DCMarvel

I wired my DC twin track with MPD layout up using a twin panel controller and a hand held. Either main line can be operated from either of the twin panel outputs and each isolated section of the MPD can also be switched to either panel controllers. There is also a switch that turns all the MPD sections to the hand held single controller when the sections are turned to the RH panel controller option. With this I can run two locos on main lines and shuffle and shunt around in the MPD sidings. Also I can run off/on either main line into the MPD without stopping or changing controller while still running one main line. Also I can completely isolate the main lines and operate all sidings sections from both panel controllers or one panel and one hand held so I can move two locos at once. If using the hand held I can also still operate one main line from the RH panel controller at the same time.

This is a typical power line in Cumbria, roughly 4 pickup trucks high! Power lines rarely cross main roads they usually drop and go underground but do sometimes cross single track lanes when connecting to properties. Lineside telephone lines are about the same as power lines. BT telephone street poles seem to vary depending on the height of surrounding properties but typically about 25% taller than power lines. I can see one outside my window now and it is at least chimney pot height of the surrounding houses, all the cables drop considerably to gutter height.

Look on Youtube for Johns Trains. He makes them and are available for around £26 for a bogies worth. https://www.youtube.com/@chambs123

Feed maybe once a week but less than they would get in summer, they take it but don't clean up like they do in summer so they probably don't need it yet.

I spent a small fortune at Palatine. They sold everything GB and US. Lance ran the shop but I think his dad Dave owned it. It was on Palatine Road then moved to Dickson Road then soon after it closed. The other shop on Dickson Road also moved afterwards to Thornton (or maybe the other way round and moved to Blackpool after being in Thornton) just round the corner from where I lived so guess where else all my cash went! Palatine was always busy before the move then it died...no parking outside the shop. Model shops need parking as they are places you specifically visit, not just call in while shopping elsewhere and if you have to park miles away or pay and display then you lose business. I hope Tower don't end up doing the same although their current premises is in a bit of a rough area at least it has street parking outside and in the surrounding streets. The better areas tend to be pedestrianised or have yellow lines everywhere.

Cork is highly over rated and old hat. It's used like mod roc for landscaping because it always has been 'the way to do it', but there is much better cheaper ways to achieve the same thing. It does nothing to damp noise, it's expensive, it's wasteful and it's hard work all just to achieve a 'shoulder' in the ballast. Have a look at Tracklay self adhesive foam if you like spending a lot but want speed and less mess. Or as already posted look at B&Q.

I love estate cars, my current is a 2012 Focus which has plenty of room in the back with the seats down and pretty much every bell and whistle possible including automatic parking and the absolutely brilliant heated windscreen. The Honda Civic (space age shape) has probably even more as the boot is really low floor inside matched by the folded rear seats. Probably the most space is either a Mondeo or a Skoda Octavia. I know a chap who is into model railways big time and he swears by the Berlingo. As a motorcycle rider I hate diesels and the fuel spillages they seen to leave everywhere and always swore I would never have one, but I have had several over recent years and until recently when diesel price has risen considerably more than petrol, would recommend them as long journeys are more economical and short ones no less economical than petrol, the only down side is they are slower to warm up if you can't get going and give them some work to do, unlike petrol that will warm up idling.

Wasdale on Tuesday (18-10-22) Doesn't get much better than this especially in October! Great day out on the bike.

If price is an issue stick with Hornby from the 1980-2005 the tender drive years. Otherwise Bachmann.

Anything like this sort of thing in your location... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124279314360?hash=item1cef9fd7b8:g:6FsAAOSwOb5fIzoe

Definitely recommend getting some of those click together thick foam tiles to stand on. After standing almost still for the best part of a day your feet will kill you. Comfy shoes with a good heel and instep and something soft underfoot, or it will not be enjoyable. Take breaks, go make a brew and wander round the other layouts the exhibition manager will find someont to watch your layout when you go, there are usually club members wandering about for exactly this purpose.

This premise is based on having no railway infrastructure at present and to start from scratch, but then we wouldn't have the current high tech high speed trains would we? We would be starting from scratch so the same caveats regarding motive power constraints would apply as they did in the 19th century. We couldn't copy the French as if we hadn't invented railways yet, then they wouldn't have them either. Alternative timelines would affect everywhere. Chances are we would do exacly what the Victorians did and build tracks to industrial areas and holiday resorts. The only thing that would be done differently would be due to reversing the original timeline where roads took over from trains and reverse this movement taking the freight back onto the rails....assuming that we had still invented the car/truck.

Thornton Cleveleys on the Wyre railway to Fleetwood used a wheel system until automatic barriers were installed after passenger sevices stopped in the late 60's. The barriers were quite unreliable and even after the line was fully closed but the barriers left in place, they came down for no reason a couple of times and blocked the road for hours causing a lot of problems. After that they took the arms off and fenced off the rail access. There are several level crossings on the Cumbrian coast railway either side of Millom that are still operated manually by a operator who sits in a portacabin.

Looks like dead frog points and the blades are switching power to the rails connected to the frog. Are the power droppers to the outside two rails of all three sections? Set the point to straight on and squeeze the blade to the rail with a pair of needle pliers and see if the section then works. If so then the point blade to rail contat just needs cleaning.

There was a 'Restoration Man' programme showing the old tank tower at Settle being converted to a house. That tank had stays bridging across the top but no roof panels and the stays wern't strong enough to support anything or close enough together for corrugated sheeting. Domestic water towers were nearly always covered, if only by a tin roof, but then people drank from those eventually so they would need protecting from debris.

I built a small club exhibition layout based on a fictional 'Lake District' town terminus and set it on a warm summer evening, so painted the backscene as a 'reddish' sunset blending up to a darkening sky. It received a lot of comments, not all favourable initially but after I explained what it was depicting it seemed to get approval. I got the impression people were so used to seeing bright sunny summer scenery with green trees and lots of grass and blue sky backscenes, anything else is a bit confusing. Another member has a superb US layout set in winter with snow and has black 'sky' overhead covers with blueish LED moonlight and looks great and actually gives you the chills looking at it. The club exhibition layout is set in (and is called) January 1968 and depicts the last days of steam, slightly grotty engine sheds and grimy buildings, but at exhibitions people often say it needs trees or some 'greenery' but that would be completely wrong for the time period, but it shows that they seem to expect that sort of sunny summer scenery.

Every time a standard is introduced, a cost to comply goes to the manufacturer who passes it all on, and a bit more beside, to the end consumer...do we really want this?

I see you are in the Cotswolds, but are you actually from Yorkshire by any chance? By the way I totally sgree with your sentiments!

Proper reliable automatic couplings that do not require DCC so every modeller can operate a shunting sequence hands free. The Brian Kirby method could easily be made part of the coupling with track sections made with magnets for sleepers so the spacing was spot on. Brian would be a rich man. This could also be made retro fit.

It will be quite safe, even used simultaneously for short periods. All you will notice is the little LED will probably flash a lot on the unused control even when zeroed when the other is being used. If you are really concerned, fit a dual pole double throw switch in the feed from the transformer so you can switch between controllers, isolating the unused one.

Sounds like you are re-inventing the wheel. Why move away from wood as they are going to be more bulky, they won't stack when not in use, end caps for the adjustrable feet will sag when under weight plus PVC piping goes brittle with age. 2x2" timber with ply cross bracing and a U-shaped metal top support to sit the board ends on is both easier to make and last forever. A sliding extension with a slot and two locking wingnuts is cheaper and does away with individual adjustable bought in feet. A simple plywood strip 45 degree brace keeps the legs vertical and keeps each pair of legs a universal fit so each pair can be used anywhere on the layout as long as every set is identical.

Thanks.

I have quite a few oldish Hornby tender drive steam locos and some diesels which to coin a phrase 'couldn't pull a skin off a rice pudding' or even worse can't pull 3 coaches! These have laid in a box in the quite hot/very cold loft for a few years and are in 'as new' condition and run fine on their own. I have checked the traction tyres and they seem OK but I have a feeling they have hardened a little and the wheel is also turning inside the tyre. Replacements are expensive and awkward to fit so I have bought a bottle of Bullfrog Snot. No instructions came with it so how is the best way to apply it and what is the drying time?

The Blackpool and Fylde MRC annual exhibition is next weekend Sept 21/22nd at the usual venue. A lot of new layouts we haven't had before and a lot of trade stands. For more details see http://www.blackpoolandnorthfyldemrc.co.uk

Check the slot or hole the pin works through hasn't got bunged up with a bit of loose ballast or scenic scatter while the board has been in storage, especially if it's been up-ended. Could as Suzie said a bit of tarnish on the solenoid cores too, a tiny squirt of WD-40 might help.