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Amblethorpe


chris
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I think we all take a break from it at some point but the one thing I can say about Amblethorpe is that each time we are treated to some photos there's always something new to see and a little more progress made. The lift out section looks very neat.

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One of those days. Best summed up by "Rain stopped play."

I have managed to get one length of flexi bonded to the next, but I'm waiting for another shower to pass before I can pin it down.

That was one hell of a shower!

I'm liking the trackwork Chris, are all the points going to be motorised?

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Hi Ian,

Yes all the points on Amblethorpe will be motorised, command and control is my thing. In fact all the points in these photos already have their motors in place, and are wired up to DCC Accy Decoders and can be controlled from my iPhone and iPad. That said the last couple that control access to the platforms still need to have their aluminium connecting rods fabricated and installed to link motor to point.

Now I have a new Mac I should really have a go at putting a video together. Shame that the weather is no longer suitable for shooting footage.

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  • 3 weeks later...

For the first time in a couple of weeks we had clear blue sky today. By late afternoon it was warm enough to be in the shed. I did some general tiding up and started planing the baseboard for the siding extensions that my 2014 stock purchases so desperately need.

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Yesterday I had time to tidy the shed and removed the computer for the winter.

Today I built the baseboard extension which will enable longer sidings.

I noticed that there were only two lengths left in my box of flexi. I'll have to work out my track requirements to judge whether I need to by box number 4 or just buy a dozen or so lengths.

http://www.oogardenrailway.co.uk/gallery/image.php?album_id=30&image_id=3304

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've been working on my indoor layout for the last couple of weeks, but multiple trips to the model shop does mean that I have made progress of sorts with Amblethorpe. While buying points for the Tramway I have also purchased the points and track I require for the siding extension in the shed. I'll need to hunt around but I'm sure I have a few peco point motors hanging around and I have a spare Accy decoder suitable for the job. I just need to be in the mood to head out to the shed and lay track and do the soldering.

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  • 3 months later...

In a similar fashion to IanR, I've been bringing Amblethorpe out of it's winter mode. I've not done much outside running, work is currently focused in the shed.

I've completed the siding extension. I now have 5 roads, 3 of which are long. For the first time I can store my HST off the running lines. Northern Belle and the container train will always be too long for the sidings!

The other main focus of work has been the lift out section across the door in the shed. My shed has two doors, one into the garden and one into the street. The lift out section goes across the street doorway. Up until recently I did't use this door during a running session, but now I've completed my loop this door way has become a useful exit. It's easier to duck under than the lift out section on the garden. A couple of my friends aren't keen on the "duck-under" routine so I've installed a couple of hinges to the lift out section. It can now be quickly raised and lowered, enabling access. The main benefit so far is that I don't have to find anywhere to store that bit of baseboard when the railway isn't running.

I have done some work on my Northern Belle train. The interiors have been painted and plasticard table cloths added. I've installed working lights to the two Class 47s.

The thing that kept me really busy in March (once I'd got over a stinker of a cold) was a refurbishment of our conservatory. For the last year we have been discussing having an extension on the house. This would have meant a major rebuild for Amblethorpe and it took me a long time to work out how we could have an extension and a garden railway. However, we decided that our house needed a big declutter. By the end of the declutteration we found that we did have room in the house for all our stuff and an extension wasn't required. The conservatory got a reprieve, but now it was off the condemned list it was obvious it needed some attention. After a couple of weeks of work it is now our hobby room and a far nicer spot for watching the trains go by - real and model.

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Hi Chris, be looking forward to seeing some pics of your tram way and main yard and video , what my indoor outdoor layout is lacking, looking into a main yard be behind the main station complex and at a vertical lift section so I can set up the trains I will be running on a running day and drop it down to track level.

What do you think of your Hitaishi battery dill, I have being buying a few of the 18volt tools now, got the impact driver and now circular saw no more power leads to worry about love it, Ryobi which is middle range, also bought a 36volt whipper snipper which is awesome, planning to do away with petrol tools and mower as well.

If I can't use my wood lathe anymore it will go onto Gumtree as the bench saw did, was sold in a few days like my gaming key board went in one day.

Be shocking everyone at the end of April all goes well be running the first test train on half of my layout, being busy working in the car port area onto the station complex and some of the big bridge at the back of the house, going to be an exciting moment, ready to nail down the double track.

The days are perfect my side of the world now, cool morning to 29 degree days but the humidity is still high can't understand that as this morning it was 14 degrees at 97% humidity, can work during the day now on the layout, aiming for completion in June on my birthday for the first circuit.

Happy modelling from down under, Tony.

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I've had all the kit I need to build some platforms collecting dust in the shed. Construction is basically the same as last time. Electrical trunking for the base and floor tiles for the top surface. The last time I added brick embossed plasticard to face up the base, but it keeps falling off. As ever I have to remind myself that I'm modelling outside and compromises have to be made so I've kept it simple and sprayed the side of the white trunking a rusty red. The floor tiles have been cut, scored, painted and varnished. I plan to finish off the centre platform this evening.

46e81052e303680a05b067d7f9eb916b.jpg

1ffac0d54ec4b6ff010750fcdd4ef6a4.jpg

At some point I will be build the second half of this terminus station. It will be on a moveable board which will be stored inside to allow greater detail. As things stand I could do with adding some kind of barrier so I don't runs train off the end.

My Hitachi drill-driver makes construction a whole deal easier. It came with two 18volt batteries which charge very quickly so it's always good to go.

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Hi Chris, I love the way you are building your platforms and the track on the module join, I usually use those brass plated computer boards cut down to size and solder them onto under the track , a fair bit of work involved going by your pic you just used track nails on both side of the rails, I will have nails on four of the sleepers on both module joins, then cut the rails on the module join with a dremel. Will have thin steel brackets each side of the module so the track will line perfect every time.

About the platforms I have 8 all up and some will be 15ft long, figuring out how to go with building the platforms that will look good and not make the module too heavy to pick up and 4 of the platforms are terminus platforms, modelling Sydney Central station, check on Google Earth, even shows all the points where I got the ideas from good source of getting pics and diagrams from .

I will have to agree what PPPP is saying on how much info you get from other members on the forum is pure awesome, after this weekend you will see a loco running on my layout what I have built so far, 12 months in the making.

Keep the good work up, is all your layout circuit complete.

Happy modelling from down under Tony.

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traingeekboy said:

Terminus stations are more common out your way. Not much here. I saw some big ones as a kid in Italy and they sort of stuck with me, so when I see lots of stub platforms it really impresses me. I am really liming the new pics.

I grew up in Hull, which has a large terminus station. If this station I'm currently rebuilding is inspired by anything, it's Alnwick in Northumberland. Thinking about it, both Hull and Alnwick share a similar quirk, neither should have been built as termini. Both ended up with line looping round the town to get to destinations on the wrong side of town. York, where I now live, was originally a terminus (the building is still there) but a through station was built to cope with the fact that the East Coast Mainline didn't need trains reversing halfway between London and Edinburgh.

All these terminus stations ended up with triangles near their throats. This a feature that I'm adding to Amblethorpe to give me more operational interest.

With the platforms sorted, the next job it to test all the points to see if the are throwing correctly after the winter lay off. I predict an afternoon of tweaking under the baseboards. I hope it's still, because any wind makes soldering outside next to impossible.

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My partner has got me watching one of you Brit's TV shows called Vera. I think it takes place up in Newcastle. Very nice country up your way. My definition of up your way being sort of vague, as I've never been there. For all I know you are a thousand miles from where this show takes place.

I must admit that after watching this murder mystery series, I am convinced that if I were to ever go there I would be stabbed or poisoned in some truly horrific way. I am so much safer here with all the gun nuts. ;) ha ha Oh, and police; can't neglect that current problem here.

My favorite stations in Italy are Venice...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Stazione_di_Venezia_Santa_Lucia.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And Milan...

http://www.tomari.it/slides/MILANO%20CENTRALE%204.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Very heavily trafficked, so while changing trains as a boy I would get to see many arrivals and departures.

I looked for an image of the station you mentioned but could not find one. I did find a picture of your layout though ;) Nice work on the figures in the DMU. he he

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H82kUyymhbM/U2um0aPCApI/AAAAAAAAfuw/ghr62lXrDC4/s1600/edale-station-1.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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I have never watched Vera, but I live in Sunderland which is barely 12 miles from Newcastle. You will get out alive providing you stay well clear of the Bigg Market during weekend evenings. We live in an area surrounded by the North Yorks Moors, The Yorkshire Dales, The Durham Fells, Lake District, and Kielder Forest and The Northumberland National Park. All beautifull areas with little population. We also have the North Sea coastline which is mostly lovely sandy beaches and castles, not to mention Holy Island. Google all of those places and you will see what I mean.

You will be made welcome if you visit, but you will probably need a dictionary as the Geordies speak an unintelligable language of their own! ;):lol:

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Hi Griff. I'm about 100 miles south of Newcastle. It's an hour away on the train. We go there quite often. At the moment very often, last Sunday and again the day after tomorrow. It's a very nice trip, but at an hour too short for a cooked meal in First Class so it's just sandwiches. The crews can be generous and let you have the hot food, or an extra drink. We once caught the last train back on a Friday night, having popped up to see a gig. First Class was very quite, the crew liked us, I got treated to 3 beers and 2 whiskies. I didn't get through them all. Even so, the taxi home from the station was a bit fuzzy.

Anyway. Amblethorpe...

This week I've rebuilt the platforms for the station of Amblethorpe. The adhesive had failed on the floor tiles i'd used for the platform surfaces, it was looking a bit of a mess. The bases were originally build with old cassette and CD cases. I now prefer to use electrical trunking. I replaced the bases, cleaned and respraided the platforms and used contact adhesive to stick them. The result is a great improvement.

Today turned into a good day to be in the garden. I spent the morning scratch building the ground floor of a house for a building site seen we are putting together. Then it was time to put point motors on to all the points that didn't have them. This was 5 points and a further 3 needed their linking rod between motor and point adding. I was concerned, three points on the mainline needed lifting so that I could drill 10mm hole below them. In the end I removed enough track pins to wiggle the track far enough to one side to allow me to drill the holes. A couple of bonding wires failed, but it was a lot less disruptive than I expected. Putting 5 motors in at one time felt like a production line. The confusing thing is that some of the linkage rods go in super easy, while others need what feels like an hour of snagging and tweaking.

The disappointment came when I wired one up to the accessory decoder. I got the wires wrong and it only through one way. I rewired it and it didn't throw at all. My guess is that this Accy decoder won't work with the CDL motors. I'm glad I bought a couple of spare Digitracks Accys at York Show the other week. They will have to wait for another day.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The new point motors and Accy decoders have lead to a significant number of changes to system, I haven't kept my computer up to date. Today I decided to look at things from a Mac/iPhone control point of view. My point numbering has been all over the place as I've added extra turnouts on a adhoc basis. I evolved through an envelope back, a sheet of A4 to a spreadsheet. Finally I had a plan that has the points that are grouped together geographically numbered logically.

This evening I started on the task of reprogramming the accessory decoders to their new numbers. I stuck to the ones located in the shed, it wasn't the weather for outdoor work. As I went along I updated the Turnouts Table on the computer and redrew its Control Panel.

Sarah has started on the Building Site baseboard I cut and painted for her in 2013.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Rather than our Thursday trip to the pub I invited my mates John and Andrew round for a running session. A good time was had by all is an understatement.

We managed 90 minutes before bad light stopped play at 21:45.

Running my sound fitted 37 created the most excitement, with both of the chaps no keen to buy their own sound locos to run on my railway.

When Sarah joined us it was the first time that we have had 4 operators on Amblethorpe.

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