OliverSR

Thanks to @Derails ModelsI received my O2 today. Fitting with a Gaugemaster DCC93 was simple and easy. I’m very pleased with the model as a livery I always wanted it is a great addition to my IOW stock. Pictured alongside my original release Ventnor. OliverSR

Lots more testing of various rolling stock and many minor tweaks to track work to avoid derailments but also a couple of visual things I’ve done. The old backscene boards from Lots Road have been reunited with the boards albeit with some modifications due to the new trackplan. The idea being to use tall buildings and greenery to hide the holes in the sky. Secondly I fitted some hooks to hang a LT destination board I own and think it’s sits there rather well. You may have noticed the rolling stock is looking rather IOW based as I’m waiting for a recent EFE Rail release and with the backscene now in place some trick photography it almost looks like a finished scene if you don’t look to closely. That’s all for now OliverSR

Hi all Im looking to fit some signals to my layout and so have bought the following things, a Signallist SC1 and several Eckon secondhand unbuilt signal kits, the idea being to connect and run these from my powercab. I opened the kits today to find that they were older than I thought and still had grain of wheat bulbs in the packets rather than LED’s. Would I be correct that for me to use the SC1 I would need to get replacement LED’s for this as the SC1 isn't designed for filament bulbs? Also if anyone has any general advice words of wisdom about the setup I’m hoping to do then please let me know. OliverSR

Over the last weekend I have cracked on with my list of jobs for the layout in fact I have pretty much done all I listed on the previous post. All track sections have droppers fitted which have been connected to the bus wire via some neat little WAGO 222 type connectors which save the need for soldering and with a box of 50 connectors for just under £10 on eBay not too bad on the pocket either. It’s a bit messy in the fiddle yard areas due to board supports but no one will see it when a back scene is up so I, not fussed as long as it works. I have also made this lift away section to go over the LT line to aid maintenance and access if things ever derail(hopefully not often though). This was made with bolts fitted for vertical alignment and RailAlligners on the edges. Some old door handles allow me to lift it easily and I have fitted a plug for power and a draw bolt to lock it into place. So far it seems to be working fine with even my largest locos at decent speed not having issues with it. Now I have power hooked up to all running lines as well as the servos all connected to the point controller via servo extension leads bought from Amazon. The point pins have been trimmed down and I have been able to get on with the important task of rolling stock testing(playing trains). I plan to give all my rolling stock a run across the layout to fault find any areas to fettle before I finally fix down the tracks. I should also think about signal placement, I plan for these to be Eckon/Berko type signals which I’ll connect up to the powercab. All in all I’m happy with how things are progressing. OliverSR

Since I had the week off and intended to get as much done on the layout as possible last week here is how I got on. Mainly due to the heat not as much as I’d like(soldering in the heat is less fun than normal) was done but still made significant progress towards a running layout. Cork underlay has been added under the scenic side and this has been painted with hobbycraft dark grey acrylic and now looks a lot neater. The fiddle yard section has been mostly corked too but I ran out of cork so one corner still needs it. The RailAligners have been fitted on 80% of the boards but I decided to make the section above where the LT line passes under removable to help with maintenance and derailments. So far during my testing with both steam and Multiple units I have had no derailments so fingers crossed the track work is decent. Finally I’ve been fitting servos to the points which will be controlled by my NCE Powercab. I opted to use a system bought from Chesterfield Model Miniature Engineering which seemed good value to me while being plug and play and had room for 16 points which by coincidence is my layout total. I did some tests with standard set track point and then removing the springing mechanism and with servos it looked a lot better to me if I removed them for the scenic sections. These were then fitted with servos which I used with some mounting kits bought off eBay. Basically neat aluminium brackets but due to how close I had a few to the edge of boards/undercut I had to trim down a bracket or two which the dremel handled admirably. Finally with the powercab I was able to link up crossovers via Macros so I can switch sections at the press of a button which I’m rather impressed with. Here is a video showing the whole point process. So still to do before trains can run is… finish one corner of cork underlay and RailAligners to lift up section fit 4 remaining servos. solder all droppers to track sort the BUS wire Not there yet but a lot further along than I was a week ago. I was a bit lax on pictures so these not great photos showing the current state of the layout will have to do. That’s all for now but I hope it won’t be too long before I get more done on the layout. OliverSR

This week I’ve been able to put some serious time into the layout. So far the incline section has been built up more permanently than the card cubes it rested on in the previous photo. Cork underlay and the track secured down along with wiring the section and fitting ModelTech RailAligners on the board joins. Also after reading on @TurboSnail’s workbench about some cheap Hornby 4 wheelers these two(soon to be three) look quite at home behind a District Railway loco and a temporary brake for rake sizing reasons.Here is a quick video showing various trains working the incline representative of the sort of trains I intend to run on it. Hopefully more progress before the week is out, bring on the upper circuits next! OliverSR

I have been busy adapting second hand baseboards and roughly laying track out and this is the result. Some of the board tops still need fixing down and tweaking and permanent supports for the incline will need to be done before I can think about tracklaying but it is still nice to see things starting to take shape. Once I’m happy with the baseboards then I will add cork underlay and start on the track and wiring. Hopefully before too long I will be able to run some trains for “testing” purposes. OliverSR

I really enjoy enjoy looking over this thread from time to time, the ingenuity and quality of your 3mm locos especially is admirable. Incidentally seeing earlier posts also reminded me I have a couple of XT60s and some K’s motors somewhere in my spares box which I should probably put on eBay if they are commanding any sort of money(if anyone is after one feel free to PM me). Anyways particularly like the Z class but I enjoy seeing all models on this topic. OliverSR

For those wishing to see what happens to Lots Road I have now started a new layout which will make use of the boards and elements from it. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/165221-merriville-oo-brs-and-lt-layout/ OliverSR

Hi all After a house move I have now settled in enough to start sorting a layout for myself. Using the old boards from Lots Road as a basis the plan is to make a small roundy-roundy layout with two running lines, a merging branch line and a lower Underground shuttle line. This should allow me to get what I want out of a layout in the space I have to work with as shown by these early SCARM renders of the approximate plan. I appreciate this may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I very much enjoy this type of layout and will hopefully be posting a update for anyone who wants to follow this layout build. Finally for now an attempt at a arty image of the undercut section from Lots Road which will still have a presence on this new layout. OliverSR

Pleased to say I have now finished my repaint into DS1169. The bonnet piece went back to plastic with a soak in Dettol however the cab wasp stripes was a bit more stubborn so I resorted to paint stripper back to bare metal on it. This is all so I don’t have wasp stripes showing though when I repainted it. It was brush painted with Humbrol 151 on the body and Plastikote insignia red on the bufferbeams. Then the glazing and detailing parts removed earlier were glued back on. The loco was Finally finished off with the 247 Developments numbers and I’m very pleased with the results. I don’t plan on weathering it as I prefer a pristine(unrealistic for sure) look on my models. OliverSR

Having picked up the army 802 Ruston recently I set about taking it apart ready for a repaint and renumber into DS1169. Even though people have mentioned how the body comes off I don’t remember seeing the cab disassembled so thought I’d post my progress so far. The body unscrews at the cab then the bonnet and cab separated easily. The buffers could be removed by simply pulling them out. I wanted to take it to pieces to give me a easier job removing the wasp stripes and not leave ghosting on the surface. Gentle prising with a scalpel removed the cab roof and glazing and now the body parts are having a Dettol bath. I already have some plates on order from 247 Developments but wanted to check what people have used for chipping it up. Is the Gaugemaster DCC93 a suitable chip to go for (before I buy one)? OliverSR

I’ve been looking into options for points decoders for a upcoming project and came across this site. https://www.dcc-decoders.com/shop Has anyone here any experience with them? I’d be considering using the turnout decoder to power solenoids so I assume the CDU add on would be a good idea too. As someone who has built a few PCB kits in the past the DIY option looks tempting but would value opinions from anyone other RMwebbers. OliverSR

Short answer is sadly not “Lots” I made attempts add track to the upper level but time and interest dropped off and it ended up not getting very far. I have since moved house but Lot’s Road did come with me as the new place had a garden studio where having a layout can happen. I have since done some other large builds(non railway related) and DIY bits and am now feeling more confident to tackle making something of it. However it will be extensively reworked and incorporated into a smallish continuous running layout so a very different concept to the original(apologies to those who prefer end to end but rule 1 invoked). Since the rebuild will have so little in common with the original other than the different heights and as much of the underground lines as I can keep I will be setting up a new topic for this layout in due course. OliverSR

Hi I’m looking for a circle of OO/HO EZ track or similar. Just after something cheap I can set up around a tree this year and the EZ sort with raised bases seem a safer bet for the floor. As long as it’s enough to make a circle and run trains on it should suit the bill. PM me if you have anything you’d be willing to sell. OliverSR

I know the Bachman S Stock is getting pricey but this looks pretty fishy to me. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/193696493872 OliverSR

While looking on eBay I came accross these for sale. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143657732683 I hadn’t a seen a coreless tenshodo variant before and they look to be a newish development albeit at a higher price. Considering the standard tenshodo can be a bit hit or miss I wonder how these coreless variants compare. Has anyone tried these as I am curious about how they preform? OliverSR

Just saw this Bachmann OO across Country 170 on eBay.... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153995834672 I’m sorry how much?!?!? OliverSR

Acquired recently in a house clearance I came across these two books and so if anyone can offer them a good home and cover postage they are yours. Book 2 Dated 1955 Thomas the Tank engine has childs drawings on the cover and inside cover only but the pages seem to be in okay condition with damage to spine. Book 14 Dated 1959(first edition?) The Little Old Engine. Appears to have no drawings on pages and is in good condition. I would prefer to send them together but would consider splitting if I have two interested parties. Please message me with any interest or questions. OliverSR

Let me know if you can get to them, ideally contact me via a private message on this site (by clicking on my profile and finding the letter icon there). Depending where you are I may be able to drop them around locally. Either way you are the first person to express interest in them so can have first refusal. OliverSR

I have a selection of O Gauge coaches made out of mainly wood with missing or damaged bogies, in need of a home. If anyone has any use for and can collect from Cheltenham they are welcome to them. Due to the size of them I don’t wish to post them. Anyone interested please PM me to arrange a time for a socially distanced collection. OliverSR

Not sure about the weathering on this model... https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F324081081991 OliverSR

Not an STL file but @Bluebell Model Railway created these which he prints and sells himself. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F202794963730 OliverSR