New Layout Project

I have not made much progress on my current projects which will happen when I finally get the shed cleared and weatherproofed so that I can get my workshop sorted out.
With this in mind I have taken a logical decision to start another project :-)
This will be a portable layout that I can use when the weather is bad and that will be a test and photographic stage, and I also hope to build it to a high enough standard to exhibit it.
The latest Railway Modeler came with a booklet describing several compact layouts one of which was a main line station that shows only the end of the platforms with the loco and 3 coaches only showing. The loco then uncouples and runs round its train, in other words it runs back into the fiddle yard. The coaches are then pulled back into the yard and a loco put back on the front for the next journey back into the station. There are through trains but these are short loco hauled services of a maximum of three coaches hauled by smaller locos or DMU's. Freight trains, again only short ones, also run through.
My plan will use all this and will include a diesel refueling point into which the loco's will be run into after they are uncoupled. Loco's will leave when a train arrives giving the illusion that this loco will haul the train out again.

I have downloaded a layout planning program called xTrkCad and I will use this to design the layout and post the results on this blog in the Projects area. 

Setting up a workshop

This weekend sees me enjoying 4 days off and to fill this void I have decided to clear out the shed, put some shelving units in and tidy away all the crap that fills the space at the moment. This should give me enough room for a small workbench and spray booth area so that I have somewhere other than the kitchen table to do some modelling. Pictures and progress will be reported on over the following weekend.

One extra thing for the workshop purchased at the St Albans show was an airbrush cleaning and storage station, basically a glass jar with a lid that has a holder fitted and a rubber gromited hole in it into which you put the business end of the airbrush and then blow cleaning fluid through it. Can't wait to give all my new goodies a try.

St Albans Model Railway Exhibition

My first railway related outing of 2012 was to the St Albans Railway Show at the Alban Arena.

General view of the show

There were plenty of good quality layouts on show with a smattering of trade stands as well. The Alban Arena is a large place with lots of smaller rooms all of which were used to display layouts.

An Irish diesel shed.

This led to a lot of moving around to make sure you didn't miss anything, not a problem in itself but a bit more signage to help visitors would be useful.

A crossing on a small American
layout

Although it was a local exhibition the number of layouts had attracted a lot of people and there we had the next problem, one of size. Although the venue is large it did seem that layouts were cramed in to get as big a show (in terms of layouts) as possible.

A steam tram loco.

Having said that I did enjoy the show but being able to get to see the layouts is important and many times, despite waiting, we could not view some of the layouts as there were other people looking who appeared to have camped out and were not planning on moving.

Would I go again? Yes but this time I would get there early to beat the crowds.

Just a quickie!

I havn't put anything on here for a while, I will be adding the new toys I got for Christmas to the site as well as describing the construction of my new workshop. Looking forward to some nice weather so I can get out and run something again.