Andy's Modelmaking Misadventures

[Andy in Germany]

I was assuming you'd be leaving it on the flat, not wanting anything going through.

Second option would be four small pieces of wood glued in place, on the underside, onto which you glue a flat piece to stop anything falling through.

Another option would be plastic cups, stackable, that have a taper. Removable for storage.

The holes will eventually contain these bottles:

The idea being that they will stay in the holes when the "desk" is closed.

 

[Kempstonian]

The holes will eventually contain these bottles:

View attachment 542399

The idea being that they will stay in the holes when the "desk" is closed.

Caps on or caps off?

 

[Andy in Germany]

Caps on or caps off?

Caps on: the "desk" needs to be lowered slightly in any case, so I'll make the gap big enough for the caps to stand tall of the surface.

 

[classic33]

Plan B sounds as though it'd be best for you.

The small shelf on the back of the board. Spacing could be adjusted to suit.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Plan B sounds as though it'd be best for you.

The small shelf on the back of the board. Spacing could be adjusted to suit.

Sorry @classic33: What do you mean?

 

[classic33]

Sorry @classic33:What do you mean?

Strips of wood on the rear of the board, acting as spacers. Onto which you can fasten/fix a small board to prevent the jars from falling through.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Strips of wood on the rear of the board, acting as spacers. Onto which you can fasten/fix a small board to prevent the jars from falling through.

I think I follow. The current plan is to make containers that slide into place under the desk. I did think about making a grille on the bottom but decided to go for an enclosed box underneath; that way any dripping from a bottle is prevented from reaching the laminated floor.

Ironically, the fact I haven't paid a deposit on this apartment is making me even more nervous and keen not to damage it.

 

[Kempstonian]

Caps on: the "desk" needs to be lowered slightly in any case, so I'll make the gap big enough for the caps to stand tall of the surface.

My next question was going to be "Are you going to lower the desk top?". No need to ask now!

 

[Andy in Germany]

Near glacial progress continues:

The new workbench is taking shape very, very, slowly. This is a common theme of this thread I’m afraid, not least because I keep getting distracted by shiny things, random ideas, and interesting places to visit by bike.

Also, as is often the case, planning for this stage, preparing the tools, and making a makeshift guide for them took far longer than actually making holes in the wood. Not everything went quite as I wanted: the smaller hole for the plastic glue is a bit closer to the front than planned because the stand drills can only reach so far, but that’s just another example of the imperfect universe we inhabit, and it may well work out better to have the bottle closer, especially knowing my ability to drop things.

As the workbench currently stands it it will be a bit useless of course, so this week’s job is to make the bits to go underneath those holes.

Funny shape is because the undergubbins will have to be removable so I can transport them by bicycle.

Life would sometimes be much easier if I could just plan ahead…

 

[Andy in Germany]

The workbench is completed:

Also, this is why we have Xtracycles:

Now I'm getting all ambitious and thinking of my future model empire:

 

[Oldhippy]

To say jealous would be an understatement. I have a space for jewellery making/models and bike storage/maintenance but Mrs Oldhippy keeps putting 'stuff' in the room.

 

[Andy in Germany]

To say jealous would be an understatement. I have a space for jewellery making/models and bike storage/maintenance but Mrs Oldhippy keeps putting 'stuff' in the room.

Having the space is certainly nice. We'll have to see if I can make this before I have to move back in with the family (or they come to move in with me)

 

[classic33]

The workbench is completed:

View attachment 553799

Also, this is why we have Xtracycles:
View attachment 553800

Now I'm getting all ambitious and thinking of my future model empire:

View attachment 553798

No fiddle yard!

 

[Andy in Germany]

No fiddle yard!

The two lines under the slightly green shading bottom left.

I decided it would make life more interesting if the station is Fort William style "junction terminus" the idea being that it is effectively a through station but with only one fiddle yard. We'll have to see if that works, especially as I don't have the space for a passing loop: the platform looks pretty long but the clearance needed for my rolling stock means that a loop would be so short it would be useless. I have wondered if a headshunt off the siding at top left would be a good idea, either with an industry, or for a station pilot.

The siding at lower right is one or possibly 2 industries served by the railway.

I'm trying to be disciplined and make at least eight items of freight stock, one carriage, a railcar, "big" loco and shunter before I start on the layout, but it was good to start thinking in the vague direction of an actual model...

 

[Andy in Germany]

A bit of measuring in the bedroom and movement of a large wardrobe, and I've found a space to build the model , 15cm shorter than the 3 metres I originally wanted, but this is still more than I had hoped. Here's the (badly lit) version 2:

The "Train" at the top is standing in what would be the platform road, and the locomotive behind is in the loco stabling point. The far end of the model will be finished with a 2 road locomotive shed. The other siding may go right up to the end of the baseboard, it may not. I'd like to have a station building but that could just as easily bolt onto the front of the model and stick out a bit: certainly many rural European stations have a track running directly in front of the station, usually inset into the platform, and it would be handy to have that extra bit of length when shunting the siding.
At this end of the model, the wood wagon is standing in a siding that will probably end in a "farmers cooperative" with one wood-based industry or possibly just a loading ramp squeezed in further up. The angled tape marks where I'll have to cut off a bit of the baseboard so I can open the door properly.
Behind that the two sidings will be hidden for playing about with trains and getting them ready to appear on scene. The station is supposed to be an end on station rather like Fort William, Norwich or Inverness, where trains have to come in and reverse to continue, so they would enter on one line and leave on the other, so I'll have to have a couple of locomotives on call at any given time to make sure trains can enter and leave the station fairly quickly. This also means more playing, I mean "operational interest".