DJM Dave

Hi everyone, A small update for today. As you can see from the pictures I'm pretty much ready for turntable painting and weathering. However I do have to extend the width of the turntable platform at each end. one end has a wider refuge, the other will have a small control cabin. Then I will add the metal 'arch' over the turntable centre. I've also attached the pivot point to the underside of the turntable deck and assured its central and secure. I have also marked out the circumference of the turntable and will be cutting a circle 7mm in from the outer circle on the dotted markings just visible. PCB strips have started to go down on baseboard edges for soldering track to, but i've run out of this and need to get more. So if anyone can suggest a shop (online) I can order this from I would be very grateful. Cheers Dave

Hi Roy and Steven, I agree with you both ( he says, sitting firmly on the fence). There will , I'm sure, be decoders that will and won't fit, and I would hope customers don't go out now and buy them expecting them to be used in my loco's without my corroboration that they will. But as Roy says, I won't compromise shape, and at this moment with a change in the shape etc of the fuel tank I'm going to go with the latter and wait until I have them in EP form first, just in case. As the saying goes 'better to be safe than sorry'. Chees Dave

Hi Neal, I'm sorry but the ink used doesn't lend itself to easy removal for re numbering, although lots of brave souls on this forum have managed to successfully. Cheers Dave

Hi Steven, Yes I will check but in all honesty I'd rather do this with the first EP samples as it's then pretty fail safe for me to post what will and what won't. By the way, it's my intention to show a 'how too' on my web site for fitting all applicable decoders to all my loco's as they become available. I'll also be posting the previously announced blown up schematics of each loco, plus a 'how do I get inside it' instructions ( for use outside warranty of course), for each one. Hope this helps? Cheers Dave

Hi Les, The model is modular in this regard and as such the cab clips on separately to the bonnets. The bonnets are all one single extrusion. Hope this helps? cheers Dave

Hi mate, I agree. When the PCB was put into the fuel tank they modified the fuel tank outer shape to accommodate. However I have seen where revisions in this area can be made and have asked for them. With regards to the fan grill. Strangely its been modelled concave not flat so it dips into the bonnet weirdly. This revision has been asked for and I has also asked the cad engineer to make each fan grill surround almost flush with the bonnet as they were not that proud on the real thing. cheers Dave

Hi Matt, Nope, I didn't plan this one in I'm afraid. Purchased baseboards first and was going to put in the Fleischmann electric turntable because it's reliable and indexing. It's also bigger (diameter wise) and costlier, so I opted for the Peco one. I was going to use the geared motorising unit you mention until my friend Carl mentioned these going on e-bay. When I got it it was obvious that it was going to protrude an inch or so below baseboard height. :-( However it's so smooth etc I'll build a box round it to protect it and baseboard 'legs' to prevent contact with the box on the ground when packing and unpacking for shows, as I think the smaller turntable allied to this motor/gearbox system will be worth it for 'looks' alone. Cheers Dave

Hi everyone, Here's a set of pictures that I'm taking of each step of the turntable construction and motorising it. The kit to motorise isn't cheap but it is robust nicely geared and well constructed. Over the next few days I'll finish the construction of the turntable and mechanism, minus lamps, handrails the 'arch' which I shall make from Plastruct, to a similar look to the Old Oak Common one and post here. cheers Dave

And so we begin. PCB strip starting to go down, and the motor assembly for the turntable being built. AT LAST!!!

Hi Joseph, Keep looking at the timeline page on my website, as this will tell you all you need to know about the stage of development of each model. Once I put 'on the boat' in there, you know it's 28 days to the distributor and a further 7 days to the shop. Forgive me, but I'm doing it this way so as to not promise the earth up front, as that does me no good, and gets potential customers more frustrated when dates or years are promised but not kept too! Cheers Dave

Yes, I don't think the other Jerry knows the little known fact that they were trialled for a while in the West Country and Gloucestershire! ;-)

Hi Roy, I'm aiming at releasing all 3 N gauge loco's at Leamington show if all goes well! ( well I'm aiming to, lol) I will also announce the next batch of products 24 hours after Bachmanns announcements this summer. Hope ths helps? Cheers Dave

Hi everyone, The latest Clayton class 17 cad/cam file came in today and I think we are now almost there. I have attached pictures taken from the latest cad/cam below but will outline a few points of interest for you. Firstly it has a fully functioning NEM close coupling mechanism at each end and as such the model will be supplied with 2 pairs of Rapido coupler (1 pair short 1 pair long) for the purchaser to use which configuration suits their layout. Secondly, like the class 23, it has 1 traction tyre on opposite sides of each inside axle. But for those that don't wish to run with them or run 2mm finescale, spare non grooved wheel sets will be available at the models launch. Thirdly, the electronics are now removed from the cab, and are now, along with the he DCC socket, within the fuel tank. Please note the components you see in the transparent image are the Chinese suggested components and will not reflect the end UK designed pcb board. This are has had to be modified and now looks too deep (top to bottom) with the fuel tank now looking too low, and I shall action that this coming week accordingly. Please feel free to mention any areas that I may have missed that need improvement, but I am quite tempted to alter the fuel tank and start metal cutting. Cheers Dave

Hi everyone, In from China today are the pretty much finished cad/cam design of the disc headcode variant of class 23 locomotive. The centre headcode version should be with me next week and i'll publish it when it's here. I think I'm pretty close on this one and cant readily see anything that jumps out, but as always I welcome comments before I press the tooling button. (which will be Friday of next week). I've included a transparent picture of the fuel tank showing a rectangular space for a sugar cube speaker. The bottom of the tank will have sound 'holes' in it to let sound through. However for those that don't wish to have sound in their loco, the model will have this space filled with a removable metal weight for added adhesion. Also of note are the traction tyres on opposite wheels by the fuel tank (1 for each inside axle). spares will also be in an accessory pack and available to order once the batch of models are delivered to my distributor in the UK. There is also a separately moulded cooling fan beneath the etched fan grille in the roof. For those that do not want traction tyres or model 2mm, spare non traction tyre grooved wheel sets will be available as spares from the launch date as well. Please note that this loco also has an NEM close coupling mechanism and as such, the loco will come with 2 pairs of Rapido couplers (1 pair short shank and 1 pair long) for you to choose the optimal configuration for your layout. Cheers Dave

Not a lot more it can do on this project at the moment as tooling is being done.Box artwork and decoration artwork will be specified by my client, and will 'dovetail' with production items. Meanwhile I'm busy on other things both announced and non announced. :-)) Cheers Dave

Hi Matt, Who knows, but I'd never say never to be honest. Cheers Dave

Wasn't the Gunnislake branch reconnected to Tavistock in 1986 in 13 days because of a similar problem at Dawlish? This would allow a relatively cheap and quick alternate to the West Country by rail, and link Tavistock etc to a passenger service.why not do it again?

I'm planning more than yearly to be honest. It really depends on how quickly I grow to be where I want to be without over stretching. I think it's fair to say "watch this space". Cheers Dave

Hi Roy, I'm thinking the clayton before the 23 but not by much depending on how the money works out to be honest. Mind you in a perfect world i'll have all 3 N gauge loco's released for Leamington this year cheers Dave

Hi fatmac, Apart from the announcement and the showing of the cad/cam designs for the 23 and J94 on my website, there has been only a little progress, and although not on the O gauge loco's described, on the OO J94 and N23 which will have an affect on the completion of the O gauge models. Namely this is to get the detail correct, complete with alternate versions etc which you can see happening on the OO and N gauge versions. Once this has been done, and taking into account I have said since day 1 that the OO J94 will be first, I shall push through the cad/cam's and development of the O gauge models. However as the J94 is very close to tooling now, I might add that this 'push' isn't far away now. Please keep looking at the 'Timeline' page of my website as all info on any update will be published there first and here shortly afterwards. I hope this helps. cheers Dave

Hi Joseph, Tooling for loco bodies coming down? Sorry no, like all things they are going up. Once upon a time, I never thought you'd spend £100k on a loco tooling for a OO gauge J94, but those days are upon us. Please remember that a loco sale will return on investment quicker than track, and as such thoughts towards a new standard of track work in any gauge will, certainly for someone like me, be secondary to producing a loco. Tooling for something a yard long is going to cost in steel alone, add assemby etc and then the factories profit, shipping, your profit, the stockists profit, VAT etc and you can see where the money gets swallowed up. Cheers Dave

Knowing exactly what a new track system would cost, made to standards that we, today, would see as a 'norm' on any new track system ( darkened rail, DCC ready point work, finer frogs, chairs, rail etc), I don't think that this is a go'er for anyone except those with deep pockets. I know my pockets aren't that deep, plus you've then got a problem as to retail cost too. £7.00+ for a piece of flexible and £20.00+ for a medium point. Peco really have this market pretty much sown up IMHO, as a lot of their tooling is amortised now and as such won't cost them anything, making a newcomers entry more expensive and unlikely. Cheers Dave