Dmudriver

This is beginning to get serious!! I've spent a couple of hours running DMUs between the station and the fiddle yard and worked out that I can keep the 2 platform roads for the SG together with the rear siding and still have plenty of room for the NG at the front of the layout. I used the rear 3 roads of the fiddle yard and there is plenty of space for my 5 DMUs on the layout. So that is the latest plan - which I have drawn out below: I want to retain decent signalling so I've added a couple of ground signals for shunting from platforms (I've got them in the sidings) and I'll add a Limit of Shunt 6 coach lengths or so from the resited Down Inner Home Signal. I want the signals interlocked with the points but I just cannot remember how I did it 10+ years ago!! I've found the diagrams but I can't follow them - yet: I need to do more studying!! In the fiddle yard I can do away with the 4th, front, road and kick back sidings and I'll then have a reasonable amount of space for the NG fiddle yard. The double slip will be replaced by the left hand point currently leading to road 3 in the FY. This is going to be a pretty major exercise and I am minded to start by taking up track in the fiddle yard and then the Down line up to the trailing crossover - just to get the hang of demolition. For a while - until I've removed the DMU stabling point and the sidings - I'll operate the station as I have done it so far: using Up and Down Lines from the trailing crossover. Once those lines are removed, I'll redo the station throat in one fell swoop. So that's the grand plan, obviously details might change parts of it, but that, at the moment, is how I see the process. Comments, suggestions, etc, more than welcome. More soon. Rod

My last post here was on the subject of my narrow gauge layout and this post will also be in relation to it. At the moment, I am a bit torn: as I said in an earlier post (I think) the advent of the Lionheart Lynton & Barnstaple locomotives and stock in 0-16.5 got me thinking about narrow gauge and my little layout above was a result of that. Now Bachmann have also entered the 7mm narrow gauge market with Quarry Hunslet locos and stock. So, ....... I have been out in my shed today - ruminating! And at the moment, my thinking is going like this: I started WKT 12 years ago and, as I've said before, it does everything I wanted it to. I've varied the operations and changed the stock to maintain the interest, ......... but now NG has come along and I'm attracted by it - which is, of course, why I am building that small layout. So (again!), ... if I were to single the standard gauge line into WKT, using just the Up line, and just use the far platform and the siding outside it - with maybe a loop prior to entering the platform - I could keep all my DMUs (sorry, Craig!!) and the front of the layout would then become a narrow gauge station, using the other platform (with the track raised accordingly) and the approach running on the trackbed of the Down line. A back story is forming in my mind on the basis that the River Dee never silted up so the coast became a sought after seaside location. The narrow gauge railway was formed by enthusiasts to run along the trackbed of the old West Kirby - Hooton line along that seaside coast. Additionally sufficient reserves of clay were found on the Wirral peninsula for a brickworks to be established and a narrow gauge railway from there would also run into WKT, providing revenue for the enthusiasts. Traffic would be exchanged to the standard gauge line somewhere (I've not worked that out yet, but probably off scene). I'd sell off all my parcels stock and 4 diesel locos (I'm keeping my 50 and one of the preserved steam rakes) and there'd be a lot of track and points to take up but hopefully I could sell most of that too. Whether this will happen is, of course, another question but I'm certainly giving it a lot of thought. My main interest is building up a layout and then operating it as prototypically as I can: I've done that with WKT and I can't see anywhere else to go. It just happens that 7mm NG could easily fill that gap. Any thoughts or comments would be welcomed - even expressions of shock/horro!! Rod

The second post for today - a bit more on the NG layout. Here is the revised layout: the platform line goes off to the right rather than the left; the engine shed has moved alongside the platform headshunt and the 2 long sidings bottom left are carriage sidings. A second bogie coach is runnable, just needs details fitting: and I'm building a 4-wheel brake coach from a pack which is basically partway between scratchbilding and a kit: this is what you get; and this is where I'm up to (the roof isn't attached yet): All rather fun!! More soon. Rod

Well, here we are - well into 2024 and this is my first post of the year!! Today dawned bright and sunny and as I had nothing else planned for the day, I thought I'd get WKT ready for this year's running. The first job (after getting the covers off outside) was to clean the track: it really wasn't too bad but nevertheless I was still getting "track cleaner's elbow" by the time I'd finished - there's quite a lot of track, really. The points all worked OK but out in the fiddle yard there were a couple of microswitches that need some TLC before I could run anything over them without shorting!! I ran the model I've had the longest over every section of track to test everything: it's the blue/grey 2-car 108 which I reckon I've had for about 20 years - and it still runs well!! I took a couple of pics of it at opposite ends of the layout: The only real problem was with the operator - i,e, me!! I'd forgotten exactly how things worked - so that when sending the 08 out from the fuelling point to the back siding to shift some parcels vans ready for track cleaning, I forgot to reverse the catch point. It did it's job and the 08 ran on the ballast for 8/9 inches before I could grab it!! Even then, the wheels kept turning for a few more seconds - it's got a really good stay-alive in it!! Otherwise, a succesful wake-up to 2024, and looking forward to more playperating sessions. Unfortunately, this session was cut by the rain that was forecast for about 4pm actually starting about 1pm!! In other news, the NG layout is coming on: I've relaid some track (changing the formation) and done a bit more coachbuilding. No pics in this post in case I go over the limit. More soon. Rod

WKT is still alive and kicking!! A couple of weeks ago it was a lovely day so I had a bit of a play - no photos, though, I'm afraid!! But during that session, while I was giving the 03 a really good run to stretch its legs along the layout, I came across a problem: it stuttered and/or stopped on frogs on the double slip in the fiddle yard in spite of having a stay-alive fitted. Checks with my multimeter showed a microswitch on top of one of the Peco point motors wasn't working but I put it aside for another day as it was getting a bit late and the temperature was beginning to drop. I don't know how long the microswitch had been u/s as the pickups on all of my other stock straddle the frogs anyway. The only other loco I could have checked it with was the 08 but that was in store so I didn't use it and my 2 kettles (BR(W) 0-4-2T and Ivatt 2-6-2T) have decent stay-alives in them and have not previously indicated any problem. So today was the other day - a window of decent weather for a few hours so I set to to change the point motor and microswitch. Having changed them, there were still problems!! it turned out that one feed on the new microswitch and the corresponding one on the other motor on the double slip were connected to each other but weren't actually connected to anything for power to come from so no power would have been getting through to the frogs anyway!! This is the errant point motor and microswitch and the 03: After much playing about with wiring and the multimeter, including causing a few short circuits, I ended up providing power to the microswitches from an apparently unlikely source, shown here: It looks completely wrong - the blue wires from the microswitches going to a brown busbar, from which there are purple wires feeding the track. It took a lot of testing and overcoming thoughts of "that can't be right", but it works!! LEARNING POINT: make circuit diagrams in future!! And yet, the 03 still stuttered and/or stopped, but only on occasions. Further testing revealed I was relying on point blade contact for some short stretches of rail so some cleaning up sorted that (the problem being due to being outside - even though undercover.) But still the 03 stuttered/stopped!! I decided it must be dirty pickups so I took it inside to my workbench but couldn't work on it immediately as my work bench had on it an NG coach kit I am building: Those seats are from a spare pack of Easybuild DMU seats which I am using!! Once the bench as cleared, the 03 ran reasonably well with DC power applied (sound and all!) but I stripped it down anyway to make sure the pickups were clean. I then tried it again and it was DCC dead. The motor turns OK on direct DC power to the motor leads so I've reasoned that, after all that work, the chip is ****** - or dead, to put it politely!! I tried it on the WKT layout and zilch, nada, nothing!! So the chip is coming out and I'll sell the 03 and it's match truck as a DC loco. I've got an 08 for shunting anyway, so the 03 was surplus to requirements and I was only keeping it for sentimental reasons really. So ends that saga!! But whilst I've not done much on WKT, I am making progress on the NG layout. Here's a loco shed I've just built: The blue light is from an LED torch I used to give a bit of light to the pic (could be better, I know!) The kit is by LCut Creative: it's laser cut wood: I've made up the doors and windows are due to go in after painting. The paint arrived yesterday but I'll finish the coach first and then do the shed - well, probably -- I might just decide to have a break from coach building, depends how the mood takes me. So that's the up to date situation on WKT. I don't put anything on here for ages and then you get a post this long!! More soon - hopefully!! Rod

Hi Paul. Thanks for that but, as it happens, I have already found it - after a fair bit of Googling!! And quite a long time after my post - when I was trying to avoid anything to do with the Aston Villa v Everton match!!** I don't understand how it changed, unless it was during an update, but at least now I know how to sort it!! Rod ** That was a real disaster - but not for Villa!!

Wow, it's nearly 4 months since I last posted on here! Time does fly, doesn't it?!! I had a bit of a parcels playday yesterday, so here are some pics of it. Firstly, 2 trains are ready to go to Moreton, Headed by 25275 and 50021 "Rodney". 08078 stands at the fuel island ready for duty later: Surprisingly, there are no DMUs around!! A closer look at the 2 trains ready to go: The 25 has left and 50021 awaits its turn: In the fiddle yard later a bit of hand shunting has moved a rake into road 3 and the released 25 has manoeuvred onto the rake the 50 brought in. Much later in the sequence 2 parcels trains have arrived in the sidings - still no DMUs about!! - and the 08 has dropped onto the rear of one to enable the loco to run round: And finally, a look at the 2 uncoupled locos: The 50 is uncoupled, but there isn't a lot of room between the buffer stop and the uncoupling magnet! This was all done yesterday and this morning an idea flashed into my head: I could convert the station into a parcels handling depot! Replace the station building and canopy with a warehouse of some sort, accessible from the platform and make an overall roof to cover the platform and the 2 adjacent sidings. I quite like the idea and it will continue to give me some food for thought but I do still have loads to do on the NG layout yet: progress on that is slow, but satisfying. And as an aside, I took these pics on my Samsung mobile phone and transferred them to my PC. However, when I came to add them on here they weren't acceptable, being in HEIC format (whatever that is!!) - and that's the first time it's happened. Fortunately, I found a programme to convert them to JPEG but it looks like I'll have to do that every time now: I'll look for a quicker way round it. More soon - hopefully!! Rod

That pointwork looks really good, Paul. Well done!! It's something I really enjoy doing too. Rod

Love the Liverpool buses, Paul. Takes me right back in time. Where did you get them from? Don't remember route 99, tho' I do (did!!) know Smithdown Road: where did it run from? Rod

Yes, is the short answer, Paul!! Hopefully, we'll get a bit of investment - it's being talked about - but mainly people who know how to run a sports business. There's a load of aggro towards Bill Kenwright but I think Moshiri has overruled him quite a few times. It's not all Kenwright's fault.

Not as disastrous as ours, Paul!! Championship for us, I reckon. Still we support our team through thick and thin, as I tell my family! Thank goodness we've got railway modelling to keep us sane!

So now some pics of the NG layout I'm working on - "Rixteth". The tram loco is built - it now needs painting. I've done some of it and I've just taken delivery of some BR Maroon paint for the main body colour: Yes, that is a bell on the roof!! The chassis is built and running: I've painted the wheel rims which may just be visible under the skirts and the footplate has a coat of new timber, which will be weathered soon. The Blutack holds the motor in place! I've also bought a second loco kit: and this is powered by a Dapol 00 gauge B4 chassis: That is a really superb runner!! I find these 4mm chassis a bit fiddly, but I manage!! On top of those, I'm building a couple of bogie coaches - here is part of the first one: They're basically 2x 4w coaches joined together - with a kit bought from the 7mm Narrow Gauge Association. The seating is made up of some spare Easybuild DMU seating I had in my spares box - one 3 seater plus half of a 2 seater! Not ideal but when painted and inside the coach the joins shouldn't be obvious! The chopped bits are a 2-seater part sawn, part cut in half. I'm enjoying my narrow gauge adventure but there is so much to learn!! It's fascinating!! More soon. Rod

Hi all. I may not be doing much work on WKT but it's been a lovely day today, so I've had a few hours playing!! Here are some pictures: Firstly, the former Railair Express DPU has arrived in the Down Siding with a GUV in tow. 03112 is getting ready to remove the GUV from the train but must first wait for another parcels train to come in as that will need shunting too: In the fiddle yard, 50021 "Rodney" sits in a kickback siding with 37429 and 3x 4-wheel vans: Elsewhere in the fiddle yard a 3-car and 2-car 108 sit with a 2-car 101 and 25275 which has brought in 2 more vans The 3-car 108 is seen passing the Inner Home signal bound for an empty platform 2: In the meantime a parcels train has been assembled in the fiddle yard with 50021 and the 3 4-wheel vans seen earlier attached to the 2 ex-LMs BGs brought in by 25275: This train is later seen passing the Inner Home signal with ground signal 30 cleared (but pretty well hidden behind the lineside phone!!), bound for no.1 Siding: Finally, the 03 has collected all the vans and is preparing to propel them into no.2 siding (right at the back of the layout) Ground signal 36 has been cleared for this manoeuvre: The layout is alive and kicking!! However, after crashing the 37 into the buffers on the kickback siding when it was being brought back LE from the fiddle yard to the station, I decided I'd better clean the shed windows as I hadn't seen properly that it wasn't taking the correct route!! The insides were dirtier than the outsides!! Anyway, they are now much better. No pics as I didn't take before and after shots! A really enjoyable few hours!! Work continues elsewhere on the NG layout - I'll put some pics in the next post. More on WKT soon. Rod

Hi all. WKT is rousing itself from hibernation!! Well, actually, it's been a lovely day up here - and warm for about 4 hours in the middle of the day. It was so pleasant that I went out and opened everything up. Here are the shed and the outside section: There's some stock in the FY in the second pic, but that only got there after I'd gone round with a cobweb shifter and then cleaned the tracks. Once the station area was clear, I cleaned those tracks, too. I'd previously done the stabling point and main lines in the shed for my little bits of shunting!! Here's a close-up of the stock in the fiddle yard: and finally, a look at the station area and stabling point with that stock still in the fiddle yard: I felt quite enthusiastic and there's quite a bit I can think of to do on the layout and with the stock. I'm not giving up on the narrow gauge but my thinking at the moment is that NG will be a winter/bad weather project with WKT summer/decent weather. I can't leave the narrow gauge layout up in the house - there really isn't enough room, but there's plenty I can work on on one of the individual boards at a time as well as stock. Having said that, I'm finding that building a 4mm scale chassis is quite demanding - although enjoyable!! I'd forgotten how small some of the bits can be. How people model in N gauge or 009 is beyond me!! It'll soon be decent enough weather (hopefully) to play outside so visitors/operators will be welcome. More soon. Rod

Again, I'm quiet on here but still modelling - when a recent cold and chest infection, plus a big tooth extraction, have allowed. The NG layout is now up and running: it's wired up for DCC but as I've only one loco I am using DC. Here's a pic: The replacement long cassettes have arrived and been made up but I'm now concentrating on altering the pickup arrangements on the loco. The Bachmann setup is good in theory but in practice it's not so effective: I've read up how to improve it so now I'm on with it. WKT is still getting used for shunting around but I don't envisage any more work on it for a while. Maybe when the weather gets better I can get some more visitors round and have more operating sessions. In the meantime, though, A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone. See you in 2023, all being well - if not before. Rod

It's 0-16.5, Rich. It's a bit of a different mindset doing this!!!

I've been a bit quiet on here while I branch out into narrow gauge, but WKT is not being neglected! Every time I go into the shed (which is reasonably warm as I have an oil heater switched on - very low!) I have a shunt around. Here's a picture of the station area taken by the 115 driver who was on top of the embankment by the fuel unloading point: He couldn't resist another track level view as he got near his cab to start his prep for the afternoon rush-hour shift: Left to right we have a rake of vans, then a 128 leading the ex-Railair set, a Thumper behind which is an unseen 101, a 2-car 108 behind which is a 3-car 108 and finally a 131 with an (again unseen!) van in tow. Apologies for the fuzziness but the pics were taken on my phone at night by fluorescent light. And mentioning my narrow gauge diversion, here's what the layout looks like: The straight bit in the bottom left-hand corner is to be replaced by cassettes. Total size 8'x1'. More soon. Rod

I've bought a loco!! Not what I originally had in mind, but I've always fancied a Shay and this one just happened to be available in the shop where I bought my 0-16.5 track!! It's a cracker!! I've since lifted the spark arrester further up the chimney!! However, I've decided I'm going to close this thread and concentrate my narrow gauge meanderings on the Narrow Gauge Railway Modelling online forum. Basically, I'd just be repeating on here what I'm putting on there, which to me is a bit of a waste of time. I think you can get to it by copying the link below into your browser - if you want to, that is!! Look under "Layout Topics". Rod

Thanks, Paul, but they're not mine. I should have credited them, and the photos, to gismorail. Sorry, gismorail!

And now for something completely different - my new narrow gauge loco: It's a Bachmann 0n30 Shay. I've always been attracted to these and the shop where I bought some 0-16.5 track had it for sale and I couldn't resist!! Here it is with the complete set of stock I've got: I spent a pleasant hour sitting on the floor just running the consist up and down 6' of track!! So different from blue diesels! Though I'm going to investigate putting DCC sound into it. The apparent wiring between the coaches and the van isn't wiring at all, it's black felt-tip markings on the baseboard!! More on my thread on Narrow Gauge Railway Modelling on-line. Rod

While work continues - albeit slowly - on the narrow gauge layout, WKT has not been idle!! A full day's operation and fun was had on Friday with visits from muddys-blues and gismorail of this parish. We did have a really good time, in between one or two minor operating problems (like the floor and power bogie of one power car of the 115 disappearing into the saloon!! - since fixed). Gismorail took some pics and a couple of videos, which are all below. Unfortunately, we didn't get a pic of the blue/grey Class 121 DMU that deputised for the demic 115 power car. First, a Class 25 has left platform 1 to reverse into platform 2 when the road has been reset. The 08 (behind the camera) will then reverse the coaches it has brought in back into platform 1: The coaches have been returned to the platform and the 25 is now at the head of the train preparing for departure: And, later, a Class 40 rests in siding 1 having brought in a parcels train: There were also 2 videos. In the first a Class 45 brings in a passenger train to platform 1 as a 115 DMU leaves from platform 2. The DMU driver was later issued with a Form 1 on the charge of speeding! ** (But see below). Later, the same 45 returns to Chester: As I said above, a really good day - with pies for lunch!! And copious amounts of tea and coffer during the day! Rod ** In his defence, I later found that the speed steps had somehow changed from 128 to 28 by the time this departure took place!! How/why, I haven't a clue!!

And here are the baseboards. top of one and underneath of the other: I'm happy that they are nice and level, so I'll unscrew the joints, one by one, and add PVA to make them really firm. To line them up I've fitted locating dowels in one end of each, as here: They are a very firm fit and I will use over-centre clips to hold the boards together. Then I need some legs!! And then I can start laying some track!! The holes in the middle of the cross members are for the wiring: they are in the end ones as I just drilled out all 10 cross pieces together and then selected the best fit member for the ends! Points will be operated by hand so there was no need to worry about the placing of motors under the boards. More soon. Rod

I've now managed to get the Kadee couplings on the 3 vehicles all at the same height as the gauge: I'm also now building the baseboards using 3.6mm plywood. I'm aiming to make them as light as possible as shown here: The board is 4' x 1' and there will be cross members, similarly constructed every foot, screwed and glued where the blocks are on the outer members. My original intention was to have an 8' x 1' layout - which would fit in the shed where my standard gauge layout is - but I may make it 5' x 3' depending how it fits indoors. Watch this space!! I'm also changing the layout name - again!! - to Rixteth. On another forum (NGRM-online) I've had discussions about the Vikings who first settled this area (as well as the Wirral and the Fylde) and their influence on place names. Rixteth is from Erik's stath, ie staithe or landing place. This is, I think, appropriate for a site very near to a river bank. More soon. Rod

That thought's crossed my mind too - but there's a long way to go yet in the season!!

Fascinating pics those, Paul. I've seen fireless locos before but didn't know (or don't remember!!) that there was a Crawford's factory at Edge Hill. LIfe's OK, thanks - particularly as my team is now beginning to play a lot better than last season!!! 💙💙 Modelling-wise, I'm venturing into narrow gauge: 0-16.5 to be precise. Always fancied it and WKT is running how I wanted it and looking pretty much how I wanted it, too, so I thought I'd have a change of direction. There's a lot to learn!! Hope all is well with you. All the best. Rod