A few shots of some newer stock having a run in, including the Dapol 58
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O3FRokJf2A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI9G6QsLF-g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L9bBxf7FB8
David
One half of Ring Road is down today (convincing me even further I need a 'quick' single board layout to play trains on without disrupting entire dining room!), mainly to give the 350 a run in, but also a quick look at some other recent train formations:
David
Getting grumpy lately with not much modellig to do has helped make my mind up to finaly commit to building a new layout - same size as Ring Road, and in as many ways alike as different.
Planning will be ongoing for the next few months, and once finalised, I will be able, as with Ring Road, to begin building construction well before the baseboards are started, which won't be until next spring at the earliest.
So what are the plans?
A couple of screen grabs (copyright belonging to Goog
I've been getting restless lately (in a modelling sense that is), as having sworn not to start a new layout until next year (after Ring Road has done a couple of exhibitions), I've had nothing new to get stuck into.
Fanciful ideas pop up, such as making a small single board layout just to run the locos round (seemed too much effort for small return due to limitations of layout size), deciding what to do with my stalled entry into OO DDC Sound, and ideas for the next large N gauge layout...bu
Ring Road had a very extensive run last night, as it was set up for filming for the next volume of MSIM's Modern Image Layouts DVD series.
It was a great fun evening, which has hopefully produced some good shots for the DVD, including some interesting angles that will certainly show the layout in new ways.
What I got out of it most though (apart from a good chat with Nigel!), was a real sense of what being on show at an exhibition is like. When running a continuous and varying stream of
Another item on the to do list is insure all my stock for travel to exhibitons, so I've been doing a bit of cataloguing today (and terrified myself with the total cost of my fleet!), and looking at my multiple units, I thought how great it was to have so many different types available in N. When I first started out, there was the Farish 101 and that was it. What a change over time though!
The workhorses of the railway network, MUs were always neglected in model form while there were the mor
With no major (announced) N gauge locos/units on my shopping list due for some time (222 due November, and although the Dapol Pacer and 86 would be nice, I'm still not buying given my experiences), and Ring Road only needing some new facias ready for show next year, my 'what to do' list is getting rather long.
I've got ideas in play for various layouts - from the DLR to HS2, OO depots, OO model of Weymouth, and on it goes. What is certainly appealing for me at the moment is layout that is mu
With the Delner couplers now added, this is complete! The base is lazer cut, a chance to experiment with some of the advanced CAD/CAM machines at the Arts Uni. There are two slots cut for the wheel sets to sit in (an inverse rail kind of thing), while the text was engraved.
Overall I'm pretty pleased with how the 350 has come out in the end, its pretty rough in places, and the bodyshells have slight mis-forms in places, but with the strong livery, this definately 'looks' like a Desiro, and
Not finished yet (some alignment work to do, and some filling on the corridor connection), and the decals are only temporary ones, but this gives an idea of how version 3 of the Desiro is coming along!
David
The start of the upgrade for next year's exhibitions has started - this will include a new wooden facia, a lighting pelmet, and a re-worked storage yard that will allow me to increase from 8 to 15 trains, without the need for any baseboard extensions. I will also be adding a few tiny details - more shopping trolleys etc.
First up however, was to finally get the tram running on both boards! This now works well, although I am running in at high speed as it helps force a path between the card r
After some feedback from a couple of people, I've made a few tweaks to the 350 - most notably thining down the roof-top air con pods, and adding a shadow effect to the bottom of the coach side to represent the slight curve that should be there. This image is a bit deceptive as it is sat on very short bogies (until the 'correct' ones arrive), giving the appearance of the whole body being too deep, but once on the final set of wheels it looks okay to me.
Ive also been making my list of thing
3 of the 4 cars are complete now (ignore the bogies however, waiting for 'correct' ones to arrive). I have now just the powered car to do, this is outwardly identical to the other driving car, however the inside has to be constructed slightly differenly to sit neatly onto the Tomix chassis.
David
As I'm having trouble uploading images at the mo, here's a quick quiz to see if anyone can guess what I am currently having a go at scratchbuilding from the 'ingredients' alone:
3x Farish Mk1 coach chassis
8x Farish class 158 bogies
2x Farish 158 air dams
2x Farish dummy class 150 couplings
1x Farish pantograph
1x pack BHE third rail shoes
1x Tomix '20m' motor chassis
1mm styrene sheet
Pictures to follow when I can upload them!
David
My 37 with sound arrived today, and after having to work out what all the functions did - why no instructions??? - its been hauling my short engineering train around a circle of track on the kitchen floor!
Its been a really interesting afternoon, learning how to use the Dynamis controller, and the sounds themselves. As both new into OO and DCC, here's a short review of each:
The loco itself is a beautiful model, very heavy (I'm used to N gauge!), solidly made, and highly detailed. Bachma
I've come up with 2 versions of a small 6ft by 1ft shunting plank (with a 3ft run off board), just so I'll have somewhere to run what will be a very small range of OO stock. At the moment, from what is available or has been announced, the stock line up will eventually become thus:
Class 37 Railfreight - Sound
Class 08 EWS - Sound
MPV
Class 31 Sound
I may possibly add something like a 121 bubble car or a 108 on NSE livery.
Rolling stock will be a couple Autoballasters, some Seacows
I will model in N gauge for life - it the ideal scale for my principle interest, that is modelling realistic urban scenes, but recently I've been thinking more about having a go in OO.
What is tempting me to play with the big trains? Well the catalyst is the Bachmann VEP, and the forthcoming CEP from Honrby. The detail on the Bachmann model is so impressive, and living in a third rail area, its something I've long been tempted to model. This is a new addition to my modelling interests - the
A nice afternoon running trains today, so here are some images and videos!
The Javelin (or is it now Blue Rapier as Hornby are calling it?) has finally been reliveried into the correct service livery for Southeastern. You can also see the finished OHLE in this image
Here's a vid of it too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqAE6M5kSR4
Some Christmas presents - the start of a train of new hoppers!
Dapol 153 with lightbar installed#
My second 156 having a run in
David
Well my replacement Dapol 156 arrived over Christmas, so I have been running it in today, and so far so good - but then the last one started okay and went nuts shortly after! The 67 however, I am giving up on - I am no mechanic, and whatever is wrong with it is probably easily fixable if you know how, but as I don't its incredibly frustrating. I've taken the body off and guessing the pick ups aren't working right, have bend the strips downwards so they make better contact, and its improved sligh
A happier blog entry today! I've managed to get a long shot video showing the entire length in one go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZbdAVaWLxk
David
I set up the layout this evening in order to give the stock a run-in before the photo shoot on Thursday, and guess what - my Dapol stock is playing up, again!
Over the past 2 months I have spent over ??250 on Dapol stock - the 156, 153 and 67. The 153 arrived on Saturday and seems happy - for now. The 156 is less than 1 month old and now judders, jolts, and sparks when it (occasionally) moves. My 67 now does the same thing - hardly 'super-creep', more like 'super-creepy'!
This infuriate
My London Midland 153 arrived today, and I've added the light bar to see what its like, and actually very effective. I was extremely annoyed that my 156 has now started flying sparks when (if) it moves. So far only the 67 from Dapol has worked without a hitch (I may regret saying that...)
Anyway, as well as the 153, my order of shopping trolleys turned up in the post as well, so I now have a few added to the Ikea scene. Grahame mentioned these on his blog, and I was jumping with joy when I sa
