richard.h

Wakefield West is one of my favourite layouts (its based on an area I know quite well) and have followed its progress for a while now, the standard of modelling in all areas is excellent, especially when you consider the builder lives in Australia so sourcing local information must be difficult. So I was very pleased to read the article in this months Hornby Magazine which contained lots of new photos, apparently taken by the author, and other background information. Also there was a nice little tribute to Dave Shakespeare who is someone I certainly admired. I would just like to say thanks for that, its well deserved and I look forward to seeing further progress on this unique layout.

I have been watching your engine shed update with interest to see how it all works out. With regard to your turntable the other item you could alter is the control cabin, I have not seen a B.R. turntable with this type of structure they usually seem to be just a control box with piping to connect to the Loco. Its difficult to get a clear picture of one but I did cobble one together to replace the Heljan cabin and it looks more authentic.

There used to be a photo in the cafe that was built on the site of the old turntable that showed a loco which had over-run the turntable and ended up half in the road (prototype for everything). Have not been for many years so don't know if its still there.

Just finished reading through this. Its a lovely well built layout with some nice cameos which accurately portray the era you are depicting.

I use Hattons a lot and have not had a problem but then I have never had a parcel go missing. I don't think you can blame them for the parcel getting lost unless it turns out it was incorrectly labelled. If it has a tracking number you should be able to go online and try and trace it yourself also most companies use a three week policy before they will replace lost items mainly to give the package sufficient time to re-appear from wherever someone has mistakenly put it.

There have been a lot of first class photos recently, that were not available before as you now have new vantage points for the camera. Looking at the one for the West Riding could I just ask how you fix the destination boards to your coaches, are they permanent or removable as I know you re-use some of the coaching stock in different formations.

Really enjoyed the article on The Spirit of Shap. lots of new photos and info plus some details on the history of the line

As someone who has been buying the digital editions of modelling magazines for a number of years now, mainly because they are easier to get living abroad and also it keeps her-indoors happy, (no magazines littering the place) I was very impressed with this months BRM edition I think this is the way forward for digital, lots of interactive features and links to other online sites, of which there are more every month. If you don't do this you are not exploiting the potential of digital but merely reproducing an online version of your standard magazine. At the end of the day the most customers can still choose which version they prefer to buy depending on their requirements

Back-scenes to block light from windows. I think I recall there was a discussion on this subject before which never seemed to get resolved. Is it not possible now that you are fitting an extra board with goods lines on to provide a backdrop for your photos to fit a low back-scene board on it at the same time. If it was painted in a neutral colour it could serve a dual purpose, firstly to filter out some of the light coming through the windows and secondly to provide a framing for low angle photos taken in the direction of the window wall. As a bonus it could also ease your work photo shopping

I am not familiar with the DCC80 but it should have input power from your DCC supply or the track then a single output to one frog so one unit wired separately to each frog, check again with you supplier when you buy the second one.

As per the previous answer you need a dual frog juicer or another DCC80. The only other possibility depends on how you switch your points, sometimes the point motor can do it for you, for instance I use Tortoise motors which have two inbuilt switches and these can be used to set the correct polarity of the crossing depending on the route selected so you don't need anything else.

The cover picture shows there's a a prototype for everything, if you weathered a peak to that condition most people would say that you had overdone it and ruined a good model.

The root cause of yesterdays mistake that lost the race for Hamilton is the over reliance on modern technology. The computer and its algorithms said that he had enough of a cushion to cover a safety car being deployed but obviously he didn't. You cant blame the computer for that, blame the people who programmed it and are blindly heeding it, common sense should tell them that a 12 second gap isn't enough for safe lead in the event of a safety car

I have always used acrylic paints, they are easy to work with and quick drying and don't have any adverse effects on the track. Personally I like the Railmatch range, sleeper grime, rusty red etc but I am sure the are other choices just as good.

Just found this, a lovely little layout packed with detail and beautifully observed cameos. I bet there's usually a crowd jostling around for a good view at exhibitions

I don't think that decoders need a load to work properly but they do for programming. I have two DMUs and in both cases I had to put the decoder for the trailer car into another loco with a motor in it in order to set it up otherwise my handset just didn't recognize that the decoder was there. This may not be applicable to all decoders and DCC systems but it certainly was in mine so its worth bearing in mind.

Great little layout, amazing what you have managed to achieve in such a small space and the detail in it just keeps getting better

I have used Zimo sound decoders on all my recent sound installations and have never had any problems with them (touch wood) Have you considered contacting your supplier about a replacement as it would be easy to do some damage and invalidate the guarantee.

The thing that always sticks in my mind regarding Brunel (apart from his obvious acheivements) was that he was the son of an engineer who fled France to escape persecution so France's loss was our gain. I think that says a lot about our willingness to accept new people and ideas even in Victorian Times

From your posting it sounds as though you already have a controller, if that is so what type have you bought as that can make a difference to the options available to you and then the way you control your points. In my case for example I bought an NCE procab so I can now control my Tortoise powered points directly from the handset and also complete routes using their Macro feature

I fit decoders with Stay/Alive to most of my locos as it usually helps the slow running performance. If needed the supplied capacitor can be exchanged for a more powerful one,( I got my last supply from Maplins but I understand they have closed now) and generally there is plenty of room in a diesel outline model to fit one

Have visited the NYMR a few times it's a great day out but programs like this have to make a drama out of something (or nothing), its normal but acceptable as long as the don't make the volunteers look like a bunch of amateurs If you put that aside its a very enjoyable program which should publicise and help the Railway, after all you cant go far wrong filming steam trains running through countryside like that.

Just read through this thread, beautiful layout (reminds me of home) you have captured the bleak open countryside of the area to perfection, definitely one to follow for the future. I don't know if I missed it in the text but I was wondering how you control the banking engine to match the train speed, is it two operators working together or do you have some other system?

Just to confirm the previous post Locos with a single leading axle do tend to derail more than other types initially but once they are set up correctly the the should perform equally well on level track, I have had models in the past where a tweak of the tension spring(if fitted) or adding a little extra weight solved the problem. I have a P2 which performed perfectly well straight out of the box on code 75 track so normally they shouldn't need adjustment. In your case after checking that the leading pony trucks are moving freely and that the wheels and structure are not binding anywhere I would then run the locos as slowly as possible over the track to try and analyse exactly what is happening, also if you have any spare clean track run the locos on that to see if it track condition that is causing the problem.

Very enjoyable quality video which showcases your layout and together with your explanation of the control system also demonstrates the possibilities available with R. R & co.