Jaggzuk

Wow, how things have come on as a business! Congratuatluions. Growing from a hobby to a businnes would not have been easy I am sure, but well done. Good for us too who use the couplings.

Works 16-24th Jan, so only halfway the engineering Blockagde.

As Great Northern has said, this a small business with a big orderbook. When I last spoke to the owver a while back over an order question I had, I found out that it was a produiction line in his front room!! No mass production machines etc. As with all model railway "cottage" industries which start small and then need to scale up due to mass demand, they can find it difficult to appear like big box shifters/maunfacture with seperate Sales and Tech support teams. When you have to do all the making and communicatiing as well as living a normal life, it can be a bit overwhelming and something slip by.

Similar OLE contact wire protection used at Kings Cross. https://twitter.com/RealJohnWynne/status/1343886590150660096/photo/2 A better view of the wire slew and rasing of the contact droper hanger posts in this tweet https://twitter.com/ECMLupgrade/status/1350483394757537795/photo/1 All to give better safe construction working clearance for all the excvators.

Having seen signs like this before on other weak bridges, the 3t MGW most likely relates to the disused span of the bridge that is use as an access track for road vehicles. The rail span is likely to be in far better condition and maintained for adequate rail axel loading.

Great software update which now zips up all thoses replies with quoted images, make it so much easier to read the posts now. Thanks!!

What a shame!! Always a great show.

See pg 42, it is a Kirow rail mounted crane. https://www.balfourbeatty.com/media/317250/rail-plant-services-overview-a.pdf

And why not even an ex works high gloss finish. Class 414 as seen at NRM Shildon.

Looks dam good to me, really nice and grimy with the weathering being nice and random, as it would be in an area like this.

Love the Thread Jack and seeing all your mods and creations, some great inspiration. I so need to weather my container train!! On the magnetic coupling front, Hunt Couplings have just launched a new version which now allows individual items of rolling stock the be in either orientation, see https://www.westhillwagonworks.co.uk/couplings-new-c-2/hunt-couplings-elite-oo-gauge-new-c-21/

Have patience!! Take time and “playing around with the settings” will improve your skill. I must have spent an age on Youtube watching various “how tos”. My first efforts were weathering buildings and track, then a few Airfix kits with my eldest. Not yet picked up the courage to tackle any rolling stock! The key tip I picked up on the web was first the mix has to be right and second to take time with the coverage as it will take a good while because the airbrush mix is very thin, so many passes are required. This is where patience kicks in, as you may need several sessions to get good coverage and colour depth. Forget how you would paint with a paintbrush and how thick one coat would be. Airbrushing is a whole different approach and mind set. Another tip is to keep the nib free from dried paint during painting sessions. Check out “Removing Tip Dry” section http://www.airbrushguru.com/cleaning-your-airbrush.html On the cleaning front have you got an Airbrush Cleaning Pot? If not I recommend getting one, will make life much better and less messy. Also, invest in some cleaning fluid in a spray can (e.g. Spraycraft Airbrush Cleaner), this helps to blast out paint residue in the airbrush. Use this with the Cleaning Pot. Gettign the airbrush totaly clean will ensure the next session is pain free.

Same perosn does these for the Lima TLC conversion. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lima-NEM-Coupling-Converter-Sample-1x-4-pockets-/202772112519 Quite like this idea and then to use the standard Hunt NEM as there is some lateral play once fitted in the pocket which will help the wagon to negotiate corners.

Cheers for that tip.

Thats is another nice demonstration video on Dean Park, cheers Phatbob. see here: Hunt Couplings Elite on Dean Park video Yes it does look like the Elite couplings can connect to the originals, but if you watch closely at 15:57, you see that the Elite on the loco kicks out sideways at it couples up so that the opposite magnet poles between the original and Elite are attracted. You can see this in the below screen grab. It will be interesting how this works in real life and the pull capacity, at least 5 TEA oil tanks!

Regarding compressor, check this post & thread out for details https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/107480-so-i-bought-a-cheap-airbrush-kit/&do=findComment&comment=2179731

Looks like the magnet polarity issue has NOW been resolved by Hunt Couplings with the introduction of the Hunt Couplings Elite for OO (27-06-20). https://www.westhillwagonworks.co.uk/couplings-new-c-2/hunt-couplings-elite-oo-gauge-new-c-21/ I saw this review video, which is a bit long winded, but it shows what the new Elite version with a square magnet looks like and how it works. So now it is possible, with this version, to swap any vehicle around and the couplings will still work! I think this is a very cleaver solution. I do not think they will be backwards compatible with the round versions as I am guessing the magnet polarity is now sideways rather than NSNS. This is my guess at how it works and it is why Nymondeum cube magnets can be staked. A good development I think. And taking the dimensions from the Shop website, we now get these NEM to NEM offset. Note that there is a new Intermediate version.

Mix and match is possible. I have experimented with it on some wagons where the Standard version increased the buffer to buffer gap compared to existing TLC, but the Close type ended up being too close on my curves. So, I mixed a Standard and a Close. Based on my measurements (see post Hunt Coupling measurments ) the following NEM pocket separations can be achieved by mixing the three types. Approx. 1-3mm variation between each pairing. Personally, the 6.2mm difference between a pair of Standard or a pair of the Close types is too great. Standard is too long and the gap it creates is worse than TLC. Mix and match is also the only way to really solve the variations in NEM pocket position .

Hi Bino The Standard Hunt does not fit well on the Bachmann Mk1 due to the NEM pocket height and the buffer beam. What I found works really well is the Hunt Pullman (stepped) Coach coupling. See my previous post https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/151728-hunt-coupling-system/&do=findComment&comment=3959966 The resultant magnet height still lines up with Standard Hunt coupling. The ticking sound will either be the Hunt coupling rubbing on the buffer beam or the Bachmann Close Coupling mechanism having to work a bit more harder than it does with the original TLC. Rather than file the NEM pocket, just file a small chamfer on the ends of the coupling prong bobbles. You can also file the inside face of the two legs to allow them to close up more. For loose ones, a dab glue on the bobbles will hold them in place. Glue gun might also work as that can be picked off if the coupling needs to be pulled out. The issue is not so much the Hunt coupling but the variation in NEM pocket tolerances. The Hunt system is trying to cover all bases. I also tried the Keen system a while back on a rake of old coaches and whilst it worked well and gave good close coupling, I found it was noisy as the mechanism creaked works around corners and need oiling. I also found the two pin coupling fiddly to connect and it regularly fails on some of my gradient transition. For some of my other old coaches that do not have an auto close coupling systems, I might look at how you could “bash” the two systems together – Keen system for the close coupling part and Hunt for the easy coupling aspect.

We run with NCE Power Cab and the USB link to JMRI so that we can use multiple Tablets and Smartphones. This allows 2 boys and myself to each have a sepeate controller. All points are manual using Peco point switches, I still like to be the Signalman as well as drive trains.

It is what Brian Lambert shows in the link I sent. Usng the 3 spare conenctions of the Seep PM1 motor to drive a pair of direction LEDs or in your case the Signal route indicator. Wire up like this diagram below, where the Red and Green Signal LEDs are your signal route indicator display. Hope this helps?

www.brian-lambert.co.uk is always a good source for all things model raiwlay electrical info https://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/Electrical_Page_3.html#Bookmark6 for Seep PM1 route indicator.

Sounds like a great plan! As you say keep it simple and get it built, can’t fault that approach. Plus as a simple layout to learn techniques on is really a good idea. It is amazing how rolling stock builds up ;-) So with the baseboard construction, I would keep in mind the ability to expand the tunnel track section width wise in the future, if only by adding an extra outer line on each of the Slow lines. You may want to add extra entry and exit point ladders in the tunnel area so that you can create the illusion of a train going somewhere and another one passing it “off scene”. If time and cost is an issue you could reduce one side of the layout down to 2 tracks coming out of one of the tunnels. This way you have less track to buy and lay, you increase your scenic width without widening your boards and you could have less tight curves round one/two corners. By doing this you also add an extra bit of operation complexity by having to stop a slow train while a fast train passes by. One way to reduce the used item count in the free version of SCARM is to use as much flexi track as you can rather than lots of short straight sections. Once you have your alignment, simply delete all the short straight section and replace with one length of flexi track. Have you considered how to control the layout yet, Analogue or DCC. I know you have said you do not have much rolling stock (yet), but with a layout this size and the ability to run more than one train on each track loop, DCC would be the way to go. In reality the wiring is so much simpler, yes you need power droppers everywhere, but not section switches or isolation breaks. As a side note, you do not need to “Quote full” posts back, as the Blog comments are pretty much in context so easy to follow. Paul

Interesting plan Will and a great space in the attic. It is always nice to see a new layout emerging and watching it grow. Have you got a paid up version of SCARM, or running the free version? I found it perfect for planning my layout which was done before it became a limited free version. Here is a link to a useful Topics on using SCARM. On pg 10 there is help on creating transition curves I agree with the comments from others, your curves did look too tight and the addition of triangle in the corners will help. With 4 tracks, you inner curve should not be tighter than 2nd radius. Be careful on rolling stock overhand on curves and clashes with the adjacent curves. I know it is a very early days plan, but try to add in sweeping curves on the straight sides, it will look much better and more lifelike. The other useful trick is to keep the track level constant but to raise and lower the baseboard (ground level) to help create cutting and embankments. That way you can easily add over and under rail structures like bridges etc. This will help to setting the scene and crate the illusion that the railway was constructed through the landscape. With your 4 tracks, which lines are Up and Down and which would be the Slows and Fasts? This may help with point arrangements. Are you planning a storage road fiddle yard in the tunnel section? One fundamental tip, do not get overly complicated, unless you have a lot of free time to plan and build!! I think this layout will end up having a lovely feel of watching trains go by?

Hi Vecchio, yes I have used the in track magnetic uncoupler for the Kadee, but used a group of neodymium magnets between sleepers rather than the large Kedee slab. Partly because all my track was down before I decided to go for Kadee. My rolling stock is a mix of old and new, so the coupling types vary considerably from large metal D hooks, moulded within the bogie type, to NEM and even they vary in height! So for Kadee, I have to undertake a variety of conversions to achieve reliable coupling. A magnetic coupling had made the conversion process quicker, cheaper and more location tolerant. Plus in my eye, the Hunt is a lot less visually obtrusive than the Kadee in my fixed rakes. With a bit of weathering using some frame dirt paint they will look even better.