sjrixon

My just arrived via Royal Mail... Have to agree with Tony, much better effort, few issues, but none that really bother me. It's currently pottering around my test loop before I'll drop in a DCC chip and see what fun that will bring.

And a random bag in a truck! Cottages look good, the slight rise when the railings start looks really good.

Thanks for the short video.. More please

Manged to fix the roof, I had a shell vent that had been knocked off! So I drilled out the old one, to replace with a white metal version. I then decided it was probably easier to give the whole roof a dusting with primer. I then fixed the front steps on and gave the whole under frame a session with the primer. I just dropped it on the bogies for the pictures. Time to get some GWR colours out I think!

Just got my shipping notification! Has anyone shown the dcc socket? Or any chip settings?

Just got the shipping notification for my Dean goods! Should be here next week. Just need to see what decoder she is going to need and then she can be brought into service.

I spend a few days out of the country, then a very few busy work days, then a weekend away. All gives a knock to the momentum.. So knowing that the next phase of the coach is to get the top section sprayed was also holding me back, last time I sprayed I'd had issues with my compressor. It wouldn't hold pressure, it would start ok, but then as the pressure dropped it wouldn't always come back up and the compressor would just rock as if the pump wasn't working correctly. So, for all those people with AS18 compressors. If you start to have issues, then take it apart! I was about to go the whole hog and order a new one, but I thought, why not see what it looks like inside. That's when I found all this crud. The white stuff was blocking up the little plastic valve. I've only tested it running air through, but appears all ok now!! Now I need to find some time to spray the coach.

Love the statement. I've enough stock, except, this, this and this. We can never have enough sidings!

The wagon, do the wagon! I thought the same when I saw it, but at the time was thinking in terms of a layout and couldn't work in a wagon with an open door. But perfect for a cake box.

I work from home and my small layout shares my office. A couple of positives, if I've been working all day then it's already warm should I want to go back and either run some trains or work on some kits. Also means my work bench is behind me, so should I have 10mins I can quickly do something. Handy when you want to quickly prime something, or stick something that takes 10s but needs to then dry overnight.

Nice Mike. Now I want one even more!

Hi Colin.. That was the conclusion that I came too. I'm also a member of a club and if I'd converted my stock I'd then not be able to run any stock with anyone else on the club layout. I've made a jig and have about 6 wagons setup. But the effort and time was huge! So I'm just going to stay with normal couplings, with the plan to sort out locos with loops. Richard, my autocoach hasn't run much yet, so time will tell! But mine is on the bogie, if that helps?

Hi Nick.. Thanks for the offer, I did stop for a short period but children being children not as long as I wanted to. Layout does look amazing in the flesh though and good to see it as part of such a cracking show!

Hey Colin... Photobucket, don't get me started!! I've done most pictures up to about page 5.. I'll get the rest done at some point. As for loops. They just look so much cleaner on a loco, I hate having the HUGE standard coupling sticking out the front. The 48xx is a special case as I wanted to close couple the autocoach and I used a Sprat and Winkle coupling for that.

I might just make it, Saturday afternoon. I'll have my little boy, so could be interesting, but be good to see the layout again.

The extra video on Buckingham is great. Not actually read any magazine yet, maybe need a swift half and then have a read.

Managed to find a few moments to make the changes to the back of the 48xx and properly attach a loop for the coupling. This loop is at the standard height, so will hook to normal couplings too. Then a couple of shots to show how nice and close I'm then able to get them together. They will also run on a club layout, so I hope I've not got carried away!

That's really nice, well done. The Bangnall is crying out for the same treatment, I've always thought they look just too 'grey'.

Thanks!!! I played about for ages last night, I couldn't figure it out. But, I've never thought of putting the wire in some large tube so you have something to stick to, simple an ingenuous. I did get the body into the paint shop though, we are in primer! Nice close up, shows up some of the damage around the new stuck on bits where I hacked at it You can't really see a normal viewing distance. I need to flick some filler over the scrape on the front though, that's easy to fix. I'd dabbled with Sprat and Winkle couplings a few years back, so I've fixed one to the rear of the coach.. Means I needed a little overhang of plastic card to clear the buffers, should be ok once I've cut it down a little and painted it back. I'd also had one broken buffer at the front. I'd been emailing David Geen as he came up in my search as someone who makes replacements, as yet I've had no reply. For now I've moved a rear buffer to the front, as they are the ones you see and then used a round buffer with some liberal use of a file to make it oval. The plan now is to airbrush the main body and then brush paint the insides, I also need to paint the controls that come with the kit, paint some people, I might add a door for the driver too. That may all need to wait a little as I've a couple of busy weeks coming up.

Kevin.. How did you attach the wire loop (for the coupling) to the bottom of the 48xx? I've tried tonight and failed

It's not for the faint hearted! It also amazes me how much you could add to the under frame, linking the front to the back, almost a little too accurate. But, it's going to look so much better!

Did a test fit on the bogie as I hope to make some small progress tonight. Well, it doesn't fit! The battery box is fouling on end and part of the auto gear is fouling the other.

It amazes me in this day and age that they don't just put some transfers in the box. So how far is Little Muddle from Paddington?

With the fish van being loaded the 48xx crew had a brew before adding a couple of trucks to the rear for the return run.

With the autocoach build coming along nicely, I thought I'd get another odd job off the bench. Castle Down has been waiting a while for a wagon for it's fish traffic. This was an old build that I'd done and never finished, the steps on this parkside van are horrid! Very fragile, small parts and I'd made a mess of it! So a while back I'd remade them with new plastic and even some brass square section to make them more resilient to being a layout vehicle. Still needs the roof actually gluing on, some varnish and weathering, but it needed a test on the layout The 48xx arrives with one coach on the midday local with one van attached. The first job is to shift the log load out of the way. The delivery van has already arrived with the first load from the coast. Then the fish bloater can be moved off the rear of the train and into the loading dock. Looks like a couple of crates are ready for loading. (Tweaked the last two pictures to a better res/iso)