With RMWeb having been off air for some time, I've been able to progress work on the layout further.  Further testing revealed a noticeable voltage drop which caused some trains to crawl around the curve, then shoot off like a scalded cat as soon as line voltage was reached, which was cured by an additional bus feed at the other end of the fiddle yard (it seems that the dodgy track laying and joint gaps in the fiddle yard were the cause) but having now tested the track with a range of locos and coaches (leading to the mass withdrawal of the Oxford Mk3 rake which even with Hunt magnetic couplings still couldn't cope with being propelled due to their flimsy, broken coupling cams) I am now installing OHLE masts and telecoms troughing prior to ballast.  As BR used to say, "we're getting there".

So, some more video this time.  When complete I will be doing running videos just for a laugh.  Anyone who has tuned into the "Pendeford Yard" series on YouTube will know they were done in the style of a small ITV television company called "Bescot Television".  The non-railway stuff was all my doing, being a child of the 60s who grew up with a sad obsession with spotting rare ITV company logos (Channel TV for example only popped up when Harry Secombe rolled up to sing hymns on a Sunday, or for the annual Battle of the Flowers programme, having zero network presence otherwise.  Grampian was another rarity you hardly ever saw in the ATV region) before ITV went all corporate, so "Bescot Television" became a bit of a tribute to ultra-local regional TV of the 70s and 80s.  Well, with "Bescot Television" having closed down and it's replacement, "Television Leek" not having started regular broadcasting, I suspect "Wednesford Television" and their five minute Sunday afternoon "Wednesford Trainspot" feature may well be taking over the "Bescot Television" slot for silliness and corny jokes.  You are hereby warned.

Second day of testing

Second day of testing, with a typical 1988 range of units.  It was during this I found T305, ex "King's Oak", couldn't drag itself along despite my track being level.  I think the issue was the use of a Hornby Class 121 chassis under the motor car to allow for DCC sound.  I've decided, reluctantly, to retire it and replace it with a Kernow-Bachmann version, which was fortunate as my Midline bubble car, the Dapol 121 and a half, then developed the curse of the Dapol gimcrack drive shafts.  So the Hornby 121 chassis was hacked and now sits under the Bubble.

The T305 tale

T305

Finally testing a new second hand purchase, a Class 25.

Third day of testing