Depot Progress (Widnes Road)

Progress lately has focused on improving the appearance of the main depot building, with the fabrication of a new depot floor with recessed tracks, an inspection pit and full length inspection walkway.

Exhibition Time Again

Although it seems only weeks ago that the British summertime finally decided it would happen, far sooner than I ever allow for the autumn Model Railway Exhibition season is rolling into view again.

As with every year I get half way through August and realise that the dozen or so jobs I had determined to do when I unloaded Widnes Road from the last exhibition of last years season remain at best half finished. In fact as with last year; after the last exhibition in the spring, I took a large saw to Widnes Road, to enable an extension to be fitted.

To be fair, I've made pretty good progress, the woodwork was finished very early on, as was the trackwork and wiring, but then; as usual I got distracted by another project, this time the continuous run around the railway room.

So to spur me on here is a list of the tasks still to be completed by the first weekend of October:

1. Rebuild the main depot building from a dead-end to a through 2-road shed (largely complete, just need to make and fit three new roller shutter doors)
2. Lay new hardstanding with inset trackwork throughout the depot building area;
3. Construct low-relief depot building to form backscene to new extended depot area
4. Construct low-relief wagon repair shed for foreground of extended board.
5. Refit all small depot detailing parts;
6. Paint and fit new electric sub-station;
7. Fit OHLE to extended tracks;
8. Re-fit signal and buffer warning light;
9. Make new backscene for scenic board extension;
10. Fully test layout and clean all stock.
    

55 days to go...

The next two upcoming Exhibitions at which Widnes Road is appearing are:

Sudbury MRC - 3rd October 2009
St. Peters, Market Hill, Sudbury

Farnham & District MRC - 10th-11th October 2009;
Aldershot - Connaught Leisure Centre, Tongham Road, GU12 4AS:

Singen Hbf - Signal Box

With the added incentive of new rolling stock to photograph, I managed to get around to painting the signal box for Singen Hbf; as well as finishing off the main station building with the latest DBAG and S-Bahn signage. I'm pretty pleased with the results. The new rolling stock is a Fleischmann OBB Hercules; and a Trix SBB Mak Diesel. Next to be built is the town square, complete with fountain; then finish off the fuelling point.

Here are some photos of the finished signal box:



















And some more photos of the new locos, and the updated main station building:

Singen Hbf - New Arrival

While in Berlin this week I picked up one of the latest Fleischmann driving trailers; so here are a couple of photos showing it being tested on my Singen Hbf layout. It's a huge improvement in detail levels from the old design which is starting to get a bit long in the tooth. It's inbuilt lighting is also DCC friendly, but at 95 Euro is certainly isn't cheap.

Below; I have included photos both taken last week at Koln of the two different prototypes on which the two Fleischmann models are based for reference. In my opinion probably one of the best pieces of contemporary rolling stock available in N-gauge.

European travels and fresh inspiration

I've just got back from two weeks of traveling around Europe, reaching Prague via Belgium and Germany; lots of updates to come over the next week or two.