Guide Dog Bridge

[birdbath]

On 06/10/2021 at 19:26, Mol_PMB said:

Hi David, 

Living a stone’s throw from Birdbath I have been very impressed by his layout too.

From personal experience I’ve started many complex layouts and never finished any of them. Simple is the best way! As well as being quicker to build, it often looks more realistic rather than trying to cram too much into the space available. 

Simple layouts also give you more time to focus on the detailing and that can be done entirely at your own pace once the trains are running. 

Best of luck with your plans!

Mol

 

 

One day you'll get round to that small affair in the garage you were progressing...

[birdbath]

Evening all.

 

Well, onto a sixth page.  This level of social media interaction surely puts me in league with TikTok trainspotting sensation Francis Bourgeois?!  (Is that guy for real?)

 

Anyway, following on from the green 47 is this Bachmann 40 for the same friend.  It's one of the earlier examples and as such doesn't have lighting.  It also boasts a rather large gap between the body and the bogies, which I think was improved on later versions.  Anyway, the brief was a simple renumber, detail and weathering.  Whilst I had it, the owner's son asked me to fit sound as a surprise Christmas present for his dad.  (I don't think he's on here, so hopefully secrecy is maintained and Christmas isn't ruined!)  Son was also able to assist by milling a chunk of chassis block away to accommodate a 21x21x7 bass speaker from Roads & Rails of Leeds.  Richard is always extremely helpful about all matters DCC sound and also very quick on delivery.  Happy customer.  The decoder is a Loksound v5, with @legomanbiffo sound as usual.  Lovely sounds and I'll miss it whistling away to itself on the depot.

 

 

 

And finally, just to give @Mol_PMB a laugh, my 'current scene' filthy habit has struck again...  Is it possible to get therapy for this kind of problem?

 

 

The Hattons 66 really is a fantastic model.  The much commented on issues regarding the rotating axle ends proved to be quite easy to put right.  I imagine a future production run would probably make a couple of adjustments to sort the issue.  It runs very sweetly with the Loksound V5 and @legomanbiffo project booming out of the EM2 speaker.  There's a slight distortion at the lower frequencies, but this doesn't really detract.  The functionality and play value is fantastic.  The only changes I've made cosmetically so far is to remove the Europorte branding.  At some point I'll take the plunge and weather it.  

 

Regards,

 

Roge.

[Mol_PMB]

1 hour ago, birdbath said:

 

One day you'll get round to that small affair in the garage you were progressing...

This one?

Maybe one day! I have the MSC to finish first. 

[Mol_PMB]

1 hour ago, birdbath said:

Evening all.

 

Well, onto a sixth page.  This level of social media interaction surely puts me in league with TikTok trainspotting sensation Francis Bourgeois?!  (Is that guy for real?)

 

Anyway, following on from the green 47 is this Bachmann 40 for the same friend.  It's one of the earlier examples and as such doesn't have lighting.  It also boasts a rather large gap between the body and the bogies, which I think was improved on later versions.  Anyway, the brief was a simple renumber, detail and weathering.  Whilst I had it, the owner's son asked me to fit sound as a surprise Christmas present for his dad.  (I don't think he's on here, so hopefully secrecy is maintained and Christmas isn't ruined!)  Son was also able to assist by milling a chunk of chassis block away to accommodate a 21x21x7 bass speaker from Roads & Rails of Leeds.  Richard is always extremely helpful about all matters DCC sound and also very quick on delivery.  Happy customer.  The decoder is a Loksound v5, with @legomanbiffo sound as usual.  Lovely sounds and I'll miss it whistling away to itself on the depot.

 

 

 

And finally, just to give @Mol_PMB a laugh, my 'current scene' filthy habit has struck again...  Is it possible to get therapy for this kind of problem?

 

 

The Hattons 66 really is a fantastic model.  The much commented on issues regarding the rotating axle ends proved to be quite easy to put right.  I imagine a future production run would probably make a couple of adjustments to sort the issue.  It runs very sweetly with the Loksound V5 and @legomanbiffo project booming out of the EM2 speaker.  There's a slight distortion at the lower frequencies, but this doesn't really detract.  The functionality and play value is fantastic.  The only changes I've made cosmetically so far is to remove the Europorte branding.  At some point I'll take the plunge and weather it.  

 

Regards,

 

Roge.

When are you going to get yourself scanned so 1/76th scale Birdbaths can be put in the cabs of all your locos? 

Edited November 10, 2021 by Mol_PMB

[birdbath]

9 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

This one?

Maybe one day! I have the MSC to finish first. 

Yes. It’s brilliant. You need to take early retirement and finish it off!

[birdbath]

Hi everyone,

 

I've been tinkering with a Hornby class 60. 

 

This is the quite recent release of 60015.  Having suffered from Hornby's rather odd 'DCC unfriendly' wiring before, I was pleasantly surprised to see this loco coming with an updated lighting board where the positive is common.  I still opted to dispense with the original PCB and make (bodge!) a replacement.  The aim was for independent lighting control, reasonable sound quality and still be able to take the body off if needed.

I've ended up using a LaisDCC 21 pin socket, a Loksound 5 sound decoder with @legomanbiffo project and a combination of the supplied sugar cube and an EM1 speaker.  I made up small boards to go on the rear of each cab interior.  These have the resistors for Day Head/Marker, Night Head/Marker and reds and are then wired back to the DCC socket solder tabs.  The socket sits in the body roof and is then connected to the chassis using a small plug/socket arrangement.  A small amount of milling work was required to fit the EM1, thanks to @Rick_Skateboard for this.  The sugar cube is grafted into the plastic moulding of the cooler group end.  All the hardware was supplied by @Richard Croft at Roads and Rails.  Helpful advice and rapid delivery always appreciated from Richard.

 

 

 

Please excuse the poor quality pics from the phone.

 

It all seems to work and has been an enjoyable little project.  The loco will be finished as an almost new 60006 'Great Gable', which I remember being very impressed with as a kid at Leicester open day back in 1992!  Where does the time go?

 

Hope this is of some interest.  More pics to follow when it's finished.  The GBRf 66 might also make an appearance.

 

Cheers,

 

Roge.

[birdbath]

Morning all,

 

Here's a couple of pics of the completed 60.  Pictures of them in their early days seem to suggest the bodysides kept reasonably clean, whilst the underframes were as dirty as any other class.  So that's what I've tried to replicate.  

 

 

 

The renumbering and naming was done using Railtec transfers, whilst the cast arrows were from Nairnshire model supplies, via a eBay.  Nothing much else done cosmetically, other than painting the components of the number one (fan) end in cream.  This can clearly be seen through the grilles and I think is worth doing.

 

Cheers,

 

Roge.

Edited April 7, 2022 by birdbath

[MarshLane]

Any progress on the layout Roge?

 

Rich

[birdbath]

On 11/12/2022 at 23:26, MarshLane said:

Any progress on the layout Roge?

 

Rich

 

Hi Rich,

 

Nothing much to report.  A few small rolling stock projects and jobs for friends.  I'll try and upload some pics now you've prompted me.  If I'm honest, the loss of the old pics on here and the constant pestering by pop-up ads has taken some of the attraction away.  No one's fault, just how it is.

 

Cheers,

 

Roge.

[MarshLane]

On 13/12/2022 at 17:58, birdbath said:

 

Hi Rich,

 

Nothing much to report.  A few small rolling stock projects and jobs for friends.  I'll try and upload some pics now you've prompted me.  If I'm honest, the loss of the old pics on here and the constant pestering by pop-up ads has taken some of the attraction away.  No one's fault, just how it is.

 

Cheers,

 

Roge.

 

If you could get some of the older pics and the track plan uploaded it would be beneficial for all I think. Its a lovely layout you've created and deserves to be shared.  Crys of 'more...more!' from the back!

 

Rich

[Mol_PMB]

I'm going to be cheeky and post a photo of Roger's other Class 60, seen in the low winter sun whilst visiting Boysnope. The track gang were heard muttering about it spreading the track and that tugs belonged in the ship canal not on the bank.

[birdbath]

On 18/12/2022 at 14:20, MarshLane said:

 

If you could get some of the older pics and the track plan uploaded it would be beneficial for all I think. Its a lovely layout you've created and deserves to be shared.  Crys of 'more...more!' from the back!

 

Rich

 

Morning all,

 

I hope you're all looking forward to seeing what model trains Santa has brought you!  (and then hiding the acute disappointment when you actually receive yet another 'Great trains in colour' type book from well meaning relatives who 'know he likes trains'!)

 

Rich suggests reposting some of the lost images, which I like as it's an easy win.  I hope these are of some benefit.

 

 

Here's the trackplan. (produced in AnyRail)

 

 

And the JMRI panel.

 

Probably best to read the initial description over the first few posts to make sense of it.

 

I'll take some up-to-date overview shots and post them too.

 

Cheers,

 

Roge.

[birdbath]

Evening everyone.

 

Here's a few general overview shots to give a feel for the layout.

 

1.  Looking from the doorway.

 

 

2.  The depot area.

 

 

3.  Looking the other way.

 

 

4.  A bit more detail.

 

 

5.  The opposite site.

 

 

6.  The storage yard end, with work bench under.

 

 

Hope this makes it a bit clearer for anyone showing an interest.

 

I'll try and do some more pics of locos and stock soon.

 

Cheers.

 

Roge.

[birdbath]

Hope everyone has had a pleasant Christmas.

 

Here's some photos of a recent trip to GDB.

 

1.  60006 and 47474 await their next duties, whilst 56091 undergoes an exam in the shed.

 

 

2.  The pair of 20s have reversed their short steel train into the depot to collect empty fuel tanks.  31449 runs onto the fuel point and the 09 idles away waiting the next move.

 

 

3.  75014 passes, tender-first, on the main line with a rail tour.  (Hornby model, renumbered with Railtec products, including 3D smokebox number plate) 37422 has just arrived onto the depot with an inspection saloon.  That parcels 47 is still sat around!

 

 

Cheers,

 

Roge.

[MarshLane]

Nice to see the pictorial updates again Roge, lovely layout.  May I suggest it may be worth a note on your first post on this thread to advise people to move to Page 6 onwards for pictures and updates following the rmWeb crash?  Might help anyone in the future that comes across the thread?

 

Rich

[sb67]

Nice photo's of a very nice layout, good to see some more updates 👍

[birdbath]

Thanks for your comments guys.

 

There’s only so many angles you can photograph the layout from. I use a DSLR on a tripod, then convert the files to JPEGs on the computer. I’ve thought about getting one of those strange looking mini tripod things for my phone. But the camera on it just doesn’t give the depth of field.

 

Open to suggestion on this topic though.

 

cheers,

 

Roge.

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by birdbath
typo

[birdbath]

Hello again people.

 

A few more random shots of some different stock.

 

1.  Here's 31449 passing by with a scratch rake of mk1 stock.  'Super Sprinter' 156 heads the other way.  37046 has just arrived for fuel.  The 31 is a repainted Hornby model, with modified lighting.  This was a right pain to do!  The 37 is a standard Bachmann effort, with the orange cantrail line added.  The 156 is the recent Realtrack model.

 

 

2.  The 37 has now moved over to the shed road to stable.  A parcels 47 heads past the signal box on a van train.

 

 

3.  And finally, 'modern image corner'!  I need to have a word with myself about this unhealthy habit!  68027 and 68034 are obviously Dapol models.  027 has had some quite significant paintwork changes, as I couldn't live with the manufacturer's rendition of the colours on the TPE livery.  It took ages to try and mix up something that, to my eye, was a bit more faithful.  Not perfect, but I'm pleased with it overall.  It'll be interesting to see what the colour is like on the Accurascale Mk5a coaches when they appear.  Wouldn't blame them for matching the Dapol loco to be honest.  66762 is a Hattons model, with the 'Europorte' logos carefully removed from the GBRf livery.

 

 

Next project on the go is to get on with my Heljan 45.  

 

Cheers,

 

Roge.

[McC]

The Mk5 is accurate. Not matched to any other model stock. 

[birdbath]

14 minutes ago, McC said:

The Mk5 is accurate. Not matched to any other model stock. 

Thanks for this. 

[Mol_PMB]

@birdbath wandered casually down to the fuelling point a few days ago listening to the familiar sound of some English Electric diesels ticking over, but when he arrived he was surprised to find some men removing the 'Guide Dog Bridge' depot sign and replacing it with 'Ponte Cao Guia'.

And the resident pair of 20's somehow weren't quite the same any more...

Thanks to Roger for letting me use his layout to test my new toys. Now I know they work, I need a serious weathering session on the locos, so they look more at home with my filthy wagons!

 

More pics over in this thread:

 

[woodenhead]

@Mol_PMB a bit different to Boysnope.

[birdbath]

Morning all.

 

I've been meaning to put something on here for ages, but never quite got round to it till now.

 

The completion of a couple of loco projects has finally spurred me on though.

 

First up is this Heljan 45/1.  Slightly out of period, but I do have memories seeing these on their last legs around Leicester in the late 80s.  They always seemed to look so much more antiquated than other locos of the period, which possibly made them more exotic!  Anyway, taking inspiration from @richard w on his amazing Everard Junction, I took the plunge and repainted the blue livery.  It's a slightly lighter and faded shade.  Worth doing I think.  Transfers from @railtec-models as 45115 'Apollo'.  I've weathered and faded it quite heavily, which hopefully reflects the tired appearance of these locos towards the end of their careers.  Fitted with Loksound V5 and EM1 speaker.  Despite much comment on here regarding the accuracy of this model vs the Bachmann offering, etc, etc, I'm happy with it.  For me it captures the lumbering feel of the real thing, whatever the perceived shortcomings may be.

 

Passing slightly more modern Sulzer power.

 

 

And onwards past the pilot and signal box.  (An interior for the 'box is on the list)

 

 

The other recent purchase is my first @Accurascale 37.  This really is a fantastic model.  I've got two more on order and I suspect they won't be the last.  The only changes I've made are to rework the roof panel hinges.  If I had one criticism, I'd say they are too pronounced, looking more like handrails.  My solution was to remove them and re-make with small brass strip and nickel silver wire, with the intention being to 'set them into' the roof a bit more.  I'm quite happy with the result.  Other than that I had a slight issue with making the DCC lighting function work to my taste. A bit of trial and error and help from @RailsOfSheffield and @Accurascale sorted this out.  Nothing physically wrong with the loco, I just needed to have the six manual switches in a different configuration to get true independent lighting control.  Can't remember now what it was, but I can dig it out if anyone is interested.

The loco is the standard factory sound fitted version.  A partial roof repaint after the hinge replacement and light weathering have finished it off. Really pleased with this one.

 

Ambling out of the yard.

 

 

Passing the back of the shed with a ballast.  47 in the head shunt and 20s waiting the road to cross over into the yard.

 

 

That's it for now.  Maybe more modelling updates over the winter.  But let's face it, probably not!

 

Roge.

[MarshLane]

Hi Roge,

Nice to see some new pictures and great to see you're still progressing with the layout.  I have my fingers crossed for the 'more modelling updates over the winter!'  Both locos look great and well worth the effort you've spent on them.

Rich

[birdbath]

8 hours ago, MarshLane said:

Hi Roge,

Nice to see some new pictures and great to see you're still progressing with the layout.  I have my fingers crossed for the 'more modelling updates over the winter!'  Both locos look great and well worth the effort you've spent on them.

Rich

Cheers Rich. Kind words, as always.

 

I’m currently being distracted by building some 3D printed 009 Ffestiniog coaches for a friend. First time I’ve worked with this form in any real substance, so it’s a bit if a learning curve. The possibilities are mind-bending though. 
 

And I still wonder what on earth to do with my 7mm class 60. But that’s another story! What was I thinking?! 😩

 

Roge.