BLK4Y

Digressing slightly. In Germany an artist Yadegar Asisi uses old gasometers for fantastic historical displays called Panometers. They are different in that they are brick-built structures, and easier to utilise for visual projections. They are situated in Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden and have had displays covering the Berlin Wall, the Battle of the Nations, Dresden in the 18th century and post the firestorm bombing, the Titanic. Fantastic concept and displays and well worth a visit or even viewing on the internet. Our style of gasometers probably would be unsuitable for such use.

Hi Ian I started building my layout in our ( double) garage 2 years ago. I didn’t convert as such but purchased interlocking square rubber mats from Aldi. They’re approx 2 feet square and provide a floor which is soft on the knees and insulates to a fair degree. They cost at the time about £9 for 6 mats and I’d certainly recommend them. I had just before then installed a new powered door, of German manufacture, which is of composite nature and insulated. We have a window in the garage so I bought and fitted Perspex secondary glazing which is relatively cheap and again insulates well. I had power points already in the garage so I use multi socket extension bars round the boards. I also purchased on the ‘net a remote control which switches 3 of the plugs from one switch. So easy to switch on/off the power sockets. Cost about £15 and very handy. Given that I didn’t actually convert the garage I had no planning/ building control issues. I hope this gives some ideas to ponder. All the best BLK4 Y. ( Ian)

Hi Nick BW Models and CMSC no longer exist however you may get some BW on the eBay via PicClic. Someone else took over some CMSC kits but I can’t remember the name ! Milicast now have Bedford RL kit if any use regards BLK4Y

Yesterday, Thursday, at 2.46 pm I sourced and ordered Peco points from Derails in Gloucester. Before I had completed giving my credit card details the items had been picked and passed to despatch for uplift by DPD. Today, Friday, they were delivered at 5.40 pm. How is that for super service ! Top marks to Dan at Derails. He was efficient and cheerful and a great ambassador for them. Well done Derails. Ian B

Hi Dave. Your fantastic layout is very evocative for me, being an old Patrick "Smiddy" as someone once called me ! On many occasions as a boy I walked across the overbridge at Patrick Central station and turned left onto Old Dumbarton Road and over the tunnel mouth looking down to your " snug looking signal cabin. In these days, alas, I was more interested in Blue Trains rather than steam and only much later when a steam buff I was told that the signalman in that cabin had been a neighbour in Hyndland Street, John Sheridan. Life plays little ironies at times and you sometimes would like to have a wee time machine and travel back and enjoy some of the things you missed. More power to your elbow Dave and I hope despite all you have a joyful Christmas. Ian B

Hi Kevin Thankfully I've been using a multimeter and couldn't progress without it. My first meter gave up the ghost on the continuity buzzer but luckily I have two. With hindsight I should have tested each section when laid but I wanted live frogs with relays so that complicated things ! Also I've leds feeding to mimic panels so maybe too ambitious. I hope you have a better year in 2021 and that you get some relief from extreme weather and Covid restrictions. It's a frosty 2 degrees here near Glasgow so perhaps we could swop weather for a day regards Ian

I can now run trains on the whole inner track circle. There were a couple of wiring conflicts, two 3 way points which I'd wired for live frog electrofrog ( but were in fact insulfrog) and two double slips which I re-wired using DPDT switches. Now for the outer circle and wiring live frogs via relays. Plenty to do but at least making progress. Thanks again gents for your support Ian B

Starting to make headway. Have identified polarity conflicts in feeds and Im reversing feeds and returns to resolve. I've one conflict which I think is emanating from relay wiring; will attack tomorrow. Ian B

Some photos to help explain my setup. Pete, with hindsight I tend to agree with you although my research tended to favour a common bus, hence my modus operandi. My section feeds are located as numbered on my earlier layout image attachment. Regards Ian B

Hi All. many thanks for taking the time and trouble to help with my problem. I should have clarified in my initial request 1 Layout is DC with power feeds working through 3 position toggle switches with centre 0ff position. This should enable power from my Gaugemaster dual control. Each main feed from the controller can be isolated by on-off toggle switch. 2 I have inserted insul-gaps at point frogs and other positions where I feel there are polarity conflicts. However, I may be missing gaps which are less obvious to me ! I hadnt shown the gaps on my Anyrail plan before my hard-drive went phut. On studying your suggestions Im hoping that Joseph and Michael offer the best hope although I may have to do as Ian C suggests and disconnect all and start one at a time. My initial concern was that the relays may be wrongly wired and causing a short. The led problem must wait until power shorting is solved. I stay in Renfrewshire and don't have any close friends with model railway experience. Ive probably been over ambitious with the layout but I enjoy having station, goods yard, engine shed and ( to be added ) military depot included. I shall now go into the garage and get my Sherlock magnifying glass and multimeter out and try eating the elephant a bit at a time :-) Many thanks again everyone best regards Ian B

Hi Folks HELP ! I have built my layout as per attached diagram; connected feed droppers, common return bus wire and installed a mix of old Peco, H&M, Seep and Tortoise point solenoids/motors. I shall be installing servos under the remaining points controlled by Megapoints servo controllers and Multipanel processors. All track is Peco Streamline Code 100 and points are Electrofrog with alterations to enable "live" frogs. Tortoise motors excepted, the old point solenoids have Gaugemaster G500 relays linked to facilitate live frogs and l.e.d's on mimic control panels. Switches for the points on mimic panels are either 3 position toggle switches ( centre off ) or DPDT for the Tortoise motors. However, having connected feeds and returns and point switches I have short circuit(s) in the layout and leds not illuminating. I made the mistake of not checking each section as I wired it up. The feeds have been connected at numbered locations on attached plan. I would very much appreciate please if a more experienced modeller could annotate on the plan (a) where best to have the feeds (b) probably more crucial, where to have insulated joints. Could the "shorts" be caused by the G500 relay wiring ? Unfortunately my laptop hard-drive went u.s. and I hadnt backed up the Anyrail file though I have a paper copy. All advice would be welcomed Best regards Ian B .

Mr S Corn 78 misses the point. Hattons could have informed literally thousands of customers or potential customers simply by including an update on their website products page, as they do with many of their future products/projects. I did not expect a personal e-mail and I do receive their weekly newsletters so your rather patronising comment is disappointing. Hattons could quite easily have informed their clientele that unless an improved level of pre-orders was forthcoming then the project might be suspended or cancelled. This might have prompted an increase in preorders. That to me would be a simple, generic marketing method.However, as some have suggested, Hattons may have other strategic reasons for suspending .

I find Hatton's method of publicising this to be quite surprising. If I hadn't been a member of this forum I would not have been aware of the change of status re the Plasser crane. On the Hattons website there is no mention in the Product News heading. One would have to have gone to the product listing and spotted that pre-ordering had changed to wish list. How do Hattons expect possible buyers to actually pre-order if they're not made aware that production of the crane is now at risk ? Poor marketing in my opinion BLK4 Y

There's no "close" at the chemist shop building ? Former Partick Smiddy

Too late for the Steamie , Dave. Purdon Street is no more :-) BLK4Y

Reference the earlier discussions re Rambler cars, in the early 60's Dinky produced a fire brigade set. This included a Bedford turntable ladder, a Commer pump escape and a Nash Rambler fire chief's estate car. My Mum gave the set away to a young lad in the flat opposite ours !

Not strictly railway but just before Nordhausen is Camp Dora where the V2 rockets were built by concentration camp labour in tunnels excavated out of the hills. This was after the bombing of Peenemunde.There are still many rusty components inside the tunnels and it is a very sobering but fascinating museum. Also check the Harzquerbahn timetable for the chance of riding in an open wagon. Brilliant in good weather and supplement fare was very cheap Blackie

I just read this thread yesterday so apologies if my info is late for some members. If staying in Berlin, at weekends the Harz Express, operated by HEX, runs to the Harz on Saturday and Sunday mornings, returning from the Harz in the early evening. It leaves Berlin Ostbahnhof circa 07.05 and calls at other main stations in Berlin, then Wannsee, Potsdam and onwards to Halberstadt.There the train divides with one portion travelling on to Thales via Quedlingburg and the other to Goslar via Wernigerode. It arrives in Wernigerode about 10.25, minutes before the HSB steam train. In summer on certain days it's possible to travel on the HSB in an open wagon for a Eur 1 supplement and this is fantastic for photo shots ( and some good healthy smoke intake ! ) It's possible in summer for 4 steamers to be in Drei Ahnen Hohe at one time in the afternoon, depending if specials are running. Goslar is well worth a visit by the way, absolutely beautiful; Quedlingburg and Wernigerode are too but Goslar is a larger town. The other good news re the Harz Express is the fare structure. Last year Eur 19 return from Berlin for one person or Eur 30 for two. Light snacks are served at very reasonable prices. Interesting journey as you pass through Wannsee, Potsdam, Magdeburg en route.