Phil Bullock

@Downendian and I are planning a raid on Sunday! is Millionaires Shortbread required?

We also operate on a wandering basis …. So have gone for eyebolts with cord through them. Mind you that gang of criminals should be enough to deter any potential learners or tinkerers. That 4 doll bracket causes angst though… and red cord next time i think!

Must be tiffin time! Well it is SWAG on Sunday…

Hornby ones are very good for recreations of The Flying Kipper… prone to derailments!

Yes remember seeing one through FP in 1969 behind one of the Haymarket EE4s…. In parcels service they were common vehicles on the Aberystwyth-York mails… York Mail at Aberystwyth

31111 was withdrawn in 1983 and languished at Swindon for 3 years before scrapping so depends on your definition of mid 80s. As it is it’s a Hornby lash up …. 31111 retained her raised body side trim until the end which the Hornby blue model lacks … it was only ever paint on the green versions! Most lost that trim when refurbished so that may work to your advantage…. But you can reinstate it with micro strip if repainting Typing Class 31 skinhead in to a Flickr search will come up with a few…

You mean you don’t want this version? Take me to the river

Too much floundering and carping on this thread! 😃 Any way what scale are we talking?

Sandpipers on the River Usk yesterday….,

Was doing a great job on the shunt turn…

Yes that would do … SK BSK CK

Brilliant! Sounds like you had a great trip …

Here’s our latest visitor….

Definitely not in the right plaice….

As beautiful as ever…

Yes we do the same but it is a mixed blessing as lights can be a useful indicator to rookie drivers that they have selected the right loco!

Working out on drive on layout has its advantages …. Buzzed yesterday by a male brimstone and a tortoiseshell in addition to the more literal bumble bees. Overwintering peacock had left the garden shed too, hopefully to produce a new year’s generation.

New visitors for our garden this morning…, siskins ! Very happy with that. Re bird apps I use Chirp-o-matic but if it comes up with exotica I treat it with a big pinch of salt. It was persistently trying to tell we there was a golden oriole in woods at Talybont on Usk last April.

31065?

Great work Andy!! You can never have too many guards vans…

That’s Welsh for you isn’t it? Good job it wasn’t Hafodyrynys ….

Cheers haven’t done that! Where 2 or more wires go in to the same terminal there’s plenty for the screw to clamp on to … with a single small diameter wire I strip the end then wind the stripped core back up around the end of the insulation to give the screw more to bite on.

Can I ask what issues you have had … in the interests of avoiding them ! 😉

Ok! When are you free? 😉

I have shared your aversion for chock blocks! But have overcome it…. Handy for keeping wiring in place too! It’s all colour coded and am now installing colour coded LEDs on each board so if any bus goes down I will know … and have an idea where to start fault finding. Red… accessory bus Green …. Scenic area track power Blue …. Fiddle yard north end track power Yellow…. Fiddle yard south end track power Also following @WIMorrisons advice and powering frogs using the accessory switch on the Cobalt point motors powered off the relevant track power bus.