AJon30

Signals such as this Also the switches would have indicators visible from the cab unlike points i the UK (and they would not be going that fast anyway!) Rgds Andrew

I presume there would be a dispatcher at the station, train orders would come via telegraph and there might well be a signal on the station to allow trains to enter. SOP would probably be for the crew to stop before entering the depot and confirm the swtches are set correctly? Rgds Andrew

I thought that might be the case - shame as you could have ended up with a clear cab. Rgds Andrew

Hello. Coming along nicely. Out of interest, would it have worked if the chassis had been the other way round, with the electric motor under the bonnet? Rgds Andrew

Hi. According to the GOG table the center of the buffers is 24.5mm above rail top. You should be able to scale from that? That would make the wheel base around 38mm? Rgds Andrew

Hello Dava. Yes I liked your conversion of the Atlas shunter - there is one lurking around in my "to do" box! Rgds Andrew

Hi good choice. Here are some other pictures that may be of use? Rgds Andrew

I have found, If you applying ballast and PVA (or whatever your favorite is) there is no way to stop it getting under the sleepers and gluing everything solid So, pin at the moment until you are completely happy with position operation etc then on with the ballast/glue! Then you can either leave the pins in or remove them and fill the resulting holes. If you remove the pins it might be possible to get a blade under the point and lift it with the ballast etc, but you would have to be very delicate. Rgds Andrew

This site gives some more pictures of the route, perhaps a bit "rocky" for what you are looking at. http://trainweb.org/vrt/TurnerET&WNC/ Rgds Andrew

The picture came from the Friends of the East Broad Top. The 4-6-0 as you are probably aware is an East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad locomotive. From the Wiki listing is this photograph Reminds me of something but I can't quite put my finger on it! Rgds Andrew

Maine? Rgds Andrew

The commercial coal shifting operation stopped in 1956 when the line was closed and sold for scrap, so they have been sitting there a long time, long enough for trees to grow up around them. Rgds Andrew PS the "not enough trees" was slightly tongue in cheek!

East Broad Top - Pennsylvania? Probably not enough trees yet! Rgds Andrew

Nice day at Needham Market show yesterday, I do enjoy operating the "original" SHLR layout as its nice to chat to people who are thinking of moving up to O gauge and can demonstrate that you don't need loads of space. Here's "Queen Mary" resting at the platform for the next load to come in. Busy goods yard (as ever!) Rgds Andrew

Sorry its short notice but the short version of SHLR will be appearing at the One Model Railway Club show at Needham Market tomorrow. Rgds Andrew

Hello. Sorry for the lengthy time in postings but have been working oversea's. In an attempt to move things along I have been looking at the LCut laser cut wood kits. In Great Barford I need a Coal Office and some staithes, so their kit looked like being worth a punt The main body went together quickly, with just a little work required at the corners to get them flush. I added some small strips behind the windows and door to give something substantial to glue to. I was less happy with the roof which all looked far too smooth. In the end I cut the roof sheets down so they fitted inside the walls and provided a base for separately applied roof tiles (old Christmas cards cut up into strips). I think you will agree it, at this stage looks better. Also the staithes have the planks horizontal, rather than vertical and the "wood" is far too smooth for old sleepers so I shall probably scratch build them. Limitations of the material. Overall impression? For certain buildings I think they would be a time saver, but the roof's are a definite drawback I also have been trying to get some of my other project moving along as I have a quiet spell on the exhibition front Rgds Andrew

Thanks. We are all set-up ready to rock & roll (the floor is a bit "bouncy" where we are!) Rgds Andrew

Hello Don Yes that was the idea, especially now I have the indicator lights as well (even though they are a bit of a cheat in that they are linked to the switch not the point) I have operated layouts with "proper" levers but you really have to know the track plan and the difference between the normal and off positions. Rgds Andrew

Well the Gas Holder is finished as far as I can at the moment, so its gone back on the layout to enable the Megapoints controller to be fitted and checked The loading dock and goods yard have had a lick of paint. Seen lurking by the coaling stage is one of the many Highfield ex GER Tram Engines I have knocking around. This one has had some work done on the Lima power bogie to see if they will run better, so its had a bit of a touch-up and will be given a chance to run at Quorn. Photo's always show up bits you have missed - will need to get the paint brush out for the interior and a quick spray of Dullcote over the transfers, Rgds Andrew

Hello everyone. Well progress has not been as fast as I would have liked (and with the Great Central show at Quorn looking its starting to get a bit tight). However all the new servo's are in and working (thanks to Dave Fenton at Megapoints for some guidance on set-up) and the new shiny control panel is in place. One problem I have had was where to set the Megapoints controller so that I could see what was going on and set the points up etc. As the backscene is flush with the back of the layout there is no space (unlike Pertenhall) to mount it (as it has to be flush or inset). The only place I could find was into the gas holder in the gas works (which had the bonus(!) of making me actually build the gas holder which I had been avoiding - the original cardboard mock-up was looking past its best!) So an access hole was cut in the backscene (no going back now!) and the gas holder has been built around the controller board. The gas holder is based on the more modern gas holder at the Biggar Gas Works Museum in Scotland (a divert en-route back from the GTR showing at Scotrail got me the photo's). Not quite finished yet but well on the way. As the servo's are now mounted under the points rather than using the H&M cranks there were a couple of area's where there was a gap where the crank had been. So out with some spare ballast and the PVA. While I was in the artistic mood, I decided to finish off the paving of the tracks in front of the brewery / maltings. A couple of spare lengths of rail were soldered to short lengths of PCB sleepers then when the spacing was correct, pinned in place. Lengths of cardboard were then used to bring the surface up to just under the top of the rails (to allow track cleaning) and then textured plasticard cut to shape. Finally some Woodlands Scenic smooth-it has been used to bed it in. When its all fully dry a like of paint and away we go. Also the loading dock no longer need a removable section to access the point motor, so that had the paving treatment as well Will be at the Great Central this coming weekend (Friday - Sunday), do come along, its a very good show Rgds Andrew

One thing that did happen on Saturday was that one of the servo points stopped operating. Upon inspection it was found that, as previously feared, the servo had become loose in the push in aluminium channel and the operating rod had dropped out of the tie bar. A fiddly job, underneath the layout in the middle of the show, but the rod was eventually inserted back into the tie bar. I had previously considered this and have moved to a different style of servo mount which does not let the servo move. The only downside with this is that the footprint is much greater. Under Kimbolton Town there is one location that would require quite a chunk of structure to be removed so I am having to use one of the original mounts. What I have come up with is a simple folder aluminium strip, with a slot cut in one end to engage the servo with is screwed in place and can be easily removed if access is required to the servo. Additionally the slot keeps the servo in the right place for the micro switch arm to be operated - so win, win! A useful afternoon yesterday saw all the new mounts for the servo's manufactured. The new strap in position (pity it isn't square!) Rgds Andrew

Another new vehicle was a very nice MR Milk Churn van. I've had the kit for a while, but I saw one finshed and painted to a much better standard than I could so that was snapped up. Here it is coupled to the SHLR Milk van, ready for the down milk train in the evening, by the broken down buffer stops. Rgds Andrew

Hello and an apology for the lack of posts, as work commitments (boo) and exhibitions (hurrah!) have been keeping me busy. We had our Luton Club show yesterday and an enjoyable time was had by all. That was the 9th consecutive weekend I have been out exhibiting somewhere is the country, from Glasgow to York, Alexandra Palace, East Anglian show at Huntingdon, Milton Keynes, Leamington, Tonbridge, Turners Folly. The SHLR was out 4 times, while other events have included the Great Train Robberies final outing at York and displays with Questa and other layouts. The Luton show was the 42nd showing of the SHLR, not bad in 36 months! As the next show is not until the Great Central show at Quorn station on the 17 - 19th June (it's a great show, do try and come along), today I will start ripping out the last of the H&M solenoids and replacing them with servo's. I have decided to go with another Megapoints controller board for Kimbolton Town, rather than try and run all the cable down the layout (with the multitude of solder joints that would have entailed). At the same time i hope to get some of the final scenic items competed, including the gas holder which is still the original cardboard mock up. I had been fighting shy of building a replacement as the gas holder I has chosen to model (at the Biggar Gas works museum) has lots of lattice structure surrounding the tank. However, on the way back from Glasgow we managed to detour via the gas works museum and, although it was not open, I was able to take some pictures of the other gas holder there which has a much simpler structure. I have been adding (as you do) to the loco and rolling stock fleet and also picked up an ex GNR brake composite (D&S kit) which will enable a skeleton LNER passenger service at Great Barford. Here are some photo's of other recent acquisitions Peckett 0-6-0T Scratch built with full springing and split axles. Need to sort out the domes/water fillers (I think they are back to front), I have already got a name plate ready , LADY, and she will become the Kimbolton branch passenger loco. A nice Palethorpes van. Has been built with a rigid chassis so had been modified as a 4 wheel van. Currently a static feature until I can sort out the underframe. A GWR Hydra and Iron Mink. Will try and be a bit more regular with the postings Rgds Andrew

Well a couple of good shows at Bognor & Astolat. The servo's worked very well, the solenoids decided to play up instead! Hopefully (work permitting) I shall get Kimbolton Town sorted out before its next outing - Leamington & Warwick on 05-06 March. Took my camera with best intentions to both shows, but all I managed was 1 photo, when the Wantage layout produced their Coffee Pots so we had the 2 sisters together. Rgds Andrew

Hello Chaz Looking forward to seeing Dock Green at St Albans. I'm helping with the hall set-up so just shout if you need any assistance. Rgds Andrew