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Thanks - it's possible that I've just found the ultimate source (see above). RMWeb is an absolute gold mine of information.

I'm not sure posts get any better than that! I was aware that there would have been working timetables, but I wouldn't have had the first clue where to start looking. I quickly found that there are several online stores that have these available, as well as our favourite auction site. Hopefully I now have a copy of each on their way to me for May 86 to May 87. My word, if you found my posts dull before this moment, just wait until I unleash the WTT from October 86...

The white has definitely been toned down and it looks quite good in person. I’m trying very hard to avoid the spray it all dark brown approach, but it will probably pick up more colour as I work my way round the layout scenically. Even in person I find it hard to judge what ballast will look like after a few years of wear and tear.

No problem answering questions from the back catalogue - it’s what it’s there for! Ballast is Woodland Scenics B1374, fine, light grey. It’s so pale it looks like snow when it goes down, but it’s good for weathering as you can turn it virtually any shade. You can really highlight the new, medium use and heavily used areas.

Units are definitely on the list. Heljan’s forthcoming 104 is much looked forward to! They also take up less fiddle yard space, so they’re much easier to accommodate. I’ve had my eye out for the BR timetable for 1986 so that I can get a better feel for the ratio of units to loco-hauled, as well as seeing some of the variety of destinations. I haven’t yet managed to find the passenger timetable, let alone a working timetable with parcels and freight! I do have the 1986 loco hauled guide which is a brilliant reference book.

I’ve spent some time recently trying to get a proper timetable together, including slots for several of the freight trains that I’ve not yet acquired. It’s been very enjoyable trying to research the various trains and traffic flows. I still need to do some work to get the balance of traffic right, I always end up with one fiddle yard full and another empty! It’s also really apparent that I’m a couple of locos short of what is needed to undertake the various moves. I keep ending up without a loco to release a set from the bays or an electric hauled service with no diesel to hand over to. I’ve also spent yet more time tinkering with the small number of places that get an occasional derailment. Trying to work out whether it is track or rolling stock at fault. I still have a few bits of ballast making a nuisance of themselves. I’m hoping a few decent running sessions will help bed it all in. Not much tangible progress to look at, but a couple of pictures nonetheless. A view from the roadbridge of a class 45 on a West Midlands freightliner. I’m looking forward to repainting some of the boxes into more 80’s styles. I keep worrying the Ever Green’s are going to turn sideways! And a hint of the humdrum normality of any large station in the 80’s. A couple of shunters on the fuel roads, whilst a Met Camm services arrives from Chester.

I never ceased to be impressed by your efforts. There’s always so much detail in your photos. You start looking at the 25, then notice the quality of the track colour. Then you realise how many colours there are, and the different textures. And the faint hint of weeds growing. And the speed board leaning against the old van. Absolutely delightful.

I know the original namers were quite a big thing. Some of them had great names, and in a really striking font. Quite a few remained as 47/0s, so quite unusual for haulage in the 80s.

TTG took me a while - two tone green? Titan is the first named 47 I remember seeing. I was gutted it wasn’t Rail Riders! Christleton around 1970 would be very interesting. Never say never, but blue will do me for now!

I started the process of compiling a timetable / schedule this evening. Unlike previous efforts on paper, I’ve created an excel sheet, which will allow for easier alterations and additional services. After the early parcels, incoming boat train and local DMUs, the Speedlink comes in from Warrington. The 08 shunts the wagons whilst the mainline driver grabs a brew and a butty. Here we see the resident Jocko spotting a TTA, which it will run round and propel to the fuelling point once the Speedlink has departed for North Wales. Unusually there’s a 47 in the shed receiving repairs alongside the more regular 25 having a quick brake exam. Pleasingly, only the furthest left 47, Intercity liveried ‘Titan’, is awaiting the attention of the weathering gang.

My (very) local brewery does bespoke beer labels, so it’s not that far fetched. I just commissioned several cases of Deltic Ales for my friends 55th birthday. 24 bottles all with a different deltic on them plus one of the power block.

The beer’s free if you can still say Christleton Junction Brewery Siding at the end of the operating session!

I’m beginning to wonder when you get to the bit you like?

Nice to do something different. A few months ago I was itching to do something other than trackwork. Then several nights cutting glazing surrounds for the tower block and I’m itching to get back to trackwork! I’m now really looking forward to having a proper running session. I could do with updating my timetable before the next visitor arrives...

More of the same at the other end this evening. The issue at the Holyhead end wasn’t so much curvature as capacity. I had 4 roads, only two of which could hold loco plus 6. Using the same medium radius straight points to replace the large curved ones, I now have 6 storage roads, 4 of which can take loco plus 6. This should be ample for my intended service. To the right of the last photo are the Warrington lines, which end up parallel to the Crewe yard. For the moment there’s a temporary crossover which will be moved further round to the straight section, allowing almost the full 180 degrees of the curve to be scenic. The Warrington yard is currently 2 through roads to allow continuous running plus just two turnback sidings. I plan to add two more through loops and 1 more turnback. The Warrington yard is by far the least used at the moment, but needs to expand for oil, steel, coal and ballast workings. I think that makes 15 out of a planned 18 fiddle yard roads. I’m hoping to feel like I have plenty of spare storage at the next running session, such that the timetable doesn’t have to be constrained by yard capacity. If anyone wants some Peco streamline curved points in code 100, I now have about 10 spare!

And just like that, the fiddle yard was sorted. The new points, moving the code 75 to 100 transitions and a very minor bit of work on the slip (a high soldered joint and a slight track twist) have made a remarkable difference, although not that great visually! Next up is the Holyhead yard, which needs some head-scratching first. The Holyhead yard is busier than the other two, theoretically longer but on a curve.

Not at all. The curved slip allows me to stable loco plus 6, and I don’t want to go lower than that. The double junction and slip are 600mm radius, the issue is that the peco curved points are just too long and wide radius. Oddly 600mm straight turnouts allow a tighter curve without going below 600. I originally tried the set track curved points toe to toe, but they are far too tight and won’t allow 3-link stock around them. There’s nothing commercially available that fits the bill, unless I move a doorway....

Right then, lets get into the nub of the problem. Long time readers will recall that I built a curved double slip (I have no idea how) to access the Crewe fiddle yard. There are a couple of problems with this, firstly the only points I had available to lead off the slip and into a fan of sidings were the very large radius Peco curved points in code 100. This has lead to a kink between the slip and each point, and the change in rail code makes it an even less smooth transition. I have finally managed to get some code 75, 600mm radius points which should allow me to resolve both elements of that problem. The second issue is that the slip runs really well, but only in the correct direction of travel. I didn’t think this would be a problem, but every now and again I want to do a wrong direction move and end up with coaches everywhere. So, kettle on, sleeves up and into the action. Here’s a couple of before shots, confidently taken in the expectation of having something improved to look at later!

Well with the imminent prospect of getting some visitors, I decided to focus some time on sorting some operational issues. First job on the list is to improve the Crewe fiddle yard, which meant clearing everything out of the sidings and into the station. I don’t often (ever) have the station full, but I do quite like it!

Potentially we are talking about slightly different things. I have an operating schedule (timetable) that I do little bits of each time I have a running session. I also have a ‘to do’ list. Units of measurement are Ice Ages.

Sometimes it’s nice to have a running session without making any tangible process. I find a schedule is useful so that you can pick up and drop off around other jobs and distractions.

Progress of the intricate and fiddly kind. My current project is to recreate a concrete monstrosity of the type common to many large BR stations, built in the late 60’s to house the numerous office staff required to run a railway. This tower will be two sided, in an effort to disguise the return angle of the wall going into the alcove. I’m hoping to be able to have it slightly skew to the railway rather than at a right angle. So far I’ve managed to construct the first part of one side and so I’ve placed it in position to see how it looks. There is the non-shiny side of kitchen foil as backing behind the windows, to try to recreate the anti glare reflective film common on most office blocks. The building itself is fairly straightforward, there’s just a lot of it! I’ve only got the too row of window verticals complete so far - getting them all to line up looks like fun! The lower part will be covered by the station brickwork.

Thanks. I’d decided on just that approach. Previously I’ve relied on securing the loose ends out of harms way, but some loco and chassis combinations are so tight I think the wires may have moved.

It is time for the confessions of a class 87... I’m a firm believer that you can do anything if you set your mind to it. You may have to learn new skills and you may have to accept some failures along the way, but nothing is out of your reach. Sound fitting a Hornby 87 came very close to shattering the theory! I couldn’t decide which electric to fit first, the 85 or 87, so I waited until I could afford both and bought them at the same time. I know you can’t hear the quality properly, but I do like a good listen on Youtube before committing so much money on a sound unit. The only 85 I could find online was Legomanbiffo, so that was the choice for both. When they arrived, I fitted the 85 first. Undid 4 screws, unplugged the old chip, plugged the new one in, slotted the speaker into the space designed by Bachmann to take it, and off it went. The 87 is easier to take apart, being just a simple clip on body. After that it becomes the most troublesome of locomotives to fit. It’s clear not much thought has gone into sound fitting it. Or alternatively, the Hornby designer knows that a model railway enthusiast is having an affair with his wife, and as he doesn’t know who, he’s decided to seek revenge on all of us. Eventually I figured out a way to fit two sugar cubes between the bogies and with sufficient persuasion (more orientation than force) the chip will fit in the designed slot. Now for some recommendations. Always fit a sound chip when you have plenty of time available, at least 3 hours. You’ll need nothing like that long but it will remove the pressure. Have a cup of tea (there’s something in tea which gives you a steady hand*). Arrange a nice clear, well lit, white workspace. Have a handy box on hand to store the screws in. If you need to do any soldering, this isn’t the place to learn how to solder, but it’s certainly within the scope of the average modeller. I always test my sound units before fitting in their final configuration. Take care that there’s no chance of a short circuit as you could blow the chip. The 87 unit worked first time and sounded amazing. I spent some time fitting it all properly, nothing too complex, but you do have to strip the circuit board and remove the motor to do it. On the track it went and... no sound. The loco worked fine, but zilch from the speaker. Here we get to meet local hero, Charlie at DCKits, who supplies the LMB sounds. Send it back and we’ll have a look, he said. A week later a new (or fixed) chip appears. I repeat the above process, and this time... sound. It’s amazing, well maybe a bit fuzzy, in fact that doesn’t sound right at all. Why’s it stopped? This time, a complete failure of the chip, it won’t even respond on the programming track. Second call to Charlie, send it back we’ll have a look. And then.... nothing. Somewhere it’s gone missing in the post. Fortunately, somehow, Charlie sorted it and the third attempt can begin. Failure 1 was almost certainly a short circuit across the speaker. I have no idea how, but that’s the likely cause. Failure 2 was probably one of the 4 trailing wires from the chip touching something in the loco. The lesson here is to fit the chip when you get it, whilst it’s still in warranty and you have all the order deals to hand. Dealing with a good firm is definitely worth it, and Charlie comes highly recommended. All locos are fit-able with DCC sound, but the Hornby 87 is the most challenging I’ve done so far. If you have a choice, start with a Bachmann! A video of the superb sounding 87 will follow in due course. It is unbelievably evocative of the West Coast. And then, we can dissect my real problem loco, the Hornby** 08. Happy modelling! *I have no evidence for this but it seems to be true. **inevitably.

Not a lot has happened over the last week, mainly due to full sized train distractions, but come what may the weekly brewery train needs to run. A couple of 25s look on as the vans are shunted about.