Les1952

The three buildings at the back corner are now all bedded in and a few trees planted to hide some of the imperfections. Two views looking into te corner- darkening the area behind the backscene has also hidden the view somewhat. I need to order some more small plywood sheets to finish the top over here, which will darken it further. On Bregenbach I have a couple of trees just behind the backscene at one point which helped give the impression that it isn't a tunnel the trains are disappearing into. I'll probably try it here after Soar Valley show- I have about 6 useable weeks to get on with this before a holiday to Iceland and BB and NP going out to two shows each. The flat block is stuck in place and now has a footpath to the cellar entrances, with a flower border running along in front of it. Tidying up still to be done at the left end of it. Work has moved to tidying up the edge of the footpath to the footbridge, and getting the other two buildings of the town done. The blog is running a couple of days behind at the moment, so a lot more has been done but the next batch of pics are still in the camera. More to follow. Hopefully there will be a couple of views good enough to make a layout flier before I pack away on Sunday. Les

As I said above Area 7 Backworth Unit kept all of their locos spotless. An inwards transfer would be run for as short a time as possible before being taken into the paintshop for sorting out. It was only in the final year as the diesels arrived that locos became a little dirtier. Even then all five of the working steamers went for preservation, as did earlier regulars 44 and 47, one of which became Moorbarrow on the NYMR. Ashington kept its steam clean until the diesels arrived. In the midlands Cadley Hill had an immaculate fleet which were used in preference to the diesels. Many smaller collieries had locos that only worked part shifts or irregularly within a longer shift and in a good many of these the driver spent his spare time cleaning the engine. There is also the loco at Shop Pit Loco Shed in the Team Valley which was religiously cleaned to spotless on one side and left filthy on the other- it was something to do with complaints. I can't remember whether the cleaned side faced towards or away from the complainant. I'm pretty sure the loco was number 81. First pic is No.9 on first arrival from Burradon, where locos were generally filthy. The pic of it with No.6 is 6 months later. Second pic below is two years on. Final pic for now is the last loco at Shop pit, the immaculate no.32 not long before closure. Not as clean as Backworth but little dirt considering it was some time out of shops. Les

I've just had an invoice for a loco that I ordered way back in March 2018, manufactured by Bachmann. That long ago I'd forgotten I'd ordered it. Presumably waiting a year or two for a Hornby to appear is more of a disaster to the modelling world than waiting for 5 years for a Bachmann...... Les Who expects to be thoroughly hammered by the Bachmann Mafia on RMWeb for pointing this out.....

Area 7 until Durham and Nothumberland split, then Area 1, South Northumberland Area, Northumberland Area and North Eastern Area in order. Of the 4 locos in the pics- 6 was preserved at Brechin (with number 48 which was just as impressive) 9 went to the Strathspey Railway 16 and 49 to Tanfield where 49 works regularly and 16 is yet to be restored. But the foreman took pride in his steamers and the colliery group repainted their wagons regularly. The pics are 1973 to 1975. Les

As noted above last year's heatwave in China took out several weeks of production for a good proportion of ALL manufactured good coming from China. The current heatwave is expected to decimate Chinese production for EVERYONE for even longer. Between the two you are getting beyond three months of slippage just for high temperature. Of course RMWebbers appear to be castigating Hornby for not anticipating this..... Les

Interesting project, and the weathering is impressive. Just remember that not everything on the NCB was dirty.. Note that not just the locos are spotless- see the van behind.... Locos so clean you could eat your breakfast off the running board- then get in trouble for leaving a mark. The only dirty wagons over four visits were the BR ones... A lettering point- note the shading is on the "wrong" side. Les

Making progress reasonably quickly, though there is now less than a week before I have to put it away to prepare Bregenbach for Soar Valley show. The Noch roadway now extends to the board join. No problems here that I can't disguise with suitable cars. It looks a little narrow here, so I think the factory over the board join might be a bit optimistic. I'll build it anyway and worry about it later... The roadway offscene is now in place and works well. The piazza next to the flats will be re-done when the flats are bedded in, probably with a different paving laid over the top in a bespoke fashion. Note the top of the corner building roof is now darker so the bodge with Redutex no longer stands out. One downpipe has escaped the window but is has been located and is waiting to be put back. Some weathering and matt finishing still to be done here. A day later the same location taken from wheelchair user height. As the layout is about 4 inches nearer the floor than NO PLACE and Bregstadt wheelchair users will get close and personal with the trains. Another reason for disguising the blemishes.... Wheelchair user view to the big white block, now stuck down and bedded in. You can see it is low relief a bit too clearly. I feel a tree or two coming on, it is the Black Forest after all. Trees are also needed to take away the direct view through the hole in the backscene. Time also to build the ends up and paint the inside matt grey to reduce the light from behind. The list of jobs seems to grow faster than they get ticked off. A parcel from Modelbahnshop Lippe is imminent, and also a pack of decent trees. Les

Lifted directly from Hornby's TT:120 website today. PHASE 3 Phase Three sees the introduction of two main BR diesel locomotive stalwarts, these being the Brush Class 37 and the Brush Class 47. There will be variants of both, ranging from their early introduction right through to their days in Privatisation. (The picture next to this is the 9F in case anyone like me was wondering...) PHASE 4 Phase Four will see the arrival of the Class 31, again in various liveries and formats. For those interested in steam locomotives 'The Great Western Castle' will be introduced in various liveries and periods as well as two 0-6-0 locomotives namely the LNER/BR J94 and the GWR/BR Class 5700 Pannier Tank. (as a non-sequitur the picture here is a class37). There you are, straight from the Horse's mouth. What isn't said is when these will appear, just where they are in the pecking order. I think I might have a little longer than I had imagined before starting the UK outline layout. NO PLACE has a life extension. Just as well as I've just had an invoice for a G5 I had forgotten I ordered way back in 2018.....

It seems steep but on the other hand I've never found Peters Spares to be cheap... You pay for them keeping fiddly little bespoke bits in stock in case someone wants them- I've shelled out an amount that seemed to be measured in limbs for three pairs of Dapol loco to tender wires. Not cheap but available. Les

Having seen the giant circuit boards that make up HM7000 next18 decoders I'm not hopeful of Hornby getting a small 6-pin HM7000 decoder. I've also seen how narrow the decoder space is inside the 08. I had problems selecting a decoder that would fit, ending up robbing one of the N-gauge locos I'm selling to get one narrow enough. It is some years since I first saw a layout (Holcombe Brook & Tottington) worked by Iphones, and I wonder if it might have been a better idea to use conventional DCC at the track end with the Bluetooth as a master system. Les

I've now worked out the final position for the big block. By moving the corner block to the right the road can exit to the right of that, making a cul-de-sac. It is going to be a bit messy behind the flats block as far as surfacing it but any problems can be hidden. A low angle view showing the stack from front to rear. The blocks being here work as far as closing the layout is concerned- the trees along the rear of the layout won't protrude above the backscene top. The first attempt at getting a level surface didn't wotk, so the substrate here is a bit high, leaving quite a kerb in front of the blocks. A few parked cars can disguise just how high it is. I'm going to use Noch roadway along the back. Joins can have distractors by or on them so it will end up looking good. This is Noch pavement. the road will exit the scene to the right of the corner block. Balconies still to finish and a few minor details on the big block, and the roof top of the corner black still needs a coat of paint. Then a bit of weathering will be applied to the rooftops, even in the Black Forest they aren't that clean. The Noch road surface is in place, with some grotty bits at this end which can't be fixed until the flats block has been bedded in- a bit of chicken-and-egg here as the surface round the block could do with being right before the block is bedded in. Sadly one stage has to be finished before the other, and it will be easier to bed the block in then sort the problems. Another long-ish day tomorrow, though I'll have to go into town in the morning to visit the Post Office. Plenty needs doing. Les

The last of the locos bought from Kelvin is the BR215 by Tillig. Again a little unlikely to have been bought by the Bregtalbahn but as DB were selling off the first of their V160 types around the time the layout was set it isn't impossible. This now completes the diesel roster. With the steam roster also full all I really need is another railbus to give a spare. The front of the loco shows it to be missing a front coupler, which I managed to catch and break of when fitting the decoder- it isn't straightforward working out exactly where to pull to get the body off. At first I thought I'd done in the rear coupler and was getting ready to program it in reverse. then I discovered the body fits either way round so the missing coupler is at number 1 end. It will be rostered on through freight or occasional passenger so it will only really have to run forwards. There is a fret of detailing parts in the box so it may well get those added to the front. Showing the coupler I didn't brak off at number 2 end. The decoder is a Plux12 variety, and I found it difficult to source. Eventually I got hold of a Lenz Silver Mini but the loco spent a few weeks sitting in its box waiting for it to arrive. I've ordered couplings for the NoHab now, and put an extra set in the order as they look as if the NoHab and BR215 have the same coupler type. If it doesn't fit then I've only wasted about £3, and the couplers will go in the "might come in handy" box. In the same order there are a couple of bogie open wagons and the first couple of sets of people, together with some wheelsets. All for now. Tomorrow is due to be wet so a big building bash in the shed- finish the flats block and start the next house in line- and get some more wall capping done and tidy up some more ballast. Plenty still to do. Les

I said that both offspring had raided Gostude's eBay stash and bought me a beer van apiece for my birthday. Having collected the second one- the right hand one of the pair- from Manchester last week here they are together. Radeberger now has Easi-shunt couplings as has one end of Torgau. The other end will be done later but the V180 isn't a shunter and has Tillig couplers at the moment. The first level of fancy detailing on the front of the block of flats, and an attempt to see if it works further along the road. I think it might overpower this location. More thinking needed. Meanwhile lurking round behind the backscene is the pile of unbuilt kits.... Les

Hornby are attending three shows this back end- The Great Electric Train Show on 14-15 Oct at Milton Keynes The Great British Model train Show at Gaydon on 28th and 29th October and Warley on 25th and 26th November. IF there is to be an announcement of a set for Christmas my gut feeling is that Milton Keynes is the most likely time to announce it. By that time they'll know if it has made the boat in time. Alternately the Summer TT:120 Club mag must be due before all that long for a longer punt. Les

The station building and the toilet block are now painted, and the platform has its card surface with an initial coat of grey paint. The station is where it will be sited, astride the board join. As I'm basically working from the rear corners to the front middle bedding this in might be one of the last jobs to be done. Weathering also needed here and the ground around can be designed as I know where the station access road comes in. Closer view of the ladder on the station wall (trusting people) and the "Manner" sign on the toilets- the "Damen" loos are round the other side. I know this is supposed to be the front of the toilet block but it looks better than the back so is more interesting for the punters. Having finished the station and the shed, the next building in the pile of kits is the other big block for the town centre. It is a half-relief block by DM Toys/Modellbahn Union and laser-cut. No issues so far other than it is deeper than the space I'd allocated for it, so construction pics will show it moving up and down the road until I find where it looks best. The corner block still needs its roof finishing. Last for today, I saw this small 3D-printed shed building with lean-to on eBay, one of the myriad of folks making stuff for TT:120. It was cheap enough to take a punt on and would have been put aside for the next layout if unsuitable. Exactly what I need to be able to move the barrel roofed warehouse along the road slightly to where it is a bit wider, and still leave the chimney hiding the discontinuity in the backscene. It will be sited here, though the lean-to might be moved. I just have to decide what colours to paint it. The first building on the layout that is not a kit, and only the third structure after the tunnel mouth and the footbridge. Definitely a constructors scale- all my other layouts have included appropriate buildings recycled from other peoples' layouts and some ready-to- pant buildings. More soon. Les

I STILL don't have my Kerr Stuart (a maroon sound-fitted one at £215). It arrived in a badly bashed box with air included in the packaging amplifying the blow it had received, and didn't run so it went back. Two weeks later after an email to find out where it had got to it returned, in a different bashed box. This one at least didn't have the imprint of a foot on it. On the second attempt the loco was, if anything, worse than the first time. The valve gear on one side falls apart after half a revolution- the fault it was sent back for the first time. I sent pics back and was advised to remove the sound chip and install the blanking plug if I wished to test that the valve gear worked- not really on- the user should not be expected to dismantle a loco to check it- that is why we send them back. It also appears the valve gear as designed isn't strong enough to withstand the sort of blow this one has received. The image shows what happens after one revolution immediately after the thing had been put together properly. This image shows it as put back together. One more revolution and we were back to photograph one. Accordingly I sent it back again on 19th June, first class signed-for and correctly addressed. This time for a refund. Tracking shows it has not been delivered. PI say no card was left, though I have no idea whether, having had the tracking number supplied by me, any attempt has been made to see if it is at their local sorting office. If undelivered it should have been returned to me by yesterday. It has not appeared. Royal Mail want proof of contents and a statement of the value of the item, which I'm unable to supply. As a result there will be no compensation. They also say they will not compensate because the address is a PO box number and these often do not accept signed-for deliveries. Moral- use REGISTERED mail, and ask for an address that is not a PO box if returning stuff. Les

The 08 copes quite happily with Peco points where the frog isn't wired seperately and also with Hornby points. It does need its wheels keeping clean, however - like all locos do. Les

A lot of posts bemoaning how late stuff is- but NOBODY has mentioned the latest news that is being reported from China. Source Reuters, CNN, BBC and others. China is currently suffering a heatwave of the same magnitude (or maybe even greater) than the 50 degrees Celsius heatwave affecting Europe. They also had a heatwave last year. The one last year closed factories all across China and significantly delayed exports and development of products for a large number of customers. The heatwave this year is already closing factories, which will remain shut until the temperature goes down. This will again delay products to everyone. Stuff will be late again- no doubt including TT:120 stuff for Hornby. Of course RMWebbers will insist that the heatwave is all Hornby's fault, or that they should have factored it in, or invested in factories in Greenland or Iceland etc... Les

The best BIG model railway show in the East Midlands... South Notts Show is the best medium-sized one...... Les

Given my experience of them Heljan's equivalent could be "Heljans rarely lives up to their potential, and frequently fall apart". The same works for many manufacturers. Most just don't seem to have a large RM chorus of bashers...... Les

A little more progress... The roof of the tall building is now finished apart from the guttering. More urgent is sorting out the ground so it stands level and working out what to do with the road at this end. The top of the roof will be repainted to blend in with the lower part. Looking across the layout to the town end showing the layer effect I'm trying to achieve. I'm not worried about roofs over the top of the backscene. The scenery on the bit that this faces in the box is low so there isn't a clash. The station platform has been replaced with a lower one, which will sit nearer rural German platform height. Testing with a set of coaches is fine, though I've had to take a little off the front edge to allow loco cylinders to pass safely. No progress yet on the building, which will sit over the board join here. Lastly, the engine shed has chimneys, not exactly as in the instructions- each has 13 parts rather than the 17 in the instructions, but putting bands round the circular section was beyond me. I've used a square section instead. The smoke vent over the long roof won't be done. One of the vital support pieces snapped beyond repair while I was trying to glue the main rooftop beam to it. It has been rebuilt for diesels.... All for now. The layout will need to be packed up next Sunday to allow me to get Bregenbach sorted for Loughborough Show next month and get a week's holiday in before that happens. Before then I want the town end good enough to take a photograph for the layout leaflet. Les

When I talked to Simon Kohler at Gaydon last year he said a J94 was in the pipeline, and that they would include high and low bunker, standard, fibreglass and Geisl chimneys, and would also possibly go into Arnold for an NS version. I don't think he realised how much tank carving the Geisl chimney takes. I'd intended to take one of my OO Geisl austerities to show him at Gaydon or Warley this year but have been overtaken by events. Arnold version? Maybe/maybe not. Les

Are they in the batch of spares Hornby have sent to Peters Spares, or do they sell similar? Les

On my layouts (all 6 in 3 scales now) I've used Peco N-gauge track pins to put the track in. The track the punters can see is ballasted and glued and then (most of) the pins on this area are removed. I cut the ends flush under the baseboards - something I've learned the hard way. This time I've used a pin pusher for the first time- something I wish I'd bought 5 layouts earlier..... Les

With limited resources the initial offering had to be directed somewhere and newbies seem to prefer roundy-roundies. Not yet really directed in my direction which is why I'm building the Continental layout first to get the hang of the scale. One thing I AM finding is that the only ready-to-plant structures I have are a footbridge and a small 3D-printed garden workshop, and for the first time EVER I am unable to add buildings salvaged from toyfair bins and upgraded on to one of my exhibition layouts- this is exhibition layout number six. I've made 5 plastic and 4 laser-cut buildings so far with another 6 laser-cut buildings in the pile to make after I've finished the current one- and that won't provide all of the buildings. I'll probably need another three after that but until the current spasm has finished I'll not know which. Someone mentioned earlier that TT:120 was a builder's scale. This dyspraxic individual is finding exactly how true that is..... Les With about 40 trees waiting assembly and planting to follow the buildings. At least the ballasting and about 50% of the static grass is done....