Pinehill

Anybody know if or when the few lined black 8750 pannier tanks @ Old Oak Common lost their early emblem & lining? I have recently seen a very unclear photograph taken in 1959 that appears to show one of them still with the early crest & lining. Thanks.

Now sorted.

Struggling again with the 3 way! All other points & the track is working fine but I am getting a polarity conflict on the 3 way. I have tried several combinations of the wiring on the 2 Cobalt motors but the best I have had is the right hand road working but still a short on the middle & left hand roads. When changing the wires around I have also got the other points needing the direction switch changing. Not sure what is going on! Maybe somebody can give me the correct combination of wires on the 2 switches as attached?

Your help is much appreciated. I think I am going with your plan as that is pretty much what I have already started. Just a bit more soldering to do. As I am using DC I usually use individual switched feeds rather than 'bus' wires but that is my 'belt & braces' approach! Thanks again.

Thanks again Spitfire. I think I am going with your 'belt & braces' approach as that really is what I have already started to do & nearly finished. I only had doubts after contacting Peco for reassurance! The only real difference is that I tend to use separate switched wiring for each feed rather than a 'bus' system. Your plan gives me all the isolated areas I think I need. Your help is much appreciated. Cheers.

I understand your comments Spitfire & many thanks. Would you ignore the positive feed that Peco have indicated after the 3 way before the adjacent point? Going with your favoured system would I need 9 seperate switches on the control panel for all 9 feeds or could any feeds be combined where isolation is not necessary? Regards.

Which extra power feeds could I delete if I was happy with the fishplate connections?

Thanks for your comments. Spitfire, your indications are exactly what I put in after interpreting the point package instructions & I have indeed modified the frog wires etc as you say to go with the frog switching with the Cobalts. The attached shows what Peco sent me, which is quite different & I guess the simpler way that you infer. I want some isolated sections, mainly for troubleshooting if necessary, but the downside is several more power feeds! I have to make a choice I suppose!

This is the proposed plan. I have put insulated joiners on every frog track as suggested on the packaging for the points along with several power feeds but when later speaking to Peco to confirm they suggested that was unnecessary! They suggested several less feeds & insulated joiners so I am confused. They never really gave an answer to why their recommendations do not agree with the instructions on the packets! I am using DC with Cobalt motors to change polarity.

He is a busy guy with a successful baseboard business & he could probably do with some help in answering enquiries etc. He also produces a thoroughly good product (I have had 2 orders with him) & can recommend him highly. I have spoken to him @ shows & I know he does his best to answer as quick as he can in a very pleasant & helpful way. I suspect that because he is so good at what he does he will, as he gets busier, have to take on staff to help & expand. That could be good or bad!

Highly recommended for acrylic pieces cut to size for control panel tops. Just used Trent Plastics of Gainsborough (www.trentplastics.co.uk) again for a small piece of acrylic for a control panel. Very prompt friendly service & they will supply all colours to your specification.

Has anybody had experience of using a self adhesive photographic backscene on to Foamex PVC board? The supplier of the backscenes (ID Backscenes) has stated it is the best material for mounting one of their items. Has anybody here done it? Cheers.

I am building a new cameo type layout with a Peco code 75 three way point & some electrofrog r/h points with the frog polarity modification wiring & using Cobalt motors to change polarity. If I follow the Peco package instructions for both types of points I get a positive & negative conflict where one track of the 3 way faces a r/h point. As instructed I have put a insulated joiner on each of the frog rails so will that & the frog switching take care of the conflict or would I need to swop some wiring around? Power feeds are being put in where Peco instruct. Thanks.

Seeing these lovely models reminded of those green Oerlikon sets I used to travel in up to London from Watford, especially sitting on those bench type seats! Seems just like yesterday but must be around the middle 50's before they were withdrawn & replaced by the more modern electric sets. Wonderful times with great excitement as we went past Willesden spotting steam locos!

Thanks Mike I wanted to be proved wrong! I think I will now go with Peco BH on my proposed yard project assuming that the FB points were relayed a while ago but the sidings tracks were left. The track with better sleeper spacing, nicely ballasted, painted & weathered I can live with! My existing layouts need a magnifying glass to see the track is FB & not BH anyway! The biggest discrepancy in '00' is the track width we are stuck with, so spacing the sleepers better & weathering heavily disguises things to a good degree!

A long shot but I guess there would never be in the prototype a situation where the points were FB with the track next to them BH!?

Yes I agree Pete about the point radius & the Peco logic. I would love to have the space for the larger points but on a 4' cameo you are desperate for space & to avoid the layout being 'point heavy'. I need some sidings & track with points taking up minimum space. Regards.

How easy is that Ben? Can you run through the procedure? Cheers.

Many thanks for that Pete. The main problem is that the Peco point work is flat bottomed so using the new bullhead will look odd & not match. As my yard will be only 4' long I need to use mainly small radius points to save space & with no remote sign of Peco issuing these in bullhead I am stuck with the difference! Considered other makes but Peco work well with everything else such as Cobalt motors & the like. Used Peco for years without any real problems & as you say you have to look closely to see the difference once painted & ballasted. Regards.

I have read many posts regarding track & after much consideration I think I will again use non bullhead Peco code 75 with 'wooden' sleepers on my new 4' long cameo layout. I like the idea of better sleeper spacing & dummy joints & fishplates in the correct places so can somebody confirm that it is easy to adjust the sleeper spacing, what the distances should be in a goods yard layout & what the lengths of track should be before a dummy fishplate join. I will leave the points as they are so we are only talking about a few short lengths of straight track. Thanks.

Thanks David, that is what I had heard about. Reviews seem mixed but might give it a try. I am wondering whether it might be better to try & airbrush the rails rather than the awkward method using a paintbrush. Regards.

What are people using these days to paint nickel silver track? In the past I have persevered with enamel paints but I have heard that there are now suitable coloured marking pens that will work. Any details please. Cheers.

What are people's thoughts about the Gaugemaster HF-1 electronic track cleaner. I have always used them in the past but I am about to start a new cameo type layout (only 4' long) but wondering if these cleaners actually improve running, as it is difficult to measure. Do not mind paying for one if there is a good chance they work!

No Johnson tank?

i Thanks for that Clive, the wiring is exactly as I thought it should be. My switch panel will have to be back over on the scenic board but I can work with that! Your friends locking system looks a good idea. Regards.