Hound Dog

Some more images.......

Montgreenan Update One of the advantages of being grounded at home for the past 30+ weeks has been that I can progress with the layout at a leisurely pace doing an hour or so most nights and a little extra when time permits at the weekend. Despite this it seems like an age since the 14th June when I last posted about the tunnel work I was undertaking, but slow and steady wins the race and the finishing line on this part of the layout was reach earlier today. I have put so much into this small area of the layout that I don't really know where to begin to try to put it into words, so I will just let the pictures try to tell the story............ Hope everybody is safe and well, and enjoying their trains - cheers Richard

Anybody heard one of the new factory fitted sound versions of Dapol’s Class 21 / 29........ looking for feedback to help decide whether to buy one or go for the base model and a separate sound decoder from Biffo or somebody....... any suggestions welcomed Thanks

Hi, I wanted to have some wooden lineside fencing to compliment a new backscene that I have added to "Montgreenan" along the Portencross branch line, but could not see anything ready-made that I liked, and so it was out with the matches and wire to make my own. One of the challenges I had was that the fence needed to be right at the edge of the baseboard and against a wall, and as such it was going to be difficult to drill suitable holes, install the fence and also make sure it was relatively robust...….however after several days of thinking about it, a neat solution came to mind. When I made my baseboards and before any track was laid, I covered the entire surface in 2mm cork ( another 2mm was also laid under the track to help noise and create a ballast shoulder), and so I figured that if I lifted a strip of this where I wanted the fence to go, I could replace it with a 2mm strip of plasticard, into which I could drill neat holes for the fence posts and superglue them in place all away from the layout...……..this also had the added advantage of building the fence in sections and being able to easily thread the wires at my workbench. I also found an old motor coil and striped the copper wire from it, which was very easy to thread and wind etc...….I subsequently painted it the same dark brown as the fence posts and purposely laid it on thick which gives it a more ragged / aged look. Once complete the plasticard strips were glued in place and then I placed hedging and shrubbery in front of the fence...…..still a few finishing touches reqd but very pleased with the outcome...….see pictures below. Hope this is of help to others - cheers Richard

Can we petition the PM to include sound testing Deltics on the list of approved lockdown relaxations?........ it is driving me crazy looking here each day in the hope of an update on the Sound project......

Rookie question - would these “grey” and orange wagons be used for the Hunterston - Ravenscraig runs when they were top and tailed by Class 37’s probably during late 70’s / early 80’s ? .........seem to recall them thundering thru our local station when I was waiting for the Evening Times newspapers to arrive for my paper-round........ Thanks

I realise there is a lockdown in effect and far more important things at stake than railway models, but is there any news on future batches of SLW 24’s ?........ keenly awaiting the arrival of a two tone Green Highland version with twin headlights. thanks

Hi Chaps, Made a some more progress on the area adjacent to my signal box at Portencross junction...…….experimented with leftover twigs and small leafed areas from my Seafoam trees and gathering them into a tangled mess to represent "jaggy bushes and nettles", then spreading this across the ground around one of the bridge supports and then to the far right of the grassed area ( on this one I sprinkled yellow crayon to give it some flowering) Quite pleased with the results, but need to add some more strategically placed weeds as it still looks too manicured in places. Anyway hope everybody is safe and well, and as always any feedback welcomed - thanks Richard

Montgreenan - Easter update 2020 Hi, Been a while since I last posted any sort of update and just realised I missed reporting the work on the Diesel depot etc......never mind the pictures below show the outcome without the graft in between Like most I have been making use of the lockdown to work on my layout when I can, but there is so much to do and I always seem to greatly under-estimate the time reqd, that often actual visible progress is slow. I have been continuing to focus on the depot end of the layout and have spent recent hobby time reworking some of the track layout to the branch line at "Portencross" junction and the adjacent sidings...…..probably still a few weeks away from having this presentable (yet more ballasting lies ahead), but everything is wired and functioning ok. In the interim I have been working on the grass embankment adjacent to Platform 1 and attached are a few photos taken this evening (BR Blue fleet off for Easter, so Legacy Diesel Holiday Specials ruling the rails) ...……..Some trees and various bushes and plants etc, but I don't know about others and it is probably a measure of my lack of experience, but I find that when "planting" bushes and wild flowers etc, it all comes out far too neat, more like a garden rather than something wild and natural...….I guess it comes with practice. I am waiting some more static grass etc to finish the trackside area before installing lineside fencing. The plan is for the hardcore area to be parking for railways workers, who will be able to cross over to the signal boxes and depot area via a dedicated footbridge that will be contained in the compound that I will build, ie not accessible to Joe Public...…..I might also try to mess it up with some permanent way equipment lying around and finish with security fencing and gates etc. The other notable addition is some yard lamps for the depot - I stumbled across these at a company called "Kytes Lights", and was quite impressed by the range, prices, delivery and quality...…..that said I have not yet wired them up, so perhaps I should reserve judgment, but I think they look the part and in addition to the twin lamps, there are also matching singles and wall lamps which I might go back for. Lots of other bits and pieces on the go and now that I am close to completing the major scenic work around about 50% of the layout ( one long side and two half-ends), I am starting to think about what has to happen next...…….some trackwork that I want to lift and refit at one end, and perhaps tunnels and mountains ahead - something for the Easter 2021 update perhaps Hope everybody is keeping safe and well, and as always I would welcome any feedback and comments - cheers Richard

........Because there is a market need ( based on TTS decoder being widely out of stock) and as a leading brand to the hobby they should be in tune with customer trends........ I would also imagine the margin on a TTS decoder is quite generous, ie a cash cow to boost profits that could then be reinvested in new next generation products

Really cannot believe the lack of any new TTS decoders in this announcement....... if anybody tries to source an Class 08, 31 or 37 TTS decoder, one will find most retailers out of stock and so clearly there is a ready market to add relatively low cost sound to older models and Hornby have missed an opportunity to cash in. ........ imagine the interest in a class 25, Peak, Western or first generation DMU TTS decoder being brought to the market.........

Absolutely nothing there of real interest for me ( Early and BR Blue Diesels), but perhaps just as well as I have already spent my cash on what I consider to be higher quality offerings from SLW and Accurascale..... oh how many more days can it possibly be until my shiny new Deltic arrives ????

Hi Robert, Thanks for taking the time to look at my layout post and for your feedback. I will look to take on board your comments re the platform edges - the platforms were done about 18 months ago and I would like to think my modelling skills have improved since then, as this is the first layout I have ever built. I do need to pay some attention to the platform edges as a Dapol Western that I bought a few months ago has a hefty front valance which swings far more than any other loco I have, and it fouls at least one of the platforms, so some fine adjustment is going to be necessary. Thanks Richard

Thanks for all the positive feedback on my recent update...…..encouraged by the effects of my Industrial backscene, I ordered another more rural backscene to sit behind my town and this duly arrived this morning. For some reason I have had more issues with air bubbles on this one, despite applying to the same painted surface and using the same adhesive as the other day, but I am hopeful it will get better as it dries out...….in addition there is one join that I am not delighted with, as it looks like the edge of the photo has been exposed to light, but this is in a forested area so should hopefully be easier to camouflage...….see pictures below, with the Maroon and Green diesel fleet getting a run-out in place of the normal BR Blue regime. Lots of little finishing jobs now on the horizon to dress the various backdrops, but I think I can see the major build of this area of the layout now drawing to a close. Cheers Richard.

Montgreenan - 31st Dec 2019 Update Been a long time since I posted an update on my layout, but Oct thru Dec seemed to be consumed by a combination of work, the needs of 90 year old parents and ripping out and fitting a new kitchen, and so any progress on my layout has been painfully slow. However since returning home from my last business trip on 18th Dec, I have devoted a significant amount of time to getting the project back on track, if you the pardon the pun. I am trying to get the primary length of my layout complete which comprises the Station / Town / Industrial area and Diesel depot, but I lost a lot of time and mojo getting my bridge arrangement completed and have struggled to really progress the station forecourt...….however that is now starting to come together and I am awaiting the arrival of some traffic lights, a bus shelter and the construction of station steps / access ramp etc to finish the basic construction in this area. I wanted to fit a backscene behind my town area so that I can finally be done with the farthest away area and can work my way forward so as not to damage items when reaching over - however I have struggled to find a backscene to my liking...……..frustrated, this led me to start looking at the area to the right of my town / parcel office, and whilst I wanted to have tall warehousing that was close and along this length of track, again I couldn't find anything suitable for the limited space I had...…...that was until I started to look much more closely at the Metcalfe brick built Industrial kits and discovered that one of them was also convertible to low relief, and that by butchering all of the others I could just about fit the entire set, which would then mean I would need only a relatively short length of perimeter wall to bridge the gap to my diesel depot at the far right-hand side of my layout. The said Metcalfe kits were duly ordered and the midnight oil was burnt on more than one occasion as I became engrossed in tailoring these to fit on for my layout...…….the last minute addition of a Gaugemaster Industrial backscene (sourced and delivered next day in the middle of the Xmas holidays from those wonderful people at TrackShak on the Isle of Man ( no connection other than a very satisfied customer of numerous occasions)), I think sets it off the overall scene quite nicely...….see pictures below Also shown are some pictures of the Diesel Depot area...……...currently working on a Signal box which will go on the main track curve in front of the depot, plus a refuelling point and an Oil storage area etc...…..lots of work and finishing to be done in this area, so it will be well into Q1 2020 at best. Finally, some pictures of the station forecourt and general overview...……...whilst I am pleased with the progress in the last 2 weeks, I was disappointed that overall things have been slow and I still have three quarters of my layout to complete - however I just glanced back at some pictures from exactly a year ago and what was then only track and some platforms, is now something that is starting to look like a real layout, and is a piece of work that brings me a sense of satisfaction and pride, and thus I go into the new year with renewed enthusiasm. This seems a fitting point therefore to wish everybody a happy, healthy and prosperous ( well it needs to be with this hobby) New Year which allow all to fulfil their modelling aspirations and perhaps even still find time just to play with trains...….best wishes Richard

Thanks Chris for taking the time to respond.......... for sure Richard Crofts 31 project sounds great and I have reached out to him to ask about compatibility with the Hornby class 31 TTS decoder thanks Richard

I am upgrading a Hornby class 31 and want to fit a TTS Sound chip to it ...... previous experience with TTS chips usually leads to replacing the speaker that is supplied and I have also seen reports that the Class 31 TTS is a little quiet. Looking for any recommendations on a suitable replacement speaker that fits in the Hornby Class 31 without too much difficulty. Thanks

Fair point and only you know your overall priorities and resources....... may it is just that KUA’s don’t really work for my era...... but green Class 37 and Deltic orders already placed - thanks

Not wanting to knock anything that Accurascale are doings as they are doing a lot of great things ( and I have made purchases accordingly), but for me the Class 37 was the bigger announcement and should have been the show stopper !

For anybody following “Montgreenan” ( not sure why anybody would, but very grateful for any and all support), there is an update on the Stairway from the bridge to the station forecourt in a separate thread, see link below Thanks for all the positive feedback which is great encouragement when working alone in my garage on this project........ cheers Richard

Been working for the last couple of weeks on making a scratch built Stairway for the descent from my bridge on Montgreenan down to the station forecourt below, and the steps in particular were giving me some challenges until I had a moment of inspiration at a local Model Rail show when I spotted the Peco LK-7 Subway staircase at a traders stand. By buying two packs and severely butchering them, I was able to form a staircase by using one set of stairs as intended and then inverting the other one to continue the descent. Glue in some strengthener's and some plasticard walkways, and surround this with a card based frame, and I had my Stairway. I then covered the walls with the same stone paper which features on my bridge, plus some surplus wooden strips from the bridge kit for coping stones and the leftovers from the Peco kit for handrails, then finally I added some painted features courtesy of the fine tip brushes bought at the same Model Rail show...…..some fine detail still to complete, but I am really delighted with the finished article, which provides the feature that I originally envisaged but had struggled initially to see a pathway to make, and all for under a tenner !

In Lidl this week are these handy LED Reading glasses which come in a range of magnifications and include a spare set of batteries, and all for about £3 if I recall correctly……..these are ideal for the wee jobs where one struggles due to a combination of age and poor light conditions.

Now with some proper greenery...…..

Hi, Haven't posted anything for a while, but made good progress with my bridge the past couple of days and although still lots to do, I am pretty pleased with how it is shaping up. Still need to landscape where the trees have just temporarily been situated, build a set of steps down from the bridge to the station ( that is why there is a hole in the bridge parapet - definitely H&S issue at the moment), and then think about how I develop the station forecourt and the entrance to the newly constructed Motorail terminal...…..very pleased that some simple detailing has transformed the basic Hornby car ramp and think once I get security fencing and floodlights etc, this will be quite cool...…...Managed to squeeze this in by changing my branch-line a little and have been able to get two short sidings which will hold two motorail car flats each, or can double up as a loco stabling point as per the attached pictures. Want to also fit streetlights and a set of traffic lights to allow single lane traffic under the bridge to the station forecourt - have laid a little island for the traffic light just beyond the bus stop...…..must say I love the Busch Cycle lanes which just bring a different feel to things as well as being easy to work with and fab for covering over the joins / edges of my road surface. Anyway - hope you enjoy the pictures with a few of my favourite pre-BR Blue diesels......as always any feedback and comments most appreciated as I am still learning with this hobby all the time. Thanks Richard

Fear not for it is nothing more than a quirk of the light, as the plates are indeed silver metal and not at all brassy in real life.