GEOEng03

Hi Chris, Many thanks for sharing the scans. Really appreciate you taking the time to share these with me. Very informative and what can i say, WOW! I am in awe of your ability with scratch building the DMU's and the effort you went to, to make them as realistic as you have done. I can imagine it took you many months to get these to where they are and a lot of patience. I really look forward to seeing in the flesh and getting inspiration. It was good to see the 170 appear after reading that, that was your next project at the time. How did you find painting at that scale, You say that transfers were replaced by hand painting, but the 150 has some detailed patterns that I would struggle with! I have been looking at the Peter Clark kits as a way in for the none RTR, but even those seem a bit daunting. But i can see how much more satisfaction you get from such kits. We recently relocated back north for work and to be closer to family after the arrival of our first born, temporarily in Lancashire, but moving over to West Yorkshire later this year, so i will definitely be attending one of those shows (Covid-19 permitting) to see them firsthand. Cheers Chris Bryn

Great layout. Certainly inspirational and makes me want to model O gauge, though not sure I've the skills for kit building DMUs like you have. But the appearance of 66s next year at a reasonable price has me really on the edge I've tracked down the article from BRM, but cannot find the Model Rail 2000 article you did on building the kits. Can anyone help. I'm really keen on seeing what you need to do with these kits. Is there any thoughts for exhibitions when things get to normal again with the layout. For now, I'll salivate at your layout some more Update - Just found a YouTube video of layout on tour. Love it... Cheers

TBH, I never had any intention otherwise. eBay refunded me the money and the seller did not. I'm sure it will get returned to the seller when I fail to collect it in due course. I will probably drop eBay a message to make sure that they recover there loss from the seller mind. The whole experience left a sour taste with the eBay Click and Collect and the seller as well. I was just interested to see if anyone else had had a similar experience. I suspect it has been loitering around the local RM depot since June. Thanks

I have an interesting issue with Click and Collect. I brought a model train using the eBay Click and Collect function back in June. Said item was said to have been delivered (with usual bar code etc...) after three visits, it was said that it had not been delivered by RM. Cue speaking with the shop to seek action (which was not forthcoming). I opened a missing case and eBay ruled in favour of the seller, so i was out of pocket to a hefty amount and had no item! I chased eBay in this regard and eventually, eBay stepped up, made a few calls to the shop and agreed that it had not been delivered, even though it had a bar code for pick up. They actioned a refund for me. Clearly, eBay pocketed the refund for me, not the shop, after they had checked the item was not in stock (I assume). I move onto the interesting bit now, i had a click and collect bar code saying the item had been delivered just yesterday. So, what do you do! Who is responsible for the cost of this item. I won;t mention the seller etc... but wondered if anyone else had had the same issue?! I had heard that RM just deliver in a big bag and they just check all in, rather than by item until later. Not sure if this is true or not.

Great picture Chris. I really like the paint scheme on this as well... Hijacking the thread slightly - is there a reason that North America doesn't use double cabs. I suspect the answer is something along the lines of no need etc... but merely curious. Cheers

Hi I just wondered if anyone knows if the NS SD80MACs ever made it into other railroad consists. I suppose more specifically, UP and BNSF or did the literally spend there life heavy hauling within NS territory. I've done a search and can only see them on the home lines. Cheers

Athearn have done this recently with their G2 SD60 model. And promptly offered a fix for the missing axle boxes that some of the models. But the Americans really don't tolerate such issues. Interestingly, Scaletrains provide a packet of spare axle boxes in all locos they sell. So clearly not just isolated to Hattons, though none of mine have ever had that issue, as I'm sure that there are countless 66's that are purring fine as well. I think they've (Hattons) handled it well, when directly contacted. Comms is key in all aspects of life, you don't get if you don't ask. Just latching onto thread, not you specifically. Cheers

Hi, I just wondered if anyone had taken out a subscription to the new offering by the Trains family of magazines. It's $83 a year, but gives access to all five magazines and website content, plus back issues for all five magazines. Maybe a better way of subscribing when you do two or more (like me with Trains and Model Railroader). https://www.trains.com/why-join/ Cheers

I am looking forward to how Athearn's Dash-9 stacks up against the ScaleTrains version. They're already showing differing cab versions, but the real part will be the level of detail when compared to ScaleTrains version, they look better on a number of fronts and they do look fab, they really do. I have my eyes on the NS/BC rail version. Cheers

I had noticed the not so favourable pricing on the DB/EWS ones. Might be an own goal and they sit there for a while, as a few have shown up on eBay this past week and sold very quickly. Saying that, there is always a buyer and I am sure that someone will purchase them at some point. I must admit to being quite fascinated in checking back each day to see what may appear next. And I am sure that I am not the only one! I noticed that there are a number on eBay of the few remaining ones in stock (10+) for a 15% uplift over the Hatton's current pricing.

great stuff. Believe it or not, wires dragging on motors and driveshafts is a common noise/knocking on models and have had it on most makes if wires are not secured properly. Crazy how such a small item can have such an effect... Glad you have fixed it and it was as straightforward as that.

Thanks Mike. Cheers Bryn

Thanks for this Mick. Sorry, I had missed the reply. Sorry, i am trying to understand how what you are suggesting will allow the wires to reattach within the base of the point without melting such a large part of the under sleeper... I don't suppose you have any pictures do you? Agreed that the things are so flippin fragile. Barely touch it and it and then the second one fell off! Cheers

On or off topic. I recently purchased a copy of 'Guide to North American Diesel Locomotives' and A Historical Guide to North American Railroads' to read while we are moving house and I have no layout. Both are quite excellent for giving an overview of there topics, with the latter being quite good for showing route maps for all current (at time of publishing) and historical railroads. I have really enjoyed flicking through the latter for getting an interest for each of the railroads they cover. There are a few omissions in the latter book, but overall, has proved a useful resource for those moments away from the tablet/net/TV. Probably not everyone's cup of tea, and there are more definitive sources out there, but I have found them most useful to drop in and read about. They, in my opinion, set out to do what they should, provide an interesting backdrop for the subject chosen. Title - Guide to North American Diesel Locomotives Pages - 304 Author - Jeff Wilson Comments - plenty of pictures of locomotives being covered, although there are quite a lot of B&W pictures for some of the older units (as you'd expect). The book is split into the first half being about diesel in general, with the latter half covering the various builders. I found it useful to see some of the older models that each of the manufacturers covered, given the era i have interest in being modern image (Sd60/70/ES44 etc...). The book also provides a useful history of diesel and how it came to displace steam. Finally, the book also has a reasonable roster section that covers the majority of the main railroads throughout diesel history. Score - 7/10 Price - I picked up for a round £15, but RRP is $28 Title - A Historical Guide to North American Railroads, Third Edition Pages - 323 Author - Trains Magazine (various - Jeff Wilson / Randy Rehberg) Comments - The big positive for me was the inclusion of route maps for each of the railroads covered. There are plenty of pictures of locomotives/operators being covered, although there are quite a lot of B&W pictures across all eras. There are more than 170 railroads covered in the book and each section covers the history of each railroad and their success, eventual demise or merger as it happened. The detail is rather brief, but it provides a very useful overview of railroads in North America. I have found it quite useful as i try and bring myself up to speed with the lesser know parts of each area of this part of the world. Score - 8/10 Price - I picked up for a round £18 but RRP is $25 Hopefully, someone will find useful. Cheers Bryn 2021-03-05_03-26-55 by Bryn Jones, on Flickr

HI, I just wanted to see if anyone has had the same issue i have with regards to repairing the dropper wire for points. IN this instance, one of the dropper feeds for my double slip has come off. What is the best way of trying to rejoin this wire, or is there another part of the point that will allow the bus wire to connect. Cheers 20210305_105454 by Bryn Jones, on Flickr

Cor, the coaches and DVT look rather good don't they. The GNER set will look rather spectacular at speed once released. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Charlie, Thanks for that - they're Loksound V5 decoders in the ScaleTrains units. Currently have a pair of the standard Sugarcube speakers installed. Cheers Bryn

What i found quite interesting was that CSX had chosen to warm store the new celebrity ET44 trio, only recently allowing them a brief run. I know that they are storing and retiring all manner of locomotives, but to acquire and store new traction has always baffled me (i know all operators do this to some extent based on volume and flows that need it). It's amazing how some classes take off better than others as well. Cheers

I am only just getting into the history of North American railroads, but like you say, the history is quite fascinating and the shear scale of everything is just mind blowing as well. I have seen pictures of Class 66's being pulled on flat wagons to their new homes! Cheers

Conrail took over failed operators back in the 80's. Made them profitable again. Think that's what is being referred to Cheers

Thanks, it was more of viewing the digital version. I do MRR and Trains through Zinio and they send direct subscriptions via that method as well. When i have looked at Railfan and Craftsman, they seem to only support Apple, not Android via an app, so just wondered how you viewed them. Cheers

Agreed. It is interesting to hear the thoughts of Railfans of NS and CSX on YouTube who dislike the changes PSR has made to yard movements and frequency of trains from this. But also, the loss of jobs and storage of locomotives. I guess seeing these units pass is staggering due to the sheer size, but as railfans, we all like variability of units and how these are formed. Cheers

great capture and something a bit different for modelling. - I never seem to see much exciting when i have the Railcams on in the background. I wasn't aware that BNSF had adopted PSR yet. Thought that Warren Buffet was hanging out for traditional improvements, remember reading an article with his views on this . However, 7000ft is just staggering for the length of these things. https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2020/02/26-buffett-says-bnsf-has-improved-profitability-without-adopting-psr Cheers