VOYAGERBOI

I tried out my new A4 and coaching stock and on the whole it’s very impressive. Yes, the MK1’s do make a noise as they take the curves and occasionally at low speeds 60004 slips to a stand, as my example at least, seems to require the track to be perfectly level and stable.

I thought it was time my TT:120 track had a more permanent home. This small baseboard once displayed a simple OO layout in a model railway shop window. (Anyone remember Model Railways (New Milton) on the A337 in Hampshire?) Admittedly this board won’t offer much scope for anything other than two train operation and a little shunting, but that’s considerably more than OO could offer in the same space and to be honest it’s a fun project to see if I want to go further with TT:120. My track is laid upon cork and pinned into place using PECO track pins/nails ST.280. The Hornby TT fishplates are not very forgiving if you accidentally damage them, so having a pack of spares is advisable. (TT 8036).

I am really impressed with my Hornby TT:120 set, though as a modeller in OO, the size reduction of TT is still a bit of a culture shock, not in a bad way I should add. I tested the clearance of a PECO TT:120 goods shed with a Pullman car, as that’s the only rolling stock available to use! All was fine. I was interested to know more about the stock provided in the set. The two First Class Kitchen Pullman cars, Cecilia and Chloria are 1928 ‘K’ stock used on the Golden Arrow train and later in the early 1960’s on the South Wales Pullman. Car 64, a Third Class brake doesn’t seem to have existed however, as Car 64 in reality was a Third Class Parlour car. (Not a brake).

The DPD courier delivered my Christmas present to myself at noon today. I haven’t had a chance to run the locomotive but it certainly looks impressive. Quite why an LNER A1 locomotive is hauling K type Pullman cars built for the Southern Railway I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter to me. It took me a few minutes to see how once coupled, I could uncouple the coaches from the engine. I blame the cold weather!

D211 on an Up service.

I am very impressed with my D211, the model was a little hesitant when I first ran it, but now performs really nicely and to have the benefit of "sound" on my DC layout in an albeit reduced form is a real bonus! My only niggles were the already flagged issue with fitting the centre head code disc and an errant locomotive air control pipe which was floating about at the bottom of the packaging. It was a "pig" to reinstate.

Here is my NBL Type 2 on my layout Bartonstow. I'd just like to express my thanks for the guidance on here regarding the head code blinds. The Precision Labels (4mm) look the business!