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petertg

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  1. petertg
    Hi all! Since before Christmas I have been able  to do nothing. The Christmas period was spent in part away from home and then occupied with family events. Then in January I had vascular problems in both feet and the specialist had me shut up in hospital for twelve days. I still have problems and difficulty in walking due to a constant pain in the lumbar region. The cold weather and lack of a suitable heater make working in the garage difficult.  However, since this web is for airing modelling topics and not the state of one's health. I can comment a pair of activities, one dating from last year and the other from this week.
    Several years ago I purchased a Roco rerailer which, in fact, could only be easily used at one particular point on the layout, due to the width of its arms and the separation between tracks. When I rerlaid the track on thicker cork underlay it didn't seat properly ion the track so I purchaesd a Proses electric rerailer, which is too large for my layout, can fit on only one siding and occupies half of it. It also requires the  rerailed vehicle to cross four points before reaching the main line.
    Thus it occurred to me to modify the Roco item. I removed the arms and feet (see original picture here):
    I then applied the tip against the sleeperss. measured the gap at the rear end over the track, cut pieces of plasticard just the width between the rails and glued them to the rerailer with the followinf resulta:
     I can now rerail in up to ten different places on the layout.
    In November and January I purchased two second hand Jintys from Hattons, with dcc chip fitted by them I must say I am pleased with the service obtained). However the second one arrived just days before admission to hospital and I only had time to test that it worked. This week I deceided to modify its address and spent a whole afternoon without success. Whatever I did, the address was always 3.The day after I had another go and realised I was using the wrong program. Once this error was corrected, there was no problem, the loco answered to its new addresss but ran backwards when forwars was selected and viceversa- I put this down to the fact that when soldering the decoder, the operativv had confused the wires. This was no problem, since it was suffiient to change bit 0 of CV 29 to 1.
    But I now have an unexpected problem with yje Jintys. I have already glued various Kadee 334 (between the rail) magnets and tested when with my goods and passenger stock, but I now find that the Jintys jam against them, as part of the belly is too low. I shall now have to rip up the magnets and refit them and make space for the remaining one I want to fit by futting out the sleepers, unless there is any better way.
    Regards to all.
  2. petertg

    Getting closer

    By petertg,

    To-day I finally managed to get the two new street lamposts correctly wired up after several failed attempts. I had got one to light up, but the other one didn't, not because it was wired the wrong way round, but because of a faulty connection and, possibly, a slight fault in the post itself.I say getting closer, because the stage has been reached where uit can be said that the layout is almost finished I suppose that you can never say that a layout is finished, because there are sdtill umpteen details to be attended to, somr will be attended to, but others perhaps not. After eleven years at the job and with ever poorer health, I am beginning to get a bit tired. I may have a look at modifying some of my HO rolling stock, although I don't know whether it will be worthwhile.
  3. petertg

    Slow progress

    By petertg,

    Good evening all. Since my last post modelling has been almost stopped. I had got to a stage where I had to wire up two new platform lampposts and two street lighting posts. This obviously meant working on the underside of the board, which is now a problem. My physical conditions no longer allow me to tip the board on edge like I could a couple of years ago to work upright. Working seated is not comfortable, but after a week turning the matter over in my mind, I decided to put into practice an idea that had occurred to me. The leads from the new posts were long enough to reach some terminal blocks where earlier installed lamps were connected. However, the problem here was how to get the hair thin leads pass through the terminal blocks already full of wires. Just by loosening the screws and trying to push the wires through would not work, because the wires have no body and would just curl up. The idea was to use a needle and thread them through in that way. So, I rummaged in the sewing cabinet and found a tapestry needle which had an eye large enough to take the filaments, although not the plastic sheath. This was overcome by stripping off (with a cigarette lighter) part of he sheath. I was than able to pass the wires through the blocks without dislodging the existing wires. The first lamp went o.k., but there was a contact fault with the second one which required me to release the wire, back it off a little, burn off a portion of sheath and then tighten it up again. Now all my station platform lights work. The street lighting will require the leads to be extended because they are farther away from the nearest terminal block of the existing lighting, but I don't anticipate any serious problems. Once that job is done, I can back to populating the platforms and streets with standing figures, since I have already placed a good number of seated figures.
  4. petertg

    New platform

    By petertg,

    I mentioned in my last post that I was building an additional new platform so that I could have two trains running simultaneously and both would have where to pick up and set down passengers as required or otherwise one would have to run continuously with nowhere to stop. I can now report that the new platform is in an advanced state and enclose some photos of its construction.
    In the first place I would point out that do not have any CAD program, silhouette or laser cutter, 3D printer or instrument for measuring angles, so all has been done freehand, with the corresponding blemishes. Fortunately, most are hidden under the canopy and are not visible at first sight. The idea was to install it parallel to the Faller station already installed, so ai have tried to represent the same colour scheme, but since I has to mix colours several times in batches, I was unable to make a perfect match.
    I had prepared a platform some time ago which, owing to imperfect laying leading to a tapering space between the tracks, the platform also tapers. At that time I decided that I had to properly mount the Faller station, which has one platform with a moving belt below, so that there can be walking passengers on top. I had ruined the original belt when trying to glue the magnets to it. These magnets are not much bigger than a pin head but they stick together as though they were superglued. For reasons too long to explain, I took me three months to get a new belt. Then I discovered that the motor would not drive the belt, but the gears started jumping, so I had to order a new motor which, fortunately, same through quickly, but it will not drive the belt properly. My guess is that there is excessive friction which needs to be cured. Anyway, I decided to leave this problem for later on and set about building a canopy for the new platform resembling as close as possible the Faller one.
    In the first place I had to make columns to support the shallow V-shaped roof and, thus, turned the Faller canopy upside down and started making columns out of laminated 6x1 mm styrene strip, as shown in the photos below.

    The portion shown (upside down) was too short, so I had to fabricate two more columns and pieces of roof. The roof was made from 0.75 mm styrene sheet, later laminated with 2 mm thick balsa wood. The columns were planted in the base platform, the styrene strips were added (see photo below of mock up) and then the balsa outer covering.

    When I had got this far and placed the platform on the layout, I realized that I had nor provided any access to it, so I had to cut oblong holes through it and make stairs like on the Faller platform.

    Below there are a couple of photos showing where the platform goes and the platform provisionally in place.

    There is still a lot of touching up to be done, such as installing benches and passengers and two lampposts like on the other platform. I had purchased two, but they are not the same as the others because the shop had only one left. However, there are more on order to be received in the next few days.
  5. petertg
    I have just realIised that six months have passed since my last post and a lot of things (not all pleasant) have passed in the meantime. To be brief, In May I was rushed into hospital with a lung edema (lings full of blood) and was discharged a week later with a new addition, namely a stent. Then I had a couple of short visits (a few hours each time) for a nose hemorrhage and a heart block). On the pleasant side, there was a trip to the UK to visit relatives and old friends (in spite of my age and theirs, some are still alive), including a trip on the NYMR of TV fame.
    I decided to get my Faller station (with moving figures) operative and started sticking magnets to the drive belt, but made a horrible mess of it and had to order a new belt, which took almost three months to reach my hands for reasons too long to explain. Once I had fitted the magnets (devilishly small: 2x2x1 mm) I found that the motor was faulty, so I had to order a new one, which I now have. but it won't drive the belt. I don't know whether I haven't got the tension right or whether there is too much friction. I have left that problem for the time being.
    I decided to add an additional platform to the Faller station because my layout has two variants, namely, double loop which goes alternately under than over the bridge, or two individual loops, one going always under the bridge and calling at one of the stations and the other going always over the bridge and not calling at any station. Since I have DMUs and the autocoach, two units can be running at the same time and both need stations where to pick up and drop off passengers. I'll come back to that another time.
    Like another member mentioned just recently, I have decided to populate the layout since there were empty trains, empty stations, empty streets and empty buses (when I put them on the layout). So, I bought some benches which needed painting) and some seated figures and placed some in a small park, in the bus shelter and in the DMUs as passengers. They are, however very plain, apart from the hair and face, the rest of the figure is all one colour (you can't expect much at 6GBP for 25). I also acquired a box of 30 Noch Travellers figures, extremely well detailed, but obviously much more expensive (five to six times). not all are specifically railway oriented and can be used for street scenes. Since I have 30 benches to share out among four platforms and, perhaps, in the streets, I am contemplating buying a box of Noch seated figures and may even buy a box of legless figures for use as passengers if I can find a way of opening coaches and buses without doing irreparable damage.
    Finally, I have added a wall to the other station platform (homemade and decorated with Metcalfe card kits) and show some photos below. The wall is made of two sheets of 2mm thick balsawood faced with printed brick paper and capped with Metcalfe paving flags.

    First half of new wall

    New wall completed
  6. petertg
    I have just realIised that six months have passed since my last post and a lot of things (not all pleasant) have passed in the meantime. To be brief, In May I was rushed into hospital with a lung edema (lings full of blood) and was discharged a week later with a new addition, namely a stent. Then I had a couple of short visits (a few hours each time) for a nose hemorrhage and a heart block). On the pleasant side, there was a trip to the UK to visit relatives and old friends (in spite of my age and theirs, some are still alive), including a trip on the NYMR of TV fame.
    I decided to get my Faller station (with moving figures) operative and started sticking magnets to the drive belt, but made a horrible mess of it and had to order a new belt, which took almost three months to reach my hands for reasons too long to explain. Once I had fitted the magnets (devilishly small: 2x2x1 mm) I found that the motor was faulty, so I had to order a new one, which I now have. but it won't drive the belt. I don't know whether I haven't got the tension right or whether there is too much friction. I have left that problem for the time being.
    I decided to add an additional platform to the Faller station because my layout has two variants, namely, double loop which goes alternately under than over the bridge, or two individual loops, one going always under the bridge and calling at one of the stations and the other going always over the bridge and not calling at any station. Since I have DMUs and the autocoach, two units can be running at the same time and both need stations where to pick up and drop off passengers. I'll come back to that another time.
    Like another member mentioned just recently, I have decided to populate the layout since there were empty trains, empty stations, empty streets and empty buses (when I put them on the layout). So, I bought some benches which needed painting) and some seated figures and placed some in a small park, in the bus shelter and in the DMUs as passengers. They are, however very plain, apart from the hair and face, the rest of the figure is all one colour (you can't expect much at 6GBP for 25). I also acquired a box of 30 Noch Travellers figures, extremely well detailed, but obviously much more expensive (five to six times). not all are specifically railway oriented and can be used for street scenes. Since I have 30 benches to share out among four platforms and, perhaps, in the streets, I am contemplating buying a box of Noch seated figures and may even buy a box of legless figures for use as passengers if I can find a way of opening coaches and buses without doing irreparable damage.
    Finally, I have added a wall to the other station platform (homemade and decorated with Metcalfe card kits) and show some photos below. The wall is made of two sheets of 2mm thick balsawood faced with printed brick paper and capped with Metcalfe paving flags.

    The first half of the new wall

    The completed new wall.
  7. petertg

    New material received

    By petertg,

    Further to my post of last Friday, I have received the new material, the Jinty was pre-owned and i decided to have the chip hard wired by Hattons themselves since it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to handle very small parts like the screws used to hold the bodies in place on the chasses and other small accessories. I fitted both the autotrailer and the locomotive with kadee couplers, put a composite brake coach between them and set them running. The whole outfit runs very smoothly. I only have to give the locomotive an apprpopriate address now.
  8. petertg

    An update

    By petertg,

    Good evening all!. I have just seen that it is nearly 4 months since my last post. Since then there have been events such as I got the Fowler tank to run but, as mentioned on the Forum, I cannot get it to run well through the points. In November I purchased a new Hornby R3553 and in December part of the crank mechanism fell apart. Since sending it back from here for repair under guarantee would have cost me more than twice what it cost me to have it sent out, I used devious means to have it taken to London and forwarded on from there. I assume (and hope) it is in Hornby's hands and I await news. For m herey 85th birthday in February, my four children gave me money to spend on railway modelling and yesterday I placed an order for an 0-6-0 tank and an autocoach and other minor items.
    To-day I decided to do something of which I have done very little in the ten and a half years since I started the layout and it was play trains. I got out my vintage City of Glasgow (purchased way back in 1975) and the four Hornby BR coaches I have and got them running with some success. However, a four coach train is a bit long for my particular 8x4 layout because it won't fit in any of the six sidings that the layout has. I could remove the sleeper car or the buffet car, but it would always be biased towards 1st class passengers, Perhaps it would be better to run the new locomotive with the composite brake car and the autocoach and the DMUs which will fit everywhere.
    Apart from that, the layout needs tidying up, some repairs and completion of all the scenic work.
  9. petertg

    Some success

    By petertg,

    I have been rather under the weather for the last three days but, while far from being OK, I can at least get out of bed and do something other than watch TV. So, after lunch to-day, I decided to have a look at one locomotive that was a poor runner, namely, the Hornby R505 Fowler LMS tank. From previous tests I hd the feeling that something was binding and blocking the motor or, less possibly, the chip settings were interfering with each other. A quick check showed that the loco answered to its set address, but I got error readings from CV29, so I reset these. I then changed the start volt reading from 25 (this being an old loco, perhaps near on 20 years old) and reset it to 1.Strangely enough, it started running, but unfortunately it did'nt take long to get back to it old habiit of jamming. I had stripped the loco down to the bare chassis, with no motor but, no matter how much I looked at it from above, below or sides, I could'nt see where the mechanism was binding. I spent the whole afternoon and then, about 21.30 (we use continental time here) I spotted something. I haven't taken any photo, but there is a curved vertical part with a long slot in it and, when compared with the other side, ithe lower end seemed to be closer in than the otherside. I took it between a pair of tweezers and bent it outward very slightly, which wasn't easy, because the overall mechanism tended to move with it. Nevertheless, a couple of tweaks and the problem seems to be solved. To-morrow, abw, I will refit the motor and chip and see what happens.
    Also the other day we had a pleasant surprise. It turned out that a person we have known for many years is a model railway fan with a large layout at his home and neither of us had mentioned our interest to the other.
    We hope you all had a good time over Christmas. This year our Christmas cake was unanimously acclaimed as the best we have ever made (there's nothing like being modest).
    Cheers and all the best for the New Year
  10. petertg

    Another type of modelling

    By petertg,

    It has been over three weeks since I have been able to lower the layout from the garage ceiling since the floor has been, and still is, occupied with Christmas material. Firstly, it was the boxes containing the Christmas decorations, then it was the boxes containing 37 5-litre bottles of olive oil (we buy first press virgin olive oil for all the family and friends for the whole year direct from the mill) and, after the oil had been delivered to its destinations, the floor was filled with boxes of Christmas sweets which we also buy direct from the factory (an annual outing).
    In view of the absence of activity on the railway front, it is perhaps in keeping to show some other modelling, more seasonal, done by my wife and our two youngest grandchildren.
    Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year for all.



    Some of the figures are hand painted clay over 70 years old fom my wife's childhood.
  11. petertg
    Hi all! This is probably not the best place to request information, but in view of its nature, I don't know where to place it.
    I need to have the names, addresses and e-mail adresses of model railway shops in London with good repair facilities for Hornby models.
    Can anybody help?
    Thanks in advance
  12. petertg

    One hard task finished

    By petertg,

    Good evening all. Two and a half years after relaying the track I have finally finished the ballasting. Unfortunately, in spite of my efforts, it has not been a tidy job, in fact it is rather messy, but it is the best I have been able to do. Some of the earlier work will need touching up but, after a clean up, I can start start fixing down certain buildings and other scenic items now that they don't represent an obstacle for working. The engine shed will not be a fixture, since it will surely have to be removed from time to time to clean the track. However, it has been modified in such a way as to prevent it from being accidently moved by a slight nudge. There is still a lot of general detailing and some repair work to be done, but nothing that prevents trains from running.
    I have a question which I don't know where to place on the Forum. I am considering purchasing the autocoach listed by Hattons, but it does not seem prepared for passenger transport. Is this so?
  13. petertg

    Signal Box repair

    By petertg,

    Good eveninng all.
    I think (i.e. hope) that the end of ballasting is reasonably near. There are only a few metres lest to be done. The downside is that, no matter how hard I try, I cannot do a neat job.
    On the other hand, one of the two signal boxes (Metcalfe) kits was a bit decrepit and damaged, namely, it had lost its steps (kept safe in another place) and the top storey had become separated from the ground floor on three sides, whereby it could be opened like a box. Its chimney also fouled the overhead viaduct. According to the representation of this layout on the front cover of the Hornby 1975 Track plan catalogue, this box was at the foot of an embankment, but I replaced the embankment with a viaduct and just above the chimney there was a curve, whereby the chimney was half under the viaduct. I toyed with the idea of buying a new one and then thought that this one could be restored, since it had become weathered with time and more in keeping with the layout, which is also showing signs of the ten years I have been at it. So, I carved it away from the baseboard, inflicting some more damage, removed the original chimney and covered the hole with a Metcalfe paving slab, stuck the top storey back in place and mounted a new chimney at the other end of the box, made from a plastic straw and held in place with a wire bracket. To fit the bracket, I had to prise the rear half of the roof from the walls, to bend the ends of the wire back against the inside of the wall. I also stuck a piece of balsa between the chimney and the wall to keep it from being squeezed. I than stuck the whole box on a piece of cardboard and restuck the stairs in place, hoping they will stay there this time. Finally, I touched up some surface imperfections with grey acrylic paint ass though it had been patched up with mortar. Here are a couple of photos of the finished job.


  14. petertg

    Water Tower

    By petertg,

    Helo again.
    My layout is based on a track plan from the 1975 Hornby catalogue and does not contain a water tower and, from the range of accessories illustrated in the catalogue, it does not appear that any was available. The front cover of te catalogue, which is a colour photograph of this same plan, shows an engine shed and steam locomotives, so water would have been required.
    Some time back, I purchased a Peco Water tower and, when placed on the baseboard, it seemed very low. So, I made a base for it as per the following photos.


    There is also a photo where I think it should go for space reasons, unless I place it at the far end of the end-to-end middle road opposite to the shed.

    I would like to receive opinions on the following points:
    1. Is the base and tower on it prototypical (or almost) of any period of the history of railways in Britain up to about 1960?
    2. Would the tower have been painted or left black (I suppose it should be weathered but I do not possess those skills)?
    3. Is the place I have chosen O.K?
  15. petertg
    I can now update on this subject. In the last entry, I placed several photos and will repeat one, namely, the shed in the wrong place

    In the end, I decided to chop the shed down to its original height by removing the supplements I added several years ago. The photo also shows the door posts I had to remove. When I relaid all the track early last year to improve the dcc feeds I did not take into account the track centre-to-centre distances nor was I too careful in seeing that the straight sections were really straight. This meant that the shed entrance was not wide enough and the locomotives were either colliding with the posts or rubbing against them, contrary to what I said in the previous post. I first removed 2 mms from each side, which was fairly easy since it meant slicing through 4 layers of glued card, but when I placed the shed on the new floor, the entrance was still too narrow. This now meant slicing through 6 layers of glued card and this was just too much so I removed the whole post on each side and made new narrower ones from balsa wood, covered with brick paper. When I placed the remodeled shed on the floor I found it was off-centre relative to the tracks, i.e. the locomotive went in with a large clearance on the north side and was rubbing on the south side. This meant slicing 2 mm off the north side of the floor and adding them to the south side, which finally settled things more or less satisfactorily.
    Finally, like mentioned in another post some days back by another contributor, I do not want the shed to be a permanent fixture and since the floor was made practically to the same dimensions as the shed's footprint, I added a skirt to each side which fits down the side of the floor, preventing the shed from being accidentally displaced but making it easy to lift off as and when required.
    I now have the problem of making a signal box which does appear on the original track plan compatible with a water tower which does not, because the available space is limited and the tower could limit the view of the yard from the box.
    Finally the installation of an additional platform as mentioned last time will require a serious rethink.

    A front view of shed.

    Side view with skirt

    Pieces removed
  16. petertg
    When I started placing scenic elements on the layout, I discarded resin made items because of their weight (to avoid overloading the electric motor raising and lowering the baseboard) and price and opted for a Metcalfe Card Kit. I then decided to place it in a different site from the one shown on the layout. It was not fixed in place because, at that time, I had Hornby buffer stops which clip onto the rails and any slight blow from a locomotive can dislodge them and it would have been very difficult to replace then at the closed bottom end of the shed.
    Then I decided that the opening was too low to allow electric locomotives through with the current collector raised and I added some 3 cms to the height. The increase wasn't too obvious at first because the shed rested directly on the baseboard and the track occupied some of the height.
    However, last week when looking at the photograph of the layout which graces the front cover of the catalogue from which it is taken, the idea hit me that the shed was in the wrong place (as though some subconscious overseer said "you can't put it there") and when I looked at the layout itself I finally realized the logic of the layout, something that had escaped me for ten years.
    Below are some photographs of what I had wanted to do and what I have had to do.


    In these photos it can be seen thatthe shed on on the second and third lanes, with the water tower at the other ind of the tird lane.


    Here the shed can be seen in the right place on the first and second lanes and the problem now is where to put the water tower.
    It then occurred to me that the shed needed a decent floor at rail height level for the personnel to move about easily and I set about laying one. I have tested it with two different locomotives, an Electrotren Renfe electric loco and a Bachmann Class 150 DMU and both went in and out of both lanes smoothly at speed levels 1, 2 and 3. It has subsequently been painted, so I will probably have to clean the track again. Since the shed will no longer be resting on the baseboard, but on the pavement, the height now seems to be excessive and out of proportion and I am toying with the idea of removing the supplement I added years back (as mentioned above).


    The first view is of the semi-finished floor with cork underlay. The second one shows the floorwith a balsa wood top cover in place and painted.
    I now plan to at another platform to the unfinished stattion on the same side as the shed.
  17. petertg
    As mentioned in a previous post, around July last year i came to the conclusion that my UK 00 fleet was very poor in comparison with my continental H0 fleet. Namely, I had two DMUs, three steam locomotives and only four passenger coaches. So, I lashed out and purchased four passenger coaches (Dapol) and seven goods vehicles, all Bachmann. I had the idea of fitting them all with Kadee couplers. I managed to fit them to the passenger coaches with some trouble, since these did not have the NEM pockets, something of which I was aware before purchasing them. When I looked at the goods wagons, however, I found that only two had pockets and the rest did not, something that was not clear from the catalogue images, and I thought that I was in for a lot of work, possibly outside my capabilities. Anyway, last week when browsing through my modelling folder, I found an article published in 1999 by Chris Ellis entitled "Magnetic Couplings for British 4mm" explaining how to fit Kadees precisely to Bachmann material, among others.
    This encouraged me to have a go. However, possibly owing to the time that has passed since the article was written, I found some variations from the details given. A 1.5 mm drill bit was suggested, but I found that the mounting screw was almost 1.9 mm, which required drilling a larger hole in the coupling. It was also stated that the height of the coupling once fitted was just right. I found that the fitted couplings were too low when applied to the Kadee height gauge, so I have had to file down the mounting column, which was a trial and error method, requiring me to fit and remove the coupling four or five times before achieving the correct height. I have managed to get the four wagons fitted with the screw mounted tension lock coupling done. I than had a look at the two fitted with NEM pockets and both were low. In this case it was more complicated, since the NEM mount has to be removed and its height reduced in one truck and both the NEM mount and a screw spigot have to be reduced in the other case. I got one of them done, but the FINA Spirit tanker, apart from being delicate, is the more complicated one and I have left it for another day. After that, I still have to tackle the Queen Mary brake van which has the coupling integrally moulded with the bogie, the same as all my old Lima stock, which I would also like to modify or at least the goods stock.
    The reason for fitting Kadees is that I have come to the conclusion that, with nine sidings, my layout would be more ideal for shunting exercises, rather than see trains just running around in circles (as shown in my very first post, the layout only measures 8x4 ft).
  18. petertg
    In October, my wife and I had a holiday in Geneva with a daughter who was working there with the WTO. On the Saturday, she took us to the flea market where there was a lot of rubbish on offer, but one lady had 3 or 4 of the Lima Tram collection. I didn't buy then, because I wasn't quite convinced of its suitability for my layout. Nevertheless, a few weeks later another daughter went to see her sister in Geneva and I asked them to buy one for me, It is the Düwag Partywagen, nº 208041 as shown below.
    I have been searching for information on the Internet but the only concrete information I have located is on a Dutch language page. As far as I have been able see, these models are not brilliant runners and would seem to be best in the show cabinet. I have tried it out on my layout and, while needing a finger from the sky now and again, it did manage to negotiate the complete circuit, points included. These models are not DCC ready, but I couldn't quite understand whether it was possible to fit DCC or not. Has any member had any experience of these models and can enlighten me more fully?
    I have searched the Forum and have not been capable of finding anything on the subject, so I am raising the matter here.

  19. petertg
    While I am still pondering on the best way to set about finishing the ballasting, as a diversion it occurred to me that I should protect the last unprotected side of the layout, where the track hovers over a precipice and, fortunately, in nine years only one locomotive has fallen to the floor.

    For a time, I had a programming track fixed along the edge but I decided to remove this and set up a portable programming track so I could work on the dining room or kitchen table when it was cold in the garage. A first idea was to acquire a strip of plywood or hardboard and nail it on to the edge of the baseboard, then I thought it was more scenic to build a brick wall and fix it all along the curve. So, I set about making a wall from a cardboard shoe box, using two thicknesses and overlapping 24 cm long strips half by half to make one 140-odd cm strip as per the photograph.

    I then prepared a brick pattern downloaded some time ago on glossy photographic paper but it didn't look right, so I acquired some matte paper. Although the pattern was to scale, the bricks looked too small against other brick papers I had bought locally in the past, so I increased the size by 70% with Photoshop. However, when I printed it out I made the mistake of using Windows Live Photographic Gallery and the bricks came out even larger, about twice the scale size. When I realized, this I had already printed the three sheets I needed, so I let it be. Here is a photo of the brick paper.

    I then covered the whole strip on both sides with this paper and added columns every 12 cms using Metcalfe paving slabs.
    I started attaching this wall to the edge of the track when I had done about half, I felt I should have tested first to see whether the rolling stock could pass freely. Out came my Lima HO scale wagon lits coach and it did pass, but at a distance leaving room for only a fag paper. I tried with a DMU, a steam loco and a passenger coach, all OO scale. They also passed but I felt that the space represented only 2 or 3 scale inches and that more space was need to make it more realistic, so I unglued half of what was already done and widened the space and it now represents slightly more than one scale foot.
    I then finished off fixing the wall in place, installed the capping using the Metcalfe material and filled in the gap caused between the base of the wall and the edge of the track board by widening the curve. And here is the final result.

  20. petertg

    Ballasting

    By petertg,

    Since I relaid the whole track using cork underlay instead of the previous foam underlay I have been faced with the problem of decent ballasting. Since, for reasons explained in previous posts, I used a 5 mm thick cork, I now have the problem of how to disguise this steep step. I tried gluing 7 mm wide cardboard strips at an angle to form a hypotenuse and, in some places it seems o.k. but in others not because I did not get the ballast to stick properly. Finally, I decided to glue a twine in the angle between the upright cork wall and the base and then apply the ballast and a small test piece turned out alright, but when I have applied it to the layout, I find it hard to get the same results and it doesn't seem to look quite right to me, but I haven’t seen close up shots of other modellers' ballasting to compare. I enclose some photos and would like to see photos of others.




    A further point, is the water tower o.k. in its present colour as supplied, or should it have a different colour and is it right planted directly on the floor or should it have a pedestal?
    The photos are not particularly good, but I used a tablet with a low powered camera.
  21. petertg

    Ballasting

    By petertg,

    Since I relaid the whole track using cork underlay instead of the previous foam underlay I have been faced with the problem of decent ballasting. Since, for reasons explained in previous posts, I used a 5 mm thick cork, I now have the problem of how to disguise this steep step. I tried gluing 7 mm wide cardboard strips at an angle to form a hypotenuse and, in some places it seems o.k. but in others not because I did not get the ballast to stick properly. Finally, I decided to glue a twine in the angle between the upright cork wall and the base and then apply the ballast and a small test piece turned out alright, but when I have applied it to the layout, I find it hard to get the same results and it doesn't seem to look quite right to me, but I haven’t seen close up shots of other modellers' ballasting to compare. I enclose some photos and would like to see photos of others.




    A further point, is the water tower o.k. in its present colour as supplied, or should it have a different colour and is it right planted directly on the floor or should it have a pedestal?
    The photos are not particularly good, but I used a tablet with a low powered camera.
  22. petertg

    Success confirmed

    By petertg,

    As mentioned in the last but one post, it is now nine years since I started out on this adventure and I think I can now say that we are in in a position to play trains. The layout is far from finished scenically, as ripping up and relaying the track caused a lot of damage. but no dead spots appear on the track. It seems, however, that some vehicles do not like the track, as mentioned in a previous post, and one of my best runners, the Class 150 DMU, started playing up again. When travelling forward at speed step 2, it consistently derailed at one spot, a turnout leading to the yard and engine shed. Close observation revealed no obvious reason, since this derailing did not occur when running in reverse over the same spot or in the opposite direction. In the end, I came to the conclusion that one wheel was hitting a rail joiner, causing it to lift and derail. So A 'it it wi' me 'ammer. A few taps on the end of a screwdriver with a rubber mallet worked wonders.
    I enclose some photos of the layout, before:


    and as it now is:


    The part with the buildings did not suffer much, mainly benches missing from the small park and the road had to be relaid, A bit each day and I might get finished by the end of the year.
    Finally, to make mouths water, a picture of this year's Christmas cake. We do not ice it or cover with marzapan.

  23. petertg

    Still alive

    By petertg,

    Hi all!
    Between my last post and this there have been five heart blocks and a pace maker. Fortunately for me, the last block, which lasted nine seconds, occurred when I was in bed in hospital, being monitored. Eight hours later, the pace maker was installed.
    Apart from this, I am struggling along with the ballasting of the track. I try to do a bit each day, but 20+ metres of track is a lot of track. Also, since I had ripped up the foam underlay and used cork, since the cork portions were hand crafted (?) from sheets, when I laid the track again, it did not coincide exactly with the centre of the cork bits. So, to make things look decent, I have to trim the cork.
    As commented before, I had three OO gauge steam locomotives, but only four passenger coaches and no goods stock. So I purchased four coaches in LMS livery to go behind my LMS locomotive, a rake of seven goods wagons, including a brake van and a particular Derby lightweight DMU (second hand) that I had wanted for some time now. In the past Hattons had reduced, from time to time, the price of various Bachmann DMUs, but not this one and, finally, the price went up substantially. So, in the end, I have had to pay for a second hand DMU the same price for which I could have had it new two or three years ago.
  24. petertg

    Some success

    By petertg,

    It is now nine years since I had the bright(?) idea of building a layout. Originally conceived for DC operation, I upgraded it to DCC, but inadequately and this year, as mentioned in a previous post, I made the drastic decision of ripping up the whole track and relaying it with a multidude of droppers and bridges across rail joints in places. I think I can now say that I have solved the electrical problems, but soldering droppers and relaying the track has left a few imperfections to be sorted out, since my three steam locomotives with light pony trucks and bogies are susceptible of derailing, whereas the heavier electric locomotives take things in their stride.
    I have discovered two places with faulty rail joints, one was easy to correct because the soldered droppers were a fair distance from the joint and there was enough play to be able to remake the joint, but the other is more problematical, being at the end of a half curve with the droppers in the middle. I don't fancy having to cut the droppers and then turn the layout on edge again to resolder them.
    Anyway, to-day I got out my three coach and locomotive push-pull unit of the Class 450 type introduced in Spain around 1992 for suburban commuter service and it worked well, even at speed step 1. I had done a quick track clean with IPA, but there were still some spots, mainly on the points, requring rubber treatment. Once I have sorted out the track problems, I shall have to start on some serious scenic work since, having replaced the foam underlay with cork, I shall now have tol lay ballast. I have some of a blue colour, but I would prefer to have a grey coloured ballast. I shall also replace the Hornby buffer stops, which clip in place, with some Märklin ones, which are held down by a screw. I know that the scale is different, but since I have both 00 and H0 stock, it doesn't make much difference and I prefer to have the buffer stops permanently fixed.
  25. petertg

    Some hard work done

    By petertg,

    Since my last post, I effectively refitted the point motors, then turned the layout edge on to be able to work underneath without contortions and set about getting the droppers connected to a bus. I made a query on the Forum, got some good advice and, while I did not follow it too closely, it was a a great help. After almost two weeks, in sessions of 1-1/2 to 2 hours or a bit more at a time, I to-day managed to connect the last droppers and wire up the bus wires. I still have to wire in the plug socket where I connect the controller, but was able to do a first provisional test run by plugging the ends of the bus wires in to the controller plug. The results were encouraging. There was a problem at a diamond crossover but, since I haven't cleaned the track, that might be the cause. However, I had to run the layout up to the ceiling and tidy up all the tools, because we have things to do to prepare the house for my sister's arrival next Monday. So, full scale testing will have to wait until early May.
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