BEIJIAO - a large Chinese HO exhibition layout set in the 21st century

[Al.]

新年快乐

[Al.]

[steveNCB7754]

On 20/01/2023 at 08:31, TEAMYAKIMA said:

 

Or maybe like this .....

 

 

 

Jiamusi shed in 1996 from memory.

 

This could just be the result of a terrible accident at a rural level crossing!  🙀

 

Steve N

 

 

[luke_stevens]

11 hours ago, steveNCB7754 said:

This could just be the result of a terrible accident at a rural level crossing!  🙀

 

Steve N

 

 

 

Usually with Beijiao, if it goes wrong the QJ takes out the tour bus... 🤣

 

L

[TEAMYAKIMA]

The nice thing about this XK2 is that it has air pumps on both sides of the smokebox i.e. it's interesting looking at it from both sides......

 

                                                 

 

 

 

My XK2 is based on the Rivarossi HO model of the USA 0-6-0t which was made in several versions (as seen in various European countries after WW2) but none had two air pumps.

 

Mine was based on the Italian version and the air pump is really on the wrong side, assuming that the loco climbs the 1/30 gradient (left to right) smokebox first as all my tender locos do. However, having done some research on RMweb, I think I have enough 'evidence' to justify running it up the grade bunker first which shows visitors the more detailed/interesting side. It now has red buffer beams and white tyres, but it's not lettered or weathered yet, but I think we're getting there and the sound is great! Conversion by Peter Morgan.

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2023 by TEAMYAKIMA

[TEAMYAKIMA]

One of the issues I've recently noticed is the fading of some/many of the shop signs. They were originally printed on ordinary paper and I have started replacing the worst ones with new versions printed on proper 'photo-paper'.

 

[Vecchio]

Its not only the paper, also the ink which may fade. Is there any UV light (sunlight) in the shed where you store it? I have put blinds on all shed windows - not for privacy but for less fading layout colours. 

 

Regards Vecchio

[TEAMYAKIMA]

5 minutes ago, Vecchio said:

Its not only the paper, also the ink which may fade. Is there any UV light (sunlight) in the shed where you store it? I have put blinds on all shed windows - not for privacy but for less fading layout colours. 

[TEAMYAKIMA]

6 minutes ago, Vecchio said:

Its not only the paper, also the ink which may fade. Is there any UV light (sunlight) in the shed where you store it? I have put blinds on all shed windows - not for privacy but for less fading layout colours.

 

Yes and no. For the long term storage of boards in my garage  - no.

 

In the short term, when I'm working on boards in my shed - yes maybe for a few days.

 

But a good point to be considered.

[simonmcp]

You can get UV varnish from Windsor and Newton which might help slow down the process.

[TEAMYAKIMA]

When I first designed this layout I imagined all kinds of subtle moves in the fiddle yards - changing locos, trains coming in in one direction and leaving in the other etc. - none of which has EVER happened!!

 

Mainly because my operating team has had enough on their plates just keeping the basic moves going, without doing 'fancy stuff'. So, I have long ago given up on these more complex moves. Obviously, my original plan involved loads of extra (unused) headshunts and spare sidings with appropriate pointwork (and point motors).

 

Obviously (again!) unused/unnecessary pointwork is always a potential 'problem' - more things fall off on points than on plain track! Also, I am a great believer in 'waste not, want not' and so yesterday I decided to remove four completely superfluous PECO small radius points which have never been used at an exhibition. It's a double bonus - less chance of derailments and some potential money from ebay! 😀

 

Before .........................

 

 

Half way there..........................

 

[TEAMYAKIMA]

I must admit to being a bit neurotic about my 'failures' - in the sense that I don't mind facing up to my failures, but I would rather not be reminded of them constantly.

 

So, in that context, removing those points (which NEVER got used) is an admission of 'failure' and so in my mind I have to hide the fact that they ever existed .....................

 

 

Points? What points? You must be mistaken, there were never any point 'ere mate. 😉

Edited February 3, 2023 by TEAMYAKIMA

[Enterprisingwestern]

12 minutes ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

I must admit to being a bit neurotic about my 'failures' - in the sense that I don't mind facing up to my failures, but I would rather not be reminded of them constantly.

 

So, in that context, removing those points (which NEVER got used) is an admission of 'failure' and so in my mind I have to hide the fact that they ever existed .....................

 

 

Points? What points? You must be mistaken, there were never any point 'ere mate. 

 

Learning experience not failure!

 

Mike.

[TEAMYAKIMA]

Now that I've given up work again (not retired!!) and I've completed my tax return, I've had time to address certain 'issues' which have been on the back-burner for years.

 

One of those is repairing all the damage done to my highly detailed and highly fragile locos. TBH I have been disappointed/shocked at the state of some of my locos. Most of this damage is the result of mishandling and the constant packing and unpacking which happens with an exhibition layout as opposed to a home layout where locos don't get so much handling.

 

This is a VERY minor example, but annoying anyway. I have five JS class 2-8-2's and they each have two handrails at the front end to cater for the steps leading up from the pilot and so 10 handrails in total. Of those 10, 9 were out of position. In this photo of 8380, the one on the right was correctly on the 'inside' of the steps and located correctly in the hole in buffer beam, whereas the one on the left actually blocks the use of steps and you can see the hole it is supposed to be clipped into.

 

 

All nine 'faulty' handrails are now securely superglued into the correct positions, but this was just the beginning. This 'project' has been incredibly time-consuming and I have spent virtually two whole days 'repairing' damaged locos - and that's just the industrial locos, I haven't moved onto the China Rail ones yet!

[F-UnitMad]

6 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

This is a VERY minor example, but annoying anyway. I have five JS class 2-8-2's and they each have two handrails at the front end to cater for the steps leading up from the pilot and so 10 handrails in total. Of those 10, 9 were out of position. In this photo of 8380, the one on the right was correctly on the 'inside' of the steps and located correctly in the hole in buffer beam, whereas the one on the left actually blocks the use of steps and you can see the hole it is supposed to be clipped into.

 

 

Looks like your Kadee's centering spring is u/s, too. 😉🤦‍♂️

[Al.]

7 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

 

 

Points? What points? You must be mistaken, there were never any point 'ere mate. 😉

 

 

Is there a whiff of 1984 in the air... 

[TEAMYAKIMA]

I've just spent a third day gluing bits back onto locos. Ok, not a full day, but over half. I admit that I am a slow worker but this is insane. One QJ needed five separate parts to be glued back!

 

Here is a photo of a small selection of bits in my parts box.....

 

 

And then there are parts which are not broken off, just  simply broken 

 

 

 

 

[luke_stevens]

 

1 hour ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

 

Do not be too harsh on your locos: they have a hard life. Most models will spend their lives living in boxes or occasionally pootling around a home layout. Yours spend most of their time resting but then have days when they are absolutely thrashed. Whilst they may be carefully unpacked, they will get knocked into, derailed & re-railed and then promptly put away at the end of an exhibitions by operators who have also been absolutely thrashed! 

 

From the trimmed pic above I think the left foot board is still missing and that there are a couple of vertical stanchions missing from the corners of the buffer beam. At least the holes are there for replacement to be fitted.

 

But that raises the question of how much "fragile" detail should a working exhibition loco actually have. Most of these thing will not be seen by the punters (or operators) when the loco speed past with its train at a distance of over a meter...

 

Luke

Edited February 4, 2023 by luke_stevens

[luke_stevens]

29 minutes ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

<snip> a sight familiar to those of us who encountered China Rail jobsworths

 

 

 

Can we get them in other nationalities too? :) :) :)

 

Luke

[peach james]

On 09/02/2023 at 11:27, luke_stevens said:

 

Can we get them in other nationalities too? :) :) :)

 

Luke

The Jobswoths or the Foamers ??

 

[luke_stevens]

5 hours ago, peach james said:

The Jobswoths or the Foamers ??

 

 

Well Jobsworths are everywhere and of all nationalities. Enthusiastic are less widly spread but are often thousand of miles away from their "native" land...

 

Luke

[TEAMYAKIMA]

The BIG news today is that I have discovered a worldwide Facebook group for Chinese model railway builders/collectors.

 

I has been started and run by the Godfather of Chinese Modelling - Peter Haworth in Australia. I strongly advise anyone interested in Chinese modelling to join and support Peter's efforts.

 

Just go onto Facebook and search for CHINESE MODEL TRAINS.

 

 

[luke_stevens]

4 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

The BIG news today is that I have discovered a worldwide Facebook group for Chinese model railway builders/collectors.

 

I has been started and run by the Godfather of Chinese Modelling - Peter Haworth in Australia. I strongly advise anyone interested in Chinese modelling to join and support Peter's efforts.

 

Just go onto Facebook and search for CHINESE MODEL TRAINS.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/703117473702681

 

[TEAMYAKIMA]

For some school children it's time for a field trip and as they're nice middle class girls they will try to avoid getting too close to those dirty working class types waiting on the street corner.

 

[TEAMYAKIMA]

I have managed to set up three scenic boards temporarily in my shed and yesterday I was trying to sort out three or four relatively minor issues which can only be addressed when the scenic boards are set up.

 

Trying to do three or four things at once is very stressful and confusing and I put a huge amount of effort in with very little to show for it at the end of the day, but luckily I have this morning found a training video which should help me enormously when trying to do three or four things at once in the future.