Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted August 18, 2020 Author Share Posted August 18, 2020 Since you've been nice boys and said nice things, here's a sneak preview of The Big Terminus. Five platforms, parcels and milk dock, engine service roads and a turntable... once I've filled The Gap... 9 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted August 26, 2020 Author Share Posted August 26, 2020 Intermittent progress, as I am back 'at work' now. Also, the sheer size of the rebuild took me by surprise. It's one thing to plan it, quite another to translate it into timber, sawing, screws, yards of Peco track and so on St Enodoc asked about the name - in its Last Days of Southern Steam mode I was tempted by Mansion House, as the putative extension of the LSWR main line into the City of London. It's already been fantastically well done by Stephen Grant though, so I'm a bit stuck on that score. Anyway, more bodging underway. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted August 26, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 26, 2020 One thing I’ve recently discovered which saves a lot of brain racking, is to give your layout a saints name, and London has plenty of churches to settle on. Saint Fritters Without? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 4 hours ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said: It's one thing to plan it, quite another to translate it into timber, sawing, screws, yards of Peco track and so on Tell me about it! Continued power to your elbow irrespective - five platform terminus sounds decent enough 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted August 26, 2020 Author Share Posted August 26, 2020 Had a jolly old test run again today. 077 did the honours with a Cravens Set. I was also going to test a Mk1 rake but for some reason in the past I have removed the close coupling cams...I have no idea why, nor can I find them. Flipping idiot. Here's an overview. Lots to do on the yard... 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted August 26, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 26, 2020 Doc Does your train set know where it is? The thread is under US and Canadian railroads, you want a London name for it but you run Irish locos and stock? I bet the poor thing is as confused as me. 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted August 26, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 26, 2020 (edited) Hi Doc Here is my suggestion for a name for a LSWR City of London station. The line to it would come off a junction north of Vauxhall, heading in a northeasterly direction under the eastern end of Waterloo East. It would then head northwards as to cross the river east of Temple Gardens where the station would be with its front on Tudor Street, facing Bouverie Street and Temple Lane. It could of course travel a tad further north to Fleet Street. Edited August 26, 2020 by Clive Mortimore 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 (edited) 51 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said: Doc Does your train set know where it is? The thread is under US and Canadian railroads, you want a London name for it but you run Irish locos and stock? I bet the poor thing is as confused as me. I believe it still uses Code 83 'American' track. Edit - and American-built locomotives.... Edited August 26, 2020 by F-UnitMad 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted August 26, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 26, 2020 1 minute ago, F-UnitMad said: I believe it still uses Code 83 'American' track. Which the correct size for 00 fat bottom track, just the sleepers are too close. Thing is once painted and ballasted with trains moving over it who looks at the track apart from those who have a track fetish (which is OK to have). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 1 minute ago, Clive Mortimore said: Which the correct size for 00 fat bottom track You've got Americans on the brain, haven't you??!! 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted August 26, 2020 Author Share Posted August 26, 2020 (edited) It's supposed to be a generic enough train set to support different modes according to my mood. So Irish when I fancy a bit of Big GM action and London when I have the Bulleid urge.... Even I may draw the line at Big GMs and Bulleids at the same time. But never say never, there is a connection after all! Thanks for indulging my nonsense chaps. I see some of the other threads descend into handbags at dawn as folk fall out over arcane historical notions and fancies. Me, I'm just trying to rediscover the joy toy trains brought me when I was 10... Edited August 26, 2020 by Dr Gerbil-Fritters Typing on phone is still stupid 1 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted August 26, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 26, 2020 (edited) 24 minutes ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said: It's supposed to be a generic enough train set to support different modes according to my mood. So Irish when I fancy a bit of Big GM action and London when I have the Bulleid urge.... Even I may draw the line at Big GMs and Bulleids at the same time. But never say never, there is a connection after all! Thanks for indulging my nonsense chaps. I see some of the other threads descend into handbags at dawn as folk fall out over arcane historical notions and fancies. Me, I'm just trying to rediscover the joy toy trains brought me when I was 10... As Joe Strummer sings at the end of White Man in Hammersmith Palais "I'm only looking for fun, F U N" Edited August 26, 2020 by Clive Mortimore 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted August 28, 2020 Share Posted August 28, 2020 Looking good - you might just have one damn fine trainset on your hands there ... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted August 28, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 28, 2020 On 27/08/2020 at 06:13, Clive Mortimore said: Hi Doc Here is my suggestion for a name for a LSWR City of London station. The line to it would come off a junction north of Vauxhall, heading in a northeasterly direction under the eastern end of Waterloo East. It would then head northwards as to cross the river east of Temple Gardens where the station would be with its front on Tudor Street, facing Bouverie Street and Temple Lane. It could of course travel a tad further north to Fleet Street. Very close to the old Temple Bar. There's a Temple Bar area in Dublin too, I understand, and Wikipedia says there's one somewhere in Arizona near the Nevada state line as well, so Temple Bar would make a nice interchangeable station name... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacathedrale Posted August 28, 2020 Share Posted August 28, 2020 (edited) Ah, Mr. P - I see the context in your PM earlier about the SR terminus. I'm still working on that kind of thing myself, albeit slightly differently... You are entirely to blame, what with your 'having fun' and 'playing trains' attitude this just won't stand. Lovely, lovely progress - the last aerial shot showing the loops just looks FANTASTIC. Edited August 28, 2020 by Lacathedrale 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted August 29, 2020 Share Posted August 29, 2020 On 28/08/2020 at 08:53, Lacathedrale said: You are entirely to blame, what with your 'having fun' and 'playing trains' attitude this just won't stand. I know!! What happened to standards??!! I bet he's stopped wearing his black tie & tails whilst operating as well.... 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted August 29, 2020 Author Share Posted August 29, 2020 Standards took a nose dive this afternoon as I spent (wasted) the best part of 40 minutes failing to fit the brake pull rods and front ladder things to my Jarvis pacific. Unpleasant language and just managed to prevent myself from launching the effing lot across the shed. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted August 31, 2020 Author Share Posted August 31, 2020 I spent most of the day completing the platform roads and the wiring, so now trains can enter and leave on all roads... very satisfying. I'm three turnouts short of finishing the small yard though I did make a start on the trackbed. I also had a bit of a fiddle about with 603 Squadron in order to determine the DCC chip location. Dear me what a faff. Anyway, having managed to get at the socket, I now need an ESU 8 pin chip for it. I don't think I can handle dcc sound on a steamer just yet. I've never heard any that sounded halfway decent. 8 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacathedrale Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 That looks absolutely amazing, bravo! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted September 4, 2020 Author Share Posted September 4, 2020 I am back 'at work' now, so there is less intense activity on the Big Rebuild currently - certainly all the spectacular stuff is now concluded. Next projects are; complete the yard tracks, install the turntable (I've been mucking about with a 40 year old Dapol kit, as there is insufficient clearance over the underground loops for a Peco well type to be installed) install a mechanical lever frame for the terminus approach turnouts, install electric point motors for the return loop/branch line Junction, fit a DCC chip to 603 Squadron and kadee a growing fleet of green coaches. This will be digitally controlled, in other words pushed around with a finger. I need to work out how to power the rails though - another Digitrax AR1 should take care of the 'polarity change' (I know DCC is AC and so doesn't really have polarity as such...) It's all coming together nicely though, super pleased it's been worth the effort. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted September 4, 2020 Author Share Posted September 4, 2020 Just because I could, I had five EMDs churning away at the terminus this afternoon.... what a racket! I also got some uncoupling magnets but no luck at all getting them to work, the KDs are all over the place height wise and getting caught up in the corridor connecters and buffing plates. Some considerable fettling is called for. 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted September 5, 2020 Author Share Posted September 5, 2020 Excuse the tender, the body is separated from the chassis while awaiting a decoder. Question is, which one us the best for this model? Just a plain 8 pin, no need for a sound one at this stage. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 (edited) An 8 pin Zimo MX600R did the job and so 34077 made several trips round the layout. On each trip more of the dangly detail bits were removed until the front bogie finally stopped derailing. Shame really, but my minimum curves are 30" and so off came the details... well, my Wrenn Barnstaple didn't have any so not really much of a loss. From my operating position I can scarcely see what it is never mind tiny bits attached to the buffer beam. I'm awaiting a couple of turnouts and a leverframe so I can move on with the project. Edited September 11, 2020 by Dr Gerbil-Fritters 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 Looking good Houston. Works well in Southern steam mode. Liking the sound of the lever frame - commercial item? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted September 12, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 12, 2020 4 hours ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said: On each trip more of the dangly detail bits were removed until the front bogie finally stopped derailing. Shame really, but my minimum curves are 30" and so off came the details... well, my Wrenn Barnstaple didn't have any so not really much of a loss. That's interesting. I have the same minimum radius and I don't have a problem with cosmetic couplings, pipes and so on. Is the NEM pocket actually the problem? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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