Richard Lee

I would be very interested to hear how you get on.  I am considering some of their LBSC stuff in 4mm, for a fictitious branch line terminus.

To be honest, when I get mine I think that I will be looking to close-couple them.

I don't really like tension lock couplings anyway.  I have a feeling that one of the projects for later this year or perhaps next year is to consider alternatives.

Hornby T9 in LSWR lined Royal Green livery on Corfe Viaduct at Isle of Purbeck Model Railway Group meeting in Furzebrook Village Hall on Friday 7 March. 120 wore this livery from 1907 when it was built until it was repainted in sage green livery after 1914. British Railways also repainted 120 in LSWR Royal Green livery before it was withdrawn from service in 1963 so it ran with BR SR Bulleid coaches.

Thank you for that information.  "Southern Counties Branch Line Steam" by Michael Welch, ISBN978-1-85414-359-4, has a couple of colour pictures that include the prototype in that livery on an excursion on the Cuckoo Line, in 1962.  I was curious about about it.

Could the flangeways be a little too wide on your SMP points?

Could be.  When I laid some and ran trains over them, it seemed to me that the check-rails were too far apart.  They can't be adjusted because you slot the rail into the chairs molded onto the timbers.  It may be that the Terriers have slightly courser wheels than the M7s, which could be why the Terriers loved them but M7s didn't.

One thing that I might try if I get trouble when I get around to doing the side project would be to stick some thin material on the insides of the check rails.  I have read about people using phosphor-bronze strip or thin plasti-card for that kind of job.

Like Micky, I actually prefer the look of the SMP kit points.  My intention was to use wire in the tube, which does work with the kits.  (Because the Marcway points are stiffer and need more force to operate, I couldn't get wire in the tube to work with the Marcway points.)  Although I had used the Mercontrol levers, I was going to try using little switches with omega loops attached so that I could switch the frogs with the same action as setting the points.

I can't be sure from the pic, but the Marcway one appears to have been built using 3.3mm wide sleepering strip, instead of 4mm wide timbering strip. Hence the light narrow-gauge look. Can anyone confirm?

It is a little bit difficult to measure now that they are ballasted, but they do seem to be 3.5mm.

Here is a picture with Marcway 36" at the top, with a (badly made) SMP plastic based kit below:

For my layout, something like 36" radius points is about right.  Have a feeling that having to use much larger points would tend to make things more difficult for me, and would be a reason not to choose them.  If I bought Marcway again, then I would consider using the 48" radius ones, but would have to think a lot before I went 60".  The big scenic curve goes down to 30" in the middle, so I didn't see a lot of point in going for much larger radius points.

The SMP kits gave trouble with my Hornby M7s, and several of the wagons.  The Terriers seemed to like them, though.  I kept them, and might use them for a little side project involving an LBSC branch line which is restricted because of a wooden bridge to the mainland.

For potential sales to me, the firm that you are competing with is Marcway.  If the price got up to that of equivalent Marcway points I would need clear advantages to chose the new points over Marcways.

The main competitors for points to use with SMP, C&L or Exactoscale flexi-track are likely to be Peco Code 75, and the smaller radius Marcway points. 

It is unlikely that Peco can be beaten on cost, although if the product is better, some people would be prepared to pay a bit more. There is a lot of information available about wiring Peco in the preferred manner, so I think any new competitor would be wise to make it simple to wire-up their product to DCC standards.

Marcway look extremely good, in my opinion, although some people are worried by the lack of chairs.  There are other issues with using a copper-clad construction.  I get the impression that they are not intended for novice modellers.  On the whole I am happy with them, but, because I am on a limited budget, I cut the number of points to 8 when I planned my layout.

No, i said I have made track in P4  (and EM and OO) not that I do now

Although, as you say,  you are are not making P4 track now, I am very pleased for you that Scalefour News gives you a lot of pleasure.  

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/79430-scalefour-news-185/&do=findComment&comment=1250933

Hi Andrew

 

Marcway points were discussed earlier in the thread and they are not really ready to lay. They do not have a self-locking mechanism to hold the switch blades over as found with other ready to lay systems. A point motor or lever frame with a self-latching device is needed. 

My OO gauge 36" Marcway points look good to me, but seem to take up significantly more space than Peco Streamline medium or the SMP based plastic kits.  They are fairly stiff compared to some other points, and I found it impossible to operate them with wire in a tube.  (Maybe someone else has been skilled enough to implement wire in a tube with them.)  As Clive said, you need a self-latching point motor, or manual lever.  As supplied, they rely upon the switch blades to change polarity, which works reasonably well if you clean the relevant bits with a glass-fibre pen; however, DCC using people might want to modify them to implement some kind of switching mechanism.

[snip]

As an aside, I do have a view that if a better looking RTL track system was miraculously made available (note: I'm not saying it will appear), then for some people, the incentive to build there own, or to go to EM or P4, may evaporate.

In other words, a better looking RTL 00 track system, has the potential to damage the numbers of people getting involved with EM and possibly even P4.

I'm sure other people have thought about this and don't like the prospect?

You can sometimes read between the lines of some comments and get a "feeling" of where people "are coming from", so to speak.

 

 

.

That is possible;  however, an alternative view is that that ready to lay OO track might wet appetites for better track and encourage some people to have a go at making their own.  I notice that some people who make track and encourage others to make their own  have been helpful and supportive.

Have received the message.  I am very grateful.  Have thanked you in reply, but echo my thanks here.

I used to be quite scared of soldering whitemetal, and indeed ended up with many heaps of molten metal until I chanced by Andy Duncan demonstrating at one of the exhibitions, he made it look easy, and using the right materials it is. - If you happen to be anywhere he has a stand drop by and let him demonstrate it to you, it's well worth a few minutes of your time.

Thank you for that advice.  I would love to see an expert demonstate white metal soldering; it is a skill that I would love to aquire.  However, I am an expatriate, and only visit Britain once or twice per year.

May I please ask for a spot of help?  I could do with some OO LBSC 1900ish transfers for some 4-wheel coach kits that I am doing as a side project.  Does anyone know where I can get hold of some?  Obviously, correct for the 1870 to 1903 livery would be ideal, but ‘near enough’ might do for me.

The coach kits are from Smallbrook Studios:

http://www.smallbrookstudio.co.uk/#/products-new/4569521214/LBSCR-Four-Coach-Set-of-4-Wheel-Stroudley-Coaches/3738609

I managed to get hold of some car spray paint that looks about the right shade for mahogany.

I am sure that there were changes to the coaches between 1900 and the 1930s, but I thought that they might be a better match for my Hornby LBSC liveried terrier ‘Fulham’ than the Ratio GWR 4-wheelers.  I strongly suspect that they would more likely appear in rakes of 5 rather than 4 during LBSC days.

Thank you in advance.

This thread pushed me to ordering some, and some low-melt solder.    Up to now I have glued white-metal kits of horse-drawn vehicles, but I might try soldering the next one.  If that, and the resin 4-wheel coach kits that I am doing arn't too bad, I might think about doing a proper, rolling-stock or locomotive white-metal kit some time.

I chose SMP with Marcway 36" points for my 'L' shaped layout.  As it happens, bullhead was ideal for the bucolic, early 1930s branch line.  However, if there had been ready to run flat-bottomed track with OO sleepers that was significantly cheaper, then I must admit that I would have been very tempted to use it.  By the time the rails sides are painted rust colour and the track ballasted, then the difference between bullhead with chairs and flatbottomed rail would not be as noticable as some of the other blemishes and compromises on my layout.

Very few people would disagree that hand-made custom-built track (depending upon how well it is made) would eclipse any pre-manufactured track.  However, for the rest of us who are not yet ready to make their own track, a new range would just have to be better looking than Peco code 75, with comparible running qualities to be in the picture.  The sleeper and point timber sizes and spaces is very noticable, in my opinion.

Langley Miniature Models do liquid flux for low-melting point solder (3rd item on page of link).  Have no idea if it is good stuff or good value for money.

http://www.langley-models.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Solder__Glue___Fillers_100.html

...[snip]....

Surely there is a market for true 00 gauge RTR track? 

Regarding flexitrack, SMP, C&L and Exactoscale (now owned by C&L) all do proper OO track in code 75 bullhead rail.  Expect it to be about a pound or two more per yard than Peco code 75.

Points are a bit more problematic.  You can get kits (for instance C&L) to help you make them yourself.  You can buy ready-made hand-made points from firms such as Marcway, who own and distribute SMP track.  Alternatively, some people compromise and use Peco code 75 points with proper OO flexitrack. 

C&L and SMP have lower sleepers than Peco, but I understand that Exactoscale OO track uses similar height sleepers to Peco.  I have not tried using Peco points with proper OO flexitrack, so you will have to seek other opinions on the practicalities of using Peco points with SMP, C&L or Exactoscale track.

EDIT:  By the way, there have been some reasonably lengthy discussions on RMWeb about this issue.  If you are interested, you could do a search.

I notice that Hattons have a couple of sets of the coaches from the Imperial Airways pack for not very much more than the cost of that one coach.

Cheers Richard. I hope the trackwork looks half decent by the time I've fixed some of it in position. Fixing the actual track - no problem. Fixing it with all the associated droppers and switch feeds - gets messy!!

 

If I might ask, what are you doing in far-off Bulgaria?

 

Jeff

I decided to retire early, and couldn't afford to stay within the UK without working.

Don't bother with Marcway points, Richard. Good as they are, it's really quite straightforward to make your own. It was the thought of it that put me off for years, but now it's become second nature and really enjoyable....

 

....unless you have about 80 to build.

 

One day Sandside and myself will convince Jeff..

Thanks. I take your point (excuse the pun). If I already have something to run my trains on, then my second layout is not urgent. If I were still living in Sheffield I would pop down to Marcway and purchase a couple of kits, and whatever tools they suggest I need. The problem that I face is that I live in Bulgaria, so that if I find I need something unexpectedly then I would face international postage charges plus over a week's postal delay. If I try to buy enough stuff to do all the points and then find I can't, then I am left with a load of expensive white elephants. I will consider it further, though.

...[snip]...

I hope this has been useful in some way. Apologies if you already knew all this stuff!

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff

Thanks, Jeff, your post (and previous information gleaned from this thread) have been extremely useful. The point-work and track looks very good indeed. The whole project looks extremely impressive, and far more ambitious than anything that I am considering.

...[snip]...

However, starting next week there is a chance that unknown species known as "Trackus SMPicus", along with "Pointus Marcwayitum" may well start to infest the baseboards. Hope you are suitably immunised!

 

Jeff

Excellent! I have been keeping an eye on this thread, because, from pictures I have seen on t'Internet, SMP track looks particularly good for OO. I also like what I have seen and read about Marcway points. I started my first layout this year (branch line terminus to fiddle yard plank), and like a fool I used Hornby track with the dreaded insu-frog points. I want to do a larger plank with better track etc. One of my friends might be able to visit the Marcway shop for me and bring me back a couple of boxes of SMP flexitrack. Although I am considering Peco code 75 to go with the SMP at the moment, the options for points are not yet set in stone. Any more information about Marcway points will be gratefully absorbed.