Layout update

The layout project has had to go a little slower tthan forst thought at the start of the year mainly due to having a lowsy chest infection which wore me down.

The plan to go out and buy insulators to start scratchbuilding registration arms also had to be put on hold till Mid-february at the earliest with them not being available - I imagine the making tracks team had to snap up a good few for mt3. 

The year has also seen some unexpected good and bad news for the traction of choice at Johnson Street with the DBC Dysons getting modified to again be able to run on the WCML between Crewe and Wembley, with 92011 being the first of the Class to be modified.

It's understood that the 90s however may about to be finding themselves on the operational fringes with their use being postponed due to the coming together of several detracting aspects:

1 - increasing electricity costs once again

2 - A number of recent failures by the Class on their main work with WHM.

3 - A strategic change to the arrival of trainsets into Mossend where there are no wires.

In a world where operational effectiveness is everything, this is a bit ominous for the Class, hopefully a solution can be found.

With this in mind, I mocked up what a busy yard at Johnson Street IEMD if the 90s weren't out on WHM. There'd still be other operators electric traction coming over for specialist repairs as per 90043 in the foreground.

Note,the Skodas setback hasn't dampened my enthusiasm 😀 but it's not what I wanted to be hearing (from a source)..