Edwin_m

Those lights look great, some of the best I've seen in N gauge. Are they scratchbuilt and if so are you prepared to give us the recipe? If you've already posted it somewhere, just toss me a link and accept my grovelling apologies! I'm new to blogland and not sure how it all works...

The length issue is probably something to do with the van having to take a greater load per unit area of floorspace. If the length had been unchanged then the supporting structure would have had to be thicker and heavier, which was probably a much bigger design change than just making the same structure a bit shorter. A greater load and a heavier structure over a similar length would also have increased the axle load quite a bit, perhaps making it impossible to use standard bogies. The same issues would potentially have applied to the Mk2, and indeed this may be one reason why Mk3 DVTs are shorter than the passenger coaches.

...or they might have used either the gangwayed or the non-gangwayed end from those Northern Ireland DEMUs.

When the Mk3 formations on the WCML were allowed to do 110mph, for some reason it was OK for the remaining Mk1s (BGs and buffets at this time) to be upgraded but it was said at the time that Mk2 stock could not run at more than 100mph. Not sure why this should be, but perhaps a reason to be happy that the Mk1s were not replaced before this date?

If these are the red/green and yellow/green searchlights, as I dimly recall seeing in Kitchenside and Williams, then similar ones were used in America and it may be worth checking out US suppliers for models.

I've never had problems with the copper strips that rub on the chassis - those that rub on the wheels are more likely to be a problem. Although the chassis block probably doesn't have the same conductivity as the copper, its cross-section is so much more that I suspect its total resistance is pretty close to zero.

The train leaves Cardiff at 1054, waits 12min at Fishguard and gets back to Cardiff at 1603. It already avoids Swansea and in one direction IIRC it avoids Carmarthen as well (haven't checked this in the current TT, it did in summer 2008). If you could change diagrams in Cardiff to get it a bit sooner and return it a bit later, plus tighten up the timings a bit, you might be able to squeeze out a couple of hours extra for it to bounce back from Fishguard to Carmarthen and back before returning to Cardiff. But a service of two trains two hours apart around lunchtime, plus one in the middle of the night, is still not particularly useful - and the ferry connections would probably be worse too. You'd probably connect with the hourly Manchester train, preferably in the hours when it doesn't go any further west. In theory you could run that unit to Fishguard and back and it could take up the path two hours later back to Manchester, but 175s are much more expensive than 150s/153s and the whole fleet is needed on other services.

Another option would be for DBS to re-gear some of their 66/0s to the 66/5 configuration, or even lower. The engine power of the 66 is similar to that of a 60, and this mod would increase tractive effort close to that of the 60 at the cost of reducing maximum speed.

IIRC Clarbeston Rd to Fishguard is a single token section so only one train can be on this section at once. The loop points are unlocked by a ground frame for which the token acts as the key. This arrangement is not suitable for passenger trains to use the loop and certainly not to pass there. I believe there was an attempt to revive Trecwn a few years back, possibly explaining the work done to the track, but it came to nothing. They are indeed, but also on the Birmingham-Holyhead and various other services around Cardiff though they are barred from most of the Valleys. 175s normally work Manchester-Milford Haven, Manchester-Llandudno and Cardiff-Holyhead. I think the daytime Fishguard-Cardiff turned into a peak extra to Abergavenny, and you may also see 158s on Cheltenham-Maesteg. I doubt it has enough layover time in Cardiff to achieve this, though I don't have time to check the timetables at present. Anyway the 158 is already spare, has lower running costs, more than enough seating for the number of passengers and the local crews already have traction knowledge. DVTs can't control class 57s. I did some work on the timetables west of Swansea a couple of years back, though most of this was about options to increase the service if and when the bottleneck is doubled. The Pembroke Dock service sits at PD for the most of an hour so as to meet the next one in the loop at Tenby, and I think adding a Fishgard portion would give equally poor stock utilisation on that route as well. A single unit could give a reasonable two-hourly shuttle to Carmarthen, which could connect there for further east, or a more irregular service that fits better with the ferries. If you wanted through running then I think coupling to the Milford Haven would work well timetable-wise, but there are no spare 175s and they won't multiple with anything else.

Trains can't pass at Trecwn. The loop is only for run-round and "locking in" a train for the depot, which as somebody has pointed out is out of use anyway. However when I went by last year the loop track looked as if it had just been repaired. There is a local pressure group lobbying for a more frequent service to Fishguard plus re-opening of the Goodwick station. There are several sailings without rail connections and Goodwick could be a better railhead than Haverfordwest for some of the local population. It would need funding from Welsh Assembly Government and another DMU for ATW to run it with - both I guess rather improbable at present. Incidentally the existing workings don't require any extra stock, as the units work around Cardiff at peak times and would otherwise be standing idle during the middle of the day and the night. Incidentally the Fishguard trains often run via the Swansea District line, probably to keep crew route knowledge up for when it is needed for diversions. The timings seem pretty slack - our 158 waited 10min or so to rejoin the main line at Briton Ferry and was a good bit early into Cardiff.

In the last decade or so most of the train fleet in Ireland has been replaced, along with a large slice of the signalling. Dublin has got two tram routes, both are being extended, and still to come is the first stretch of quadruple track and a heavy rail tunnel under the city, not to mention a Metro for good measure. All this still seems to be on despite the economic situation which has hit Ireland worse than most. So while I grant you freight is almost non-existent (the country is just too small with no international rail connections) you can't really level a charge of lack of investment.

I believe HMRI was unhappy with the ability to see signals at 140mph. The 5-aspect section was used for acceptance testing of the 225 sets (if they specified it on the order they had to prove it had been delivered). Never, officially at least, used in passenger service at above 125.

This thread was wrongly titled as Class 73. This was a class of Electro-Diesel locomotives which could take power from the third rail DC network, and also had a small diesel on board for running in sidings and on non-electrified routes. A few are still running on the network with quite a few more in preservation.

I've done a 47 (not the new version released in the last year or so) and the OP says the older version of the 37 is similar too. I don't bother with the channels in the chassis as I've found you can run the orange and grey wires up between the two halves of the chassis without fouling anything. This also helps with the 158 as you don't have to remove the inner roof right out to the edges.

If using the ohms setting then turn DCC off and connect the meter between the top rail and a convenient place on the green wire, then between the bottom rail and the red wire. If using the AC volts setting then just turn the DCC power on and connect the meter between the two rails.

To give this blog thing a try then (database permitting) I'm going to start a blog! My layout is about 2.25m by 4.5m and sits in the garage (gathering dust most of the time). I started it in late 2005. Trackwork and wiring are about 75% complete, scenery about 5%. I intend to build the layout up as a series of dioramas representing a fictitious route leading north or east out of Manchester. Timescale is the present day, and I can run scale length passenger trains and freights up to 2 metres long. The first diorama is the main station, a fictitious mill town called Stanshaw on an ex-LNWR secondary route. I have built the platforms from Plastikard on a stripwood core with Peco edging, and along with the retaining wall behind these are the sum total of scenic features so far! They change from brick to concrete half way down, part of my back story that the platforms were extended over the site of a junction with a Midland route. The next portion of the ex-Midland route surviving as a branch up into the hills to reach a large limestone quarry and cement works, and a small town which is the setting for a Sunday evening TV series and therefore attracts a lot of rail excursions including the odd steam special! The layout uses Peco code 55 track laid on Noch/Gaugemaster stone/foam underlay. Hidden areas are code 80, mostly glued down with bathroom sealant in an attempt to keep the noise down. On the track plans I will hopefully be able to attach here, I have only laid about half the hidden sidings to math the amount of rolling stock I have. The branch (round the outside of the plan, intermediate station at right and terminus near the middle) is not yet designed let alone built, and I have built only about half the storage sidings as I don't have enough stock to fill them. The final part of the layout is Worthenden station, next to the branch terminus in the middle but at a lower level, representing a Manchester suburb at the foot of the fearsome Worthenden bank. The loop has facilities for attaching a loco to assist in rear. Control is via a Lenz set 100 and signalling uses Traincontroller software from Railroad and Co, customised to look and work something like a small modern VDU signalbox. It would be extremely difficult to work the hidden sidings any other way. I am currently debugging the signalling and have started planning a station building. I may also have a shot at some colour light signals soon. The (future) scenic part of the layout. Hidden storage sidings. The complicated arrangement of access tracks is designed to feed a train to and from the main lines in either direction. I intend eventually to have the computer driving the trains on these tracks so it can supply the train I want to the departure road and dispose of trains into the correct storage tracks. This will eventually be clad in sandstone! Apologies for the depth of field here, but this shows how the station area hinges up to get to the storage sidings beneath.

You can set it to the lowest range ohms setting (may be shown by the greek letter omega, don't ask me how to type it here!). Check between the rail and the controller feed that you hope you've just connected to. Anything over about half an ohm is a bad joint. NB to measure ohms you need a battery in the meter, and before you start touch the two leads together and make sure everything is working by getting a reading of zero ohms. The meter scale is probably "backwards" (zero on the right) for ohms. Or with DCC power on you can set it to AC volts (could be "V~") with a setting of 20 volts or the next one above. Measure between the two rails, and if both are connected you will get about 15 volts shown - exact voltage doesn't matter and will be wrong anyway. However this method won't show up poor joints - if it makes any sort of connection you will get the full volts.