rodshaw

Can't you go any faster?

Are you sure all that coffee is good for you?

I'm not sure, unless it was MTB. I'll ask on the TTnut forum. There are a few small firms like Lok-n-Roll and Siggis in Germany, and Zeuke in Holland, who collaborate with MTB and others to produce various US TT kits and RTR items. The one major shortage at present is RTR locos. The supply of MTB SW1200 switchers has dried up and there are currently no more RTR locos on the horizon. Though you can get chassis parts, or complete chassis, to motorise the Lionel TT locos which are sold as display models, and very nice they are too. Though if you mentioned all these things in your potted history it would drift off the RTR picture somewhat! Just thought of another European TT (not US) manufacturer worth a mention - Roco, and a company called Kuehn makes track.

Czech company MTB produces a small range of European and US outline TT but I wouldn't call them a major player. It might be worth mentioning in a review of current TT that there are a handful of cottage industry-type manufacturers in Europe making US outline TT, mainly freight cars. The range is limited but I have accumulated enough for a small switching layout - see the link below. Some modellers buy European TT models then adapt the chassis to American or British bodies from Shapeways etc. Also there's Preiser producing TT scale figures and at least one small manufacturer in Europe producing American and European road vehicles.

The 'whisker' version of the #5 is the #148. As I recall, I found the #5s didn't fit on some of my Bachmann locos although they were fine on freight cars. I used #148s on the locos. The smaller scale version of the #148 is the #158.

I like the idea of an out-and-back combined with a reversing triangle and a continuous run.

Having sold off another batch of HO stock I'm now left with two Bachmann Sound Value Alcos, nine post roofwalk era boxcars, a tanker, a gondola and a flat car. Just enough for some interesting switching. The sales will easily pay for any spending I do on this layout - all I should need are some modelling card, some figures and maybe a smoke unit for a chimney. I have some downloaded low relief factories and industrial units to make, and enough room on the layout for two industries (working names Ahab Marine Supplies and Salts Seafood Co.) plus maybe a team track...must stop playing trains and get on with it!

But just think of all the light pollution for the poor inhabitants of your model railway...

Ditto with us - in fact no birds that visit our garden seem to like niger seeds. They are always left at the bottom of the feeder.

In terms of the maths, there's plenty in this link. It may or may not help! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanishing_point

It might be an idea to make a few mockups out of paper or card in different scales and see which looks best.

I used Peco code 100 on my HO scale American layout, including some insulfrog turnouts. Everything ran like a dream. I have some left over and I'm using it on a switching plank to run my remaining HO up and down. If I bought any more track for HO I might give code 83 a try though.

Snap! (almost). Except mine is TT scale.

I've started using Adblock - enough is enough!

Well done, a transformation. That left-hand side is looking pretty good.

A similar thing - this is how my current layout started off, only 40in. long but in TT scale. Again, a fiddle yard is needed. I later extended it by 8 inches at the left.

Maybe something like this plan of my previous layout (HO scale, 4ft long). It was great for switching, though it did need a fiddle yard and an extra 4in. on the bottom left spur to switch the engineers effectively:

Although I've sold all but two of my HO locos now, I've had half a dozen or so second-hand Bachmann Geeps - quite early ones, possibly 1990s, all bought for £26 or less, to which I fitted DCC and LEDs. With one exception they all ran very smoothly, the exception being a GP50 that jerked a bit when setting off but was otherwise fine. The two Bachmanns I have left are both Alcos from the Sound Value range, an S4 and an RS-3, both fine runners. The only American loco I've been a bit disappointed with was my most expensive, an Athearn Genesis MP15AC, not because of the running but because of the rather weedy sound and a front light which was out of position.

You've achieved a nice effect with that printed track mat.

Well, they're all back now. Yesterday, all at the same time, we had long-tailed tits, blue tits, great tits, starlings, a robin, blackbirds, adult and young goldfinches, and, for the first time...a great spotted woodpecker. Didn't manage to get a photo of it unfortunately.

A nice bit of woodwork there.

"You looking at me?"

Politics student 1: Have you read Marx? Politics student 2: Only when I sit on a hard chair.

Rather than clog up this topic I'll send you a pm.

If you want a fairly simple switchlist generator, you might like to try mine: http://mattersofinterest.co.uk/swsetup.exe Instructions are available via the Help menu but if you want to read them before downloading the program they can also be downloaded from http://mattersofinterest.co.uk/switcher.pdf The program generates a series of switching 'trips' based on the allocation of cars to loads and loads to industries. There are a variety of options including randomly generated off-spots.