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Hello everyone I start my new job on Monday and will be traveling every day to the south west. Not much time for modelling. The plan now is to buy ready made baseboards and build a simple layout. I will build the two, or four, scenic sections during the weekends. Plan A: Plan B: I will ask them to fit cork top to all of the baseboards and then fit the track. The fiddle yard is a sliding traverser. In plan B the small board is a head shunt turntable. The removable scenic sections are attached to the baseboard using dowls as below. The sections are now 1200mm long: The left most baseboard will be inset track with the other baseboard having normal sleepers. In plan B the engine will go through a wall opening onto the turntable. I will not hide the fiddle yard as I will be stood there looking down the layout. I am not sure what to do with the edges of the middle board. I could make two scenic sections with just a wall and gate or a fence: The middle sections could be country side or light industrial. I do not know if it is worth doing. Does the layout need four scenic boards to make it look complete? Thank you for your help. Ken

Thanks for that info Chris. Dunno if Richard is on RMWeb but if someone could pass on my congratulations from afar!

Obviously, his request was refused.

I don't normally appreciate the blue-era diesel scene, nor DCC sound, but Invermire was a very impressive piece of modelling, the sound levels thankfully not excessive, and the structures / scenery absolutely spot-on for the West Highland coastal areas. A great credit to its builders.

Working on the railway is considered a privilege that many aspire to and it tends to run in families.

I think I’ve been trying to say that installing the system on a pre-existing loco is impractical. However, if the system is designed into a loco from the start, it shouldn’t add much to the cost. That is, the slotted disc and the space for it in the chassis. What I don’t know is how much the sensor would add to the cost but, as speakers are often added to non-sound locos these days, perhaps it wouldn’t be a deal breaker. Alternatively, space for a sensor could be incorporated into the design and the sensor bought with the decoder as part of the upgrade to sound. I know I make it appear simple. In practice it isn’t. Take Hornby’s Class 87 as an example. When first released, the decoder slot was too small for a standard decoder and there was no room for a speaker. The current revised 87 is better but still falls short on ease of linstallation. Hornby’s 71 was even worse. You can say what you like about the many shortcomings of DJ Models but Dave Jones did ensure that due space was available for a sound decoder and speaker. In fairness to Hornby, other manufacturers can fall short in this respect as well.

County 3818 on a milk 'n parcels. (With one of the big 70' vans.) Location and date unknown.

Time for break from modelling to undertake some pressing and outstanding domestic chores and tasks. But here's a quick helicopter view of the central and east sections. Some of the buildings/sub-assemblies are not in place and you can see there's a lot to do, including the track laying.

This is true, and the further proof is that RTR OO increasingly comes with a speaker installed. But what my question was aimed at is whether the significantly increased profit from 'DCC fitted or sound over DCC ready has seen any brand cease offering the latter.

Fantastic point Paul! I'll pick up two different colours and run a separate bus for the IP digital points.

60114 coming off the curve this morning. and coming out into the sunlight. There she is, you see.

Do they still have one?

Here's hoping😀

It was my first time there as a trader. It was a brilliant show. From a business perspective lost of people came talked to us about the kits and the automatic couplings and then decided to try some. And as a modeller to see the layouts and demos has given me ideas on where my next micro layout is going to go. We will be back next year. Marc Pre-Grouping Railways

I was just in there on Saturday. Lovely guy with plenty of stock. Jump off at Baillie, and the shopping center is on Av Louise, 195. The center is a bit empty looking, but his shop is still there and open. Do your digging about Marklin and Roco stock first, as he doesn't speak much English :-) Stacks and stacks of boxes of models behind the counter and in the store room, so if you know what to ask for then it might be easier. Picked myself up a nice SNCB Class 52, and a "Type 9572B 1" wagon. The wagon is apparently only available from his shop, and made in Belgium, so it all fitted with my "souvenir Belgique" mumblings :-)

Are we talking an SNCF BB15000, here? Would love to see that! My fave SNCF loco.

*Reminder* The in-store event is *This Friday* 17th May.

Morning, from a dull but dry rock, 15c currently and torrential rain predicto-guessed for later. Some washing action then off to Screwfix for parts for a Mrs NHN project, (therefore a priority) and maybe pop in to see Trackshack John on the way home as he's not very well currently. Later, who knows, but I suspect dusting and vacuuming may feature. Pah.

Unless the rules have changed, this will be covered by the 'Network Change' clauses in the access agreements, the costs of which will be covered by Network Rail. Under EU law, the relevant section of which may or may not have been repealed by the UK, it is mandatory to use ETCS when resignalling an existing route or opening a new route on the mainline railway, which constitutes a valid reason for doing it if still mandatory! I think that ETCS level 2 with back up axle counters will not save much money. I am not aware of any mainline railway that has been brave enough to do away with secondary detection, and only one MRT (Bangkok Skytrain) that has. If someone knows different, I would like to hear.

The first cut is the deepest -P P Arnold.

I'd be intrigued to know how many people (of the total number with model railways, not just those on RMWeb) have a "serious model railway layout" as opposed to a "train set plus". I'm assuming (it's not my distinction!) that the former means scenic, a real or fictional but fairly realistic location, reasonably realistic track layout and curves, a coherent set of locos and stock appropriate for the location modelled, maybe even prototypical or reasonably realistic operation... The latter would include any roundy-roundy with sharp curves, eclectic stock, disjointed or little scenery, unrealistic operations... I suspect that there will be far more of the latter than the former. Many of them unfinished, unglamorous, but bringing great pleasure to their owners. I've only ever had a "glorified train set" and it's never bothered me at all.

I never said otherwise... Perhaps you need to re-read my post... But the NHS issues go well beyond simply money... Perhaps best discussed somewhere else?

Brilliant, especially for those of us who have been talking about these for decades 🤣🤣

I'd keep this in original state and get another Wrenn or Dublo body to detail/repaint. They aren't all that expensive. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235556606636? (This is the 3 rail version so perhaps is not an ideal candidate for repainting.)

Seconded completely. I really appreciated being able to deal directly with some specialist traders while the standard of layouts was (of course) consistently exceptional.