Jesse Sim

It is! Can’t believe it either! Look at me, all young and innocent before I was taken under your wing and turned into a young old git. Mo needs to start doing neck exercise’s before I rock up. Got room for the whole fam? We might just move there, is the squatting laws the same in England as it is here? I can’t believe it’s been so long! Here’s the infamous photo that waitress with one leg shorter then the other took. I really do miss it and all of you.

Agreed! I have noted the possessive plural apostrophe, I refer to Red Leaders post: “Once a teacher, always a teacher”. Almost booked flights the other day, only $1,500 AUD!!!!! The cheapest was only $1,200, but that’s with Malaysian airlines, not sure I would take them up on that offer with their track record! One day soon, next year? Possibly. Possibly. Who knows.

It’s not that I was scared of you Tony, more in awe of being there, in England, surrounded by British layouts (as I’d only ever seen Australian models) and surrounded by well known people that I had read about in the hobby. It was like being in the same room as some of my favourite musicians. Once I had broken that conversation starter barrier it was all good, apart from you, listing all the things you didn’t like about me in the first 2 minutes. Graeme King was actually the first I spoke to, I remember it clear as day, I unfortunately don’t remember the conversation and had to be reintroduced the next year when Grantham was at Warley in 2016. Then I spoke to Graham Nicholas, I believe we spoke about ballast and track colours and all that time word was being passed around the back of the tables to one another saying “that’s Jesse” I must have built up a reputation before I even got there! I was getting around on RMWEB a few months before my first trip and the Grantham thread I stuck to like glue! In conclusion it wasn’t just you I was afraid of talking to Tony, as I said afraid isn’t the correct word, but I used caution when I first met everyone as I was in awe, excited, happy and nervous. If I had stuffed up those introductions I wouldn’t be where I am today. You’ve never scared me, although the night you soldered the valve gear upside down on that P2 came very very close. And how bout this, back in 2015! My first time visiting Little Bytham and inspecting Wrights Towers for future trips. All round 4.5 Stars.

Not much to show for an update at the moment as I’ve been running trains and I am pleased to announce everything is running beautifully. For once the fiddleyard is actually full!! I’m thinking I might need to add a few more kick back sidings! I really liked the way I had the old fiddleyard with the shorter Down sidings in the corner and it’s worked again here. Two or three of these trains will go into the other kickback sidings I have planned. Im liking the line ups I have so far. Now for some modelling. Two new ones, a Parkside Brick wagon for the empty coal train. A nice and simple kit to build until I broke the Bogie mount…. Couple Of screws and bolts and it fixed. The other wagon I’ve finished is a bit of a bitsa and im not entirely sure the wheelbase is accurate, but don’t tell anyone. I can across this picture in the LMS wagons book. After a bit of researching found out it matches a Parkside LMS 6ton fish van and I happened to have one part built. Seeing as the fish van is a year out of my timeline I decided to hack it up and create this refrigerated version. I decided on using a filler mix to fill the door after I cut the fish vans sliding one off and scribe the planking in. It’s worked…kinda… Just the old classic “bit of weathering will hide that” but I’m out of Humbrol 33 and so is all of NSW…….. I’ve also done a bit on the viaduct, slowly but surely she’ll get done. I’ll also be adding some of the embankments to the lower section over the next coming weeks as I don’t like the bare bones look. Whilst this is going on it’ll be more testing and running and testing and running.

Make sure you remember to turn them the right way up to run them. “Detention to the knob down under for uttering such nonsense out of turn” I hear you cry!!!

Quoting someone on my own thread “this is the most rock n roll railway thread”

Hahaha yeaaaaaaa so, numb nuts over here forgot to re-install the circuit breaker with the NCE booster Annnnnnnd I got a short and melted the inside of the booster…. So I’ve been running trains temporarily hooked up how I originally had it with only the one controller instead of three.

We need an angry button @AY Mod

Thanks Tony, The only minor hiccup has been me blowing up my DCC system…… In the queue, how longs this queue Excellent, thanks Tony.

ahem, I’ll leave this here

Could you please finish my D2? I’ll see my self out… Before I go though….. A short video on the new layout now that tracks laid and wiring is finished!!

Can’t take Jonathan anywhere!

You’d have to talk to my signalling master @LNER4479 as I haven’t the foggiest idea!!

Hi mate, The only modulations is that I’ve slightly bent them into a curve, ever so slightly. I’ve also cut and shut two of them at the crossover to replicate the 45mm P/way. So far I’ve had no problems and I’ve ran trains over them a few times. Polarity isn’t an issue as I use cobalts with the frog wire connected to change polarity.

Thanks mate, a full size copy actually wouldn’t be a bad shout.

Another milestone reached today on the new layout. Track laying is finished and wiring is about 95% done, just two point motors in the fiddleyard to do and wire up the down slow. Heres an O4 on down empties snaking it’s way onto the slow line, whilst a C2 heads a short express south. Heres a nice open shot from the far corner, which will be an optional operating station when visitors arrive. Now it’s running everything I own to make sure the layout behaves itself. Whilst that takes place it will be building the bridge that acts as the scenic break at the northern end, finishing the viaduct and mapping out the embankments.

I think I have some of those old Hornby dublo ones laying around here, I’m happy to loan them to you. I say loan, as I’ll probably use them on the next layout in the future hahaha

Interesting, I might have to give it a go. I use a similar method that Jonathan Wealleans uses, well I made something similar when he showed me his. It’s a plank of wood with track on it raised up on a slight incline, if wagons roll down it without nudging them they’re free running. The Parkside ones I spoke off wouldn’t move by finger touch, I would need a sledge hammer!!!! I don’t have a nice looking photo of mine, but maybe JW will show his free running testing plank.

Speaking of where we got our coal from I have a rather funny story on how I got mine…. It was my second trip to the UK back in 2016, friends of mine David and Christine took me to Beamish. Dave scooped up a lump and wrapped it in a bag on our way out. Fast forward a week or so and I’m walking through Heathrow with the lump of coal wrapped up in my back pack. The airport staff asked me to step aside, open my bag and empty the contents. I removed the coal lump and he straight away says: “what’s that” ”it’s a lump of coal” ”why do you have a lump of coal” “I’m a railway enth-“ “yeah you’re right mate off you go” and off I went to board my plane. Didn’t even get enthusiast out of my mouth, must be a common thing railway enthusiasts carrying coal in a back pack!

Now now all because I finish my kits

Sorry, but how can you not be convinced by using real coal? You can’t get any more accurate then the real thing…

Good evening, I knew that there is some discrepancy with colours of containers, but I won’t be using this container anyway, I have some resin ones on the way from Mr King. I admit that I sound like a hypocrite but the colour of the container would bother me, as it stands out, but a brake lever that you won’t notice when it’s in a rake with 30+ wagons doing the scale speed of the Scotch Goods…… As I said, I won’t pull apart the wagon to fix that, but I will make it shorter on the next four I have to build.

That really doesn’t bother me, nor going to pull apart to fix that. I will however make sure it’s perfect on the next.

I always knock up the basic shell first, with just a blob of solder on all four ends, fit the W irons, then check with wheels if it’s all good. Twist and bend if necessary, Then solder the body together completely. One thing I have trouble with is Parkside kits, the W irons and solebars are one and you have to glue them facing outwards so the wheels run freely. One thing I did do recently was use brass fittings to enhance the Parkside kit, what I might try on the next conflat I have to build is use brass W irons.

The last wagon I built you said you’d fit the wheels, so I assumed you would again…. Note to self, supply Mr Wrights wagons with wheels.