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Guest B Exam

2200 hp? Or thereabouts I think? They are more brutal than the French ones as French silencing and cooling wasn't up to snuff so CP ripped the silencers of them...... say no more. Try this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZzxDp0-RRc

Just what the good Dr ordered after a day like what I've had (Car OOU showing N/COL on TOPS...).

 

1900s were originally 3000bhp until CP dispensed with the silencers. They then became 2200bhp. If you was stood next to the cameraman in the Youtube clip above, you'll end up partially deaf from the noise. Video doesn't do the sound justice as you can alter the sound via your speakers.

 

Back to a potential model 1900.... Could we live a loco with bogie centres a scale 2ft oversize? Only locos I can find anywhere near the right bogie centres are EMD SD7/SD9 locos. Bogie centres in HO are 122mm compared with a required 115mm. Bogie wheelbase almost correct at 47mm compared with 46mm required. The chassis could be cut down to suit, but a metal frame along with a central motor with flywheels will cause problems in altering the drive shafts/flywheel length. It could be done via my workplace by making new flywheels and drive shafts but it will be a hassle by not letting the gaffer find out.....

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Guest B Exam

I reckon so? Who is painting it? Lisbon Works?

Time to source a SD7/SD9 Chassis then...

 

Well, I'm hoping the Lisbon Works paintshop can oblige. It will be a better job than my effort...

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I'll be watching this build with interest as you don't see too many European kitbashes.

 

Have you considered either a P2k SD9 or old Atlas SD24? They'd be quieter that an old Athearn, old Atlas are cheap enough now - look for the ones with a screwdriver slot on the fuel tank.

 

Nick

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  • 2 weeks later...

Boa Tarde a tudo….

 

If you’ve read through the forum thread then you may have seen my portable layout in the first few pages. Since last year when I posted, I’ve moved on to building a terminus, prompted by the purchase of a very cheap almost complete foam baseboard off ebay. So here’s where I am up to – it’s far from perfect and it’s never going to be Campo De Leste! A lot of recycling from the spares box has been needed as I am around 100 miles from my nearest model shop here in Portugal, so I have to bodge things sometimes, and I am far from the most adept modeller.

 

I’m also first to point out that, with limited space (5ft by 18 inches at the widest point) a degree of selective compression has been made, in order to get as many features in as I can. Basically the layout’s a bit of a caricature – I wanted to produce something that ticks a lot of boxes but also that can be brought back to the UK in the next few years when at some stage I have to return from currently living in Portugal. That being said, there are some very cramped station areas in Portugal so the proximity of tracks to walls etc is not totally unrealistic.

 

The observant will notice there’s no track!. I have a few bits of rolling stock still in the making/ ordering (waiting for a Nohab single unit and a scratchbuild of a 450 series DMU) so am waiting till I have my core stock before laying track – and I am still deciding whether to go DCC etc. The plan is to experiment with American Code 83 with the closer sleeper spacing, to see if that looks more like broad gauge through optical illusion. The track will be painted off-layout (almost all straights so no chipping of the pain when laying) and as the board is foam, making holes for wires and point motors is easy with a screwdriver, so it should be straightforward to lay and wire up around the scenery.

 

So I’ve concentrated on the scenics and the tram line – the tram currently runs along the back of the layout, through the station area, and round the front, disappearing back to the fiddle yard behind some houses. The right end of the layout is also undecided yet as there is the imminent release of a ready made Portuguese church and this will form the pivot in this area. A road bridge will have to do as the scenic break as with so many tracks exiting, some serious disguise is needed.

 

The tram track is 9mm gauge using foamcore to build up to the level. There are 2 trams both using Kato mechanisms – one is a repainted die cast Lisbon tram, and the other is a much modified Tyco tram (only the bodyshell remains) which reminds me a little of Porto’s system. At the moment I’ve got bogie mechanisms under both trams, to manage the tight corners a bit better. The overhead is makeshift for now and uses black cotton thread at the front, the back line has no wire in at present in order to be able to clean the track. Once the train track is done, I’ll think about tram overhead.

 

The time setting is vague 1990s but can be brought forward with extra road vehicles and using newer stock – Portugal is in a bit of a timewarp car wise due to very little depreciation on used cars. At the moment the board which is in the earlier part of the thread, which was originally planned to be the station approaches, is going to be used for something else as I want to run this board straight to the fiddle yard for now.

 

So over the next couple of months hopefully the final buildings and stock should come together and I can finish the little jobs. It was a strange decision to build scenery first before railway, but while I’m waiting for final bits, it was a necessary thing to do to stop me losing interest. Sitting in boxes is also my Lisbon trams and motorised buses, which will be the next project once this is done, as a minimum space effort.

 

And the station name – I wanted a serious and prototypical name and ran through various Praia Azul, Sao Julio etc, then when scanning the web, discovered that there is a genuine “Purgatorio” in the south of the country, so I’ve moved it a bit north, made it a city, and given it a railway.

 

Anyone else who models Portugal – I have amassed a lot of photos of things like road signs, building fronts etc, in a couple of word documents. Let me know if these are useful to you for printing out (you’ll need to do some resizing of them) and I am happy to email them over.

Ian  

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Guest B Exam

Looking good IanM!

 

The Camelo doesn't look realistic. a) It probably works unlike the real thing, b ) no graffiti!

Edited by B Exam
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  • 2 weeks later...

Look what Norbrass are making for us.....NOHAB joy for us and definitely 'noCAMELO' on Campo De Leste!! And also a good job that our Lisbon man has deep pockets!! 

 

I guess you're glad it's not a 2 car then....

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Guest B Exam

Look what Norbrass are making for us.....NOHAB joy for us and definitely 'noCAMELO' on Campo De Leste!! And also a good job that our Lisbon man has deep pockets!!

 

You've been reading too much of the latest 'Trainspotter' emag.

 

Don't forget you need the 'dead dog' trailer to go with it. Just hope the Lisbon man doesn't have 'short arm syndrome'...

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Guest B Exam

...and sure enough another hoves into view. Norbrass original build 1500 series (1950) Alco. And 'our man in Lisbon' has reserved one of those too......Jolly good!

Looks like you're going to have to strengthen them baseboards with all that brass on top...

 

It will probably be more accurate than my home made / resin kit versions.... (I'll post some piccy's later when the 'puter is fired up!)

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Guest B Exam

As promised....

 

ALCo magic. L-R 1522, 1503, 1505.

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Mabar 1329, Piko 1210 and a resin bodied 2610

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SudExpress EE Heaven

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Resin bodied ALCo - 1505.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Update. The boards are on the move. Electrical testing is underway at Jim's house at Tullibody before all three scenic boards plus the fiddle are reunited back in Whickham with Malcolm for final scenic work. Stock wise all is quiet except Andrew has ordered a Brass Nohab! (OUCH!!) Still on track for 2015 debut. We hope so?!

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  • 3 weeks later...

UPDATE> Electrical testing of 3 scenic boards complete. The fiddle diode matrix is in build. The un scenic-ed board of the 3 visible here is next and there rest of the scenery will now begin in Newcastle. This is Jim doing electrical tests in Central Scotland. A long distance project then!! We would hope to have layout operational for exhibitions by next year?  I am still busy on the stock front as is Andrew on the 'buying expensive brass toys' front!!

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Guest B Exam

Looking good Simon.

 

Butchery about to start on the Jouef SNCF CC72000 now a suitable doner chassis has been aquired.

 

Hopefully, I will manage to take some photos as the project progresses.....

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