Huw Griffiths

Lots of people seem to have problems with keeping wiring neat. A number of methods are available - spiral cable wrap - "snap on lid" rectangular plastic trunking - cable clips etc. Essentially, the key points are to label wires - group them together (so they don't end up as a tangled mess) - and constrain them close to the baseboard (to stop heads, hands etc getting caught in them when crawling under the layout). In case you're wondering why I'm so fussy about this stuff, I used to work as an instrumentation technician in a university civils department. I had to wire up lots of transducers (especially strain gauges) - to allow measurements to be made - but I didn't want students getting tangled up in wires during lab tests. I'm looking forward to your thread. Don't worry too much about criticism - most of us here try to keep it constructive. (Those who don't usually find themselves being "persuaded" to take the hint.) By the way, don't worry about all the pages in the e-book. There's nothing wrong with "dipping into" it as needed ... .

Sounds interesting. Probably best if I start with the stuff about MERG. Their website is in a number of sections. One section is accessible to non members - and includes a "free to download" e-book about electronics, aimed at non specialists - I'd definitely recommend downloading this and looking through it. You might be wondering why I'm suggesting downloading this e-book, when you've said you don't want to get drawn too far into electronics. Well, if you're planning on building / installing any electronics on a layout, it's useful if you know (or can check) enough about what's there to be able to do some basic debugging. You don't need to know everything about everything (I doubt if anyone does) - but a basic working knowledge can often come in useful. Just for information, the guy who wrote this e-book has built a number of layout animations (quite a few of them operated using easy to assemble electronics modules that he designed - and which are now sold as kits for members). Most of the MERG website (plus kits etc) are only available to members. At this point, I could imagine some people wondering who these members are - well, we're actually quite a diverse and inclusive group. Some have very technical backgrounds - some don't - some are somewhere between these extremes. However, this doesn't need to be a problem - as the people who run the Area Groups and Special Interest Groups go out of their way to keep them accessible, even to people without specialist knowledge. This suits me just fine - as, like a number of people, I know some stuff about certain topics and next to nothing about other topics. I'm using the SIGs about Arduino and 3D printing as a way of learning something about them - I wouldn't be surprised if similar stuff were to feature more prominently in railway modelling in future years. If you're able to visit any model railway shows with a MERG presence, I'd suggest having a chat with the people manning the stand - they'll often be from local Area Groups, although some might turn out to be committee members. You might also find that some of the layouts at shows use MERG modules, controls etc - I've sometimes seen show layouts with prominent labels advertising this fact. Chances are that at least some of the people manning these layouts will turn out to be members of MERG. Ultimately, I think you'll probably want to know if you'd be able to get sensible answers to any questions you might have (you're likely to have plenty, over time). I'm not trying to do a "sales pitch" here - MERG membership suits a number of people, but not everyone. Now let's think about what you're looking to achieve with your layout. A number of animations - like the car dumper - are likely to be motorized. I'm guessing that they might use servos or stepper motors - I don't know if you'll want to control them yourself, or if you'll want to automate them. Whatever you do, I think it would be a mistake to jump into anything. A number of people build animations, controls etc as modules, which can be built away from the layout and added / upgraded when you're satisfied that they work and look "right". This approach strikes me as sensible - and also allows for maintenance. As for electronic controls, there's also an issue of how far you want to go. Some people go for full digital control - with everything connected to layout buses etc - others control just the trains (or perhaps points etc) using DCC - others keep everything "old school" DC. Different approaches work for different people. Whichever approach you go for, I'd suggest keeping all wiring neat and clearly labelled - and documenting what you do (including clear wiring diagrams, showing which wire goes where). I'd also suggest keeping wiring (and power) for trains separate from wiring for stuff like accessories / animations and point motors. This might sound like a lot of work - but you need to reckon that anything you build or connect might need to be repaired at a later date - in other words, a bit of extra work now, to avoid a load of grief at a later date (when you've probably forgotten what you did and why). Whatever you do - whatever decisions you make - the hobby is meant to be enjoyable. You're doing the right thing - you're asking questions - I'm sure you'll have more over time. Don't feel under pressure to jump into doing things (or adopting methods) that aren't right for you. All the best.

Not exactly my "thing" - but clever and imaginative, nonetheless. The box art is interesting - even if I can't help wondering exactly how long the train kit is when assembled (how many vehicles, that sort of thing). OK - I wouldn't be surprised if the box were to have another picture on it (which we can't see from this angle) showing what's actually in the box. My comments aren't a criticism - just an observation - and I suspect that similar comments could probably be levelled at some kits etc that were aimed at the UK market. Anyway, I'm sure that the box art would fire up some people's imagination - and anyone being presented with one of these would be in for a treat. Ultimately, isn't this what our hobby should really be about?

In all honesty, DCC - and even Arduino boards - can sometimes be "overkill" for some stuff on layouts - well, railway modelling in general. Fair comment. At this point, I should probably add a disclaimer. I joined MERG last summer - and I've just renewed my membership - so it clearly suits me. As for whether being a member of MERG suits anyone else, to some extent this depends what you want to do. I personally see MERG as a virtual club - mainly about electronics and model railways - which I'm glad I joined: MERG offer a number of kits to do different things on layouts - some are very simple (a number of these were originally devised as "learning aids" - but still useful in railway modelling) - others are rather more complex. For a number of years, MERG membership sometimes appeared to be "sold" on the basis of access to these kits being a membership benefit - however, the emphasis seems to be changing. The original primary objectives of MERG were - to encourage people to find practical uses for electronics in railway modelling - and to encourage people to learn about stuff like this. They now appear to be returning towards these objectives. MERG have a "members only" forum website - where members are welcome to post questions and observations about a wide variety of topics. The replies they get tend to be very helpful and constructive. The forum also serves as a "gateway" to lots of other stuff. MERG also have a number of Area Groups (AGs) - and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) - which I've found to be very good. Prior to the Corona menace, most AGs tended to meet "in person", for regular "workshop" sessions. When Corona became an issue, these groups actively embraced the opportunity Zoom offers to encourage participation by members from other areas (sometimes other countries, or even continents). We're actively encouraged to get involved with any / all AGs that interest us. Now that Corona restrictions have been relaxed, a number of AGs have started meeting in person again - but a lot of the Zoom sessions also continue. A number of SIGs have been set up, to facilitate discussion etc about various topics - usually via Zoom sessions (effectively used as virtual classrooms). For example, I'm a member of SIGs about Arduino and 3D printing. The usual session format seems to be - a talk about some topic of interest - then a Q&A session - followed by general discussion / "social" chat. (A number of AG Zoom sessions also seem to follow a similar format.) I've learnt a lot through my membership - and gained a number of friends. It works for me.

I'm not trying to be evasive - but this sounds like one of those "how long is a piece of string" type questions. I haven't come across meters on layouts (except for a couple of digital multimeters in your toolbox - they really come in useful!). Arduino usually just means a type of microcontroller board (OK - I know these boards come in lots of "flavours" - and some people will say it means more than this - they're right - but ...). I know that a lot of MERG members use these boards to control animations and gadgets on their layouts. In time, I intend to learn more about them. Ultimately, though, it might make sense to view Arduino boards as a means of operating other stuff - or even as "breadboard fodder". As for animations, potentially "the sky's the limit". As has already been suggested, it might be best to think about what you actually want to do - and then explore how much of this can reasonably be achieved using electronics.

Let's guess - with a border of "split milk"? OK - perhaps not. That sort of Premier Line hasn't been around for years ... . (Ever get the impression I happen to like the traditional LNWR carriage livery?)

Both sound about right to me. Personally, I wouldn't have been surprised if it had been ///covid.rules.ignored - or something similar.

Could be useful if they added a facility to text or email the W3W "descriptions" during a 999 / 112 call. Of course, I suspect this would probably be a lot more difficult than it might sound. I wonder where that might be? Reminds me of a few months ago. I was on walking along a lane, on my way to an appointment - at the junction with another lane through some woods - and noticed smoke coming out of a litter bin. Getting slightly closer, I also noticed the orange glow of flames. It wasn't easy to give the controller a precise description of the location - thankfully, the controller was based in the same town, so she was able to work out where I was talking about. Fast forward about a quarter of an hour - a fire engine could be seen emerging from a nearby car park, with the fire put out. OK - they clearly found the fire - but I'm sure a "W3W" would have been much easier for everyone. Actually 21st century for me. I like "map-nav" - but the map needs to be usable. It also helps if I have chance to look at it - either at the time or beforehand. Then, I usually find navigation reasonably straightforward - I just need a fair chance, that's all. I've never used satnav - but my brother has. About 15 years ago, he was visiting the UK with his family - and driving a Ford Galaxy through London. I was sat in the back - where I couldn't see where we were going. Anyway, the satnav suddenly "went on strike" - and went into a long routine of "recalculating ... recalculating ... recalculating". I suddenly found this UK road atlas chucked in my face - with an abrupt order to give him clear directions, instantly. As you can imagine, the road atlas was almost as useful as a chocolate teapot - and I couldn't even see any road signs - so I had nothing to go by. However, this didn't stop him demanding instant guidance at every junction - it also didn't prevent a barrage of abuse about what a ***###***!!@**&&!!###***** "terrible" navigator he'd decided I must be. It was a shame the car didn't stop moving - if it had, I would have got out and given him the opportunity to prove just how "amazing" his navigational skills were. (As you might have guessed, they were practically non existent.) Anyway, whenever I've hired a car, I've never used satnav - and I refuse to load any satnav apps onto my "electronic tag" - sorry, mobile phone. I can't help wondering how the "W3W" might read. Perhaps something along the lines of: "somewhere.in.staffordshire" or "near.to.brewery". OK - perhaps not. Well, I guess it's either that or finding some error-proof way of transferring the "W3W". Ouch! In the same era, I had to give the driver of a rail replacement bus directions to Swindon railway station - using roads neither of us had seen before. Thankfully, we both found the "magic roundabout" very easy to navigate ... .

Fair comment. Saying that, W3W does sometimes offer some interesting selections of words.

Just out of curiosity, did this board work properly before the fall? In case anyone's puzzled by my question, if the board worked correctly before (and the diodes weren't replaced), this would make me question the "diode polarity" theory.

I haven't got a clue - but I could imagine some of these suggestions being of interest to certain people.

I'm working on the assumption that anything that's lost is probably lost for good. "Nothing to see - move on!" Am I unduly worried? Not really - if the missing stuff really mattered to people, I'm sure they would have saved their own copies. Brutal? Perhaps - but nowhere near as brutal as the effect on Andy etc of trying to achieve the impossible - trying to rebuild what a "hosting" company managed to destroy, by not keeping their promises. I've seen complaints elsewhere about a number of hosting companies shafting their paying customers - by promising the moon - but, when push comes to shove, effectively doing nothing but "mooning". Ultimately, there's a limit to what Andy - or anyone else - can do about stuff like this. Andy's already done everything about this that can reasonably be expected of him - and lots more. Let's all be realistic about this. Some people might have an attitude of: "It's not a matter of life and death - it's more important than that!" Well I cannot agree with them. I've never been interested in soccer - I prefer snooker. More to the point, sites like this are "nice to have". However, it's not worth sacrificing anyone's health on the altar of appeasing a vocal minority who'd probably never be satisfied - a minority who had plenty of warnings that the "hosting" was less than ideal - a minority who had plenty of chances to save anything they were really bothered about. It is what it is - time to move on. Fair comment. As for the stuff about the financial "services" industry, some people might feel justified in questioning whom exactly they're there to serve - it certainly doesn't always seem to be ordinary, law abiding, people like me - but then I've always known I'm expendable. Do I expect (or want) sympathy? No - I'm like millions of other people in this "United" Kingdom - to be honest, most people are. Do I expect the government to look after my interests? Well, it could be nice - after all, that's what they claim to be there for. Well, perhaps it's merely a case of: "If I can dream". Over the years, a number of governments have seen their primary function being to ensure their own survival - and **$$$$**!!$$##** the mere plebs who pay the inflated price for keeping them in power. I'm not attacking any specific administration or political party. The rules under which a number of them rule govern are open to this sort of abuse. A number of administrations (in a number of countries) routinely abuse parliamentary procedures to block popular measures - to force through measures they know lots of people would never vote for - or to stifle reasonable debate. Some people might talk about "that horrid electorate" - I could not possibly comment * ... . (* To avoid potential protests from historians, I should point out that I'm aware the word "electorate" had meanings different to that in which it's normally used these days - especially during the reign of George III ... . I should also point out that History was not one of the subjects I studied to O Level or beyond at school.) No - governments are what they are - regulators are what they are - and I'm not convinced that either always act in ordinary people's best interests. Some people might suggest that life goes on, despite them. I could not possibly comment. Anyway, political rant well and truly over. If I had any issues with the way this site is run, does anyone seriously imagine that I would have stayed here for as long as I have - or, in recent years, opted for a "premium membership"? No - I'm grateful to Andy (and others) for everything done on our behalf.

Some pictures seem to have vanished - like a 2018 photo, in which someone apparently showed us the correct* way to hold a soldering iron. (* Or not, as the case may be.) Perhaps somebody thought that might be too horrific - even for people "immunised" by seeing a photo showing a couple of middle aged guys wearing silly hats. "Ho! Ho! Ho!" (Perhaps that should be: "Bah, humbug!" Who knows?) OK - flat cap - wax jacket - gone.

Well, it's always possible that a certain "honourable gentleman" might have mis-spelt his search - then some people might have started noticing - and the whips might have been introduced to the party. Presumably, at about this point, if tabloids started digging for dirt, things might have got really messy ... . Would this be after they've been Darting about? OK - perhaps not.

Fair comment - although other options might include PCB track damage. Any of these options would be likely to be relatively straightforward to fix. Photos would probably give us more of an idea what's actually wrong.

Interesting point about the catering - this certainly seemed to have changed a lot since the last time I attended this show, a few years ago. Then, it seemed to be little more than the upstairs room, with very little in the way of food provision - but a pretence of a bar (with a range so limited it could be ignored). I based my food "decisions" this time on my previous visits to the show - my holdall contained a carrier bag filled with food (some of which I'd got from a supermarket, on my way to get a lift to the venue). In future, I might think about the on-site catering. Meanwhile, one thing which didn't seem to have improved was toilet provision - certainly with regard to what "punters" got to find out about, anyway. Despite these issues (and stuff relating to public transport), I've always liked this show - and generally found the venue pleasant. Of course, there is also the clash with the "business end" of the World Snooker Championship - and I've liked snooker for as long as I can remember. We then come to a tough question - do I go to a model railway show, or watch the snooker? Decisions. Decisions ... .

I can't comment about official parts - or repairers - but I wonder if it might be worth posting clear photos of both sides of the PCB. In particular, it could be interesting to see where the damage is - burnt components - broken tracks - stuff like that. I can't make any promises - but it might sometimes be possible to repair some things. Whether this is possible here would depend on what the damage is.

Thanks for reminding me that I'm due for an eye test. OK - I know that isn't quite what you meant in your comment. As for the show itself, I enjoyed it (even if the debit card took a few "hits"). Of course, for me, shows aren't just about the shows - they're also about the people I meet (some of whom I already knew - through this site - through societies like DEMU or MERG - through previous dealings - or, with one exhibitor, because I worked alongside him for a number of years). Unfortunately, some people I know were unable to be there yesterday. I hope things improve for these people - hopefully, I'll get chance to catch up with them in due course. Apart from that, well I was very glad to get a lift from South Wales (especially with public transport between Stoke Gifford marshalling yard Bristol Parkway and Thornbury leisure centre leaving a lot to be desired). In summary, an enjoyable weekend - and the enjoyment continues for me, with the final of the World Snooker Championship.

Yes. Right. However, I should make it clear that I've also conducted a few "drop tests" myself, over the years.

No "inside information" - but the fact that "Yesterday" are showing trailers telling us they're "coming soon", whilst not specifying a "start of series" broadcast date, suggests to me the weeks starting 25th April or 2nd May. Obviously, I could be very much mistaken. Edit: It turns out that I was not mistaken. The trailers have now been tweaked - "Yesterday" will show series 2 of "Secrets of the London Underground" from Thursday 5th May. I'm looking forward to this - and hoping we also get further series of both this and "Architecture the Railways Built".

I think we can all guess what answer you might have got. Well, if it had been anything other than "none" - or a string of expletives - you would have known you were dealing with a "prize" jerk, whom you'd never want invited to any exhibition ever again. I seem to recall hearing about one major railway figure from the Victorian era who, when asked how many people had perished during the construction of one piece of railway infrastructure, breezily replied along the lines of "upwards of a hundred". The gentleman concerned might have seen nothing wrong with such blatant contempt for life and limb - clearly regarding other people as expendable. Unfortunately, attitudes like this appear to have been commonplace amongst senior figures in the transport and construction industries at the time - something which, even many years later, I still find repugnant. Somehow, I suspect that I'm not alone here.

Some people would respectfully point out that the price does nothing of the sort. Yes - I'm fully aware that this might sound like implied criticism. Don't worry - when criticism is valid and justifiable, some of us see no point in wasting our time implying this ... .

Nothing wrong with doing research - then really getting interested in the subject. I also can't imagine anyone complaining about additional information - I'm certainly not! As for caption errors, these things happen. The same goes for errors in blocks of text - I'm sure there must have been plenty in stuff I've written over the years. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna. I never got chance to do Latin when I was at school - not that I'm complaining, you understand ... .

An interesting development. In my case, it's actually very interesting - as I'm likely to be looking at products from both ranges (actually in different scales!) in a few months' time. At Saturday's "NEWGOG" show, I had a close look at some O gauge stock cassettes - the shortest version looks perfect for some inspection railcars I'm working on (about which I don't want to say too much until I've got something to show). However, I'm usually more active in OO. Although I'm not yet in a position to start work on a planned portable "switching puzzle" layout, I've made no secret of liking a number of former steam sheds which were rebuilt with rectangular fronts (by which I mean Northwich etc). I'm not sure how many "roads" I'd be looking for - but the KS kit KS36-03-02 is pretty close to the style I'm talking about. There's no mad rush here (I've got other stuff to sort out first!) - but I could imagine myself heavily customising any "shed" kits I eventually buy - "low profile" (more or less filling one end of a short layout) - "brick clad", with "concrete" where the ends of roof beams and "fume extraction ducts" are fixed to the front wall - DIY lighting (have I ever mentioned that I really like LEDs?) - stuff like that. In other words, I could imagine myself buying a couple of kits that quickly become unrecognisable. So I can see some business from me, in the medium term. Actually, this won't be the first time I buy from Intentio - and it also won't be the last.

Understandable. My guess is that nobody here will actually find out. In theory, a number of things could happen - but probably won't. They could make genuine efforts to recover the data they managed to lose - well they could. I'd prefer not to speculate about whether or not this ever happens. These drives could take a starring role in a ceremony, in which they get "dedicated" to certain individuals there. Although I suspect that some people might take a certain satisfaction in "kicking off" proceedings, I wouldn't want to be seen to encourage violence. Probably the less said about this potential option the better. If what I've recently read on this website is anything to go by, I could imagine these drives being leased together, "as is", to a new victim customer. I suspect that a number of us could guess which of these potential options sounds most likely to happen. I also suspect that it might be better if people here were to exercise restraint when it comes to discussing issues like this. Sounds painful. Seriously though, some trade publications have names that could easily lead to raised eyebrows. These publications might not be of interest to everyone (fair enough), but I'm sure that most links that have been lost could soon be replaced. Meanwhile, a lot of photos should also be able to be replaced - probably not all (especially if they were posted by people who are no longer here). There are practical limits to what can be done - but Andy (plus other people, whose names I don't know) continues to "tear his hair out" and do a lot of hard work trying to recover / improve the situation.