Ray H

It isn't until you see images of that calibre that those who have only become acquainted with Dave's work via RMweb can truly appreciate the real impact the loss his talent is to the world of railway modelling.

I've been waiting here for eight hours for it and it hasn't come so I think I'll head for bed, I think he's just trying to increase the number of reads of this thread. Isn't today the day the shed base goes in?

The image in post 729 shows flat bottom rail, that in post 731 is bullhead. Bullhead uses chairs screwed to the sleepers and keys to hold the rail in position in the chair. Flat bottom is spiked to the sleeper through a base plate. You can probably get an idea of the rail lengths in use at the time from the pictures. I'll guess that bullhead came first but only because for some reason I have the impression of chairs being involved in the days of Rocket and the like.

Happy to act as a collection point in north Bucks/Milton Keynes & surrounding area.

Andy Do you really save yourself that much under board intervention by using DCC to control everything? I presume you will mount the decoders under the baseboard and need to run wires between the decoders and the DCC bus. Each non decoder fitted device will need at least a couple of wires to connect it to a decoder (and possibly some to a power supply). I believe the Dapol signals fall into this category. You may save the problems with wiring the control panel - which presumably could be maintained without going under the baseboard - but I think you could end up with far more joints under the baseboard than you would with conventional wiring of accessories and each joint is a potential failure location. My DCC controlled layout has MERG servo boards to drive points and signals from ordinary baseboard edge mounted switches - the track/signalling diagram is printed on paper and shows each switch number so I don't need a mimic diagram. The wiring to the switches is on the edge of the baseboard so all those joints are easily accessible. However, that hasn't stopped me having to keep turning baseboards over when the limited wiring that I have (or the connections that are under the board) need attention. From what I understand you also need to develop some kind of system for remembering what address you've given each decoder and, presumably, which function controls which item. You'll no doubt have to have a number of decoders unless you want to have multiple wires under each baseboard join. Sorry, probably not the most friendly way to put what I'm trying to say and I don't mean to sound hostile to your idea. Pessimism is my middle name. Others will no doubt have different views.

Mike The terms/wording that I've used aren't necessarily correct. I attempted to write in terminology that was generally understandable so you could relate the levers numbers to their position on the diagram. It's a long time since I've been in a mechanical box so it is possible that some levers may just be numbered and have the word "Points" on that label. Hopefully Mike (The Stationmaster, that is!) will be along again soon and give an insight into the correct terminology.

Mike I've had a look at the above diagram and the one in Don's link to the SRS site and am going to make the following suggestion: 1 - Up distant signal 2 - Up home signal 3 - Up starting signal 4 - Up advanced starting signal - the section signal 5 - Spare 6 - Points/crossover, between down layby and down line 7 - (exit shunt) signal down layby to down line, possibly yellow. May also have read towards the dock (and would then be red instead of yellow). 8 - (exit shunt) dock to up line, possibly yellow. May also have read to down layby (and would then be red instead of yellow). 9 - points/crossover between dock and up line 10 - points/crossover between down platform and up line 11 - Spare 12 - Spare 13 - points/crossover between down layby and down line 14 - (exit shunt) signal down layby to down line, possibly yellow. May also have read to dock (and would then be red instead of yellow). 15 - exit signal up layby to up line 16 - points/crossover between up layby and up line 17 - Spare 18 - Down starting signal 19 - Down home signal 20 - Down distant My understanding is that 18 & 19 would be in the order given. However, there's a hint in the SRS diagram that the down starting signal is numbered 19 - there's what looks like a tail on the second digit and the number on the down home looks to have two loops, suggesting this could be signal 18. Someone like Mike - The Stationmaster of this parish - may be able to advise whether transposing 18 & 19 would be a possibility.

Andy Your last picture looks to differ quite a bit from the picture of Bitton in post 544. The front wall window arrangement has 4 x 3 in the model all in the same vertical plane but the Bitton box has 3 x 3 with the centre overlaid on the two side frames. The lower wall at Bitton doesn't have the mid vertical seen on the model. My comments assume the picture of Bitton is not of the first box. Please don't accuse me of rivet window counting. You're probably well aware of the differences.

Many thanks. I'm happy with and can understand that answer. It was along the lines I was thinking i.e. the cheaper price was applicable to just one version of the model.

Cheers chaps. It may be that Hattons didn't envisage the B/G ones shifting as fast as the others so they left the price lower. Hence the question about colour. That said, I believe Hattons advertised price of all versions has been applied equally throughout so that when one price rose, the others did too. My main gripe was that from what I read in earlier posts herein several get the original price despite ordering after I did - and I also ordered a number of other items at the same time.

Andy Lever 8 is a crossover worked from the box, Lever 7 is a shunt signal that controls exit from the yard towards the platform. Lever 6 is also a shunt signal. It controls the exit from that end of the yard over Nos. 4 & 5 crossovers. All points in the yard other than the two mentioned are handworked i.e. not worked from the box. I have heard tales that spare levers (white) weren't always provided so you only need a 12 lever frame. Levers 1 & 12 would be yellow, 4, 5 & 8 black and the remainder (probably) red, although (shunt) signals 6 and 7 may have been yellow discs/miniature arms - but I'm not sure if they'd have yellow levers though. Yellow shunt signals existed where the signal could be passed in the "On" position if (in this instance for example) the move was towards the buffer stops in the yard but the signal had to be "Off" (or cleared) to leave the yard.

I appreciate that Hattons are discounting them but it seemed as though later orders were possibly being serviced at an even greater discount than orders placed earlier which would be worth challenging Hattons over on a point of principle.

Andy Without getting too technical running signals fall into two broad categories: Stop and Distant signals. Stop signals are what they say - if they're at danger - arm horizontal - trains must stop at them otherwise they can be passed (when the arm is inclined) as they indicate the track ahead is clear at least as far as the next stop signal (or buffer stops). Distant signals on the other hand are advisory signals. The advise the driver to be cautious that subsequent stop signals may be at danger when they (the distant signal) are at caution - arm horizontal - and tell the driver that subsequent stop signals to which the distant refers - drivers would learn which signals they are as part of their route knowledge - are clear when the distant signal is cleared - arm inclined. Please note that this is a generalisation for the purpose of responding to your post (before anyone takes me to task. I think my earlier comment about the trackwork change may not have been clear. I was suggesting that the next "pointwork" encountered having crossed the single slip when entering the yard is a double slip rather than two toe to toe turnouts. In that way you'd have the single slip (on the main line) followed by the double slip (in the yard) just like Heckmondwyke. I did wonder if your initial picture was from a later time period and Clive has confirmed it is.

I had my email from Hattons yesterday to say the BR one that I ordered in early May is on the way at £50.96 plus £4 postage. Earlier posts on this thread have indicated that some people who have ordered more recently have managed to obtain theirs at the originally offered price of £42.50 and at least one post implied they got theirs without paying postage. Is that limited to the Blue/Grey versions only or has anyone been fortunate in getting the BR maroon one at the cheaper rate?

Andy 1 & 12 are distant signals, 2 & 11 are home signals. I would have thought that No. 2 would be on the scenic area although that may depend on how long you make the siding track/headshunt/spur beyond No. 5 points. One change you could consider if you're tight for space is to make (one end of) No. 5 points/crossover and the initial handworked point at that end of the yard into a double slip just like in Heckmondwyke. There's a suggestion of another signal (post) beyond the signal box in the first of your last two pictures. That's also not evident in the second picture. I note the approaching train in the top picture but there appears to be a large patch of grass to the left of the line the train is on when I would have expected to see evidence of the adjacent running line. The trailing turnout from the platform track into the yard isn't evident either in the top picture. Is there any chance that the two pictures may not be from the same location? The X over the signal arm denotes decommissioned or not yet commissioned (or temporarily out of use).

I bet it'll be nothing stronger than black coffee Ray. Glad to see things are starting to come together Andy. Hopefully you're feeling better by the day. I know how frustrating it can be just sitting around when there's so many things you want to get on with. I bet you can't wait for the potting shed to arrive.

Andy I think its called closed cell foam. I believe it is the type that is used for the camping mats put under sleeping bags.

Morning Andy. Can ou make it 100 pages before the first track pin goes in?

Richard I had a subsequent thought and was going to suggest a towpath on each side based on my original size estimate but I was beaten to it by Manc_tech above and your more accurate measurement which means that a single towpath should be all that is needed. I hope you didn't mind me pointing it out.

Richard Please forgive me for saying so because your efforts look brilliant (as is the rest of the thread and your youtube videos). However, the images suggest that the tunnel mouth is probably twice as wide as a conventional canal tunnel. Tunnels be they canal or rail were expensive to build so their width was kept to a minimum. A traditional narrowboat is nominally 7ft wide. Most tunnels were built to handle two way traffic so the maximum width was more likely to be around 15ft. Using the number of sleepers on the line at the rear as the basis for judging the width measurement I reckon the tunnel mouth is about 13cms wide which is around 30ft wide.

Andy The signalling couldn't be much simpler. With the possible exception of the odd freight reversing there (which I'd say is unlikely) everything would appear to be through trains. How does the length of the scenic loop compare with your anticipated fiddle yard siding length? Am I mistaken or does the size of the goods yard looks a shade out of proportion to the size of the loop as well (although I appreciate the drawing may not be too scale).

I think we should have two sweepstakes. The first on how soon Andy has trains running after the man supplying the shed has departed for home and the second on how many pages this thread will have reached by that time. :-) Seriously though Andy it is good to see that you appear to be well on the road to recovery but please don't rush it. I had a heart attack in 2005 (and a stent fitted on the same day) and felt like a thousand dollars within a matter of days. However I took things easy as I'd been instructed (by SWMBO) and thought I was ready to return to work about 5 weeks later (and about when the doctor said I probably would be). I did a return test trip from home to office (by trains & tube - so no real exertion) exactly 5 weeks after the attack and that laid me low for a further two weeks.

Why don't they have an awesome button? Awesome!

Have you tried DIY SOS? They always seem to be able to get a large crowd of people to help. You don't need their programme, just their list of contacts! Seriously, sorry to see that the layout has to go but at least you will have a blank piece of paper when you can get round to building the layout.

Sure do miss his regular posts on here. I've even had to get on with my layout because I haven't had the excuse to stop and read Andy's posts! I just wish I had a fraction of his skills in the scenery department. Just paid my first visit to the Lounge and had a gander at the work he has in hand. I see he's already got the holes in the walls for the Underground section of TLGP and that he's even stripped out the wall cladding from one room to use as baseboard material. Does anyone know if he's going to use static grass on top of the turfs in the garden?