Crewlisle

With less than 2 weeks to go, what layouts and traders are going? May I suggest you start a thread on the RMWeb 'Exhibitions' forum.

Details of the layouts attending are at http://www.murky.net/srmc/Rail-EX%28Taunton%29/layouts.html

Here are some additional details about 'Crewlisle':

There are a total of 42 locos with appropriate stock which ran on the WCML over this 30 year period with ex LMS and standard steam locos, prototype Deltic, green and blue diesels, HST, AC electrics and finally the APT. Stock includes 72 passenger/parcel coaches and 126 wagons – all in a 2.6M square and no fiddle yard! The fiddle yard is replaced by 14 removable 1371mm long cartridges stored on a rack under the baseboard and fit into the reversing loop inside the operating well. The layout is DCC with Lenz LH90 controllers and 10 locos fitted with sound decoders. I have used Bachmann 32-553, 32-552, ZTC 4007, modified Hornby R8215 and Hornby NMRA compliant R8249 decoders (supercedes the R8215). All are cheap, cheerful and reliable. I did not change the control method for the points and signals, which are currently controlled by miniature schematic diagrams with probe-and-stud operation for the points, miniature switches for the colour light signals and mechanical wire operation for the semaphore signals on the inside of the operating well. If I changed these to DCC it would involve extra cost and more rewiring plus having to remember more address codes! As the saying goes, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it!'. All track is Peco Code 100 and Electro-Frog points with Peco point motors. To show potential converts to DCC that points do not require additional wiring or polarity switches or expensive slow action point motors, current for all 30 points on the layout is fed via the point blades with no polarity switches or additional wiring. The only polarity switch on the layout is for the live diamond. Finally, depending on operating load and as a good PR exercise, I allow children to have a go at either shunting or even controlling the ‘Mid Day Scot’ on the WCML!

Conversion of 'Crewlisle' from analogue to DCC was featured in Model Rail October & November 2008.