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Stoke Courtenay


checkrail
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Here's a close-up of 8709.  One of these fine days I might find the time and the courage to divest it of its anachronistic top feed.

1406607688_P1060368(3).JPG.94c76d48d564f47f3f004c04330648e5.JPG

 

One thing the last sequence of operations has shown me is that two Cobalt point motors have failed, an everyday story in the lives of railway modelling folk.  Fortunately I always keep half a dozen spares in stock, so you can see how much confidence I have in them.  

 

To be fair, I believe there was a batch prone to losing their digital address, so I'll try re-programming before replacing, but either way it's a fiddly and time-consuming chore getting them off from under the baseboard, stuck on as they are with Halford's double-sided tape.  And trying to get the actuator rod through the little vertical tube on the tie-bar from below is the devil's own job.

 

John C.

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More gorgeous images that not only showcase the wonderful stock but also the sense of light and space. This layout has already become one of my all-time favourites and demonstrates that you don't necessarily need a vast space to model a very convincing mainline scene. I find it endlessly inspiring.

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10 hours ago, checkrail said:

To be fair, I believe there was a batch prone to losing their digital address

 

Depending upon when you purchased them that may well be true. 

I purchased a box of 12 ? back in 2016 of which half failed due to a fault in manufacture. An e-mail to the then Australian base was sent and a very quick response was given. 

The motors were duly replaced without charge and I offered to return the faulty ones but was told not to worry myself. A PDF was also sent to me giving a "fix" for the faulty ones if I wished to experiment ( my word ) and see if I could revive them.

There was a few batches around then and DCC Concepts were extremely good with their concerns.

I am attaching a PDF if it is of interest.

 

Cobalt Mods.pmd.pdf

 

G

 

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Thanks for this info Grahame.  Had a similar experience while they were still in Australia, and was sent a batch of replacements free of charge.  (That was early in the Cobalt history, and I had sometimes thought I had been chosen to beta test them.)  So no problem with the customer service, only with the product!  I now have a few that start 'acking' repeatedly when power is switched on, or even when changing a point during operations. This is sorted by ducking under the baseboard and pinching the motor case between fingers and thumb, or in some cases tapping briskly with a pin hammer.  Shouldn't have to do this.

 

Was told about the faulty batch some months ago, over the phone from Settle, but wasn't offered the help sheet you attach, so thanks for that.

 

I'll not go on about it any more, but once my stash of spares is exhausted I'll be doing some research on Tortoises.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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It’s great to see your carriage fleet coming on in this manner, you make it all sound so effortless.

 

Im not convinced I could manage the 2mm off here and 2mm off at the other end! I would forever be seeing my errors and so would everyone else!

 

Keep it up John, it’s great to watch them all change.

 

Thanks, Neal.

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Credit where it's due - a good story about Shapeways/Stafford Road Works.  I ordered two 10 foot Dean bogies (Hornby fit, no steps) but received instead these rather nice 8 foot American types.

P1060347.JPG.f7fa54e72ab55f03082e196d5db819a8.JPG

On pointing out the error they sent me the correct ones with profuse apologies and told me to keep the others.  They'll go nicely under a toplight or bogie siphon!  Great service.

 

John C.

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1 hour ago, checkrail said:

Credit where it's due - a good story about Shapeways/Stafford Road Works.  I ordered two 10 foot Dean bogies (Hornby fit, no steps) but received instead these rather nice 8 foot American types.

P1060347.JPG.f7fa54e72ab55f03082e196d5db819a8.JPG

On pointing out the error they sent me the correct ones with profuse apologies and told me to keep the others.  They'll go nicely under a toplight or bogie siphon!  Great service.

 

John C.

 

Off the top of my head - I don't think 8' wheelbase 'American' bogies were used on Siphons.  I think only 9' wheelbase would be found on these vehicles.

 

Gerry

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1 hour ago, Bulwell Hall said:

Off the top of my head - I don't think 8' wheelbase 'American' bogies were used on Siphons.  I think only 9' wheelbase would be found on these vehicles.

You're absolutely right of course.  They'll go under a toplight.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Fantastic pictures, John. I am a relatively new returner to the hobby and I’ve found browsing through this thread on and off in recent weeks both inspiring and informative. Thanks for sharing your wonderful layout! 

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1 hour ago, Mark90 said:

Fantastic pictures, John. I am a relatively new returner to the hobby and I’ve found browsing through this thread on and off in recent weeks both inspiring and informative. Thanks for sharing your wonderful layout! 

 

Worth reading through and a good benchmark to aim for.

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15 hours ago, Mark90 said:

I am a relatively new returner to the hobby and I’ve found browsing through this thread on and off in recent weeks both inspiring and informative.

Thanks Mark for kind remarks.  I'm glad you've been enjoying Stoke Courtenay.  As a 2012 returnee myself I've tried to tell it 'warts and all' including all the mishaps, disasters, exasperations and frustrations.  So many articles in the model press make it all sound so easy, but it isn't always.  The reward is when you think you're achieving the 'look' you were after, boosted by the confidence gained when it seems that others do too!

Regards,

John.

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Life as a model railway photographer can be fraught with danger.

But fear not we battle through adversity to get you, the thread follower, the pictures you disserve....

 

Pictures as good as ever John, keep them coming....

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3 hours ago, checkrail said:

Over at Little Muddle recently Kevin @KNP mentioned occasional damage to the layout from the camera.  I smiled in recognition because only the day before my TZ100 had slid off the tilted plastic box I had it sat on to get a close-up of the station and crushed the complex corner of the station fencing and gate.  The first repair was unsatisfactory - I didn't have quite enough of the necessary Ratio parts.  So I bought a new pack of fencing, and one of ramps & gates, all to rebuild this little corner. 

SC2.jpg.0ab6b1758d2b98dee202f0c24a7b3a4c.jpg

 

Incidentally, when I was first installing the enamel advertising signs (from Sankey Scenics) I enhanced the enamelled effect by cutting them out, laying them face down onto the sticky side of a piece of clear Duck tape, then cutting round the edges.  '

 

John C.

 

Hi John, Do you do requests?

 

Could you snap the same scene from closer to eye level? I bet it would look even more wonderful (apart from not showing off your new fence so well)...

 

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Good Afternoon John and all observers,

Once again great photos and good advice via your experiences.

 

Just catching up with this and other threads I follow after a disaster (for me!) with the RMWeb software update.

 

Partly my own fault, I suppose for failing to move with the times on the Browser front. Anyway, now I'm using Edge, things seem a lot better.

 

Best regards

Paul

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4 hours ago, checkrail said:

occasional damage to the layout from the camera

 

Not really surprised mate, especially when you're looking at the image upside down with a black sheet over your head ! :laugh:

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3 hours ago, checkrail said:

I don't post many photos showing the layout underpinnings but here's an exception, as 5975 slows to a halt with the M set.

SC1.jpg.75a3904fa5840cd4f890e0863a4f6235.jpg

 

The red push-buttons on the fascia are to operate the much modified Dapol signals.  The spare hole to the left is for a switch to operate a new Dapol single-arm bracket signal (in my possession but not yet installed).  This will replace the branch platform signal (Ratio) which you can see just beyond the footbridge - my last non-working signal.  (Except for all the ground signals I hasten to add!)

 

Everything else is switched from the Prodigy wireless handset, which can be seen here attached to the fascia with glue-on Velcro tape.  The list beyond it is of route settings, just in case I forget them.  

 

There's just one exception, the little silver on-off switch you can see, controlling the 12v bulb inside the church tower to show off the stained glass I installed.  Besides the Dapol signals that will be the only nod in the direction of lighting on this layout.  And I have to say I very rarely remember to switch it on. 

 

Some new bicycles have now appeared, scattered around Stoke C., to replace the old Scalescenes ones now residing inside the vacuum cleaner.  These are the laser-cut ones from Model Railway Scenery.  Nice.

John C.

 

Lovely as ever John. Thanks for sharing. 

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