock will run over it with no faults. Once you’re happy you can stick it down as I have above. I’ve then started to stick roadway and pavement down.
I opted to paint the centre pieces rather than cut out further fiddly pieces of roadway. 
The finished article both without… (The gap in the pavement by the way is to leave room for the power supply wire).
And with train.
See those grubby looking wagons in that picture? I’ll get on to some weathering techniques next time!… Stay tuned…

Salford Chapel – Episode 3: A Visual Update

Andy Carter Leave a comment

So now it has a name I can update you on how it is taking shape…

As you can see I’ve added some grass scatter. You can check out my Main Layout blog and in particular This Episode to see my technique for adding scatter.

I’ve added some thicker clumps by the buffer stops and using my finger and some glue, smudged some scatter into the ballast to add to that authentic track-side vegetation look.

I’ve also painted on a roadway. I’ve actually used a Dulux tester pot in a matt grey finish. Now of course you can pick up proper model paints – and I have got some for smaller areas which will pop up in future episodes… However, for larger areas consider getting a tester pot from your local hardware store, you’ll get more paint for your money, it drys super fast (or at least this one did) and at the end of the day it was very easy to wash off your bush! It also provides a really nice finish! 
In the background you’ll notice the bridge now looks, well more bridge like…
These are plastic Peco Bridge Girders and I picked these up from a couple of quid at John Dutfield in Chelmsford, but I’ve since seen they are pretty common and pop up in modelzones too. You’ll also notice I’ve laid some tarmac, this is the Noch stick on roadway stuff left spare from my Main Layout. 
For the red-brick-Manchester walls I’ve simply used sheets of printed pattern. Again, picked up from my favorite model shop for a few pence. To apply the sheets to the wood I created a very watery PVA mix, wallpaper paste like, and this worked perfectly – although it was ever so tricky to stick into place, especially under the bridge. You could of course consider printing your own, or even painting, but this method really is very cheap and easy to achieve something very aesthetically pleasing. I would however recommend sticking the texture sheets onto the wood first and then assembling any structures 2nd…
This is exactly what I did for the rear station walls. Was so much easier! 
Again, this wood came from the B&Q wood yard, but I’ve since seen that even Modelzone at Westfield’s stock strip wood similar to this. Theirs is much flimsier but on the flipside – much easier to cut! 
This close up shows the pre-printed texture sheets come with a finish at the top. The figures are from Noch.
I also came across a plastic stair case pack. This may be harder to come across in Modelzone or similar so I’d recommend your local model shop or the gaugemaster website. I’ve trimmed to size and will eventually paint for a nicer finish.
And there we have it! More updates soon!

Langstead – Episode 10: More Ballast

Andy Carter 1 Comment

In the last episode I said I’d talk about track power and some isolation issues that I came across, and I will get to this… But first I thought I’d update you on how the fix for the running green flue went. (Last discussed in Episode 7: Playing Sim City Part 1). 
Not well unfortunately. 
The recolouring the track bed with the same colour scatter as the scenic-mat (see above) worked excellently. However the scatter just didn’t take to the board very well and started to flake off. Disappointing, yes, but not the end of the world completely. 
It was always my intention in this project to properly add ballast scatter. In fact, it has already been purchased, hence why in the last Episode I had some spare to make faux wagon loads. The reason I have held back on this plan up until now was I was less confident with a) how well the ballast would stick to the board and b) what I should do about the removable track/board joins
.
At the same time as trying to fix the initial green-running glue I also tested adding some ballast scatter to a small siding to see how well it stuck and what it looked like (My method I will get to..) The result far exceeded my expectations which solves part ‘a.’ Part ‘b’ I was still unsure of but decided to start the ballast process on the rest of the layout regardless. 
There are available, on the magic of the interwebs, a tool that will help spread the ballast evenly.  This looks like it will achieve us excellent results, however it spreads ballast between the sleepers and between the running rails as well as either side. Whilst this will look realistic, at this stage I do not want to add ballast between the running rails. This is purely because I have removable track and what to keep the ‘look’ uniform around the layout. I feel that any ballast between running rails may get stuck in there in the gluing process and then hinder my ability to remove the un-nailed down track needed to split the two base boards for storage.
I will therefore spread the ballast without the tool, and this will also give me a greater degree of control of where I put it. 
So, to get started spoon, pour, lump on some ballast to your layout. I used a small paint brush to spread it about evenly.

Next I added some of the specialist scenic cement seen in previous Episodes. Other modellers recommend the mix of PVA and water but there’s something reassuring about the word ‘cement’ that implies heavy duty sticking quality. I used the pipette method to drop the glue onto the dry ballast. Be very generous with your glue here I’d say. 
Leave this to dry, it will definitely take upwards of 12 hours so don’t be disheartened if you go back to it after 4 and it feels like it isn’t sticking, it will. 
I think it would be possible to leave it there, but to make sure it really is stuck I added a layer of PVA glue over the top which dries clear. This really should help to lock in the individual grains. The PVA layer usually takes a little less time to dry, and again be generous with the helping.
The results look great. I’ve left a few gaps in the ballast at this point – namely the aforementioned removable track sections, which includes the sidings in the centre of the board. I’ve also left out the far edges of the board which are handled in storage frequently as well as a section for a future level crossing.
I can also testify that the ballast has properly stuck as you’ll remember my boards are stacked vertically in storage and I’ve experienced no problems with it coming unstuck. A few lose bits may fall off at first but this is merely excess from the initial scatter. 
The whole process should take a few days. Once it was complete I laid the layout out in full and made sure trains were still running ok. At his point I decided to add in the gaps I’d left around the removeable track. It’s just going to be a case of ‘we’ll see what happens’ as I rig and de-rig the layout over time. I was perhaps a bit more sparing of the ballast in these sections to allow a bit of extra give for the removable track. In other regions you can really get the ballast up and in-between sleepers, here I’ve been less aggressive with coverage. 
As for the sidings, I’ve gone for a slightly different approach and laid ballast over the whole area. In part an experiment to see if I can apply a similar tactic on the mainline in the future.
A good question raised at the end of this is why have I added ballast scatter at all? After all I have the original scenic-mat, in ballast style, at the bottom of all of this gradually getting more and more covered up. Part of the answer was to resolve the issue of the running-green glue. But it’s also in part to the fact I am new at this, so it’s all an experiment in its own right. Whilst the scenic-mat was adequate to start with, I built up the confidence to add in a more realistic look (the ballast scatter) which we initially ruled out as a primary track underlay all the way back in Episode 3. 
So, what I will say is, if/when tackling a similar project from scratch again, I may rethink using the scenic-mat and going straight to the wood with all the scatter – grass and ballast. Ultimately the scenic-mat has been more messy than I thought it would be, both in moving it about and having to chisel some of it off for the roadways. HOWEVER, the good point of having a scenic-mat it is that it has provided a uniform base colour. There may be areas where ballast coverage has been patchy, or maybe the border between ballast and grass is not quite perfect – in these cases instead of wood showing through, the ballast mat shows through. Which is grey. And doesn’t look odd. Modellers may favour paint for the same undercoat effect, but in my case the scenic-mat works just as well. 

Langstead – Episode 9: A Question Of Ballast

Andy Carter 1 Comment

It is my hope that the title of this episode will help Moody Blues fans stumble upon this blog by accidently spelling the title of their 1970 chart topping album wrong. Having explained this to you, the pun no doubt becomes a lot less funny, nevertheless in this episode I do intend to answer a Question Justin Hayward never got round to asking: ‘What’s the best way to fill my wagons?’
From the last two episode you will probably conclude that I ‘lost the bottle’ to build my own buildings and elected to buy pre made ones. You can do this with wagon loads – buy pre made, however it is not my intention to completely cheat my way through this project so here’s a little idea I picked up from the excellent www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk (If you haven’t already visited this site, give it a look in, it offers a lot of advice for beginners like me) on making your own wagon loads.
How Is It that we need to ‘make’ a load?! – I hear you say. Why not just load up with lose scatter?
Yes, this is a cheap, easy and very athletically pleasing solution. However, what if the train derails? What if you accidently knock the wagon? You’re going to create a mess of miniature aggregate all over your layout. Not to mention the extra weight you will be adding to the train…
So here’s an idea to fake it. (OK so a little cheating will be involved today). The principle follows that of buying your own load. Making it look like there’s more contents than there actually is…
Start by measuring out your wagons dimensions and cutting a piece of card to this size. Doesn’t have to be special card, I’ve used a piece of Kellogg’s finest. In fact I’ve glued two together for a bit more rigidity. This will form the base of your load.
Next up, add some smaller pieces of card to the load base. This will help raise the load up to make the wagon look full. 
A work in progress….
Add some glue and go nuts with some aggregate. It’s Up To You what you use here, I’ve gone with some spare ballast (hence title) scatter which I intend to use in the near future for my layout. You may also want to add a layer of glue over the top almost immediately using my afore mentioned pipette method to really help the ballast stick.
Go ahead and leave it to set/dry over night or over an equally large period of time.
And here we have the wagons ‘full’ with ballast load. I found I had to trim the card again as it must’ve soaked up the quantity of glue I used like a sponge. Actually, I say ‘full’ – it could benefit from being raised up a tad – but that’s the beauty you can adjust as required whereas purchasing readymade alternative won’t allow this (easily).
You get The Ballance of low weight, cheapness (It only cost me £1.99 for a big ol’ bag of ballast scatter – of which I’ve used only a very tiny amount here) and something which looks good. In fact I think this looks better than a bought option as, well it’s real aggregate!
In the next Episode ‘Every Good Boy Deserves Fish Plates’ we’ll look at a an issue regarding track power and isolation…