Vonzack

That does look very nice, shame I'm going to miss TINGS this year.

Inconceivable!

I've used The Team Digital BlocD8's - http://www.teamdigital1.com/prod_catalogue/blocd8_product/blocd8.html They connect up to the Loconet bus and have worked reliably for a good few years now. They are around £60-£70 (probably increased now) and detect 8 separate zones.

Nothing more fancy than SketchUp. It does a decent job for what I want to do.

They seem to be pulling allot of 66s ;-)

There are quite few YouTube videos showing some flows, the ones I've seen are typically 20 IZA sets and very dirty ;-)

I managed to catch a view of the 142 on the Dapol stand at the GCR show. The most striking issue for me were the windows, I think these stand out more because the liveries haven't been stretched to fool the eye. For me anyway.

Rapid are usually a good source or Farnell (where I bought most of my cable and ends, but there is/was a £20 min order). Cheers, Mark.

Looks like the material will be good for bogies and underframes, in N Gauge anyway.

Very good news, I wanted a few Maersk and hadn't picked up that the production run was limited.

Hi Snowwolflair, Still on my to do list, but haven't really made any progress for the last year or so. Hopefully pick them up again soon as I'd like some for my layout. Cheers, Mark.

Bit surprised to see this as it's being done by Dapol too - 371-398 Class 66 No. 66779 'Evening Star' in GBRf livery

Yeah, sorry, was talking about the grab handles, they're under the buffers on the outer ends and aren't fitted to the inners. Shouldn't have mentioned steps, but weren't sure what they were supposed to be for.

Looks pretty good. The inner wagon ends shouldn't have the lamp irons or the steps / grab handles though.

Hi Dave, I entered my expression this morning, no email so far. I know there's a ballpark cost for the 92 at £130, do you have an idea how much extra the DCC Sound version would be? Cheers, Mark.

A very welcome announcement DJM Dave, any modern liveries for me from EWS Beastie onwards.

Hi, This is a very belated report on our recent trip to the Diesel and Electric Modellers Union (DEMU) Showcase 2016 which was held in Burton-On-Trent Town Hall on the 4th/5th of June. Friday Setup for the show on Friday was from 16:30 onward, so being based in Yorkshire we didn't have to set off until mid afternoon, but we decided to get away a little earlier just in case we hit any traffic or other road problems along the way. As it happens it was plain sailing, so we decided to stop off and have something to eat on the way down. By the time we got to the Town Hall, it was just before 17:00 and we were able to start unloading the van and lifting everything in. We'd been placed in the 'King Edward Room' which was just off to the right of the main entrance, which meant we didn't have very far to lift the layout from where we'd managed to park the van. I think we also dropped lucky with regards to the other Exhibitors, Demonstrators and Traders in the room as we all seemed to arrive just far enough apart for us all to get things into the room without too much difficulty. When we setup Heworth, we try to make sure the Fiddle Yard is setup first as this then provides a datum for the scenic modules. The Fiddle Yard is also pretty light and easy to move if we haven't got things setup in the right place. While the Fiddle Yard was being setup the Scenic Modules were removed from their travel boxes and the End Boards were unpacked. We set the centre Scenic module up first and then worked our way to one of the ends. We then connect up the End Loops, which lets us know if we're drifting a little between the Fiddle Yard and Scenic modules. Then we put up the rest of the Scenic modules and finally the opposite Corners. With the Modules up, we then set about connecting up the electrics, fitting the skirt and placing the removable scenic items such as the OHLE and some of the vehicles. Electrical connections between the modules are all made with Pluggable Strip (male and female connectors fitted permanently to the Modules). The only exception to this are the LocoNet cables, these are attached to modules under the boards and to Throttle connections, so they are plugged in using standard cables which are then looped under the boards. Once everything was set, we powered up the layout and made sure that it was operating OK, then we called it a night. Before we left though, we had a quick look around some of the other exhibits in the Main Hall, in particular Scorbiton (00) and St Denys (N), which were very impressive. Saturday We arrived in the morning and set about stocking up the Fiddle Yard, Which is probably the single most time consuming part of getting Heworth ready for a show. To operate Heworth we use JMRI (Java Model Railroad Interface) on a couple of Laptops. Each laptop controls either the Up or Down line and associated side of the Fiddle Yard. Using JMRI allows us to load the loco addresses into one of it's throttles and then to run the loco's its just a matter of selecting the correct address and increasing the throttle. The JMRI throttles have some nice features, in that you can page through loco's which have been setup already to find the one you want, or you can page through running loco's (useful when you select the wrong lane of the Fiddle Yard to receive a train and need to stop it quickly). We've also used JMRI to provide an operating panel for the layout and we've been able to add sensors to the panel to set routes so the operators don't have to click on each individual point. This really helps the operators and allows us to keep trains running as we can be receiving on one lane while dispatching on another. Operation of the Sidings is carried out using Digitrax Duplex hand throttles which we also use to switch points for movements. Setting the points with the hand throttles works OK, but it's not the easiest thing to do and if the address is entered incorrectly and you don't notice, you can end up switching a point elsewhere on the layout. For this reason, we are looking to provide a Mimic Panel in time for the next show, probably using a CML DTM30 or something similar. Most of Saturday seemed to go OK for us and the stock performed without any real problems which is always a bonus. On the sidings we were making use of the uncoupling Magnets we'd fitted a while ago and these worked really well through the day. We also had quite a few people stop and ask questions or have a little chat with us about the layout which is always nice. There's generally allot of interest in the OHLE and how we run the layout from the Laptops. Sunday The day started pretty normally, we arrived, powered up the layout, dialled the loco addresses into JMRI and did a quick test run, which all went OK. When the doors opened at 10:00, we started operating, but we immediately started having problems with the Up Line. We had a module which just didn't have power anymore. This was especially weird as we'd already run through it without any problems. Out came the multi meter and on went the furrowed brows while we tried to investigate the problem. As we'd already had the layout operational that morning, we were a little perplexed as to what might be going wrong, so started looking for culprits. Something that might break such as a point motor, but whatever we tested seemed to be working as it should. Time was slipping by and we weren't getting any closer to finding the problem, so in the end we decided to disconnect the module from the others and check everything underneath. We started tracing the wiring for the Up Line from the inter board connectors through to the rail sections giving a tug on each wire to make sure it was connected OK. When we tested the main bus feed to the Up Line, the cable just pulled out of the connector without any resistance at all. Well at least we'd found the problem, but why it had been working on Saturday and earlier in the morning must have just been blind luck. We quickly stuck the wire back into the connector, tightened up the screw and everything was back to normal, unbelievable. So if you came to see Heworth between 10:00 and 11:00 on the Sunday, please accept our apologies for not having the layout up and running correctly for you. After that, the layout worked fine and we saw out the rest of the day without any further issues. Final Thoughts We really enjoyed attending the 2016 DEMU Showcase with Heworth (although I was reminded that I didn't look to be enjoying myself much on Sunday morning), it was a great show and there was a really great selection of layouts there with a very friendly atmosphere. The venue was excellent and the accommodation / catering for the Exhibitors was fantastic, so my thanks to those involved in organising the event. As ever, here are a few pics taken over the weekend as well as some video. Cheers, Mark.

We use a Digitrax system on Heworth Sidings, which is a reasonably big modular N Gauge layout at 28' x 9'. We also use JMRI to operate the layout, making use of a Panel for turnout control / routes and Throttles to run the loco's from the Fiddle Yard. Shunting movements on the scenic boards are controlled by Digitrax hand throttles.

Hi, Just had a shipping notice from Shapeways, so the Biomass Doors (HDA) and some Manchester Binliners (FUD) are on their way. Cheers, Mark.

Hi, A quick update on progress with a few models. Binliner Containers I've been doing some more work on the BinLiner containers. I've tried all sorts of things to try and get the prices down, such as flattening the container and effectively printing it as a sprued kit, but amazingly, this increases the price. The cheapest way I've found to produce them is to print them whole and a dozen at a time. This seems to be the sweetspot for price and brings them down to around £8 each. The main problem is that most of the container designs have a kind of external skeleton and this is too pronounced to allow easy resin casting. PXA / JXA I've received a FUD test print of the PXA / JXA from Shapeways along with some Bogies for it which were done in BSF. I'm pretty happy with the looks of it and the dimensions seem to be fine when compared to other stock. There were a couple of issues which needed some attention, the buffers didn't quite align laterally with other stock and on R1 curves the wheel flanges were catching on the underfloor ribbing, both easily sorted. I've also had to adjust the mount for the Dapol Nem Pocket as this was a little too low. The print is a bit of a mess though and shows an excessive amount of layering on the sides of the wagon and definitely not something found in the STL. It's mainly the wagon sides that are affected and other wagons I've had printed that are similar to this, IOA / MJA print without any of these issues. I've put it down to a one off but will have to watch out for that on the next print. IIA-C Biomass Doors (GBRf) I decided to try and have these printed in HDA from Shapeways to see how they came out, I was hoping that the lifting gear would be a bit more viable. I placed an order, but for the past 6 weeks or so, I've just seen the status go from Pre-Production to Production, but if they do turn up then I'll show them on here. Cheers, Mark.

Following on from our outing to TINGS in 2015, Heworth was invited to attend the Bradford Model Railway Exhibition in 2016 to represent the Yorkshire Area Group of the N Gauge Society. Friday Setting up was a little interesting as we had decided to transport the layout using cars and found out too late that we couldn’t get all the modules there. Note to self, even if it’s local, we still need a van. When we got to the venue, it was the usual scrum affair with everybody wanting to get their layouts in and set up, but with a fair wind we managed to get all of the layout up and connected apart from 3 modules (the ones that attach to the one that was still in my garage). Once we’d done a quick test that the electrics were working and we'd run a loco, it was time to call it a day. Saturday We arrived pretty early as we knew we still had some setting up to be done. Having brought the remaining module the layout was quickly up and we made some final minor adjustments so that it was nice and level. While a couple of us attacked the layout with track rubbers, the Vinyl Curtain was put in place and we were ready to go. We had the Fiddle Yard loaded up and trains running about 10mins before the show opened. The show was very well attended and there were always plenty of people in front of the layout. We fielded lots of questions about the layout and how we operated it with the computers, which we were more than willing to answer. In fact we were so busy either operating the layout or talking about it that the day absolutely flew by. Sunday The day started off pretty much the same as Saturday with regards to attendance, again a steady flow of people who were stopping to watch us operate and ask questions. We’d decided that we were going to try out the Dapol Magnetic couplings today, so we changed them over on the locos and stock we were using to perform movements in the Sidings. I was really pleased to see them working and for me they were more reliable than I could have hoped for. All attempts to uncouple the wagons from the locos were working perfectly and I think that operating this way for future shows is pretty much a given. I’ve always turned a blind eye to the ‘hand of God’ when it uncouples wagons or coaches, but I have to acknowledge that uncoupling automatically makes everything that little bit more realistic, which is after all what we're aiming for. Towards the end of the day, we managed to keep trains circling until the doors closed and then we set about breaking down the layout and packing it away. While we cleared the stock from the Fiddle Yard, the electrics and Vinyl Curtain were disconnected. We then took down the End Boards followed by the Scenic Boards and finally the Fiddle Yard. This all seemed to go very smoothly and in fact we had the layout in the cars and ready to go inside 1.5hrs which was amazing. Conclusion I really enjoyed the show, the other traders / exhibitors were fantastic and along with the public gave the show a winning atmosphere that I would gladly like to experience again. Everybody who helped out with Heworth did a fantastic job and as a result we came away more show invites. It just leaves me to say a final thank you to everybody who helped out with Heworth over the weekend. For those of you who would like to see a little bit of the layout in action, here is some video taken from the Sunday when it was a little quieter - Cheers, Mark.

Hi Guys, This may be of interest to those who are looking to model the Aluminium flows with the PFA/KFA wagons - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/74927-n-gauge-wagons-pxa-fea-befs-kta-kfa-binliners/?p=2279158 Cheers, Mark.

Hi Guys, Needs a bit more detailing for the side stakes that could be fitted, but I think this is pretty much the 30' flat Container discussed in Revolutions PFA/KFA thread. The version in the photos only seems to have one end and looks like the other was removable. They seem to be used in pairs on the KFAs with missing ends being placed in the centre of the wagon. Any info or corrections on the design welcome. There are a few versions of these containers that I've come across while looking for pics, some had both ends fitted and some were also stackable, so once I've got the detail correct on this one, I'll do those as well. Cheers, Mark.

Aha, gone and done it again with the PMs ;-) Yes, I'm thinking about flattening out the container, printing the sides and ends, so that it can be built back up. I'm pretty sure that will still be expensive in terms of 3D Printing, but hopefully it might be something that can used to make a cast for resin. Cheers, Mark.

I'll definitely be getting some too, how many early bird KFAs can you get for a Kidney these days?