Evening all,

Its been a while. So a update for mainly my OO layout because my O gauge has had nothing done to it lately due to lack of time to make the backscene and get my hands on some mounts for it. Hopefully one that will be done by the end of the summer holidays.

Doveston

Track and scenery

Not a lot has changed to the layout since the last update layout wise apart from the station is now where the goods shed used to be and that has moved to join the engine shed in the 'yard'. This is mainly becuase of the continual derailments which kept occuring during setting back into the station after running round. Also, to mkae my life easier to manage, the layout has been moved back towards the 1950s as most of my operational stock is in BR early liverly. The layout still is able to operate in 'perservation mode' abet with the MPD downgraded to a similar style to the Brewdley depot on the Severn Valley Railway which only has two engines and possibly a shunter to manage trains that depart from the station before a train can arrive from the other station.

Electrics

Since my last post, not a lot of work has happened but what as happened has increased the operational potenial of the layout hugely. A few weeks ago, my DCC controller stopped working (yes, I'm now on my third unit) which reprogramed the active engine (my class 25) to an address which couldn't be accessed on the unit (address 1-14 somehow) which had to be dealt with by the shop where i brought it from. I really must at this point say a huge thank you to the guys at Gaugemaster in Ford, Sussex who have constantly been helping me fix the rudy thing every thing it goes wrong.

The layout has had a couple of electric connections either added or modified. There is a point on the run round loop which for some reason doesn't let power pass along it when it is set to striaght running, a quick wire around the point to add the power to that section with another isolating switch has been added to isolate the outer loop which increases the area I can test run engines around my outer loop.

Loco Dept

Since my last post, the running fleet has been running fine. Most of my engines have run at least once this year on the main DCC layout (except those which just won't work and haven't for many years (mainly old Lima diesels which are now over 10 years old)) with the only exceptions being my Princess Royal and Duchess Class Pacifics which are due thier once yearly check shortly before they go away again till next feburay. The T9 is performing well and is quickly becoming the engine which is pulling most of the trains. A Duty shared with my Ivatt except it doesn't make half as much noise when the T9 is running compared to the Ivatt. Hopefully I'll be able to get some pictures of the beast on my layout as it quickly has become the favourate engine for mainly passenger work admitily with the surprisingly reliable Torrington handling all 'special' traffic dispite its constant refusal to accept a DCC chip.

On the subject of Bullieds, all three bullieds are running fine after the choas all three caused at the begining of the year (Torrington melting DCC chips, the two blackmoors not liking various sections of point work and in one of the blackmoors case needing major repairs after a accident 3-4 years ago where it had a relatively major accident for one of my engines). After much deliberating, I've decided that Torrington will remain as is (unrebuilt) and a similar situation to what's happened to the real world terrier 'Sutton' will have happened to 'Torrington' giving me a valid excuse to run it. The other Blackmoor will get renamed when I get a chance to do so to either Spitfire or Bideford.

The Backlog of work

At the moment, I've been planning a extension of the fiddle yard to allow for more stock to be stored in there (a whole 2 Mk1s and a A1 of the peppercorn variaty!) on the inner 'main'line and 3 Maunsell coaches and a bulleid on outer sections. Ideally, the outer area will be completely isolated from the main circuit so that I can test run engines on a DC system to make sure they work correctly. Hopefully this will be built before the end of the year as its something that is needed badly. Also, I need to get my hands on loads of DCC chips for a huge selection of my engines but I have one question.

Do the Limited Edition Hornby Princess Royal class model released for the 50th anniversay of Hornby and the Duchess model that came out with the Royal Train train pack have DCC sockets in them? My two are special to me for personal reasons so I don't want to take them apart unless I know they have the sockets inside for definate. Any ideas gents?

Until next time (with hopefully some pictures),

Jon