Progress (or otherwise) on Jeff's new layout

Hi peterm. Thank you for your reply, I will have to to do a comparison. Best wishes Kevin 

[user=1120]peterm[/user] wrote:

Better  still, equivalent Zimo's. MX 600 eight pin and a small 21 pin.

If I was doing them now, yes I'd agree, but the budget Zimos weren't available when I chipped the majority of my EMUs. Having started with the Lenz decoders, I standardised on them as it is much easier to consist units with the same characteristics.

[user=1801]Passed Driver[/user] wrote:

Hi Jeff.  Thank you for your reply. I will get on to that. But, while I am here I have noticed your Q1 class, when I asked the forum, most members seem to have a poor opinion of them?  Best wishes Kevin 

I have two Hornby Q1s, only the one with sound though. I have had no problems with them. Both are good haulers and smooth runners. One dropped its lubricator crank, but I simply drilled a hole in the plastic lubricator pump and stuck a piece of 'L' shaped handrail wire in to retain the end.

I also have an ancient K's kit I built with a Mashima motor and double reduction gearbox. Being white metal, I haven't been game to convert it to DCC as there is very little spare room inside. On DC power, it will pull the side out of the house! It pulled the coupling out of the leading wagon on a very long, very heavy goods train once.

Hi Jeff.   Is “SLW” Scottish Laughing Water?  Best wishes Kevin

[user=1801]Passed Driver[/user] wrote:

Hi Jeff.   Is “SLW” Scottish Laughing Water?  Best wishes Kevin

Sutton's Locomotive Workshop - https://sulzertype2.com/

Mind you, I don't mind a drop or two of the Scottish Laughing Water, myself. 

Hi Jeff. Thank you for your reply. Before I signed the pledge, I was partial to a single malt “Glenmorangie” which I can highly recommend   . Best wishes Kevin

I treated my self to a bottle of Glenmorangie when we bought our current house, over 30 years ago. It took me around 15 years to finish it - it was kept for special occasions only.

On the subject of Newton Broadway, I got the hurricane grey paint out and painted over the bits of DAS clay filler, and also the bare woodwork between and around the tracks in the yard, up to the engne shed.

Also visible in the background is a visual experiment with an old Triang river bridge marking the approximate spot where I envisage a road bridge going over the lines.

A minor update on the scenic side of the goods yard. I have been experimenting with different types of fencing to protect the main running lines from errant lorry drivers, and have finally settled on some double rail stanchions from Ratio. They are a little fiddly, but nowhere near as bad as the fence I built in situ on the other side of the lines. Painted a nondescript grey, I think they look reasonably appropriate.

There are a couple of bent stanchions and I could straighten them out, but they look as if they have been doing their jobs in preventing wayward lorries from encroaching on the tracks.

Hi Jeff. Many years ago there was a foot bridge just like your one, next the level crossing in “cold blow lane “ which at the time was next Millwall football ground, now relocated.   Best wishes Kevin

Another video session from me, this time showing off a trio of Bachmann 4 CEP units, all in BR(S) green travelling around Newton Broadway high level, with the camera wagon propelled by a Heljan Hymek diesel hydraulic, following or overtaking the 12 CEP formation.

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Hi Jeff, Very good video, again.
Presumably each 4 set is motored so you need to run this as a triple consist? If so it's very good operation you've got.

Colin

A camera car is the best way to find all those dicky rail joins....

[user=2170]Colin W[/user] wrote:

Hi Jeff, Very good video, again.
Presumably each 4 set is motored so you need to run this as a triple consist? If so it's very good operation you've got.

Colin

Thanks Colin.

Yes, each of the units is motored: all are standard Bachmann units, although I renumbered the middle one because it was a duplicate of another one in my collection. I bought quite a few 4 CEP units in the early days because they were at reduced prices - one blue and grey unit only cost me $50 plus the postage from far north Queensland!

I standardised all of them on Lenz Silver+ 21 decoders, so all behave identically. Likewise the Motor Luggage Vans and 2 EPB and 2 HAP units, all from Bachmann.

Hi Ron. Please excuse me for butting in,:off topic excellent advice, as I spend any spare time watching YouTube videos for modelling inspiration only, and have seen a number of cases of uneven track laying, including one case of the last wagon being dragged along on it’s side, and it still got a showing. Best wishes Kevin

[user=606]Sol[/user] wrote:

A camera car is the best way to find all those dicky rail joins….

You do notice slight vertical drops or lifts where there are board joints.

It does also highlight bits of track that have developed kinks. One of my storage roads has a distinct weave in what should be straight track. it's nowhere near enough to affect the running of the trains, but it annoys me a bit when I actually go to quite a bit of trouble to lay straight sections straight in the first place. It doesn't show from viewing distance, with trains on the lines hiding it as well, but I know it is there.

I have been working a bit more on the scenic bit behind the level crossing and engine shed areas, although it is still in its infancy yet. There have been a few new arrivals on Newton Broadway, and also a few viditors recently. Shown in no particular order.


A new Hornby Merchant Navy, 35024 'East Asiatic Company' in early BR blue has arrived from Amanda Jane Models. It can be seen here with the Golden Arrow Productions resin MN mounted on a modified Hornby rebuilt MN chassis, whch is still a work in progress. This has been numbered as 35018 'British India Line', which loco had a 6000 gallon tender at the time I have chosen to model it, around 1954. Also newly arrived is the Hornby BR crimson GLV/Cor PMV.








The gentle slope at the back is being slowly refined.






Some new Friesian cows have arrived as well, to populate the foreground fields. I have repainted the surviving Airfix bull and calves to match - the rest of the Airfix cows disintegrated from sheer age.




Visitors: we had an impromptu get together with a few friends, DougN (from RMweb), Rob and Roger. Doug brought his newly acquired Hornby 6-wheel North British coaches along, together with his L&NER J36 No. 722, with YouChoos sound, While Rob brought his brand new Hatton's GWR 14XX, 1420, together with an auto coach, both still in their unopened boxes. The photos show them trundling past in each direction, while my Bachmann Wickham trolley was given a run as well to clear its cobwebs. The tarp on the back of the Wickham trailer is actually hammered out sheet lead, which really improves the running qualities.

Pullmans, anyone? I haven't run my Hornby Pullman cars for quite a while, and thought they would provide a good photographic subject wth the Merchant Navy locomotives. I tested the resin one on the load and it handles them with a little slipping (quite prototypical for an MN!). However, the Hornby Pullmans have never been entirely reliable runners, and are .very sensitive to even minor track imperfections.

The formation is not entirely prototypical, but looks good in the photos. What I found, though, was that there were several derailments, caused by a combination of out of gauge wheelsets and sticking coupling mechanisms. As I tracked them down, I reset the wheel gauge where necessary, and added a touch of teflon grease to the coupling guides and slides. The reliability is improving, but is not quite all there yet. Perseverence is the key here.

Hi Jeff

Nice Pullmans.  Being as heavy as they were, the real trains always seemed to be much shorter than their standard stock equivalents, so it makes sense to stick to 7 or 8 anyway.  I certainly don't recall seeing a photo of 12 or 13-coach sets

Barry

Hi Jeff.  It very much looks like the AA are approaching the RAC there , or could it be a take over. Best wishes Kevin

[user=2006]Barry Miltenburg[/user] wrote:

Hi Jeff

Nice Pullmans.  Being as heavy as they were, the real trains always seemed to be much shorter than their standard stock equivalents, so it makes sense to stick to 7 or 8 anyway.  I certainly don't recall seeing a photo of 12 or 13-coach sets

Barry

The Bournemouth Belle often went to 11 or 12 coaches, Barry. I have 11 on in the photos, which is actually one car too long for the loop it should be stored in!  :lol:  The formation is not accurate as I have two Pullman brake cars and a BG as well. There is one photo in one of my books where there was a BG with a Pullman brake, but in general, the mark 1 BGs replaced the worn out brake coaches. The Bournemuth Belle gained a little infamy for its "borrowed" Western Region BGs in chocolate and cream.

I can't remember for sure, but I think the Golden Arrow also often went up to those sorts of numbers too, but in later years, the number of Pullmans in the rake was reduced considerably, and standard mark 1 coaches were used instead.