Harry

These are great videos and thank you for posting. I have followed them with success. I can’t work out how to continue the texture into the window reveal so it doesn’t look completely flat in the window reveal - is there a simple way to do that I’m missing? I’m also wanting to add a stone arch above the window and can’t work out how to do that - is there an easy way? I also wanted a double sided stone wall but I’m guessing the easiest way for that is just to assemble 2x back to back in prusaslicer which seems to work. Thanks again for posting.

Hi - apologies as similar threads to this have been discussed previously but as they are missing the photos of diagrams etc, they are tricky to understand. I have a Kadee 309 electromagnetic uncoupler that I would ideally like to control using DCC. My control panel uses DCC Concepts AEU for points and signals and I wondered if there was any way to use this to also control the uncoupler? I know the issues around the power supply but the Kadee has its own supply so this isn't an issue - I'm just not sure what accessory decoder to use for it that I can then 'link' to the AEU as it will need to provide either a timed 'on' period of say 30 seconds or need to be pressed for on and again for off. I'm not against just having this non-DCC if easier - I just like the tidiness of the DCC Concepts solution with only a couple of wires (well, 3) going between the layout and the control panel. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Thanks to everyone's replies - I am now in receipt of the parts to make the signal as advised by Andrew from MSE. However, I can't find a good reference photo for how the ladder would have attached at the top of the signal - would there have been a platform or straight onto the post? And would there have been anything for the lower arm in a co-acting or would the staff just be expected to reach it from the ladder?! Does anyone have a decent reference photo for this? Many thanks again,

Thank you all for the replies - very useful and I should have thought of that really! Yes, Ropley as it was pre-preservation and just getting onto signals. Thanks again.

Hi - as the title suggests, I don’t know what kind of signal is represented in the diagram below (Circled in red). Initially I thought it may be a shunt signal but it’s not as they’re shown in a different way. It’s SR pre-1931 if that helps. Not posting larger image as not sure if it’s copyrighted or not. Any help would be much appreciated as would guidance on what MSE parts would make such a signal once someone knows what kind it is! many thanks in advance.

Ahhh - great, yes thanks - it's all coming back to me now!! I bought it when trying (and failing) to convert a 4MT tank to P4) Good tip about putting additional holes for wagon wheels etc. I might give that a go. I've got a few B2B gauges already but when you've got a mix of wheels of different thicknesses (Gibson, Kean Maygib, RTR etc) the same B2B doesn't always apply so I use Martin Wynne's suggestion of a jig made specifically for the scale you're working in and use that which gives good running but can be tricky to adjust the wheels 'freehand'. Thanks for all the quick replies.

Hi - daft question but I'm having problems setting the correct B2B on some kit and RTR replacement wheel sets. Although it's easy enough to get the B2B set correctly, I'm having issues with the sheets being central on the axle and the wheels being square on the axle. When looking through my old P4 box of tools etc, I found this which I remember was something to do with setting the wheels - but I can't remember what it is exactly, how to use it and if it will help with wagon / coach wheels! Can anyone help and shed any light on it? Thanks in advance.

Thank you as ever Keith for delivering right on cue!! I’ve found a copy for £25 on EBay so will go for that - bit of a mark up on its original price!! the other thing I’m searching for references on at the moment is the interesting ‘egg depot’ at Ropley. Just trying to get an idea of what this would have actually have looked like. I’m not having much luck finding any photos yet - do you have anything in the archives? Thanks as always.

The track is coming along nicely on the first baseboard for Ropley with the three-way complete and working. I’m going to install point rodding / signals etc before ballasting but am struggling to find a pre-preservation signal diagram. There’s one of Alton in the mid-hants book but not Ropley. Does anyone know where I’d be able to find one? Many thanks as always.

Thanks for the replies. I bought a pack before I saw the last reply and sadly will be reselling it. Powerbase seems a great idea and I know lots like it but bizarrely every single plate has been stamped with the DCC concepts logo. This means that every top has indented letters but every base has the protruding letters which means the base rocks when laid down on the baseboard or foam. It seems impossible for me to get them to lie flat and I can’t hammer the logo out of each one so will be selling on. Seems bizarre to add a logo to something that negatively impacts its performance and will never be seen as it’ll be covered in track and ballast - but I’m sure there are reasons. I’ve read that lots of people like them a lot so they must work but not for me on conclusion so I’ll just pack each loco with lead instead and hope for the best!

Apologies if this is in the wrong place. I'm at the track laying stage for my current layout of which stage 1 is an oo-sf recreation of pre-preserved Ropley. I have previously had issues with the pulling power of locos such as the M7 and am wondering if it's worth installing DCCConcepts Powerbase under the flat track as well as the inclined to improve the haulage / pickup etc. Does anyone have any experience of this and can mention the level of advantage - if there is one? It would equate to about £150 additional costs I think. Many thanks in advance,

Sorry for replying to an old thread but as an appropriate one already existed, I didn’t want to make a new one. I just wondered what I’m doing wrong?! I bought some stainless steel track years ago when it first came out and I had issues with soldering. I left it but as I didn’t have the recommended DCC concepts products (flux and solder), I thought I’d invest in those and try it again. (I have to say, I use ALOT of DCC concepts products and am a very happy customer so had the mindset that the track must be easy to use for the average modeller as this is the USP and assumed I was just doing it wrong!) However…. I have tried again and have used the Sapphire no-clean flux with Sapphire 179 solder and a decent soldering iron set to 480 degrees. The track (making a basic vee) was very carefully cleaned with fine fine, paper and fibreglass pencil. Doused in the sapphire flux, heated for a few seconds , solder applied and it simply beads on the stainless steel rail. I tried again with heating for longer before applying and same thing happened but it all started to char after a few seconds. I tried heating for less time and same thing. I’ve re leaned, tried new piece of track but all with same result. I’ve also got about 8 solder tips and have tried a variety of large, medium and small tips but still the same issue. Has anyone got any words of wisdom so this track isn’t wasted? I’ll probably still use it for some of the plain track but feel frustrated that it’s not working when Richard previously said, with the correct products, it’s easy. I’m happy to post a video of my process with the recommended products to see if there’s an error? Normally, I have no problems with soldering and have been making my own track for years so am not new to soldering. Any help is much appreciated.

This is mainly to show poor Keith - who has provided endless information and resources via PM that there is a genuine layout being built!! I know a lamp hut isn’t much but it’s the first finished item!! (I also know it’s the new colours and not the pre-1931 colours we discussed - I have a second one that I’m painting in those colours to see which is preferable).

I found a good photo today regarding my question about the points to enter the short sidings and it appears we were both wrong about the assumption it wasn’t a three-way as this photo seems to show clearly that it was! (This was 1961 though so don’t know if it was changed to this after ‘31?)

Hi Keith, a link to the digital archives would be fantastic if you wouldn’t mind? I’m currently indulging in field-research on-site with a nice view of the incoming and outgoing trains outside the tent! (Much to my wife’s joy and not any until tomorrow now!) Thanks again for all the help and look forward to seeing the digital archive. (Some great photos in the book pictured as well)

Thanks so much again for the reply Keith. I wasn’t aware of the other crossover but it’s an interesting feature and may add to the operational interest - I’m basing the track plan on pre-1931 so I can include the platform loop but I could slightly tweak history to allow the extra crossover being in place at the same time as the platform loop! I’ll think about that one!! I’d like it to be as historically accurate as possible so it could be ‘used’ in the future so I might not. Any further photos of a plan would be fantastic if you have the chance. Are the plans / photos / archive viewable by the public at all? It would be fascinating to view them one day. I’m also hoping to find a plan of the station buildings (before the first floor extension at the west end was added). I think I may have found one on the Network Rail plan site ( Here) but it doesn’t include the up platform shelter sadly. I’ve also found some good photos on this site which are helpful but I’m sure you already have copies of these. Thanks again for the help - I’m hoping to finalise the track-plan in the next week so I can get some baseboards completed before the summer holiday comes crashing to an end!!

Thank you so much for the replies - especially all that detail and the images Keith - they are fantastic. I have tried creating a draft track plan which I thought would be quite simple but really wasn't! It was really tricky to try to work out the sidings arrangements and which track the different turnouts came off. As a result, I still haven't got the shape quite right but have attached my initial draft in diagram mode to see what you think. Does it look about right or do I need more distance between the turnout leaving the loop into the sidings? Thanks again for such great photos and replies.

Hi Keith, That is a fantastic reply - many thanks for taking the time to provide that information. Any reference material you have would be much appreciated. We only live 25 mins away from Ropley and visit often - I’m dragging the family camping behind the station next week for a couple of nights so fingers crossed for some sun! I know there are several great layouts showing the preserved Ropley but something has always appealed to me about the tranquility (yet elaborate topiary) of the pre-1931 station. The other query I had was around what the separate smaller goods platform beyond the loading gauge at the east end of the station was used for (what kind of goods traffic was this for - watercress?) and how the short two sidings were used (circled in red on the 1909 map below). The map looks like it shows a 3-way turnout as well (circled in blue) which I doubt is correct and I believe the Barry-slip is only a preservation item so was this just two short regular turnouts? Apologies for all the questions but thank you again for your time.

Hi, I’m struggling to find any reference photos of the western end of Ropley station / platforms. Several maps suggest that there was a level crossing at this end before 1931 but I can’t find any reference photos as to what kind. I can’t imagine it was much more than an agriculture track crossing the track as the road ends nearby in a field but it would be amazing if anyone knows or had any photos of this. The east end is better served by photos etc and appears to have a small separate goods platform and loading gauge. I also wanted to see if anyone knew whether what the maps suggest is correct about the main route through the station: Post 1931, after the passing loop was removed, the southern track (one nearest the platform with the main station building on it) was the remaining track and therefore the constant curve through the station. This has been retained into preservation with the northern passing loop leaving this via left-handed turnouts. Pre-1931, it looks like this was the other way around i.e. the smooth curve / main route through was the northern track and the passing loop was the southern one which left the ‘main’ line via right-handed turnouts. Does anyone know if that’s correct? Any help is much appreciated - just trying to finalise the track plan for a pre-preservation 4mm Ropley.

Hi and thanks for all the replies. I might give it a go in eBay as there’s nothing to lose I guess and I will be ready to accept that it might not get any bids and will then dismantle and sell for parts. just feels a bit disheartening dismantling years of ‘work’ but guess that’s the reality of a relatively niche hobby with a wide range of specific requirements and interests. I’m starting a new 00-sf layout instead so could keep electrics to reuse. Thanks again

Hi - firstly, apologies if this should be somewhere else - I couldn’t see a relevant forum area to post it but will happily move it if I’ve put it in the wrong place. My question relates to a part-finished model that I’m not able to complete due to a house move. It’s about 18ft N gauge model of a current day Whittlesea (with an extra siding for more operational interest). It has hand built points and easi-trac on the scenic section and code 55 peco in fiddle yard. It is wired for DCC with digital cobalt motors and a homemade panel using dcc concepts alpha equipment. It is fully working but does not have any scenic work started yet. Sadly, I won’t be able to continue with this and don’t know if there’s a market for this kind of part-completed model and if so, how do you value it to get a fair price? Or is it more sensible to break it up and sell the cobalt motors, alpha units, hand built pointwork separately? There are a couple of videos of it here and photos below. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

Hi all, I am 95% of the way through a hand built OO-SF double slip needed for my slowly developing model of Swanage. What has been completed so far works well and stock flows freely through it. However, I have now come to a problem. As you can see from the photos below, everything has been finished apart from the smallest pieces of track (the obtuse crossing check rails - apologies if my terminology is wrong!) The basic problem is - there is no space to install the pieces with any chairs attached! Has anyone overcome this and could anyone suggest a solution? I have probably messed up the order and should have installed it earlier but bit too late now! Any help is much appreciated. This is the bit I can’t fit in!!

Hi - can anyone suggest a supplier of some replacement wheels for an older n gauge Dapol Class 66? They are wider than the more recent ones and are catching on handbuilt track. I think they are 7mm wheels but I can’t find any geared ones online anywhere other than here at hattons https://www.hattons.co.uk/36674/Dapol_NS001_Wheels_for_class_66_6_geared_2_plain_/StockDetail.aspx but they’re out of stock. Many thanks for any advice.

Yes, there’s a few posts (one on here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/97166-tender-locos-at-swanage-too-big-to-turn-so-how-was-this-handled/)about the engine movements and how they turned etc but I meant more about the coaches and passengers as only 5 of the 10 coaches would fit alongside the platform with the rear 5 projecting beyond the platform and back under the bridge. So did passengers just have to walk through and disembark from the front 5 or was the train split so there were 6 in the main platform and 4 in the bay or was there a different solution?!

I’m enjoying a few days in Swanage and have spent most of the time platform side or travelling to and from Corfe Castle! But I am puzzled how trains of longer than 5 or 6 coaches would have been handled when they arrived at Swanage. I have seen photos of summer specials of 10 coaches but the platform can only handle 5 or maybe 6 if the engine doesn’t use the space to run around. Would the bay have been used? I’d be most interested if anyone knows how this was managed - and still is on occasion! Thanks with interest,