A Day at the Races - BRWR 4mm Dcc sound

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It was a few years agao I tried 4mm rtr Uk stean sounds. It was Ok, but not as much fun as Diesel sounds at the time. When I say fun, I meant not as enjoyable as diesel sounds were to use. Steam was just not quite "right" to my ear and not as interesting to use in a 6 hour exhibition

I remember a lot of what just seemed like speaker "Hiss" at the time, very annoying to have a loco in steam sound parked up near you in a show!

Things move on of course and last year i purchased on the strenth of good old Utube a digitrains std4 steam sound chip, this a Zimo chip.

 

Needless to say its superb, by far the best steam sound I have heard and the "play" factor is superb.

So, as a new small exhibition layout was planned for this year it now has to be steam, probably all Zimo chipped? Saying that I do have a number of spare Esu sound chips so perhaps one or two may be used for that. I will say SWD Ivat chip was quite good even back then.

 

New layout has been designed to be a 1 or 2 man operation, small enough for single car transportation and of course interesting for the operator to use.

Hopefully those watching from the other side will also find it of interest for a few minutes in a show enviroment

 

Boards thus are 6mm ply, 18 inch x 4ft, two boards plus a fiddle yard. Not atcually done the fiddle yard as yet but something fairly basic about 3-4ft in leght? Legs will probably be the fold under type, piggy backed in the mddle. Light and simple to put up and down of course

 

As usuall I wanted something a bit different.

 

I Did not want much frieght which is perhaps a bit odd as the main reason for me going into steam again, apart from the excellent Digitrains steam sound chips was the Hornby 72xx. Always thaught this is one of the best looking steam locos, such a powerfull looking loco. Now its available in 00 from Hornby I could not resist.

 

Thinking along "something different" lines I wanted to model a small section of a pigeon special. The idea being a couple of pigeon coaches arrive at a small branch line station (terminus) and are then joined by a third coach to form a 3 coach portion of a larger Pigeon special that will eventually join the main train at some (off board) main line station and off to the "Races", for the day! 

 

Next up I spotted the excellent TMC Mk1 horsebox. This together with the recent Hornby Horsebox of course led to a further expanding of the "Race" theme in that Horses also go fast so a Horse box special could also be incorperated to the running order.

 

So now we have Pigeons and Horse off for "A Day at the Races" 

 

That is to be the layouts main theme as apposed to passenger branch line "people" trains. Of course we have passengers using the station so single coach BRWR and BRSR trains arrive in the schedule. 

Having picked up an Oakdale Brewery building (Bachman) cheap I wanted to include this as the "Freight" operation of the line. However i have decideded not use the building as a brewery but to semi convert to a small dairy, so some milk tanks will be seen on the single coach passenger trains at times.

 

Sounds rather complicated for a small branch line, now I am writtting it and indeed the intitial train roster for the day is comlpex at I think some 30 + moves. So that may in the next week be scaled down a touch once full test runs have been done? It is however for me important as an operator not to be repeating the same moves time and time again in a show 

 

Tracks have been pinned down for a few weeks with occasional hand of god locos running the stock in and out while planning the roster. I think its pretty close to what as said will make a varied and interesting set of moves for the operator and thus hopefully for those who one day may get to see it in operation?

 

 

Its now time to get the track pinned and cut to size and powered up for a real test, though currently I only have one loco in DCC sound mode and one other with a dcc chip so hand of god will still be used to test, which is fine as long as its not needed at the shows.

 

Stock

 

Gone for a mid 1950's era layout so mainly early BR crest + Blood & custard coaches, just love that look

 

Std 3 (BRSR), 22xx, 45xx, 56 xx 72 xx

 

Mk1 Horsebox (Green) + Mk 1 Horsebox Maroon + WR Horsebox

 

Milk tanks x 3

 

Syphon G + Hawksworth full brake + 50ft Ex LMS brake

 

Collet Compasite coach

Mk1 Bck (Green)

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track down and a quick wire up resulted in a bit of a test run last night. All went much to plan and quite enjoyable the schedule seems?

A couple of points dodgy (all re-used) so will look at replacing those if the rails are knackered then its wire up and scenery next.

 

Whilst going through Diesel stuff that has to be sold on to raise funds for 4 x steam sound chips!

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Sorry for poor quality pics, these are off my phone.


Station board tack








Horse/ Cattle  road, Dairy and station from public view, least when finished








Horse road from operator view







72 xx with pigeon van waiting for station to be bult!







Tunnel board Track









72xx with horsebox special climing the incline out of station, while the plaster dries!