G-DIMB

Further to my post yesterday, i had 5 items end last night. 4 went through managed payments, 1 went through paypal! I can only assume they are still having technical issues.

Had the chance to get the layout out of its home yesterday so i could make up the end plates and finish off the fascias. Initially i was going to use cup washers but i think i will actually countersink them as i think the counter washers kind of stand out too much. I didnt bother with the legs as while its at home it sits on shelving units for practicality. In fact i suspect the legs may be the last thing to be completed.

These were set up after i changed over hence the confusion as to why they went to paypal even though it stated payment was via managed payments when i made the listing. Ive got some more finishing tonight so i will see what happens then.

Funnily enough i went over the other week however of the first things to sell after the change some went to managed payments. The others through PayPal still. These items were listed after the changeover so its a little odd to say the least why some went one way and others not. Also if they do go through to paypal you now get billed the charges on the spot rather than a monthly invoice, not an issue for me but something to be aware of too. I believe everyone is using managed payments now so it will be interesting to see how things go and see if these continue.

I remember seeing a photo in a book which was taken at Shrewsbury in 1986 with a 33 on the front with an I/C mk1 in the rake. Only trouble is my dad has all my books and i cant get access at the moment but when i do i will check this out and get further detail. However it was certainly rare!

Had a new toy arrive today. Again i note that it missed the 25s and 40s by 6 months but it did have test run along the North Wales Coast for test in August 1987 so it would have been seen in the area before being sent to Scotland for 2 months and then heading for Cornwall. Ive decided to use Vi trains models simply because of the range they do and i feel they look better and crisper than the Bachmann ones and generally they are half the price too but you still get lights and smooth mech you can fit sound to. The issue with them is however yellow ends just looks wrong compared to the Bachmann yellow ends. In fact looking at a 25 and said 37 i cant say really which yellow is wrong as one is decidedly orange so it might be Bachmann ones are wrong especially as IRL the yellow shade changed in 1985.

Indeed they aren't sent any form of signed for so they wont show as delivered. I too bought some in fact over three lots but they always normally turn up on the due date and on two of those occasions sent 1st class with the royal mail label with the previous days date. I can only assume this is a side thing to whatever their main employment is so at times it can get a little hectic.

Your new in eBay madness arent you? Thats the infamous gostude so its almost a given for pretty much anything of his to be on here! Could probably be honored with his own thread now!

Ive been doing some more thinking about the layout (dangerous i know). I'm thinking about changing its name as its not really in keeping with the proposed area of the layout but i cant decide what to change it too. I'd like to avoid anything with a Llan in as its based more to the Chester area and really would like to avoid roads etc but i really cant think of anything that works. Any suggestions?

Thanks for the comment. In terms of the layout i haven't done too much scenically as i have been working on details and the stock. Also my workshop has sprung a leak in the roof right above where the layout was. Of course bring it inside and the weather imrpoves so over the next week or so i will take it out there, boot up the airbrush to do some track weathering. I'm also hoping to get down to St Phillips Marsh today to take some photos of the tank ends so i can send them away for the transfers. Ive also begun looking at the car fleet as it stands. The Sierra will have to be sold as the Cosworths only appeared in 1988 and i think its too much work to convert it back by removing the bonnet grills and the boot spoiler. I also note the Yellow Escort now has the window frames all black which is good thing as they are riveted compared to screwed for the others. It shows that Oxford must have paid some attention as i believe its not long come out. The Volvo estate has had a painted panel done which was quite common for the period. Just needs the paiting dulling off now. Still planning to get some more vehicles to add to the fleet for some variation.

As Ive spent the last few days going cross eyed painting small scenic details i thought i would change to look at some of the stock. Two of the current projects are 40063 which is becoming 97405 in Br Blue and and 31107 which is going to become 31462 in Br Blue livery. Both were bought very cheap (£19 and £17) so its now time to get detailing. Both will have full resprays as the paintwork on both is pretty poor but did have all their glazing. I did think about trying to find a railroad chassis for them so i could add sound but I'm wondering if one of the CD motors of eBay would give me what i need for a considerably lower price. If anyone has used one I'd be interested to know the results. Ive also got a Vi trains 37428 which i am respraying the yellow ends on to take away the plastic look of them. It will however retain its name however i am aware 428 didn't get its name till august 1987 and the 25s and 40 had been gone a few months before. No idea why 31107 has gone small!

Indeed that's kind of my feeling. I can sort out the issues so its not the end of the world. However i did get a message asking for me to leave feedback to which i responded of my concerns and why i wouldn't leave feedback however whenever i get a request for feedback it tends to put me off doing it, generally i always leave feedback within 24 hours of receipt of the item and having checked over and so far have never left a negative in 13 years (although its got close). I will await if any response i get from the seller.

I too am tempted by a 2 car blue 104 but i will wait to see what happens as indeed i dont believe a price has been set yet and its also a ready weathered model (why do they still do it). In terms of the 116 its almost certainly cheaper to get a 117 and rebuild it (although prices for even these seem to be about £50-£60 for a three car unit) but compared to carving the head codes on a Bachmann one still far cheaper!

There is on a Youtube video a bit of footage of an all over blue 3 car 116 in July 1987 which according to my MPMs from 1986 the same 116 worked a service to Llandudnno from the Birmingham area. Something a little different if you want a DMU in a different colour.

From the research i have done it would seem there was no fixed way to coach and stock formation. Almost in some cases it was all they had lying around and formed together in a rake. I assume there was a booked load however not what the make up was. Not a problem for me however, just the confusing set up of locomotives.

In terms of model railways it always does in the summer months. Generally its September to May the season so for me it wont be easy to say for any certainty until mid September how its changed.

Same as i what i got. Got some stuff to list so thought i will give it a go and see what happens. Not quite sure what variable selling fees are though or what makes them variable.

Its this and Llanbourne. For someone modelling somewhere on the North Wales coast in the period 1985-1987 they are the perfect examples from which to take inspiration. Ive done other projects over the years where i have taken inspiration from other layouts it just it varies from project to project.

I admire the extent you are going to. As i only have a diesel depot there isn't much point for me but if had something like you i know i would be doing the same thing as i find the operational side a great interest. In terms of the questions posed above, some services didn't appear in the working timetables for some bizarre reason hence the updates or they were combined into one flow and split up hence they could get hidden in other workings. Its really all some kind of dark art which i don't think anyone has really fully understood. Keep it up as its one of the two layouts on rmweb that provide inspiration for my own project.

Final parcel from all my orders arrived today so i can make a start on more of the detail. The office equipment looks very fine indeed and i have to say Ive been tempted by the kitchen set for the other office although as you will only be able to see it through a very small window i am not sure its worth the effort. I also have some flood lights for the bus area at the front of the layout and the same for the rear industrial area. I also have some wall lights for the shed building together with another yard lamp for the stabling area as the is a dark area that is quite obvious once the light drops. Also took a sneaky pic of 25054 which has just deposited two TTA tanks at the fuel unloading point. Needs weathering and full detailing yet but just looked right. And yes i know 25054 was withdrawn May 1985 but i do have a soft spot for the 25s and as they went on till march 1987 i reserve the right to keep a few.

Not an eBay annoyances per say but certainly a bought through eBay annoyance. Bought a loco off eBay last weekend. Arrived yesterday well packed. Item was described as mint with a sealed detail packet and the usual "the photos form the description". It looked OK from the photos were there so put my bid in and won. Only trouble is i would describe said model as average to good. While it did have a sealed detail pack the loco was missing its marker lights on one end, the brake rigging had fallen off and in one case the mount was broken, the body was loose on chassis (it had been dcc fitted at some point) so I'm debating what to do. I don't really want to return it as i can sort it out with some work it but if i know it had these faults i probably wouldn't have bid so high as the photos did not show any of the areas that were faulty. Should i just accept it and move on as thats life but not leave any feedback or should i say something but then risk returning something that i could sort out with time (but shouldn't have had to).

Let there be light! Well its now moved indoors into its intended location. Ive got all the lights wired up but there are still more to add such as flood lights for the bus depot and spots for the shed. The next job to get on with is the fascias and then adding final detailing but I'm waiting for some more deliveries to arrive so i can do all the prep together.

This is a part i love about model railways is the operational side and timetables. Sadly i don't have a layout big enough for this at the moment but Ive written up numerous timetables for layouts as i think it sometimes provides more of a challenge to operate it correctly. Also means the stock gets a fair crack at running rather than just the same stuff. Having the working timetables is also a godsend!

Today i have been installing the Dijkellis point decoder which seems to be working OK. My only issue was the tiny size of the screw heads and the fact they came done up rather than undone like most other things i have come across. Also useful is that its got 8 outputs compared to many other brands who have 4 or 6. It also has its own power supply for reliability rather than relying on the power bus. Apart from the extra lights which need to be wired in hence the wires going to know where at one end, the wiring is nearly complete and shows just how simple dcc wiring can be. The total time to do all that is probably about 6-8 hours for everything including making up the d plug and sockets. If i had been using DC it would have been three times as long if not four. In terms of up top i haven't been able to do much as the roof has sprung a small leak with all this rain which means i cant put it flat at the moment (although it looks to be drying up tomorrow and i have identified where the leak is coming from at least) but when i can i have over £150 of little detail bits coming (and i am sure there is more to buy). Hopefully these should be here this week so i can begin adding them. Ive also decided to persevere with the shed building. With a few more small modifications you wont be able to see i think i can make it work. Only one way to find out........

Sadly while i can make a passable attempt at kit bashing, scratch building is another thing. I can barely cut a piece of plasticard straight some days so i think for my own sanity and fingers kit bashing might be the best option. Either that or i need to take some brave pills....