young37215

I lifted the mountain pass upper section corner baseboard again yesterday morning to start the scenic work on it. It is 4 feet in length with the other two that make up the mountaneous upper section 6 feet each. My plan is to divide the work into 3 parts in an effort to make it more manageable and work on 1 baseboard at a time before joining the 3 together. First of all I airbrushed sleeper grime onto the rail to weather it and once this was dryish, I dropped ballast which was glued in place. Hopefully this will all be dry this morning so that I can start building up the mountains that will provide the back drop for the section. Whilst the airbrush was plugged in I applied a coat of primer to the longstanding project of creating 37111. Assuming this dries OK I will add a coat of blue when using the airbrush next.

Warley yesterday which was quieter than I recall previous Sundays but still well worth the trip. Plenty of things to see although I left my reading glasses at home which meant looking at detailed stuff was impossible much to my annoyance. Hopefully the show will have stimulated my motivation to crack on with the mountain pass scenery this week. From the previous days running 37114 has charge of 7D12 seen arriving at Garelochead.

Spot the anomally?, 37027 departs Crianlarich with 1T45 12.45 Malliag to Glasgow. A couple of days ago I reported that 37027 had an electrical problem causing it to fail and was returning to Accurascale for repair. How then can it be running now? The answer is I bought 2 of Accurascale's 37027 with a view to renumbering one to 37022. On the basis that I have done nothing relating to the renumbering yet, it was a simple like for like swap.

I want to fit Commonwealth bogies to a Hornby BSO and convert it to a BSOT. Spare Commonwealth bogies appear similar to hens teeth, despite several months of searching I have not found any. Today I see that Hattons are selling a Hornby (R4974) Commonwealth fitted RB for £11. I dont think the bogies will swap/fit with those on the BSOT but I thought I would check just to be sure.

I have not measured the light in 37039 but fancy it is more 2mm than 3mm whereas the jewel is more like 3mm. Irrespective of their size, the headlamp on 37039 looks superior to me which is one of several reasons I doubt that I will use any more of the jewels. I am taking more time to decide on the mountain pass area than I anticipated because it still does not feel how I want. The answer to the question 'what do you want' is proving a challenge, I can't put my finger on it just yet and am mulling it over before committing to anything. In the meantime I have time available to play trains instead and to take a few pictures. First up is 37049 heading north on departure from Crianlarich with 7D12, the 12.50 from Mossend to Corpach.

I can live with the jewel headlamp but will not be installing any more as I prefer the working version like the one installed on 37039 which I consider superior. The headlamp was an early to mid 1980's introduction on the Eastfield locos so the 4 that I now have is an acceptable number for my time window. Unfortunately I am down to 3 headlamp locos at present because yesterday 37027 stopped working. When I attempted to move it, it simply sat on the layout making a ticking sound and refused to respond to the controller. There are no signs of damage and I have not changed anything that could have obviously caused the problem so I have contacted Accurascale for guidance. I'm guessing that other than returning the loco for inspection there is not much that can be done. Contrasting headlights

Whilst my main control panel is the primary method I use for my Megapoints network for point and semaphore control, I am exploring whether I can use the Cab Control accessory function to control the same. The CC User Manual indicates that I can set up accessories using the MC2 handset but I struggled when attempting to do so. Can I clarify, did you build yours this way or are they downloads from an ECoS?

Hi Ian Rest assured Mrs Young's jewellery is intact, the jewel came with another loco purchased on Ebay some while ago which means I have no idea of its origins; sorry. Unsurprisingly 37017 got a run out yesterday working light engine to Ardlui to collect a rake of Dogfish required for the weekends engineering activities. I took the picture after running so the power was off and the headcode lights were out but the jewel headlight still gives the impression of being illuminated.

37017 was an early headlight fitted 37 spending the early 1980's flitting between Inverness and Eastfield depots where the former added headlights in 1982. When I bought my version of 37017 it came with working headlights although they were not very robust. One quickly stopped working and I decided to remove the other before it fell off leaving the wiring in place. I planned to reinstate the headlights but without being clear on what was required I had not got around to it. My recent wittering about headlights got me thinking and so I removed the loco bodyshell to see what had been done. As I suspected wiring had been attached to the headcode terminals and a resistor fitted. It all looks rather fiddly and I decided that I would settle for the simple option of fitting the non working jewel lamps to see how they looked. I drilled a 2mm hole to drop the bezel into and fixed it in place with a dab of superglue. My initial reaction is positive, I will run the loco like this for a while to see how I feel about the non working headlamp. At the very least I have ticked one item off of the to do list. Revised wiring of the nose end to facilitate a headlight, note part of the lighting board has been cut down to allow the wires to fit in Original wiring still in place but I chose to remove it so I could fit the jewel lamps 2mm hole drilled Bezel and jewel headlight fitted

Most of the pictorial evidence of 37014 on Flickr shows the headlight off during the daytime although there are some with it clearly on. I assume that the headlight on/off was a driver choice, the rationale behind them was improved night time visibility presumably through a switch in the cab. If it can be done simply in model form then I prefer the option of a working headlight, much as with the headcode. Not only do I like the appearance but I find it helpful when operating to be able to see the direction that the loco will travel and one day I aim to create the option of winter running where lights will be required. I will get around to dismantling my existing headlight fitted locos to see how they work. That said I do have a non working jewel styled light that might get used if the working option looks to complicated. Headlight on Headlight off

As an owner of CC I am quite comfortable with the fact that it will date over time, all tech does, because it does what I want. I went through quite an extensive process to decide what controller best met my requirements and am glad that I did. My advice to anyone looking for a new controller is do the same, be clear on what it is you are after. Importing from the USA was easy, I bought mine from Iron Planet Hobbies where DHL managed to lose the first package that was sent. The chap at Iron Planet sent a second unit within a few days which turned up in the UK less than 48 hours after despatch. All in all it was less than 10 days from purchase to getting my hands on CC. There are several sellers in the USA if you Google 'ESU Cab Control', all seem to be around the same USD price. Bare in mind that duty is payable on any import, this works out at around 20% of the purchase price and will be collected by the courier company before they deliver. https://www.ironplanethobbies.com/product/esu-50310-cabcontrol-dcc-command-staion-wifi-throttle-7a-power-supply/

I don’t use the accessories on my CC meaning I have no idea how to delete. I believe there are only a few CC users on RMWeb, I’d suggest you are more likely to get an answer on the ESU CC forum

Thanks Ian, that seems to rule out any point in asking the question of either manufacturer. I don't see why a simple LED and some form of bezel can not be used with numerous variations of each advertised for just few pence on Ebay. A small hole drilled through the front of the nose creates the location of the light and bezel. The LED is glued into the bezel and the bezel is glued into the hole in the nose. The LED is connected to the same power supply used for the directional headcode so it only illuminates in the direction of travel. The power supply should be easy enough to tap into, presumably just a couple of solder joints required and all hidden away behind the nose. To understand what is involved better I need to seperate the bodyshell and chassis from 37039 to see how it was done and measure the components used. I'll probably do the same with Accurascale's 37027 where I am sure the concept is much the same. A couple of questions arise: what is the colour of the typical 1980 SCR headlight? what voltage powers the headcode lights on a Bachmann class 37?

Based on the lack of examples either in response to my question or from my efforts at searching RMWeb it appears that nobody other than Lee Edmondson has publicised their own 1980's Scottish Region headlamp as yet. I'll certainly try both Accurascale and Bachmann to see if they do their variants as a spare part but am guessing that they will not be cheap. In addition to Accurascale's recent 37027, I already have 2 locos with headlights in 37039 and 37114. The latter was unique in that it has the headlight sat on top of the locos nose which is not what I want. I need to look more closely at 37039 where a small LED embedded in the front of the nose is what I want on 37014 and 37017. I need to measure this on 37039 but am thinking that a 2mm or 3mm LED is sat in a bezel of some description ought to be straightforward to replicate. I have always resisted taking 37039's bodyshell off of the chassis for fear of damaging the headlight but if I want to move forward it seems I'll have to bite the bullet.

I am pleased to say there are no dipped joints or crippled ends on WHL4, maybe the real railway should try PVA in its ballast! A question, has anyone found a solution or a supplier to fit WHL styled headlights? I want to add them to 37014 (pictured below) and 37017 which were early recipients of headlights.

Thanks for the counsel; much appreciated. The rail joint is around the ends of the 2 x 6' baseboards that make up the bulk of the section where I have constructed the gradient so that the rail should be level for 6'' either side of the joint/summit. The construction is such that in an extreme situation I can seperate the two boards for maintenance should the need arise. I think that because the track is not glued down yet means that it moves under load which creates the effect that it is not level seen in the pictures. I will check before glueing but am fairly confident that when glued the track either side of the joint will be level. This will all have to wait because we are now away on a short break for a few days.

Slow progress but I am getting closer to what I want. The mountain pass summit now looks close to being right, I ran trains for a while yesterday to get the feel of how they looked through the section and by the end of the day I felt comfortable with what I had built. Using 3mm strips of cork the line rises to a summit and then drops away towards Mallaig Junction Yard. I aim to glue the track down over the next few days before painting and ballasting; if that all works out OK then the mountainside will be covered in plaster cloth and the scenic work can begin. 37114 and 37014 had charge of 7B02, 0520 Mossend to Corpach seen breasting the mountain pass summit.

I am working on trying to recreate the impression of a gradient like the first picture in the mountain pass landscape. The WHL goes against all modelling rules of having a flat, level baseboard and is a lot easier to create gradients inadvertantly than it is by design. The amount of cutting and the volume of polystyrene required to create the landscape is surprisingly large. Annoyingly this is the first set of pictures that I am working off where the fencing is very evident, I might just have to include some. Progress to date, I intend raising the height of the landcape on the right between Arrochar and the mountain pass.

Actually I only need another 288! Hi Warren The underpass on the platform is Peco LK7 underpass steps. The wall that seperates the underpass from the railway (to the right of 27041 in the first picture) is Wills SSMP2212 brickwork plain bond topped with Plastruct 90682 hand rails for the railings and Auhagen coping stones which came with their viaduct 11344 but did'nt get used on it. The lower walls that enclose the underpass on both sides of the station are Wills SSMP 200 coarse stone and the underpass railings are from the Wills SS28 occupational bridge. Looking at the following two pictures reminds me that I need to weather the platform facing west and paint the underpass railings. More work!

The change in route of NE/SW trains to using the ECML to Doncaster and across to Sheffield was largely driven by the problems caused by mining subsidence old the Cudworth and Normanton route. It suited the narrative to sell it as a response to demand but the reality was the economic environment and political will meant that most decisions were cost driven and there was no cash to fund the remedial work that the old route needed. Nearly 40 years have passed and not a lot has changed!

Hi Ian Even with selective compression it's about 5m from the curve at the southern end to the point at the northern end of the station. As you say, the track layout requires by far the most space of all the intermediate stations on the line. It is also on quite a gradient from the south up to the station which then falls away as the line continues north. Trying to replicate this has been a major challenge, I hope that it will look the part when finished. Up above Arrochar the fictitious mountain pass section occupied my attention yesterday where I completed the remaining wiring of the power BUS. Fiddling with the gradient also took a while, I am taking the County March summit between Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy as my template and want a summit at the mid point of the section. My idea is that locos will struggle/thrash there way to the summit before shutting off power and rolling down the opposite side in the hope that this will provide an opportunity to get the most from the sound fitted locos. The template I am working from

Slow progress but the outstanding landscape is begining to take shape. The first activity of the day was the corner baseboard from the upper level which was wired up and returned to its position. I tried painting the rail by hand but quickly gave up as it was far too cumbersome in the knowledge that the airbrush will make light work of the task. I want to sort all of the wiring before firing up the airbrush so turned instead to the remaining insulation offcuts that will make up the landscape. Those on the western side of Arrochar that rise up were cut at a 50 degree angle and placed in situ. A little bit uniform but it should not be too challenging to introduce some irregularity whilst adding plaster cloth. With the line closed for an engineering blockade, the fiddle yard was full awaiting the line reopening. Only 11 class 37s on view today!

It was the 10th anniversary of the installation of my 3.5KW array earlier this year. So far I have generated 36MW with 2020 peaking at 3.8MW.

I managed to start the upper level section that I call the mountain pass area yesterday. I am largely starting from scratch here and needed to add droppers to the various pieces of track which always takes time. Progress was made although by the end of the day I had severed the line between Fort William and the south meaning that opportunities for running were curtailed. With the line still open, 6E46 headed by 37264 is seen on departure from Garelochead.

Spreasheet further updated following SC55015's observations and re-attached. There are still a number of blanks but given that this all relates to 40 years ago, I suspect that we will never get to 100%.