richard.h

Here is the little J15. Struggling with its train of loaded Dogfish Wagons. Heading out to help with track repairs.

Same again that's two orders cancelled out of three place placed I wont risk pre-ordering again from Hattons if they can't be relied on. I have had an order accepted by Cheltenam Model Center so lets hope that that works out. Richard

Importing goods into the EU from UK is becoming a minefield at the moment with no-one seeming to know what the exact rules are, a lot of the model shops are refusing to export until things are clearer. I ordered one Loco in January, it was held in Spanish Customs for six weeks and I supplied all the paperwork requested which I have done before with items from the US without a problem. Then, when I checked last week it was on its way back to UK, I received no request for payment or further paperwork they just decided to send it back without any notification. Richard

Thanks for that, it's now been refitted, the little plastic lugs were broken off but a spot of superglue solved it

I have been following this topic with interest as I waited for my Locos to make their way through the tortuous Spanish Postal System (Post Brexit) The first arrived yesterday and what a difference in colour, the green is like no other loco on the layout. Here is Sun Castle next to my renamed and weathered Velocity, it is going to take quite a bit of work to get it to a similar condition. The small piece on the card was loose in the bottom of the packaging can someone tell me where it fits on the Loco.

Looking for more representative buildings to put on the layout I thought I would try some of the little kits by Petite Properties. So these were built with extra detailing and different roofs. I wanted to try a render finish and in a book I have by David Wright he suggests using pepper so the walls were painted a light stone colour then a PVA wash and finally sprinkled with pepper. The Bakery window was filled with produce shaped from sticky pads. The kit came with outbuildings which I could not use in their intended position so, instead they were placed at the ends of my Victorian Cottage Rows to represent the outside toilets that the buildings would have had originally but now converted to storage sheds. I was pleased with the results, they are nice little kits to work on so I will try some more later.

Great article in the latest issue of Hornby Magazine accompanied by an excellent set of photos, well done. Richard

Directors Coach. A while ago I detailed the interior of a Directors Coach but was disappointed to find that once the coach was re-assembled the inside was virtually invisible. To try and improve this I thought it would be worth fitting a coach lighting bar inside. There isn't one available to fit this particular model so some surgery was required and I took the opportunity to fit the bulky battery in the inner compartment out of sight. I think that this has improved the model quite a lot but it isn't something that I would consider doing on normal coaching stock as the expense would be considerable. Although the batteries should last a long time as the unit is movement sensitive and turns off after 4 minutes if no movement is detected.

Looks really good, are the structures card and embossed sheet.

Just to show that the Double Heading works quite well here is a short video featuring the Locos concerned.

Personally I can't see any difference between Modelu and Hardys, they are both quality products. However as you say Hardys are cheaper especially if you buy the bulk packs. Below is a little scene I made using Hardys models as I wanted a man with a red warning flag which I could only find on their site.

You have made a very good job of painting those figures, have you tried the ones from Hardys Hobbies, I use both companies and find their products compliment each other well and give you a bigger range.

This is the last pair of locos I set up as a Double Header. Its a J11 assisting an Ivatt 4MT with a long coal train. Again the performance was well matched as long as the speed was kept to a realistic level

Living out here you tend to be a bit isolated so I've generally used the larger suppliers assuming that they would offer the best prices and service. But, due my recent experience with the cancelled order from Hattons and after listening to the excellent advice offered here I have been shopping around and find that there are many smaller dealers who match the big companies on price, give good service and stock both the big brands of Hornby and Bachmann. So once again thank you everyone for your help, it is really good to have sites like this available where you can benefit from other peoples experience.

Thanks to help from another RM member I have now located a replacement Loco which is on order, but I also have a W1 on pre-order with Hattons so do I hope that they will honour this order or play safe and look around now for a replacement elsewhere. In my own experience Hattons have been good in the past at fulfilling orders so I am hoping that this is just a one-off

Hattons have just canceled my pre-order for Sun Castle. I placed this order when the Locos were announced and Hattons are now saying that they will have insufficient stock to meet demand so the cannot supply.

Just found this site, superb modelling and those signals are first class especially when you consider that they are working models.

Here is another pair of locos that performed well together. This is a 3F and Jubilee, I shall have to keep a note of the pairings for future use. One of the problems with double heading is headlamps, I generally fix the the lamps on permanently to suit the locos usual allocation, I've lost to many lamps using temporary fixings,where they go to is a mystery?

I have been testing running double headers this week to see how practical it is for everyday use. The answer is it is surprisingly easy to set up a loco "consist" using the NCE controller. In theory the locos decoders CVs should be paired to give equal performance but in practise as long as the locos are fairly evenly matched in performance ( and I use a lot of the same decoders which helps) any slight differences are cancelled out once the two locos are coupled together. So here is a Brittania Class with a heavy passenger train being piloted by a Class 5.

To operate this layout I have always used the NCE system, I didn't have room for a mimic panel (would have needed two anyway) so I stuck with NCEs macro system where routes are pre-programmed into it and just had strategically placed boards around the layout to help me recall the routes. As the layout progressed and the number of possible routes increased I needed a better way of control and eventually opted for the JMRI system The system was built up gradually but it needed a central control point so I finally ended up with this:- Here we have old Laptop as the control center and below it a touchscreen TV. On both screens I can show either route options. Or decoder options and/or throttle control. I can also connect in any phone or tablet to act as a cable free handset. So now my preferred method of operation which suits me best as a lone operator is to use the Touchscreen for setting routes when in Signalman mode (the signal are also programmed into route setting) And then in Driver mode I am free to walk around the layout controlling the trains with a portable handset. Job done!

I was quite taken with the new Salmon Wagons being developed but was put off sightly by the price ( plus the fact that they now seem to be unavailable) so I decided to build a couple from Cambrian kits instead. So here is a B12 hauling them. Complete with Rail Loads. I was a little worried that such a long vehicle might be a poor runner but once you got the bogies running true on brass bearings and the added weight from loads to steady them they proved to be very reliable. I just need transfers to complete them but that will have to wait until I have a bigger order otherwise the post exceeds the product.

Here is a short video showing Locos running through Oxenholme heading for Shap with sounds matched as closely as possible to the originals.

Totally agree with the previous posts, you now have more important things to concentrate on, but the modelling bug doesn't let go so I am sure we can look forward to more top quality modelling in the future. Richard

Things seem to have come to a standstill here postwise, I think Royal Mail have problems in the UK and we have Zealous officials checking every parcel here in Spain. I have a Roadroller/Tarspreader lost in the system for two months now. Anyway using materials on hand I completed this little cameo. The figures are painted and then given a final coat with thinned 'smoke' colour which settles in all the crevices and gives more depth to finish.

This is a short video showing some afternoon traffic running through Byford.