The Duke 71000

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - "Fruit salad" or Cocktail of latest pics. ABOVE: Hornby Schools "V" Class 4-40 No:3098 "Wesnster" on the tuntable, just before it got ploned out of the way to allow wiing of the tutable. I have four of these "V" cass Hornby modes, and as they have traction tyes, they will pull 1/14 oaches up 1 in 100 gradients stright out of the packet.....

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - "Fruit salad" or Cocktail of latest pics. ABOVE: The track situation around the shed currently. This reveals tracklaying of the mainlines (U Slow & Up Fast) has fially reached the min station plaforms.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - "Fruit salad" or Cocktail of latest pics. ABOVE: Another collection of loos outside the shed, just before wiring up the Locoshed area bgan about a week ago. Promnent is a Bachann Clas 4 diesel, which appeared on Inter-Regional trins from the Mdlands from around 194, occasially at Basitoke.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Main Fiddle Yard & Third Rail ! ABOVE: Now minus the train, the third rail should be just vible. The rail usd is Peco code 0 rail, soldered to Peco brass nails, in the end of everyth sleeper. The nails allow adjustmnt of the height. The remmended Peco pstic 3rd rail "china" pots, are I foud useless, as they getdamgedevery time you cean the trck, hence the brass nails.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Main Fiddle Yard & Third Rail ! ABOVE: An Bachmann 8EP formaton of EMU's, proceedin ginerly over the newly laid Third Rail, to esure their (plastic) third rails shoes don't quite touch the rail. This loation i my revised vrsion of Wrting Junction, which has now been wired up, and ballasted. Thse uts interestingly give a very reaistic sond clatering through this juncion.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Main Fiddle Yard & Third Rail ! ABOE: Another angle on the copleted "Country end" of the Min 2 track Fiddle Yard. The roblem at ths end was devising the scenery to cope with all the pontwork which has stretched a littlefurther tan planned. The enrance to the Fddle Yard will have to ulise a number of tunnel mouths, and the resultant hillsdes will have to extend to coer some at least of the poitwork.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Main Fiddle Yard & Third Rail ! ABOVE: This is the man Fiddle yard where track layng has finally been completed at the end nearest. It has to include at least one crosover between the Up & Don lins, to allow for reversing certain trains such as EMU's & the Bournemouth Belle. Each of the our mainline tracks has six sidings, each long enough to accommodate 1 coach exress or two shorter trains.

Basingstoke 1958-67 When I first discovered the Forum was back up and running, I quickly discovered my page was no longer listed. But I found it using the Search facility. As it wasn't showing in the listings, I began a new page under the same title "Basingstoke 1958-67". Our Moderator "Chrisaf" suggested I return to the original, and I assume as a result, that the original had been brought out of the cupboard so to speak. However adding new content to the old page, requires the Moderator to currently keep "bumping it up the current listing". But the pictures on the original section have still not been added, making those old posts look rather dis-interesting. But as "editing" appears to work on all the old Posts, I have just begun adding the missing pictures, having reduced the size of the originals, due to the new limits on picture size. This however appears to have put my page back into the cupboard, as it seems to have vanished from the current listings again !!!??? Adding the old pics seemed to work, and the system confirmed that it had been saved. It didn't say it had been sent for further moderation, as it appeared with all the other Posts ! The Duke 71000

Luke, That all depends on which Class 43 !!! The original class 43's were of course the North British built "Warship" diesel Hydraulics, which certainly did haul Mk1's. Keep up the good work, the layouts coming along nicely. The Duke 71000

BASINGSTOKE - Progress in the Locoshed area. ABOVE: As a prelude to the net Post which will deal with progress wiring the shed up. We can see here, one of my 0 Bulleid Pacifics on the turntable. This moter being rebuilt Merchant Navy 35026 "Laort & Holt Line", and a dirty one it is. Having reived a good weathering, along with a number of modifications including the mising cab to tender roof, and a litle real coal in the bunker.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Progress in the Locoshed area. ABOVE: A closer view of the single slip, metioned in th previus picture. The tracks meioned in the picture help reveal that this single slip will be part of a long crossover. This will connect all the trks maked in the picture, and allow locos to reach the n Freight yard, via three more single slips and a couple of points.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Progress in the Locoshed area. ABOVE: An aerial view of the shed, with a few locos, including a Class 45 1-Co-Co-1 diesel to the right under the "sheer legs". This shot also reveals further progress with point , which is now spreading to link up the four mainline tracks to the right, and includes the first of number of single slips. The pic taken on 16th February, so there is yet more progress to reveal.....

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Progress in the Locoshed area. ABOVE: A view inside the shed through the main entrance doors. The rail built rig for the lighting is now revealed over the centre track. The little LED's are just bright enough to reveal any locos hidden inside, which also allows viewers a glimpse, if they are standing at the end of the layout some 15ft away.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Progress in the Locoshed area. ABOVE: Looking in through the rear windows of the locoshed, can be seen some of the little yellow 1.5v LED's. This shed was hit on a least two occasions during WW2 by German Luftwaffe bombers, which destroyed the shed roof. As rebuilt they omitted theaking it even darker inside.....

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Progress in the Locoshed area. ABOVE: It's a bit gloomy inside this 3ft long 3 track scratchbuilt locoshed. So to help the shed operator see what is lurking inside I have built this gantry from bent rail, and mounted a number of 1.5v tiny's on it. There is also now a sponge "buffer stop" (extreme left) to try and stop derailments ! The shed simply slides over this lighting rig, which is built the centre track.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Progress in the Locoshed area. ABOVE: The back in position to test the locating pins seen in the previous picture. Staring at us through the doorways are (L to R) a T9 4-4-0; A BR Britannia 4-6-2; & a Bachmann BR Class 5 4-6-0. All showing various route headcodes commonly seen at Basingstoke. 

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Progress on the Locoshed area.OVE: It's that Black diesel again, and now revealed as one of the three Bulleid prototypes of the early 1950's. This is a Silver Fox body kit, on a Bachmann class 45 chassis. As the Locoshed itself cannot be fixed to the baseboard, in case of a derailment inside. Here you can see the 4mm dia' brass tubes used to te the shed, each fitted inside one corner of the uilding.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Locos in the area. ABOVE: A Bachmann Class 03 0-6-0 204hp Diesel Mechanical shunting loco. Seen coupled to one of my Ratio kit built Southern Maunsell "Van C" parcels, luggage & newspaper vans. now make a RTR version of the "Van C", and these vans could be found the length & breadth of the UK, so are suitable on any period layout.

redjules51, I would recommend offloading the old Lima vehicles with their steam roller wheels, crude detail, and simply buy a nice new Hornby Pullman with working table lamps already fitted, refined detail, and modern wheelsets, so it will run perfectly out of the box....... The Duke 71000

"TO", If rail is required to be cut do not use "Rail cutters", as these are blunt when you buy them and simply pinch through the rail end, which means you can't put a rail joiner on the end without filing it square again. I would also recommend against saws of any kind for cutting rail, for a whole host of reasons, including inaccuracy of cut, damage to rail, and problem of preventing bending and it takes far too long. The quickest, simplest and most reliable method of cutting rail precisely where you need, is to use a Mini drill with a Carborundum (grey) disc. Carborundum is second only in hardness to a diamond cutter. As I have been hand-building track and pointwork for numerous exhibition layouts for decades, including my current exhibition layout "Basingstoke 1958-67" I have always used carborundum discs, as the quickest and most efficient method available. The Duke 71000

Chrisaf,

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Locoshed area track laying progress (pic 10 of 10) .ABOVE: The last hat points directly connected with the Locoshed are now seen as the crossover nearest the collection of tools used in handbuilt point building. Note; also the rail built gantry that should be just visible over the tracks normally hidden by the locoshed. Just what this is will become apparent, in the next series of photos. This series of 10 pictures of pointbuilding covers about two weeks work.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Locoshed area track laying progress (pic 9 of 10) .: Now looking at the country end of the shed area, the pointwork to connect the "Up Local" to the freight "Reception road" is in place, complete with a little Headshunt for a shunting loco t

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Locoshed area track laying progress (pic 8 of 10) .OVE: The locoshed has gone walkabout, as the next project to provide interior lighting was also underway at this stage. The pointwork has now connected with the freight avoiding line where that Bulleid Merchant Navy is quietly simmering.....

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Locoshed area track laying progress (pic 7 of 10) .ing finished connecting all the three shed roads with handbuilt points, the next point will be laid on the white card area. The card is needed as the copperclad sleepers used are slightly thinner than Pecos ones. The Peco locoshed pits (kits) in the foreground, have now been airbrushed matt black, in preparation for ballasting the area.