Loco update - March 2024
Latest DB90 to join Johnson Street IEMD
90035 was one of DB's active 90s during their tenure of the contract to provide traction for MALCOLM Group. 90035 was, during this time, repainted from tired EWS livery with faded decals into new DB red but unlike matching classmates 90019 and 90028 wasn't named.
One of my first DB90s to join my fleet was 90028, named Sir William McAlpine, nicknamed "Bill", named at York's National Railway Museu
MT3 @ Blakemere - 7th January 2024
Having joined the volunteer team at Making Tracks Three in the summer, a further opportunity was extended to me to do so again at Blakemere and I had signed up to do four days there, over the exhibition, culminating in four Sundays, the last of which was 7th January.
It was a great day, really busy and a pleasure to work with the other volunteers and the Railnuts gang to entertain the folks of Cheshire.
For this event, I took
16th December to 7th January 2024
As one of the volunteers at Making Tracks Three at Chester Cathedral, i was asked if I would like to take part over the Christmas period and when someone asks would I like to take my locos out for a run out through an electrified landscape, that could only lead to one answer ... hell yes ... so ... my DB90s took to the Making Tracks landscape, this time, at Blakemere, which is near to Northwich, Cheshire (CW8) ... I have been twice so far ... and had
Christmas is on the nearby horizon and in light of this, Santa Claus's sleigh accidentally dropped a couple of new arrivals in to the Johnson Street stable.
One of the Skodas I had been looking to add to my stable for some time was Christine, in DB red. 90037 had been going to Toton along with 90039 for new liveries. 90039 had been going for Grand Central liverying. It was all set to become the fourth of five DB90s into Bumblebee livery, when the news broke that the plan to operate p
Another arrival in the Long term store siding
Since 90031 arrived in my long term siding, it was always my intention to have another Crewe Long Termer (LTS - Long Term Storage) join them for company and to add to the scene space. The layout is becoming a kind of diorama in some ways, and although 90031 is DCC fitted, there isn't any plan for it be going anywhere.
Soooo, what should join 90031, well, if one looks at what has been sitting alongside them for a good long tim
30th January 2023 - there's a Dyson in town
Having taken the Dyson for a quick spin on the test track at the local model shop yesterday,
today was a layout debut for the highly anticipated Accurascales DB Schenker branded Class 92, 92042. As it used to be known, ''Honegger'', well, Honegger got to meet his new stablemates,
alongside probable brief classmate George Eliot (92027), briefly visiting Johnson Street IE
This morning 90031 has arrived at his new resting place, with the assistance of DB yard mate 66065, having had the necessary wizardry from @railtec-models to create the artwork to replicate as near to what 90031 actually looks like now. Thank you Steve.
It was then the turn of Jerry @Squirrel Rail to create a significant aged look inspired by the actual example but not necessarily every blemish - the 90 in my world would likely have worked more so would be less aged now :-).
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
4th December 2022
Having determined the specialist glue wasn't giving me what I needed - a quick visit to Tesco to get some superglue gave me the outcome that days of patience hadn't paid off
Knitting lessons - page two
Whilst out for an extended lunchtime today in what could only be described as a crisp, fresh but bright mid November in Stafford, an opportunity to study the heavy gantry at the North end of Stafford Station, one which is going to feature as part of the Johnson Street IEMD OLE plan.
I'd gone to catch the DB90's movement down to Daventry DIRFT following the failure of 90029 and 90034 at DIRFT and Mossend respectively - this movement later ended
23rd November 2022
The advent of my layout returning home following the sad passing of good WCML and model Rail enthusiast Ian Rae in September known to some here as amertonman, has seen my OLE plans changing somewhat.
The original plan was to be using nBrass and whilst this may still feature in some capacity, the main catenary sections are here and now going to be using ebay innovator blueflash90 whose catenary is available on ebay currently.
Tonight, having
The layout project currently finds itself at a red signal. A bit like the DB90s sometimes, held for what must seem like eternity, the good thing is that I am never short of inspiration.
Also like many of those of us who are watching on with interest at all things @Accurascales in relation to the impending Class 92 which will further enhance the electric traction offer to OO gauge modellers. I look forward to getting my hands on one of these, having had a few of the
20th September 2022
Following a lovely livestream from Rachel and Shaun of Angel of Crewe Youtubers -
This is a bit of a taste of what Rachel and Shaun get up to when they aren't modelling in N or OO gauge ...
known on here by @Mini Wistaston junction alongside the West Coast mainline where they plugged my channel a little .. I decided to do a bit more of an up close and personal layout tour now my layout is back home, about 80-85% done
13th September 2022
Following the sad passing of good friend, modelling right hand man and West Coast mainline Enthusiast Ian who went back by the username @amertonman last week , the layout has returned home to its rightful place, its about 90% completed in the main. The OLE still needs to be plumbed in and the fiddle yard track still needs to built and set up but this latter aspect was always going to be some way down the line. A programming track is also part of the plan as well,
Loco update - 14th June 2022
7th DB90 at Johnson Street IEMD
As soon as it became apparent that 90021 wasn't going to be seen out on the network in First Barbie Scotrail, it was always going to be a matter of time before she departed Johnson Street IEMD.
Then, in a short period of time we were introduced to two DB/EWS era Class 90s from Bachmann, firstly 90028 in DB Cargo red and following on from that 90030 in EWS. With 90028 "Bill" already in the stable alr
5th June 2022
A brief running session was had today with the magician @amertonman to discuss the progression with the layout. The magiciam's wand has been playing up of late so one hopes this gets rectified soon.
A couple of clips from my YouTube channel also:
Knitting lessons - Friday 11th February 2022
The beginning of the OLE at Johnson Street IEMD starts today.
nBrass multi-track spans will shortly criss cross the main shed area, like the below:
The terminating gantry mast is a PECO mast with the cantilever arms removed.
The Ayr style gantry adaptation is similar to those seen in the below Youtube clip by fellow Youtuber Smokie Joe:
See between 0.14 and 0.29 ...
1st January 2022
Christmas 2021 falls later in the Calendar year and runs into early January 2022 in the form of the ex-Grand Central ''Bumblebee livery'' Bachmann Class 90 wonderfully replicated by @Squirrel Rail. Seen here at Johnson Street IEMD, having been out on test, with Jack (90036), having changed pool codes from WEAC to WEJS.
It's a real shame that the DB90s allocated to Grand Central workings, 90026, 90029, 90020, 90039 and 90021 (in order of
25th November 2021
Having had a recent bit of progress made, it was nice to get to see the layout again so soon and again, some progress made, roll on signage and OLE.
The below video covers most of the progress
a little running session below:
14th November 2021
After long periods of slow progress due to mostly unforeseen circumstances and possibly other more important things, my layout is heading into the latter stages of completion, with a large thanks to the enthusiasm and craftsmanship of @amertonman. I can really see the later stages of this coming to take shape. Here and now, the hard standing has been improved and now, the buffer stops have gone in with their DCC lit red warning markers. Still to be done (and not ex
23rd September 2021
As the layout continues to move forward, the depot scenes continue to gain a more polished look - although different in their usage and track work access, both the electric shed and the long term maintenance sheds are operated by the same TOC so they will get the same sort of treatment - expect to see a similar look to the electric shed, as seen here, with the yellow hazard markings for the inspection pit edges soon also.
Just beyond the Buffer Stop wi
11th September 2021
OLE
Yesterday (writing this, on Sunday) I had a brief visit to see how things are coming along with the layout - getting to see the backscene board nicely in place, looking at where the OLE masts would be placed and what exact form they would take - PIC 4 shows roughly how it might look - having found some brackets a couple of years ago that ''might be'' adapted - siilar in overall resulting appearance to those seen at Chester's Making Tracks layout -
