Flaxfield- A bucolic 1950s Suffolk backwater

NHY 581

Western Thunderer
Hi Mark.
I see where you're coming from but it's not something I'd look to do.
The bolsters are 3D prints and came from a very talented friend of mine Chris Nicholls who is producing a few different wagons. He's on Rmweb as Chuffinghell. I'm sure if you dropped him a line he'd respond with prices etc.

Rob
 

2996 Victor

Western Thunderer
I see where you're coming from but it's not something I'd look to do.
It was just a thought :)
The bolsters are 3D prints and came from a very talented friend of mine Chris Nicholls who is producing a few different wagons. He's on Rmweb as Chuffinghell. I'm sure if you dropped him a line he'd respond with prices etc.
Thanks, Rob, I've spotted the moniker "over there" so I'll pop him a PM.

Cheers,
Mark
 

NHY 581

Western Thunderer
It was just a thought :)

Thanks, Rob, I've spotted the moniker "over there" so I'll pop him a PM.

Cheers,
Mark


Yes, do Mark. Chris is buiding up quite a following due to the quality of his prints and the work he is willing to put in to his projects. He's currently working on a further couple of wagons for me which will emerge in the not too distant future, hopefully onto Blackwater.

Rob.
 
Oh and in another twist ( ish ) to broaden Blackwater Pier's appeal, as well as pre WW1 GER guise with an alternate pre WW1 SE&CR/1920s Implausible Light Railway we may add 1930s Southern to the mix. All made possible by simply swapping the station building.

May as well get max fun value out of this little project and finally make use of the various boxes of locos and stock cluttering the place up.

Rob

PS....anyone have a couple of Hattons 4 wheel Southern green coaches that they'd be willing to part with ?
Rob.

I have some Hatton's 4w Southern green coaches. Trouble is I'm not in need of a replacement kidney so I don't think you might have to look elsewhere.
 

Phil O

Western Thunderer
As it happens, I popped the alignment dowels in this evening. After a bit of a near debacle experience, all seems okay.

View attachment 220706

View attachment 220707

Some more fine tuning needed but this is simply track plonked down to gauge how far out things were.

Rob

Hi Rob,

To go with your alignment dowels, you need some of these. Extremely useful, when you want to take the layout down at the end of the show and get back home in time for a couple in the pub.




baseboard clip.jpg
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Hi Rob,

To go with your alignment dowels, you need some of these. Extremely useful, when you want to take the layout down at the end of the show and get back home in time for a couple in the pub.




View attachment 220866

On all previous layouts I've worked on I've bolted layouts together used M8 nuts and bolts or sockets and bolts. These always take a while to do up and undo and the start and end of shows. (Bolts to keep the boards together, dowels to keep them aligned).

At the show I did with Polsarrett, I ran out of time to sort the bolts so instead just used clamps like the ones below. At the end of the show it stuck me how quick and easy they were to use and so they will be used instead of bolts in future.

The clamps are under the layout out of view, so don't detract from layout presentation.

F8793016-01.jpeg
 

NHY 581

Western Thunderer
Hi Rob,

To go with your alignment dowels, you need some of these. Extremely useful, when you want to take the layout down at the end of the show and get back home in time for a couple in the pub.




View attachment 220866

Hi Phil,

I have some( rather nice chrome jobs actually ), but frankly, I really didn't like the look when I offered them up. I felt they were rather intrusive. I used them way back on Sheep Lane and since then I've looked for more covert ways of inter board connection.

On all previous layouts I've worked on I've bolted layouts together used M8 nuts and bolts or sockets and bolts. These always take a while to do up and undo and the start and end of shows. (Bolts to keep the boards together, dowels to keep them aligned).

At the show I did with Polsarrett, I ran out of time to sort the bolts so instead just used clamps like the ones below. At the end of the show it stuck me how quick and easy they were to use and so they will be used instead of bolts in future.

The clamps are under the layout out of view, so don't detract from layout presentation.

View attachment 220867

Like that idea though I have already drilled the holes for 6mm bolts and wing nuts. The other thought I had was to use a sprung pin such as this ( example only )

Screenshot_20240802_151548_Gallery.jpg

But there's no rush at present.

Rob
 

76043

Western Thunderer
If you fancy keeping the IKEA heritage, I have used these old IKEA fittings on Dublingham, with dowels. Quick and easy to setup with the dowel alignment and then four bolts that go straight in, self aligning. No nuts to loose either.

Has worked for 15 shows now no problems.
Tony

IMG_20190321_180336.jpg
IMG_20190322_175827.jpg
IMG_20190322_180208.jpg
 

Osgood

Western Thunderer
I so nearly did the same with those Irwin lightweights on the big heavy boards I'm working on (a layout not built by me), having bought a load of them some months back during a very silly offer at T**lstation.

However I had concerns about them coming loose (don't really know why, they can be racked up pretty tight), so went for 8mm starwheel bolts and threaded inserts.
I'm sure I could have used them with no problem but I also had to design a transit system which made use of the same bolts and inserts (very heavy boards).
Also the underside has a lot of obstructions near board ends like tortoises, wiring looms etc so not easy to avoid accidental damage when shoving clamps up there.
But I would seriously consider them for boards I design myself.

What I did decide would be sensible (if only to neutralise paranoia) would be a stop - either a block or a flat plate, so that if a clamp came loose it would stay in position viz:

Irwin.jpeg
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
I so nearly did the same with those Irwin lightweights on the big heavy boards I'm working on (a layout not built by me), having bought a load of them some months back during a very silly offer at T**lstation.

However I had concerns about them coming loose (don't really know why, they can be racked up pretty tight), so went for 8mm starwheel bolts and threaded inserts.
I'm sure I could have used them with no problem but I also had to design a transit system which made use of the same bolts and inserts (very heavy boards).
Also the underside has a lot of obstructions near board ends like tortoises, wiring looms etc so not easy to avoid accidental damage when shoving clamps up there.
But I would seriously consider them for boards I design myself.

What I did decide would be sensible (if only to neutralise paranoia) would be a stop - either a block or a flat plate, so that if a clamp came loose it would stay in position viz:

View attachment 220897
Your diagram saved me many words and is exactly wot I dun. You just need to safe guard the board dropping if it separates more than the alignment dowel length.

I didn't use the clamps pictured, they were just the first 'of type' photo I came across. Mine were a bit more substantial and have been trusted for all sorts of heavy duty holding over the years.
 

NHY 581

Western Thunderer
Hmm, the Isle of Sheepey, perhaps?

Hi Heather,

That was the original plan with Lambsdown ( Leysdown ) but that's been shelved indefinitely. However, Blackwater is primarily a East Anglian set layout. The Southern aspect is a desire to maximise the play value......which why we do this isn't it ?

Rob.
 
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