ColinK

Already in the diary, looking forward to it.

If I wrote a review of any of my locos it would go something like this … The wheels are set far too close together, a scale equivelent of four feet instead of four feet eight and a half inches. Instead of being powered by a nice big diesel engine, a tiny electric motor makes it go. It gets it power by sending an electric current through the rails, the health & safety police wouldn’t allow that on the real railway. The couplings are so so wrong, a big hook and loop instead of three big metal links. I can’t climb inside to release the brakes and open throttle, instead I have to control it with my mobile phone. The real loco has to be refulled every day, the model never needs any diesel fuel. The model goes round corners the real loco would get derailed on. The real loco needed a banker to go up the 1 in 37 of Lickey incline with a 8 coach train, the model will haul 10 coaches up 1 in 25. Come on manufacturers, time you started making models that are just like the real thing…. but it looks like a class xx from three feet and runs well, so I’m happy.

Thanks for the quick helpful replies. We tried superglue (carefully) but that didn’t hold. I’ve got araldite so we can try that. The point is changed by a wire rod under the baseboard.

I’ve been helping a friend today with his first ever layout, it looks great, but he has a problem with one of his Peco N gauge points. Looking from the toe end the right hand switch rail is raised up by approx 0.75mm at the tiebar. The blade can be pushed down, but it soon pops up again. Photos below. The point cannot easily be removed as it is part of the station throat and as you can see, it is all ballasted. Does anyone know what could be causing the problem and how to fix it, thanks?

Interesting layout Jim, do you gave a track plan we can see - even if its jyst a rough sketch?

Yesterday there was a 20 minute queue for trolleys at the supermarket.

I do like that plan. I would have low relief factories/wharehouses/etc at the top so wagons could be parked by them for unloading, and a fiddlestick on the bottom right track. So freight comes off the fiddlestick, loco shunts ‘full’ wagons into the sidings by the warehouses and removes empties, then forms the empties into a train which departs back to the fiddlestick. Add a platform edge at the bottom of the layout (by the runround loop) and you could have a passenger service too.

My wife and I have had electric bikes for several years. Have to say we are delighted with them, great for hills or cycling into a headwind. The only downsides are the cost and weight. I use mine mainly for cycling to work (in good weather) which does help recoup the cost, plus a little recreational cycling. Ours are insured, not just for theft, but for accidents too. You will need a sturdy lock, the insurance company specifies the standard of lock, more expense, but a cheap lock is false economy. Like most things, you get what you pay for. I recommend you go to one or more good bike shops who will advise you and get the bike set up for you eg correct saddle height, correct distance from the handlebars, which does make a difference. We bought ours from Cycle Heaven in York who have been excellent, we’ve no connection with them, just happy customers. The bikes we have are made by Gazelle, a Dutch company so they are made to last.

The reason some long distance services do not stop at Bolton is simply passenger capacity - there are (or at least before Covid) huge numbers of people travelling by train between Bolton and Manchester, especially in peak times. Quite naturally people going home to Bolton will use the fast services to Bolton instead of the slow stoppers, but that means the long distance services are jammed. Indeed when the TPE Manchester - Scotland services were introduced my wife commuted to Lancaster on them, she worked next to Oxford Road station, but had to walk to Piccadilly to make sure she could get on the Edinburgh train, even then it was very rare for her to get a seat. Even when they had seat reservations, passengers for Carlisle and Scotland sometimes couldn’t get on the train because of all the people only going as far as Bolton. When the services got rerouted via Wigan, the same happenned with Wigan commuters.

Salford as it called in my youth, was a really tatty run down station I never used, despite it probably being a decent location for watching trains and photography. More recently I was there many times when lines were closed for the work on Farnworth tunnel and electrification to Preston as it was a station served by rail replacement coaches, by then the station entrance and low level concourse had all been significantly improved. Still a bit seedy though.

I hope not, we need trains that work.

One of the model shops I use kindy put a parcel containing my order on one of our buses and my colleague put it in my locker at the end of his shift. 😀😀😀

Yet my postman told me parcels were being delivered very quickly. I got one today that was posted on Monday.

Thanks for doing this. Although I have quite wide interests, I could only find 8 items which I would actually buy if produced. To me that highlights just how lucky we are to have so many excellent RTR items available.

Use a computer desk with wheels so you can move it out of the way and under the light when modelling.

Rather than hijack this topic, I've started a separate topic 'Isle of Man Trains and Trams' which has the video I made recently.

I visited the Isle of Man in September on an excellent Ffestiniog Travel holiday. We visited most, if not all the railways and tramways. Below is the link to the 60 minute video I made.

Looks great. Instead of the girder bridge you could have a pipe bridge which would be in keeping with the industrial theme. I made one years ago using an Airfix signal gantry kit with a bit of pipe inside.

Have to say I’m getting very tempted to get an 89, but it would work out very expensive as would have to put overhead wires up on my layout.

Thanks for posting that video, really enjoyed it. I had a holiday in the Isle of Man recently and recognised many of the scenes. I made a video of the trip if its of any interest.

I don’t really need another class 50, but could be tempted if a version with the original non-referbished sound is produced.

GMPTE had two Dennis Falcons which were based at Atherton depot; I worked in the offices there at the same time and managed to drive them both but only very occasionally. I did take one to the bus rally at Heaton Park but it broke down in Salford on the way home, the mechanics had to come and tow it back to the depot. They were so unreliable that they were usually restricted to peak only workings. Whenever I was told ‘take anything’, if I went for one of the Falcons I was always told to take something else. They were the first buses we had with push buttons for the automatic gearboxes; one day I was crossing the road from office to garage and one of our lady drivers had just got into the Falcon which was well filled with passengers, she shouted at the top of her voice ‘hey Colin, how do I drive this thing?’

Got to see these guys live in Preston last week - excellent night out.

While I have already set my shunters to direct drive (and a very low top speed), I hadn’t thought about reducing acceleration & deceleration values to very low numbers for my main line locos, makes a lot of sense if it doesn’t mess up the sound. I’ll have to give it a try (I’ve already notes the factory set values).