Al.

It doesn't matter where you're going in London, it takes an hour. So heading to Wickes for a couple new drill bits, that's two hours of the day gone....

A frustrating day today. I'd planned to push on with more scenic works, but ended up spending most of the day sat in London traffic.....! On the plus side, I've got the orchard finished with some 50 odd trees planted. I must say it look superbly unspectacular in the photos.

Don't tell him your name, Pike...!

10 days to go before Warley. I'm not starting to panic. Honestly, I'm not.....

It's just under 2 weeks to go until Warley and I've still got a massive amount if work to do. I've concluded I don't have enough time to get the E-Boat finished to a standard I'll be happy with in the remaining time. And as the wakes are already modelled into the river, it'll look stupid not having them there. So as much as I hate doing it, I've sprayed them up black and go with them in that state. I've also spent a few mornings working on the vehicles. This is a selection from the West Bank boards. They're pretty much done. Just decals and weathering to complete. Al.

Yes, it is sad. I may add a note to the layout information to pay tribute to him. Al.

I've committed Remagen to its second outing. We're now booked to appear at CMRA 2017 show in Stevenage on the 14th & 15th January. The slot was originally due to be filled by Paul Staplton's China layout, with Remagen scheduled to appear in 2018. However Paul's build schedule has slipped so we've agreed to swap the slots and move Remagen forward a year. The link to Paul's layout is here. It's well worth a look. Having visited China recently, I can say he's model is spot on. - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/87250-chinese-ho-exhibition-layout/?view=getnewpost

I'm glad your back on track , Paul. That QJ looks nice and grimy.

A few more photos of the bridge and adjoining boards.

I like this shot....

With the point motor resolved, I've returned to ballasting. I think I've swapped one horror for another..... I'm also back on scenery building. This is the view west down the boards towards a mock up of the Apollinariskirche Church. Al.

I expect Paul is busy right now so I'm posting an update on the Chinese Layout on his behalf. We had the second test running session yesterday and it went pretty well. DCC control appears to be working fine and as a first time user, I picked it up quickly and had four trains under power at one point. There's still a bit of an issue with the fiddle yard route selection at one end which needs some more investigation, but it's not a show-stopper. The train formations looked good - passenger trains at over 12 cars, and freight trains of over 20-30 wagons. The big surprise for me was how easy it was to do the banking moves with the DCC controller. We had no issues syncing and de-syncing the loco's. And of course the rolling stock looked fantastic. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos so not much to show you. The next test session will be early January just ahead of the layouts first outing. We hope to have scenery at that point, and promise to take some photos. Al.

Wiring update. I've got two point motors working. The issue does appear to be the wire gauge. Thanks for your help guys. Al.

The will be the start point for further diagnosis. Thanks for all the advice. I'll let you know how it goes. Al.

I'm using an All Components Ltd HD CDU. The cable runs are long at about 6 meters. Currently wired in 7/0.2 wire. Point motors are set right. I sent ages doing that bit. I've got a second CDU which I'll Swip out this evening and retest. However I suspect I'm getting too much power drop between panel and points.

Right, an update on the wiring. I've investigated the point motor issue and I was happy to confirm my wiring is all ok. The problem lies with the point motor and points. I have power to the motors, and they operate fine by themselves. However, once attacked to the underside of the points, they fail to throw them. I'm using seep motors and taken great care to set them centrally on the throw. The issue seems to be too much resistance in the points. Has anyone else encountered this? What are thought on removing the spring from the points as a solution? Al.

Thanks Flood.

Jamie. Thanks for your comments. I prices up the 'off the shelf' stuff for the Rhine and it was coming in at over £100... The toilet paper method has works really well, plus it has the added advantage of being a lot lighter then the resin stuff, which is a bit blessing on a portable layout. The only down side I'm finding, is for months I've been using the river board for ad-hoc storage. Now, it's 'Ah, that can't go there. Damn...! Where do I put it...?' Al.

Got into test running last night. It was a bit of a mixed result. On the plus side, train ran and all section switches worked. Although my track is filthy and is in need of a serious clean. On he minus side, none of the points worked! Not good. They worked ok earlier in the week, but that was with power fed direct to them. Job for the next couple of nights is to sort this. Al.

More river update. It's all dried nice and clear. I've placed the boats back in place and 90% happy with the results. They still need a bit more getting to get them right. As you can see on the second picture of the paddle steamer, it's now sitting a little bit high. Al.

On a brighter note, the river is looking good. Six costs of varnish later I think we're nearly there. This one is still not quite dry do a bit white in places. By tomorrow evening it'll be ok. Al.

I really hate wiring....

Try it now...

Nice job. Al.

For those who are interested, I've set up a Facebook page for Remagen. The link below will take you to it. Please take a look, and if you enjoy, it hit the 'Like' button. https://www.facebook.com/BridgeAtRemagen/ Many thanks.