Making a start, my P4 plank...

[Tim Horn]

Nice work John , enjoying this one

John F, I converted a newish class 20 yesterday and had a similar problem with derailments. It turned out to be the leading bogie not sitting square on the rails. If you look at the pic below, you can just see the inner axle on the lead bogie not sitting level with the rail. I just took a small round file and went a bit deeper on the bogie where the axle locates on the opposite side. Problem sorted now and it runs fine and sits square. I've also thinned down the brake gear, not by much but enough. Worth checking the levels on yours perhaps for the same problem. The other (cab end) bogie was fine out of the box.

Bachmann 20172 P4 Tom Smith TJH01 27th March 2013 Copyright Tim Horn.jpg

Cheers
Tim

[John Donnelly]

Nice work John , enjoying this one

Cheers Tim, much appreciated.

I've also thinned down the brake gear, not by much but enough

I managed to destroy mine in the process of thinning it so looking for some spares.

John

[John Donnelly]

Weathering of the shed has continued with the brick work completed and some additional, subtle, streaks of brown added. We also have a buffer stop on the right hand track, the other one will get a PH Designs one in the fullness of time. In other news, following a visit to York on Sunday, I've now joined the 21st century and gone DCC, came home from the show with a controller and a Zimo sound decoder and sugar cube speaker for the 08.



08671 sits burbling away at the buffers waiting it's next turn of duty:



John

[DougN]

Good on you John, I think you might find the freedom of DCC and the sound will change the experience of running trains. Both have added alot to the my experience of runnign trains. Sound tends to slow down operations to what it should be in reality. The other thing I have found is sound is good in short periods.

Enjoy the new experience!

[Paul Willis]

Weathering of the shed has continued with the brick work completed and some additional, subtle, streaks of brown added. We also have a buffer stop on the right hand track, the other one will get a PH Designs one in the fullness of time. In other news, following a visit to York on Sunday, I've now joined the 21st century and gone DCC, came home from the show with a controller and a Zimo sound decoder and sugar cube speaker for the 08.

Hi John,

Those are a couple of really nice pictures. I particularly like the weathering on the building. Very subtle, and very realistic...

When you have the second buffer stop in place, how about a couple more pictures like that?

If you can send high-resolution (straight from the camera) copies to "marketing@scalefour.org" then that should find its way to me

They would be really useful to have in hand for future use in Society adverts, so you never know where or when they may appear...

Cheers
Paul Willis
Marketing manager

[John Donnelly]

Thanks Paul - no problem with the pictures as soon as the buffer is in place and the other shed side is weathered, I'll get some pics over to.

John

[John Donnelly]

I've been working on the shed that forms the scenic break at the left hand side of the layout. Brackets have been added for the gutters although I see in the pics they need trimming down a little and a down pipe has been added and weathering (this is heavy as the idea is that the shed has been out of use for some time) has started. The building is still removeable at this stage as the far side and roof still need the weathering treatment, you can also see hints of the 'picture frame' that will frame the front of the scene.

Pics are little difficult as this is right at the front of the layout so nothing to rest the camera on.







John

[John Donnelly]

Still plugging away at this one, here's a general view over the right hand end as it is at the moment:



John

[Armchair Modeller]

Looking very atmospheric. Well done

[Mark Tatlow]

Looks good!

One of my abiding memories of any diesel staging depot was the black congealed mess on the track and ground from diesel oil and a few years of muck ground in.

Sometimes it was fairly matt in colour but in any areas of fresh spillage it was a stain/gloss tone. Between true black and a very dark grey, with a the odd tinge of multicolour.

[Knuckles]

Really like these latest pictures you have posted. In such a small space it has much atmosphere and is all very convincing to my eye. Also the fence in the foreground is a nice touch, giving that 'peering over' feeling of actually being there.

[DougN]

Have to agree with knuckles on the last photo. I find model photography quite addictive at times. I find it strange I really debated buying a chassis2 which I have yet to try.... But a lens for the camera which was almost the same cost... I really didn't debate it all that long. It is the time to set it All up and try out the various positions framing settings on the camera... There goes a few hours of just mucking around and with the digital cameras no worries about film and processing you know what you got almost instantly.

[John Donnelly]

Weathering of the right hand shed has begun and I've added a Ratio loco hoist in front of the shed:







John

[Armchair Modeller]

Some nice weathering there

[John Donnelly]

Work continues with weathering and detailing around the right hand shed.







John

[Armchair Modeller]

Looking very nice, John! You must be very pleased with the results.

[John Donnelly]

Looking very nice, John! You must be very pleased with the results.

Thanks for that, yes I am pleased, so much so that, now I've proved to myself that I can manage with P4, I've got the Templot plans drawn up for something new that is going to 18' long and 3' wide

John

[Armchair Modeller]

I quickly came to the same conclusion about managing with P4 - though a big layout is definitely more of a challenge than a small one!

I look forward to seeing your plans and how the new project develops!

[steve howe]

Just found and enjoyed this thread, I believe there is a lot of mileage in these small projects, either as a 'first dip' into P4 or as a refresher from a longer term project. I am currently making a P4 version of the 'Inglenook' concept, partly as an excuse to build a tandem turnout (the Inglenook can be done 'by the book' on a 4' plank if you use a tandem rather than two turnouts) and partly as a 'hands on' exhibit for visitors to a show.

I'm saying no more in case that Bendall bloke pounces on me....

Steve

[Terry Bendall]

I'm saying no more in case that Bendall bloke pounces on me

Consider yourself pounced upon Steve. How about 2016?

John has already been pounced upon, just waiting for him to get back to me (Sorry John)

Terry Bendall

[Tim V]

Is nothing safe on this forum?

[John Donnelly]

Just found and enjoyed this thread, I believe there is a lot of mileage in these small projects, either as a 'first dip' into P4 or as a refresher from a longer term project.

Thanks Steve, there is no doubt that without doing this first, I'd have either never moved to P4 or gone in to far at the deep end and potentially put myself off for life, this way I've been able to make the mistakes on a small scale and know for next time (one thing I'd definitely do an another small layout would be to use a 3 way or tandem turnout as the 2 I've used do take up rather too much of the available space). This one will get finished and, when I'm feeling brave enough, I will exhibit it.

The next layout is of a real location albeit with a slightly rewritten history.

John

[Jonathan Hughes]

Glad to have found your thread over here John... there's some odd stuff going on over in RMW; glad the plank's progressing well and providing me with some inspiration to do something similar as soon as the mojo returns.
Cheers
Jon

[John Donnelly]

there's some odd stuff going on over in RMW

Yeah, I'd noticed

John

[iak]

there's some odd stuff going on over in RMW;

Well that makes a change then...