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Pugsley

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Everything posted by Pugsley

  1. Pugsley

    Finally!

    Hah, I bet you all thought that this project was dead and buried! Truth be told, I did as well, after being seduced by 7mm scale and shiny technology, oh, and cars. However, of late I've worked out why the layout wasn't really progressing - I find track building and wiring incredibly boring and, seeing as I don't have to do them, and there are many other interesting projects to spend time on, I haven't. I considered ripping up what I'd already done and building a small 7mm layout instead, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do that. So, with my wife insisting that she wanted our kitchen table back, I had to find a solution. The solution appeared to be to find someone to subcontract the track building and basic wiring to, allowing me to concentrate on the bits I enjoy, such as the scenery and the buildings, etc, to go on the layout once finished. The hardest part was going to be to find someone who was prepared to take on the project, who I felt would be able to complete it to my unfeasibly high standards. So, a chance conversation at the SWAG do last weekend resulted in the layout heading North after the show, to Darlington. Simon, of S H Model Making is going to do the honours as I know that I can trust him to finish the track to my standards (no pressure, if you're reading this, Simon!) Have I sold out? Probably, but at least this way I have got about 12 months to concentrate on building stock for the layout, so it's going to be a year of 4mm scale, with a bit of 7mm Cargowaggon thrown in for good measure. The first job is to finish the tamper, then the 455. I'm also looking forward to getting back to the tank wagons. The occasional progress report on the project will appear here, from time to time: https://www.facebook.com/SHModelMaking
  2. It was good to see this in the flesh last weekend. It's so refreshing to see something totally different, executed to a really high standard.
  3. I don't know about the OAA, but the VAA is a typical Heljan model, IMO. Overall it's OK, but with some niggles once you start really looking at. The chassis is missing some strengthening ribs and there are a couple where there shouldn't be any. The springs are too shallow - the front of the spring mounts should be roughly level with the bottom of the solebar and the front links should project beyond them. The roof profile is wrong, it's too steeply curved, so they are a bit higher than they should be. There are also the bits that drop off, but they're quite easily glued back on. On the plus side, they're quite easy to rewheel to S7, if that's your kind of thing. So, I suppose, overall they're not too bad for the money, they just need a little tweaking, if you're a bit of a detail obsessive
  4. Pugsley

    Dapol 142

    Whilst that is true, objective two should never overrule objective one, otherwise it becomes an impression, not a model. Edit - I suppose, what I'm trying to say is that those two design goals are not mutually exclusive. The overall priority should be to make it look like a miniature version of the real thing, but it also needs to be cost effective to produce.
  5. Blue diesels (or even later, if you like) for me please!
  6. Now you're talking! More like this please
  7. It may be worth searching for some of the documents listed in the pdf linked to above, as some documents are also on the RGS online site, such as this one: http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Railway_Group_Standards/Control%20Command%20and%20Signalling/Other/BR1651%20Part%203.pdf
  8. Have a look in the current group standards for signalling, it may give you some ideas, or refer to historical documents that you may be able to find on the web.
  9. On the plus side, he kept two on the rails! I think that may have been caused by exceeding the speed limit, it seemed to be going a bit fast for that trackwork.
  10. I didn't realise that - I was basing my observations on the vans and the opens.
  11. That's the one thing I can't quite figure out about these wagons - they supply the locomotives with no numbers, but the wagons, which you're far more likely to buy in multiple, come with numbers applied! Perhaps Heljan is a Danish company with an Irish background
  12. It was rail connected, if you look carefully you can see the connection at the far end of the depot: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Bremhill+Bridge,+Swindon,+Wiltshire At the other end there is another bit that suggests that a loop ran through the depot.
  13. It certainly is - I can tell it's weird just by that 4 minutes! The Taylor Brothers part is interesting though.
  14. Yes, I agree, the entire area is metal sheeted. I think that is bracing there - if you look just to the left of the hinge on the far right, I think you can see the same bracing for the other side.
  15. The effect on the strapping is superb! (As is the whole thing).
  16. Don't be, it's quite straightforward once you get into it. Bullhead is well catered for from C&L, flat bottom is a little trickier in as much as the pre-machined rails aren't available, but still achievable. I built these for my, still unfinished, layout: You can either use Templot, or C&L sell templates for standard sizes. I'd recommend Templot, it allows you to design whatever track layout you want, reducing your reliance on standard sizes.
  17. I believe that they're fabricated Y27's.
  18. Nope. But you're getting closer!
  19. Mikkel is the closest so far I'll leave this one as a mystery, until the next update, when it should, with a bit of luck, look more like what it's supposed to! Mikkel - It doesn't leave much time for getting things done which is, I think, why my projects always take longer than I think they should
  20. Possibly not the best catchphrase to use these days , but I thought I'd start the next 7mm scratch build project with a little quiz. Although there's still a lot to do to the Cargowaggon Twins to turn them into an actual model, rather than a collection of bits, I wanted to get another project under way in the design stage. I find that after a day at work, I often don't feel in the mood to do some actual modelling, and there's a good chance that I could cock something up through being tired. Hell, there's a good chance I could cock something up anyway! So, an hour or two of slaving over a hot computer seems a more realistic proposition of an evening, and it's much easier to rearrange virtual items than it is to rectify a physical mistake. So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you this: It's very early days yet, so I will be very impressed if anyone can guess what it is. Not so impressed to give the winner anything, though, so you'll only have the satisfaction of being correct, which can be very satisfying This is going to be a slow burn project (aren't they all!), so don't expect updates too regularly...
  21. There are a couple of good pictures in the Wagonload book by Paul Shannon (in the Rail Freight Since 1968 series) of the ends of these wagons, on pages 55 an 57 (I can't post them here for obvious reasons. Comparing these to the picture above, the roof might be curved a little too much, but not excessively so, but it does look as if the areas above the doors, between them and the roof, are a bit too deep. That might be why the wagon is a bit taller than it should be - it's probably only 1-1.5mm, just a bit difficult to correct.
  22. Dunno about the US, but they seem to be spreading in Canada. At one point I think there was only one roundabout in the whole of Nova Scotia, the Armdale Rotary, but there's a few more these days: http://novascotia.ca/tran/roundabout/roundabout.asp
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