HSB Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Having decided to have a go at building my own points I have been able to tweak the plan slightly to make it better fit the space available. Not a lot of visual difference from the previous version but I am now thinking having the track disappear into a cutting rather than a tunnel. The jury is still out on the traverser but points would take up too much siding space. This morning I took delivery of my first two Lenz wagons so the momentum is building up! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddys-blues Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Hi Howard, I hope you don't mind I have laid both tracks plans side by side, and I have to say your final plan on the right definitely has more of a natural flow on the curve towards the traverser, I like it, just one thing I would possibly consider is to put the loco shed on the inner most line and have the siding running between the loco shed and the main line. And my opinion for what it's worth is I would definitely go with a traverser it would leave you with another 1' - 1.5' to have in the scenic section rather than to loose it to a set of points. With regards to your reply to my flippant comment about planning frustrations, I agree completely about keep planning and mulling it over & over, as I learnt in my Apprenticeship, mark and check one thousand times and cut once !!! Happy modelling Craig. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Bathurst Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Hi Howard Just found your layout topic and enjoyed reading it. I have just recently moved from 00 to 0 british outline and bought Heljan diesels and so far every loco ive bought have had problems with detail broken off and split gears on 1 of the brand new locos, which I find most annoying as they are not cheap to buy. Having been to Germany I also like german railways and seeing what's available from lenz at a price not far more than your Heljan loco you get far more for your money and the detail is of the highest qualities. Look foraward to seeing this layout progress. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) Hi Scott, Thanks for your comments. My change to German modelling has been partly spurred on by my disappointment at the accuracy and slow appearance of British RTR in 0. While I can't vouch for the accuracy of the Lenz and MBW models they certainly look right and have an amazing amount of fine detail on the underframes. Heljan seem to have gained a reputation for split nylon gears and, as you say, with Lenz you can get a superb model loco with DCC and sound for little more than a straight DC Heljan model. Edited April 3, 2015 by HSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cklammer Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Hello Howard, As long as one keeps track of all track plan versions so one may return to a previous iteration. The current plan is definitely an improvement over the previous version! Would you consider having a 5- or even 6-track traverser ... I mean the less weathered stock is touched, the better Best Regards, Christian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) Craig, I have tried putting the loco shed on the front siding but I feel it works better where it is with the industrial siding running along in front. Of course, the curve of the mainline is the same in both drawings (apart from adjusting the points slightly) - just the backscene has moved. I will probably continue that another foot to the start of the fiddleyard and bring the front of the scenery out a bit further. Christian, I certainly don't want to handle weathered stock but I anticipate quite short trains in one or two of the fiddleyard roads which will still leave room to store some spare rolling stock and I'm not planning on getting a huge amount of stock. In any case I won't be starting work on the layout for a couple of months or so so nothing is yet set in stone. Cheers All Edited February 2, 2015 by HSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 Here's a couple of pics of the two Lenz wagons which I collected from the local parcel office on Monday. They'll look even better when they've been weathered. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Hello Scott and everyone else who is following Howard's thread. I agree with your remarks regarding Heljan locos. One of mine (class 47) has a problem with gears but the rest seem to be OK so far. I have a couple of Lenz locos which come with full DCC and sound and they run superbly. I wish the range had come to my attention before I started on my Ramchester layout as I would probably have gone DB. I am however planning to construct a small DB layout using Lenz and MBW stock and with a bit of luck I should be able to make a start later this year, all being well. Incidentally Howard's photos of his wagons were taken on Ramchester - a layout that he has had a large input onto, especially with regards to the scenery and stock building and weathering. (see RMweb/7mm modelling/The Ramchester Chronicles) Rod 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 (edited) Today I received a couple more Lenz wagons which I have photographed standing on Ramchester:- I am also thinking about changing the name as I realised recently that brücken means bridges and should probably go on the end of the name as in Saarbrucken. After some thought I am now considering the name "Harbrücken". Edited March 6, 2015 by HSB 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cklammer Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Och, Howard, "Brückenheim" does sound just fine but "Harbrücken" is just fine, too. A quick check with Google Maps reveals no existing locations with those names. Tongue-In-Cheek: I still stand by my suggestion of "Hoppard" .............hat.............coat...............tripping over own feet..............door .................... Best Regards, Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 Thanks for your input, Christian. I think Brückenheim probably rolls off the tongue better so will probably stick with that. I will be visiting Boppard (but not Hoppard) again in a few months, hopefully not in the rain this time! I am doing the same coach trip I went on last year which will also take me to Rudesheim, Koblenz and Cochem. I found a nice model railway shop in Koblenz last time but unfortunately not much Spur Null (just a couple of Lenz locos in the window). When thinking up possible names for this (and Rod's proposed layout!) I have been checking them on Google Earth to see if anything comes up and eliminating those that actually exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cklammer Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Hi, Howard, when you are in Koblenz: try to get across the Rhine into the Ehrenbreitstein fortress - you can not beat the view from there. I still remember from when I was just a boy ... Best Regards, Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share Posted March 7, 2015 Is that the one the cable cars run to? If it is I gave it a miss last time because the weather was so lousy. I only expect to be in Koblenz for around 3 hours so I won't have time to stray too far from the coach park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cklammer Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Hello, Rod, No cable cars when I was there - it was a long time ago ... I was still a boy then ... mind But that cable car ride looks cool. But the ride should be very long the way it looks on their web site. But fair-weather-only strictly, I think. That is a problem with coach tours - no flexibility: "Der Fahrplan ist Gesetz!" Best Regards, Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 (edited) Hi Christian, The cable-car system looked fairly new and it was quite a long way across the river to the far terminus beside the castle. I actually took some pics but accidently deleted them later! A few people on the coach did go across despite the rain. By the way, Rod's the one with the beard! Edited March 9, 2015 by HSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cklammer Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Hallo Howard, Sorry for the late reply .. tired after a busy week ... just catching up on MoBa stuff. If you find the time, do go on the cable car ride ... the view over Deutsches Eck and Koblenz is well worth it. I remember the one time everywhere was flooded down there - the current had to be seen to be believed. Any news on the layout plans? Best Regards, Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 (edited) Hi Christian, I do plan to ride on the cable cars this year. Having done the tour last year I now know where we'll be going and what to expect so hopefully I can plan my time to see more of interest this time. No progress on the layout yet but I have downloaded a point template and hope to have a go at building it soon with Rod's help. He has had some experience at building points in the past while it is entirely new to me. At the moment we are both too busy rebuilding the front of the platform on Ramchester. Edited March 14, 2015 by HSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) I printed off the complete Templot template a couple of days ago - all 90 A4 sheets of it!!! I am slowly piecing this giant jig-saw together and I have also printed off some PECO templates for comparison. Although the PECO points have a shallower frog angle they are actually shorter than the Templot ones so I am now hoping I might be able to adapt the plan slightly to use them for the straight points and save myself a lot of time and effort. I will still need to build the curved points. Edited March 18, 2015 by HSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 I've got my 'jigsaw' more or less complete. It has gone very slightly awry in one or two places but I have now laid it on the floor where the layout will go and confirmed it will fit! Now I have a full-size plan I can play around with it a bit. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 I took receipt of two more vans today - these are from the Brawa range:- As a result of being able to see the trackplan laid out full size I have made a few minor adjustments. I was hoping to be able to use PECO for the straight points but at the moment it looks like only three would work. Marcway are another possibility but I would be happier if the switchblades were bonded to the adjacent stock rail and not used to carry current to the frog. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 My first DB loco arrived yesterday in the shape of a Lenz V100. I photographed it standing on Ramchester this afternoon. Unfortunately neither it nor Rod's identical model would respond to his ZTC controller! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 (edited) Hi Howard, A stupendous model, well done! I had one of these and it was 'iffy' on a Gaugemaster (MRC) Prodigy but if you get a Lenz (100) system, you should have full control and then you can play with full confidence and REALLY enjoy yourself! Cheers, John E. PS the horn on that is good but the horn on the V36 nearly gave my mate a heart attack! Edited April 3, 2015 by Allegheny1600 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 (edited) Thanks, John. I am seriously considering a Lenz controller although there is no great rush as the layout hasn't even been started yet. I'm rather temped by the experimental radio-controlled system Lenz were demonstrating at the Toy Fair where each loco has it's own individual hand-held controller and the track power can be DC or DCC but I don't know how far away it is from production. Edited April 3, 2015 by HSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 The device Lenz are developing is called a 'Lokschlüssel' and there is a little bit about it on their website:- http://www.digital-plus.de/insight.php#faq183 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 Two more wagons arrived from Germany yesterday, one Lenz and one Brawa, which I have photographed on Ramchester this afternoon. I thought I'd overtaken Rod but he sneakily brought out three Brawa wagons which he'd received today so now I have eight and he has ten German wagons! He took pictures of all five new wagons together which I think he is planning to put on the Ramchester thread but here are my two on their own:- 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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