Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[St Enodoc]

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I really need (!) one more 4-6-0, so an order for a Hornby Llanvair Grange looks increasingly likely, possibly as a birthday present to myself...

Now on order from Cornwall, together with yet another brake van (you can't have too many brake vans).

 

The new 6825 "Llanvair Grange", with 3000 gallon tender, will retain its name and number. The existing 6825, with 4000 gallon tender, will become 6824 "Ashley Grange". Plates are on order from Leicestershire. I've also ordered a new set of plates for D601 "Ark Royal", as the consensus is that the factory-fitted ones are a bit on the small side.

[TrevorP1]

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Now on order from Cornwall, together with yet another brake van (you can't have too many brake vans).

 

The new 6825 "Llanvair Grange", with 3000 gallon tender, will retain its name and number. The existing 6825, with 4000 gallon tender, will become 6824 "Ashley Grange". Plates are on order from Leicestershire. I've also ordered a new set of plates for D601 "Ark Royal", as the consensus is that the factory-fitted ones are a bit on the small side.

 

I'll be interested to see how the new plates for D601 compare. I've just got two sets of numbers from Railtec for D601 and D600. My 'other D601' is going to become D600  and I thought it best to have the numbers the same size. 

 

Railtec have now got to be the 'go to' place for items like this. I ordered the two Warships plus D6321 on their 'choose your own number' system.  £2:00 per set of 5 numbers - 1 spare per loco - and they arrived within 4 days with a progress  email at each stage of the process.

[St Enodoc]

8 hours ago, TrevorP1 said:

 

I'll be interested to see how the new plates for D601 compare. I've just got two sets of numbers from Railtec for D601 and D600. My 'other D601' is going to become D600  and I thought it best to have the numbers the same size. 

 

Railtec have now got to be the 'go to' place for items like this. I ordered the two Warships plus D6321 on their 'choose your own number' system.  £2:00 per set of 5 numbers - 1 spare per loco - and they arrived within 4 days with a progress  email at each stage of the process.

Trevor, I'm only replacing the nameplates at this stage although as you'll recall from earlier posts the numbers on D601 don't match those on my other diesel locos. If I find, eventually, that I can't live with them I'll certainly consider Railtec for replacements.

[St Enodoc]

On 02/06/2019 at 21:45, St Enodoc said:

Now on order from Cornwall, together with yet another brake van (you can't have too many brake vans).

 

The new 6825 "Llanvair Grange", with 3000 gallon tender, will retain its name and number. The existing 6825, with 4000 gallon tender, will become 6824 "Ashley Grange". Plates are on order from Leicestershire. I've also ordered a new set of plates for D601 "Ark Royal", as the consensus is that the factory-fitted ones are a bit on the small side.

I've had a little play with the sequence, reallocated about half-a-dozen trains to 6824 and shuffled a couple of other locos (for example to keep the Star on the main line, not the branch), which should let the whole thing "breathe" a little more. I'll stop at that until we have a chance to try it out for real.

[Sharky]

On 02/06/2019 at 21:45, St Enodoc said:

You can't have too many brake vans.

You might regret that statement if you end up working at 'Port Rogers' and half the goods trains turn up with two brake vans on them... 

[Stubby47]

16 minutes ago, Sharky said:

You might regret that statement if you end up working at 'Port Rogers' and half the goods trains turn up with two brake vans on them... 

 

Train spotters' Special ?

[Clive Mortimore]

51 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

 

Train spotters' Special ?

Most are.

[The Johnster]

An ex girl friend who was a good way along the Asperger's spectrum (and don't forget it's a spectrum, and we are all some way along it to some extent) explained it as being the desire to be part of an ordered, predictable, safe world where everything happens by timetable and you can predict from your platform end where the next train is going to come from, where it will go and what it will look like.  Her thing was bridges, the only woman I ever met who understood the difference between a fixed point cable stay bridge and a multi point cable stay bridge.  Autistic people are not good at dealing with unpredictables such as social situations, sports/games, or crowds.

 

So, a 'normal' train spotter is delighted when an unexpected train turns up and he 'cops' it, but an Aspie one is horrified...

[St Enodoc]

13 hours ago, Sharky said:

You might regret that statement if you end up working at 'Port Rogers' and half the goods trains turn up with two brake vans on them... 

I'd just send 'em all to you...

[Barry O]

yes, seen that before!!

[St Enodoc]

Hayley at Kernow Model Railway Centre kindly reminded us that today is World Gin Day.

 

Where to start?

Edited July 18, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[TrevorP1]

27 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Hayley at Kernow Model Railway Centre kindly reminded us that today is World Gin Day.

 

Where to start?

 

I think we'll celebrate tonight with a G&T whilst watching an episode of Doc Martin...

[Oldddudders]

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Hayley at Kernow Model Railway Centre kindly reminded us that today is World Gin Day.

Sherry's cousin will be pleased. As well as being mother, grandmother and nurse, she is also ordained. Her bishop is well aware of her liking for the stuff.......

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

Sherry's cousin will be pleased. As well as being mother, grandmother and nurse, she is also ordained. Her bishop is well aware of her liking for the stuff.......

More tea, vicar?

[Barry O]

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Hayley at Kernow Model Railway Centre kindly reminded us that today is World Gin Day.

 

Where to start?

Left to right or right to left? Or a nip of each in a tumbler?

[St Enodoc]

14 hours ago, Barry O said:

Left to right or right to left? Or a nip of each in a tumbler?

Veronica had a Botanist and I had a Bombay Sapphire followed by a Botanist. We find the Citadelle a little bland and the Four Pillars has too many spices in it - especially ginger (as with many things, less is more). If all else fails, the Tanqueray will always hit the spot. All, of course, with genuine Schhhhh... you know who.

 

Cheers!

[Barry O]

Tanqueray?. Part of youngest Herbert's sale portfolio....

Chin, chin

Baz

[St Enodoc]

I spent a few hours at the Epping MRS show earlier today. With over 80 stands, of which nearly 30 were layouts, there was plenty to see and lots of folk to have a yarn with. Many of the layouts were old favourites but of the newer ones I particularly enjoyed Maryborough from the AMRA Victorian branch (I've got to say that because two mates were in the operating team), representing the Victorian junction with its magnificent station building in H0; Stockinbingal in H0, which had a lovely hand-painted backscene that was very restrained but completely convincing; Blue Mountains in H0 from my own club, the North Shore Railway Modellers' Association; Fingal, a totally scratchbuilt Tasmanian station in 0014 (4mm scale representing 3ft 6in gauge) by another friend Simon Handby from the Apple Isle itself.

 

I missed out on the second-hand stall where most of the cherries would have been picked yesterday but I did buy some useful bits and pieces, including some NSWGR coach transfers. Why? Because they are just the right size and style to name the Pentowan Lifeboat in due course. I also bought a couple of second-hand books including Mitchell & Smith's Wenford Bridge to Fowey, which for some reason wasn't on my shelves before.

 

A very enjoyable day. If you're in the area and haven't been yet it's still open on Monday so I recommend a visit.

[Barry O]

Just been reading the latest update on the AFK railway on RMWeb. The use of a "schedule" plus dice to change/add schedule changes is fascinating. Have you had a look at it?

Baz

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Just been reading the latest update on the AFK railway on RMWeb. The use of a "schedule" plus dice to change/add schedule changes is fascinating. Have you had a look at it?

Baz

Yes I have. It looks good but a little more complex than I'm looking for at the moment.

[St Enodoc]

We had a very pleasant walk this morning in the early winter sunshine, around Balls Head, on Sydney Harbour, which set me up nicely for a session in the railway room this afternoon.

 

I connected the remaining five point motors at Penzance Up end to the accessory bus and programmed them, then switched everything on progressively to see if the boosters were overloaded. I'm happy to say that they weren't - so far, so good. There are nine more motors to go at Paddington, which will be connected via the existing EB1 circuit breakers, and then, eventually, a further ten nine at Polperran. These last will have their own circuit breaker.

 

Once I'd done that, I connected the frog wires from the motors to their respective connection blocks, using the wire recovered from the H&M solenoids. Finally for today I labelled up all the new wiring.

 

A good afternoon's work though I say so myself.

 

I now need to make about 50 droppers, after which I'll be able to connect up all the new track at Penzance. I'll also set up the new routes in the Penzance Mini-Panel. That should all get done by the next running session and, with luck, I'll find time to build and possibly lay some more points at Paddington.

Edited June 10, 2019 by St Enodoc
Can't count

[Chamby]

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

We had a very pleasant walk this morning in the early winter sunshine, around Balls Head, on Sydney Harbour, which set me up nicely for a session in the railway room this afternoon.

 

I connected the remaining five point motors at Penzance Up end to the accessory bus and programmed them, then switched everything on progressively to see if the boosters were overloaded. I'm happy to say that they weren't - so far, so good. There are nine more motors to go at Paddington, which will be connected via the existing EB1 circuit breakers, and then, eventually, a further ten nine at Polperran. These last will have their own circuit breaker.

 

Once I'd done that, I connected the frog wires from the motors to their respective connection blocks, using the wire recovered from the H&M solenoids. Finally for today I labelled up all the new wiring.

 

A good afternoon's work though I say so myself.

 

I now need to make about 50 droppers, after which I'll be able to connect up all the new track at Penzance. I'll also set up the new routes in the Penzance Mini-Panel. That should all get done by the next running session and, with luck, I'll find time to build and possibly lay some more points at Paddington.

 

Blimey, at this rate you'll be doing the scenery before you know it!

[St Enodoc]

57 minutes ago, Chamby said:

 

Blimey, at this rate you'll be doing the scenery before you know it!

Ha ha, not sure about that Phil! Only one of my layouts has ever progressed to the landscape stage - the first St Enodoc branch terminus. Being an engineer, I'm far more comfortable with straight lines and square corners. There's plenty of operational stuff to sort out first. The first real "scenery" apart from platforms and some structures, is like to be the area between Paddington and the lifting flap, which includes the tunnel mouth and the viaduct. I'd like that to call to mind to the Dartmoor scene at Pendon, although it will of course be quite different in detail.

[5BarVT]

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Being an engineer, I'm far more comfortable with straight lines and square corners. There's plenty of operational stuff to sort out first. 

A man after my own heart!  I will have to brave scenery sometime though. 

Paul. 

[St Enodoc]

6825 and W68366 have arrived. The latter must have escaped from Gwinear Road via Truro and Polperran.

Edited June 14, 2019 by St Enodoc