Phatbob

Given that there have been sucessful recent trials of an electrostar with batteries, surely the Redhill - Reading services would be an ideal application for this technology?  Lots of electrified "bits" to charge-up the batteries with gaps in between, none of which are any great distance.  This would free-up some valuable DMUs for use elsewhere, plus improve timings and save emiisions at source.  Probably best to move this particular route from the GWR franchise to the SWT franchise at the same time for pragmatic operational reasons.
Over to you DafT!

saw E6001 (Green / half yellow ends) on a layout at Ally Pally today... couldn't find anything wrong with it...had sound fitted too.

You'd not find anything wrong with mine NOW either.    Clearly, if it has sound the owner has done some work on it.

I was lucky enough to get to see and handle the EP in the flesh at Ally Pally (thanks Captain Kernow).  Looks good and has a good weight to it too.  There'll be no lack of traction!

I think the consensus is they got the green right........

 

Cheers,

Mick

My consensus is that my green one was right enough not to go back to the shop.  Appart from gluing back on the bits that fell off, having to paint some of the red bits black and some of the black bits red, along with isolating those rediculous "on all the time" cab lights, it was fine.

Oh, and I was also after the collectors club Green SYP special.  I sent an e-mail to the address on their website, as advertised.  They never replied.  Dapol did me a favour there as I'm now glad that I didn't blow my hard-earned £o££€¥ on another one.

Meatloaf may have sucessfully argued that "two outa three ain't bad" ,
but until a three coach thumper appears, it's no use to me.

Oh, and by the way Mr Bachmann, a centre coach tooling could also be used to produce a 4EPB, hint hint.

Now that C-rail intermodal are doing the 70s-era 20 foot containers, along with suitable decals, I thought I'd crack on with converting my old Hornby FFA/FGA wagons:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/257/entry-17490-ffafga-container-flats/

 

I know they won't be more than an impression of the real thing compared to the Bachmann ones, but I'd got far enough along with the project that it seemed a shame not to finish it.

 

But - given the skeletal nature of the prototype - I'm intrigued as to how Bachmann are going to get sufficient weight into the models for reliable running. Even if they're entirely die-cast,

there still isn't much too them, and the castings would end up being pretty slender in places. I've had to squeeze lead between the solid frames of my units, which won't be an option

if modelled correctly.

 

Here's a link to the C-rail container:

 

http://www.c-rail-intermodal.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=25_29&product_id=200

 

They're also doing one with the advertising panel on the side.

DJM and Dapol have both produced chassis components in tungsten, which is 1.4 times denser than lead.  So that's one possible solution to bumping-up the weight of these wagons.

I have heard that they have the nickname 'storm troopers'

"Storm stroopers" does sum up the way they look.  I'll vote for that one.

As for the 88s, as I've posted in another thread, what nickname could they possible have other than "Fat Ladies".

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/49816-drs-orders-vossloh-uklights/page-16&do=findComment&comment=1412813

As we are wishlisting, how about a 1960s Carflat Mr Oxford?  Complete with five of your new Hillman Imps for us to recreate the "Linwood Express" in miniature?

Joseph - given the announcement made by Peco at Nuremburg (and recently by C&L) on new 00-sleeper spacing, bullhead plain track (with turnouts to follow, maybe), will you continue progressing this?

My reading of the thread on the new PECO bullhead track is that it has scale H0 sleepers and sleeper spacing, not 00.  So we will still need these points to match SMP or C&L plain track?

I'm delighted to see a Hillman Imp on the list. 
I hope that they make a better job of it than the awful Base Toys one.
It could be an excellent seller if they make a good job of it as new imps were transported by rail from the factory in Linwood.
If they need a full size one to laser scan, they can use mine.

I used the DLSR to take video and better photos so more to post later.

So where are these piccies then Ian?

WARNING.
Just to reiterate Roundhouse's earlier comment, my Dapol ED also lost a buffer at the Guildford show on Saturday.  Fortunately, it was found on the layout.
Be very careful about the sprung oval buffers on the green JA, they fall out!
I'm going to sacrifice the springing and glue the bl00dy things in.

In Miles garden. They vary in size but are about 3 - 4 feet and about 15 inches wide. The 12 boards form a 12 ft doing enter layout

I'll repeat Roudhouse's response, without the iPad autoincorrect.

"(The baseboards were built) In Mikes garden.  They vary in size but are between 3 and 4 feet long by 15 inches wide.  The 12 boards form a 12 ft diameter (circular) layout."

The layout was built by our friend Mike who's not on RMweb, with some assistance from Roundhouse and other mutual friends, who also provide the crew to operate the layout at exhibition.

We all provide suitable rolling stock and since as individuals we model slightly different eras, we change the rolling stock during the show, from early BR green through to BR corporate blue/grey.

We do indeed need a bigger fiddleyard.........
Over to you Mike............................................

Star Lane will be on show again this Saturday, 16th January, at the Astolat show in Guildford.
http://www.astolatmrc.co.uk/ourExhibition.html
Do come along and say hello.
Frantic session of EMU weathering between now and then for me I think.

Clearly they were keen to get the orders fulfilled as quickly as possible, good business practise. However, it is surprising that the instructions couldn't have been written during the latter part of design/manufacturing process.

 

Perhaps they assumed that, with an RTR product, most people wouldn't want to do anything other than admire/run it.

"The best laid plans of mice and men go wrong"

I suspect that their business plan included instructions in the box, as is the norm and their customer's expectation.  Furthermore, I'm charitable enough to suspect that the omission is not deliberate and that somewhere along the line they have been the victims of the law of sod.  It's far more difficult for small companies to recover such a situation than a big outfit. 

I'd rather wait a few weeks after the announcement to get the instructions, but have the model, than wait YEARS after the announcement for the model, with the paperwork in the box!

Phil, you have a PM.

To answer members queries there are 4 scenic boards 3 of which measure 4' x 3' whilst one at the East (Whitchurch) end (Grange Road bridge) widens to 4' to accommodate the siding by the cattle market. i compressed the plan of Ellesmere into 16' by reducing the length of the goods yard - I don't think the difference is noticeable - they were pretty long sidings and I think I've only reduced the overall length by about 18".  I drew my own plans of the station building which I measured on site but also used brick counting and estimation for the bits I couldn't reach.  At some point I will scan the drawings and post them but not yet! There is concern in Ellesmere as to the future of the station building as the site has apparently been given planning permission for housing. The building is for sale again but there are anxieties as to its future survival in spite of it being grade 2 listed.

 

I don't know what the sleepering in the sidings is called but it was used at quite a few locations on the Cambrian.  It appears that the chairs were fixed to concrete posts with steel stretcher bars at intervals. I just chopped the sleepers on the SMP track I was using and put thin plastic strip inbetween as stretcher bars and painted the remains of the sleepers concrete colour - a tedious task they were long sidings!

 

Hi Bob - good to hear from you.  Yes we are bringing it to Rainhill in March although I doubt that the back scene will be anything like and I probably won't have lighting by then.  The layout fills 2 cars (no more van hire!!) so any lighting rig will have to be modest and lightweight.  As for the couplings I will continue to pursue Alex Jacksons for the time being but am hanging on to all the Kadees I bought - Im not convinced that my skills will produce adequately working couplings and theres a lot of shunting to do!! Look forward to seeing you again.  Phil

Hello Phil.  It would be good to see you.  I have a lightweight portable lighting rig, either 12' or 18' long that you could borrow until you've got your own sorted (so long as I don't have a gig the same weekend, and Rainhill is okay).  I'm sure that with enough gaffer tape and cable ties it could be persuaded to fit. ;-)

Hello Phil.
Love the new layout, it's looking really good.
I look forward to seeing it in the flesh at "Rainfall", or should that be "Rainhill"?  Just another a bad case of "autoincorrect"? ;-) LOL
I'd persist with the Kadees if I were you, but that's just my opinion on which couplings are the least unreliable.
Cheers,
Bob.

Joseph,
This is great news.    Good luck with this venture. 
Just one question that's not currently answered in your specifications as I understand them;
What track-spacing are you using for your crossovers?  (In simple terms, how far apart will parallel tracks be?)
One of my "issues" with current proprietary H0 based systems is that the tracks are far too far apart.
Thanks and a happy new year to you and yours.

totally agree except that the number 5s will fit with a bit of filing of the rear of the NEM mounting and the slight dimple under the floor

Agreed.

A bit of background information for those unfamiliar with Kadees.  The reason that it's helpful to know that #5s can be used on wagons with NEM pockets instead of the NEM couplings is as follows.

All Kadee couplings are supplied in bags of four.  Number 5s (and AFAIK only #5s) are also supplied in bulk packs as they are the size that fits nearly all US H0 stock. These means that they can be had for about half the price of the others if you have a large amount of stock to convert.

The #5s have to be made up from a kit of parts and some wagons require a bit of fettling with a scalpel and file to get the right fit.

So, if you are cash rich and time poor, go for the NEM ones.

If you are cash poor and time rich, go for #5s, kill a few happy hours and save some £o££€¥.

HTH,

Bob.

Yes I agree regarding the Roco couplings asxI use them on the inner connections on my Czech coaches. However they are quite fragile in comparison to Kadees and tension lock couplings

 

Edited for autocorrect and mistyping

I generally use the Fleischmann Profi coupling within rakes, rather than the Roco / Hornby pattern ones, as they are a great deal more robust.  Once the outer prong+ hook thingy on the Roco / Hornby type gets bent, they're scrap. :-(  The Fleischmann ones are much more tolerant of being shoved into a stuck-box in a hurry at the end of an exhibition. :-)

As for NEM fit Kadees, start with a #18 and take it from there.  I've used all 4 sizes of plug-in Kadee couplings, but on UK stock probably 50% of them are #18s. 

For the non-NEM ones, #5s work well enough, but the draw boxes have to stick-out a bit beyond the buffer stock.  For a flush fit, a #46 (or #146) is usually the right length.

HTH,

BOb.

I am beginning to reevaluate this in light of the progress that AndyID has been making with his 3D bases.

Given that it is possible to 3D print some metals, would it be worthwhile printing the "tricky bit" of the turnout (i.e. the crossing vee (frog) and switchrails)?

I don't know what the NYMR were thinking, plain green with orange cantrail stripes and modern OHLE flashes. And the roof weathering is rubbish, everyone knows that pro weathered locos have black roofs not streaky rusty brown ones. Pahh, I won't be buying it 

Me neither.  The NYMR have also missed off the extra set of footsteps on one bogie that lined up with the cut-out ladder up the side to reach the roof mounted water filler that was fitted to locos in original condition.

There were three expressions of interest for further appearances of Appledore over the Warley show.  Should any mature into definite invitations, rest assured that they will be well and truly plugged on this forum.
I'd like to thanks those RMwebbers who introduced themselves over the weekend.  Always a pleasure.  Thanks for the kind words and compliments too.  It's a real lift to the spirits to have one's efforts appreciated by fellow modellers.
Thanks also to everybody at the Warley club for their efforts over the weekend.  It's sometimes hard to remember that such a vast a professional undertaking is actually a club show and not a commercial one.