New wagons and new daft idea.

The side tank loco with the two coaches.

Coach number 2 now has passengers and the roof has been fixed properly.  It is seen above with it's sister and the side tank.  I am still not convinced the coaches have enough height and will probably try to find a new way of getting the right proportions for future coaches.

At last I have decided upon names for the locomotives and ordered some nameplates from Narrow Planet, they will be named after weird and wonderful mythical creatures.

  

Meanwhile, I have built a couple of the Unit Models O-073 "Mine Tub" wagons, again using the Peco NR-121 N gauge wagon chassis.  They came out quite well and I have ordered another two to make a small rake:-

 

The story goes that the wagons were used to transport stone and aggregates for the construction of a planned new resort on the North Yorkshire coast across the moor from Penny Howe, all inspired by the real Ravenscar just south of  Baytown  (Robin Hood's Bay).  A story similar to that of Fairbourne in Wales.

Looking across to the few buildings at Ravenscar perched on top of the cliffs at the South end of Robin Hoods Bay.

Daft idea:-

I was given a old chipboard chest of drawers to use for storage in my garage but found there was not enough space to fit it in.  I decided to break it up, I pulled the drawers out and realised they were quite wide.  I placed some of  them upright, end to end, and could only think of one thing: that they could make nice modules to get something running more quickly for my 09 stock. 

The internal "bases" measure 510 x 120, just over 20" x 4.5".  The space is just enough to get two "Y" 009 turnouts either facing each other to sidings, or as trailing sidings.  They are ready-made base boards, though yesterday I adapted one of the drawers to: strengthen it, give a presentation arch, to allow sight to the tracks from behind and create a pelmet to fix LED lighting to.

Strengthened drawer with presentation arch and also an opening to neighbouring unit.

I kept four of the drawers to (hopefully) join them together to create a longer layout with up to four separate scenes.

Could I really create a layout in a space of 20" x 4.5"?

.....mad.

The Planned 09 Layout

The baseboard under construction.

A start had been made on the baseboard for the 09 layout a few weeks ago.  Above is how it looks at the moment, there are two boards each 43" x 20" (109cm x 51cm) mainly made in 6mm ply wood.  The track bed will sit on the raised supports, the area at the centre front will be a dropped rock face.  It is hoped that on the left hand board will be the passenger station, goods siding and low-relief village back scene, the right-hand board will mainly be a track along a rock ledge running over a bridge over a small waterfall, with a siding to a small engine shed at the left-hand end.  There will be a back-scene board about 4.5" from the back with two storage loops, one on each board.

Photo of full scale initial plan.  In the end I decided to change the position of the engine shed siding. The name of the railway is going to be "The Penny Howe Light Railway".

The purpose for building the line in the first place has yet to be further researched and decided upon! - as has the village name, and the names of the locomotives.

Coach Number 2 has now been built and painted now to pair -up with the first one:-

The new coach is in the centre, made exactly the same way as the first using a Hornby GW 4-wheeler as a basis, with Peco bogies.