New Plan

 A New Plan

Just one picture to post:-

...... it's a plan for a new O9 scale layout being developed.  A sort of smaller Raven Hill.  Currently it measures 6ft 6" x 1ft 8" - on two 3ft 3" boards.  Track wise, it is planned to feature a reversing loop (using a split board technique), and a continuous run when needed.

At first much of the project depends on the village buildings which will be on the right-hand board.  I have to find the right way (for me) of making them, with the right building textures/stonework/roof tiles etc.

More thinking to do.

Display at NSNGM Group Exhibition. 3rd June

Raven Hill was exhibition on 3rd June at the Norfolk & Suffolk Narrow Gauge Modellers Exhibition inBeccles.

Here are a few photos from the day:

9 layouts were displayed, plus another seven "Challenge" layouts.  To compete for the challenge trophy a narrow gauge layout had to be built in 4 square feet (576 sq. inches) , fiddle yards could be added to facilitate operation.  We had exhibits in 16mm, O-16.5, 009, O9, 1:16, and 5.5mm scale.

"Noel's Work" (Challenge layout), 1:16 scratch built garden nursery yard.

"Wainford Sidings" (Challenge layout), SM32 rural quarry siding.

"Plugstreet", 009 WW1 casualty clearing station.

"Lysander Farm" (Challenge layout), 009.  Winner of this years Challenge.

"Much Meddling", 009.  Emett inspired, colourful layout.

"Reeds Beck Waterworks", 009, a Victorian waterworks.

"Fen End Pit" - 16mm, sand and gravel pit with working dragline.

"North Level Railway", O-16.5.  Fenland station with  fruit & veg distribution depot.

Inspiration from Bressingham

 Inspiration from Bressingham

For me, the best place for narrow gauge inspiration around here (Norfolk) is Bressingham Steam Museum.  I've been visiting there since the late 1960's with mum, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and an aunt and uncle, then later of course exhibiting our layouts there.

It has been a while since I had proper rides on the narrow gauge lines there for a day out, so we visited the Steam Gala Weekend at the end of April this year.  Weather-wise, it was the perfect day.

The way the narrow gauge pleasure lines are constructed, weaving their way through fen, marsh, woods and old nurseries provides a lot of inspiration for modelling.  And on a day such as a gala event it is interesting to see how locomotives are swapped over, to give a good variety of trains.

Star of the show for me was the Avonside loco of 1933 "Marchlyn".

Bressingham loco "Bevan" of 2010 at the arrivals platform, and "Marchlyn".  Locos were swapped around all day on the Fen Railway.

Recent 0-4-0 VB build and Bressingham resident "Fernilee".

"Fernilee" heading out on the 2ft gauge Fen Railway.

Another visitor to the gala was recent (2005) 0-4-0 Quarry Hunslet type build "Jack Lane", hauling four slate wagons.  The famous Gallopers ride is in the background.

Bressingham resident Quarry Hunslet "Gwynedd" proceeding cautiously and leaving the main display and museum complex on the 2ft Fen Railway. 

2-6-2 Exmoor built loco "St. Christopher" of 2001, resident on the 15" gauge Waveney Valley Railway.

The train and main platform for passenger boarding and unloading on the Waveney Valley Line.

Superbly-built 1937 Waggon-Fabrik coaches were delivered to Bressingham in 1972 with the Krupps Pacifics.

At Ling Farm Halt on the Waveney Valley Railway will be found this amazingly well-constructed footbridge across a drainage dyke.

 Still on display in the museum building is one of the Krupps Pacifics "Rosenkavalier".

It's sister loco "Mannertreu" is being completely overhauled, and displayed in the engine shed.

On the 10.25" Garden Railway "Alan Bloom" a 1995 Hunslet type loco built at Bressingham.

Riding the Garden Railway.

Along with visiting locomotives there were many visiting traction engines, road rollers and showman's engines on display along with miniature types.

At the end of the day "Marchlyn" and "Gwynedd" are seen outside the running shed.

Exhibitions

The PW tractor and steam loco "Fern" are outside the engine shed at Shortwaite, at the March exhibition.

It seems the exhibition circuit is now getting back to some sort of normality after the last couple of years.  "Raven Hill" was taken to the Dereham (Norfolk) exhibition on 4th March, and my 009 layout "Shortwaite Hill" was exhibited at March , Cambridgeshire on 11th March.

Saddle tank "Willow" about to leave the goods siding at Stonegate. (March exh.)

"Rowan" and passenger train at Stonegate (March exh.)

At Dereham "Raven Hill" set-up and being tested just before opening.

Steam loco "Tiamat" at the station in Raven Hill (Dereham exh.)

"Tiamat" and passenger train head over Porrit's Bridge.  (Dereham exh.)

The Unit Models tank wagon under construction

Tram loco "Hydra" hauling the completed tank wagon out of the Pye Rigg workshop.

"Oread" is  hauling the tank wagon on "Pye Rigg Works" at one of our Norfolk & Suffolk Narrow Gauge Modellers meetings.

 

Coach No.9

 Coach No. 9

"Knucker" hauls out coach No. 9 following painting.

I decided to build another 4-wheeled saloon to match coach No.6.  Again made from the Minicraft Vulcan 1872 kit coach sides, running on an Egger-Bahn chassis.

The photo below shows the coach during construction along with No.6. 

The next project is this Unit Models Tank Wagon:-

New O9 loco "Hydra" and vans.

 NEW LOCO & VANS

I had recently noticed a spate of new O9 scale 3D prints on Ebay by seller "floyd_kraemer".  A set of two vans appeared containing a guards van and a box van, so naturally I was tempted.

They come in three sections, chassis, body, and roof, and are very cleanly printed using a fine ABS like resin.  Only the roof's had to be smoothed down and a small lip on the bottom (or top) of each printed section removed.  They require wheels, couplings, weight and paint to complete.

The completed vans ex-paint shop at Pye Rigg works.

I emailed Paul Smith at floyd_kraemer to enquire whether there were any plans to make a steam loco body of any type, and he sent me this photograph of one he had designed.  I bought one, and it comes in two sections, a body and a roof.  Just the roof and the sides of the smoke box had to be sanded a little, otherwise again, nicely printed.  It needs a Kato 4w tram chassis, couplings, and a driver.

Here are the three models displayed at our Norfolk & Suffolk Narrow Gauge Modellers meeting.  The loco was named "Hydra".  

O9 Journey

 A quick look back at my O9 projects so far:-

I started modelling in O9 scale in July 2019 after being inspired by layouts I had seen in the "Railway Modeller" magazine. 

My own general preferences are to build scenic layouts, keeping track, wiring and turnout control simple, and build loco's and rolling stock using simple kits if possible.  

It did take me a while to get used to 7mm scale after modelling in 009 (4mm scale) for so many years, but my decision to build a small diorama first really helped in grasping this scale.

July 2019: Bought and made some resin Unit Models kits. (O-081 Diesel loco body, and two O-070 Open Wagons).

I thought it was important to test track radii and consider couplings before going further.  It seems that tighter radii are more acceptable in this scale because of the narrow track gauge. 

Sept. 2019:  As passenger coach kits were not available in O9 (and also as I didn't like the poor finishes on most 3D printed options at the time) I had a go at making two short bogie coaches from Hornby GWR four-wheelers, running on Peco 009 (GR-106) Bogies.

Oct. 2019:  My aim was to build a medium-sized exhibition layout.  But first I thought it was sensible to make an operating diorama to help me get the feel of the scale I was using.  I chose to make a small scene in a drawer turned on its face from a cheap flat-pack chest of drawers that was given to me.  

The baseboard area was only 20" x 4.5".

The railway was named the "Penny Howe Light Railway".  

A fictitious "estate" type line built partly on an old tramway track bed running from an inland village onto a headland.  The scenery and buildings to be heavily inspired by North York Moors, North Yorkshire, UK.

Adding more stock:

Sept. 2019:  Two Tebee/Shapeways 3D prints running on Kato 11-103 4w chassis.

Feb. 2020: Making a brass Minimum Gauge Models CL001 Industrial Diesel kit. 

April 2020:  Two scratch built short bogie coaches were made using Wills materials sheets.

June 2020:  A few more Unit Models wagons were purchased and also a resin "Narrow Rails" Freelance Diesel kit.

2020:  A photo of the completed drawer diorama.  Trains enter through a hole on the right from a fiddle yard stick.  It utilises two turnouts using 009 "irregular sleeper" track allowing simple shunting to a passenger platform, loco siding, and a goods dock at the front.  Cut-up calendar pictures were used on the back boards to create extra depth.

2020:  Close-up with 3D printed loco "Drake" and the two new bogie coaches.

The exhibition layout was planned in October 2019, this was the first scale drawing. There are two fiddle yard loops behind a back scene. The completed layout ended up very much like this, except it was preferred that the engine shed siding lead off the right-hand end of the passing loop rather than near the bridge as drawn.

April 2020:  The baseboards with track laid.  

The layout measures 7ft 2" (219cm) x 20" (51cm), on two boards.

May 2020:  Scenery construction.  My wife painted the back scene boards, then we used a light weight filler, sawdust, p.v.a, acrylic grey paint and water mix over polystyrene formers to create a hillside and waterfall ravine.

Aug. 2020:  I made some buildings for the village.  They have foam board shells with embossed plastic stone work walls and individual pan tiles.

Aug. 2020: Arranging the buildings on the "village" board.  

Wooden station buildings are resin kits.  

Nov. 2020: Two old "Avalon Line" resin Tram loco kits were made and mounted on Farish 0-6-0 chassis. 

Nov. 2020:  Omen and S&D (Pheonix) figures, and wagon loads mainly from Skytrex were painted.

2021:  Various figures and details were added to the layout.

July 2021:  Covid restrictions prevented several exhibitions from going ahead, but here was our first exhibition at the Mid-Suffolk Railway.

"Drake" crossing the road in the village.

"Oread" nearing "Porrits Bridge".

Feb. 2022: Two more bogie coaches were made using the coach sides and ends from the Minicraft 1872 Vulcan plastic kit.

Towards the end of 2021 I wanted a new small layout to run at home, or take to Group meetings.  Using a baseboard originally made for a 009 layout I planned a "works" layout for the PHLR.

Aug. 2021: The baseboard with track laid.  It is 43" (109cm) x 20" (51cm).

Sept. 2021: My wife and I painted a suitable backscene and I bought two laser cut mdf "00" scale buildings to use as the maintenance shed, and some resin kits for the yard structures.  The water tower was an adapted Dapol "00" scale item.

Sept. 2021: The left hand end was made scenic using old cork pieces, and low shrubs. 

Dec. 2021:  The yard, complete with figures and details.

Tram loco "Pyralis" with new bogie coaches at Pye Rigg.

Summer 2022:  A new Floyd Kraemer 3D print of a Ransomes Rapier diesel.

Oct. 2022:  "Raven Hill" at Whitwell & Reepham Station model railway exhibition.  The layout now has lighting.

A rough Guide to O9 modelling: O9 Modelling Guide