The Shankly and Gdynia Railway
Re: The Shankly and Gdynia Railway
Hi Everyone,
And a big thank you to MG, Glencairn and Chops for keeping this thread ticking over while I was otherwise engaged. I haven't lost interest in the SGR, but I've certainly lost MOMENTUM. I suspect that until the autumn kicks in, I won't have much chance to play trains. Having said that, I did put in an order with Hattons yesterday which includes several scenic kits and - at last - an A4 Mallard. So who knows, I may be inspired to find time that I don't really have.
I have been painting and assembling various small scenic things that are slowing finding their way onto the layout, so a little bit of progress will have been made in this fallow period. I know a lot of modellers take time out during the summer to do other stuff while the good weather makes it possible, so I'm not the only one.
I mentioned in my last post that I would spend a while mulling over my options regarding the corner where the tunnel used to be. I definitely want to reinstate the tunnel - the hill gives the layout a bit of height and breaks up its extreme flatness a little - but I haven't yet decided on how to do this. It was such a tight fit that there is no room for manoeuvre. I can't just tweak it a little. If I shift the tunnel entrances 3mm, the side of the hill projects into the path of moving trains on other tracks.
May Photos
The first two pictures show the 'tunnel-less' corner with makeshift scenery.
And a big thank you to MG, Glencairn and Chops for keeping this thread ticking over while I was otherwise engaged. I haven't lost interest in the SGR, but I've certainly lost MOMENTUM. I suspect that until the autumn kicks in, I won't have much chance to play trains. Having said that, I did put in an order with Hattons yesterday which includes several scenic kits and - at last - an A4 Mallard. So who knows, I may be inspired to find time that I don't really have.
I have been painting and assembling various small scenic things that are slowing finding their way onto the layout, so a little bit of progress will have been made in this fallow period. I know a lot of modellers take time out during the summer to do other stuff while the good weather makes it possible, so I'm not the only one.
I mentioned in my last post that I would spend a while mulling over my options regarding the corner where the tunnel used to be. I definitely want to reinstate the tunnel - the hill gives the layout a bit of height and breaks up its extreme flatness a little - but I haven't yet decided on how to do this. It was such a tight fit that there is no room for manoeuvre. I can't just tweak it a little. If I shift the tunnel entrances 3mm, the side of the hill projects into the path of moving trains on other tracks.
May Photos
The first two pictures show the 'tunnel-less' corner with makeshift scenery.
Re: The Shankly and Gdynia Railway
Hi again everyone - at long last,
The nights are drawing in, it's sometimes a little chilly and August has almost run its course. Time to get back into Model Railway Mode.
The photos that I'm going to upload today could have been uploaded a month and a half ago, but other aspects of life got in the way. They show my birthday present from my mum, the Hornby Railroad A4 Mallard. I've used artistic licence and set it in a contemporary landscape although I believe that the original is confined to a museum as a static feature.
A4 Mallard Rides Again
I recognise that these are not my best ever photos, which is a bit of a disappointment after all that waiting, but they get the ball rolling again, so to speak.
The nights are drawing in, it's sometimes a little chilly and August has almost run its course. Time to get back into Model Railway Mode.
The photos that I'm going to upload today could have been uploaded a month and a half ago, but other aspects of life got in the way. They show my birthday present from my mum, the Hornby Railroad A4 Mallard. I've used artistic licence and set it in a contemporary landscape although I believe that the original is confined to a museum as a static feature.
A4 Mallard Rides Again
I recognise that these are not my best ever photos, which is a bit of a disappointment after all that waiting, but they get the ball rolling again, so to speak.
Re: The Shankly and Gdynia Railway
Happy Christmas to everybody at MRF.
Santa did bring me a railway goodie, so I must get it on the layout, and take and post some photos.
Enjoy the rest of the holiday season,
Ian Alan
Santa did bring me a railway goodie, so I must get it on the layout, and take and post some photos.
Enjoy the rest of the holiday season,
Ian Alan
Re: The Shankly and Gdynia Railway
Merry Christmas Ian - Looking forward to seeing what Santa brought for you ……
Re: The Shankly and Gdynia Railway
Hi everybody,
It's been a long time, but I'm back and will go straight in with some recent photos - not that the layout has changed much in the last year, accumulated dust excluded
The locomotive was my Christmas 2022 present, and a nice little runner it is. Eagle-eyed observers will notice some small changes to the SGR, namely the house with balcony in the second picture, which I bought in Munich last summer. It's HO, either Faller or Voller, I forget. There are also a lot more street lamps and signs than previously. I've been keen to get more 'street furniture' onto the layout and figures - namely the two sailors carrying their kitbags in picture 5.
It's been a long time, but I'm back and will go straight in with some recent photos - not that the layout has changed much in the last year, accumulated dust excluded
The locomotive was my Christmas 2022 present, and a nice little runner it is. Eagle-eyed observers will notice some small changes to the SGR, namely the house with balcony in the second picture, which I bought in Munich last summer. It's HO, either Faller or Voller, I forget. There are also a lot more street lamps and signs than previously. I've been keen to get more 'street furniture' onto the layout and figures - namely the two sailors carrying their kitbags in picture 5.
Re: The Shankly and Gdynia Railway
More recent photos.
The second photo in this post shows that I haven't sorted out this corner yet. It's still a temporary arrangement of scenic features, but I do know what I plan to do in the autumn. I'm going to remove the track that can be seen immediately behind the locomotive. This will give me more room for scenery and I will be able to put the tunnel back. Reinstating the tunnel will require some slight moving of the tunnel entrances so that they aline correctly with the relaid track (quite a big job just to shift them a few milimetres), but it's doable. The soon-to-be-removed piece of track is now largely redundant as the outer track functions correctly. Viewers may remember that when I had two Y shaped points on the outer track, I hardly used the outer track because trains were prone to derail.
The second photo in this post shows that I haven't sorted out this corner yet. It's still a temporary arrangement of scenic features, but I do know what I plan to do in the autumn. I'm going to remove the track that can be seen immediately behind the locomotive. This will give me more room for scenery and I will be able to put the tunnel back. Reinstating the tunnel will require some slight moving of the tunnel entrances so that they aline correctly with the relaid track (quite a big job just to shift them a few milimetres), but it's doable. The soon-to-be-removed piece of track is now largely redundant as the outer track functions correctly. Viewers may remember that when I had two Y shaped points on the outer track, I hardly used the outer track because trains were prone to derail.
Re: The Shankly and Gdynia Railway
Plant a Tree in 23
I've made and added four coniferous trees to the corner near Arkwright's Mill and station. They help to block the view of the loft room beyound the layout. I'll probably dry-brush some lighter shade of green onto them as they are darker than I want, but otherwise I'm pleased with the results. I used artists sponges and cut the shapes - a tedious job that created a lot of bits of sponge that adhered to anything soft.
I've made and added four coniferous trees to the corner near Arkwright's Mill and station. They help to block the view of the loft room beyound the layout. I'll probably dry-brush some lighter shade of green onto them as they are darker than I want, but otherwise I'm pleased with the results. I used artists sponges and cut the shapes - a tedious job that created a lot of bits of sponge that adhered to anything soft.
Re: The Shankly and Gdynia Railway
Welcome back, nice to see the images, love the class 71. Look forward to seeing more.
Re: The Shankly and Gdynia Railway
Thank you Carl - it is nice to be back. 
Central European Houses
When I was in Munich last summer, I bought not one but two German manufactured model house kits. The second kit appears on the left of the first photo (on the right is a Wills Kits barn). The styles of these two homes are quite similar to those found in Poland, so they are a good fit with the Gdynia part of the layout. Perhaps in the future if I buy some more, I can have a temporary display with Gdynia covering most of the surface of the layout. I like to change things around and freshen them up a little and that would be a change of style.
Central European Houses
When I was in Munich last summer, I bought not one but two German manufactured model house kits. The second kit appears on the left of the first photo (on the right is a Wills Kits barn). The styles of these two homes are quite similar to those found in Poland, so they are a good fit with the Gdynia part of the layout. Perhaps in the future if I buy some more, I can have a temporary display with Gdynia covering most of the surface of the layout. I like to change things around and freshen them up a little and that would be a change of style.
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