Turin 60

Gosh what can I say, last entry in my blog February 2012. What have I been doing, indeed what HAVE I been doing?? Smallest first I think, Wherewithial Quay my Cornish 009 layout, last seen slowly dragging itself from the primordial swamp that I call my railway room. Actually it was shown at the Wiltshire group of the 009 Society members day last weekend at Pewsey, it's one and only point motor this year survived the ordeal and overall it was well received. It seems that my holidays in Cornwall were not wasted afterall. My EM gauge layout The Works Yard is nearly finished (as much as any layout ever is), a few details on the layout and screening of the fiddle yard to complete. A few more specialist wagons still need completing, trestle wagon & so on. S scale...still gathering bits including an etch for a Manning Wardle F class. The future. I am gathering items for my long awaited EM light railway project, most recently from a certain well known internet auction site an EM A1 Terrier in need of a little TLC, runs nicely though. Whoever built this Westward kit made a really nice job of it. Hopefully I will be able to post a few photo's in the not too distant future of various (too many) projects, as I've said before though don't hold your breath! John.

There was also an iron mink done as a Southern gunpowder van, need to loose the end vents as I recall. John.

Long time readers might recall last February(!) I bought a ready built baseboard to make a new fiddle yard for my EM gauge layout "The Works Yard", last February note! Well over the last year I've cut some holes in it, added a new level to it and generally faffed around. The point is the layout is due at both Devizes and Swindon in March, so I'd better pull my finger out . The plan is as follows, try and get all the track laid this week including any droppers from the plain track. Next fix magnets to the underside of the turntable to trip a reed switch which will change the polarity on the turntable via a relay , finally test operation of same and fit ply front and end to fiddle yard to smarten things up a little and prevent any "accidents" A piccy follows below and yes there will be a point installed to complete running round of arriving trains, and the sharp curve for the engine shed at the front will be in the region of 2' - 2' 6" radius - OK for my little engines though.

Seriously impressive, I've built one in 7mm scale but this is 2mm-wow! John.

Thanks for that Nick, looked back and found all I needed to know. John.

Thanks for that David, I'll worry about the coupling mounts when it gets re-gauged! John.

Have been running in my new Sentinel this weekend and have had only a quick look at the "works", now in due course it will be converted to EM gauge courtesy of those nice people at Ultrascale and I've read the instructions on how to do that. I'm wondering though how to get at the screws that hold the coupler units on? I can see them underneath but can't get straight onto them as the "motorised chassie" gets in the way, so I'm guessing that it's got to come out somehow. Has anyone out there done this, any help would be gratefully recieved. John.

Visitors to this blog might recall that I was operating the one & only point on the layout with a Hoffman pattern point motor, which duly decided to play up from the off once I arrived at the Wiltshire groups members day at Pewsey back in August. This point motor has been removed, it is no more! It's replacement is a slightly modified Tortoise point motor hidden inside the large warehouse occupying center stage, see below for the now you see me now you don't photographs. Some years ago I bought a whole load of second hand Tortoise units from the old Mendip Models shop at a very good price - £12-00 for three if I remember. This last one I modified to see if I could work two points at the same time in the fiddle yard on my American HO layout New Sarum. It was not a great success. So now I have restored its functionality with a simple brass strip (etched fret waste) to create a new pivot point for the operating wire, which will the via wire in tube operate the point. Of course all the grubby mechanical items will be carefully hidden beneath the ground and inside the warehouse. Once this work is done and my enthusiasm for the project is restored all will come on in leaps and bounds - that's the plan anyway.

A bit too far West for a nice "Strong Country" billboard :-( John.

After many months of consideration, debate and suggestions (helpfull & otherwise!) I can announce that NSL now has a name...it is to be christened Warewithial Quay. Of all this I will post more anon. John.

Thats's some wagon kit, are the brake levers the right way round for the way the brake shoes are set up? John.

I should perhaps add that the second and superior van is "Furstys" and I must appologise for the focus in the picture of my van! John.

Well a month has easily passed since The Wiltshire Group show at Pewsey and NSL's debut. Running up to the show I was having some doubts about how insane I would be driven by the limited operating potential of having only 5 wagons! However I can report that as the layout is as much for talking about as it is operating the potential for insanity was not as great as I feared. However, as is always the case what worked well enough at home decided to misbehave on arrival at Pewsey! Yes the "Hoffman" pattern point motor played up from the very start to the extent that I had to check the position of the blades everytime I changed the point (and on a layout with only one point that was a lot!), that makes it a 100% failure rate :( . So what to do. As you can see in the photographs that follow there is a nice warehouse in line with the point which will be perfect for hiding a slightly butchered "Tortoise" inside which will operate the point through a wire in tube arrangement-sorted . The other photographs are just some general views of some of the buildings on the model/diorama. The only nearly finished one being the stone building with the wooden upper story which will be a marine engineers workshop. As any readers who follow this blog or those who are unlucky enough to stumble across it while looking for something else will know or will discover I am quite incapable of concentrating on one scale or gauge. What should arrive in the post the other day but a chassie from those nice people at Hollywood Foundry for my S scale 04, at least that only leaves me a body "kit" to build. Oh dear I'd better get the 16ton mineral finished to go with it. On the EM front at the recent Andover show myself and "Fursty Ferret" each bought a cheapie Hornby van body, mine was destined to become a slightly freelance van with outside framing for my light railway project, while "Fursty" informs me it is a little like a Hull & Barnsley(?) Rly refridgerated van? Mine has aqquired its outside framing and a Wooden Gloucester chassie from Cambrian while "Furstys" has some rather natty brass(?) strapping. I will try and attach the images if I can find them. Please let me know what you folks think. John.

Jack if it is of some use I used code 100 for my last O gauge project (Wantage Town) and all standard finescale wheel managed OK, even had a GWR "dukedog" run over it on one occasion! Reference the NG, you could always tighten up the gauge to avoid having to use "check rails", just a thought. John.

Glad you've got the electrics sorted Jack, see "Tortoises" aren't that bad! John.

Told you I'd have a look Jack, what is the area where the track is just on chairs on a white sub-base? John.

Looking very good, I have to keep reminding myself this is 2mm scale! John.

Don't forget the replacement chassie kit from Highlevel, that'll solve your haulage and gearing problems! John.