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"Caleta" semi-fictional Costa Brava in N


Pete 75C

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Rocafort had a good range of Startrain in stock (and another Spanish make that I can't remember the name of). At current £/€ exchange rates, they look good value.

 

Interesting to note that a small producer (commissioner) can get a six-car unit to retail at sub £300 but the Bachmann conglomerate says that it can't be done.

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Does anyone know how easy it would be to convert Spanish N gauge models to a more correct 10.5mm gauge? Do any Spanish modellers to this (or correct HO broad gauge)?

 

This project would be ideal as a testbed with only plain track on the viewing side. The hidden parts could be laid in HOn3.

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This project would be ideal as a testbed with only plain track on the viewing side. The hidden parts could be laid in HOn3.

 

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.......................

<Pause for breath and also dramatic effect>

NO!

:jester:

I totally get where you're coming from, Joseph, and it's an interesting thought, but I can live with the gauge at 9mm. I break out in a cold sweat just at the thought of trying to re-wheel a load of 2mm stock... I never had any aspirations towards EM or P4 even when working in the larger scale!

:O

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Funny enough, I have been contemplating a similar move to the Czech Republic, albeit in about four years time. However, we are intending to have our own house built........to include a railway room and study.....of course. Anything else is down to the Memsahib.

 

As a consequence, I have started buying the occasional Czech loco and travelling around on as many branch lines as I can when over here...I will stick to HO though.

 

Rob.

Hi 

That is a very interesting idea. I presume you are fluent in Czech. Lovely country great beer and wine.

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Thanks Brian. Another type of traction I'm not familiar with! A quick "Google" of "RENFE Class 319" reveals a locomotive that looks absolutely nothing like the one in Brian's shot. A little digging reveals that the link I followed was for a later design 319. I found a link titled "early version RENFE Class 319" and guess what? That looked nothing like it either - it only had a cab at one end. This RENFE lark is a tad confusing... Good fun though. I will learn!

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Hallo

 

Unfortunately the computer I am on right now does not allow copy and paste............

 

I entered renfe 319-056-8 in Auntie Google and can query a page listadotren.es. I am totally opposed to speculation ( :no:) but I will suggest that the 319 will be related to the motor that was subsequently fitted inside the boidyshell (à la Class47 Class57)  

 

That is common here in Germany, where the longer vehicle numbers relate to power, speed, axes, etc etc and why some locos from the outside are identical but are assigned to a completely different class

 

es grüßt

pc 

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I suggest that that loco (1956) was given the new style numbering by changing 19XX class to 319 class and it is the 56th loco and is therefore 056, giving the full number 319-056.

 

Read here for explanation of the single/double cab versions:

(and the numbering)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RENFE_Class_319_%28early_versions%29

 

Keith

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Perhaps this little tome, published in 1983 may help ?

.

It contains details of all RENFE locos, EMU and DMU sets, plus an article on the TALGO system (as at 1983).

.

As for translation into English, don't look at me !

.

Brian R

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Interesting idea Pete,

I've toyed with the idea of a Spanish plank on and off since 2003. My in laws live in a place called mazarron, which is about 90mins SW of Alicante.

We often use the local line to go to Murcia, and there is also a large marshalling yard there.

 

What put me off was the cost of Spanish models, the availability and in actual fact the local line doesn't appear on have any freight.

tBH I might as well model St Ives.

 

Good luck with your idea, I wouldn't fancy trying to model all those flats etc behind !

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Thanks for all the rolling stock info. I am finding it a little confusing but every little snippet helps. Thanks again to Brian for the pics.

 

Interesting idea Pete,
I've toyed with the idea of a Spanish plank on and off since 2003. My in laws live in a place called mazarron, which is about 90mins SW of Alicante.
We often use the local line to go to Murcia, and there is also a large marshalling yard there.

What put me off was the cost of Spanish models, the availability and in actual fact the local line doesn't appear on have any freight.
tBH I might as well model St Ives.

Good luck with your idea, I wouldn't fancy trying to model all those flats etc behind !

 

Rob, Mazarron's not a million miles away from where we'll end up. Looking forward to getting back out there and will have to sample some of the local lines. Armed with camera, of course.

With regard to the cost of the locos, it's not as bad as I'd feared. Kato RENFE locos are occasionally to be found on ebay, although I've no idea what the running qualities are like. The link to Eltaller Del Modelista that Andy provided a page or two back has proved useful. They carry a range of Arnold and Startrain RENFE locos and rolling stock and the price is less than I'd feared. Shipping is very reasonable too. I shouldn't need too much stock. A loco and a few tanks, a multiple unit, a loco and a Talgo set and that should be ample.

I haven't given a great deal of thought to the shops and apartments if I'm honest, but I'm wondering if some of the Kibri/Vollmer/Faller buildings might suit if bashed about a little?

 

Have just finished the simpler half of the two boards (the fiddle yard), so I'm off to take a few pics and I'll post them shortly. Progress!

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As promised... some pics of the completed fiddle yard board. At just 6'6" x 15", it's pretty easy to manhandle and store. Built at almost zero cost, using the frame from one half of the bi-fold doors and reusing the track and points from the abandoned Mile Cross Road layout. Points will eventually be controlled by surface-mounted Peco solenoids via a mimic panel. All wiring on this board will be surface mounted due in part to the nature of the framework, but mainly because this is a simple DC layout, and there shouldn't actually be that much wiring!

Next job is to make the scenic board and marry the two halves together. Then I can paint a backscene and start getting the levels right for the overbridge at the left-hand end and also the storm drain that runs under the track and discharges onto the beach.

 

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As promised... some pics of the completed fiddle yard board. At just 6'6" x 15", it's pretty easy to manhandle and store. Built at almost zero cost, using the frame from one half of the bi-fold doors and reusing the track and points from the abandoned Mile Cross Road layout. Points will eventually be controlled by surface-mounted Peco solenoids via a mimic panel. All wiring on this board will be surface mounted due in part to the nature of the framework, but mainly because this is a simple DC layout, and there shouldn't actually be that much wiring!

Next job is to make the scenic board and marry the two halves together. Then I can paint a backscene and start getting the levels right for the overbridge at the left-hand end and also the storm drain that runs under the track and discharges onto the beach.

 

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I see you have an HF track cleaner.

Just in case you don't know, never put anything with a DCC decoder on to the track, even if using on DC as it will likely destroy the decoder,.

 

 

Cheers

 

Keith

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No worries on that score, Keith. The only DCC-fitted stock I have is OO and I have absolutely no intention of fitting a decoder into anything N-sized. As this is only a very simple little layout with no station or signals on the scenic side, trains will be constantly moving so even on DC, I should still get constant lighting. I did briefly consider DCC but not for this layout. The Gaugemaster HF-1 is a left-over from a previous DC layout and I found that combined with regular track cleaning, it worked a treat and kept things moving nicely. Slow speed running even seemed improved, but that could just have been my imagination.

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The scenic board is proving a doddle after having to muck around with threaded rod risers on the fiddle yard board.

This board will have a curved backscene (shown below), but I'm undecided about the track exit at the left hand end. In reality, the road bridge is the tunnel mouth. I'm wondering whether to have an actual tunnel mouth just before the bridge. In other words, instead of a train (running left to right) appearing out from under the road bridge, it will appear out of a tunnel mouth before immediately going under the road bridge then reappearing. Might add some extra visual interest? I know I'm only pinching ideas from Calella and I don't actually have to copy anything.

I'm really just thinking out loud but thoughts most welcome.

 

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post-17811-0-67804100-1437661248.jpg

 

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The "tunnel" opening is in reality quite wide. Maybe too much so for a small layout?

 

See Google snip:

post-6208-0-19042800-1437671230.jpg

 

Your suggestion of a separate tunnel mouth a little back from the road might be more scenically interesting.

 

Keith

 

EDIT. you could also make the road narrower as well.

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Thanks for posting the shot Keith. I wasn't able to get such a clear view. The tree-lined layby is quite interesting. Might narrow things down a little and I may still go for the separate tunnel mouth. It's a classic model railway scenic break though, isn't it?

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Thanks Stubby. I didn't know that. I've spent more time in the Canaries where the big symbol is the black-silhouetted goat (at least on Fuerteventura). I'll certainly bear it in mind. I think perhaps the best thing to do is to get the scenic board finished and loosely pin the flexi track so I know exactly where the scenic break needs to be at each end, hopefully so that the sharpest part of the curve is off-scene. I'm actually less worried about the left-hand break as there is no such physical thing like a bridge or a tunnel at the right-hand break, apart from the big blue hole in the sky. You mentioned some kind of building on the beach, and at the moment I'm thinking maybe low-rise beach-front self-catering apartments or one corner of a small hotel if I can jam it in. Need to give some thought about what to use as sand as I don't want to mess that up... the little bit of beach on view will go a long way towards setting the whole scene. Might go and have a look at that ultra fine kiln-dried play sand from Travis Perkins. Last time I was over there, they had a split bag for a couple of quid.

 

There has been sod-all progess on my OO layout this last week, not from waning interest, but I just need to figure out some space issues along the lines of "does it stay or does it go?" I get withdrawal symptoms if I'm not building something, hence this little layout which by comparison takes up no room at all.

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Don't forget the classic "bus en un puente" Pete.

 

Mike.

 

Absolutely. You can't have a puente without an autobús on it...  :yes:  Just need to find one in 1/160 scale with the steering wheel on the "wrong" side...

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