4mm Meldon Quarry

AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
Well ballasting finally complete! Yay!
But first to mess about and finish ish the pit.
Used the Scale Model Scenery rule to determine the depth, 5 blocks look right.
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Read somewhere file the face to take off some of the sharp edges for a better look.

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Bottom left below filed. Not sure it’s worth it.

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Cut up some laminate and impact adhesive and superglued stuck it together.

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Acrylic paint grey, then a black wash!

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Stuck in with impact adhesive.

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Decorators chalk levelled it up.

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PVA’ed the track here but the little sleepers along the pit were superglued.
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Crushed lightweight block for yard ballast. In the background right a test piece to see if it could work!
Middle flattened ballast/dust done with a spoon, left as out the dish.

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My technique of gluing the dust, normally it beads up and rolls away and makes a mess, to over come I first spray bottled water but latter found it needed a good soaking. Then dropping on a 50/50 water+ PVA mix with ample washing up liquid!
But very gapped to start, then filling in the gaps slowly as it sunk away. But if it rolls away leave a while before trying again.

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Then it still needed a prod where some rolled away and made bumps.

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That’s 16 image allowance!
 

AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
I would of used the well known DAS method but had none, almost bought some before the lockdown too!
Hence this trial and error method.
Upon drying it got bumpier, so a roll of tape was used to flatten it.

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Not as smooth as I hoped but I can work with it.
Next up get the board back over to do the points and wire it all up to a panel looking forward to that.
Cheers for the likes etc. Post your comments good or not.
Until next time.
Cheers
 

Al Tait

Western Thunderer
Used the Scale Model Scenery rule to determine the depth, 5 blocks look right.
View attachment 123270

Read somewhere file the face to take off some of the sharp edges for a better look.

View attachment 123271
Bottom left below filed. Not sure it’s worth it.

View attachment 123272

If nothing else it will help the paint to stick, even just a light sand with some fine sand paper will help. All my plastic buildings get a coat of grey primer as a base and wooden structures I have been following Steve Fay's guide on the Intentio Website.
 

AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
If nothing else it will help the paint to stick, even just a light sand with some fine sand paper will help. All my plastic buildings get a coat of grey primer as a base and wooden structures I have been following Steve Fay's guide on the Intentio Website.
Yes I have seen many undercoat or primer, I’m just a bit to impatient @matto21 advised on my airfix build topic to matt varnish on acrylic before putting weathering washes etc. Was good advice but forgot here so it’s gone way to black in the pit, but I can rescue it with some light powders I think then matt varnish on top.
But good tip Al I’ll take a look over at intentio.
Cheers
 

AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
Another not much occurring post but a record of glacial progress.

Drilling the dowels to accept the piano wire. I forgot one of all the dowels in and micro switches mounted and wired.
Can’t find that photo to reload.

Reloading photos 24/12/22 as the photos were linked to an RMWeb page re their sever crash and lost photos fiasco!
on to the control panel all the timber I had light and thin enough.

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Need to revisit the taped lines at some stage not the best but in view of cracking on it will do for now.
matt varnish aerosol to tie the tape to the surface.

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Here I woke up to a clanger I had made. I envisaged 1 if not 2 traverser’s either side of the layout but totally overlooked the space I had! Crazy I know but blinkers on.

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So I made the control panel to fit as below. Over hanging the end of the layout in front the future traverser!

Can’t find that photo 24/12/2022 on reload.

once the penny dropped lying awake one night! It will have to go here as below and wires adjusted accordingly.

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below the space I have quite a bit there that needs a tidy!

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But there is 55cms both sides of the layout so a couple of fiddle yards will be going in now to make a U shape.
More proper progress soon.

Cheers
 
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AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
So a mile stone at last was reached this week, finished wiring yesterday had a couple of faults to sort. Terminal screw clamped on the insulation! So that was done then it was track cleaning and more track cleaning and then had to wheel clean so went over the rails with a clean rag. I got an engine or two running.

Below the control panel relocation.

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Next I think I’ll tackle the platform only one unfortunately. Fiddle yards do need doing but a bit of scenery will be a welcome break. The track and ballast does need more work but it’s good enough for now.

Cheers
 
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AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
Started on the platform,
Here’s a couple of photos of my subject.
Lower one I was lucky to find as with others I realised the handrail posts were not part of the trestle casting but separate.
Link to my reference photos.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/KbtE3gNxW7tEJM8J8

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Struck on using self adhesive mini trunking to set up the trestles.

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My drawing based on info sent to me by Mike Trice from Southern Nouveau (first edition).
But I found the drawings not compliant to Meldon as the platform Coping slabs were 4” long and the whole thing close on 60ft long after drawing out I realised this couldn’t be the case it was much shorter, then I realised the coping slabs were shorter than they were wide. The handrail posts should be about 3’10” high arcing those I came to a guesstimate the slabs were 2ft x 3ft wide.

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Below the slope sketched out in pencil on the trestles ready for reducing in height.

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Thanks for looking in.
Until next time
Cheers
 

jonte

Western Thunderer
Looks and works a treat, Ade.

Your wiring looks particularly neat, too.

I never realised there was so much to a ‘simple’ halt. :)

You’ve really worked hard, and it’s paying off.

Congrats.

Jonte
 

AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
Looks and works a treat, Ade.

Your wiring looks particularly neat, too.

I never realised there was so much to a ‘simple’ halt. :)

You’ve really worked hard, and it’s paying off.

Congrats.

Jonte
Thanks for those kind words Jonte much appreciated.
More today hopefully.
Cheers
 

AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
More,

trestles reduced in height to suit the platform slope. Easily cut with snips and filed up.

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Casting lines before and after being filed up.

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next as you can see although the mini trunking is a good at sticking but not enough to hold upright so added some white tack along the back to keep in position.

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Next up scribed some plasticard for the platform slabs.

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not perfect but will make the next two better. But from 2ft away will look fine.

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That’ was it for today.

Thanks for looking in.

Cheers

Ade
 
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AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
Hand rail posts, can’t make my mind up according to Southern nouveau kindly sent to me by @MikeTrice the posts were 5 inches 1.67mm wide in the photo below the plastic is 1.5mm and the coffee stirrers 1mm wide. What do you guys think? I’m thinking 1.5mm looks to wide for some reason.

Location shots included for ref.
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Cheers
Ade
 
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jonte

Western Thunderer
Hand rail posts, can’t make my mind up according to Southern nouveau kindly sent to me by @MikeTrice the posts were 5 inches 1.67mm wide in the phot below the plastic is 1.5mm and the coffee stirrers 1mm wide. What do you guys think? I’m thinking 1.5mm looks to wide for some reason.

Location shots included for ref.



Cheers

Ade

Hi Ade

Looking at the close-up shot (or at least the closest shot to the halt which I reckon is the 2nd photo in the series with the guy walking towards the camera) the posts look quite substantial - certainly more substantial than the coffee stirrers by comparison IMHO.

Perhaps when painted, the posts won’t look as stark? Why not try painting one in a darker colour as a trial to see if it makes a difference?

I recall Chris Nevard’s ‘Catcott Burtle’ had a halt similar to yours
 

jonte

Western Thunderer
Hand rail posts, can’t make my mind up according to Southern nouveau kindly sent to me by @MikeTrice the posts were 5 inches 1.67mm wide in the phot below the plastic is 1.5mm and the coffee stirrers 1mm wide. What do you guys think? I’m thinking 1.5mm looks to wide for some reason.

Location shots included for ref.



Cheers

Ade

Hi Ade

Looking at the close-up shot (or at least the closest shot to the halt which I reckon is the 2nd photo in the series with the guy walking towards the camera) the posts look quite substantial - certainly more substantial than the coffee stirrers by comparison IMHO.

Perhaps when painted, the posts won’t look as stark? Why not try painting one in a darker colour as a trial to see if it makes a difference?

I recall Chris Nevard’s ‘Catcott Burtle’ had a halt similar to yours, so perhaps these might help (will post and come back with an ‘Edit’ as for some reason lately whenever I post a link in the text, the site crashes :()

Good luck.

Jonte

Edit: Catcott Catcott Burtle
 

AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
Hi Ade

Looking at the close-up shot (or at least the closest shot to the halt which I reckon is the 2nd photo in the series with the guy walking towards the camera) the posts look quite substantial - certainly more substantial than the coffee stirrers by comparison IMHO.

Perhaps when painted, the posts won’t look as stark? Why not try painting one in a darker colour as a trial to see if it makes a difference?

I recall Chris Nevard’s ‘Catcott Burtle’ had a halt similar to yours, so perhaps these might help (will post and come back with an ‘Edit’ as for some reason lately whenever I post a link in the text, the site crashes :()

Good luck.

Jonte

Edit: Catcott Catcott Burtle
Brilliant Jonte thanks for that I had been there and perused those photos in the past but forgotten about it.
This one does it for me.
The running in board.

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160402 catcott IMG_2764
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I’ll try what you advise, but I’m now convinced as you say 1mm is to small and contrary to my fears 1.5mm is not over scale.
Cheers
Ade
Removed photo as is copyright
 

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AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
Ah bit of a problem! Some how I couldn’t count on the clear photo as Jonte describes above of the trestles just left how many there were on the top level.
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Surgery required so not much gained this evening.

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More soon.
Until next time Cheers
 

AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
Last post was as I returned to work after 17 weeks home the longest ever since before primary School!
So as the new normal took hold great weather, throw in two holidays to Cornwall not much modelling done apart from lunch hour at work. If you’ve seen my Dogfish build thread you may have seen that.
Autumn here time to pick this up.

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Fence posts drilled, tried many ways to drill two at a time but couldn’t manage a straight hole through both so ended up a post at a time process !
Now set to put it all together.


Cheers
Ade
 

Andy P

Western Thunderer
Hi Ade, just had a catch up and the wiring looks superb mate. Just one thought on that, in the control box, instead of the normal 12 way Terminal Block you could use the same but the Male / Female plug in ones to enable you to take the front panel off without un wiring.

Excellent work though mate.
 

AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
Hi Ade, just had a catch up and the wiring looks superb mate. Just one thought on that, in the control box, instead of the normal 12 way Terminal Block you could use the same but the Male / Female plug in ones to enable you to take the front panel off without un wiring.

Excellent work though mate.
. Thanks for looking in Andy.
I definitely would have done that if I had access to some, I did that in lockdown when on furlough! Like the ballasting I went with what I had access to. Lots need revisiting but I always find I have more ideas than time to apply them.
I hoped this project would be a matter of 4,5,6 months it would of been a few years! If Covid19 hadn’t happened! I just find getting results quickly is not something I manage well.
Great advice as always thanks again.
Cheers
Ade
 
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