DCB

Generally 3 aspect colour lights are not compatible with semaphores. UK Semaphores are 99.9% two aspect. Quite often two aspect colour lights, either two lens or single lens were quite often substituted for semaphores on a one for one basis where sighting issues or "Modernisation" made them suitable. When 3 aspects came in they were generally automatic signals controlled by track circuits normally green when semaphores are normally red and evenly spaced as the old stations where signal boxes and the old semaphore signals were located no longer existed.

I am struggling with the idea of a small chunk of a 12 volt LED strip working. Most LEDs like about 2.2 volts ish So I would expect them to be wired in blocks of 5 or 6 in series to work on 12 volts or need multiples around 2.2 / 2.7 volts depending on how many you have in circuit. I would test the chunks with variable voltage supply, I use my Morley controller and a voltmeter starting at about 1 volt off load to see what voltage the start to glow at. I have a load of LEDs in buildings off a couple of 3 volt buses, many are oranges and yellows but in my colour light signals the reds need much bigger resistors than the greens , but on 3 volts the resistors run cool. You will struggle to set the house on fire with LEDs but the resistors are a different matter, I have several scorched card buildings where someone else has used LEDS on 12 volts and put the resistors in the building. The good way to start a fire is to use rechargeable batteries and short them out in the vicinity of cardboard., I haven't managed it myself but I melted a Lima class 37 body when 2 X AA batteries shorted.

I spent a few minutes with set of needle files a craft knife and a photo of a photo and one of mine earlier. Not finished yet but I am quite pleased with it.

I don't think any two Dapol Hornby 14XX were alike, the chassis slots spring tension, coupling rod length all varied. The chassis design is poor, What is needed is a no traction tyre chassis with leading axle drive, floating centre axle and a driven rear axle. That's what I have planned...

The 'Andles is out of gauge . I chop mine off and stick clock gears on the spindles so they look a bit better but still have the play value. This is one someone shortened the handles on and this week I straightened the bent spindle leave a short stub, chopped ff the surplus with end cutters drilled out two clock gears and pressed them on.

A 20 volt 2 amp supply should operate the points without a CDU. I would not use a Laptop PSU for an intermittent supply. I use them for Lights etc, but old DC transformers with 16 volt nominal AC outputs are cheap as chips and useless for speed controls. Many CDUs are pretty minimalist and could use a doubling or quadrupling of the capacitance, some are fine on 24 volts AC. but some are basically a waste of space. Mine throw 6 big H&M point motors simultaneously on a 16volt AC supply from an ancient Hammant and Morgan controller

There was no link between UK platform length and train length pre about 1980 apart from terminus platforms. Obviously people need platforms to climb into and out of trains so 98% or more of the time the whole train was in a terminal platform, just occasionally another engine shunted the tail into another platform, or the tail was picked up from another platform. More often 2 coach trans left ten coach long platforms,7 trains a day used 5 platform stations or often long trains 13 coaches used 10 coach platforms by stopping to let the front coach passengers in or out and then pulling up to let the back coaches be served. Cheltenham LMS was lengthened to take 12 coaches just after the trains were shortened to 10.My local station "Chedworth" had a 180 ft platform (3 coach) and occasionally 8 coach trains were run, presumably folks were told which coaches to ride in. Platforms the correct length for trains look very Toy like or modern era Our shed is 24ft long and in 00 gauge three platforms on our through station holds 8 X Mk1 coaches plus a 4-6-0 in 00, so about 8 feet. One can hold two trains as it has a centre crossover one other takes 7 and the Bay 3 plus a small tank. The main terminus holds 7 Mk1s and a 4-6-0, which limits train length except one train has a tail load of parcels vans at the non buffer stop end. The small through station only takes 3 coaches but only stoppers stop there, My branch terminus "Ugleigh" takes 4 X 60ft coaches in its single platform. and is only 7feet long in a 7ft 9" Rabbit Hutch. Personally if I feel apart from terminus it's what looks right, real platforms are hardly ever straight, so its getting good viewing angles, in a loft full of struts put the station where you can see it. My platforms and many tracks are angled for best view but the very best views are still from camera angles no human eyeball can access. It like how long is a piece of string. (Mine is 6 feet 3 inches)

I am not at all sure Smoky Joe will run on Bullhead. I would use centre off DPDT switches, and have one each for Red , Dark Blue, Light Blue and Green. so any one can be connected to either controller but not both controllers at he same time The diamond crossing does not sound like a good idea, I would avoid them and use ordinary points as live frog ones are complicated and dead frog promote stalling.

Are they dirty, in which case a cotton bud will work or is the tyre tread burnt where you really need a file or an abrasive like fine emery cloth. If acceleration is an issue why not invert the loco in a cradle, and use Peco or Hornby wheel cleaning brush and scraper, just use light pressure until it gets up to speed. I usually use one with a crocodile clip to fix to the chassis and a scraper for the insulated side which lets me rub the tread with rubbing down paper. The burning comes from running on dirty track and not using a Relco, some of mine have the plating burned through.

"Frog Juicer" sounds like one of those people who run migratory toads over in their Rage Rovers. Turning Live Frogs into Dead Frogs.

Come to think of it my ideal layout would be a copy of an existing layout, the Sea wall scene at Pendon, with nose to tail summer Saturday passenger services

I don't think running these Mainline type chassis without traction tyres is a good idea. The Mainline / early Bachmann mechanism is truly awful but compared to contemporary Hornby mechs it made a lot of sense, like being a fraction of the cost. The concept seems to be the drive and traction were all on the rear axle which allowed the axles and rods to wobble around and still get round 1st radius curves. They will happily haul 4 Mk1s with no coupling rods fitted, which is one more than most ever hauled. Without the tyres it drives on the other axles and that causes the flop in the axles and valve gear and the nickname of "Limping Lulu" Likewise when loads exceed 4 Mk1s and my standard rakes are 7 Mk1s even with tyres there is drive through the coupling rods making the wheels rock in the axle slots and wear the baseplates, and work themselves loose on the axles. Running without the tyres speeds up this wear which ends with tangled valve gear and wheels falling off. I am going to fit a 1960s Triang Chassis to mine, re drilled to take 1990s B17 rods. It won't look as good in the display cabinet but will hopefully pull trains

The On Track and H&M are both variable voltage, not sure about the other. They might run more happily albeit not as controllably. Incidentally We used to put a 1N400 (?) diode in circuit for forward direction (cab first) and two for reverse (Blunt end) with HST Power cars to ensure the back one didn't surge against the front. Obviously this would only work with fixed sets and only two power units, but the 0.7 ish / 1.4 ish volt drop made a difference. It really sounds like worm drives winding up, as one pushes or pulls the other.

My Lima / Triang DMU combo runs just fine on my On Track controller and a H+M Power master very like the OP has as well as an H+M Safety Minor. However I do get surging with my Triang Halls when descending my 1 in 30 gradient with a heavy train. It's the worm drive binding up, being non reversible, if the motor runs rough it does not happen so as a work round I drive down on half wave on a H+M Safety Minor which is a Variable Transformer like the Powermaster. So having checked the YouTube video carefully I see your Powermaster has half wave so run it on half wave, probably need max power and see what happens Does it surge on half wave? Worth a try.

Just to confirm these do not have DCC decoders? If so removing them and fitting blankers might be a first step.

As no one else seems to have a theory, I wonder if it is traction tyres gripping and amplifying slight variations in the speed change. I used to have Manor and KIng classes (Now out of use) with Hornby Tender drives which did something similar when double heading Last year I had to fit non traction tyre wheels to a new Hornby (?) 156 sprinter to stop it de railing when starting and stopping as the grip was so harsh. My 1960s Triang DMU with brass wheels and a Lima DMU from the 1990s run at very different speeds but happily runs a 6 car set because the Triang slips and the Lima has spur gears so does not stop or start abruptly, so I suspect Traction Tyres.

It's sort of OK, Tens of thousands of simple layouts with 8 X 1st radius curves and a couple of straights have been built hundreds of "Minories" style terminusses, and Ashburton clones probably many thousands of "Paddingtons" and especially "Box Tunnel" but there is only one "Madder Valley," one "Garsdale Road" or "Heckmondwyke(?)" or "Craig" I think it's a bit disrespectful to replicate someone else's layout and keep the name they invented for it if that name is fictitious, like "Haddenhoe" my branch terminus, "Goat of Barton" my Scottish station and not in common use Hogwarts from Hairy Potter and Ffarquar from Thomas the Tank are ok by me. However there is only room for one "Ugleigh" layout, The Ugleigh Branch meanders down the Valley past Ugleigh St Mary and Ugleigh St Anne through Stanton on Ug. A mythical land where the Ugliegh Carnival is held annually and they crown the Ugleigh Carnival Queen,, the Ugleigh Womens Institute have an annual outing by train, the Ugleigh Dogs show is equally famous.

Father in Law's railway shed is 23 ft 6" X 7ft 6" usable size, It is OO and about 16ft X 2 ft is hidden sidings under a station board most of the upper surface has tracks and there are windows at the ends and in the side door adjacent to the lifting section. Generally the blinds are down but its not entirely dark and the lifting section is generally in daylight from the gap between blind and wall. The lifting section track often needs cleaning with a track rubber,to stop trains stuttering. the main top surface occasionally gets cleaned with a track rubber to stop trains stuttering and the underneath section never gets cleaned from one decade to the next apart from an occasional towed track cleaning rubber on the main lines. My loft layout with no windows seldom needed the track cleaned, It just seems there is a link between sunlight/ daylight and track getting dirty,

That narrows down the options, If it was to become a "Habitable Room" it would be different. Common sense suggests that you would need decent ventilation if you store a working car in a building, ( Building regulation probably disagree ) What you do need is a walk in door rather than open the whole Vehicle door to limit the heat loss entering and leaving. Shutters to block the window would be good, or a really good black out blind, keeping the layout dark helps keep the track clean. I personally feel cavity wall insulation is a waste of effort, it's fine when new but long term at least air does not get waterlogged and it is a good insulator. With hopefully a brick or block inner skin and concrete floor you have something solid to attach the layout to, my purpose built wooden shed needs jacking up every now and again and flexes which means adjusting baseboard heights to stop coaches rolling away on the "Level" bits. But don't assume the floor is level, it probably is, within 1% 1 in 100 but that 1% changes a 1 in 50 grade to 1 in 33 or 1 in 66. Carpets and cars don't really mix so make sure you can roll it up when you garage the car, Laminate flooring does not take the weight of a car well either. I am working on plans for putting a test track in my garage so we can run out 2010 era 00 Scottish stock. Awkward bit to plan is the lifting sections to allow a car in without extensive dismantling and where to move the tools etc to..

The guy needs actual physical help not armchair advice. He wants someone to FIT the point motors, Its line 3 of the original post. There must be someone in Birmingham who can give him a hand surely.

The problem as I see it is that in the 1950s when Hornby Dublo were going strong modellers bought OO locos to pull trains. They were expensive, nearly £5 so few could afford many locos, many had only two, an 0-6-2 tank and a Pacific and only a tiny number (if any) were displayed by the new owners in display cabinets. Now perhaps 30% are kept pristine in their original packages, 30% displayed in display cabinets many 30% spend time on shed on permanent layouts yet seldom or never haul trains (like mine) and the rest are used for hauling trains. Which they are not much good at if my Un -rebuilt Merchant Navy is anything to go by. So it doesn't make sense to check every loco before dispatch when maybe 60% never get run and 50% are probably fine and 50% of owners will fix the fault themselves so fixing maybe 10% when returned is a better business proposition than checking 100% and fixing half of them. Hornby is there to make money, the trains are incidental

Is there any back scene or similar hiding the storage loops. It looks like someone has drawn the storage and is fitting everything else around it and trying to fill every square inch with track. The radius of the return loops would fit a smaller board see doodle For me this iteration does notwork at all there is no way from the station to the storage loops anticlockwise The station could use an overall roof to hide the curve. There doesn't look to be much room for a backscene and it would hide a big chunk of the layout. see doodle I was going to add a drawing of my 6ft 4" X 4ft 6" "Bed" layout which has a terminus, continuous run storage and return loop, albeit with 1st radius and 3 levels, but is just about impossible to draw in Anyrail. We built it on the spare bed to stop relatives deciding to spend the night at our place! Still not finished after almost 20 years. Portable it is not.

I have my doubts whether this plan can be built. The tracks are too close to the edge for sensible operation especially at the top and left hand end. It sort of needs a siding deleted and the whole shoved up and sideways. All these software programs have uses for checking curves and point work fit the available space, but that is the second phase after imagineering the plan in your mind and possibly on a note pad, table cloth , back of your hand, in a beach what ever to get a broad impression. Final stage track laying will again vary from the software as you shift tracks to get the best "Look"

By the time you sort out the bits, photograph them, list them, pack them and take them to the post office it's about 20/30 minutes per item, Economic madness based on minimum wage but when you get that magic £10 inc postage job lot and get £50 plus postage for some of the items it's a nice warm feeling. But you won't get rich any time soon.

The Playcraft motor is very powerful and smooth running, they came with 9volt battery powered power units. It should spin very easily, but it is very high geared . The gear train is very crude and odd with crown wheels on vertical shafts through bogie pivots and pinions engaging crown wheels with spur gear trains to the axles. They can run very stiffly, especially the middle cross shaft on the bogies. They also wear like fury. I would check the bogies for free movement and lubricate as required Properly set up the Playcraft runs as well as any Hornby flywheel fitted loco, in fact the flywheel effect is a bit excessive if you want to stop in a precise place. Its a shame the loco looks nothing like a class 21 or anything else really.