Combe Martin

My understanding re using a dpdt switch between a ZTC controller and the track is that its only needed on a 511.  If you have a 611 this problem was corrected as the ZTC software was completely rewritten  for the 611.

We have a set plus a track extension and extra coaches for our grandson. It seems well made and robust, no problems so far.  The remote control has buttons for forward and reverse (3 speeds), stop, lights, various sounds,  no twist control knobs.  Our grandson is almost 3 now, but he does get distracted from it after a while (as a 2 year old will).

Yes those 3 make up set 967.

On 19/08/2022 at 20:15, Dunsignalling said:

As these only ran in 3-sets until sets began to be broken up from 1965, the brakes will be unsaleable to other than the Rule One mob, without the CK to go in the middle.

 

I've just put set 967 together by buying brakes 2849 and 2850 from the Hornby shop bargain tub for £15 each (OK I'm lucky, I live 5 minutes drive from the Margate headquarters) and I've bought composite 5713 mail order from Hattons (who still have more).

Last July I bought the brakes for set 968 online from Hornby for about £23 and the Composite online from Kernow for £53. 

So it is still possible (maybe just) to put a BR 3 set together, Hornby have lots of other brake numbers available (I found the last 2849/50 pair) and if you cant find the correct composite you could always buy another online and renumber it. Some of the online retailers also still have some brakes available.

Many thanks for the above, I'm anxious to have as much time there as possible (the attraction for me is Templecombe) but short of travelling up on Saturday and staying the night in a hotel then, 10.50 is the earliest the trains can get me to Doncaster station, it's a long way from Ramsgate !

The furthest I usually go is the NEC, though when the Evercreech Junction layout was first built (early 80s ?)  I drove up to Shipley (I think they built it) for it's first outing at their own show, but two long drives in a day is too much for me now, I'd be falling asleep on the way back.

On 03/02/2023 at 19:58, stewartingram said:

There is also a service bus from the bus station to the racecourse, I can't remember which one but if fund it I'll pst it here. Usually quicker than the shuttle.

On 03/02/2023 at 17:30, Phatbob said:

How frequently does the shuttle bus run?  Is there a timetable published?  All I can find is that the first bus from the station is at 8:30 and last from the racecourse at 17:30.  My train arrives at 37 minutes past the hour and I don't fancy a 53 minutes wait if they are only hourly. :-(

 

I'm coming from Ramsgate by train via Kings X so the earliest I can get to Doncaster Station is 10.50 ... so I'd like to know what time the shuttle buses run as well, or is the ordinary service bus a better option ?  

Are you saying that the old Airfix church kit can be used as the basis for a Dorset Central station building ?  

This sounds like a nightmare, I'm glad I only model the Somerset & Dorset !

You've left out correct height corridor (gangway) connections. 

Did you consider Templecombe (upper), I don't believe anyone's tried that ?, a nice mixture of S&D and Southern, or is it just too big to do it justice ?

On 06/12/2022 at 17:04, tingleytim said:

Hi,

              Templecombe Lower is now a definite booking for the Doncaster Festival of British Railway Modelling on the weekend of 10th and 11th February.  If you can get there please introduce yourself if you have contributed to “Templecombe Turntable” over the last few years.  Our operating sequence will include real morning sequences from timetables and records featuring pilot hauled trains (of course) along with working signals and Whitaker apparatus.  Maybe not close to S&D territory this time but hope some of you can make it.

Cheers.

Tim.

Just one little point, the Doncaster exhibition is the 11th and 12th of February. 

I'll throw a few comments into the froth about Hornby

The majority of people that buy Hornby (or any other model railway equipment) are not on RMWeb, so we dont know their thoughts, intentions, reasons for what they do, or will do in the future.

RMWeb is a small part of the model railway world.

As far as why people get interested in railways I suggest its because primarily locos hauled passenger trains, which they hardly do now. Its the loco thats the primary interest. 

When I first started train spotting it was because the Golden Arrow was coming through Orpington hauled by an unrebuilt Merchant Navy though it might have been a Britannia. Yes I eventually started collecting the numbers of the EMUs but they were frankly boring compared to all the West Countries that came belting though on the coast trains. As I got older and steam had finished I went on trips and concentrated on a service that was hauled by a 40, 47 or a Deltic. I only used an HST if I had to.

What I'm suggesting is that multiple units dont excite people as much as a loco hauled passenger train which is why Hornby (and Bachmann) dont make so many of them.

There is one loco/tender combination of Bullied light pacifics that Hornby havn't produced yet, but which is easy with no new tooling or livery details needed. ie a wide bodied un-rebuilt loco coupled to a narrow bodied 4500 gallon cut down tender.   34103 Calstock comes to mind but I believe there are a few others.  A Bournemouth loco in the 60's it was used on the Somerset & Dorset (surely always a good seller) as well as the other Bournemouth duties.

And I'm sure the gentleman just above would agree and like one too !  

2 hours ago, tingleytim said:

 Another idea: on Saturdays, if I recall correctly, 3 extra coaches used to be added at Templecombe to the 4.20 from Bath to provide stock for the late Saturdays Only service from Bournemouth back to Templecombe.  I’d go with that unless anyone can think of anything better.  Time: 5.40pm.

 

 I seem to recall reading somewhere (possibly in one of Peter Smiths books) about a late in the day 2P hauled service from Bath with 4 on, having an extra set attached at Templecombe, and it then being a bit of a struggle after Bailey Gate (Parkstone Bank ?).

Hello Brian, yes I know, I've already voted for all of them. I need loads as I've finally moved home and have got my big(ger) railway room for a better sized Bailey Gate. 

I'm not going to guess, but I would really like some accurate Milk Tankers.  The current ones are just generic.

On 12/12/2022 at 19:28, Lissadell said:

 

I’m guessing that the lower numbers refer to the early days of Hornby after they took over the Triang operation……….
 

 

I thought it was the other way round.  Surely Triang took over Hornby and renamed their company Triang-Hornby, eventually dropping The Triang name.  The range they sold was the Triang range lots of which was still made until recently, Mk1 coaches for example. until they revamped them completely.  The Hornby Dublo range and tooling was sold to Wren. 

Lovely picture, unfortunately there dosn't seem to be a date attached. Picture evidence suggests these Bullied sets were mainly used from 1964 onwards (the short ones were used up to withdrawl in Dec 1963) though there was always the odd exception.  Set 826 was a very late withdrawl (mid 1967) so that dosn't help.  The green Collet 0-6-0 with Collet tender being used as station pilot was one of a number allocated to Templecombe, but they were all withdrawn by May 1965. 

So, sometime in 1964 is my only guess ! 

10 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

 I presume the change occurred after Sanda Kan and Hornby parted company?

 

John

Do you mean that Sanda Kan locos were ok, but it's the later manufacturers that are faulty, or the other way round.

That might have been 2 mins after opening

Is there a bus service from the station to near to the school thats hosting the exhibition ?

The calendar entry for the Folkestone Exhibition on the 1st and 2nd of October seems to have disappeared, but as far as I can tell its still on ?

I'm soon (I hope) going to start building the mk2 version of a layout I've been planning for years.  It's Bailey Gate (the last station on the southern section of the S&D just a bit north of Poole).  Mk1 was in my old house (sold over a year ago) and the railway room was never big enough, though I did get the whole track layout in but much squashed.

I'm moving into my new house (with a much bigger railway room, a major criteria) in about 6 weeks, and so I can at last build the layout that I want.

The majority of my stock is modern RTR (good old Hornby and Bachmann, they do everything for the S&D) but I hate the the hook & bar couplings and want to use the Dingham type (there's a new version).  With these you have to shunt/propel on the buffers, and so buffer locking is a potential problem.   So, 64000 dollar question, what is the minimum radius points I need to use to avoid buffer locking ?   I was going to use Peco, either the new code 75 bullhead or code 100 flat bottom (because I have loads).  

The stock being shunted will be long wheel base 4 wheel vans and bogie vans, normal 4 wheel wagons and 6 wheel milk tanks.

Second question, what length of passenger train could I use with a Dingham coupling at the front (on a locos tender) ?.  Intermediate couplings within coach sets don't need to be Dinghams.  It's just occurred to me that total train weight could be a problem, could it ?

Peter.    

What you are asking here is what vehicles were used in what I would call 'the Highbridge Sets'.

These were 2 vehicle sets, and their 'diagram' included one set being worked up to Bath from Templecombe attached to an early morning service for later use on the early evening Bath-Binegar and return.  It eventually returned to Templecombe on the last down service of the day.  Another set was also used on the afternoon Templecombe -Bailey Gate 'milky' and return.

As mentioned above the BR period was a period of change, but during the 50's almost all sets comprised 2 ex LMS suburban coaches coupled with the brake compartment in the middle.  The 2 coaches usually 'matched' but didn't always, and were of several different coach diagrams.  I'm not an LMS coach diagram expert, there are others that can identify exactly what diagrams they were.  

The ex LMS sets seemed to gradually disappear during 1961/62 being replaced by ex GWR B sets of several different diagrams.  These were coupled with the brake compartment at the outer ends.  The Hornby ex Airfix/Mainline B set coaches were one type used. 

The B sets didn't seem to last long and were gradually replaced from 1962 on by a real mixed bag of coaches.  These included a 5 compartment Thompson Brake coupled to a 10 compartment BR Mk1 suburban in one 1962 photo.

From 1963/64 onwards some sets comprised 2 ex LMS non-matching corridor coaches, or a pair of ex GWR coaches, 2 Collets or 2 Hawksworths or a mixed pair.  Sometimes even BR Mk 1s.  Some sets were 1 corridor coach and 1 non corridor.    

During 1964 some sets became just a single coach coupled to a van (various types).  Where a single coach was used it was almost always a brake composite (to provide some 1st class).  Various types were used, Hawksworths, Collets, Mk1s, even the occasional Bullied.

During 1965 some sets became just the single Brake Composite.

Some services look as though they were longer than 2 vehicles.  These were just 2 sets coupled together, in 1964 sometimes resulting in a sequence of coach, van, coach, van.  From memory, this was an early morning Highbridge-Templecombe service, but there may have been others. 

If you'r trying to be accurate, study the S&D picture books.  The Ivo Peters series are very good, but there are plenty of others (dozens). 

Peter,

PS ... I've done loads of S&D research over the years, but I've never come across the suggestion that Swindon built some new LMS suburban coaches for the S&D.  The WR didn't get control of the S&D till 1958. They may have repaired some, but the LMR were responsible before 1958.  In the BR era, Mk1 suburbans were what was being built new.

PPS ... When the Highbridge set was a single Hawksworth brake composite coupled to a van, sometimes it was one of those that had been converted into a Slip coach (these were now redundant on the WR main line).  They are noticeable because the Slip conversion included putting windows in the end of the brake end.   These were even used on the Bailey Gate milky, and the Binegar..

My Ottery St Mary is fitted with a ZTC258 which is a decoder with the 8 pin plug on the underside (so no wires to get in the way), and fitted in the tender as far as I remember. I've got loads of them and they work perfectly. I've compared their performance to a Lenz Standard and they're equal.  You have to buy them direct from ZTC (Now Taunton Controls) and I don't know whether they've got any at the moment as they've suffered with Covid.