njee20

Had somehow missed this thread, but good to read through it; it’s a lovely looking layout! I totally understand your tribulations with Finetrax point work. Whilst I have a stalled project where I’ve used some of their (original ‘pegged’) turnouts, I’ve been progressing another layout doing as Woodenhead suggested - 2mm SA components to build copper clad point work to N gauge standards, in my case combined with Easitrac 2mm plain track. Shalln’t spam your thread with photos, I ought start my own! I do enjoy playing with track, so don’t mind poring over a particular turnout, but it can be frustrating. One of the big annoyances I’ve yet to overcome is how to lay the code 40 track nice and smoothly. It’s so flexible it just wants to wiggle subtly the whole time, which totally compromises the look! The lure of Peco is strong at times and given it’s not the bit you enjoy that sounds like a great decision. I also sympathise on the Megapoints/servo stuff. I had loads of problems with spontaneous twitching damaging bits. I settled on using 1mm earth cable (out of twin and earth, the other wires providing the bus), because it has next to no elasticity, a sudden twitch just distorts the wire, without ripping a delicate turnout to pieces! I’ve opted for MTB MP1 motors on the new project, but have reused a few servos as I had so many (only on Peco points in the fiddle yard, mind!). I was setting them up this afternoon, and the irritations of several years ago came flooding back, plus ça change!

Great watching this develop. Really like the use of the code 60 to nest inside the code 83. Even operating in code 40 filing rails is really, really dull!

Meh, you’ve got space, make them longer 🤪

Cars are light. 8-10 sets isn’t uncommon. You do get shorter rakes though. 10 sets here: I’ve got 4 sets of the Etched Pixels ones from years back half finished. Torn now…

Leaned the same myself and left the plastic on most of my printers! Looks differently rubbish!

If an exhibitor wants to lean on their layout that’s their prerogative. One assumes they’re doing so consciously in the knowledge that the layout is not about to buckle under their weight/fall over/get broken. If a punter does it that’s beyond rude! A lot seem to do it to steady a hand while they video. Madness I tells you. same goes for all sort of things frankly. Cars, bikes, bags, food. Not yours? Don’t bloody touch it.

Headed to Billingshurst station for 8:20. Quite a crowd awaiting Mayflower, but they announced it was 90 minutes late. I couldn’t even find it on Traksy/RTT until the posts here, by which time it was at Horsham. Made it back in time with the children. Still a big crowd waiting for it! excuse the poor quality stills taken from a video! D1935 (47805) pushing hard on the back, presumably to help regain time. Looks like it pulled back 20 minutes.

Meanwhile yours truly has been quoted on the matter in everyone’s favourite publication “Reinsurance News” 🤓 https://www.reinsurancene.ws/high-number-of-cargo-claims-anticipated-from-stuck-vessels-following-baltimore-bridge-collapse/ Got a couple of follow up interviews tomorrow, watch this space for more vague comments about the cost of it!

Why can’t it…? I often use Dapol mk3s to check point work as it’s easy to remove the bogies.

Haha, they’re very tempting! I eschewed the 3 as the 2 is great, but I feel I may ‘need’ a 4! Look forward to hearing about it either way 👍

Does look very interesting. I need to work out if the marked reduction in Z height is a problem for anything I print. as ever with us it’s a gamble on pre-ordering and getting stung with taxes versus just waiting until Amazon have stock. The prices are compelling though.

It's a nice depot diorama, but they've messed up the red stripe on the back 47 - it doesn't extend around the cab side like the other two, and they've obviously not yet done the weathered Railfreight logos. The dry brushing is good, but I'd urge the modeller to look at photos of the real thing - the brush marks on the roof that one in the foreground look really unnatural, and they've missed altogether the bit above the windscreens. Don't get me started on the opening door gimmick too. At least they've not gone with the cliche of having a driving leaning out.

Personally always preferred the red, but I like the heritage concept and they’ve done a great job on 611.

That’s really helpful. That does suggest it would be useful to add one to the arsenal! If the print volume was slightly bigger than my existing FDM printer it would be a no-brainer!

Thanks, that’s helpful. I guess I’m more interested in the Bambu alongside other FDM printers. I’m totally happy with the workflow for resin, although I can see how much more faff it is, and I definitely see me always using resin printers more. The speed is sort of attractive, but ultimately I start a print and leave it, so it doesn’t really matter. essentially I only ever use my resin printers for railway stuff at the moment because the finish on FDM is so massively inferior, and it’s whether the Bambu printers have closed that gap, for things like buildings where you’ve got lots of straight edges and hard corners where resin will not be optimal.

As a precis to stop the “well for detail buy a resin printer” comments - I have multiple resin printers and I have an FDM printer, so obviously I need more! I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen from the Bambu Lab X1/P1P (I believe they’re the same hardware, but no enclosure on the P1P and it foregoes some of the bells and whistles), anyone using one? I confess I’ve never messed about too much with my FDM printer, it works fine for what I want it to do (which is basically never railway stuff), but the Bambu Lab printers really look like they’re blurring the lines (often literally) between FDM and resin. Obviously at a fundamental level the technology is still the same, but with the speed and the finish they seem to achieve it’s a tempting proposition!

Even if you did slavishly recreate it I’d argue that just laying a 36-road yard is easier than building a complex shed building in an already complex yard!

It’s by design, and it’s wrong. All 4 lights should be illuminated. I have seen it fixed, but not sure how.

I think Nick is probably right to pose his ideas, becuase if I was spending £20,000 and many years of my life on a layout I would want everyone's considerations, even if I eventually ignore them! I think what Drew has come up with is a little bit the 'safe' option for people who find themself with a large space in which to build a layout. Ultimately it's a scaled up version of what you'd build on a 6x4 board; roundy roundy outside, with some sidings in the middle, there's just more of them. Nick's idea really is ripping that up, and probably making better use of hte space, insofar as you couldn't build huge elements of that in a small space. It's a more adventurous approach too, which could be seen as better or worse. I think scale plays a factor here - N gauge is brilliant for watching scale length trains meander through scenery, and less good for lots of nadgery (definitely a word) shunting. If that's what the OP wants then great, sitting back with a tea/beer while your trains circulate around you, or shuffling stuff around in the yard while that goes on is probably quite therapeutic, if not the ultimate operating challenge. I've no dog in this fight - like others I was attracted by the idea of a large N gauge layout, and a lot of the considerations are ones I have had for when I get around to undertaking a garage conversion to give me space for something similar! From a completely blank canvas I prefer Nick's idea, but I fully understand the rationale Chris has employed of evolution versus revolution, and I think where he's got the plan is excellent. TL:DR: they're both good!

Any good? https://www.trains4u.com/p/301250/Revolution-Trains-OO-IWA-Cargo2-Cargowaggon-IWA-Holdall-Wagons

I'm a big fan, it's my 'day-to-day' resin. Well priced, although the grey is often out of stock (I usually use black in these instances). I typically pay £16-18/litre. The 3 litre bottles are particularly good value. I don't have a MonoX2, so no help there though I'm afraid.

Yes

You cure for an hour?! IME if you intentionally break something it’ll often fail along a layer plane. I printed turnout bases at an angle. They came out well. No chairs failed. I’m happy with this. I note your opinion based on theory though. 👍

That’s the headhunt. The siding is behind the camera. It’s 330m long (2.2m in N). Look on Google Maps, turn on satellite view, there’s a 5-car unit there, as said.

So you mean you heat to 60 degrees for an hour prior to curing…? I’ll confess i skimmed that video, but it hasn’t changed my mind - printing something like track bases flat to the bed will make failure of the chairs in sheer far more likely than if you print at an angle.