markwilson

Thanks Rob. That may be something for my Christmas list then!

@mudmagnet what are those wagons please (I can’t quite see the TOPS code in the photo)? I picked up an 03 recently and realised it’s only got vacuum brakes so I may need some more non-air brakes wagons!

I'm still waiting to hear when my Heljan 37/4 will return but, in the few days I did have it here last month, I got to do some testing. After the loco was converted to DCC sound, I had a problem with it tripping the track power every time it was used above 20% throttle. That was a little concerning - I'd always thought DCC++ and JMRI would work for a small layout but some DCC specialists had expressed concerns. I'm pleased to say that thanks to some googling (and a Toms Trains n Things video, though I can't find the link now) I was able to adjust one value in the current detection that should increase the Arduino motor shield output from around 800mA to 2A. That seems to be enough for the 37 (and it was already plenty for the lower-draw Dapol 08s and 121s). The alternative was to fit a booster (but which one?) or invest in a proper DCC control system. It's a little ironic that the original reason for not buying a proper DCC system was to save money... and now I've spent a small fortune on stock, electrics, scenery items, and now DCC sound... but there you go! For reference, it's a case of changing one line in the CurrentMonitor.h file from CURRENT_SAMPLE_MAX = 300 to CURRENT_SAMPLE_MAX = 750 and then recompiling the sketch and uploading the updated code to the Arduino. I'd lost my original sketch but it seems it was just the stock download from the DCC++ Base Station github as the project hasn't been updated in years (it's been superseded by DCC EX) but it still suits my needs... I did the work on my Windows PC, but I'll move it onto the Raspberry Pi that runs JMRI, as that seems a logical place for all the layout control software...

I can't believe it's over a year since I started this thread... and I won't have my layout ready for my local club's exhibition in September. Never mind. Because the slow but steady progress is still progress. I had a few updates half-written so this is a bit of a mash-up of what's been going on in recent weeks. First up, my sound-fitted locos... The 37/4 sounds brilliant. I *think* it's the Legomanbiffo 37/4 "Wensleydale" project (that's what I asked for) but it has the RETB sounds on F11 and no Spirax valves on F15, so that sounds more like "West Highland". Anyway, it's ace. I realised that the Heljan 37/4 doesn't have cab lights... which is a bit annoying, but I do have directional lighting and a whole host of realistic sounds. Unfortunately, the chains that connect the body to the bogies were not reconnected properly (so it's gone back for remedial work) but I'm incredibly pleased with the investment in sound. I also have the Dapol pannier tank in my possession now (factory-fitted with a Zimo MX644D and then weathered by Tower Models) and that's impressive too (although maybe doesn't have quite such a good speaker). I think I'll do the 08s and the 121s as well (I think I should be able to do those myself as they have 21-pin DCC sockets). What about progress on the layout? Well, I bought another 2-aspect signal as a spare (because Routemex is closing down)... plus I realised I need a yellow shunt signal. The colour-light ground position signals are fitted now, although not all wired in - but the first one is and I'm pleased with the effect. I did have some issues with clearance in the six-foot though. This should be 42mm at scale (based on the O Gauge Guild's guidance) and mine is a tad under at 41.5mm, but it's just too close for passing vehicles on the curve of the point. So I needed to lower the signal and put it on a "concrete" plinth rather than on a post (you can see the back of it in the panner tank photo). I also realised that one of my ground position signals has to go "wrong side". I can't work out if that's prototypical but there's just no alternative with condensed model railway trackwork. Just as I had finished building the platform, I dropped it and broke the end off (arghh!). I managed to glue it back together but the repair is visible. Thankfully, I think it's OK as it's tarmac - and tarmac gets cracked/filled, right? Talking of tarmac... I used Rust-Oleum Aged Iron textured paint for the top surface and I'm really pleased with the results. I picked up the tip from a Kathy Millatt video and it's a) easy to apply and b) a really nice effect. Not too dark/black, a nice grey, and texture spot on for slightly rough tarmac at 7mm scale (probably OK for 4mm too). I've also used it for the bitumen flat roof on my platform shelter. I've done lots of work on the layout wiring including: Re-wiring the points to go into a connector block to my new DCC Concepts S-Levers. This allows me to have a flexible harness and to mount the levers on the front or back of the layout, depending on where I'm operating from. Then rewiring them again to re-route cables more efficiently. I needed some tiny (0.25mm) ferrules for the S-Lever harnesses to work in screw connector terminals. These were tricky to get hold of so I paid over the odds on eBay but they improved reliability. I also added some new circuits for signals, platform lighting, etc. And some miniature LEDs for building lighting... starting with the platform shelter... The wiring should now be pretty-much complete for now (except for a couple of resistors to solder in for the signals). Last weekend, I painted all the S-Levers as they would be in a signal box and fitted them in a laser-cut box from KS Laser Designs but fulfilled by Intentio (@BrushType4). Sadly, I also dropped the levers (whilst connected, so quite heavy) and whilst they showed their strength overall, the impact did break some of the lugs that hold them together. That's another advantage of using the laser-cut box to hold them in place - the damage can be hidden. The box is for 9 levers with 3mm spacers fitted but I have left the spacers out. It leaves a gap at the end but I think I can put a blanking plate in there with some toggle switches for the layout lighting. Unfortunately, I forgot to paint the end of the last switches black before gluing the box together so I'll need some very careful masking... I was going to hand-paint these but airbrushed in the end after talking to one of the chaps at Olney MRC. It took longer with all the paint changes and cleaning, and probably wasted a lot of paint but I think the result is good. I still need to fit the metal top ribs between the levers. My retaining walls and half-relief bridge have now arrived from Ten Commandments Models too. They will need some customisation/trimming, but I'll start work on them soon. Right, this post is getting a bit long now, so I'll submit it, and come back with some more later...

TAKING THE PLUNGE WITH DCC SOUND In my last post, I mentioned that I'd sent my Heljan 37/4 off for DCC sound conversion... This will be my first foray into DCC sound, and it's a lot of money to shell out, so I wanted to get it right. I spoke to a lot of potential suppliers and found a huge variety in sound projects and decoder advice. I spent weeks going around the houses and in the end went for a Legomanbiffo 37/4 Wensleydale project. Why that one? Well, a) Legomanbiffo seems to be one of the most common sound project producers; b) it was recommended in this Modern Image O Gauge video; c) not all of the companies I contacted had demo videos (I want to hear it first); and d) some of the alternatives had gimmicks like seagulls (I want my loco to sound like a loco... If I wanted ambient soundscapes then I would generate them in the background!) I decided to use The Model Centre's customisation service because they could do other work I wanted at the same time - like fitting the detail pack. In the end though, I decided not to ask for this as my loco only needs a couple of hoses that I think I can do myself, the left-side ETH cable is mounted in the wrong place out of the factory (so it will never be perfect), and that loco didn't carry miniature snowploughs. I'm still unsure about weathering - at least not unless I also get the correct lamp irons onto it first. This image is a cracker to work from and there's a load of info about my loco here. In the end I've paid a lot of money for the model and another load for its conversion and crew fitting, so maybe I'll leave it at that and say it's "ex-works" (or at least clean for naming - which would fit with the period of my layout, around 1986/7). After arranging shipment, I noticed that TMC actually had a delux weathered version of 37426 for around the same as I paid for mine last year, DCC conversion was £50 cheaper when buying the model from them, and I would have saved on shipping (£20 each way). Hey ho. Then, despite Cwm Bach being a 1980s diesel era layout, I was attracted to a Dapol autocoach that was on offer at Hattons. I quite fancy a small Prairie tank to go with it - 5572 was auto-fitted, spent some of its life in South Wales, and is preserved - but the Dapol/Lionheart 4575s are not expected until next year (time to get saving). So, in the meantime, I've bought myself a Dapol 54xx (6435)... which is another DCC sound model. I should have them both in a few weeks, after Tower Models have weathered them for me. I remember some preserved steam workings in the Valleys in the early 1990s (with 2x BR Standard 4MT tanks) so maybe I could pretend that a preserved Pannier worked to Cwm Bach in the 1980s... or maybe rule 1 applies. Right, time to hide my credit card before I buy any more trains...

This railway modelling lark is time-consuming, isn't it? But the late-May bank holiday weekend and an unexpected "free weekend" last week have given me a few days of solid "playing with my train set" (as my wife refers to it) or "cutting, painting and sticking" (as I've started to say when she asks what my plans are for the day). Actually, recent work has been more electrical. Whilst the craft board of part-painted items has become a fixture in the corner of the dining room, I've been doing more work under the boards. First up, I've sorted out a 12V power supply for all the layout accessories (point motors, signals, lights, etc.) with a Hobbytrax 12V DC switchable power distribution board. That's neatly screwed to the board, a short distance away from the Arduino that runs DCC++ and manages the track power. Then I tested a DCC Concepts Cobalt S-Lever switch, to see if it would drive the MTB MP1 point motors that I use. The answer was a big yes (just as @jaym481 said they would) and it was such a good feeling to be using a signalbox-style lever that I quickly put in an order for 8 more to cover all the points and signals that I have planned. I haven't totally neglected the scenery though. I built up the platform top (above my foamboard with resin edge structure) using Gyproc EasiFill and some laser-cut paving slabs from Railway Laser Lines. Of course, right after I started this, I read an article suggesting using DAS clay and I reckon that might have been easier to get a smooth finish but, as I'm modelling 1980s decay, I reckon some rough platform surface might be OK... ...and the hill around the tunnel portal also got a coat of EasiFill. Still lots to do there on painting and weathering, plus vegetation all around. The next weekend was similar, but slower... because, whilst small suppliers like Railway Scenics and Small Scale Lights posted soon after the bank holiday and first class post delivered a day or two later, a large supplier in South Yorkshire, emailed to say they had dispatched on Wednesday but only handed the parcel over to Royal Mail on Thursday, on a 48h service so it was not delivered until the middle of Saturday. And there's still been no response to my email telling them how unhappy I was. Lesson learned: stick to small suppliers, even if they cost more. Meanwhile, inspired by Charlie Bishop (@Charlie B), I've been buying tools - new wire strippers (Screwfix) and a ferrule crimping tool (unfortunately only found via a major online retailer) but I couldn't do much with them until the rest of my switches finally turned up from Rails. So, Friday was not a railway day (except a bit of paint on the scenery). Unless you count packing up 37426 to go to The Model Centre for DCC Sound Conversion and a crew to be fitted (I'll save that for another post). Unfortunately, on Friday evening I realised I need some more Vallejo paints (they are really rather good!) to finish my platform shelter and to paint the lamp-posts, so that will be a little longer before it's done. And, of course, on Sunday I decided I needed some different coloured cables, more connectors, heat shrink, and so on! Even so, by the end of the weekend, I'd wired in a lot of the electrical changes - moving to S-Levers for the points, and getting the first ground signal in place. That signal gave me the joy I experienced with my Hornby R406 signal in my youth, merrily flicking back and forth between danger and proceed (though the S-Levers are much better quality than a Hornby R046 switch)!

It’s looking incredible - well done!

Thanks @WIMorrison - I saw that but it almost sounded too good to be true so I was interested to see if anyone else had got them working. Thanks for the testing @jaym481 - that’s really helpful!

Has anybody used these motors with the Cobolt S-Lever style switches please?

Hi Chris, I have three of the MP1s on my O Gauge layout and currently (no pun intended) they are running off a 9V DC battery though I have ordered a 12V supply and I will switch over to that when it arrives. Here’s a link to my post last year and it includes a link to a video of them working too… Noting that this contradicts other advice, I have left the spring in my points. The motor is stronger so it doesn’t seem to affect the throw. It may be different on other scales.

For the last few weeks, lots of little parcels have been arriving... mostly with 3D-printed or laser-cut pieces for track detailing. There's cable troughs, orange cable ducting, manholes and drains, catchpits, speed restriction signs, mileposts, dummy point motors, relay boxes and probably more too. Then there was the paint (that I should have bought earlier - which was one of the reasons there wasn't a lot of progress over Easter). And maybe one day the 3D-printed AWS ramps that I bought from an eBay seller will turn up... but I don't hold out much hope because they took 5 days to ship them and then sent a small packet with Evri (the new Hermes). It's all starting to come together. Gluing together cable troughs. Laying out pieces of equipment where I think they might go. And I'm starting work on the platform too... I did also open up the colour-light signal kit that I bought from Routemex last year, before realising it's a more complicated construction than I thought. Then I noticed that John Neville (Routemex) is retiring soon, so I bought the kits for my ground signals (which look a lot more straightforward) as well as a shunt limit... just in case I ever extend the layout... they should arrive this week. I've started to think about extending the layout... and I am seriously considering adding a small shed (probably the mini-Gresty servicing shed from Railway Laser Lines). For now though, I must focus on the original plan. If I pull my finger out it may be ready to exhibit at Olney MRC's exhibition in September... (assuming they will have me!)

Six days off work for birthday/Easter and I thought I would spend a good chunk of it modelling... sadly not, but I did have a productive afternoon today and the tunnel portal is making progress. Over the last week or so, I've been filling the gaps behind the wing walls with expanding foam. Here's what I learned: When the product says it will expand to 3x its size, believe it! I hat to cut away a lot of "overflow" and there's still some stuck on the walls (although I think I can paint it and it might be quite realistic water damage or even vegetation. Related to above, you won't need a large can of expanding foam. The one I was planning to use had gunked up (not surprising as I bought it to build the Man Cave a few years ago) but I got a replacement from B&Q which had a "bung" to put in the nozzle that allows it to be reused. I don't know how long that will last for but it certainly worked a few days later for me. Wear gloves. I didn't, and then spent days picking sticky foam off my fingers... Today, I cut the foam insulation board and expanded foam to shape with a bread knife. (I cut myself as well... it seems the old knife that we don't often use is quite sharp... maybe because we don't often use it!). I'm not sure if its the knife or the foam but it was sticking everywhere with static - I had to vacuum it off my clothes! Then, I covered all the landscaped parts with Hobbycraft Plaster Moulding Roll (which has been in my modelling box for years). The end result is quite pleasing. It's wider than my board because I haven't worked out whether to cut it down to size (including the wing wall) or to extend the board with a new front section for a bit more "yard". Sadly, it seems that the brick-effect plasticard has started to "bubble" a little (it was OK at first but must have reacted with the glue over time), but I'm hoping some matt paint and a bit of weathering/graffiti will help fix that. Next up is the top coat ( @Charlie B recommends "Sculptamold" but I've use "Easifill" in the past), then painting (Hobbycraft brown), scatter (some of the green sawdust I've had for 30 years, probably) and vegetation (lots of it - brambles). I also need to weather the stone and the brickwork, which is a bit shiny at the moment. I may leave it for a while though whilst I work on the platform...

Hi Nick, some pics here I took of your layout at MIOG - it was great to see you (and Cripple Corner) there! re: the Sherpa, I’m looking for a suitable BR van… was thinking Transit or Viva/Escort if you know anyone who can do them (but Sherpa may be an option)?

It's been a few months since I posted here but there has been some progress. Not as fast as I would like (this is becoming a common theme) but I'm watching a lot of @Charlie B's superb "Chadwick Model Railway" videos on YouTube and gaining some confidence. I also went to Crewe yesterday for the excellent Modern Image O Gauge exhibition where I was inspired by the high quality small 7mm layouts like: @Nick G's "Cripple Corner"; "Cwm Rhiw" (based on Treherbert and not so different to what I'm trying to do!); Rob Owst (@37114)'s "Peasevern Yard"; and the "GKN Tremorfa Works". (Whilst I'd love to have an "Allerby", or a "Grangemouth" I have neither the space nor the budget!). A few months ago, I decided that the boards needed a backscene and so some 6mm MDF was purchased (from B&Q because they would cut it to something approximating the size I wanted and at least it would have straight edges!). I tacked it along the back and sides of the boards, using panel pins. Then, I had to wait for HobbyCraft to get some baby blue paint in (there seemed to be a national shortage!) but, once I had spent my £1, I could paint the backscene. I also chopped down some offcuts of IKO Enertherm insulation board that were left over from building "the man cave" a few years ago, peeled off the aluminium, and used gorilla glue to bond two pieces together. I also used some balsa-wood strips and cardboard (from cereal packets) on the back of my vacuum plastic tunnel portal, to give it some structure. After this, I used some spray adhesive that I found in the garage (for gluing down carpets) to fix the portal on the front of the insulation board. The plan for this afternoon was to use expanding foam to fill the gaps behind the wing walls and then cut it all down to shape but I found at six-minutes-to-Sunday-closing-time that my can of expanding foam was gunked up. So, here I am, updating RMweb instead 😉. Meanwhile, I've started to think about the platform... I already have some resin cast stone platform edges from 422 modelmaking and I realised another offcut of foam insulation board would make the perfect platform to fix them on to... I just need to decide whether to align them at baseboard level, or at platform level as the edges are a few millimetres taller than the insulation... On the stock front, I've had to work hard to not buy any more... apart from a couple of wagons and a late-night purchase of a GWR-liveried Class 121 bubble car. And I've joined my local model railway club, where the test track has been great for running in all my locos! Right, now it's time to order some of the scenic items I've been talking about for so long... and to start work on building signals, laying cable trunking, etc.

Thanks for this @Nigelcliffe - I’m new to DCC (though have been reading up on it for a while) and this is all really helpful!

Hi folks, this is a really interesting thread because it helps me understand what the DCC chip is in my O Gauge Dapol 08 (7D-008-013WDCC) - thank you! Dapol insisted it's not an Imperium 3 and that I have a Zimo MX644d. I'm pretty sure I don't, because my model is not sound-fitted. I've attached a picture of the chip that's installed, in case anyone can confirm, please? It doesn't have any markings but JMRI/DecoderPro reads it as Dapol Limited (154) Version 7. I had some previous success getting this working in JMRI using a LaisDCC configuration; however I was finding that, if I changed the address from the default of 3 to something else, it stopped playing ball. Now I'm finding that the loco runs fine on DC, but on DCC it just sits there with lights on (including cab lights) and goes no-where (though I have managed to read all the values from the loco in DecoderPro and checked that I had the Dapol recommended CV 34=6, 36=4, 51=0, 52=16). I'm trying out a Zimo MX634d in one of my other 08s... that's one for another thread, but does anyone have any tips please for getting the mystery (probably Imperium) chip to work correctly? (The latest JMRI release has a couple of Dapol decoders in, but neither these nor the LaisDCC config seem to be working for me with my model). I'm happy to contribute to the project when I get a reliably working config but I'm not quite there yet!

From what I recall of childhood Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton trips, the stoppers were a mixture of low-density-seating type DMUs including 101s, maybe 108s (I’ll need to check my photos) and 120s. The Tyseley 116s were suburban units for cross-city workings (doors to every set of seats) and it looks like some got to Shrewsbury (based on pictures online) but I don’t recall them as a mainstay of the regular workings. (I remember those journeys fondly - being able to see out of the front, as long as the driver didn’t pull the blind down, though we often caught the Euston trains with a 47/4 on Mk2E/F coaches as it was faster and more comfortable).

Thank you all for your replies. That’s really helpful information @Rivercider, @Wheatley and @iands. (And apologies for not responding sooner… I didn’t get the alerts when you posted, only in my weekly roundup email!)

Made some progress on the tunnel portal... was originally going to be brick-lined with brick wall and fence blocking the entrance but I decided to brick it all... I may put a doorway in later. (I also considered a part-built wall with "Henry" behind it 😉). It still needs weathering but I'm quite pleased with the effect. Completely stumped what to do now though... not sure how to build the "hill" behind the portal and get the soft, vacuum-formed plastic to line up with it.

I've always thought that other vehicle types wouldn't need it as the Met-Camm vehicle fronts extend higher up the roof - other designs have the cab roof coming down to join the front above the windows (does that make sense)?

Yep, railcar.co.uk confirms your memory: "The refurbishment at Doncaster was topped off with the new refurbished livery of white with a blue stripe. The unit had different thickness stripes on each side. On the drivers side of the DMBS was a narrow stripe, the opposite was thicker 12" band which contained the BR or PTE logo."

Time off for good behaviour, I mean time off for Christmas means that I got some more work done on the layout. You may recall that I was struggling with the length of my boards and fitting them onto my shelves. I also wanted the layout to be protected from dust and damage, so I repurposed the space where my N gauge layout was supposed to live in the furniture I made a few years ago for the Man Cave... Either side of the recent cold snap, I've taken a saw to the furniture, removed the front plywood sections, lowered the layout space and created a section where both the scenic boards can be stored. Once I've worked out what to do about fiddle yard cassettes, I'll create a hole through to the next section and I should be ready for full running. I've also made a start on the tunnel portal and sprayed some Langley Models vacuum-formed plastic sections with Tamiya Acrylic paint. Tomorrow, I plan to build them up with some brick effect plasticard for tunnel lining and then start to build up the layers for some more realistic colour and weathering. With the tunnel in place, the platform build can commence, with retaining walls to follow. Meanwhile I can work on some of the detail around the track area in preparation for ballasting. I've also bought the first of my signals from Routemex so need to think about how to build that and get it wired in. And my DCC++/JMRI/Dapol chip saga continues, with Raspberry Pi shortages for control meaning I'm still running on DC but might get DCC in place soon. It's true to say that progress has not been as rapid as I would have liked but I'm learning as I go, and making sure that I do things "right"!

Sadly, work on the N gauge layout has ground to a halt and won't be restarting for a while as my energies are focused on my O gauge project (Cwm Bach). Cwm Bach was supposed to be a short term side project but it's taking a lot of time too! I still have a growing pile of N gauge stock and will create something one day, but I've re-used the space after my storage plans for the O Gauge boards didn't work out... Thanks to everyone who showed interest in this project. I'll re-open this thread when I restart the layout... maybe in a couple of years...

I'm modelling a 1980s era BR South Wales branch line in O Gauge and trying to make sure I have all the necessary trackside "gubbins" in place. The modern railway has lots of (blue) catch pit grates, (yellow) AWS ramps and (orange) plastic trunking pipes for cables under rails (along with concrete trunking at the side of the line). I don't remember the catchpits or orange trunking in the 1980s (maybe I was more interested in the trains) so when did they start to be installed, please? I've tried looking at books and old photos but was surprised how clear "the six-foot" is. Was there a different system used for drainage (hence no catch pits) and was it simply that cable trunking wasn't orange in those days (everything was grey!)? It may seem trivial, but I'd rather get these things in place before I start ballasting! Also, is there a rule of thumb as to where I'll need relay boxes please (close to colour light signals - anywhere else)?

It's been a while since I posted here, and I really should crack on with the signalling and the scenery but I'm a little bit excited about these new arrivals today... A lovely little rake of Dapol HEAs, supplied and weathered for me by Tower Models (who also supplied a replacement 37426 a few weeks ago, after the first one went back to Hattons). These are going to look great with my Gronks, I think... You can also see the end result with the trackwork (it all got a heavy coat of Railmatch 1406 "sleeper grime" from above and then a good clean with the track rubber after my attempts at rust-coloured sides with the airbrush). Looks OK, I think.