Banbury in N scale - A great time at the Abingdon in March 2024

[roundhouse]

A full side shot of the weathered class 168/2.

 

The intermediate coach couplings have been replaced with Tomix ones that fit into the rapido box. There is a small spacer provided with the Tomix couplings which allows closer coupling. This set has made use of these and will go round 11.5 inch radius curves.

A number of 168/1 units have been successfuly tested at a few shows with these close couplings.so the rest will also be converted.

 

I am now experimenting with modifying these Tomix couplings to fit on the Farish Voyagers to replace the fidfly coupling bars but another method may well be used.

 

Ian

Edited March 28, 2013 by roundhouse

[Gordon D]

A full side shot of the weathered class 168/2.

 

The intermediate coach couplings have been replaced with Tomix ones that fit into the rapido box. There is a small spacer provided with the Tomix couplings which allows closer coupling.

Ian,

Which version of the Tomix couplings that fit into the rapido box did you use, the Scharfenberg 0381 or Knuckle 0391.

 

Thanks,

Gordon

[roundhouse]

Gordon

 

I used the Scharfenberg  0381  - a little bit harder to couple together when setting them up but there is very little slop between the coaches. I must admit that I did'nt realise that they did the knckle type when I bought them so not sure if there is a any slop in the knuckle ones.

 

Using the Scharfenberg (with the swing mechansim) on the cabs of the units does look good though.

 

The first unit I converted  with the Tomix spacer pieces that we ran at RISEX didnt like the curves but that was the foam I had used between the corridor connections. After removal of the foam it ran well.

 

ian

[roundhouse]

One thing I want to do is have the coach walkway connections actually touch.

As mentioned above I did try some very dark grey foam inserted into the moulded ends but this caused the unit to derail o the the fiddleyard curves.

At Marylebone today I got a shot of a 168. Didn't realise that these connections were black . So a repaint of the Farish moulded light grey ones is on the cards.

Edited March 29, 2013 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

Here is the photo. I couldn't upload using the default browser for some reason.

 

 

Edit.... Can't get the photo to rotate... Looks OK on the tablet before uploading

Edited March 29, 2013 by roundhouse

[cromptonnut]

What do you use for your touch screen monitors?  It's an idea I've had (I'm DCC and use JMRI, but in 7mm scale) and it may be something that is easier for me than trying to find space to use a mouse.

 

Presumably these just have some sort of USB connection to the computer and that's how the computer "knows" what you've touched?

[roundhouse]

The main one is an all in one touch screen we top that I bought a few years ago but has been used in the kitchen and till recently. I It came with Windows XP but recently I installed Windows 8 on it and only just managed to get the Loco buffer drivers to work.

The other one is an Acer W500 tablet but as it's only a 10 inch screen it's a bit small for our track plans. I am tempted to use another net top box at this end and use a larger monitor then fit a touch screen panel over it although USA connection touch screens are getting a lot cheaper these days.

Ian

[roundhouse]

A bresk from modelling for a while now. A few shots taken at Banbury today with the FGW services reversing here due to the closure of Reading station this Easter weekend

[roundhouse]

A few more shots fromvthis morning including A class 67

[GWRPhil]

some good shots @ banbury. especially with the fgw hsts

[big jim]

i was hoping to get a few shot of the FGW diversions this evening while i was sat in gerrards cross turnback but unfortunatly thanks to me nearly hitting a couple of teenagers walking in the 4ft with their backs to me i got relieved of my duties and ended up going home instead of continuing with my job

 

saw a few HSTs between banbury and ruislip which made a nice change from the usual chiltern units (and the GBRf and harry needle 20s on ruislip depot)

[roundhouse]

Not good Jim but at least you didn't hit them for your sake (aswell as others that would have to deal with it) as they obviously shouldn't have been there.

 

Saw the 20s as we went past Ruislip this morning.

 

Ian

Edited March 29, 2013 by roundhouse

[St. Simon]

Here is the photo. I couldn't upload using the default browser for some reason.

 

 

Edit.... Can't get the photo to rotate... Looks OK on the tablet before uploading20130329_075059-1910371143.jpg

 

Hi,

 

The Gangways are actually Grey, but the weathering on them makes them black, see this photos of me at Aylesbury doing a gangway check on Class 168 No. 168110

 

 

The Black you can see at the bottom is down to weathering from the track and coupling.

 

Hope this helps

 

Simon

Edited March 29, 2013 by St. Simon

[roundhouse]

Simon

 

thanks for that.

 

I thought they might have been grey originally.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

A few shots of theproposed car park plans displayed in the ticket hall. Not brilliant ones as they were behind glass.

No plans to modify the layout though!

[Mike 84C]

Excellent, depicts Banbury brilliantly I worked at the mpd in the 60"s and its amazing how little details have not changed but the landscape beyond the boundary fence is unrecognisable. Keep up the good work.

 Regards Mike

[roundhouse]

Excellent, depicts Banbury brilliantly I worked at the mpd in the 60"s and its amazing how little details have not changed but the landscape beyond the boundary fence is unrecognisable. Keep up the good work.

Regards Mike

Mike

 

Thanks for your comments. At least the foundations of the mpd are still just about visible. It surprises me that it hasn't been built on yet.

 

Still plenty more details to add as time permits.

Ian

Edited April 10, 2013 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

Today I decided to finish fitting a Tomix coupler to a farish Voyager cab so that I can run them in multiple.

 

Once the first proved successful I then did a few more cabs. Below arw some pgotos of how I did it.

 

First off the two cab side skirts are uncliped.

 

Next he coupler and horn bracket is unclipped from the chassis by gently squezing it either side.

 

The back of this bracket is filed out as the Tomix mechanism will project behind this.

 

The Tomix coupler is a 0336 coupling bought in packs of 5 from ModelBahn Union.

 

The sides need to be filed down quite drastically to fit in the Farish coupler housing, so much so that they will fall apart as the holding clips are filed off. A small amount of canopy glue is used to hold them together when fitting. Need to be careful that the coupler assembly isnt filed down too much to affect the mechanism inside. A little bit of filing on the front corners of the Tomix mechanism is required for it to sit between the Farish air dam and the front of the cab. File just a tiny bit at a time and test fit.

 

The coupler is then carefully fixed into place on the chassis with a small amount of canopy glue then the Farish coupler box is fitted around the Tomix coupler and clipped back into the chassis.

 

Finally the cab side skirts a push fitted back into place.

 

And lastly two units coupled together. With the Tomix xoupling mechanism, these will go round fairly tight curves as theres no buffers in the way on the Voyagers.

[Gordon D]

Ian,

Looks good, will have to have a closer look at RAILEX.

 

Gordon

[Robert Shrives]

Hi  These tomix couplers available on 153/156 spares pages at Dapol as well , I have fitted 170 with one to run with 153 in  London Midland livery, happily runs on 10" curves on Wareley club Broadwater junction layout.

Love layout pics good but in the flesh even better.  

Robert Shrives

[roundhouse]

Robert

 

Thanks for the comment.

 

I have used the Dapol ones own my Chiltern 168's however the ones I am using are slightly different boxes but are quite a bit cheaper than the Dapol stocked ones especially if you buy a number of packs to spread the postage cost.

 

I am hoping to fit these to the inner ends of the Voyagers at some point. This will make it much easier coupling than the Farish method but plenty of other things to do on the stock first.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

Ian,

Looks good, will have to have a closer look at RAILEX.

 

Gordon

Gordon

 

I haven't tried coupling them up to the Dapol Voyager yet but I doubt I will multiple the different types. The coupler can only go at one hieght on the Farish ones without a more major alteration.

 

I have also been fitting the rapido style Tomix couplers to more of the intermediate connections on the Chiltern 168's with the close coupling spacer fitted now that the few previously fitted have worked well at two shows..

 

Four 168/1's now have one end fitted with a Tomix coupler to allow multiple working.

 

Hoping ot get lights fitted to the 168/2 before RAILEX.

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

No new work to report on to the layout its self but extra stock trays are under construction with one now complete to take the preserved Blue Pullman, the Riviera trains blood and custard charter set and the FGW HST for the Reading diversions.

 

On the behind the scenes, the old all in one touch screen PC used at one end to display the JMRI  track plan proved its worth at Ally Pally so another one has now been purchased second hand for the other end of the layout.

These Asus Eeetops were £400 new so the 2nd hand one bought at £150 is considerably cheaper than buying new Windows 8 all in one PC's although they are more bulky than the newer ones. 

 

To make it easier to identify between the two PC's I am going ot name them FENNY COMPTON for the North end and AYNHO JUNCTION for the South end of the layout although the names will have to change to GOLETA and CARPINTERIA when in use on Santa Barbara!!

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

The all in one Pc has arrived. its in as new condition so for the £150  spent on ebay this has been a good bargain. 

 

Its now been set up with the Locobuffer drivers with JMRI now loaded and working.

 

In the next few days I hope to set up the fiddleyard and get the sensore on the stationary decoders working so that JMRI can see whihc way the turnouts are physically set. This will actually be am uch bigger benefit when the fiddleyard is used with Santa Barbara whihc will be out before banburys next show.

 

The last of the sotck trays has now been completed, so any more sotck will require a new box and more trays.

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

A general shot of the layout taken at Ally Pally last month.

 

The first all in one touch screen is just visible at the other end of the layout.

 

In the foreground, you can see the raised base for the other PC and the hole next to the base for the power leads etc to pass through from underneath. We did have a smaller touch screen in use this end later on the Saturday but it really is just too small for touch screen use hence the one recently puchased will sit this end.

 

The can of Coke and maltesers didnt last long sitting there (Mike had brought us all a maltesers Easter Egg so  was not donig our diet much good along with the real ale bar nearby)!!

 

Eventually I will  have small flip down shelves fitted to the legs under the layout so we can keep cans and food out of sight.

 

Ian

Edited April 26, 2013 by roundhouse