RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted July 3, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 3, 2012 Signalling is a real "black art" to the majority of us who don't understand it. My layout is close to prototype so I think I can get away with what I can see on photos. There are some signalling experts on here ... The Signal Engineer for one. Why don't you post a layout plan and question in the Modelling Questions, Helps and Tips section? Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 Not a bad idea that Jeff I'll have to wait until my computer is working again before I can scan a drawing of the layout. Best get this dcc lark out of the way first I am going to get them running sweet as a nut if it kills me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 D Day Report !!! Tested both the crab & the 3f with Lenz Silvers & they glide like a dream no jerking etc straight from the box. Lessons learnt " DON'T BUY CHEAP CHIPS FOR STEAM " !!!!! Now I'm fully back on the DCC tracks I'll start to get the fleet chipped now standardising on Lenz Silvers. I'm rather glad about that working because I've no more need to build a control panel for the layout I just need to finish the install of the new point motor & get the backscenes & under board bracing finished. Once I've completed that I can really dig into the scenic work on the layout which is going to be the fun part. The cattle dock area is going to be the first area I plan on detailing with a grounded van body & various bits of yard paraphernalia. There is a rather high hedge down the side of the dock which is getting removed & it's too high & I don't like it. That's the next 6 months work there to go at Simon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted July 4, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 4, 2012 Well done!!! Very pleased, and relieved, as I'm a DCC follower through and through. There is a parallel thread running at the moment re. quality of decoders. I've got nearly all Lenz Standards for 8 pin and Lenz Silvers for 21 pin locos. NEVER HAD A SINGLE PROBLEM. So I'm glad you seem to be having a similar (good) experience. Btw, just spotted your blog. I'm stuck at work and wish I was out on the fells or the S&C. But only 16 days until I retire so I can dream... Cheers! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 Cheers Jeff, I actually tried a Lenz standard in the crab & It ran nowhere near as good as it does now the silvers cured the problem that's for sure. Had a good day on the S&C, I headed to Dent to see 8F coming south & met a lovely woman who was filming for a book she was writing which was fantastic. I like to hear people's stories & she comes from the howgills so she's a real daleswoman & I'm looking forward to reading her book so an added bonus to the day I'm very lucky I guess living at the foot of the S& C it's like my own personal back garden Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted July 4, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 4, 2012 Cheers Jeff, I actually tried a Lenz standard in the crab & It ran nowhere near as good as it does now the silvers cured the problem that's for sure. Had a good day on the S&C, I headed to Dent to see 8F coming south & met a lovely woman who was filming for a book she was writing which was fantastic. I like to hear people's stories & she comes from the howgills so she's a real daleswoman & I'm looking forward to reading her book so an added bonus to the day I'm very lucky I guess living at the foot of the S& C it's like my own personal back garden Simon Yes you are lucky, we lived above Giggleswick and the back of the house faced the long drag. From our kitchen window we could see from just south of Settle Station to above Langcliffe. I envy you the time at Dent. The late chairman of our Model Railway club,(Wakefield) spent part of his childhood at Dent station where his father was stationmaster. The period included the winter of 47 when the line was blocked. My father also taught some girls who grew up at Blea Moor cottages where their father was the ganger. Glad the decoders worked. Jamie Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 My grandad used to tell Me tails about the winter of 47. He had a farm next to ribblehead & he said you couldn't actually see any sheep in the fields. My great grandad used to work for the midland railway & he said one winter it was that bad you couldn't get under the arches of dent head viaduct. My dad remember the snow of 63 he said it was great because he couldn't go to school for a few month which is certainly a bonus in any kids case ;)All being well over the next couple of week I can get the loco fleet chipped & start on the backscenes. Simon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted July 13, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 13, 2012 Just saw the comment on your blog re. Lenz silvers... good choice. Hope the improved performance continues. Will also be good to see more photos of the layout as you do more work. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted July 18, 2012 Author Share Posted July 18, 2012 Well Jeff i am admitting i've been a really lazy sod these past few weeks, i've said i've been going to do a load of work & i've done nothing this is partly due to some hellish problems with my immediate family which has now hopefully been rectified forever. One the DCC front i am really chuffed with the Lenz Silvers there brilliant i cannot praise them enough & everything runs well .... except the Micky Mouse 2mt which is being a pain on the double slip. I think this is partly becasuse the switches on the pointwork are not working properly yet although this is my next thing to look at. I'm creating a shopping list for the layout i need a decoder for the signal & i also need to get some of DCC concepts excellent Midland style gas lamps which are also DCC. This should spur me on to get cracking & do some well needed layout work. I really need to find some 9mm ply off cuts for the backscenes then the layout can be worked on & i can get the work cracking. Today i had a bit of a brainwave whilst up in the dales & i know what i need to do now on the layout to add something to give it that extra dales spice. All around the Dales there are rocky outcrops which i am going to have to add into the hill section of the layout although i am still not sure how to make a rockface. Simon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted July 18, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 18, 2012 Well Jeff i am admitting i've been a really lazy sod these past few weeks, i've said i've been going to do a load of work & i've done nothing this is partly due to some hellish problems with my immediate family which has now hopefully been rectified forever. One the DCC front i am really chuffed with the Lenz Silvers there brilliant i cannot praise them enough & everything runs well .... except the Micky Mouse 2mt which is being a pain on the double slip. I think this is partly becasuse the switches on the pointwork are not working properly yet although this is my next thing to look at. I'm creating a shopping list for the layout i need a decoder for the signal & i also need to get some of DCC concepts excellent Midland style gas lamps which are also DCC. This should spur me on to get cracking & do some well needed layout work. I really need to find some 9mm ply off cuts for the backscenes then the layout can be worked on & i can get the work cracking. Today i had a bit of a brainwave whilst up in the dales & i know what i need to do now on the layout to add something to give it that extra dales spice. All around the Dales there are rocky outcrops which i am going to have to add into the hill section of the layout although i am still not sure how to make a rockface. Simon. Hi Simon, Don't worry about being a lazy sod. A chance to be in the Dales is much more conducive to your sanity than DCC etc. Regarding rock faces and outcrops, may I offer a solution? I have used Woodland Scenics Rock moulds - there are about ten different ones available. Simply fill with polyfilla etc and you have ready-made results... If you want a few more details, I'll tell you more. In the meantime, this is the kind of effect you can achieve (or improve on), from my old layout... I hope this helps! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted August 7, 2012 Author Share Posted August 7, 2012 Jeff they are very effective & certainly the kind of thing I'm looking for. Do you buy individual moulds or do you get a whole set ?? I've done nothing to the layout for ages i think at this point I'll pick it up during the winter when the weathers bad. As well as this layout I'm also doing a welsh narrow gauge now too. The little bits of time I have I've put towards building wagon & coach kits Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted August 7, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 7, 2012 Morning Simon, You can buy individual rock moulds. Have a look at the C1238, C1239 and C1240 moulds on the Woodland Scenics website, www.woodlandscenics.com. Or look at Kernow model centre - they stock these and several more, current price £6.75 per mould. Don't use any fancy filler (WS sell "hydrocal"). Normal filler, of a medium consistency, poured into the moulds, tapped to remove air bubbles and allowed to set for a couple of days works great. Try and paint the moulds - I used a mixture of white, brown, sand etc. acrylics - within a week of making them. The moisture that is still in the mould makes the painting much easier. If you leave it to really dry out, spray the surface with copious amounts of water to soak it before painting. The moulds are very useful and breaking what you make and re-arranging the bits gives a lot of possible "rock faces". Hope this helps! Best wishes, Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted September 7, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 7, 2012 It's been all quiet on the Austwick front, Simon. I've kept an eye on your blogs - hope you are well and that you've recovered from the spend on your wife's shoes!! Has one of your daughters just started school? With such a busy domestic life I can understand if you don't get chance for much railway modelling. It'll be interesting to see what you come up with over the winter. Cheers, Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Hi Jeff, i'll admit i've done nothing to the layout over the summer period, i've been far to busy with family & various other things which seem to clog up all my time suring the summer months. I'm just starting to get the modeling bug once again & i am building some etched brass locos for a future Great Eastern themed layout but thats miles & miles down the track. Austwick has been on my mind now for some time & soon enough i will pull it out & get weaving once again. At some point when money permits i am going to get the backscenes & the rest of the baseboard cross members finished off. I purposely left some out as i was not sure where the electrics or the point motors were going to land when i made the board so i need to finish those off to make the board stronger than it currently is. The point motors need finishing i think i need to do another motor & then that is the electrical side of things pretty much wrapped up although i still need to wire the signal too. Winter time is usually when i do most of my modeling because i can't go out much with rain & more rain. Our Nicole Jade recently joined her elder sister at school which has been a bit of a mixed bag because they are thick as thieves for one. There the closest of close & you start with one, the pair of them start & we had a incident on the first day of school. Thankfully it wasn't our Nikki who started it, she just happened to finish it. I dread going to that school because we had this with our Hayley. She's not a bully but she does not take any rubbish off anyone & has been in a few skirmishes & the teachers hate me i am sure of it. It's been a great year so far all in all though & now i am modeling again it won't be long before the layout is up & running again. My sundays which is usually a day of modeling has been taken up chasing the real thing up the Settle & Carlisle so i've not had the time to get much done layout wise. Watch this space it will start again soon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted September 17, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 17, 2012 Hi Simon. Glad you're able to find some time to do some modelling. I've noticed a few comments in your blogs, but I can appreciate how much time - and the priority - that having a young family takes. And in the end they are a damn sight more important than a model railway!! Good to here from you. I will "watch this space". Best wishes, Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 After what seems like forever since i last did anything with this layout tonight i finally got the layout set up & jogged my memory as to where i am at with the layout. I really need to replace a point motor as it has finally died, again i have learnt my lesson regarding Seep motors they total garbage. I'm heading up to the model shop in the morning & buying the final piece of the puzzle. Whilst i am there i am going to see if my friend will supply me with some wood for the backscenes so i can finally complete that part of the layout & get weaving with the scenery. If possible it would be great to get this all done this side of christmas then i can start finishing off the layout & finally have my train set there to play with. All being well tomorrow afternoon i will have the final motor replaced & the layout will work perfectly & i will have finally conquered the running issues. Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted November 21, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 21, 2012 Great to see you back on here Simon! You can hardly be faulted for not having given Austwick much attention - 6 weeks in Belgium, was it? And a growing family! Anyway, good luck with the project - you'll soon be in full flow again - whatever you decide to do. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 Jeff my Austwick modelling mojo is back I've identified the faults & will rectify them soon I want to get the layout running perfectly & then get cracking. A best it's a motor replacement at worst it's a siding replacement which is no big deal but more than I want to do. If I can get the siding/layout running well & get the backscenes & roadway fitted this side of Christmas I will be seriously happy. A new addition is on its way to beef up my stock roster. Bit of a foreigner this one a Hornby B1 but I do want a north eastern flavour. The idea is they ran on the ilkley line to Skipton & headed north to Austwick. I think they will be in charge of ballast trains from the quarry at Helwith Bridge but might also run a Austwick boniface. I really need to look into single decoders too for the Dapol signal I bought. Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted November 21, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 21, 2012 The Hornby B1 is a lovely model. It's actually the last loco I bought - on Christmas Eve last year! There are always ways to "fiddle allocations" to justify running the locos you want to run! Lol. I've got a Kernow Warship and Dapol Western on pre-order. Hardly S&C, but for an hour or so, every so often, KL can be transported to the Western Region! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted November 22, 2012 Author Share Posted November 22, 2012 I must admit that the kernow warship is a model I would like too. I have a small collection of western region hydraulics & if its anything like the 10000 it will be a beauty. Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted November 22, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 22, 2012 The great thing about Kernow - I do the majority of my loco/rolling stock business with them - is that they listen to what people say and are extraordinarily helpful. The Warship is available in 5 different liveries, I think. I've had D602 "Bulldog" on order since December 2010. Green, split headcode. It's a limited edition of 750 per livery, so I'd get your order in. hopefully they'll be out in 2013. Quite fancy a couple of 22s as well, but since I'm focussed on layout-building at the mo, that'll have to wait. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 Well Jeff I think I will give them a call if that's the case with the warships. I'm off work tomorrow so I'm replacing that troublesome deep motor & replacing it with a peco motor & switch. Should this fail & my small wheel base locos stale on the slip the layout is going to be moved time & era to 1980s Scotland because diesels don't have this problem on the points & I have some nice class 26's tucked away Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted December 2, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 2, 2012 Well Jeff I think I will give them a call if that's the case with the warships. I'm off work tomorrow so I'm replacing that troublesome deep motor & replacing it with a peco motor & switch. Should this fail & my small wheel base locos stale on the slip the layout is going to be moved time & era to 1980s Scotland because diesels don't have this problem on the points & I have some nice class 26's tucked away Simon Just spotted your blog entry Simon. Why don't you try a Cobalt motor? I know they aren't cheap but they do work very well! I saw your comment about the Waverley. If it helps, swop. Nothing worse than bl**dy annoying point motors!! As for the Warship, I'm tempted to order a second one. Justifications? Excellent model and I haven't bought a single loco this year! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 Having thought about the problems & my basic knowledge of wiring etc I think it is the built in switch on the deep causing all the headache. I've replaced all but 1 motor & I have that & a switch I think in the layout cupboard. I'm going to have a rummage tonight & get everything ready for the morning then I can replace that last motor & then test the ivatt Micky mouse on the points at slow speed. If that works on the slip trouble free in all directions I've cracked it. I ran a class 70 over the points but it is so big it's no affected by the bad switch but small wheelbase none articulated locos struggle. I shall report my findings tomorrow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted December 3, 2012 Author Share Posted December 3, 2012 Well i've spent the best part of a day testing the layout & trying to get the DCC system working. Having tried & tried & with no good results i had a break. My friend Alan rang this afternoon & after a chat he suggested trying DC power & see if that worked. It's paid off & the layout works brilliantly on DC power & my troublesome Ivatt 2mt managed to run perfectly on the double slip. It even came to a complete stand still on the slip & restarted without a failure which is a very welcomed sight. What i don't understand is why it works perfect on DC power but with Lenz Silver chips & a good DCC system the whole layout runs like a pig. I'm not going to battle on trying to get the DCC system working i am scrapping it & rewiring the layout for DC power. It's going to be a bit of a headache rewiring the layout & building a control panel but at least the layout will work & stay as i want it. Going to start designing the control panel & looking at hand held DC controllers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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