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Everything posted by Les1952
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Only four? I've just been invoiced for a Bachmann ordered 5 years and 5 months ago..... Les
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Like this one? I've just completed the layout flier and its first outing is South Notts Show on April 5th/6th next year. High speeds because at the moment there are still too many odd bits of ballast I need to remove- locos stall on these bumps if running slowly. OK, not UK outline but I'm picking up the skills to model in a new scale- and finding that for the first time ever I can't raid dealer's bits boxes at shows and toyfairs for secondhand buildings, cars etc. The UK outline one will follow it, and by that time I hope I'll almost know what I'm doing.... Les
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The last two pics are still in the phone (not the camera- that would have been too easy!) However, here is the video I threatened promised. Speeds and acceleration are too high to avoid stalling on bits of surplus ballast that locos find but I can't always see to chop away. They will be dealt with next time up. The pics will follow at some point. Meanwhile the layout is packed up and Bregenbach is on the shed floor with some spiders evicted from the underside and stuff being assembled for Loughborough. Les
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So far the replies to my post about the anniversary have been interesting. Perhaps putting two main points in the same post was more than many could handle- as most focused on the running together of UK and Continental prototypes. My 08 will run on Bregstadt as it is conceivable that a cash-strapped German private railway would have bought one that BR were selling off at scrap prices. My Pacifics are showcase queens. UK outline Broken Scar will have an East German diesel shunter which looks quite generic together with 08s and J94s- it is planned as an industrial twig. To repeat the MAIN point of the post. "It is coming up to the first anniversary of Hornby's announcement so perhaps time to look at what has been achieved. Three loco types (A1/A3, A4 and 08- four if you count the A1 and A3 separately), four varieties of coach (2 each Mark 1 and Pullman), and four varieties of wagon, all from new tooling. Plus a track system from new tooling and nine buildings, all from new tooling. This is in addition to items in OO from new tooling" There has been an objection to the thought of calling A1/A3 two different locos- note I didn't. Ignoring the track system and buildings, I repeat the question. Please give me an example of ANY other manufacturer in UK outline which has released eleven new tooled items of rolling stock including three locomotives in one scale. Now factor in that this is NOT the main scale. How many newly tooled items have appeared in any one of Bachmann's subsidiary scales? There has also been the comment that this is a new scale. In its second year it isn't new any more but there are at least as many new tooled items coming before July 2024. Assuming the 8000 Facebook TT-gaugers have a degree of duplication, can anyone give an example of any manufacturer that has brought (say) 2500 newbies into the hobby.
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Last day of work before packing up- and almost up to date with the photos. Only two more pre-dismantling pics to come, these showing an overview of everything fixed down. These are still in the camera. The video is also done and the two pics for the first layout flier are picked. BR94 arrives with vintage passenger train. The area around the shed has been levelled and painted brown (shame it dried glossy but it was the only pot I had in stock) read for the static grass. A pair of judicious trees hide the fact that the low relief buildings are actually centimetre forward of the backscene. The paving beside the flats still need relaying and some parked cars and people will disguise the dodgy levels in front of the buildings. Residents would have cars even though through traffic would be limited, the main road being presumed to be offstage behind the layout somewhere. I've made a start on the low relief factory- progress will be very slow as everything involving depth has to be reduced to 26mm in depth from the original 52mm. The doorway at this end of the building has been bricked up and there will be a small yard at the far end, after which a digger will be making a hole for another block to be built. There will be a vehicle placed on the road over the board join, removable as will be the factory. the layout name will sit immediately above the factory to finish disguising the two joins in the backscene. Moving on, the BR94 has retired to the shed now the static grass is laid here. With a little cropping of the foreground this will be used in the MK1 version of the layout flier. Naturally better photos will replace the two on Mark 1 as building the layout progresses. Moving on, the BR280 passes the shed on its way towards Furtwangen. This is a better photo despite the slightly dodgy foreground photo in that clangers are harder to pick up. I think this will be the main pic for the flier. The layout is now boxed up and standing on end. I've added a drop wire on the run-round loop on the tunnel board, as ballasting the line seems to have lost a connection at the fishplate immediately beyond the point. If that is the only electrical casualty of ballasting I'll be very grateful. Last pics of this spasm to follow, with the link to the latest video. Les
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It is coming up to the first anniversary of Hornby's announcement so perhaps time to look at what has been achieved. Three loco types (A1/A3, A4 and 08- four if you count the A1 and A3 separately), four varieties of coach (2 each Mark 1 and Pullman), and four varieties of wagon, all from new tooling. Plus a track system from new tooling and nine buildings, all from new tooling. This is in addition to items in OO from new tooling. In that time how many items of new tooling have come from ANY of the other manufacturers even in their main scale? The nearest comparison should be Graham Farish, which is supposed to be Bachmann UK's main secondary scale. Perhaps those who are spending their time Hornby bashing would like to compare numbers. You need to look to the Continent to find more new items- for example in Fleischmann's 90-page new items book. There are well North of 8000 members of the various Facebook TT:120 groups, most of whom are new to the hobby. Any comparable measureable growth elsewhere? As to scale to gauge- what matters isn't 0.4mm on the gauge but that the scale is consistent with the rest of the world. Not 1:148 vs 1:160 as in N or 1:76 vs 1:87 as in HO/OO. This means when I put my A3 Trigo next to a German steamer it looks the right size. The Continentals appreciate this also- a fair number of A3s and A4s have gone to Continental buyers. I also model in N. My A3s from Croft Spa don't look right standing next to the Continental stock on Bregenbach im Schwarzwald- quite apart from the fact that the only UK outline stock I have that will handle the continental Radius 1 curves and less-steep-than-prototype 1 in 25 banks are my Union Mills locos. The scale to gauge thing is best viewed fron the right end. Not all positive- the Tillig couplers are a nightmare to uncouple by hand and do have a habit of uncoupling themselves bumping in the flangeway of Hornby's points and I'm not 100% happy with the transfer of power between the blade and the stock rail, though in N gauge Fleischmann points if anything slightly worse. As to flanges- when the stuff is running it will be difficult to see just how big the flanges are. This video which I've posted before shows my 08 running on Bregstadt with German wagons. By the way the bumping is on stray bits of ballast that I'd still to remove at that point- stock finds it better than I can see it.... The layout is having its ballast upgraded with finer stuff. Les
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Penultimate day of building before the layout is packed away for three weeks. Still playing catch-up with the pics but I've also been getting a video done. the good news is that I've also got a pair of useable pictures for a layout flier. The flier will be put together next week so I have some to give out at Loughborough in a couple of weeks time. The first set of trees don't really hide the hole in the backscene, so there will need to be tidying up there as well as a couple of trees behind which can be seen through the hole. A bit of touching up to be done on the bridge. The nearest trees have been sprayed with matt varnish and dipped in flock powder to improve them from the basic bog brush. The ones to go in front of them will also have the bottom branches and the ground under them made more dead with some brown scatter. Houses four and five of the town. The two I'd bought to extend the town are too deep so I'll put a couple of judicious trees to hide the gap between house and backscene and make green space. The factory for further along is too deep but after some thought I can reduce its depth from 45mm to 25mm. Again here some cars, people and shrub tubs can hide the problems with the pavement. The other end is still rather bare and a bit out of focus in this pic, but the Noch roadway now extends the full length of the scenic area and with the edges bedded in properly and cars etc hiding joins between strips it will look good when finished. One tip is to always lay overlaps so the front piece rides over the top of the one behind it. That hides the join from the direct frontal view and makes the view blockers and distractors have to work that little bit less hard. The two main station buildings are in their final place though not bedded in. The "Frauen" sign on the ladies' can be made out. The little waiting room for the other platform is under construction, not that there will be all that many times when two passenger trains cross here. Grass tufts in the background- these particular ones from Amazon came with a very nice pair of tweezers but aren't self-adhesive. Last for today, in the box of goodies from Modellbahnshop Lippe, as well as some wheels for a parcels van I'm building, the first of the figures (including the signature peeing dog) and a couple more Enaos bogie wagons the couplings for the NoHab have arrived. The grotty area in front of it here is the next area to be tackled to make a presentable foreground for the flier pics. Still more to show, but not tonight. Les
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The three buildings at the back corner are now all bedded in and a few trees planted to hide some of the imperfections. Two views looking into te corner- darkening the area behind the backscene has also hidden the view somewhat. I need to order some more small plywood sheets to finish the top over here, which will darken it further. On Bregenbach I have a couple of trees just behind the backscene at one point which helped give the impression that it isn't a tunnel the trains are disappearing into. I'll probably try it here after Soar Valley show- I have about 6 useable weeks to get on with this before a holiday to Iceland and BB and NP going out to two shows each. The flat block is stuck in place and now has a footpath to the cellar entrances, with a flower border running along in front of it. Tidying up still to be done at the left end of it. Work has moved to tidying up the edge of the footpath to the footbridge, and getting the other two buildings of the town done. The blog is running a couple of days behind at the moment, so a lot more has been done but the next batch of pics are still in the camera. More to follow. Hopefully there will be a couple of views good enough to make a layout flier before I pack away on Sunday. Les
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As I said above Area 7 Backworth Unit kept all of their locos spotless. An inwards transfer would be run for as short a time as possible before being taken into the paintshop for sorting out. It was only in the final year as the diesels arrived that locos became a little dirtier. Even then all five of the working steamers went for preservation, as did earlier regulars 44 and 47, one of which became Moorbarrow on the NYMR. Ashington kept its steam clean until the diesels arrived. In the midlands Cadley Hill had an immaculate fleet which were used in preference to the diesels. Many smaller collieries had locos that only worked part shifts or irregularly within a longer shift and in a good many of these the driver spent his spare time cleaning the engine. There is also the loco at Shop Pit Loco Shed in the Team Valley which was religiously cleaned to spotless on one side and left filthy on the other- it was something to do with complaints. I can't remember whether the cleaned side faced towards or away from the complainant. I'm pretty sure the loco was number 81. First pic is No.9 on first arrival from Burradon, where locos were generally filthy. The pic of it with No.6 is 6 months later. Second pic below is two years on. Final pic for now is the last loco at Shop pit, the immaculate no.32 not long before closure. Not as clean as Backworth but little dirt considering it was some time out of shops. Les
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I've just had an invoice for a loco that I ordered way back in March 2018, manufactured by Bachmann. That long ago I'd forgotten I'd ordered it. Presumably waiting a year or two for a Hornby to appear is more of a disaster to the modelling world than waiting for 5 years for a Bachmann...... Les Who expects to be thoroughly hammered by the Bachmann Mafia on RMWeb for pointing this out.....
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Area 7 until Durham and Nothumberland split, then Area 1, South Northumberland Area, Northumberland Area and North Eastern Area in order. Of the 4 locos in the pics- 6 was preserved at Brechin (with number 48 which was just as impressive) 9 went to the Strathspey Railway 16 and 49 to Tanfield where 49 works regularly and 16 is yet to be restored. But the foreman took pride in his steamers and the colliery group repainted their wagons regularly. The pics are 1973 to 1975. Les
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As noted above last year's heatwave in China took out several weeks of production for a good proportion of ALL manufactured good coming from China. The current heatwave is expected to decimate Chinese production for EVERYONE for even longer. Between the two you are getting beyond three months of slippage just for high temperature. Of course RMWebbers appear to be castigating Hornby for not anticipating this..... Les
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Interesting project, and the weathering is impressive. Just remember that not everything on the NCB was dirty.. Note that not just the locos are spotless- see the van behind.... Locos so clean you could eat your breakfast off the running board- then get in trouble for leaving a mark. The only dirty wagons over four visits were the BR ones... A lettering point- note the shading is on the "wrong" side. Les
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Making progress reasonably quickly, though there is now less than a week before I have to put it away to prepare Bregenbach for Soar Valley show. The Noch roadway now extends to the board join. No problems here that I can't disguise with suitable cars. It looks a little narrow here, so I think the factory over the board join might be a bit optimistic. I'll build it anyway and worry about it later... The roadway offscene is now in place and works well. The piazza next to the flats will be re-done when the flats are bedded in, probably with a different paving laid over the top in a bespoke fashion. Note the top of the corner building roof is now darker so the bodge with Redutex no longer stands out. One downpipe has escaped the window but is has been located and is waiting to be put back. Some weathering and matt finishing still to be done here. A day later the same location taken from wheelchair user height. As the layout is about 4 inches nearer the floor than NO PLACE and Bregstadt wheelchair users will get close and personal with the trains. Another reason for disguising the blemishes.... Wheelchair user view to the big white block, now stuck down and bedded in. You can see it is low relief a bit too clearly. I feel a tree or two coming on, it is the Black Forest after all. Trees are also needed to take away the direct view through the hole in the backscene. Time also to build the ends up and paint the inside matt grey to reduce the light from behind. The list of jobs seems to grow faster than they get ticked off. A parcel from Modelbahnshop Lippe is imminent, and also a pack of decent trees. Les
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Lifted directly from Hornby's TT:120 website today. PHASE 3 Phase Three sees the introduction of two main BR diesel locomotive stalwarts, these being the Brush Class 37 and the Brush Class 47. There will be variants of both, ranging from their early introduction right through to their days in Privatisation. (The picture next to this is the 9F in case anyone like me was wondering...) PHASE 4 Phase Four will see the arrival of the Class 31, again in various liveries and formats. For those interested in steam locomotives 'The Great Western Castle' will be introduced in various liveries and periods as well as two 0-6-0 locomotives namely the LNER/BR J94 and the GWR/BR Class 5700 Pannier Tank. (as a non-sequitur the picture here is a class37). There you are, straight from the Horse's mouth. What isn't said is when these will appear, just where they are in the pecking order. I think I might have a little longer than I had imagined before starting the UK outline layout. NO PLACE has a life extension. Just as well as I've just had an invoice for a G5 I had forgotten I ordered way back in 2018.....
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It seems steep but on the other hand I've never found Peters Spares to be cheap... You pay for them keeping fiddly little bespoke bits in stock in case someone wants them- I've shelled out an amount that seemed to be measured in limbs for three pairs of Dapol loco to tender wires. Not cheap but available. Les
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Having seen the giant circuit boards that make up HM7000 next18 decoders I'm not hopeful of Hornby getting a small 6-pin HM7000 decoder. I've also seen how narrow the decoder space is inside the 08. I had problems selecting a decoder that would fit, ending up robbing one of the N-gauge locos I'm selling to get one narrow enough. It is some years since I first saw a layout (Holcombe Brook & Tottington) worked by Iphones, and I wonder if it might have been a better idea to use conventional DCC at the track end with the Bluetooth as a master system. Les
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I've now worked out the final position for the big block. By moving the corner block to the right the road can exit to the right of that, making a cul-de-sac. It is going to be a bit messy behind the flats block as far as surfacing it but any problems can be hidden. A low angle view showing the stack from front to rear. The blocks being here work as far as closing the layout is concerned- the trees along the rear of the layout won't protrude above the backscene top. The first attempt at getting a level surface didn't wotk, so the substrate here is a bit high, leaving quite a kerb in front of the blocks. A few parked cars can disguise just how high it is. I'm going to use Noch roadway along the back. Joins can have distractors by or on them so it will end up looking good. This is Noch pavement. the road will exit the scene to the right of the corner block. Balconies still to finish and a few minor details on the big block, and the roof top of the corner black still needs a coat of paint. Then a bit of weathering will be applied to the rooftops, even in the Black Forest they aren't that clean. The Noch road surface is in place, with some grotty bits at this end which can't be fixed until the flats block has been bedded in- a bit of chicken-and-egg here as the surface round the block could do with being right before the block is bedded in. Sadly one stage has to be finished before the other, and it will be easier to bed the block in then sort the problems. Another long-ish day tomorrow, though I'll have to go into town in the morning to visit the Post Office. Plenty needs doing. Les
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The last of the locos bought from Kelvin is the BR215 by Tillig. Again a little unlikely to have been bought by the Bregtalbahn but as DB were selling off the first of their V160 types around the time the layout was set it isn't impossible. This now completes the diesel roster. With the steam roster also full all I really need is another railbus to give a spare. The front of the loco shows it to be missing a front coupler, which I managed to catch and break of when fitting the decoder- it isn't straightforward working out exactly where to pull to get the body off. At first I thought I'd done in the rear coupler and was getting ready to program it in reverse. then I discovered the body fits either way round so the missing coupler is at number 1 end. It will be rostered on through freight or occasional passenger so it will only really have to run forwards. There is a fret of detailing parts in the box so it may well get those added to the front. Showing the coupler I didn't brak off at number 2 end. The decoder is a Plux12 variety, and I found it difficult to source. Eventually I got hold of a Lenz Silver Mini but the loco spent a few weeks sitting in its box waiting for it to arrive. I've ordered couplings for the NoHab now, and put an extra set in the order as they look as if the NoHab and BR215 have the same coupler type. If it doesn't fit then I've only wasted about £3, and the couplers will go in the "might come in handy" box. In the same order there are a couple of bogie open wagons and the first couple of sets of people, together with some wheelsets. All for now. Tomorrow is due to be wet so a big building bash in the shed- finish the flats block and start the next house in line- and get some more wall capping done and tidy up some more ballast. Plenty still to do. Les
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I said that both offspring had raided Gostude's eBay stash and bought me a beer van apiece for my birthday. Having collected the second one- the right hand one of the pair- from Manchester last week here they are together. Radeberger now has Easi-shunt couplings as has one end of Torgau. The other end will be done later but the V180 isn't a shunter and has Tillig couplers at the moment. The first level of fancy detailing on the front of the block of flats, and an attempt to see if it works further along the road. I think it might overpower this location. More thinking needed. Meanwhile lurking round behind the backscene is the pile of unbuilt kits.... Les
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Hornby are attending three shows this back end- The Great Electric Train Show on 14-15 Oct at Milton Keynes The Great British Model train Show at Gaydon on 28th and 29th October and Warley on 25th and 26th November. IF there is to be an announcement of a set for Christmas my gut feeling is that Milton Keynes is the most likely time to announce it. By that time they'll know if it has made the boat in time. Alternately the Summer TT:120 Club mag must be due before all that long for a longer punt. Les
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The station building and the toilet block are now painted, and the platform has its card surface with an initial coat of grey paint. The station is where it will be sited, astride the board join. As I'm basically working from the rear corners to the front middle bedding this in might be one of the last jobs to be done. Weathering also needed here and the ground around can be designed as I know where the station access road comes in. Closer view of the ladder on the station wall (trusting people) and the "Manner" sign on the toilets- the "Damen" loos are round the other side. I know this is supposed to be the front of the toilet block but it looks better than the back so is more interesting for the punters. Having finished the station and the shed, the next building in the pile of kits is the other big block for the town centre. It is a half-relief block by DM Toys/Modellbahn Union and laser-cut. No issues so far other than it is deeper than the space I'd allocated for it, so construction pics will show it moving up and down the road until I find where it looks best. The corner block still needs its roof finishing. Last for today, I saw this small 3D-printed shed building with lean-to on eBay, one of the myriad of folks making stuff for TT:120. It was cheap enough to take a punt on and would have been put aside for the next layout if unsuitable. Exactly what I need to be able to move the barrel roofed warehouse along the road slightly to where it is a bit wider, and still leave the chimney hiding the discontinuity in the backscene. It will be sited here, though the lean-to might be moved. I just have to decide what colours to paint it. The first building on the layout that is not a kit, and only the third structure after the tunnel mouth and the footbridge. Definitely a constructors scale- all my other layouts have included appropriate buildings recycled from other peoples' layouts and some ready-to- pant buildings. More soon. Les
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Planet Industrials - Kerr Stuart Victory RTR in OO...
Les1952 replied to James Hilton's topic in Planet Industrials
I STILL don't have my Kerr Stuart (a maroon sound-fitted one at £215). It arrived in a badly bashed box with air included in the packaging amplifying the blow it had received, and didn't run so it went back. Two weeks later after an email to find out where it had got to it returned, in a different bashed box. This one at least didn't have the imprint of a foot on it. On the second attempt the loco was, if anything, worse than the first time. The valve gear on one side falls apart after half a revolution- the fault it was sent back for the first time. I sent pics back and was advised to remove the sound chip and install the blanking plug if I wished to test that the valve gear worked- not really on- the user should not be expected to dismantle a loco to check it- that is why we send them back. It also appears the valve gear as designed isn't strong enough to withstand the sort of blow this one has received. The image shows what happens after one revolution immediately after the thing had been put together properly. This image shows it as put back together. One more revolution and we were back to photograph one. Accordingly I sent it back again on 19th June, first class signed-for and correctly addressed. This time for a refund. Tracking shows it has not been delivered. PI say no card was left, though I have no idea whether, having had the tracking number supplied by me, any attempt has been made to see if it is at their local sorting office. If undelivered it should have been returned to me by yesterday. It has not appeared. Royal Mail want proof of contents and a statement of the value of the item, which I'm unable to supply. As a result there will be no compensation. They also say they will not compensate because the address is a PO box number and these often do not accept signed-for deliveries. Moral- use REGISTERED mail, and ask for an address that is not a PO box if returning stuff. Les -
The 08 copes quite happily with Peco points where the frog isn't wired seperately and also with Hornby points. It does need its wheels keeping clean, however - like all locos do. Les
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A lot of posts bemoaning how late stuff is- but NOBODY has mentioned the latest news that is being reported from China. Source Reuters, CNN, BBC and others. China is currently suffering a heatwave of the same magnitude (or maybe even greater) than the 50 degrees Celsius heatwave affecting Europe. They also had a heatwave last year. The one last year closed factories all across China and significantly delayed exports and development of products for a large number of customers. The heatwave this year is already closing factories, which will remain shut until the temperature goes down. This will again delay products to everyone. Stuff will be late again- no doubt including TT:120 stuff for Hornby. Of course RMWebbers will insist that the heatwave is all Hornby's fault, or that they should have factored it in, or invested in factories in Greenland or Iceland etc... Les