Philately

After a hiccup (plugged the Alpha Central into the wrong side of the Alpha Box) and an email cry for help to DCC Concepts, Rand Cooley explained all - I got his email this morning (Easter Sunday). I've learned that you have to study the diagrams in the "Book of Words" thoroughly. The fact that Rand replied to a klutzy customer in the middle of a public holiday says a lot about DCC Concepts as a company, and deserves public thanks. I await the appearance of more Cobalt Alpha products with keen interest! Another plaudit: I ordered my Alpha Box and a Gaugemaster/MRC PSU from Gaugemaster, and both appeared with commendable speed, with an adapter co-axial plug to link them, which was needed but unrequested my me. Thanks Guys. The Alpha Box seems to make the point motors work better, and the Box's short circuit system is preferable to the silent "SVDA" message that comes up on my Prodigy2 handset when there's a short. Also, having a separate panel to control points is vastly preferable to pressing lots of buttons on the Prodigy handset. I dare say that one could create a cheaper system using analogue switches etc, but having lived with DCC over the last 2 or 3 years, I wouldn't go back. Richard

Negative. Box and PSU on order. I was unsure exactly which bit did what so bought the minimum I thought I could get away with. Lesson learned! Richard

Promising news on the Gaugemaster website, which I looked at a few minutes ago. Prices now much more to my taste! Richard

For what it's worth, I tried plugging an Alpha Central via the official adaptor cable, into my Prodigy Advance 2. The buttons light up and you can program the box to match your accessory (points, signals etc) numbers. BUT, while the Prodigy happily operates said points etc, the Central box doesn't, i.e. Alpha Central reads Prodigy but not vice versa, or at least won't pass on the signal to the point motors. So I'll need a Cobalt Box and a transformer to separate points et al from track power. Pending the availability of the Cobalt Alpha Power module, it would be useful to know the size of plug needed from an alternative power supply unit into a Cobalt Alpha Box. But no further expense until I know the cost and availability dates of the Ally Pally announcements. On the subject of cost, I reckon a DCC system costing the same as 2 or 3 locos, is probably worth it, as is the option of NOT doing lots of soldering if you're as cack-handed as I am. And separating track power from accessory power is very much a Good Thing, even if it means you stay with analogue post control. Richard P.S. It would also be interesting to know whether an NCE handset, plugged directly into a Cobalt Box, could be used without the rest of the NCE gubbins as a DCC system in its own right.

I travelled on the North Sunderland in 1951 and 1952 while on holiday - I was aged 6-7. (We travelled 2nd Class as the Big Railways only had 1st and 3rd!) I can't remember the colours but I do have a copy of Alan Wright's "The North Sunderland Railway" (Oakwood Press Locomotion Papers No 36 - ISBN 0 85361 335 4, 2nd Edition 1988) That seems to indicate that the walls of the station building were either local stone or whitewashed brick. The roof shows in a b/w picture as pale corrugated iron, possibly unpainted galvanised. Woodwork of doors etc was dark- possibly dark varnish or dark brown. Sorry this is so vague, but it's unlikely that LNER colours would have been used as it was never part of the LNER. The line had to be incorporated, and then taken over by BR, before it could be formally dissolved - all after the service had ceased. I do remember 68089 - she reminded me of a Hornby O gauge clockwork 0-4-0 but without the clockwork control rods sticking out of the back of the cab... I can also remember how the passenger stock was fly-shunted at Chathill instead of using a run-round loop. The ride comfort of the 6-wheeled ex-NER stock was bumpy - worse than a Pacer. Richard

16mm scale or the more elastic G scale are both big enough to withstand the vicissitudes of the garden, and both can model UK prototypes, though many so-called models are freelance. Whilst our famous NG lines are 2 ft gauge, in fact 3 ft gauge was more common on industrial lines than you might suppose. Having tried 32mm gauge Peco track, I found(1) that it needs to be fixed to firm foundations to work and (2) that the gauge tends to narrow if you bend it to too sharp (3ft rad). This meant my locos couldn't pull trains round the curves. I've changed to 45mm gauge G scale set-track, which works fine laid on coarse horticultural grit on top of weed-suppressing membrane (Note- not pea gravel which is too smooth-edged). But you're probably less cack-handed than me.<br /><br />Narrow gauge doesn't need lots of rolling stock or sidings, as trains will be short. A scale train of one or two coaches or half a dozen wagons is enough to be convincing. If you opt for live steam the buzz you get is from actually driving it as little steam locos love going downhill and hate going up. Shunting is more controllable when the boiler is half-used and the cylinders etc at full working temperature. And you won't need to build much scenery, which for me is a definite plus.<br /><br />The big thing about live steam is that it has grin factor by the bucketload!<br /><br /><br /><br />

Only that I'd have thought it unlikely that locos would go up the ramp. In the North-East, there would have been a number of wagons between coal trucks and loco so that the latter stayed on the flat. Apologies if this is a statement of the ... obvious!

Reedsmouth Junction (at the mouth of the Rede)