Graham T

Thanks chaps. The loco is still in bits, so I applied the battery to the lugs at top and bottom of the motor - no movement. So I think perhaps the motor itself is dead?

I'm hoping that there might be a guru out there on RMweb who can help me out... The Railroad Hall arrived from Hattons, and as promised it was a non-runner. Applying a 9V battery to the wheels had no effect. I had a look at the pickups, and made sure that they were making good contact with the backs of the wheels (it has tender pickups too). Still no joy. Popping the body off didn't reveal any obviously loose wiring or anything like that. There seemed to quite a bit of oil on the bottom of the loco, so I took off the keeper plate and found that it was pretty much awash with oil and grease. Here it is midway through being cleaned up with cotton buds and paper towels. I also found that one of the mounting brackets for the slide rods (if that's what they're called) has gone AWOL, but I think I can fabricate something to replace that. Turning the worm gear makes the wheels go around so there's nothing physically snagging. I've got rid of as much of the oil and grease as I can, but the loco still seems to be dead. Any ideas where I should apply battery power to on the motor to see if it's actually still working? Here's the back end of it where all the electrical string attaches... I'm also considering giving it a squirt of this contact spray. A good idea or best not to? Finally, on the assumption that I can bring this back from the dead, a cosmetic question. The lining bands don't continue across the top of the firebox; should they?

Thanks Neal. I might try to get the Hall running over the weekend, and if I'm successful that might well be one of the last trains to run at Chuffnell R in its present form.

I'm still utterly baffled by how the Austrian authorities work out the amounts they are going to fleece us Auslanders for. From the post office today I picked up some couplings from TMC, total cost of the order about £25, and a (non-running) Hornby Railroad Hall from Hattons - thanks for the tip @Neal Ball - which was about £73. I had to pay 9 euros extra for the TMC order, but nothing for the loco...

The funny is for the name!

At least you've spotted the problem now, rather than in the track-laying stage! Ask me how I know about that...

Just a thought on the dry stone walls, and it's probably complete nonsense, but... As you're contemplating taking plaster and breaking it into lumps, then glueing them together to make the wall... Why not use real stone of the correct size and colour? Is there some fine gravel out there in the real world that you could use? Some of the smaller grades here might work? (Although you may want to see if they'll sell you a smaller bag!)

Thank you Rob. I'm also watching your thread with interested, as I have a bit of a soft spot for the S&DJR. As you carry out the feat of endurance that reading this thread will be, please take note of - and try to avoid - the myriad mistakes that I made along the way! If you come across anything you'd like to know more about then please ask. My most important piece of advice, I think, would be to take the time to get the baseboards and track-laying as close to perfect as you can. I didn't, and the running performance has given me all sorts of problems. I'd apply the same principle to the wiring - I'm too embarrassed to show you the state of mine!

Funny you say that John, as Beeching did spring to mind when I contemplated tearing down Chuffnell R. The layout is fixed to the walls in the spare room here, and I also installed a lighting pelmet, so I will need to make a start on dismantling it fairly soon, as I have to return the room to its original state. But as you can imagine I don't really want to run the last train and then get started on the destruction... I do have a free hand of where I relocate to, within the constraints of my budget (after a 30 year military career and two divorces along the way I'm not exactly rolling in cash). I'm looking at somewhere between Hereford - my hometown - and Kidderminster.

Thanks for the kind words WB - very much appreciated!

Thanks Bill. It will be nice to be able to pop into a local model shop and actually speak the language! And I won't miss the Austrian customs regulations... Yes indeed I hope to re-use most of the buildings and quite a lot of other stuff. Plus I can hopefully lay some decent trackwork on the next layout!

I like all the little details in the shop windows though Clive!

One snifter rarely seems to be enough, in my experience...

Sorry about the lack of updates recently folks. It's looking increasingly likely that I will be leaving Austria and returning to the UK, so I havent felt very motivated to do any more work on Chuffnell R. Seems a bit pointless when most of it will probably consigned to the bin fairly soon... I suppose I could do some more work on the rolling stock, but really I should think about getting what I already have boxed up rather than building more of it!

Perhaps have a word with this chap Andy?

I'd love one of these, however...

I pop the loco on the rolling road and then use a cotton bud dipped in my favourite tipple - IPA.

Looks like a surefire candidate for a Darwin Award I'd say!

Probably odd enough to warrant its own volume!

And here we are, with another coach (and a train that is, perhaps, a tad too large for Chuffnell R). More types tomorrow do you think?

Buffer locking and three link couplings - that sounds oh so familiar, and I feel your pain!

With some more eclecticism (is that really a word?) to follow later today John, inshalla.

I had some Hunt close couplings in my box of bits and pieces, and had kept a bag full of old NEM pockets too, so have made a start on retro-fitting some of my coaches. I removed the magnets from the corridor connectors, and super-glued NEM pockets onto the bogies. I've left a screw coupling at the loco end of the brake coaches, as I still want to retain screw couplings on all the locos. So far, so good...

Confused? You will be! Actually these are in too early a livery for Chuffnell Regis, but they were the only toplight kits I could find that weren’t insanely priced. And they do look rather nice I think, so Rule 1 applies - again!

The toplight has had the transfers applied to the other side, and some gentle weathering applied, a mix of smoke and brown powders on the underframe and roof, with a bit of black added to the roof as well.