Update - No.7 - 23.04.11

Originally sent via email to friends and family only in Apr 2011

Hello again to all my lovely Corkettes.

You've had almost 3 weeks without an update so I know you'll all be climbing the walls to find out what progress I've made.....yeah right!!

End panel for doorway ready for installation

The plywood and timber delivery arrived as planned and I now have enough materials to keep me going for at least another month or two.  In fact I wouldn't be surprised if this takes me well past the half way point when it comes to the baseboards.  After assessing the number of nuts and bolts and screws I'm getting through I also placed another order for ironmongery including a few hundred nuts and bolts in a much smaller size for use when working on the helix and joining sections of trackbed together as they climb.  This will hopefully all become clear in a few updates time.  I hope it does because I've gone drastically wrong if it doesn't.  Again, this was an order direct from the manufacturers at a fraction of the high street price and should see me through to the end of the project.

Corky has a cuppa after completing another 3 baseboards

End panel in place next to doorway

The low level return loop baseboard sections have been my major priority over the last couple of weeks and I have fabricated the end panel which takes all 4 levels up to the doorway into the layout room.  You can see the panel leaning against the wall prior to being erected in one of the shots.  As I do not know the final locations for the tracks where they will cross the doorway on levels 2 and 3, I have not cut apertures into the end panel yet.  This can be done as and when the tracks actual reach these points in the future.  To make sure nothing snags when entering or leaving the room I have used coach bolts for the corridor side and this has worked well.  Another shot shows me with a few of the just completed baseboard sections and next time I'll show you how I have finished the entire section and "gone round the bend".  Most of you will of course realise I went round the bend when I first started on this project!!

Time for another cuppa me thinks!

So that really summarises the last few weeks progress....more carpentry and baseboard building.  No track laying yet but this is really getting very close now.  Once I have finalised my ideas for the low level storage sidings and return loop then it'll be full steam ahead to get something running.


New Arrivals on the CorkscrewI have included a shot of the ironmongery because I know some of you cannot get enough photo's of nuts, bolts, washers and drill bits......you know who you are!  Another shot shows another new idea which I am going to experiment with.  The Corkscrew Lines will need a lot of track......an awful lot of track!  The track will also need some kind of underlay to represent the ballast shoulder but more importantly in this context, to deaden the sounds of the trains as they trundle around the room.  The grand scheme will see multiple trains running at the same time so the vibrations and reverberations could get pretty loud.  I have bought some 1m x 2m sheets of black 5mm Plastazote foam.  This is a material which was originally designed for use in instrument cases and equipment boxes to protect valuable items.  I have bought some from a specialist musical supplier and I will use it on the lowest level and see how it performs.  Crucially, it is approximately a quarter of the price of Woodlands Scenics trackbed which is the normal alternative but is to all intents and purposes a similar product.

Ironmongery action!

Plastazote foam sheets ready to be cut into trackbed

Bristols, tunnel mouths, tracksettas, glues and paint

The other new arrivals shot shows a couple of single track tunnel mouths which I intend to use for the exposed section of the low level return loop.  This will be a small cameo scene in a recessed cutting with a solitary signal box with an appropriate joke name.  Current favourite is "Shinbash Low Level".  This will be the only scenic section on the low level.  I have also purchased some adhesives for the underlay and some cheap white paint to seal the baseboards as and when track laying begins.  To assist with the track laying I have purchased a couple of additional tracksetta radius templates ready for the return loop and finally invested in a few bargains on eBay in the shape of some Tilling green liveried Bristol buses appropriate for the era.  You can never have enough Bristol FLF or LS in my opinion!!

Full Size Railway AdventuresOver the last couple of weeks there have been some very important visitors to the joint line which runs through Risegate village where I live.  It would have been rude not to go and pay my respects to the first couple of VIPs so I took a wander to a line side location camera in hand and recorded the event.  First up was the magnificent Britannia pacific "Oliver Cromwell" with the Jolly Fisherman rail tour destined for Skegness.  Unfortunately she was slowing to a stand at Gosberton Signal Box and the shot was into the sun - but such a magnificent machine deserves to be shown none the less.  Next up and my particular highlight was the visit of a Bullied Pacific, Battle of Britain class "Tangmere" which thundered through Risegate with an excursion for Lincoln.  My perfectly framed shot was ruined by a sudden gust of wind which sent all of the smoke and steam onto the wrong side of the loco obscuring it.  I dashed to the other side of the line and took a grab shot which whilst not my best does still record the event.  The final train was an excursion hauled by a far more modern machine. "Skip" 67 005 "Royal Messenger in Royal Train claret livery hums through Risegate with a smart rake of 13 coaches.  Ironically this is the best shot of the lot.....always the way!

Oliver Cromwell with the Jolly Fisherman rail-tour - Gosberton

Oliver Cromwell with the Jolly Fisherman rail-tour - Gosberton

Tangmere thunders through Gosberton heading for Lincoln

67 005 Royal Messenger hums through Gosberton heading for Peterborough

Next time I'll describe a really unusual trip I took last week to the North East of England to chase and photograph an extraordinary event on our Railways.  Those "Neds" amongst you will I'm sure already know what I'm talking about....Dreadful!

So that's it Corkers....you are now all up to date and hopefully your appetite for Corkscrew info has been sated.  I need to spend some time preparing the shed for the spray booth's installation next week so although there may be an update, it'll probably concentrate on the finished return loop section and my adventures "Ooop North"

Take it easy guys and as you've read this to the end you deserve a treat......go and have a cuppa!

Cheers,

Corky!
"Keep your hands off my plywood!"