The Summit has been squeezed into our hired 7.5t lorry and we’re off to the NEC for the Warley Model Railway Show, come and see us as we will have members outside the layout to answer questions or just pass the time of day.
Author: Steve
9th November 2016
This week we finally had Bob A’s big quiz. 25 difficult questions won by esteemed Treasurer/anorak Jim A. Well done! Bob A has also completed the replacement signal to be located backing onto the bridge.
Work continued in preparation for The Summit trip to Warley NEC at the end of the month. Each of the eight colour coded stillages used to transport the layout is being assigned to a stillage manager who will be required to wear an appropriate coloured beanie hat. Two hats have yet to be assigned. Unassigned members to form an orderly queue – just one hat each please. At the end of play there was still some work to do on two of the stillages.
Ed P and Keith spent some of the evening installing the new trackwork/points on Yeovil Town. Otherwise we re-organised the workshop so construction of more baseboards for Heyno Junction can commence. The jig and plans for board Q are in position.
The Summit at Taunton Railex 2016
The Summit landed in Taunton courtesy of some very clever and consistent packing of a very full 7.5 tonne lorry. Setup time about was about five hours:
The show was busy throughout the two days. Trains were run from crack expresses to long lumbering freight trains. As well as the expected LMS and Midland Region services, there were a number of Eastern Region specials. A Load Haul Class 60 with container and ferry wagons also whistled by occasionally bringing things a bit more up to date.
A Terrier with three horse boxes in tow that could have been on the run from Plumpton race course was occasionally seen. Admittedly our trains are a bit of a mixture as dictated by our members wide interests – but standards may have dropped a little towards the end of two very long days:
The Summit was well received by the many visitors to this very successful and enjoyable exhibition. We were very pleased to win the Rail-Ex Taunton Cup for best layout as judged by the paying public, the Brian Winter Salver for best signalled layout and the Chairmans Shield as awarded by the SRMC chairman Jack Sully.
YMRG would like to thank the Somerset Railway Modellers Club for the kind invitation and the excellent hospitality at a brilliant venue where we were made most welcome.
19th October 2016
Over the past few weeks the list of jobs needed to get The Summit ready for Taunton and Warley shows have been completed. This afternoon the The Summit was dismantled and packed ready for Taunton Railex this coming weekend.
The striking scenery for this very large layout is of lightweight construction and is hung from a spine of more substantially built track boards as can be seen below:
The pictures show the large scenery boards loaded into stillages for transport, together with all the electrical kit a layout like this needs which even includes CCTV and screens for the operators to view the front from the fiddle yard. Every scenery board is unique, and so are each of the stillages!
Meanwhile work continues on the youth layout, with three boards completed. Donations of both cash and material are welcomed for this worthwhile project, and so far these have included a significant quantity of Peco pointwork.
More Hornby three rail was in evidence with a smart Hornby Type 1 being run on the test track, and the usual procession of trains were to be seen on South Junction.
14th September 2016
Construction of the youth layout has started. Paul R has relinquished Layout Co-ordinator (LC) of Heyno Junction and will over see the youth layout until they tell him to go away! Keith will take over as LC of Heyno Junction.
Richard Capability Brown continues to sculpt the scenery on Holly
Junction while Julian expertly applies the plaster matting on top of the polystyrene. Scenic progress to date can be seen to the right…
Gas Works will be dismantled this coming Wednesday ready for transportation to Yeovil for the HRCA Yeovil and District exhibition on Saturday 24th September. We will load the van at about 15:30 on the
Friday (23rd). Further details of the show can be found here. Opening time is 10:30 on Saturday.
Once the HRCA exhibition is over it’s time to finish sorting out The Summit for Railex in October. Apart from some scenic details and train set-ups it is ready to go. And for those who have not seen the new mounts for TS’s screens…
7th September 2016
Gas Works will be at the Hornby Railway Collectors Association show on Saturday the 24th September at the Preston Road Methodist Church in Yeovil ( BA21 3JR ) for other layouts and traders see here.
Work continues on The Summit with signals now moved ready and continuous test running of trains ready for Taunton in October.
24th August 2016
With the exhibitions at Taunton and Warley rapidly approaching, the afternoon session saw work start on The Summit to move the outside track starter signal further along the board. This will give us more space for reversing into the lay-by siding without passing the signal to do so. The outer scenic board by the bridge needs to be removed so we can relocate the inner track starter too. An obvious dip in the outer track was raised, and that will be the last track adjustment until after Warley.
Holly Junction continues to develop. Capability Brown was seen sculpting polystyrene for the landscape – but where did all the polycrumbs go?
A short on the 3 rail test track nearly had disastrous consequences for testing locos prior to purchase. Fortunately the short was isolated and the locos tested on good track. Dave S will bring this terrible occurrence to the attention of the committee for immediate action in finding and fixing the short. Is he biased; how can you possibly think that?
Yep, it’s a mine; so someone knew that YMRG were in the area! Should anyone want to see more of the 2016 YMRG Canal Cruise (and Paddington Bear), photos courtesy of Simon the new cabin boy can be found here.
10th August 2016
Work started on fettling the errant track work at the front of the The Summit. Bob A had marked out those areas of concern on the inner track so we started with one of them. Very hot water soon had the ballast soft enough to manipulate. Three areas were softened and corrected.
Assessing the success of the repairs required some serious train watching…
Keith then used his ‘tablet’ to film the train going along the outer track which gave us a better idea of where to fettle. At this point we decided that there was too much to change and the decision was taken to leave the outer track as is, fix only major items on the inside track and relay the track after the Warley show and before the East of England one in 2018.
Work continued on Heyno Junction with the repairing of one corner board, the removal of as many screws as possible from the track base so that it can be machine planed before we can start laying cork. Simon was ably(?) assisted by a limping chairman claiming a sports injury – supposedly!
The youth section commandeered South Junction for a serious running session, whilst Rich continued his road building program on Holly Junction where there is a rumour of a motorway extension.
3rd August 2016
An eventful day which began with Dave S departing to repatriate the three rail train set with newly upgraded through station. Judging by the pictures a wonderful layout, Sir Frank would be ‘chuffed’. Well done!
Our birthday guest arrived and was shown around with Summit, Gasworks and other layouts all running trains. He seemed to enjoy his visit, a possible associate member?
The workshop screen was re-erected and after maneuvering the Heyno Junction boards the scenic profiles were noisily trimmed to BobA’s approval. The two halves were re-attached and the layout levelled. Until we get more plans we will level out the track beds etc.
The front scenic boards on TS were removed for track/ground signalling upgrading in preparation for appearances later this year at Taunton RailEx in October and Warley in November. No pressure, but all tasks will need to be completed more quickly than the real thing can manage!
27th July 2016
A big tidy up at the back of the shed means that we can now replace the curtains and recommence woodworking on the Heyno Junction boards.
An EMU was seen running around Welton Down continuously for most of the evening without derailment or rearranging itself which proves that layout works best without human interference!!
Trains also ran on South Junction which features in the current Model Rail magazine, now available in all good newsagents!
Trains also ran on The Summit. It appears the layout needs extending due to the length of our goods trains which can no longer be accommodated in the refuge sidings or fiddle yard! The point on entry to the fiddle yard left has been sorted by Ed and just needs high-speed testing on all tracks.
The group has very kindly been offered a shed boarded out for a layout and it is hoped that at least some of the boards will be suitable for the new Youth Section layout.
Perhaps the greatest excitement was found on the Hornby-Dublo 3-rail layout which has been in temporary residence at the club for track re-alignment to incorporate a city style station using modified original parts. Dave S spent most of Wednesday wiring up the GPO mail bag equipment so it cannot be connected incorrectly – we get worse with age you know!
Once connected Dave was (allegedly) seen Morris dancing around the board. Then much ‘testing’ took place sending the only mail bag to one side of the layout and then back again – what fun! The HD system must be DIGITAL as it only needs two wires!!
Yeovil Model Railway Group (YMRG) 