Ballast and bay

I've added some passengers to the new station and also replaced the bay platform siding with some proper HO9 track (Roco). I've ballasted the siding and a little bit more of the loop. Nearly all the main line has been done now.

Back in business

Operations have resumed after the glue has dried (and any excess ballast removed). The new station looks pretty decent, i'm so glad i decided to start again with that aspect of the layout.

The new station

I have decided to tear up the station as it was too big, plus the card i used just didn't seem right. Instead i have created smaller platforms using foamboard. A main platform and a small stub the other side. The foamboard has been painted grey and i've also ballasted the track through the station. I think it looks a lot better now.

Ballasting and OO

I was going to do it next year but i have decided to do some ballasting, mostly under the new bridge. It will be difficult to ballast when the bridge is completed so i decided to ballast it now. I've extended the ballast to cover the approach roads to the station and MPD. It all looks reasonably good... so far.

The bridge will be a railway bridge by the way. I will get some HO scale stock for it one day but for the moment a couple of carriages from my stored OO scale fleet are being used!

The bridge

A major new feature of the layout is a bridge that cuts across from one corner to the back scene wall. In doing so it crosses 3 tracks and will add a lot of interest (hopefully!) I've built in in wood and am applying card and plastic bricks to the outside. Well not too much so far, one thing i realised was that once the bridge was in place ballasting and scenery underneath the bridge would be very difficult so i've done the ballasting now in that part of the layout (wasn't planning on doing the ballasting until next year).

In other news the latest locomotive Maria has a fault, after a couple of minutes running it becomes very jerky before eventually stopping. I've stripped the loco down to see if anything is obviously broken but all seems fine on that score though it is a very tight fit inside so i've left a piece of the cab interior moulding out to see if that solves the problem.

The wall

The track arrangement has now been finalised (and fixed down), now i know exactly where the track is i can build the permanent back scene wall. This is a solid wooden frame and card has been used for the actual wall. Later on some brick and stone block effect panels will be put over the card.

Mausstadt scenery

I've made a start on the "green" area of the Mausstadt layout. It will be mainly to add a bit of depth (or the illusion there of anyway). Already its starting to look ok though i need to add some more layers to the scenery. I'm also looking again at the station, i think the building is just a little bit too large so i need to think about something else.

Mausstadt progress

The new HOe layout is coming along well, a "stone" wall is now being erected over the foamboard backing. I'm trying to layer it with scenery to add to the illusion the layout is bigger than it really is. A platform for the station has also been built, also out of foamboard. Its been wrapped in newspaper and will be painted of course! As can be seen the back scene is now pretty well hidden though some more work needs to be done on the tunnel mouth.

Before the newspaper was added

Scenery progress

Yesterday i laid down a mass of pink gravel or tarmac around the station (providing a kind of "road" around the station. The centre part of the layout will be given a bit of a patchwork of pink and ballast and maybe some of the remaining ballast mat too. Then we can place buildings atop it...

Ballasting done!

The ballasting (apart from maybe a bit of touching up here and there) is all done now. Attention can now be turned to the centre of the layout where a little village will be built up.

MPD

The MPD is pretty much done, just the long siding needs a bit more ballast. The station is next and then all the ballasting is largely done. Then we can start operating trains again and also think about the scenery in the centre.

Populating the platform

The Permanent Way Department is busy ballasting the track on New Knell Lane, over half of it is done now and its looking fine. Meanwhile the Infrastructure Department has begun populating the platforms for the new station.

Scenery progress

New Knell Lane (as it will be called from now on) is progressing nicely. Most of the track is fixed down (just waiting for a replacement point before i fix down the last 2 sidings as the one in situ is a bit dodgy) and new platforms for the station have arrived. I've also made a start on the scenery. I'm not using the ballast mat as the base anymore though will be using it for roads. I'm using grass mats again but with "proper" ballast. So far looks pretty good.

New arrivals

Some new arrivals at Knell Lane yesterday, principally a new coach (a BCK) which has now formed a loco-hauled coaching stock train with one of the CEP's coaches (it can have it back in a few months when we get another coach) and the CCV. The Class 25 now has a passenger train to haul... though to be honest we probably do need a new locomotive now. Also arriving a "gents" for the platform and a bus, as well as a couple of building kits.

Buffers and skips

Some more refinement of the platforms today, painting the edges a suitably drab concrete grey but mixing in a bit of Tamiya "mud" to add to the grime. I've also replaced the HOe buffers with proper N gauge ones and added a couple of skips!

Scenery transition

I've removed quite a few trees from the layout, they are simply too big for an N gauge layout. There are a few which are a bit marginal but have been kept though may be removed once i get a few buildings so i can see how they look. On the score i have bought a couple of kits for station platforms and some houses. I've also bought a set of new trees which suit N gauge more. At the moment i've decided not to get any more stock until the scenery transition is more progressed. The 4-Cep unit is getting regular runs though and is working fine.

Scenery update

The road crossing now looks a little less dangerous to road vehicles after the addition of some "planking". A new green area has also been established between the yard entry line and the engineering siding.

Road crossing

Something the layout has always lacked up until now is a way for the people who in the imaginery world of the layout live there to actually get across the tracks! I've added a road crossing as part of some scenery upgrades. One of the sidings (next to the crossing in fact) has also had a modest extension. Both are still in progress, some boards across the track are also needed otherwise the Mercedes in the photo below is about to have a rather bumpy trip!

Eskalon gets some cars

I plan to add a road crossing soon to the layout but wanted to get a few HO scale cars first to help me know what size "tarmac" i need to cut and so forth. So here we go: 3 cheap HO scale cars procured from eBay. The Shell petrol garage can actually have some customers now...

Recent updates

To get rid of a brown out caused by a dodgy point i've added a wire "bypass" for the point, i've also started using logs to cover up electric cables and other unnatural breaks in the scenery. Hopefully the layout won't end up looking like a hurricane has hit it with bits of wood all over the place!

Falcon will be withdrawn at the end of the year when a new coach for the Jam Sandwich arrives. One of the Zillertalbahn coaches will also be withdrawn (the non-push pull one) to make space for it. Falcon and the coach will be cleaned and then put in storage for 6-9 months when they will return and some other stock will take their turn have a rest. 

I'm thinking now of getting another engine early next year, probably one of the new Liliput shunters but until then everything is running fine!