Chamby

Zooming in on the image in the Amazon ad shows that it is an 8 ohm, 0.5W speaker.

You can avoid video’s and adverts popping up on RMWeb by either signing up to RMWeb ‘premium’, which costs £12 per annum (=£1 a month) or else installing ad-blocking software on your device, such as AdGuard. I used the software for a while, but found that it also had unwanted effects on other sites, so I have now subscribed to ‘premium’. I feel it is a small price to pay for the level of engagement that I have with RMWeb.

If you are already using DCC, you can achieve this with a single sound chip. Sound chips don’t have to be fitted into locomotives, they can be wired permanently across the track circuit and the speaker sited at a static location, with different whistle and horn sounds installed. In theory, multiple speakers could be located around the layout and a simple rotary switch used to select which location you want the sound to emanate from. Under the track adjacent to a signal, or within a tunnel, for example. Also, with static mounted chips, there are no issues re: speaker dimensions...

Retaining Walls A minor milestone achieved today, with the installation of the arches at Leicester station. The real station was raised above the surrounding cityscape on an arched viaduct built of Staffordshire Blue Brick. After some deliberation about the best way to capture this in model form, I decided that the best approach would be to line the baseboard edge with a representation of the arches. Once you start looking, there are a number of different manufacturers who produce these, in different materials and to different profiles. The closest I found to the Great Central arches at Leicester, are the 3D laser cut versions manufactured by Scale Model Scenery... so I measured up and duly purchased 27 of them (nine kits of three arches) to line the front edge of the layout. The kits as supplied go together very well, albeit a little time consuming. SMS provide printed sheets of both blue and red brick, but after some experimentation I decided that I just wouldn't have the patience to laminate every piece of each kit, so I assembled the basic components in their raw MDF state, and painted them instead. The kits were assembled on a backing board of 4mm ply, in runs of six arches at a time to simplify their installation and aid future removal for maintenance: This old photo shows the baseboards before installation of the arches. The accessory control panel was attached to the baseboard edge: I had to remove it, and reposition it below the baseboards: The new arches installed along the baseboard edge, secured by sticky-backed velcro: And a view from the other end, showing the resited control panel: Not only does this improve the station area visually, but it also provides some protection should anything decide to leave the rails and head towards the baseboard edge! I'd now like to replicate this process on the far side of the layout as well, though I won't need the full kit for this. Perhaps I'll have a chat with that nice Mr Justin at SMS, and see how easy it would be to do a series of partial-kits...

Without wishing to prolong yet another DCC sound debate, the difference between steam and diesel sound projects needs a little further definition. Diesel sounds are relatively simple to install, assuming that a good quality speaker is used then they are often ‘plug and play’. The body shape also tends to provide more scope for a larger speaker installation, enhancing the bass effect and improving the perception of a good tone to the sound. Steam projects are altogether more fickle to install properly. There is less space available in the body for a speaker, unless the tender is used - as is the case with most factory installed sound. The best installations will place an additional small cube speaker in the smoke box to reproduce higher frequency sound at the front end of the locomotive, where it mostly belongs. The other thing that most steam installations don’t get right is (perhaps bizarrely) how the sound file looks. Whereas diesels just glide along, steam installations will only sound right when the sounds are synchronised to the valvegear. Four chuffs per rotation for a 2 or 4 cylinder loco, six for 3 cylinders. Not only that, the ‘chuff’ rate needs to continue to match the motion as the locomotive accelerates, until the speed at which the eye can’t keep up with the correlation. This requires a level of programming skill that most modellers simply haven’t acquired… or bothered to learn, more like. It also needs to be tailored to individual locomotives, I have transferred a well matched chip to a sister model of the same class/manufacturer and found that the motor has slightly different drive characteristics, so the synchronicity was out again. I suspect that this lack of synchronicity is a significant reason why an otherwise excellent steam sound project just doesn’t seem to be right. It can be done, but I’ve only rarely seen it achieved - including at premier exhibitions.

Theres a bit more to it than that, Tony. Accuracy is one thing, I suggest that robustness and durability come into the equation as well. Brass versus plastic...? How many super-detailed RTR models will still have all their ‘bits’ complete after a few years running? My brace of Accurascale deltic’s are the most superb models, but with everyday handling those bogie chains and other details still keep falling off... they require regular maintenance to keep that detail intact. If you build your own model, you know what has gone into it, and how to maintain it. If the finely detailed valve gear breaks on an RTR model, how many owners can fix it themselves? Often the solution will be to replace it with another example, rather than fix it yourself. I suggest that the life expectancy of a well built kit, if the builder continues to own it and maintain it, will likely be much better than the average RTR purchase. Your layout and it’s most impressive locomotive roster is the culmination of a lifetime’s work, both in terms of input effort and acquired knowledge and skill. In my case, having started out with my layout build and accompanying model collection upon retirement, I haven’t had that luxury and therefore have a much greater dependency on RTR products to achieve my goals. But RTR does make those goals achievable, and more! The range, quality and availability of RTR has opened up a level of modelled accuracy and detail that significantly enhances my enjoyment of this hobby. Yes, if it’s available RTR I will buy it... and modify every one to suit. And with items like the A5 tank becoming available soon from Sonic models, the list of what I can’t buy off the shelf also gets shorter every year. But are the RTR models better than your own kit built models? That very much depends upon your assessment criteria.

This week is, apparently, National Tree week, formerly known as 'plant a tree week'. Co-incidentally, I was impressed with the products of Primo Models as demonstrated on their stand at Warley last weekend, and bought some Larch trees to embellish the layout. These are hand-made and much more realistic than the more widely available commercial products, and reasonably priced considering the work that goes into them. So my contribution to National Tree Week - although perhaps not quite what the organisers envisaged, here they are on the layout. Apologies for the poor depth of field, the photo was taken on my phone. The largest tree still has its small ply base affixed, it is awaiting some plastic tube of sufficient diameter to accept its trunk, before being properly planted into the scenery. I'm very impressed with these, and sorely tempted to acquire a few more... https://primomodels.co.uk/

In the context of the post-Covid exhibition scene, attending The Warley show was an interesting experience. I attended on the Saturday, with a couple of mates, this year as ‘general public’ rather than an exhibitor. Owing to the increased local accommodation costs we decided to travel there and back in a day. First impressions weren’t great despite a smooth journey up from Cornwall, once we entered the NEC site it took 30 minutes of queuing traffic to park up, and for some reason we were directed to a car park with a much longer walk to the exhibition hall than in previous years, so we missed out on the benefit of early entry with our pre-booked tickets. Once inside, on the Saturday at least, it seemed quieter than in previous years. The aisles were wider, exhibits were more spaced out and there seemed to be fewer large layouts on display. The general feeling was that the train strike hadn’t helped footfall, and fingers were heavily crossed that Sunday would be busier as a result - I don’t know if that actually transpired. Re: layouts, a member of the modelling press commented that the Covid period had resulted in more small, single owner layouts being built over the last couple of years, larger group projects being impossible for a while. Those layouts that were on show, however, were mostly of the usual high standard. Was it worth the cost and effort of attending? On balance, although it didn’t feel quite as impressive as previous years the reduced footfall made it a much more pleasant visitor experience: everything and everyone was easy to access and/or view. The three of us all felt ‘yes’, we would still do it again, despite the 18 hour-long round trip. It was interesting to see that even the big shows have a different feel after Covid - I hope that the numbers still added up for the Warley team at the end of the day. Their efforts - and the hard work put in by all the traders and exhibitors - contributes much to the hobby, and is still very much appreciated.

We're used to seeing falling raindrops in Cornwall - locally its known as liquid sunshine! Here are some rather atmospheric raindrops captured on film... not in Cornwall, but on the SVR whilst on a driver experience day a few years back.

Nice work again, Trevor! Some lovely attention to detail on the dries. Co-incidentally I was just writing about Scale Model Scenery on my own layout blog at the same time you must have been. We had an arranged visit there last week with the Bodmin Club: Justin and his crew made us very welcome and showed us round their workshop and showroom. The materials they use are of excellent quality, and their bank of industrial-scale lasers is both impressive and mesmerising! I came away with quite a few bits and pieces...

A little more progress on the layout over the last couple of weeks, in between family visits... the warm Autumn has extended the tourist season down here in Cornwall, to everyone's delight but it has meant rather less modelling time than expected. I have been working on the second signal box conversion, again a modification of the Bachman Scenecraft model of the GC box at Loughborough. I decided to be a bit more brutal with the Dremel this time to get a more accurate representation of the Leicester Passenger South box. The original toilet, staircase and brick chimney were removed, and the box sliced in half just below the wooden walkway underneath the main windows. The walls were raised by approx 2.5cm using plasticard sections to achieve the required increase in height: It looked a right mess at this stage, fingers were crossed! The windows of the interlocking room were given more prominent frames, in anticipation of the additional timber cladding, and some of the resulting gaps in the raised walls (my Dremel work is not pretty!) were filled with Liquid Green Stuff - a very useful liquid filler that hardens off in about 30 minutes and is easy to carve when set. It's a Citadel product, used by wargamers and available from Games Workshop. Thereafter it was a case of attaching the cladding (plastic strip), making good the downpipes across the raised section of wall, fashioning a new stovepipe chimney, building a new staircase and adding interior detailing as with the first box. I also added an LED under the roof, and wired it up ready to link into the layouts accessory bus. The result, after repainting and seen here temporarily placed on the layout, I'm quite pleased with: The first box I modified has been renamed Leicester Pass Nth and now sits comfortably but rather less prominently at the other end of the station. There's still a lot of work to be done with the signalling and all its associated paraphernalia still to install, so for a while the two boxes look the part, but sit in splendid isolation! After a club visit to the premises of Scale Model Scenery last week I came away with some bits and pieces to work on over the winter. We were made very welcome by Justin and his team, who plied us with tea and coffee, whilst showing us around the workshop and showroom. I was very impressed with the quality of materials used, and the range of items they have: seeing so many of the models assembled and painted in the showroom is far more inspiring than looking at pictures in the catalogue, or browsing a bank of packaged up kits at exhibitions! Firstly, some plants and park benches were purchased, which now reside in an awkward corner on the layout that has been turned into a small civic flower bed. Also visible here is the (very) short tunnel and the main line where it runs, normally out of sight, behind the raised roadway. Other acquisitions from SMS included more line side fencing, a long run of 27 blue-brick retaining arches and parapet walling for the station area, and a terraced house. The latter is to trial assembly and see how I might be able to fit a terrace of housing at the opposite end of the layout to the raised roadway. Provisional measuring up suggests that I will need a run of about 18 terraced houses... more on that later, no doubt!

A truly remarkable similarity between the photographs, Tony. Though it does tempt one to play ‘spot the difference’... Which proves to be commendably difficult! Just two minor observations then: the foliage on the far embankment, and the length of the ‘headshunt’. That’s being really picky though, and to a degree of scrutiny that far exceeds what my own modelling can bear. To achieve this level of accuracy in three dimensional modelling on such a large subject, is surely exceptional.

I seem to recall that, when reviewing the then new Thompson coaches introduced by Bachmann a few years ago, that Tony Spoke highly of the teak examples reviewed but lamented the absence of maroon liveried examples. Whilst browsing through Rails’ website this evening, I noticed that they are now taking advance orders for a new batch of these coaches, in maroon livery, as part of Bachmann’s winter releases. They got there in the end!

Did it come complete with the winding-up key, Tony?

Latest copies of both Hornby magazine and BRM arrived chez nous in the post this week. They both seem very advert-heavy (possibly in the run up to Christmas?) and having flash-read them both yesterday I felt that they were rather light on reading material. I agree with Tony's comment that digitisation of print has made a big difference, enabling the big switch towards more photography and less written copy. This it typified in the number of 'photo-sequence how-to' articles that BRM in particular seems to favour, but whilst this shows the process better, it does also make for a less absorbing read. Yes, a picture paints a thousand words. But which is the more absorbing when sat in an armchair one evening with the magazine and a glass of wine? Looking at a picture, or reading an article? The reality, I suggest, is a balance of both - enough text to provide an absorbing read, and sufficient imagery to properly illustrate the article. Although it can't be easy for publishers to maintain a consistently high standard month after month, after month.

Presumably these are guest locomotives on LB? I’ve been reviewing the former GC’s 9F’s recently and the tender types varied between regions: I note that these are London Midland and Western region allocated locomotives respectively. Eastern region allocated 9F’s typically had a BR1F tender with a higher water capacity. I have gained the impression that over their short lifespan, 9F’s and their tenders didn’t transfer much between regions. A browse through my reference books for the GCLE showed the majority of allocated 9F’s to be single chimney variants with the BR1F tender. There is a photographic record of other variants, notably Western region 9F’s, working through to Annesley from Swindon, though even a Crosti visited for a while. Evening Star apparently was ‘borrowed’ over a weekend by Woodford when she arrived with a train from Swindon one Friday afternoon in 1964, and given a spin up to Annesley on a ‘runner’. She was regarded as a celebrity loco even then.

I find the intensity of this recurring 100mph debate quite bemusing. There seems to be general agreement that City of Truro was very close to 100mph, A remarkable achievement in itself. Thinking of it as 160.934 kilometres per hour, versus slightly less, tempers the frothing somewhat!

You are not alone! What I have been able to discern is that Leicester Central was one of the first stations to be repainted in the new LNER colour scheme introduced in 1936/7. The Eastern Region was also notoriously slow to repaint it’s infrastructure post nationalisation so I have used these colours for my own model, 1950-ish. Exact rendition of the colour scheme at individual stations is open to some interpretation in the absence of colour photographs, But you might find the following link helpful: https://www.stationcolours.info/london-north-eastern-railway/

Today I have made the final touches to the signal box conversion of the Bachmann Scenecraft GCR signal box. It's not a perfect replica of the ones at Leicester as I've been rather conservative about the modification, being relatively new to this sort of thing. Next time (I need two boxes for Leicester GC: North and South) I will have the confidence to be more aggressive with the Dremel and also add extra height between the interlocking room windows and the window walkway, and remove the outside loo leaving just the porch. Modifictions include cladding the box to represent timber rather than brick construction, replacing the brick chimney with a stove pipe, replacing the staircase to remove the right angled steps and repainting from GCR to LNER colours. Also added is a Ratio signal box interior (with a second set hacked to extend the run of signal levers) and a ModelU signalman leaning on the railings at the top of the stairs. Photographs: I notice in these photo's that I've already managed to snap off one of the roof finials! The final location of the box has yet to be firmed up, if I site is as per the prototype then I will be looking at the back of it with all the interesting detail facing the wall... do I go for accuracy, or aesthetics on this one? Decisions, decisions! Otherwise, the only thing left to do is fit internal lighting and wire it into the layout. Now for a celebratory cup of tea and slice of home-made flapjack!

Shouldn't that be !O ?

Tony, removing the chips is usually straightforward and you should be able to preserve them. Try to leave the wires attached to the chip and re-wire the loco if necessary, so snip the wires leaving a length attached to the chip, rather than unsolder wires from the chip itself. Orange and grey will go to the motor, red and black to the pick-ups. All the other wires are used for working lights, stay-alive, firebox flicker etc. which often aren’t fitted, so those wires are probably just hanging off the chip. If a sound chip is fitted, there will be an additional two wires of the same colour for the speaker, often brown (ESU) or purple (Zimo). Again you can just snip these if necessary, leaving a length still attached to the chip. If the chip has a protective plastic coating attached to it, and the coating is glued rather than the chip itself, you might be able to remove it intact. Otherwise the chip might have to be sacrificed.

Just to say, John, that there are some really nice views along that beautifully flowing trackwork among your recent photo’s. The ballasting and signals make a big difference, as will a bit more scenery when you get around to it (!) Watching a train potter along the branch line must now be a very rewarding experience... A credit to all the thought and effort you must have put into the planning and build. Proper job!

A few observations from the OP: Re: catering, making a cash profit from it is not essential, if it adds value to the exhibition in other ways. Better to have a burger and bacon butty van onsite, than have no catering at all... especially if you can negotiate exhibitor lunch vouchers with the proprietor as part of the deal. Re: fundraising, we have been able to tap into some interesting alternative sources of additional funds recently. Our local county councillor has a fund to support local activities and events, as does our Parish Council. There is also additional support for communities in ‘clay country’ here in Cornwall, following the local decline in the extraction of white stuff. We have successfully tapped into these sources to fund materials and equipment for a new layout, and are also assessing the possibility of financial support for an exhibition. So although things are getting tougher re: the traditional way of running things, there are other options out there. I agree with earlier posts that holding an exhibition isn’t just about raising funds. Ask the question, if your exhibition was just break-even in financial terms, would you still do it? Is it a highlight of the club year, or a tedious chore of necessity? If the latter, you should perhaps explore other funding options. Getting back to the original question, before Covid we had maybe 6-8 outings a year, taking our club layout all over the country. If we want to maintain that level of activity, the discussion so far seems to point us towards having something smaller, more manageable and with lower associated costs, so we can offer exhibitions either the ‘big’ layout or a smaller one. We are also discussing among membership whether we would be prepared to accept additional personal costs for the privilege of exhibiting the big layout elsewhere. We have mixed views on that, as you might expect - our members personal financial circumstances vary hugely. But as others have said, time will tell! Thanks for all your helpful and varied comments so far...

If the wire is long enough, you could insert an omega loop that can be eased open or closed, as required. I haven’t tried it with signals, but it works with ‘wire in tube’ point control.

I attend a model railway club in Cornwall, where there is a debate currently in progress about the changing face of model railway exhibitions, and what it means for us as a club. Before Covid, we held an annual exhibition that was well attended and brought in extra funds for the club, we also have a large club layout (30x12 feet) that has been regularly exhibited both locally and has been shown at most major national events. We decided over the last couple of years that we should start on a new build layout, of similar size - to offer something new to 'the circuit' - but are now unsure if we are doing the right thing. A number of new factors have come into play recently: # Our nearest model shop with a national presence is no longer attending local exhibitions. This seems to be part of a wider trend. # Our large club layout's future bookings have dropped dramatically since Covid. Clubs seem to be holding back on larger layouts, with their associated costs for several operators and van hire, in favour of smaller layouts with lower overheads. # Other clubs have commented on a reduced appetite from ageing members for taking their own larger club layouts out to exhibit. A number of authors on this forum also have indicated that their days of lugging large layouts to exhibit, are drawing to a close. # The cost of living crisis seems to be putting a dampener on the usual fees for exhibition entry, and impacts upon attending trader revenues. For myself, I have attended Warley for over a decade now, but am having second thoughts this year... the £20 entrance fee, £17 car parking, as well as increased travel costs... we are all feeling it, I suspect. So, a question to exhibition managers and club committees: Is the time of large club exhibition layouts now over? And as a club that has thrived on exhibiting elsewhere, what type of layouts will you be seeking for your own events in future?