Peco Plan 2: BR Branch Line - Metcalfe vs Peco

A slight diversion, I recently finished building the platforms and station building using the Metcalfe N gauge card kits for my Peco Plan 2 layout.

However, the station building was bloody massive. Definitely overscale, and too big in any event.

  

 

No room around the back, and not enough room on the platform. Oh well. I can save it away for another layout perhaps.

 

So I set about finding a replacement - the Peco plan suggested using their own naturally, so I gave that a shot.

 

 

 

Much better I feel - and I have space on the platform for some outdoor shelter/canopy with some seats. The kit itself was perhaps easier to build than the Metcalfe also. Naturally I'll need to weather both it and the platform to make the differences in brick colour less noticeable but I'm happy for now.
 

Minories in TT:120 - Part 9

Layout finished?

By this point I had a layout to operate trains on, with most of the scenery finished. They say a layout is never finished, but beyond adding details (adverts, figures to the platforms, station furniture, etc) I'd say this layout is essentially done. 

 

However, I did very little operating for a number of reasons - the main one being that this is too big for my living space. Each time I get it out and assemble it, I need to put it away again sharpish before dinner time. The other issue is lack of motive power. Adding the class 24 helped, and if I'd kept my preorders, I would've had a 37 and J50 by now too which may have solved the issue.

 

It may seem nonsensical, but I actually decided to sell the layout part way through building it - around the time of getting the track down and wiring completed - as I was at the same time collecting and playing around with my N gauge stock. 

 

It's now listed for sale, including all rolling stock and storage boxes so we'll see if anyone else wants it. Ideally they'd need space to have it assembled permanently and ready to use at any moment. With the additional locos mentioned above, it'd be a fun little layout to operate. The only weakness I think is the size of the fiddleyard - enough space for 4 coach trains and more of them would be better. If I was building this track plan again, I'd opt for a traverser or reversing loop arrangement for the fiddleyard to make operating more enjoyable. Being able to send a train out and have it return again later with a different train, facing the other direction would be ideal but again, requires space which I don't have.

 

I suspect the new TT:120 crowd would want HM7000 sound and gubbins to be interested, but we'll see. Anyway, here's an operating sequence I edited together and some more pictures -

 

If a sale is unsuccessful I may have no choice but to keep it until I have space to improve it further or keep it permanently set up. I may get the Class 37 and J50 when they're available again too. It would be a shame to scrap it and sell of what I could recover (likely only the track and even that wouldn't go for very much).
 

 

 

Minories in TT:120 - Part 8

Scenic work

With rolling stock essentially sorted (at least to the point that my storage boxes were full and a mixture of trains could be assembled) it was time to return to the scenics -

 

Platforms

For the platforms, I bought kits from In The Greenwood, which are good value for money and easy to assemble... except for my one complaint which is that I've some kits turns up with bowed pieces. Straightening them out can be done, but it does cause frustration.

 

Here I just painted them up, applied some white lining to the edges with masking tape, and glued them down to the baseboard.

 

To complete the buildings, I ordered a few 3D printed items and a couple more wooden kits from In The Greenwood - 

 

Ballasting and weeds

Giving the game away in the photos above, but at the same time I ballasted the scenic sections on both baseboards. This is some ballast which I had in stock from before from Maxey Models - advertised specifically for TT:120 it seems a suitable size relative to the track. I wish I had gotten a different colour though as a red didn't dark down without considerable weathering when glued and suggests a terminus at the opposite end of the country to my initial setting.

 

Finally, some flock and scatter along with fencing was added. 

The signals are static and quite fiddly to paint accurately. They're also very fragile and I broke one during placement. They're available from WillingtonDene on Etsy.

Minories in TT:120 - Part 7

Trying to build a Sulzer

Whilst the previous post discussed adding variety to trains - this will tackle the locomotive problem. No denying that there are many locos available in the scale now but they aren't often coherent or prototypically matched.

 

I started with the Easterner Set as I wanted my layout to be in the transition era where British Rail withdrew steam and transitioned to diesels. This offers the most variety in a prototypical setting without resorting to a make believe heritage railway where anything runs.

 

I also bought the green Class 08 to act as a pilot loco. But unfortunately beyond that there wasn't much else. I originally preordered the Class 37 and J50 as well as the Heljan Deltic and Class 122 bubblecar but they're still not available (or out of stock for the recent releases).

 

As my layout was supposed to be a terminus based in the Eastern region, I set about creating something suitable. 

 

My inspiration was this post on the Hornby forum and accompanying video - though a 25 wasn't quite right for me, being a mainly LMR loco. So off I went to Lincoln Locos and ordered a Class 24 3D printed body instead, along with a cheap GWR Class 43 HST set to carve up.

 

What ensued was an even more trying test of my patience, particularly when it came to grinding the metal chassis!

 

 

In all it probably took 3 months to complete, but that was working on and off when I could muster the courage to tackle the next job. Painting was done carefully with simple brushed on Railmatch acrylics - I'm sure airbrushing would result in a better job! - with transfers supplied by Railtec. Window glazing was GlueNGlaze which works a treat once you get a hang of it

 

Couplers were also an issue - I resorted to cutting the fronts of the bodies and then glueing the TT coupler between the two halves, to ensure the right height for coupling with other rolling stock. Technically the bogies are slightly too far forward but I didn't want to alter the drive train too much. For shuttling passenger trains in and out of Minories, it'll do and was a useful exercise to try new techniques and learn new skills. 

 

Minories in TT:120 - Part 6

Adding variety to my trains

Anyone familiar with TT:120 will be aware that whilst the initial and ongoing range from Hornby is impressive for a new scale, still is nowhere near what's available in other scales. In looking for alternative options I decided to try out a couple of avenues; 3D prints and wooden kits.

3D Prints 

First up are no doubt the easier option. There are a number of suppliers now selling 3D printed rolling stock, including MDN Designs and Inoxion and perhaps others by the time I write this.

 

With only limited options available from Hornby and Peco (7 planks, GWR vents, 12t tankers and not a lot else) to suit a transition era setting, these additional offerings are welcome.

 

For my layout, I bought a mixture from both including the 3 plank wagon,  BR van, conflat and tanker from MDN Designs, and different varieties of vent/box vans from Inoxion.

 

These come ready to assemble and paint - you may need to only add suitable wheels and couplings. For the MDN designs, be prepared to buy Dapol NEM coupling pockets to fiddle with, whilst the Inoxion come with their own design to allow for articulation, which whilst a bit fiddly to assemble, works well in practice.

 

One particularly welcome offering is from SJL Models; a standard BR brake van. These are also available in finished painted form too.

Wooden Kits 

The next option is wooden laser cut kits from Osborns Models who offer a wider variety than is available 3D printed, but at a steeper entry point in terms of skill required to finish them to a sufficient standard.

 

I started with the 16 ton mineral wagons, then some LMS vents, an ex-LNER CCT and an ex-SECR Utility Van.

 

Whilst these are harder to complete, they do come with everything you need except consumables such as paint, sandpaper, glue, transfers etc. and building them is perhaps in itself, a worthwhile endeavour, even if it the output isn't perfect.

 

 

One particular failing was fitting a part on the 16 ton minerals the wrong way around, and then having to take it apart, refit, glue and repaint and reapply transfers. It's certainly a lesson in patience!

 

Minories in TT:120 - Part 5

Tackling gremlins

At this point I had a layout that could be operated and tested to my hearts desire, but as I mentioned in the previous post, I wasn't happy with the Hornby controller. As well as making the Class 08 sound particularly unhealthy, it didn't get on at all with the Class A4, which would require half power and then shoot off... but I couldn't blame that entirely on the Hornby controller as I suspected a duff 3 pole motor to be at fault too.

 

After some basic troubleshooting, I decided the only option was to perform the equivalent of open heart surgery and replace the factory 3 pole with a coreless motor. Thankfully, ThisWayWorks provides just the thing!

 

A relatively simple process that just involved some fine soldering essentially. If you're comfortable with that, it's a doddle to swap these out. Testing with the Gaugemaster Combi resulted in a much smoother running locomotive, with fine slow speed control now too.

 

Another thing to sort was storage. Nobody enjoys constantly unpacking and repacking rolling stock into manufacturer sleeves and boxes. So I ordered from pick and pluck foam sheets from eBay, and some 2.5L really useful boxes and now I have ample storage for Minories.  

 

 

Minories in TT:120 - Part 4

 Completing the other modules

Next up was completing the comparatively simple station and fiddleyard boards - 

 

 

Initially I planned to use just the included Hornby controller - but this was later swapped out for a Gaugemaster Combi and CDU to power the points as well as providing smoother DC power.

 

The volt and amp meters were just an afterthought - I had them spare so thought why not add them.

 

So that got us to the stage where wiring and track where complete... why not add the bridge to cover the exit - 

 

 

This obviously required clearance testing  and running a few trains!

 

Minories in TT:120 - Part 3

Adding some buildings

Buildings in TT:120 are unfortunately scarce - Hornby released a range of resin items, and of course there's the initial kits from Peco, but other than that it's slim pickings. Fortunately though, N scale items which are often overscale, can be substituted, and there's a growing range of 3D printed building suppliers too.

 

I decided to use a mixture of these for the buildings on the station throat module -

 

 A 3D printed signal box in the LMS style - a little bit fragile but satisfying to finish off with suitable paints. Next are a couple of Ratio N kits -  

Finally some Metcalfe N gauge retaining walls were added - 

 

 

Minories in TT:120 - Part 2

Finalising the plan

Further revisions of the plan from last time were developed -  

These added a kickback siding off either platform 3 or 2, using an additional point or replacing a point with a double slip. As there isn't a double slip easily available in TT:120 (unless you want to buy the Tillig one for ££), I settled on the additional left hand point variation. I also realised that I would need more track in the fiddleyard to have a hope of accommodating a schedule to keep it entertaining.

The final plan

This retained the kickback siding, although limiting it to just enough space for a wagon and a brake van, but expanded the fiddleyard into four sidings for both down and up directions. This meant using a longer baseboard for this module - another SMS018 kit but with a centre piece added (BB023) taking the total length to 256cm. It's at this point that I started to think maybe even TT:120 isn't the right scale for me. Three modules that total over 2.5m and can't be left out permanently is pushing the limits for my current living situation.

 

Regardless, construction began with the baseboards receiving a coat of sealing paint both externally and internally -

 After that was done, each module could be constructed individually, starting with the station throat - 

Next time, I'll be adding some buildings and starting on the station board.