les101975jud

Many thanks for all your suggestions. All very interesting. Thank you.

Many thanks for the informative replies to my original question. My spotting days at KX covered 1965 - 1968. I copped all the Deltics and Baby Deltics but took little, if any, notice of coaching stock. I can vaguely remember some old LNER carriages with oval windows on some trains, some in the new corporate blue and white livery. Presumably these would have been BGs or Restaurant carriages? I am intrigued about LNER vehicles being used on inner and outer suburban trains. What types would these have been around 1960? Once again thank you all for your help so far. Regards Les

I wonder if someone could help me with the MK1 coach formations used on the Kings Cross Outer Suburban services around 1960. I understand these were usually made up of perhaps seven coaches and would have included an open second with lavatory for longer distance travellers. However, I would like to know what the complete formation would look like. Was there a composite coach with some 1st Class seating for example? I understand the ER did not have any composite lavatory coaches. I have looked at my copy of Parkin but could not find any further information. Any help would be gratefully received. Regards Les

I am about to start constructing baseboards for my garden railway. However, I have had to do a great deal of soul searching about baseboard construction. In the end I have decided to opt for Plywood/OSB board well treated with something like bitumen and covered in roofing felt. This has brought me to a new conundrum. How do I fix the track to the roofing felt? I would have preferred adhesive like evo-stik but I doubt this would work on mineralised felt. I suppose one solution would be to pin it down but I am worried about how it might look and would it move/distort over time. One further consideration is that I am planning to keep the track covered and out of the weather when it is not being used. If so, could I do away with the roofing felt? This would let me glue the track down and perhaps even use proper ballast. Any comments/suggestions would be gratefully received. Regards Les

Many thanks for your help. Regards Les

My apologies if this subject has been covered before. Some years ago I found a website that covered carriage formations which was a wonderful resource but I can’t find it anymore and can’t remember any details. I believe there was also a Yahoo group but I can't load it if it is still there. So my question is there a resource that I can access to find out the carriage formations of trains? Regards Les

Thank you for these replies. Most helpful. Regards Les

Hello I am new to this sub-group but I have a long-standing interest in the Southern. This stems from my spotting days at Waterloo from 1965 to 1967. I also visited Nine Elms regularly and visited Eastleigh and Salisbury MPD at the end of steam on the Southern. However, I never got to see a Q1 at all as they had all but disappeared by my time. My interest in No 33021 is because I have a photograph of it on the ECML on its way to Ferme Park with a cross London goods. A loco driver friend of mine at Hornsey MPD told me the Southern men would come on shed to sort their Q1 out before the weekday rush hour and rest up in the mess room before returning to the Southern after the rush hour had finished. I am interested in where this particular engine was shedded circa 1960 and whether or not it received the later BR emblem. Also, if anyone could point me to a book or magazine where this loco is well photographed that would be great too. It would also be nice to know where these freight trains originated from. Any help would be gratefully received. Regards. Les

two tone green I had a sneaking suspicion you would know the answer to my question. TrainController Gold is my choice due to items like icon editor and perhaps functionality, for the future, I don't even know about yet. Yesterday, I ordered my first block detector. I chose an 8 channel LDT to try it out with a demo. Thanks very much for all your help. Regards Les

The more I read about and see about TrainController the more I like it. I do have one more question though. Does the software contain British home and distant signal icons as opposed to the colour light ones I have seen on YouTube demos? Alternatively, can these be created with the icon editor? The help I have received on this topic so far has been brilliant - thank you. Regards Les

Two Tone Green I have had a busy week trying to work all this out. My current view is to keep the ECoS 50200 as it is a piece of kit I really like. The only issue I had with it was that we use the ESU 1st generation radio controllers. These have been OK but as they are a few years old are in need of replacement. The ESU second generation radio controllers are a bit pricey for us as we need six of them. That was why I started looking at the Z21. However, I have also looked at Railroad and Co TrainController software as you have suggested and it seems I could hook up the the ECoS to my PC and also have access to a web browser that could also support iPhones and iPads through its SmartHand product. Thus all my needs will be met using this solution. With regard to block control, TrainController will also allow me to set signals in the preceding block back to danger as well as giving a degree of future proofing the layout. So, thanks to the help of you and others it seems I now have a way forward. Thank you once again for all our help. Regards Les

Thank you for all the replies to my question. Very helpful. Regards Les

Hello I am involved in a large DCC layout which uses an ECoS Command Station. Up until recently this has served us very well as we fully utilise the track diagram panels to set routes etc. However, we have recently installed semaphore signals using MegaPoints Controller Boards. The current set up is great at setting turnouts and setting signals as a complete route but it would be even better if a train entering a block automatically switches the preceding block's signals back to danger. Consequently, I am turning my mind towards a complete review of our DCC set up. I have been impressed with the Black Z21 and its ability to use smart devices to operate various aspects of the layout. Taking that as a way forward I would then like to connect the Z21 to a computer using some sort of appropriate train control software. If I go down this route I could then install occupancy detectors which I am hoping could enable us to automatically return signals to danger as a train passes them. Is My plan feasible? I do not want to automate everything. All loco control would stay with our operators as would some local turnout control. Regards Les

SouthernBlue80s Thank you for your help on this. It is much appreciated. Regards Les

Your wagons look great. I am interested in what type of paint and range of colours you would recommend for painting the underside of a 20 Ton brake van? I want to recreate a well used and rusty underside.

Just started following this topic as I am starting the build of my O Gauge garden railway. The first part will be built in my 15' X 8' shed which will house an eight track fiddleyard. Track laying and turnout construction in there should be completed through the winter. However, I have felt a little unsure about the external baseboard construction. I used roofing felt and adhesive on top of bitumen impregnated wood boards (not chipboard but a very coarse wood chip) for the roof of the shed about 10 years ago and it is still in perfect condition. Would this type of construction be OK for the baseboards? Like Bartb I intend keeping the external trackwork covered when not in use. I am still worried though about possible contraction and expansion of the boards causing problems. Am I needlessly concerned? Regards Les