I bet you guys didn't expect to be hearing from me again so soon after the last update. I really wanted to get a final update posted before this extraordinary year comes to a close so here it is...in all it's majestic glory...Oh My Lords!
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| Beast! Hellfire! This is the type of Diesel-Hydraulic action I want to recreate on the Corkscrew-Lines. |
"So Corky - What have you been up to?"
Well I'm so glad you asked me because I've been quite busy really. As you will all see later on in this update I have been feverishly beavering away in the Ned-Cave constructing further girder bridge kits when not working for a living in London. Yes, I have returned to work full time following a very successful recuperation following the back surgery in September. As always, I have far too many projects on the go at the same time but at least that way life never gets boring. Without a doubt though, the most significant event has been the conclusion of the garage conversion. I have nothing but praise for the builder - Rob Georgeson who carried out the work exactly as agreed, within budget and within the agreed time scale and was an absolute pleasure to deal with. What more can you ask for? I have included Rob's details in an image below and I would recommend anybody in the Brighton area needing building work contacts him for a quote.
In the last update the garage was in the throws of being insulated and lined with plasterboard. A couple of days after the plaster-boarding was completed a plasterer spent a day putting a topcoat of plaster onto every surface ready for decorating. However, before I could get stuck in with the roller, a second visit was made by the electrician to carry out the 2nd fix. A total of 12 recessed down-lighters were fitted to the ceiling and 4 strategically placed double electrical sockets and a separate fusebox for the garage should take care of all future power needs.
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| The room is plastered and awaiting the application of paint...lots of it! |
As is always the case when a room has been newly plastered, it takes time for the moisture to leave the walls. After about a week the room was ready to be painted so I applied the first of three coats of bog standard white trade emulsion. This paint is already slightly watered down so easily soaks into the walls. After roughly a week of evening painting sessions after work, I had applied about 15 litres of paint and as you can imagine I was quite relieved to reach a stage where it was good enough and finally pack away the decorating gear. Rob had very helpfully marked onto the flooring the positions of the wooden stud-work uprights so I transferred these markings onto the walls with pencil as the next stage of the process would see the floor transformed and all of the chipboard covered for good.
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| A mug of tea, and a 10 litre tub of paint...let painting commence! |
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| I found the headphones and prog rock made the hours fly by! |
Taking advantage of a special offer at Wickes..."It's got our name on it!" I arrived home one day with 12 packs of Oak effect laminate flooring and 3 packs of foil backed underlay. Total cost of the paint and all of the flooring materials amounted to less than £250 which I thought was pretty good. I hoped I would be able to lay the floor without any problems as I was really looking forward to having a clean, even and welcoming floor after the cold concrete floor in the previous layout room. I made myself a large mug of tea (most essential tool for any DIY project) and got to work. After a couple of half days laying underlay then positioning and cutting boards to length the job was done...easy! Rob returned a couple of days later to fit the skirting and final pieces of trim to the loft hatch and the job was completed. The Corkscrew-Lines had a new home and I was relieved to note the internal dimensions were almost exactly 16ft square which was always my target...Hellfire!
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| Now that's a lot of laminate flooring! |
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| It all went together really well...a "4 mugs of tea" job - Dreadful! |
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| Skirting fitted and the jobs a good-un! |
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| What a wonderful environment to build a model railway empire - Hellfire! |
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| French doors wide open allow fantastic access. |
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| Rob Georgeson - recommended by Corky! |
The layout room has now been finished for just over a week and I already know I did the right thing converting the garage. Even on the coldest days, just half an hour or so of electric heater action gives a pleasant temperature and the room is quiet and the floor is warm. If all goes to plan I will be spending an awful lot of time in the room so I wanted it to be a welcoming place to be and it certainly is. Mrs Corky was filled with excitement and enthusiasm when I asked her to help me transfer the layout baseboards from the conservatory (their temporary home during the building works) and back into their new permanent home. Actually she hated the whole process but helped me anyway as she always does with her normal good grace and sense of humour...that's why I love her so much.
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| Layout sections stacked ready to be used once again. |
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| Corky's Mountain...Oh My Lords! |
So what happens next I hear you cry. Well, I am going to experiment with a new form of construction system with the Corkscrew-Lines mk2 by using twin-slot metal shelving sections and matching metal brackets. These will be attached to the stud-work (hence transferring the pencil marks) and should allow me more flexibility with layout heights and as a bonus give a more uncluttered appearance to the finished fascia sections. I am still assessing potential costs and methods but I am leaning towards using a 360 degree laser level placed centrally in the room to set an absolute datum height for the whole room. Once that is done I can install all the shelving at the same precise level and start putting the baseboard sections around the walls. I will decide how to deal with the peninsula section a little further down the road. I suspect I will need the centre of the room to be kept clear for a while to allow the helix to be constructed.
With regard to the Corkscrew-Lines signature helix which will join all of the levels, this will probably be constructed in the garage as previously mentioned but designed to sit on heavy duty castors and be mobile so it can be transferred to the "helix-house" in the garden at the appropriate time next year. I need to make a final decision regarding track radius and gradient on the helix but as I already know I will be able to get the train lengths I want by using Powerbase by DCC Concepts, I am quite relaxed about this. I'm no longer a helix virgin as this will be my second and I learnt many valuable lessons from the first, including making the separation distance between turns as shallow as possible to prevent the running of taller North American stock wherever possible! Only kidding Rooster and Martyn! I want to start sketching some ideas and maybe even cutting some trial sections of the turns so watch this space my lovely little Corkettes. For more details of how I see the whole layout construction process continuing from this point on, see the "Corky's Master Plan"section below.
Meanwhile..."Back in the Ned-Cave"
Well the repetitive nature of their construction didn't help, but I managed to finish the other 2 Walthers double girder bridge kits. I hunted through various boxes (I have had these kits for years) until I found the resin castings for the support piers and the end abutments. A long section of window cill in the conservatory provided the ideal spot to temporarily set up the kits to get a feel for how they will look when installed on the layout. I was impressed. Once they have been painted and weathered and settled into a natural landscape then I think they will provide an excellent scenic feature. Time to construct something else now...I'm sick of bridge girders!
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| Are three enough? I keep thinking a fourth is required. |
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| Total length is well over a yard |
Another long overdue project which I have now decided to tackle is the spray-booth. Now that I can sit in a civilised environment in the Ned-Cave and finally contemplate mastering the dark art of weathering, I have started construction of a mobile base for the booth with a view to starting spraying early next year. I have spent a day in the garage and recycled some used plywood sections and panels to create a custom table on castors which will support the booth and allow room underneath on a shelf for the compressor and various tools and air-gun based equipment. It is not going to win any awards for design or appearance but it is strong and does exactly what I want it too...sorted! I am hoping to get it finished before Christmas and then get a few coats of paint on it before moving it upstairs to the "Cave".
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| Definitely function over form. |
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| Only the top to produce now. |
New Arrivals on the Corkscrew-Lines.
Only one new arrival since the last update. I ordered this pair of Bachmann Pipe wagons way back when Bachmann products were generally considered to be excellent value. Unfortunately their price has risen considerably since they were announced due to the now well publicised difficulties with model manufacturing in China. Even with the normal discounts applied by Rails Of Sheffield, these wagons at just under £17.00 a piece pose some difficult questions for me. Whilst I accept they are excellent models and as I only purchased a couple they will not push me into insolvency, they do seem rather expensive for what they are. I suspect this is just something I need to get used to because we as modellers have grown accustomed to rolling stock prices which in retrospect were artificially low when compared to models offered to our continental friends. Lovely wagons at the end of the day - but at that price, so they should be!
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| A pair of pipes! |
"Ere'..Who do you think you are - David Bailey?"
I love photography and have always had a camera by my side since the very early 1980s. Over the years I have progressed from 35mm SLR kits to Medium-Format monsters which I lugged all over the country to the now almost obligatory Digital SLR and compact cameras we all use today. The problem however is I have literally tens of thousands of slides and negatives, both colour and black and white, which were taken back in pre digital days which never get to see the light of day. The vast majority of my negatives have never even been printed and for years now a nagging voice in the back of my head (not Mrs Corky's) has been telling me it is time to do something about it. The ideal of course would be to scan all of the images and digitise them but I know how long it takes to use a dedicated film scanner and I simply don't have the time or patience to go down that road.
Over the last year or so I have been developing a plan to try and get around the "Digitised Decades" conundrum and at the same time upgrade my current camera gear to make my life easier by fitting my lifestyle better. The route I have decided to take is to have 2 separate cameras with more specific roles in mind. I wanted a compact camera which was truly compact and I could take with me everywhere I go including work but one which could also produce stunning images. I decided on the Fujifilm XF1 which although now no longer in production was available at a heavily discounted price and so far has produced some excellent images. All of the images used in the last Update were taken on this camera.
The other camera would be far less convenient but produce far higher quality results and be used for more specific tasks. Firstly, I wanted a camera that was future proofed and could record video in 4K resolution. I see video becoming far more important to me in the future for both full sized and miniature trains. The Corkscrew-Lines video vault section is long overdue some new material so watch this space once the tracks are laid. This second camera would also be able to hopefully address my digitised decades issue as I intend to use it to literally take photos of my negatives and slides in an attempt to quickly and easily get them in a digital format ready for archiving and sharing. I have purchased a light-box which will provide the even illumination required and I will set up the new camera on a tripod and start working my way through my collection. To ensure high quality results I will need a large sensor in the camera and a top quality macro lens to ensure I get every grain of detail from the originals.
Having studied in depth the current range of cameras on the market which on paper meet these requirements, I decided to forget my previous Canon loyalties and go for the brand new Samsung NX1 mirror-less camera which is a real powerhouse and although targeted at the enthusiast market, is actually built to a standard where some professional photographers are swapping from their current Nikon and Canon systems. It is a fantastic tool to use and I am just loving the flexibility and quality of the images it produces. I won't list all of the extraordinary features this camera has except the headline grabbing 28 mega-pixel sensor. When this is coupled to a top quality lens then I should be well on the way to getting top quality results from the old negatives and slides. I need to gather all of my existing cameras and camcorders together to part exchange them against a dedicated macro lens. I am hoping I can start the process early in the new year. I will let you all know how I get on.
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| It's time to get all my images in a digital format |
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| This magnesium bodied beauty will certainly help! |
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| The fabulous Fujifim XF1 - don't be fooled by it's diminutive proportions! |
Full Sized Adventures
A couple of weeks ago I thought I would take some shots at London Bridge on the Southern Railway side as this area is currently undergoing extensive renewal and change with another massive series of changes due to take place over this Christmas period. These are shots of everyday trains in and around the new platforms and areas where the current scene will very soon be lost forever.
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| London Bridge - Old & New |
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| London Bridge - Old & New |
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| London Bridge - Old & New |
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| London Bridge - Old & New |
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| London Bridge - Old & New |
What's On Corky's Hi-Fi?...Oh My Lords!
Music is a very important part of my life and is always being played whilst I am working on my modelling projects. I am at heart a rocker but I have leaned more towards the new progressive rock scene and blues for the last decade or so. I know this is a blog about a model railway but it breaks my heart to think some of you poor Corkettes have never heard some of the fantastic bands I follow. Anyway, this will be a very occasional feature where I tell you what I am currently listening to. Just a bit of fun really but I would suggest you check these albums out because if you're not listening to these guys then you are seriously missing out...Hellfire!
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| Absolutely "Dreadful" sounds! |
Pink Floyd - The Endless River
Amplifier - Mystoria
Karnivool - Sound Awake
North Atlantic Oscillation - The Third Day
Flying Colours - Second Nature
Corky's Corkscrew-Lines Master Plan
OK, the garage has been converted so I now have somewhere to permanently house the layout. That's the most important thing done but where do I go from here and what do I prioritise? I have been giving the planning for the whole project a lot of thought lately and I decided it would be quite a useful idea for you Corkettes - so you know what to expect, and for me to provide an incentive to keep working, if I were to list what I intend to do and in roughly what order. These phases of construction are my main goals which will need to be reached by this time next year if I am to consider my progress in 2015 to be a success. Of course, this is only a model railway layout at the end of the day (gasps all round!) so unforeseen events could scupper my plans. However, if all does go according to plan then the phases of construction listed below are my targets for next year...
Phase One - Finish Conversion of Double Garage to Layout Room - Completed
Phase Two - Fit twin-slot shelving system around Layout Room
Phase Three - Baseboards erected around perimeter of Layout Room
Phase Four - Construct Base and lower turns of Helix
Phase Five - Track-laying begins & return loops (Turbo-Banjos) installed for continuous running
Phase Six - Helix House constructed in garden
Phase Seven - Tunnels constructed linking Helix House and Layout Room - Through running
Don't forget, these are the major projects and not the everyday modelling, the kit construction, the new arrivals and Corky's adventures and so on that I have featured in the updates from the start. I will still continue the updates as I always have in the established way but from here on in it will be layout construction rather than just thinking about it as has unfortunately been the case during 2014. I have some time off after Christmas so I am hoping to start producing some possible track plans and a very rough schematic of what I want on the layout levels so you can share in my vision. Another idea which appeals right now is constructing a scale model of the garage with foam-board in perhaps 1/10th scale so I can actually produce all the levels and track plans and stack them inside in 3D to see if everything will work. The only problem with this is it could take so long to produce the model that I am missing out on actually building the real layout. It would certainly help iron out any potential clearance issues so right now I'm thinking it's probably worth doing.
Visiting Corkettes
My great mate and long term Corkette - the one and only "Where's the Risk?" Wibble came to stay at Jones-Towers last week. He brought his lovely wife Richenda along and a great time was had by everybody as we hopped on an electric train (whatever will they think of next?) and headed for the delights of nearby Brighton. I just had to take a shot of Wibble at the now surely to be renamed Wibblesfield station. Later on that day I took some shots of the berthed Class 313 units at Brighton. It seems like only yesterday I was driving units like these in and out of Moorgate and on to Hertford and Welwyn on the Great Northern. In fact it was well over 10 years ago...how time flies! Wibble has now become the first Corkette to visit the new layout room...perhaps I should erect a plaque somewhere...Hellfire!
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| I have nothing more to add...My Lords! |
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| Class 313 units at Brighton |
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| The first Corkette visits - Dreadful! |
Miscellaneous Musings!
So there you have it...the final update of 2014. If you have been along for the Corkscrew-Lines ride from the very start then thank you for your support and I hope you have enjoyed some of my rambling nonsense and adventures along the way. On a personal level it was a difficult year what with a major back injury and resultant surgery. It was however also a very positive year as we finally moved house (twice actually) and now find ourselves very content in our new Sussex home. To have the garage converted so soon after moving in is a real bonus and I can now get cracking on the layout from the get go in 2015.
I have to say a huge thank you to so many friends and family who have offered support and assistance during 2014, especially during the dark times when I was in pain and feeling useless. The likes of Avro-Boy & his lovely Co-Pilot, Lord & Lady Dowsby, Rooster & the Roosterettes, Wibble, Gibsy-Wibsy, Levers & Dreadful, Neil & Jo, Chrissy Sweeney, Steve Copley, Oop North James, Ben Andrew and so many others helped me get through and I will always appreciate your support and friendship. The biggest thanks have to go to my wonderful wife and daughter for putting up with my particular form of madness for another year and actually facilitating me and encouraging me to continue with the Corkscrew-Lines despite there being so many recent hurdles along the way...Sarah and Becky - you are the best xxx
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| I couldn't do anything without you guys xx |
Becky even bought me a Brighton themed railway related gift for my birthday last month. The print of Brighton in the 1930s now hangs in the lounge and rather splendid it looks too...thanks Bex!
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| Thanks Bex! |
In conclusion (at last I hear you all cry!) I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas. After a couple of years of stagnation and indecision, the Corkscrew-Lines now has a purpose again and is now back on track (I'm so sorry!) so stick around and keep following because I think 2015 for the Corkscrew-Lines is going to be a very exciting year. If you are already a Corkette then make sure you keep your diaries clear for the first of the Corkscrew-Lines mk2 CLAG days...Hellfire!
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| Merry Christmas my lovelies! |
That's all for this year Folks!
Corky!
