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Fame and the next step?

James Hilton

Entry posted by James Hilton

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I've been keeping a project under my hat since Members Day this year where I picked up a model of 09006 from the Bachmann trade stand for a bargain price...

 

Over the following 8 weeks I transformed her into a model of 09007, complete with my trademark step modification and scratchbuilt hi-level brake pipes. I faded and weathered the bodywork and took step by step photos. After I approached Ben Jones at Model Rail, I wrote it all up for an article and today, I finally saw the fruit of my labour this morning stood in WHSmiths!! 4 pages in the December issue, I ended up buying 4 copies so I can distribute them around my family...

 

The title page of my article - proud - hell yeah!

gallery_6671_16_293936.jpg

 

So that's fame - here's the next step... You've probably read about my 2010 challenge layout, Rose Hill - in P4. Well the trackwork arrived today and along with the P4 Easytrack bases, I ordered some OO ones to see the differences between P4, finescale OO and Peco Code 75 so this evening I built up a set of each.

 

Left to right - OO Easytrack Code 83 flatbottom concrete sleeper, OO Peco Code 100 flatbottom wooden sleeper, OO Easytrack Code 75 bullhead wooden sleeper and P4 Easytrack Code 75 bullhead wooden sleeper. Visually P4 blows OO out the water, and the Easytrack does the same to the Peco track.

gallery_6671_16_493887.jpg

 

Move round from end on though and the difference becomes hardly noticeable between the Easytrack P4 and OO. Peco still a poor relation.

gallery_6671_16_299552.jpg

 

So the next step? Is it a wholescale switch to P4? No I don't think so - yet. The likelihood is Paxton Road Mk2 will use Easytrack and stay OO. Hmmm, maybe... or maybe not...

What have i started!! smile.gif

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10 Comments

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  • RMweb Gold
Mikkel
  • RMweb Gold

Hello James, congratulations on the mag feature, looks good!

 

I wonder if you know of a good introduction to Easytrack somewhere on the web - ie a write-up of some kind?

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  • RMweb Gold
Ramblin Rich
  • RMweb Gold

James - thanks for posting those track comparison images. Definitely shows the shortcomings of Peco sleeper spacing. Food for thought....

Well done on the mag article too!

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James Hilton

Hello James, congratulations on the mag feature, looks good!

 

I wonder if you know of a good introduction to Easytrack somewhere on the web - ie a write-up of some kind?

 

I found some interesting stuff on the ScaleFour Society website http://www.scalefour.org/

I'm not sure I found anything you'd consider a write up, what is it you want to know? I can take a few photos showing construction? Basically the sleepers are in short sections (8 sleepers) and you thread in the rail into the moulded chairs - it's that simple.

I believe Exactoscale also do point kits - that's my next plan - try one of them out!

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  • RMweb Gold
Mikkel
  • RMweb Gold

Many thanks James.

 

I wasn't being very clear there. Basically I was just looking for some more info on the Easytrack, as a search on the web didn't seem to produce anything much.

 

Your photos of the different track types made a big impression on me, I've always known just how much more real P4 track looks of course, but the Easytrack OO code 75 is not that far off from this actually (when seen from the side), and as a GWR modeller it doesn't hurt that it's Bullhead rail either.

 

Construction as you describe it sounds simple enough, but then of course there are the points. Photos of construction would be great (and maybe of wider interest?), but please don't go out of your way.

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Flymo748

Construction as you describe it sounds simple enough, but then of course there are the points. Photos of construction would be great (and maybe of wider interest?), but please don't go out of your way.

 

If you'd like to read another P4 newcomer's first experience of building a P4 turnout, have a look at:

 

http://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=421

 

Non-members of the Society can view the Scalefour Society Forum and, if they wish, post comments in the Guest Book.

 

There is a slightly longer version of it at http://4mmscaleagonies.blogspot.com/2009/06/make-your-point.html

 

HTH

Flymo

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James Hilton

I think a point kit is on the cards for January...

I may well end up P4'ing my new sound loco and build something small, industrial and gritty with just a few points :)

 

I must say the support from other modellers on the P4 stuff is fantastic, and so far I'm finding myself heavily leaning in the scale direction. Must finish Paxton Road (if just to sell it) and Rose Hill first though :)

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Jaggzuk

Hi James

 

Having been very impressed with the look of OO Easytrack when compared to OO Peco I went looking on the web for a supplier, but drew a complete blank. Where can you buy OO Easytrack from? I assume the plain track lengths work like flexi track does.

 

Regards

 

Paul

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James Hilton

It's from the P4 track company... www.exactoscale.co.uk

 

You need to look for Easytrack OO components, and then buy the bull head or flat bottom rail seperately. It's then a case of sliding the short (8 sleeper length) sections on to the rails and yeah it then behaves exactly like flexitrack.

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