Brunswick Junction's Weekly Update 2: Week Beginning 4th December 2017

Sorry, I haven't got round to posting on here recently. That's mainly because I haven't got much to report about!

I have only got round to doing two things. Firstly, I have filmed a running session with all available stock (probably not to go on YouTube). As well as this, the Christmas decorations are up downstairs now, so I have realised that I want a space to relax from Christmas. Therefore, I've decided to remove the decorations on the railway. Bah Humbug. :-P

Happy Modelling!

Christmas is coming...

Yes, the month of Christmas is upon us. Just for fun, I have made some small (temporary) additions to the layout. These include: 'Merry Christmas' Train headboards, Carriage messages stating 'Merry Christmas' and signs for the station building and newspaper stand - you guessed it, they say 'Merry Christmas' too! Below are a few examples of them:

Although it can be annoying with lots of presents to buy and cards to write, at least we can all look forward to more trains coming to our layouts!

Happy modelling!

Brunswick Junction's Weekly Update 1: Week Beginning 27th November 2017

Hello there and welcome to a new section, my weekly update. I have decided to start this because it gives me a motivation to post regularly!

This week, I have been preparing for Christmas. I hope to give the layout a Christmas-y feel for December - getting all the headboards etc ready for Friday. Since it's been another week, not much else has been going on, but I was able to get something done during the weekend. I haven't made any card kits before, so decided to attempt to make a free one from Scalescenes. As you can see, it didn't go very well...

Practice makes perfect right? Anyway, I've also made rough track plans with scenery. (I only have the free version of Anyrail, so cannot have the table and shelf on one plan!)

Ignore the siding in the top left, the point ordered is going to be moved elsewhere.

The same, but for the shelf - very simple trackwork. I have added a run-around loop as well.

That's it for this week, the next update will be on Wednesday - some other jobs will be separate posts too!

Happy modelling!

Hornby Class 50 Review

I've finally got round to doing my review of the Hornby Class 50. I acquired 50045 'Achilles', a Network SouthEast example (R2350), at the Romford Model Railway Exhibition. It is DCC Fitted and a weathered edition, but second-hand, so I was able to snap it up for £70.

Packaging
The 'Hoover' comes in the slightly older Hornby packaging, so polystyrene with a piece of plastic on the front of the loco. I feel like this is more reassuring than their new 'ice block' style, while still being about as light. However, the two sections of polystyrene can fall apart quite easily.

Model/Detail
The modelling of the Class 50 is absolutely outstanding. As the loco is second-hand, I believe the detailing pack has been added - pipes and all make it look amazing! A great addition is the moving fan on top, which rotates at a realistic scale speed when the train is moving. There are also sprung buffers and opening cab doors for anyone that's interested. I have seen a Network SouthEast Class 50 in real life and the livery looks absolutely exquisite. Weathering makes the loco look like it has been in service lots as well.

Performance
The performance of this loco is amazing. When going extremely slowly, - even over points - it maintains a constant speed. Just watch my 80s/90s running session video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXdP5GATGAw . On top of this, the traction is great, so it's amazing on gradients too!

Summary
This is my best loco - and for a good reason! It's absolutely amazing and has loads of weight to it. Well done Hornby!

80s/90s Running Session

Today, I've got some time on the railway, so decided to record some trains running for YouTube.

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXdP5GATGAw

For this video, I decided to focus on the 1980s/1990s, so packed away the J83, Class 92, GWR 4-wheeled coaches and BR Maroon coaches. Also, I decided to bring out some period buses in the middle of the layout, just to add something. Below are some photos that I took while recording.

The '08' with the 'Vent van', having just run it into the works siding.

The '08' with the freight train, on the shelf. 

The '50' from a passenger-eye-view at the station.

The '50', photographed from near the station (with the buses in the background)

The '50' running past the '08' in the sidings.

So that's the running session for today, see you next time!

Changing the Shelf

After yesterday's post about nothing happening, I've given myself a bit of time on the layout and come up with a change to the layout of the shelf. For a while now, the curved point has been moved to just by the works instead of at the other side (to create more running space). As well as this, an extra straight section has been added to the incline, making it very shallow and causing a change on the shelf - the left-hand point has changed to a right-hand point and is on the other side.

Where the curved point now is; the engine shed is obscuring the previous position.

Also, today I have been looking at the shelf itself - I've found a way of getting a little more running space and the possibility of a run-around loop! Where the right-hand point was before is now simply an R600, but the point has been moved further down, followed by an R600 - to be replaced by a shorter section of flexi-track to even out the gaps between tracks - and an R607, which then brings it back to running parallel with the current tracks.

Where the middle track becomes straight, there used to be a right-hand point, but now that has been moved further back to create more running space. Yes, most of the layout is held up with cassettes, but as soon as I have all of the track (including sidings underneath), I will be able to make a bridge out of spare wood from the baseboard.

You've seen it in the photos, now to make a bit more sense of it by showing you the diagrams. This is roughly how the layout will look after Christmas hopefully!

The basic layout plan - baseboard and incline only, shelf not included

The basic layout plan - shelf only, baseboard and incline not included. This includes the new section, with the flexi-track installed. AnyRail believes that the flexi-track radius that I want is impossible, but I'll find a way!

That's it for now - see you soon with the Class 50 review!

Not much happening...

Not much has been happening on the layout recently, apart from a little bit of shunting. I have been able to get some time on the layout, about 30 minutes for most of the week, around 3 hours on Friday and nearly all day today (Saturday). I've cleaned the wagons as much as possible from the relatively crude weathering - hopefully weathering powders will come soon. Apart from this, it's just been tidying the room around it. Some cork is about to be on order; therefore, I should be able to pin down the track soon.

See you soon!

Romford Goodies

Today (Saturday 11th November), a model railway show was held at Marshalls Park School, Romford. There were lots of layouts - that's not what this blog is about - and lots of trade stands - now we're talking!

Acquisition/s number 1: Miscellaneous Stuff
Starting small, my first acquisitions were some strip lighting to experiment with coaches, some wire and a platform section. That platform now means that I have it at the full length I want it - suitable for 3 coaches!

Acquisition/s number 2: HAA Hoppers
The first proper things I got for the railway were some HAA Hoppers for £7 each second-hand, but in very good condition. One is loaded and one isn't. These are being stored until Christmas.

The HAA Hoppers - a bit dusty, but that's it!

Acquisition/s number 3: Coaches
The first things that I'm going to use day-to-day now, some coaches! Specifically 2 Mainline BR Maroon Mk1 SKs and 1 Hornby BR Blue/Grey Mk2 SO. They now form 2 rakes, with 3 BR Maroon Mk1s in one and 1 Blue/Grey Mk3, 1 Blue/Grey Mk2 and 1 NSE Mk1 creating the other.

The Intercity Mk2 SO - bought for £5

One of two maroon Mk1 SKs, bought for £6 each. (Metal wheels added later, at a cost of £3.20 per carriage)

Acquisition number 4: Class 419 MLV
Now we're talking! Unfortunately also being stored until Christmas, but it's something to look forward to I guess. An NSE example, snapped up for a bargain price of £55 DCC Ready; I will buy a chip and check it out quickly first just to make sure it runs. For now though, we'll have to leave it in the box!

NSE-liveried Class 419 MLV 419004 - Argh, I want to run it so badly!

Acquisition number 5: Class 50
When did I start talking about Hoovers on this blog? Oh yeah, when I got one! Able to be used before Christmas, you can expect to see a lot of this loco over the coming months. A weathered NSE example (50045 'Achilles') bought for only £75 DCC chipped; I will do a review of this amazing loco soon!

This photo doesn't show how great this loco is! My new Class 50!

That's it for now, more developments on scenery and wiring, a Class 50 review and more coming soon...

Lighting up the layout, Point clipping and Loading the wagons

Hello again,

Recently, I have made a few developments with wiring on the layout. In fact, some lights have been installed 'in-situ'. The newspaper stand and the station have a light each at the bottom of both buildings (hopefully this will be changed to make the station building more realistic). Some soldering has been required between the wires; the battery topper and the wire, then the wire and the lights and holes have been drilled successfully in the baseboard. The wire can make it through the gap in the middle of the Hornby platform section.

The newspaper stand

The station

Points. Something that every model railway builder has to deal with. Since the current in a point usually only goes the way that the point is set, you must clip the points if you wish to have the points set one way and run trains on the section not selected - an essential for my layout, with the shelf requiring power alongside trains running on the loop section. An interim solution for 'point clipping' was to just put staples in them, but that proved rather troublesome. Instead, I have decided to get a small bit of stripped wire and solder it in. Simply cut away a small bit of plastic and solder some of the wire to the point, creating a permanent solution to point clipping for barely any money at all!

An example of one of the points - you can just about see the wire around the middle of the point.

Freight trains are an essential part of my layout, but I only have a few wagons at the moment. Due to a few - shall we say... accidents - with coal, recently the wagons have been running round empty. However, I now trust myself and have refilled them.

Chalk/limestone is in barrels in the 'Breedon & Cloud Hill' wagon.

The 'Glenhaford' wagon, complete with charcoal

'T. Threadgold' will be running with Shredded Wheat, intended to represent hay/straw 

From a fish tank, purple pebbles will do for iron ore.

So that's Brunswick Junction for now, the Romford model railway exhibition is tomorrow (Saturday 11th), so there'll hopefully be another post with some new goodies coming soon!

Welcome to Brunswick Junction!

Hello and welcome to Brunswick Junction,

The Beginning
Brunswick Junction only came into existence recently - the 'Mixed Freight' set started it all and that arrived from Amazon on 11th July for a bargain price of around £160 - for a DCC set!

The 'Mixed Freight' set

The set came with locos, wagons, a controller (in detail later) and track (3x R600s, 2x R601, 1x R606, 8x R609 and 1x R8072).

After a short while of running downstairs on the 'TrakMat', IKEA delivered the two tables that have connected to the current one. They are 100 x 60 each, creating a total space of 1m x 1m 80cm for the railway. Barton Timber supplied us with sturdy, ready-cut sheet wood and timber (even to unusual sizes) for the baseboard and after a few hours with a drill, screwdriver, some screws and glue it was finished!

I used the free trial of 'Anyrail' to plan my layout, which has gone through many stages. Originally, I thought about having curved sidings in the middle of the loop - 2nd radius only due to space constraints - and realised later on that it wouldn't have been at all realistic. Although I decided not to have curved sidings, I still need sidings of some sort. I am also going to have multiple other sidings branching off at all sides of the layout. Another fairly recent development was getting a shelf, which has been mounted just above the radiator, so requires an incline; this also adds some more interest.

The Layout
Bringing you up to speed, the layout currently consists of a 2nd radius loop with a works to the front left. A station made of simple Hornby platform sections is situated along the front and will be long enough for 3 carriages when finished. In the middle, a left-hand point goes straight into a 'Y' point, forming two sidings - a right-hand point also branches from one of these to make 3 sidings at the moment - more may be added later. Another point at the rear of the loop is followed by some straight track, temporarily being raised by some second-hand Hornby 'Elevated Track Supports', bought cheaply from local model shop Roneo Models. This splits with the use of points into three tracks running along the shelf, currently in a 'fiddle yard' style, but this may have scenery and a platform added later on.

Your first glimpse of the layout! This is the view from the door, looking towards the window.

This view is from the other side, by the window and looking towards the door.

Nearing the end of the incline; it is not double-track for most of the way.

The shelf, which is currently acting as a three-track 'fiddle yard'.

The Controller
Brunswick Junction is currently controlled by a Hornby 'Select' DCC Controller.

The 'Select' unit controlling Brunswick Junction at the moment

The Buildings
As I am not an expert at anything yet, there are only a few pre-assembled buildings on the layout. These are a newspaper stand, a small station building and an engine shed. A small viaduct is currently unused.

The engine shed, kindly donated by a family member

The station building, only £5 from Roneo Models

The newspaper stand, even cheaper at only £2! Much easier than making it yourself! 

The Rolling Stock
Some people argue that this is the most important part of a layout, others argue that it is the least. Currently, I only have a small amount due to the amount of money these things cost. There are 3 locos, 2 rakes of wagons and 2 rakes (including 1 rather makeshift one!) of carriages.

Locos:

92016, a class 92. My only loco not with the set - bought for £50 from Kernow Model Rail Centre, but unfortunately had some troubles with the decoder (It's working now!)

D4174, a class 08. Came with the Mixed Freight set.

68478, a class J83. Came with the Mixed Freight set. 

Wagons:

Rake 1:

The rake that came with the set, hand-weathered with charcoal and chalk. Sellotape added to Iron Ore wagon to make it look covered over. 

Rake 2:

Extra wagons bought from Hatton's in a set with GWR carriages. 2 packs bought for £14 each, creating this rake. Also hand-weathered using only charcoal.

Brake Van:

Brake van bought second-hand from Hatton's for £7. Can be added to either rake.

Carriages:

Rake 1:

A simple rake of 2 GWR 4-wheel coaches. Came with wagons (rake 2).

 'Rake' 2:

I have put inverted commas around 'rake' for a reason. It is a rake, but is made up of 2x Mk1 BSK (1x NSE - £10 second-hand, 1x BR Maroon - £8.50 second-hand), 1x Mk3 RSB? and 1x Mk3 FO (Both BR Intercity - from a family member).

So that's Brunswick Junction so far. There will be many more posts to come, both updating you on layout progress, showing new trains and detailing running sessions etc.

Hope to see you soon,

Jezza