Dungrange

Did that change over time, or was it that way until grouping? The image below was posted in another thread which I think comes from the LNER wagon books by Peter Tatlow. I believe that the date of the first Common User Agreement is incorrect and should be 13/12/15. However, it indicates that the pooling of open wagons at that date only related to Medium and High-sided open wagons. That implies that Low sided wagons weren't included and therefore to be workable, all the participating companies must have had a common understanding as to whether or not a 2 or 3-plank wagon was classed as Low (not pooled) or medium (pooled). Interestingly, the three Scottish companies didn't appear to make the same distinction, but the Railway Clearing House scheme of 1917 did, so presumably in 1917, the CR, G&SWR and NBR could all use each other's Low-sided open wagons, but not those belonging to other companies. It appears that the universal pooling of Low-sided wagons wouldn't have happened until 1918. Presumably there was a clearer distinction between 'Low' and 'Medium' than there was between 'Medium' and 'High'. I ask the question because I'm curious how likely a station would be sent, say a 4-plank wagon, when they actually wanted a 7-plank wagon (some of which were in use for general merchandise on the Great Eastern Railway, even if that may not have been a universal use of 7-plank wagons).

When station staff required an empty general merchandise wagon to be sent to their station to convey an outward consignment, what did they ask for? Would they have specifically asked for a 10 ton seven plank open wagon, or would they simply have asked for a 'high sided open' (ie neither the weight nor the number of planks being defined)? Assuming the request was for either a High, Medium or Low sided open and nothing more specific, would all pre-grouping companies have used the same definition of these terms, and if so, what defines the breakdown between these categories? For example, is a 4-plank open regarded as being a Low sided wagon or a Medium sided wagon? Looking at the statistical returns in the company accounts, open wagons only appear to be disaggregated by weight: under 8 tons; 8 and up to 12 tons; over 12 and up to 20 tons; and over 20 tons. However for the GER, all opens were in the 8 and up to 12 ton group at the end of 1922, so there must have been greater variation in the number of planks than there was is the weight of goods that a wagon could carry.

Probably avoiding the Houthi attacks in the Gulf of Aden. I think it's two weeks longer going round the Cape of Good Hope, so presumably nearer to six weeks rather than four.

Correct. If modelling in 1:87 scale, Proto:87 would be 'scale' option in the same way as P4 is the scale option for those modelling in 00. The only difference is that H0 and Proto:87 have the same track gauge (unlike the 4mm variations). The Proto:87 website - https://proto87.org/ highlights that H0 models are "highly accurate except one thing — the wheels". Since you're designing to accommodate overscale H0 wheels, you'll need to make adjustments elsewhere. I agree with @Michael Hodgson that a series of small adjustments may be least obvious approach. It's what all ready-to-run manufacturers have to do when designing their models.

It depends on the layout of the facility. In some instances, an arriving locomotive will be trapped at the buffers and a shunter or station pilot will be required to shunt the wagons and release the locomotive. At other locations, a run-round loop would be provided, so the train arrives in the loop (which has to be as long as the train) and then the locomotive will uncouple, draw forward into a locomotive release, the points behind it would be changed and then it can run to the back of the train and undertake whatever shunting is required. Obviously the period that you're looking at will require brake vans, so they will have to be shunted into the correct place when marshalling your train ready for departure. If there is any place in particular that you'd like to draw inspiration from, then the National Library of Scotland have extensive coverage of old maps, which if you look at the 6" to a mile series, you can see the track plan. https://maps.nls.uk/view/101570878 is an example, of the track layout around March and Whitemoor Yard c1952.

As a small child's trainset, it's definitely an improvement, but if you're looking to build a model of a railway, you've still got a long way to go. What you've drawn up looks nothing like the real railway. Most railway lines comprise pairs of tracks: an 'up' line and a 'down' line. In the UK, trains drive on the left. That means that when creating a model like you're imagining, trains on your outer circuit should travel in a clockwise direction and trains on your inside track should travel in an anti-clockwise direction. These two tracks are normally separated by what is referred to as 'the six foot', because that is the minimum spacing between two adjacent tracks. In 4mm scale (1:76) that equates to 45mm between the track centrelines. However, because of our overtight model curves, that needs to be increased to 51mm (if using Streamline) or 67mm (if using Set-track). However, it would be normal for these two circuits to be parallel with a constant spacing: yours vary all over the place. Your 'fuel stop' and 'diesel shed' sit between the 'up' and 'down' lines, which is not prototypical. Such facilities would be created to one or other side of the main running lines (ie your two circuits). Your 'loading area' is unworkable if the train on your inner circuit is travelling in the correct anticlockwise direction. It would only be possible to work this facility if you were representing a country where trains drive on the right (such as the USA). Your 'station' looks like it can only be used by trains on the inner (anticlockwise) circuit. Most stations would have two platforms, so that they can serve traffic travelling in both directions. There is no point in a passenger travelling to your station if they can't get a train home again. I suspect that the arrangement with the diamond crossing between your 'goods shed' and 'lumber yard' isn't particularly common on the prototype. I've no idea how such an arrangement would be signalled in the prototype (if such a layout exists). I find the best way to think about these plans is to trace your finger around the tracks to imagine how it would be operated. Whilst I agree that DCC wiring would be simpler than wiring for DC, I think the priority should be to get a good workable track plan first.

It's okay - they just sell them under a Fictitiouscale brand name.😁

I suspect that it's more likely that someone else has bought the modeltrainstuff.com web domain name rather than a resurrection of the MB Klein business (as the thread title presumes). Presumably there is some goodwill with the brand name, which I suspect has been sold. What is subsequently sold online through a modeltrainstuff.com website, we'll have to wait and see.

It does look as though no-one has anything useful to add. Even the title is misleading, as it doesn't appear that MB Klein will be returning. If the business is just shutting down, which is the case here, I seen nothing unusual in them contacting customers with outstanding gift certificates to refund the remaining balance. I'd consider that to be normal. It's only when businesses fail that the holders of gift vouchers tend to get nothing because they are near the bottom of the list of creditors and there is rarely enough money to refund them.

. Would have thought to properly comply individual communication would be necessary. Well, I received an e-mail from Hattons about the transfer, so I guess that does count as individual communication. The only problem is that there wasn't very long between when I received the e-mail from Hattons and when I got an e-mail from Accurascale confirming that they had received my pre-order details from Hattons, which means that if I hadn't wanted my details passed on, I'd have had to read the Hattons e-mail and responded right away.

There seems to be rather a lot of sidings that will only hold a two car multiple unit or a locomotive and a single coach or a couple of wagons, but not much else. Do you really just intend to run really short trains? It looks like you've tried to fit in as much track as you can, but I can't really see the purpose of your railway? Where are your trains running to and from and why? There are no station platforms, it's not clear whether there is a goods yard and you seem to have several places to run round, but in each case, you can only run round a very short train (ie a single coach). Such limitations don't bother young children, so if the layout is primarily being built for them, then okay, but I'd want something closer to reality if it was for myself. With regards running two or three trains on DC, that's relatively simple. You just divide the layout up into a number of different electrical sections and then use switches to set which of the controllers you want to drive the trains in that section. This is known as 'cab control'.

There is a thread on here about P D Hancock. If you've any specific questions @dunwurken is the best person to ask. So, do you want that page expanded with more written about the 1975 - 1987 period?

If you need quite a few, just be grateful that a reasonably accurate model is being produced. It would be an even more tedious faff to scratch build them because other companies are overlooked by the ready to run manufacturers.

Or perhaps more likely ends up in a skip because no-one in the family cares about your hobby.☹️ Testing as you go is definitely recommended, otherwise it will be difficult to track down a fault. The question is how many locomotives will be drawing power at the same time? Are the locomotives sound fitted (which will draw more current)? Are the coaches lit (which will also draw current)? Even a locomotive just sitting on the track will draw some power (albeit not much), as will any resister wheelsets that you fit if you go with a current sensing method of detection. How much stock needs to be detected? The amount of current you are drawing through the track will dictate whether your Command Station can provide enough current to operate the layout on its own or whether you will need one or more boosters. The layout that you are planning sounds quite ambitious, so you're probably looking at dividing the layout into one or more power districts and buying one or more boosters to power these. You'll therefore have more than one DCC 'Track Bus' (ie you'll have one from each booster). You may also look at splitting these into sub-districts, each fed through a circuit breaker, so that a short in one part of the layout doesn't shut the entire layout down. You could therefore have quite a few different 'DCC Track Buses', which are all isolated from each other. An 'Accessory Bus' or 'DCC Accessory Bus' is no different from a 'DCC Track Bus' (ie it carries exactly the same DCC signals), but instead of being connected to the track it is connected only to accessories. The advantage of a separate Accessory Bus, is that if each DCC Track Bus is fed through a circuit breaker, then when one trips, the accessories that are connected to the Accessory Bus can still be used. That is, the points can be changed, to remove the short without manual intervention from 'the hand of God'. As has already been said, point motors, etc will draw some current when stationary and usually more when they are being operated. If they are drawing power from your DCC Track bus, then this is power that is being taken away from running the trains. If you have lots of accessories, then they may consume so much power, that you need another DCC booster to meet your current requirements. If this were the case, then it's likely to be cheaper to look at using a separate transformer with an AC / DC output to power some of the accessories simply to reduce the load on your DCC buses. Not all accessories need to be powered the same way, so some could be fed from a DCC Accessory Bus, some could be fed from a 16v AC supply, and others could be fed from a 12v DC supply. You just need to take care to keep all these different power sources separate.

That's the conclusion I came to realise and shunting without a mainline locomotive wasn't what I had in mind originally. Nonetheless, it will be good to see how your plan develops.

I hear the NEC has a weekend free in November 🤣

It was an idea I had in the past, hence this thread -

I think all prospective members do - it's understanding what questions they ask themselves that is unknown. The issue for clubs is what can they do to attract new members. Of your list, this is one of the few things that club members can do to attract new members. I don't really like socialising with people that I don't know. I'm not a fan of conferences with their 'networking opportunities' because I don't really like trying to strike up a conversation with a stranger or someone that I hardly know. I tend to back away from these situations, because I'm not overly confident. However, as our current club secretary, I see it as my job to speak to everyone who comes into the clubroom. A prospective member is not going to come back if they feel like they've been ignored. They might come back if they feel that someone showed an interest in their interests. Of course one friendly person isn't enough if the rest of the membership just keep their head down and ignore the new arrival. It takes a number of people who are willing to be welcoming, but I think we have quite a few friendly members in the club at the moment. This is kind of outside of the club's control, but it does explain why some prospective members come back and some don't. We've had one gentleman who has paid us a visit twice, but he doesn't want to join because apparently he only does O Gauge. That's fair enough, but as a club, we wouldn't survive if everyone took that attitude. My primary interest is the post-privatisation period in 00. In the 20 years I've been a member, we've never built a layout that aligns with my interests, but I've been happy to attend exhibitions to runs trains on the club's O gauge layout, the club's O-16.5 layout, the club's former 009 layout and the club's former N gauge layout, despite the fact that I don't model in any of these scales. I'll be doing the same when the 009 layout that is currently under construction is complete. We have three 00 layouts at the moment, but all represent the late BR steam era, because it's been a dominant interest in the club. That doesn't stop me running my out of period stock on the layout in the clubroom, but I'm happy to think BR in the 1960s when at an exhibition. We have however decided that the next club layout will be a contemporary era layout. All good things come to those who wait. The point is that to fit into a club, you have to be flexible and willing to get involved in any project.

I think what people observe is part of the problem. Around 30 years ago, I first visited a model railway club as a prospective new member aged 22. A few of the members of that club were friendly enough, but I never joined because the younger members were all at least 30 years older than I was and at least half the membership were long past retiral age. I didn't feel as though I fitted in: I was at a different stage in life. I believe that club folded a couple of years after my visits I think I went twice. The next club I visited, I joined. I became their youngest member by about a decade, but crucially there were a few members in their 30s and 40s, so I didn't feel so out of place. Fast forward to today and I'm a member of yet another model railway club and this one has a really good spread of ages between early 20s to mid 80s. Whilst I was one of the younger members when I joined just over 20 years ago, I'm now around the median age. I'm now the second oldest member of our committee (the oldest retired from work a couple of years ago) and two thirds of our committee are now under the age of 35. Going to an exhibition, we'll have a range of operator ages behind the layout and because people see a range of ages, we get membership enquires across the age range. Any 22 year old walking into our club room today stands a good chance of feeling that they will fit in and I think it's that perception that really matters. There are still some young people out there who want to be part of a club, but it's rather off putting when they perceive that the existing membership all look like their father and grandfathers.

Welcome to RMweb @JohnGiusso. As for posting questions, it's relatively simple. If there is already a thread about the subject, just post a question in that thread. You've already done that with your first question. If your question is related to Manufacturer X's model of Y, then there is probably already a thread within the relevant section of the forum and everyone with an interest in that model will read that thread and therefore your question. If your question is specific to you, eg looking for feedback on your proposed track plan or you're looking for details about location X in the year Y, then start a new thread in the appropriate part of the forum. That's important, because some people only browse certain parts of the forum, so if you post a DCC question in a thread about track, the expert who knows the answer to your question may not see it. Also try to make the title informative. That is, instead of 'help required' state 'looking for information about Location X or Class Y' That helps those who just scan down all the new threads and they are more likely to look at a thread that meets their interests. I hope you find what you are looking for.

Mine haven't arrived yet, but they do look good in your photograph. Not modelling the West Highland, I didn't feel tempted to buy quite as many as you!!! 🙂

When I click on the Union flag, I find that it works okay for that page, but then when navigating elsewhere the site no longer works. I've taken to just browsing the site in German and using Google Translate to provide me with the English translation of the German text. Their trees do look more realistic than a lot of the alternatives on the market.

I agree that the page being left open seems to be a common trigger, although today's instance for me wasn't. I was actually reading a post, when the screen scrolled up and then the McAfee page replaced the RMweb URL. Obviously since it's unexpected, I suspect it will be impossible to identify the ads on the screen before the McAfee page pops up. In my case, it's a work laptop, which does have McAfee drive encryption, but not McAfee Total Protection, which is what the popup indicates needs to be renewed. I do have a folder for McAfee Endpoint Security, but it's now Trellix Endpoint Security that is now running on this laptop.

The above page popped up whilst I was browsing the thread below just a few minutes ago. I think this is the only time it's popped up whilst reading a thread - the other times were when I wasn't actively browsing.

I can't find the advert that you describe, but thanks to @doilum, I'm wondering if it was a Domestos advert? They seem to have a few adverts with the tagline 'millions of germs will die' - the one below is just an example of the style.