Philou

I agree that the loco just looks awful - didn't they do 'Sir Nigel' in a similar manner not so long ago? Didn't like that either.

Cheers,

Philip

Welcome and good luck in your venture.

Cheers,

Philip

That long?!!! Goodness, I better get it sent off soon then.

Cheers,

Philip

Ooh ... ooh ... I'm still here and I do have a question (DCC related): Can anyone advise me what the turn-around time is for a factory repair of an ECoS? I have one to go back (just don't ask what happened, m'kay ).

Cheers,

Philip

Edit: Sorry - just spotted, I should have posted this in the 'Help' section.

Hello Robert,

I have an additional question for you: Are you wedded to straight turnouts, or could you live with curved ones if they were shown to be a viable proposition?

Cheers,

Philip

PS: Code 100 or 75?

Ummm .... looking at the draft plans that you have created, a question arose in mind: Is there anything stopping you from building your station on a curve? It might be a way of squeezing in a little extra.

As an aside, if you're having difficulty with your track package, you could investigate Scarm. There is, I understand, a free (limited) version that may suit your needs.

Cheers,

Philip

Thanks for the link - quite an interesting read - especially as I probably have most of the locos that were listed (and others) still in store waiting for 'that' layout.

Cheers,

Philip

@Northmoor

Do you have a link to your thread? I should like to have a read of it.

Ta,

Philip

@A Y Mod

Hello Andy,

I got a reply from my fellow club attendee regarding the PCB sleepers: They use a Dremel and small cutting disk to create the item.

I don't think the club has access to a router. I have one but I imagine it would be too big for such small cut-outs.

Cheers,

Philip

@JST

Murky buckets! At least you do have somewhere to 'hide'!

Went to a brocante this morning - the only bit of railway 'stuff' was (funnily enough) at a fishing tackle stand. Märklin 3-rail track and that was it - bit disappointing really.

(For our non-French readers - today is a Bank Holiday and it's the real start of the brocante season.)

Cheers,

Philip

In respect of the sleepering, my interest is in the Peco SF75 (too much in stock to change now to the newer B/H). They're into Peco 100. There is no club this weekend as they're on a jaunt somewhere, but I'll send an e-mail to one of the younger ones who was using some a couple of weeks ago. The principle will be same regardless of the precise measurements.

Cheers,

Philip

Our club make their own - though I have never seen them do it. Would you like me to ask? (I shall need some too).

Cheers,

Philip

Hello chums,

I'm back! Just to let you know that I'm still about and now the nicer weather has returned, the 'jobs that must be done' before I can start the layout are underway.

Footings for the sundeck were dug and back-filled with concrete over the last couple of days and galvanised steel feet bolted into place. Timber for the decking and its supports is due to be delivered in the next few days, so that will keep me busy for a while.  (The proposed layout hadn't been forgotten as I was able to slip a big sheet of 10mm plywood into the order - can't think how that happened!)

One of the barn walls has been partially stripped of its old render ready for jointing - but that got held up a little as I needed some sheet lead to do some flashing - that should arrive too in the same delivery.

So, having definitely lost my mojo since Christmas, I am pleased to report that things are on the up!!! Really looking forward to getting these jobs out of the way  and 'Dymented' underway!!

Cheers,

Philip

We-e-ell, I think if you have a look at the A470 northwards from Coryton, it's fenced pretty well all the way to Merthyr - but - equally there are a great number of roads that are not. (Most new-build roads are fenced, mainly to stop livestock.)

Cheers,

Philip

Still have my Peco wagons - though the card sides are starting to wear a little due to being in store for so long. They were, at the time, very good, free-running, cheap and as Johnster says, easy to assemble.

Cheers,

Philip

The fence along the motorway - the motorways with which I was involved - is usually along the limit of the land within which lies the motorway i.e. at the top of cuttings and at the bottom of embankments - plus a berm that may include a ditch. The fence may have been in timber, with wire mesh along its lower edge to prevent wild life from too readily accessing the 'special road' (it is NOT a highway open to all) or a steel fence. Rarely does the fence follow the edge of the carriageway and may therefore be not readily observed from a motorists viewpoint - not too different to a railway fence following embankments and cuttings.

Cheers,

Philip

If you search for 'Traffic Sign Regulations and General Directions'  (TSRGD) that you should find as part of .gov.uk, you can download the relevant road sign (in fact ALL the road signs are within it together with the regulations regarding what signs can and cannot appear together, AND their dimensions (plus the relevant white lining)) and adjust their size on a printer to suit your needs - if that helps. The TSRGD has been re-issued over the years - the latest being for the year 2012 - I think.

Cheers,

Philip

Curses!!! Bomag beat me to it!!

Klear-ly no problem there then (sorry - couldn't resist).

PS: A photo to compare the 'Challenger' to a 'large' DB loco - imagine just how much bigger is the 'Big Boy'!

Cheers,

Philip

I've got the Rivarossi 4-6-6-4 'Challenger' that I bought in Bud Morgan's of Cardiff in the early 70s for the princely sum of £77 then! I had never run it as I didn't have anywhere until I took it to my local club last year. Out of the box and for the first time after 45 years, since bought, and not run - it worked. Very smooth - not fast - but very powerful. I was surprised!!

If the 'Big Boy' is anything like the 'Challenger', I don't think you will be disappointed - cash well spent.

Cheers,

Philip

Well done Lord & Butler! Order placed Tuesday morning, in post that very lunchtime and arrived here in the 'continental' sticks this lunchtime. I know a little boy (not me!) who will now have a very happy birthday. L&B also tested the loco before posting - additional well done.

(Thanks should also go to RM and La Poste.)

Cheers,

Philip

But that one was instant! Go figure!

Well there you go - the previous reply took 22 seconds to appear at the bottom of this thread.

Cheers,

Philip

Here's another oddity (may have already been observed - if so, apologies for the duplication): If I enter a thread where I last read (say page 153) and read to the present end of the thread (say now page 155), in using the browser page 'back' (the <-- arrow - top left on Firefox) it may go back to page 154 OR go to page 1, hit <-- again (and if on page 1) will then go to page 154. Weird or what?

In the case of if it returns directly from page 155 to page 154, it will tell me at the bottom of the page that there are 6 (say) new replies i.e. all those that I had just read on page 154. Bizarre.

I too, am experiencing a loooong wait to 'Submit' replies and 'Save' after editing.

In one instance yesterday, I made a reply to a point raised arriving at the end of the thread, submitted it, the page refreshed only to find that there were at least a dozen new posts that appeared, making my reply, er, pointless.

Cheers,

Philip

@47137

My reply was to say that it was a non-ferrous material belt but the page refreshed well after The Fat Controller had already replied - don't know what happened there - so deleted.

Cheers,

Philip