Early construction of a simple 00 garage layout

Great advice thanks Nigel, I’ll have a look when I get some new cleaning products. 
I think I’ve got the track sorted now and regular runs of the track cleaning coach should keep on top of it! Now I just need to take the King Class apart to see why that has stopped running. 

Edit* just seen this is post one hundred and eighty!!

Chris

Barry,

Thanks. Forgot to mention, IPA has around the same electrical conductivity as heptane or octane - essentially zero. Those lone electrons stay where they are. The water in retail IPA from the chemist/pharmacy (usually less than 10%) evaporates along with the IPA due to hydrogen bonding. Same as in a distillery. The proper name is 2-propanol.

Nigel 

Hi Chris,

It really doesn't matter what solvent is used, as long as it does not leave a residue that interferes with conductivity. Or that attacks plastic or paint. Or is dangerous to your health. It is always worthwhile checking the MSDS to see what is used. And whether you want it in the house, garage or shed. 

Nigel

To be honest, I'm not up on track cleaners, but I use IPA because it cleans and leaves no residue, many years ago oil was all the go for electric continuity, it sounds good but oil leaves a tacky coat to rail which attracts dust and grunge!

Yesterday at Bressingham we found a Norfolk rock from Great Eastern Models. It has just taken a tour of Teasel Bay with a 101 taking on the Sunday service. The rock will now be placed somewhere in Thetford!

Evening running. I like how the light from the memorial lights up the hillside, shows up quite well in a photo. Tonight I spent most my evening under the board soldering a wire to the inside of the point blades of the fiddle yard as I was getting very inconsistent power on the point blades causing regular stalling. 

It was nice to relax and just watch them run for a bit without having to give them a push!

Hi Chris.   I wouldn’t mind being able to sort out those problems by myself, at the moment I don’t think that I can hold a soldering iron . Best wishes Kevin 

The soldering iron does scare me a bit. I have a slightly irrational fear of it going near my eyes....

Hi Chris.  Thank you. But my trouble is holding the soldering iron, if I need to solder underneath the plank? I just turn it over. Just one of the advantages of a plank, but I would prefer a large layout, and would, if I wasn’t renting. You commented the same time on what as me ? I must have missed that comment. Best wishes Kevin 

Disappointed with my delivery today. I ordered some embossed paper which was meant to look like a stone wall. I ordered O scale too as I wanted to be pretty large. 





Looked like this on the picture. After a week to arrive from Greece it looked like this:






The stone patten is somewhere between OO and N I’d guess, the quality is poor. I was kinda expecting the stones to be ‘bumped’ but it’s just random dots. Not sure if you can tell from the photo but the pattern repeats rather quickly and the join is poor!

Hi Chris.  I read a thread by a Modeller of OO Gauge on YMRC where he used an O Gauge Stone Sheet to great effect. I am surprised that you purchased it from Greece, when you can purchase at one of the many model Railway shows you can attend in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and can inspect what you are buying .   Best wishes Kevin 

It was from EBay Kevin, so as long as they deliver to the UK can come from anywhere. 

Hi Chris.  Thank you for your reply. But one cannot judge from a photo alone , if one can handle it and turn it over it is far better. Either retail outlet or show stand are better .  Best wishes Kevin 

I'm back, been in North Wales for a few weeks.  I accidentally booked a cottage with the Ffestiniog running behind it… oops!



Had a little look around the model shops there but nothing took my fancy, so I took a trip to Bressingham's Model Railway event and bought myself a Network South East Class 50, DCC fitted for £90 from Great Eastern Models, which I was quite happy with.



Runs very nicely, and suits Teasel Bay I think. Now I just need to buy a rake of carriages for her as I only have a break.



Work is continuing slowly now I've returned on the upper level, seen here on the workbench. Had to pause as i've run out of PVA Kevin 


 

As per the running in instructions for the Class 156 (page 3, section 1) I'm logging into my favourite internet forum to tell everyone how much I like my new purchase!


Rather excited after watching this project for well over a year and putting a deposit down agees ago, something fun has just arrived!





I just need to finish work, go home, put the kids to bed then I can play!

Well what an absolutely stunning model! 

The Provincial livery Class 156 from Realtrack models.






With DCC operation you can control all the front/back, passenger, door & cab lighting independently as well as a tonne of realistic sounds.






Out of the box the loco accelerates and decelerates extremely realistically, with amazing low speed handling. With every wheel and cross coach powering there should never be a dead spot, and with a motor in each carriage (as per the prototype) it is amazingly smooth. The motors are also tiny, there is no "dead" space, the interior is the through the whole length of the carriage.






The detailing on the inside and the outside is fantastic. Will need to add a crew and some passengers as it is so light inside. 




 
BUT… unfortunately at the moment I can only run one of the carriages as the second has a fault on one of its bogies, causing it not to sit correctly. 






I'll get in touch with Realtrack and hopefully get it resolved shortly. Once it is resolved and I can run it in its full spender I'll put together a little video showing off how amazing the sounds are.


I wish all models were to this standard, compared to the Hornby/Lima model, they are no where close!

Hi Chris.  That really is super, I have a plan to add passengers/ customers if I can find some nice looking ones, not a bunch of tourists. Train crew too, if I can find intelligent looking Motormen? That cannot be a good advert for “ Realtrack Models .     Best wishes Kevin 

Turned out to be extremely trivial! The rear wheel in the bogey had become dislodged, and a simple push put it back in its hole.
The full DMU is now running! Not everyone's cup of tea, but it reminds me of my childhood. 

Hi Chris.  DMUs don’t have a service from London Bridge to anywhere via Peckham Rye, but I often see one going by my front door, almost, maybe to Depot for refuelling or the like. But I thought that they were the darlings of the GWR.Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Kevin,

Class 158 for Great Western, as well as South Eastern.

Nigel