Waverley West, Princes St Gardens and Haymarket MPD

[MRDBLUE17]

Hi Dave,

 

Totally superb. Photos look great.

 

Mark

[45156]

I don't think anyone could tell the difference between model vs the real thing in this photo, Absolutely fantastic, both modelling and photography.

I agree, but there is the small matter of 2.23 mm (ducks and runs for cover)

[Waverley West]

I agree, but there is the small matter of 2.23 mm (ducks and runs for cover)

 

                            

 

 

Edited January 29, 2017 by Waverley West

[mark374]

i remeber reading about this layout a few years ago in model rail, i can see my nights being spent catching up on this stunning layout. its an amzingly detailed layout and easily tricks you to thinking it real  

 

Mark

[Waverley West]

A shaft of winter sunlight catches the side of a grimy Coal Sector 26004 on shed between MGR duties...

 

[ThaneofFife]

I agree, but there is the small matter of 2.23 mm (ducks and runs for cover)

 

to counter that view, I bet there are some EM and P4 attempts out there that look nowhere near as good as this........  

[Waverley West]

Hi folks,

 

Nipped down to Haymarket MPD this afternoon to see WW's latest recruit, 47550 University of Dundee, on shed...

 

 

 

 

[Waverley West]

 

 

 

 

Edited January 29, 2017 by Waverley West

[Waverley West]

An unidentified Coal Sector 56 up close and personal. That slightly open cab door is very tempting...

 

 

 

[Waverley West]

Hi folks,

 

Just thought I'd post a few more piccies from yesterday afternoon.

 

Haymarket MPD basking in the late afternoon sun...

 

 

 

 

24063 has taken up temporary residence on Road 8. This loco is set for a body swap with 24081 belonging to another RMWebber at MRS in Glasgow in a few weeks' time (and yes, I know that means the sandboxes will be wrong    ). In the meantime, I haven't done anything to it and it's just running around the depot in ex-works condition at the moment while I listen to that beautiful burble. It 's a rare loco that makes it onto WW in an unweathered state, especially one out of era.

 

 

Loco crews enjoying a break between duties...

 

 

 

In other news, I am nearing completion with fitting a new Legomanbiffo speaker and sound chip to Haymarket-allocated 27052. This was one of the first locos that I sound-fitted many, many moons ago and recent developments have persuaded me that it might be worth an upgrade as an experiment. To keep the cost down, I have imposed a limit on myself of buying one and fitting it and then selling the old one before I allow myself to buy a new one. Good luck with that one, Dave.

 

47550 has also been returned to the works following persistent derailing over sections of line where my other Bachmann 47, 47745, runs perfectly happily. I still haven't got to the bottom of it, as the back to back measurements have been checked, the wheels are aligned longitudinally and the bogies move freely. It's ready to go back to the layout now for re-testing. Fingers crossed. If what I've done still doesn't work, the matter will be referred to the permanent way department.

 

37026 is also in the works with a strange gear-like clicking noise as it runs. I'm thinking it might be the gears. It's strange though, as it's always been a good runner and is a bit of a favourite on WW on parcels and freight in particular. I fitted it with a bass speaker in the fuel tanks and it sounds very nice indeed, very throaty, as it should of course.

 

Cheers for now,
Dave

 

Cheers for now,

Edited February 2, 2017 by Waverley West

[Waverley West]

Hi folks,

 

Just thought I'd post a few pics from tonight's running session, which saw me working to eliminate the derailment problem with 47550 and test run 27052. 

 

47550's problems were eventually traced to raised joints between baseboards. The rigid fixing of the axles in the Bachmann Co-Co bogies doesn't give much (any) room for play as the loco passes over the many bumps in my track. Sections where my Heljan 47s (with their floating centre axle) and even my Bachmann 37s and Bo-Bos pass over with no problem were causing 47550 to derail. Adjusting the height of the baseboard joints to prevent any peaks in the track seemed to cure the problem and 47550 is now happily running round the layout.

 

I must admit if railway modelling has taught me anything, it's that everything has a cause and that that cause can usually be eliminated. Trying to get every rake to run on WW in every possible direction over the complicated trackwork (often in both push and pull mode too) can be a very frustrating experience sometimes though, especially with the more ambitious movements I'm attempting these days with the fiddle yards. It can seem like a never-ending job sometimes.

 

Here is 47550 running through Princes St. Gardens on a service from Aberdeen...

 

 

27052 passed through shortly after, newly released from Waverley West Works after fitting of a new Legomanbiffo sound chip and fuel tank speaker. It's also been fitted with replacement wheels from Howes.

 

I like the new sound chip on this loco a lot, but a strange change in the sound kept occurring as the loco travelled round the layout. I thought at first there was something wrong with the chip, but I eventually realised that it was happening as the loco passed over points, more specifically the voids under the track where my Peco point motors used to be. I presume it happens because the speaker is pointing down directly at and is very close to the track. I've not noticed it with my Bachmann 37s that I've fitted with a speaker in the fuel tank. I find the change in sound very distracting (as well as being unrealistic) and I'm not sure what to do about it at the moment. I thought I would try fitting some sort of baffle over the speaker to make it more like my Bachmann 37s. It's a shame, as the sound is definitely a big step up on my old SWD sound chips.

 

 

I thought I'd also post a couple of shots of my Mk 1 rake which has been fitted with corridor connections. These make a big difference to the overall look of the rake. I have had to compromise though, as the combination of corridor connections and the Bachmann "pipe" close couplings caused too many derailments. As a result, I've gone back to the old tension lock couplings with the corridor connections. Overall, I'm still happy with the new look though. All DMUs have been fitted with the corridor connections now too, so it's on to the Mk 2 rakes next.

 

Here is the rake passing through Princes St. Gardens, with Princes St. in the background...

 

 

 

Here is a view of the rake passing through the countryside section...

 

 

This compares with my non-a/c Mk 2 rake which has not yet been fitted with corridor connections (it's next on the list). I think the gaps between the coaches look very obvious now by comparison.

 

 

Currently in the works is another rake of non-a/c Mk 2s to form my Fife services from the second half of the 80s. 27052 will also be returning to the works for experiments with the speaker.

 

Cheers for now,

Dave

Edited February 6, 2017 by Waverley West

[mark374]

Fanstic  as usual, 

[colin penfold]

Dave, can you get at the voids underneath those spots where the point motors were? If you can, surely if you glue back a piece of baseboard material to fill the hole, it will behave the same acoustically as the rest of the board?

[Waverley West]

Dave, can you get at the voids underneath those spots where the point motors were? If you can, surely if you glue back a piece of baseboard material to fill the hole, it will behave the same acoustically as the rest of the board?

 

Possible but tricky, Colin, I think. I'd probably have to remove the point motors first. Seeing as I've cut the rod between the motor and the point to length, re-installing the motor would not be that easy. It's definitely a possibility though. It's just strange that I'd not noticed any difference with my Bachmann 37s which I fitted with a fuel tank speaker though. The speaker on these locos is behind the fuel tank floor which has holes drilled in it.

Edited February 5, 2017 by Waverley West

[P.C.M]

Hi Dave,

 Nice to see the class 27 out on a run the coaches look great.

 

Sorry to hear about your class 47 derailment problem. My 47418 was coming off on my 3 way point in the fiddleyard. It was the only loco doing it so thought it was more than likely to be loco rather than track. I took the bogie frames off and check the back to backs which were fine, what I did notice was the bogie was rocking on the centre wheel set which is something more common on class 37s. I removed the wheel set and filed a deeper slot so the wheels set level with the others, the loco runs fine now.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Waverley West]

Hi Dave,

 Nice to see the class 27 out on a run the coaches look great.

 

Sorry to hear about your class 47 derailment problem. My 47418 was coming off on my 3 way point in the fiddleyard. It was the only loco doing it so thought it was more than likely to be loco rather than track. I took the bogie frames off and check the back to backs which were fine, what I did notice was the bogie was rocking on the centre wheel set which is something more common on class 37s. I removed the wheel set and filed a deeper slot so the wheels set level with the others, the loco runs fine now.

 

Cheers Peter.

 

Hi Peter,

 

Thanks for that. That sounds like a very sensible and permanent solution. I did notice the rocking of the bogie over uneven track and although I've managed to eliminate most of the problem by making sure the track was better aligned vertically, I think it's a bit of a design weakness that is always likely to cause derailments. The free-floating centre axles on the Heljan Co-Co bogies very rarely cause problems by comparison I find.

 

Thanks again,

Dave

Edited February 6, 2017 by Waverley West

[D9JEF]

Possible but tricky, Colin, I think. I'd probably have to remove the point motors first. Seeing as I've cut the rod between the motor and the point to length, re-installing the motor would not be that easy. It's definitely a possibility though. It's just strange that I'd not noticed any difference with my Bachmann 37s which I fitted with a fuel tank speaker though. The speaker on these locos is behind the fuel tank floor which has holes drilled in it.

You could just polyfilla the hole with the point motor in place as the void is what is causing the change. Screwed up newspaper filled in the hole with gaffer tape holding it in may work.

 

Let us know what works. Loving the corridor connections? Who makes them?

Jeff

[Waverley West]

You could just polyfilla the hole with the point motor in place as the void is what is causing the change. Screwed up newspaper filled in the hole with gaffer tape holding it in may work.

 

Let us know what works. Loving the corridor connections? Who makes them?

Jeff

 

Thanks for the suggestions, Jeff. Will let you know what works.

 

The corridor connections are by York Modelmaking. They're very simple to make up and make a huge difference to the overall look of a train, I think. The only problem is deciding whether to use two connections and/or remove the old moulded connections, which is not so easy on the Bachmann Mk 1s, but very easy on their DMUs. I've found that the rubbing plates can cause derailments if they push against each other too much, so a little experimentation is needed sometimes. Having said that, my Bachmann 101s and 108s all worked first time after removing the original Bachmann connections and fitting two York Modelmaking ones. The Mk 1s were a bit trickier and I had to revert to the original tension lock couplings to stop the derailments. The gap between the coaches with these couplings is a bit bigger but this is more than made up for by the corridor connections in my view anyway (not to mention the lack of derailments!).

 

Cheers

Dave

Edited February 7, 2017 by Waverley West

[St Enodoc]

Thanks for the suggestions, Jeff. Will let you know what works.

 

The corridor connections are by York Modelmaking. They're very simple to make up and make a huge difference to the overall look of a train, I think. The only problem is deciding whether to use two connections and/or remove the old moulded connections, which is not so easy on the Bachmann Mk 1s, but very easy on their DMUs. I've found that the rubbing plates can cause derailments if they push against each other too much, so a little experimentation is needed sometimes. Having said that, my Bachmann 101s and 108s all worked first time after removing the original Bachmann connections and fitting two York Modelmaking ones. The Mk 1s were a bit trickier and I had to revert to the original tension lock couplings to stop the derailments. The gap between the coaches with these couplings is a bit bigger but this is more than made up for by the corridor connections in my view anyway (not to mention the lack of derailments!).

 

Cheers

Dave

Dave, is it possible to fit just one bellows instead of two, which might let you close the gap a bit? Your coaches would become "handed" in this case of course.

[Waverley West]

Dave, is it possible to fit just one bellows instead of two, which might let you close the gap a bit? Your coaches would become "handed" in this case of course.

 

I did try that, but I found that there tended to be a gap between the coaches when they were being pulled, especially round curves when the couplings open up, which rather spoiled the effect. I also tried just using one with the close couplings but derailments became a problem again then.

[P.C.M]

Hi Peter,

 

Thanks for that. That sounds like a very sensible and permanent solution. I did notice the rocking of the bogie over uneven track and although I've managed to eliminate most of the problem by making sure the track was better aligned vertically, I think it's a bit of a design weakness that is always likely to cause derailments. The free-floating centre axles on the Heljan Co-Co bogies very rarely cause problems by comparison I find.

 

Thanks again,

Dave

No worries Dave,

I am sure you code 75 will be more fussy than my code 100. 

 

Something I have noticed on Llanbourne are some points once pinned down still have a high spot in the middle so need an extra track pin to try and hold things down a bit better.

 

Cheers Peter. 

[Stubby47]

I did try that, but I found that there tended to be a gap between the coaches when they were being pulled, especially round curves when the couplings open up, which rather spoiled the effect. I also tried just using one with the close couplings but derailments became a problem again then.

 

Have you looked at / tried these :  http://www.keen-systems.com/Couplings.html  (usual disclaimers)

 

My father uses them with no problems.

Edited February 7, 2017 by Stubby47

[TerrySVR]

Wow what great modelling well done

[Waverley West]

Have you looked at / tried these :  http://www.keen-systems.com/Couplings.html  (usual disclaimers)

 

My father uses them with no problems.

 

Thanks for that, Stubby. I have actually bought some for my rake of Airfix Mk 2ds (ages ago). The problem is that by the time I get round to fitting them, Bachmann may well have finally released their Mk 2es, and yes, I know that may be a while away yet too!

 

Might look into them for my Bachmann Mk 1 rakes though, as I'm planning on keeping those and continually improving them (with lighting eventually hopefully).

 

Cheers

Dave

[tom shaw]

Thanks for that, Stubby. I have actually bought some for my rake of Airfix Mk 2ds (ages ago). The problem is that by the time I get round to fitting them, Bachmann may well have finally released their Mk 2es, and yes, I know that may be a while away yet too!

 

Might look into them for my Bachmann Mk 1 rakes though, as I'm planning on keeping those and continually improving them (with lighting eventually hopefully).

 

Cheers

Dave

How about Kadee's between coaches, you can mount them to couple quite close and there's little slack when pushing/pulling.

 

Your layout is fantastic by the way and some of the best model photo's I've seen, in fact it's sometimes hard to tell it is a model.

 

Regards,

Tom