Two Sister's Farm Saga

[chris stockdale]

Hi Peter,

Please don’t stop posting pics. You can add them direct to any Gnatterbox post (including editing previous posts with Flickr links) at no cost to you. I’d suggest keeping the size down to 500k or less though please to help ensure they load fairly quickly for the rest of us to enjoy.

Cheers,

[Broadoak]

To be quite honest Chris I think I have covered every aspect of the model as it stands.
I have a thing called polymyalgia which affects my hands so making any new models in the near future is unlikely.
I still manage to operate it and attend a few shows every year though.
Thank you for your interest.

Kind regards Peter M

[Broadoak]

I bought a few second hand magazines the other week from a charity shop and among them was a copy of the 2018 December issue of Railway Modeller.
It had an article about an attractive 00 scale small exhibition layout called “Sixpenny Handley” which featured a selection of modular scenes that could be changed. I remember seeing the layout in the flesh at Rushden earlier in the year’ being operated by a father and his son.
In the write up about the layout it says the inspiration for the model was a layout called Two Sister’s Farm which they saw at Kettering.
I remember doing the Kettering show on my own and a young lad having a drive for some time while I took a comfort break. He told me he had a layout at home but never had operated it in a realistic fashion. He quickly adjusted to operation and after a short time became completely at ease operating in a realistic way. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and said how quickly the time passed.




Two Sister’s Farm won the best layout in show that year and I have often wondered if my young operator and his friends were responsible because it‘s not the sort of layout the public vote for.
I am however delighted that my efforts inspired someone else to have a go at building a layout of their own.


Regards Peter M

[PeterH]

Congratulations on inspiring someone to make (and finish) a layout. I liked seeing your last photo - a punter’s eye view of the whole layout rather than the more normal camera’s eye view of a bit of the layout.

I’m sorry to hear about your polymyalgia. As I get older I encounter all kinds of strangely named afflictions I hadn’t heard of before.

[DCRFAN 3]

Peter M,

How about this WW2 German Army car (Opel?) converted to run on narrow gauge track. I'm sure it would be right at home on the farm.

1228121962_pic by tankienz, on Flickr

There are several 1/35th kits of similar car available like this one

https://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits ... 5478.shtml

[Broadoak]

Sorry for the delay in replying, I've not looked at this thread for a few weeks.
Yes I'm sure that would look fine on the farm, it is something I will have to give some thought to.
At the moment I am spending a lot of time trying to sort out the track work on my GWR shunting plank.

Thanks again for the head up.

Kind regards Peter M

[Broadoak]

The layout was named after our two cats who we had had since they were six weeks old. Sadly the last of the two sisters passed away last year aged 16 years and somehow it doesn’t feel right exhibiting the layout anymore.
So I have decided to sell the layout and all the rolling stock and the different means of motive power. Many of the items are powered by Athearn mechanisms with five pole motors and a flywheel, they also pick up on all wheels. There is also a spare chassis with motor etc.
I am looking for a price of £500 or near offer for the whole thing.
If anyone is interested please get in touch I live in Northamptonshire.

Regards Peter M

[nu2ng]

HI Peter

That is a great shame that you're selling the layout.

I wish I had a spare £500 and of course, the room to store it..

[Broadoak]

As there has been little interest in buying the layout I have decided to keep it.
It takes up little room in the garage so keeping it will not be a problem.
I have a large british outline standard gauge layout 14foot x 2foot in a spare bedroom so shunting on Two
Sister's will make a pleasnt change from operating that.

Regards Peter M

[Broadoak]

Now I have a shunting layout on the board that originally held Benson an American switching layout I decided to keep Two Sisters Farm. I am now converting an old GWR shunting plank into a 1/32 scale yard for sorting trains. (I have sold all my American locos and stock and now model British practice)
It is free standing and not connected to the farm in any way. Some photos to follow will give some idea of progress, I will however be using all the various locomotives and stock and because there is more room the trains will be longer.

Kind regards Peter M

[Broadoak]

Afew more pictures of the work in progress. The sleeper spacing is wrong so I will have to bury the track to hide that fact. It may take a while as i'm running low on ground cover and am unable to go to the local shop. I am rationing what I do each day to make the job last longer.

Regards Peter M

[Broadoak]

Peter M

[Broadoak]

A few pictures to show the latest work done on the layout. The contours have been covered with a thick type of kitchen towel soaked in PVA. When this is dry I will paint it all over with Wilco filler to even out any joins. When this is dry I will paint it with thinned washes of emulsion to give it some colour.









The back scene I have re-painted to look like a field of potatoes growing in Summer. The buildings are to add a bit of interest and give an impression of scale.








Peter M

[Broadoak]

A few more photos of a little more progress on the scenery, rocks, and ground cover and hiding the OO scale track. I am running out of my usual modelling materials so am experimenting with what is to hand at home at the present time.
I am continually testing the running of models to make sure the electrical contact is good. I am a bit of an old woman when it comes to decent running.
















Peter M

[Broadoak]

I am making slow progress on the extension and have taken a few photographs to illustrate the amount of work completed I am running short on many modelling materials that represent ground cover and vegetation.









The little Porter is seen with a few loaded wagons of wheat prior to being loaded onto a lorry for delivery to its ultimate destination.


Peter M

[Broadoak]

The next two vehicles featured are both a bit specialist. The Jeep is used by the yard foreman for getting either fuel or spares out to the tractors in the fields quickly. The fiction is like the other devices she is a diesel electric but this time powered by a Perkins 3 cylinder engine which drives a small generator. This means she can go equally well forward or backwards. She is never used for pushing or pulling heavy loads just the odd wagon from time to time.




The other vehicle is a Ford based cab on a home built chassis made on the farm and is a TVO tanker used to deliver fuel out to the fields. Like the jeep she is not used for towing heavy loads so she too is powered by a Perkins thre cylinder diesel which drives a small generator.
The model is actually a Model Power chassis and a cab from a Russian version of a Ford lorry. It was from a Russian kit which was of very poor quality, even the cardboard box it came in fell apart.




Peter M

[Broadoak]

The Chevrolet truck is powered by a Bachmann trolley motor, which comes on a plastic chassis which is screwed to to false chassis on the truck itself. The motor is tiny and not very powerful and not so good in my opinion as the Lima type motor they originally used.
The lorry itself is used mainly to take the tractor drivers out to the fields to start work then collect them again in the evening.


Peter M

[Broadoak]

The grey device like most of the lorry based vehicles is powered by a four cylinder Gardener diesel which drives a generator. This one is used as a mobile generator for electrical equipment out in the fields as well as towing loads of wagons. All nonsence of course but I like to have a back story for my models, I think it's possible but probably unlikely.
The tractor is a Fordson 27N, a favourite of mine and is used primarily for cultivation work.
I remember the smell of haymaking coming home from school through the fields, a mixture of cut grass and TVO.



Peter M

[Broadoak]

The little Ruston was scratch built in plasticard by using photographs and a side view drawing but without showing the body so it is far from accurate but has the right feel I think. It is powered by Bachmann bogie at the moment but a Tenshodo would do as well.







The Ruston is in the loop behind the Canadian Ford gun tractor, now modified to run on rails. She is used to transport tractor drivers out to the fields and is fitted with a powerful winch to pull tractors or implements out if the get stuck in the heavy clay. The model has the original Lima type motor which I think is superior to the small can they fitted later.
The tractor in the foreground is a Fordson Standard N type. I remember these being used for haymaking with the driver standing up as the clutch and brake are operated with the right foot at the back of the tractor. Still run on TVO to give that wonderful smell.


Peter M

[Broadoak]

A couple of pictures featuring both tractors and a main line shunter. I say main line like the system the model is very loosely based on at Nocton. This had 22 miles of track going round the perimeter of the estate and 10 miles of temporary sidings leading into the individual fields of the farms that were served by the railway.
I hope that the simple painted back scene captures the flatness of the fields dominated by the big sky.


Peter M

[Broadoak]

More work is needed to hide the standard gauge track but I'm running out of materials. Things are pretty tight in the yard as can be seen and this means using only one of the wider rail trucks at a time. It's not really a problem just means a little more thought and planning needed for operating sessions. The width between track is not a problem at the other end, bags of room down there.




I must say it is very pleasant to sit at my PC and run a few trains at the same time. I find it's very relaxing watching a small loco and a few wagons slowly roll by.


Peter M

[Broadoak]

The GMC truck was originally powered by a Brill trolley chassis and motor made by Bachmann and was not very expensive, I can't remember the price. The original motor died having run for a few years, by now the replacements had gone up in price considerably to around £50 which a lot given the size of the motor. Also over time the false chassis had fractured so it meant I would have to start from scratch really.
Luckily I had in my spares box an Athearn GP7 chassis that I thought would do the job, although making the rail truck slightly longer. The extra length was disguised by making tool store behind the cab. Getting the Athearn chassis to fit in the GMC body meant removing quite a bit of material from inside the body which took a long time and a fair bit of patience. It also meant fitting in the cab a slightly smaller driver figure.
The vehicle is used mainly for carrying tools and equipment mostly as it is a little too long to use for yard shunting. If when out in the fields on a repair it can be used at a push to pull a few wagons back to the main yard if really needed.



The Athearn chassis which powers the GMC truck. Originally the metal clip seen the foreground is used for current collection but it is better to hard wire the bogies and motor for more reliable running. Note the flywheel on the right hand side is painted black so it can't be seen through the holes in the cab floor.







Peter M

[Broadoak]

I have done a little more scenic work on the layout using the materials I have to hand. I've added a couple of piles of scrap, they are just placed not glued as I am not sure whether to make one large pile. As it stands I can add more items from scrap box as I find them. I think on whole I prefer two piles of scrap as it takes up more space.

Peter M

[Broadoak]

This scratch built shunter is loosely based on a photograph in Stewart E Squires excellent book The Lincolnshire Potato Railways. It shows a Simplex with a home made wooden cab to protect the driver pulling a few flat wagons loaded with sacks of potatoes. Mine is made from Plasticard on a Model Power chassis, which after much fiddling runs quite well.
I've decided to stick with the two piles of scrap as it is easy to add to it if I find anymore suitable items.









Peter M

[Broadoak]

I've done a bit more work on the scenic side. In its former OO state there was a small brick lined recess for the base of the water tower. This I have now filled in with card formers and a lattice work of thin card covered with thick kitchen towel soaked in PVA. I've just given it a thin coat of filler which I will seal with paint then cover with a ground cover material. The area was too small to do much else with really.
I want to make a wooden hut and loading platform in the space at the front when I can get some balsa wood, which I think is the best material for the job.



The tractor based device is loosely based on one made by Muir Hill although theirs used a Fordson Standard as the power source. Mine is powered by a Forson 27N which has the same engine as the Standard but is taller. It was given to me by an 009 modeller who thought I could use it in my scrap pile. It was much too good to do that with so I used to power the rail truck.
I reality the Fordson 27N had a three speed gearbox but could be fitted with a Darlington Overdrive gearbox which doubled the gears available. Presumably by changing the size of the sprockets on the final drive system could be made to give a higher top speed than the 7 mph you got with the standard three speed box.



The Tilly is used purely for maintenance work as it is too light to push loads of potatoes about, A small wagon with a few tolls is about all it can manage.

Peter M