Engine shed roof, lighting and interiors

The roof of the engine shed that I have recently moved to the other side of the station was already totally warped when I took it out of the Auhagen kit box. No bending effort was successful and I also did not want to glue it solidly to the building - as I wanted to keep it removable because of the interior design and lighting. So I built my own roof out of an Evergreen sheet (Metal Roofing No. 4524) which has a similar structure as the roofs of the station building and freight shed.

Two led's were installed to provide the lighting and I moved the interiors that I have shown in a previous post to the other wall (as the shed got turned in its new position). The roof ridge was done from a strip of very fine sanding paper.

The roof still needs painting, it's currently only primed (Tamiya primer). Then also the chimneys and rain pipes can be glued down in position. And I want to add a figure or two to the interior, as well as some posters as wall decoration.

Moving the engine shed (part 2)

The idea of moving the engine shed looked immediately convincing on the first test. It's a much more balanced layout now that offers more possibilities and looks less crammed despite it's short length. So I waited no longer and added the new switch, added the new loco shed rail and added some centimeters to the freight shed track.

Overview of the two station modules in situ. Not shown to the left is the platform and station building area. A fascia will certainly further integrate the layout in the furniture.

First test drive in the living room with my traditional test loco, the Austrian Rh 2045. Note that the layout is shown here from the backdrop end.

Railroad modelling in the sun. The rougher work of cutting out the inspection pit in the shed was done in the garden.

Moving the engine shed...

The advantages of not starting with weathering the rails and ballasting are that I could run a few trains for fun and experience the layout in "operation mode". The VT 98 DMU arrived and departed with commuters, sometimes taking a freight car with it and spotting it at the freight shed. The daily freight service brought cars in and picked up others. I experimented with mixed passenger and freight services. All great fun and in general prove that the track plan works.

Still some things kept nagging me.. Like the situation at the end of the layout where everything seems a bit too crammed. I had thought that the engine shed at the end of the line was a good idea, something special. There are a couple of prototype examples, and showing such a special situation on my layout seemed a nice change to ordinary terminus plans. Also, it would help block the view to the short end of the layout.

The "old" situation with the engine shed at the end of the line.The platform in front of the station building long enough for a 2-car DMU. Not uninteresting, but overall too crammed for my taste. The freight shed by the way is a placeholder only. As described in a previous I have already built a smaller version of it.

I simply do not have enough length in my layout room. The platform became too short and required an awkward extension over the run-around switches. Even with my plan to only run DMU's in passenger service and a 2 car VT 98 fitting just, it looked too crammed.

So yesterday evening - after having freed my mind at the Karate training - I picked up the engine shed, lifting it from its current position and putting it down at the other end, the station entrance. This will require the addition of a switch for a new engine shed track between the raised platform and the main line.

In its new position, the engine shed provides nice backdrop to incoming trains. Views to the long loading platform are still possible. I even like the fact that it is a bit hidden. I took a few snapshots which I show here. Though they do in no way justice to the look & feel which is in reality much better.

The passenger platform on the other end is now long enough (ca. 65 cm) for a short line station. Another benefit is that I can extend the track of the freight shed to hold 2 cars. This makes it also look less crammed and adds another position for cars to be spotted to.

There is now more room in front of the station building. Mind the gap!: the two parts of the station building are not connected yet, therefore the ugly gap..

The middle section of the station. The BR 333 is pulling in a string of cars in the sugar beet season.

The new freight shed. The track will be extended to hold two cars instead of one.

The new area at the entrance of the station. The track into the shed with a nice, wide curve leading into the building.

Overview of the far end of the station. Imagine tall trees framing the buildings and a busy team track in front of the nearest track.

A loading gauge for Elmslohe

A while ago I assembled a weigh bridge for my new Elmslohe station, a kit from Auhagen (No. 11404). The Auhagen kit also comes with a loading gauge. However, I was never too fond of it as the gauges look rather massive. I finally took the box out again to have another small project to do. I put a new blade in my knife holder and with some cutting and sanding I got the gauges to something that is usable in my view. It is surely still not of a Weinert quality, but considering the price-quality-ratio it is more than acceptable.

I primed the loading gauge with Tamyia light grey primer, and liked the look of it, no need for a further paint coat. I just weathered the model lightly with thinned black Tamiya paint.

The earlier built weighbridge.

On the right the original Auhagen piece, on the left the thinner version after cutting with a sharp blade.

The model in situ on the station module. I really want to get going with painting the rails and ballasting..

Inspiration: a local goods train serves the Sheffield railway system

Great inspirational video in which we can follow a local goods train in Sheffield in the 1960s, shunting various sidings and using diesel as well as steam power. Unfortunately this video is also documenting the beginning of the end of small goods depots and the complicated shunting work we love so much on our model railways.

And while we are already in the Sheffield area, why not watch again (and again) Michael Palin's Confessions of a Train Spotter:

"Rangieren - aber richtig" (correct switching operations)

New in my railroad library is Otto O. Kurbjuweit's latest book "Rangieren, aber richtig" (switching, the correct way). It offers many prototype examples from mostly Germany and Austria, all explained in detail and documented with many pictures. Amongst others it shows interesting operations on the Austrian 1000mm narrow-gauge line from Vöcklamarkt to Attersee which I have also visited a couple of times when living in Salzburg. But also a number model railroads are featured, with track plans and examples of switching operations. I am particularly drawn to the 0 gauge layout "Volpe Süd" by Michael Stern, a freight only line with many industries and operation possibilities. The book is definitely a recommendation for any model railroader interested in realistic switching operations.

Bundeswehr MB 1017

I progressed slowly, but steadily with the pair of Bundeswehr MB 1017's. As written in my previous post these will provide me with an additional transportation opportunity on my Elmslohe layout. After painting (3 coats of Humbrol 42 to represent the Bundeswehr olivgelb for period IV) and assembly of the cabin, I added details and painted head and backlights, reflectors, mirrors, etc. Finally, I applied the number plates. Still to be done are the rear fenders that I don't like from the Kibri kit, so I will need to make them myself.