Hello from Essex

[Softvark]

Hi every0ne, I'm a member of several other web forums but following the last North East Essex Gauge O Guild meeting Mudhen (Tim) convinced me to join this one as well!

I model 7mm finescale but looking at the fantastic S7 models here is very inspiring. A few years ago I acquired Ian Futer's Loch Lochy railway and have since virtually completely rebuilt it. The original scheme is exactly the same as Ian's concept which was based upon the original plans for an extension off the West Highland Line to Gairlochy but which was dropped before the parliamentary approval.

It's now 17 feet long, compared to the original 8, with new deeper baseboards, C&L track with Lenz DCC control, MERG track circuiting and a bit more scenery. There is still plenty of work to do but I've recently been side-tracked building rolling stock.

Anyway I'm looking forward to hopefully contributing something useful.

Julian

 

[taliesin]

Welcome Julian, enjoy your time here. I am relatively new and find much to inspire me, cheers Rob

 

[BrushType4]

Welcome Julian. Looking forward to the pictures.

 

[Dog Star]

I do hope that you enjoy the Madhouse (aka Hotel Western Thunder, you can check out but you can never leave).

Photographs are a form of currency... blue photos even better.

 

[Phill Dyson]

Hi Julian & welcome

Hope you will start a Loch Lochy thread soon

Cheers Phill

 

[Simon Dunkley]

Welcome indeed!

A few years ago I acquired Ian Futer's Loch Lochy railway and have since virtually completely rebuilt it, with new deeper baseboards, C&L track

Umm, would it have been easier to have sold the layout and started a new one from scratch?

 

[lancer1027]

Hi Julian, welcome. There's one or two members here that like scottish so you will fit in very well

Rob

 

[Pugsley]

Hello, and welcome

 

[Dog Star]

A few years ago I acquired Ian Futer's Loch Lochy railway and have since virtually completely rebuilt it. ... It's now 17 feet long, compared to the original 8, with new deeper baseboards, C&L track with Lenz DCC control, MERG track circuiting and a bit more scenery.

Just how much of the original layout has been incorporated into the new layout?

 

[Colin M]

Hi Julian,

Welcome to the forum.

Colin.

 

[marsa69]

Welcome Julian

Mark

 

[Softvark]

Wow what a welcome - thanks guys!

I guess I should start a separate thread for Loch Lochy but perhaps I should first open my account with some banger blue? Here's a JLTRT class 40 I recently completed sitting on the oil siding. Now I know Class 40s have only recently made it up the WHL but who can resist them?



Julian

 

[Ressaldar]

Hi Julian,

welcome aboard, you have already abided by rule 1 - pictures - am looking forward to seeing more.

cheers

Mike

 

[Phill Dyson]

Welcome indeed!


Umm, would it have been easier to have sold the layout and started a new one from scratch?

Funnily enough I have always thought Ian's layouts would benefit from being longer & wider, so it would be interesting (well for me at least) to see one that actually is.

 

[Softvark]

Umm, would it have been easier to have sold the layout and started a new one from scratch?

In hindsight yes it would - but that was not my original intention.

When I got it I had to build a fiddle yard and I rewired it for DCC with slow motion point motors - and that was as much as I was going to do - apart from some extra detailing.

I then decided that what it really needed was an extension to complete the run around loop which I duly built.

Then I became dissatisfied with the Peco points and decided to improve them as best I could but even after some butchering and application of point rodding I had a nagging feeling that they were still not good enough.

The original baseboards were not a constant width but tapered towards the fiddle yard. The extension I had built tapered the opposite direction giving a rather unusual squeezed in the middle shape. At this point I decided that it really needed new baseboards! ... and so it went on.

The latest extension has moved the oil siding from Ian's original plan to the other side of the bridge giving a full 17 feet of scenery but meaning that the fiddle yard is now outside the garage in the shed! I don't think I can go much further unless SWMBO allows a further extension to the garden. Initial negotiations are not promising.

So if this had all been planned from the outset then yes it would have made sense to start from scratch at the beginning but I have learnt a lot on the journey.

I'll put some pictures in a new thread tomorrow.

Julian

 

[Dan Randall]

Welcome to Western Thunder Julian.


Regards

Dan

 

[Softvark]

Just how much of the original layout has been incorporated into the new layout?

I hope the layout still looks very similar to the original. All of Ian's excellent buildings have been retained including the track layout. However everything has been eased out as the boards are wider.

The road bridge, up until recently, was also the same, however following the latest extension it had to be replaced as it wasn't wide enough - but I've rebuilt it in exactly the same style.

Julian

 

[iploffy]

Welcome mate BLUE DIESELS nice

 

[Railwaymaniac]

And 'welcome' from me, too . . .

I'm sure I once spent time operating Loch Lochy, so I'm really going to enjoy seeing the pix of it in its latest form. Please?

Ian

 

[lancer1027]

Hi Julian, an extension into the garden is always a good thing its just SWMBO doesnt know it yet.

Rob