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Harlequin

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    2021 hopes

    in Hornby

    Posted · Edited by Harlequin

    In a topic called "2021 Hopes" only @rovex has mentioned the obvious choice:

     

    How about a GWR 2021 class 0-6-0 saddle tank - not as later converted to pannier tanks, we've got enough of those!

    Surely the perfect loco to release next year!?

     

    Domed or domeless with a few variations of cab, bunker and chimney styles, ideally.

     

    Hornby have done well with small saddle tank locos recently and this would follow-up that trend with a loco that could find a place in many GWR layouts, ringing the changes a bit from the ubiquitous panniers. (Did any survive into BR ownership in saddle tank form?)

     

    • Like 4

    Does a helix ever really work?

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted · Edited by Harlequin

    12 minutes ago, hayfield said:

     

    To achieve this presumably the radius of the curves have to be larger ?

    Yes, Gordon set out the maths above:

     

    This is really the core issue with helices, which others have already touched on in this topic: To achieve the gradients required to make them work reliably, without resorting to the powerbase solution, they have to be physically large and that is often impractical in the space that most UK-based modellers have available. And as Gordon and others have pointed out, an arguably neater solution is a "round the room" level change ramp that is combined into the general layout design.

     

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

    OO gauge GWR Mogul and Prairie

    in Dapol

    Posted

    26 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

     

    Spares take a while to filter through, i'm sure DCC will get them. Similar parts I've bought before have been a pound or two so its a very easy fix.

     

     

    Unfortunately steam pipes aren't listed amongst the spare parts in the manual so if we simply wait we're likely to be disappointed.

     

    Since the pre-publicity shots showed 6385 with external steam pipes and since we know that that loco had them before it received the roundel livery, why are they not on the production model?

     

    I think both questions deserve some official response.

     

    • Agree 2

    OO gauge GWR Mogul and Prairie

    in Dapol

    Posted · Edited by Harlequin

    16 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

    I think you'll find Dapol Dave might have moved on!

     

     

    8 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

     

    And the other two are bogus accounts set up by an anti-Dapol troll. 

     

    I did wonder... The "Ben" account seemed to be recent so I thought I'd venture the question. Someone from Dapol must monitor this forum, surely?

     

    They seem to have made Dapol Digest read-only so I couldn't ask the question there.

     

    Any suggestions of where I should ask to get a public response? Or if they don't want to talk to the general public could you ask them for an official response, @AY Mod?

     

    • Popular Post
    • Popular Post

    On Cats

    in Wheeltappers

    Posted · Edited by Harlequin

    Here's my beautiful cat, Carrie, taking possession of the line today:

    IMG_20201204_123846r.jpg.e560b23e74adab7b16935a43d3f13167.jpg

     

    And here's the carnage behind her:

    IMG_20201204_123930r.jpg.b080a252957f14b9b3ecbcc5a207ac45.jpg

     

    "Derailment? I don't know what you're talking about!"

    IMG_20201204_123947r.jpg.4012283af06fd47ae97fdcb2c4f20f3c.jpg

    • Like 25

    Using the easy-assembly Finetrax pointwork kits in 00 and EM (and in P4 from the S4 Society)

    in Handbuilt Track & Templot

    Posted · Edited by Harlequin

    Hi Wayne and Patrick,

     

    Thanks for the prototype demo. This is a potentially very exciting development!

     

    It looks great but of course that's only half the story. The acid question is how well does it work? It would be great to see some rolling stock passing through it, if possible. Especially things that are known to be finicky like the front bogies/ponies of many locos. (BTW: I notice a step in the rail level after the frog in Patrick's photos.)

     

    Patrick's build demo shows a very simple electrical setup of the turnout. That's fair enough, but does (could?) the kit allow for insulating gaps in the rails, without requiring the use of ugly plastic fishplates? Maybe in positions to do something akin to a "unifrog" turnout?

     

    Moving on from a 6 x 4

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted · Edited by Harlequin

    39 minutes ago, Titanius Anglesmith said:

     

    @The Stationmaster has often said that this would be very untypical for a small station, and the signalling would often allow trains to arrive only on the platform road. In that plan above, signalling the goods loop for arrivals would over-complicate the signalling, especially with those shed and turntable connections which would have to be worked from the ‘box instead of being hand points. Im no expert on the GWR (or SR) though so happy to be corrected. 

     

    Edit- ... but I also acknowledge that prototypical practice doesn’t always make for fun model railway operation...

     

    Yes I know, but I think that was in reference to stations that didn't have a specific goods acceptance line.

     

    Where a station has a goods acceptance line, like this one, and the purpose of it is to allow both passenger and goods to be handled in the station at the same time, then it would be signalled appropriately.

     

    I'll try to find a signalling diagram for Launceston to see how it really worked.

     

    Moving on from a 6 x 4

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted · Edited by Harlequin

    2 hours ago, Shanghai Diver said:

    Thanks all for the feedback and builds / removals. Lots to think on.

     

    I have been working with some of the thinking -  but came up with questions / needs for clarification if OK?

     

    @ChimerI’m trying to get my head around a couple of things.  First is going to be basic!  

     

     

    To me this feels like a need to keep a third goods siding in place – move the coal stores and put them in near a short one behind a repositioned engine shed. The goods train then “arrives” into the long siding and then wagons get shunted out. Am I getting this right?  That is why I had three sidings BUT I also get the simplification advocated by @Harlequin

     

    The second question I have not been able to work out – the goods run-around.  To your point, I  had this when everything was “north” of the station; we currently have a run-around but that only serves the platform and platform goods area.  Have been looking back at other plans and can’t find a version that really does this, but plenty that have a goods yard with run ins only. Am I completely misunderstanding?! Do I just flip the station and run the goods loop as per the version @Flyingpig built on?  The flipping the station being more of an open question…

     

    @Harlequin – running in three full length lines to the station area is more in keeping with the prototype which had that. I felt the need to pull the whole thing “south” an inch or so to accommodate the cattle dock, but it does sit hard up against the wall. Else though, that second platform is a bit useless isn’t it?!

     

    Running the kick back off the mainline feels odd though as even in my imaginary world I had considered an issue with a goods spill blocking the line! Am seeing what I can do by working with the points placing. Have been looking at cassettes (there is only ONE four coach train, the rest are three, so workable).

     

    @Zomboid I like the idea of the diamond crossing.  I have been working it into a version of all my iterations. If I am reading it correctly, is it a large then small diamond crossing or slip and crossing?  When running an engine round, if it is not a slip it would need two clear lines if not the double slip? That may be naivety at play…

     

    Ben

     

    Hi Ben,

     

    The goods run round, or goods loop, is the magenta one (on a tweaked version of your plan):

    2015637496_SouthernL1station.png.964ba1800f69c2af0c08683b21d14c41.png

     

    The goods train would run directly into the goods loop or possibly into the platform if it was empty. The signalling should allow either type of arrival so that goods trains can arrive and be dealt with when there are passenger trains in the station or vice versa.

     

    It would then get shunted from there into various sidings (the brake van probably being left in the spur at the end of the middle road, the release road, while that's going on).

     

    You can probably see why I suggested lengthening it. In that location it shares the release line with the platform and because it would get freed up quite quickly it doesn't get in the way of access to the shed too much. (Lambourn had a similar arrangement.)

     

    You might need to give the cattle dock more room in that position but it's quite hidden in that back corner and you could instead make it low relief. Perhaps just show the front fencing with some overhanging foliage to disguise the lack of a back.

     

    I'm thinking that there is only one passenger platform side. The goods shed side of the platform would have a fence along it. (See Moretonhampstead.) Two passenger platforms in a little station like this would be very unusual unless it was very busy for some reason. Model BLTs often have more platform capacity than reality, admittedly, but you're fighting for space here and something's got to give!

     

    There is just about space for a short extra goods siding, shown in cyan above. That gives you a bit more capacity while still allowing good vehicle access to the yard and the back of the shed.

     

    P.S. I am GWR biased but I think these basic principles apply whatever company you're modelling. It would be worth checking with an SR expert, though.

     

    P.P.S. Wallingford is a good example of a private industry siding (a dairy) kicking back off the main line just outside the station. Milk tankers were brought in with the goods train and then worked back up the line to the dairy.

     

    Henley-on-Thames - GWR in the 1930's

    in Layout topics

    Posted · Edited by Harlequin

    So, Neal... What do you think of the YouChoos 43XX chuff sound?

     

    Mine sounds exactly the same even though we have slightly different sound installations. I've also attached a big speaker with a good frequency response, just as a test, and it still sounded the same. So I don't think the installations are affecting the chuff sound.

     

    I think it's a bit wimpy, especially compared to the video that was posted in the Dapol Mogul topic today... Not up to YouChoos usual standards.

     

     

     

    • Informative/Useful 2

    OO gauge GWR Mogul and Prairie

    in Dapol

    Posted · Edited by Harlequin

    2 hours ago, bgman said:

    I haven't read the whole thread so apologise if this has been posted previously.

     

    I thought it may be of interest to the 4mm modellers...

     

     

    G

     

    Very nice sounds but very confusing for the first few moments where there are two locos running simultaneously with only one in view!

     

    • Like 1
    • Agree 2

    Theory of General Minories

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    23 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

    The Peco large radius points don't actually conform to their standard streamline geometry - the crossing angle is less than 12°; that angle is only achieved at the end of the unit, the curve continuing through the crossing. This results in an unprototypical S-bend if one uses a pair as an ordinary crossover and even more problems if you try to trim them to achieve a nearer-scale four-foot (i.e. track centres of 45 mm rather than 2") and use them in conjunction with a slip or crossing.

     

    Peco don't make any claims about the crossing angle, which as you say, is not 12° on the Large and the Curved points. All they say is that where the centre lines are 1 inch apart the angle will be 12° and in that respect those turnouts do meet the standard.

     

    • Agree 1

    Moving on from a 6 x 4

    in Layout & Track Design

    Posted

    Can I suggest a few tidy-ups and simplifications?

     

    144733772_SouthernL1.png.ac31a58c1f17964d805ea4e31844a6a2.png

     

    I haven't said anything how the kickback connects into the goods yard. Could it be connected to the main line somewhere near the level crossing?

     

    It's great that you have the extra temporary length for your FY. Since it would be temporary and since you're unsure about traversers how about cassettes? (Hands up who knew I was going to say that!) They are inherently removable, give you infinite storage capacity, gets rid of the points fan (so more room for scenery), possibly even help with access behind a scene because they can be lifted out to perform manual "shunting". One possible downside: The maximum practical length is about 1200mm and they may be unwieldy.

     

    OO gauge GWR Mogul and Prairie

    in Dapol

    Posted

    44 minutes ago, melmerby said:

    I would agree that the usual plugs used are not ideal although they are what I have used.

    There are many better ways of doing it, including using the coupling bar.

    I have looked at the idea of using a piece of double sided fibreglass PCB as coupler with 4 copper tracks, 2 each top & bottom.

    Perfectly strong enough.

    Which is, of course, exactly what Dapol have done with the new Mogul.

     

    This little eddy in the conversation has come full circle!

     

    • Like 3
    • Agree 1
    • Round of applause 1

    OO gauge GWR Mogul and Prairie

    in Dapol

    Posted

    Obviously, if you're not going to fit decoders or speakers you can fill the spaces assigned for them with lead - if they are in helpful positions.

     

    It's those of us who want that technology and decent traction who have the real problem!

     

    I recently had to cut down the front weight in my Large Prairie to fit a speaker but I was happy to do this because I know there is volume in the side tanks to regain that lost weight, and more, at some point in the future (even with the decoder and lots of wiring in there).

     

    • Like 3
    • Agree 1

    UK Launch - Coming Soon!

    in Rapido Trains

    Posted · Edited by Harlequin

    I'm looking forward to the big announcement tomorrow... if only to steer the conversation away from international law and international banking!

     

    (In depth discussion of tangential subjects: It's what RMWeb does best!)

     

    :wink_mini:

     

    • Like 1
    • Agree 8
    • Funny 3
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