Ben Alder

How did you get on with this? I'd be interested to know.

An underrated turntable,IMO, as it is more or less a 50' one which is far more suited to smaller sheds than most of the other commercial offerings. It can be anglisied to a passable extent fairly easily. Here is mine.

The Hammant and Morgan 3000 and Walkabout were a step change in their controllers and a different generation to the main range. It's a pity their problems and Hornby's acquisition of the brand name di9dn't result in their continuity.

I have tried a wide range of controllers over the years - starting with a battery pack in 1964 for my Hornby Dublo train set and my first "serious" controller being a Duette for a birthday in 1970. Boy was I pleased with it...and it is still in bench use. I graduated from that to a Codar that seemed very advanced at the time and several other makes were also experimented with, the names of which I would have to think about as some came and went. Certainly the Gaugemaster controllers are a good reliable option, and I eventually settled on dual switched panel mounted Orbits, which are still in use, and Gaugemasters with brakes, but I kept looking at others, including some PWM ones, none of which seemed to suit me. A year or so ago I bought a Morley Vector Crawler and it did everything I wanted from it, its only drawback for me being a centre off knob control, which I like, that did not have a positive off notch - it being too easy to overturn it. I was ready to replace the Gaugemaster with this one, but its performance reminded me of the H&M 3000, which I used in the eighties - a marvellous controller but rather unergonomic, and eventually discarded for the panel mounted Orbits and GM's, so I dug out the 3000 and was knocked out by its handling of modern mechanisms and levels of control with it. I retro fiited my two under my control panel and passed the Vector on to a fellow modeller who is delighted with it. Using the 3000 again reminded me of the Walkabout - mine died years ago- and watched ebay till some appeared. Two lucky punts on sold as seen reintroduced me to the wonders of this handheld for twenty pounds or so each, and I am delighted with both versions. The only thing I've noticed with them is that they don't seem to handle the Heljan GW shunters very well but are fine with their diesels - these locos are switched to the Orbit. Both 3000 and Walkabouts show up from time to time on ebay and it may be worth keeping an eye out for them as they usually go for reasonable prices if you are hankering after this type of controller.

A layer of Sculptamould will do the trick - its a mix of papier mache and plaster and covers well. My embankments were a hardboard backing, wet crumpled and shaped kitchen rolls and a 1/4" or so layer of the mix and it died out solid enough on its own and is robust enough to take the likes of poles.

The Morley Vector crawler I found was a good controller with excellent slow speed action.

What a marvellous collection! Thanks for sharing.....

Blog entry on the work involved with links here, and the rodding is Wills. A bit overscale apparently but I'm happy enough with it.

Just been going through the thread quickly, and am enjoying its progress, thanks. Have you settled on track and points yet? With regard to Peco Code 75 points, here is one of mine with added cosmetic chairs, which improves the appearance markedly, I think. There is also the soon to come range of point kits that is causing a fluttering of chests among modellers, as discussed here...

And another - this time Cupar in Fife. Not on their page yet but it featured on their FB page today.

Latest from Pop Up - a single road engine shed, loosely based on Thurso. It's available from their site now. https://www.popupdesigns.co.uk/shop/railway-scale-models/rail-oo-gauge-single-track-engine-shed-3-x-a4-in-3mm-thick-poplar-ply-1-x-a8-in-0-8-ply/

Dornoch shed and water tower are now available from Pop Up. https://www.popupdesigns.co.uk/shop/railway-scale-models/rail-oo-gauge-dornoch-engine-shed-2-x-a4-in-3mm-thick-poplar-ply-1-x-a8-in-0-8-ply/

March 1972 or 3, IIR - I still have it around somewhere.

I have repaired a couple with Evostick to hold the motor in place - let it set for a day or two and it should be fine - mine are still running OK.

If you are wanting to add photos to a reply or to your thread when you type the text content in the box there is a paper clip at the bottom saying drag files or choose files. If you left click on choose files it opens a drop down box that will show your files from which images can be selected to add to the reply. If you do nothing about it once posted it/they will show up at the bottom of the post but if you want to put it in the actual post then drop a line and click on the plus sign on the small image you have uploaded and it will appear as it is here. It's all a lot easier than it sounds..... HTH

I was speaking to him a week or two ago with regard to an order I had placed a month or so earlier and he said that he had a large amount of orders processed and ready to go then, with a lot being back orders due to supplier delays. it arrived a few days later, including one I had sent him two months before that. He has had problems with health and both himself and his wife, the sole employees, have been shielding as far as possible throughout all this, and trying to make as few public trips to the Post Office as practical. He is working as best he can to keep on top of things with intermittent or non existent delivery supplies more or less by himself and having to deal with enquiries at the same time and I am not sure how able he is to work the website beyond receiving orders, which may explain the lack of any communication via this medium. The person who did look after this died a while ago and I don't know what form of replacement he has put in place for this but he is certainly not in anything like the Coopercraft situation and is trying his utmost to keep on top of things. Speaking here as only a customer of several decades and someone who has a good blether with him on the phone from time to time.

Dornoch shed popped through my door this morning. ..... here it is as from Pop up.

Just been advised by Iain that Dornoch water tower and loco shed have been finalised and are on their way to Pop Up to be incorporated in to the range which should be soon. Here is a CAD from the design stage.

Iain Ross, the guy behind all the Scottish stuff, has done a 3D HR signal cabin, firstly in 4mm, but can be supplied in 2mm as well. This side of the range is currently a bit adrift because of current circumstance but when matters allow he is going to liaise with Pop up's son, who does this side of things, over expanding availability of his designs- the eventual goal being an integration with the laser wooden range to offer both choices for some models. Here is a shot of the 4mm one on my bench waiting an appointment with some paint. Are you planning using the HR goods shed on your station - it is one of those iconic HR placesetters, and a few lingered on after their everyday use vanished.

Yes, they have gone but there are some You Tube videos of it.. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6g7nvDU0gO170UrEnnPuVw/videos

https://www.djhmodelloco.co.uk/motors-gearboxes-oo-ho-scale/ Its included in the accessories drop down list.

Late on parade here, sorry. I use Orbits still - the panel versions - and acquired a double cased one a year or two ago as a back up. Anyway, I dug out the literature that came with the various ones I have and the C C terminals are for a seperately developed hand held extra controller that does provide cab control and are not for any other purpose. How it is all done internally I don't know but the booklet specifically warns against opening it up , mentioning a major safety barrier incorporated inside it. I had various conversations with Leon, the man behind it all and he did his best to explain the workings to me but it went over my head, I'm afraid. According to write ups in the MRJ at the time it is a blend of half and full wave rectification and gives a very smooth operation. Leon died some twenty years ago and the range vanished - apparently the Shipley Railway Society had it at one time- and the chances of finding the auxiliary controller are next to nil, I imagine.

Cosmetic chairs applied to Code 75 points improves their appearance a lot.

Don't know how many others of this type existed but Oban and Wick both had them.