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Part 2 of 'BRANCHLINE: The Baseboard and Toolkit' is now on YouTube HERE I hope you enjoy it.

I've started a YouTube video blog (vlog) BRANCHLINE chronicling the creation of my first ever layout at the age of 66 - which will include hints and tips on photographing models from a professional (me). This is the link to the first video.

I am sure you are dead right. I didn't have much luck getting to the wheels from underneath. I might try again tomorrow. Thanks again for your input.

@ITG Once again, much appreciated.

@Nick Holliday @Butler Henderson SOLVED IT! Or at least you have! I filed down the plastic in the gap a bit more and now the Ivatt passes over the points at the 2nd mark on the controller (forwards and backwards) - and that is very slow. Certainly slow enough to make me think I've got a very usable loco. I made a short video: See it at this link Thanks again for all your help.

Thank you @Nick Holliday for your additional thoughts on this issue and to @Butler Henderson and others for your efforts in trying to solve the problem. I had a careful look, and can see that the front driving wheels are stopping dead on the 2 gaps of plastic between the metal wings on either side of the frog and the continuance of the rails to the end of the points (see photos). I have filed down the frog, and the plastic in the gaps (the 2nd photo only shows the frog after filing). The Ivatt will pass over those points at the 4th acceleration mark (11 o'clock) on the Select controller, and slower and it stops, but will move again with a gentle push, even at dead slow. It passes over all other points with no issues. Should I continue to file the gap and/or raise the metal on the wings on either side of a frog a bit, perhaps? Thanks again for this and any additional thoughts. I'm learning a lot!

Thanks again. I did mention next to track but that was only if I needed to get the uncouplers fitted.

Just checking...sorry...is that the red hopper wagon with the brown ballast or the first (grey) one with coal? I had assumed it was the second one, but then read that hopper wagons can carry almost anything! p.s. You would not believe how hard it is to get the R617's or any other uncoupler that clips into the track (e.g. Peco) in Ireland. Amazon have them for £4 each, but postage starts at £18 and can be as high as £25 to Ireland. I've had to send to a shop in Malta for their last 3. Low postage (£2) but they could take 6 weeks!

Thanks for that. I'm lost though; If the siding was only long enough for 5 (or 3) wagons - which they more or less are now - would I need the brake van to prevent cheating? If you have time to say more about how I could cheat, I'd be interested to hear it (to make sure I AVOID cheating, of course!)

Thanks for all the help on this guys. @Richard Croft I was reading about stay alives in BRM yesterday, but currently (pun intended) I have no idea where to get one and how to fit it. I doubt the only dealer in Ireland has them (I'll check) and items from Hattons are going missing in the post - which may be the case with all UK deliveries to Ireland at the moment.

I thought I had posted here, to say that I tried it without the clips yesterday. But I must have omitted it. The result was the Ivatt stopped just after the frog. The other locos ran across the point really smoothly. Which begs the question; what are the clips for, given there is still power without them fitted? I'll have a double check tomorrow and come back.

Thank you. Actually, that was something I was wondering about. So, to clarify, 'beyond the uncoupler' would be towards the buffer at the end of the siding?

Much appreciated, thanks again.

I (probably) am thinking of the 5-3-3 Inglenook, as this seems to be the version I've read about. My understanding is...5 wagons are on one siding and three on the other to start. 5 Wagons are randomly selected, and must be shunted into order, while having no more than 3 wagons coupled to the loco at any one time? I could probably extend the top siding (with the 5 wagons in the photo) by two R610's (short straights). Is that where you mean?

Brilliant help, and also copied and pasted for reading tomorrow. My first ever print copy of BRM magazine just arrived, so tonight's reading is already planned.

Currently, I'm inclined to differ, but maybe my view will change with a well-set up layout. Thank you again, for such a helpful and detailed reply. You've (once again) found yourself copied and pasted into my 'Model Railway' Word folder.

Thanks @ITG and @kevinlms I'm still getting my head around how everything works, track-wise. Here's what I've done so far (in photos)...you might let me know if it will work. I've sent for 2 Hornby R617 uncouplers that sit onto existing track. I had to send to Malta (via eBay) as UK parcels to Ireland are being seriously held up by Brexit and the only Irish MR dealer doesn't have them. But, I'm not sure where they would go and/if there's enough space. Re: photos...I ran out of wagons (next on my shopping list), so imagine the shunter (identical to the one my dad drove), the flat wagon and the drums make up 3 wagons. I could probably get another R600 on the end of the siding with the shunter, and/or the siding below it and 2 R610's on the top siding if they need to be extended.

Thanks very much for that @kevinlms . So, would I use a left hand point (Hornby R872?) between the R8073 and the R601, (on the 2nd siding below the GS) to start the 3rd siding?

My new layout, originally designed by @Kris with help from @RJS1977 @The Johnster and others, is coming along well, and I've started to pin it down in places. However, I'm keen to include a permanent 'Inglenook Sidings' puzzle (Alan Wright 1979) section in it. I welcome advice on whether 1) The section I marked in green (below) works as it is as the layout for the puzzle, and 2) could the section in purple be extended to make the layout - and if so what Hornby set track pieces would be needed. There is a typical layout for the puzzle on this website but I'm sure no one here needs it. The white area on the plan is baseboard, not a cutout. Thanks for any suggestions.

@Nick Holliday I changed the piece of track (Hornby R8072 - left hand points) that the Bachmann Ivatt has been stopping on, but the new piece had the same result - the Ivatt stopped when crawling. What was puzzling (for me, at least) is that I tried it without point clips at first, and the Ivatt stopped at roughly the area where the clips would have been. A Hornby Tornado passed over it with no trouble, even very slowly. So, I assume the trouble is with the loco? But, what are the power clips actually for, if there is power without them attached? @WIMorrison I've been practicing soldering on a spare piece of track. 3 wires attached (not very tidily) and 4 fell off. I've ordered flux and will try again when it comes.

Very useful guidelines, thank you. One question, is there an optimum temperature for the iron?

Annoyingly, there is one in my Amazon saved for later list. I forgot to order it when I sent for the flux today. UPDATE: Just ordered it (Gaguemaster version). Should have it by Thursday. £5 with free delivery to Ireland. The one you linked to is out of stock. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PDYZQ98?psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp

Thanks for the very helpful reply. I'm getting power throughout out the layout now with one powertrack right at the end of a siding on the RH nearest edge of the baseboard to the control(ler) position. But, I won't be wiring it myself as I'm getting an experts help. That said, my soldering iron comes tomorrow and I seem to have a lot of leftover track so I'm going to practice on it. If I melt the sleepers it won't matter too much.

@Dave_Bec I am coming to railway modelling for the first time (at the age of 66) and I'm still at the 'laying down the layout' stage (see below). Your layout of the shunting yard is very impressive, and my dad drove a shunter in a factory for 30 years, so I'm planning a similar theme. Could I ask what you used for the ground cover - as shown in first 2 photos - as it's exactly what I'd like and I've been struggling to imagine how I would model it . Am I right that it's dark coloured ballast...or something else? Thanks for any advice. Stephen p.s. I went to school with a David Beck. Too much to suppose it might be you?

@Nick Holliday I checked the track with a multimeter. I was getting some sort of reading on the track generally, all over. On those points, I was getting movement on either rail before and after the frog, and on the point clips. No movement (no number other than 0.00) on either of the 2 wing rails (which are metal). The Ivatt is stopping dead precisely when the front pony truck wheels touch the part of the rail where the clips are fitted, if not running at well over half speed on the controller. I tried it with a Horny Tornado 60163 at a dead slow crawl at it passed over those points very smoothly. I even managed to (accidentally) couple the Ivatt to the back of the Tornado and it pulled it across with no effort.