298 Posted September 15, 2023 Author Share Posted September 15, 2023 (edited) 14 hours ago, PaulRhB said: That’s looking great and working well too. Shows off the detail and weathering on them, stunning job! The powered car (153) isn't running as well as the benchmark Bachmann 44 tonner chassis, so is on it's third motor this week. The chassis was designed for a small flat-can to drop in but it seemed to be growling excessively so I temporarily tried new trucks, then a spare 1220? with a flywheel. I then replaced the driveshafts with silicon tube which is a first for me, before replacing the 3d printed gears with drilled out Bachmann ones to stop them from splitting. The DCC Concepts decoder that is fitted and needed for the ABC shuttle doesn't have anything published in the way of tuneable motor control so I've since tried fitting it with a spare Mashima 1424 or something and it is running a bit better, but still cogging at speed step one and has symptoms of a split gear or something in one of the drivetrains. I don't think I've got time before Stafford to finalise a new chassis and print one as a spare so if it all goes wrong at Stafford it'll be weekend drags with a Mogul... Edited September 15, 2023 by 298 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted September 22, 2023 Author Share Posted September 22, 2023 Obligatory "layout in car" photo, I was going to build a frame to lift the baseboards and stuff everything else underneath but I'd only have to store it somewhere so instead made supports to square up the overhanging lighting rig support and the fiddle yard now fits on top. This also means I know how much space I have I in the car for the stage left fiddle yard so it fits above the main baseboard. Just a few final things to do tonight before setting off to Stafford in the morning. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted September 22, 2023 Author Share Posted September 22, 2023 Destination boards added to the appropriate vehicles, they should probably be inside the windows but I ran out of time and the lettering is a bit big for that. Mrs 298 has also sourced an appropriate Che Guevara T shirt, Cov market must have got a job lot in for the University Freshers... 3 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted September 22, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 22, 2023 14 minutes ago, 298 said: Mrs 298 has also sourced an appropriate Che Guevara T shirt, Cov market must have got a job lot in for the University Freshers... Bet she chuckled when she saw that . . . 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Gwinnett Posted September 22, 2023 Share Posted September 22, 2023 To me, to you, it’s pure communism 😂 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted September 22, 2023 Author Share Posted September 22, 2023 3 hours ago, PaulRhB said: Bet she chuckled when she saw that . . . 3 hours ago, Jon Gwinnett said: To me, to you, it’s pure communism 😂 Wait... You mean.. that isn't Che Guevara...? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted September 23, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 23, 2023 3 hours ago, 298 said: Wait... You mean.. that isn't Che Guevara...? Hear she got it from ‘Cube R’ run by Barry? 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 5BarVT Posted September 26, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 26, 2023 Good to speak to you over the weekend. As you suggested, Rails stock the Rail Crew uncoupler. One will be procured for test purposes. Already thinking about how to use (mis-use?) the electrics! Paul. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold John B Posted September 26, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 26, 2023 Thoroughly enjoyed seeing this at Stafford, one of the standouts in a very good show as far as I was concerned. I kept coming back around for another look whenever operating duties on Kettlewell permitted... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted September 26, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 26, 2023 Hard not to like! 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Gilbert Posted September 26, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 26, 2023 One of mine... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Rich_F Posted September 26, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 26, 2023 (edited) When I was big into HO I used to have one each of the little 44t/70t switchers. They're lovely little things & can be used for any setting. It looks right at home moving the wagons around outside your sugar mill. Edited September 26, 2023 by Rich_F 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold John B Posted September 26, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 26, 2023 A couple of iPhone snaps from Stafford.. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted September 26, 2023 Author Share Posted September 26, 2023 3 hours ago, Oldddudders said: Hard not to like! 3 hours ago, Rich_F said: When I was big into HO I used to have one each of the little 44t/70t switchers. They're lovely little things & can be used for any setting. It looks right at home moving the wagons around outside your sugar mill. It looks like Olddudders has caught the mixed diesel hauled local being switched after arrival. Although steam and diesel was used sparingly outside of the busy harvest period it was always the intention to model this working. Bachmann 44 &70 ton performance can be variable and do rely on a good decoder (ie not the DCC fitted one) and a Stay alive (AEmodels) is a necessity. Photo: William D Middleton. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted September 26, 2023 Author Share Posted September 26, 2023 Stafford show postscript: first of all a big thank you to Nick Palette for the invite and Nick Quinn for agreeing to operate, despite both never having seen the layout before Saturday. And also to friends old and new who I managed to talk to, I'm still amazed by the reaction the layout got from the public and other exhibitors. I was a bit disappointed with invites, nothing until Sunday afternoon but then enquiries from Shrewsbury, Pontefract and Glasgow which won't be straightforward but might be doable. 2024 is looking full up anyway but if anyone is organising any shows a reasonable distance from Coventry I'd like to hear from you. The next show is Nottingham in early November and I'm contemplating whether I have time to build a second fiddle yard now I've seen how much spare space is in the car. The overhead still needs refining and something doing with the sector plate to make alignment more reliable. I didn't have time in the end to finish something akin to display boards explaining the Hershey but the new fiddle yard gives space to mount these. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted October 7, 2023 Author Share Posted October 7, 2023 (edited) Unlike something else this week FP2 has gone ahead in full, it is just over 4' long in order to fit over the main scenic board in the car making the whole layout look quite daunting at just a smidgen less than 15'. Unlike the other boards it has a built in leg. I have laid enough track to test it (although the frog isn't juiced yet) and after messing round with the DCC Concepts ABC board Hershey Interurban Car 153 made the first legitimate run over the road crossing. Each road can hold a 3' long train so that'll save some space in the main fiddle yard for stock. I'm not sure of the best way to operate it or decided where it goes in the real world, so haven't added extra switches to the main panel yet. Edited October 7, 2023 by 298 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted October 14, 2023 Author Share Posted October 14, 2023 (edited) On 25/04/2022 at 19:13, Nick_Burman said: The WIF ferries used Havana only and were RoRo vessels (same for FEC). Seatrain used loading and unloading via cradles and special cranes. Looking at Santa Cruz del Norte from Google Earth I can't find anywhere where a RoRo ferry could have docked. However, one can see a small inlet right next to what is today the Havana Club rum plant where a Seatrain vessel could have just squeezed in and there could have been a crane to load/unload the ferry there. If so, the ferry could have taken the cars to Edgewater, New Jersey (where Seatrain had its base and a terminal), where the cars would have been unloaded onto US rails, then forwarded to Hershey, PA.. But all this is just speculation. Cheers Nicholas Interesting map from a historic Cuba Facebook group, that Google has translated from Spanish. So certainly by this time there weren't any international docks between the Havana area and Matanzas (shown as "Killings!!!") But there is modellers licence... Edited October 14, 2023 by 298 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted October 15, 2023 Author Share Posted October 15, 2023 Something else I've been wanting to try is a shortened Peco Loco Lift with a ramp to catch Pantographs. The ramp is code 83 rail curved using Kadee trip pin pliers and slotted into pre-cut holes in the end supports. I don't necessarily need to use this but it was on the bucket list to try. And with the layout nearly 15' in length it seemed like a good place to try my Sounder set, now that the lights have been re-worked in the coaches. 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted November 2, 2023 Author Share Posted November 2, 2023 A few of the jobs that were on the list to do for the Nottingham show this weekend. The extra curtain has been made by my Sister in Law and I've just about decided how to finish wiring the new fiddle yard. This Gondola was rescued from the Derby Convention and has been re-lettered for the Hershey and will do as a place holder until I print the side door type I've been working on. The blue tarp is actually green and cut from a disposable glove, and is the wrapped up weight that it desperately needs. A few details for the town area, although seeing photos on a Nostalgic Cuba Fb page has prompted me to try to make more of the signs that were relevant to the era. Finally the Steeplecabs have been cleaned and lubricated after the most used loco and the Interurban car developed a growling noise that seems to be amplified when the bodies are fitted. The AT&SF 44 tonner also came from the convention but hasn't had to give up it's latest type of chassis to a Steeplecab yet. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stivesnick Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 Hope to attend the Nottingham show on Saturday and looking forward to seeing the latest developments. Nick 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted November 3, 2023 Author Share Posted November 3, 2023 (edited) Annoyingly the cross brace on the legs has got in the way of the point motor, so I've taken the quick but ugly option and notched it out so the leg can fully fold.... Edited November 3, 2023 by 298 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted November 3, 2023 Author Share Posted November 3, 2023 3 hours ago, stivesnick said: Hope to attend the Nottingham show on Saturday and looking forward to seeing the latest developments. Nick Hope you can make it, it looks like another excellent show. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted November 8, 2023 Author Share Posted November 8, 2023 (edited) Nottingham show retrospective! First of all thanks to @Talltim and Colin for help operating- (both having never seen the layout before, it was good to see the ways those Guys operated it and the new moves to do), and @doctor quinn for help setting up the loan of the operating stool (I suppose we didn't really need two). One of the most surreal exhibition experiences occured when someone took it from next to the layout, turned it round, then sat on it with their Grandchild to watch the layout next to us. I have a dislike of warning signs on layouts as they shouldn't be necessary but "Please don't rob my seat and use my fiddle yard as an armrest whilst watching someone else's layout" might be necessary in the future... The layout performed reasonably well once I'd manage to level the fiddle yard properly, it'll definitely get the means to adjust the height of the centre roller from underneath as per Tim's suggestion. I did think there was an issue with the yard and stock falling over but this was traced to operators of another layout knocking it. I was also wondering why the powered Interurban car was slowing, accelerating and slowing into the ABC sections, it turns out one of the original Bachmann Underground Ernie pickup wire connections was broken on the 8-pin board and had spent half the show just running with pickups on two wheels. I still think there is a fundamental problem with the Hershey not being recognisable enough as the Hershey, despite the new display boards. I even had to field questions about the gauge specific society next door so am thinking of starting my own banner for "HO- the most popular scale in the world and definitely better than all those others where the gauge isn't accurate..." Anyway, I didn't take too many photos, but this is the new end complete with matching curtains and 28 with a train from the yard. Edited November 9, 2023 by 298 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted November 8, 2023 Author Share Posted November 8, 2023 Anyway rant over and I'll post this link to a video I've just found from Stafford... 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 I was tempted to suggest H0 as the answer to the question "00 too big and N too small?"... I greatly enjoyed operating the layout and it did settle down to run nicely once Andy had lifted the entire sector plate with stock on it off (twice) to make adjustments. I'll admit my heart was in my mouth while he did it! Perhaps the layout needs a sharing bowl of Hershey's kisses out front... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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