RCP

This is brilliant work. I'll give some of these methods a go. Printing onto paper was something that I was going to do for the seat covers but looking your work I think it might be worth doing elsewhere.

Do you have a good recommendation for paint suitable for priming coaches and the like? I have a second hand airbrush which I've been walking round with trepidation.

I might have jumped the gun a little and started painting prior to doing any research and due diligence. I blame it on the over enthusiasm.. One of the side projects I have on the go is redoing an old AirFix A30 auto coach. Whilst waiting for the dart castings kit to arrive along with some other bits ad bobs I thought I should just crack on with painting the inside of the coach as well as the ceiling. I've made the decision to stick with acrylics due to the small children running around so have acquired rail match paints for the purpose. I started by liberally painting the ceiling of the coach with black paint until it didn't let light through and then covered it with some white paint. I didn't put any primer on.. I set about colour matching the various shades and sections in the coach mixing acrylics to get the shade I wanted. I didn't put any primer on.. The paint on the ceiling is rough rather than a smooth finish and the same goes for the coach interior. I presume this is down to me not putting primer on. Then having not learnt anything I proceeded to paint the new metal wheels with pickups with matt black acrylic by railmatch. Again doesn't look great. I didn't apply any primer. What's the best course of action here? scrub clean with a toothbrush and apply apply some primer? Would railmatch Universal Primer applied with a brush be ok or should I be airbrushing it on first? Should I be using a different primer? Will the paint flake if I leave it on? Can I just sand the ceiling smooth?

I actually went to the local library and tried to get it on inter library loan. They said they couldn’t find it in the system and that was with the ISBN number. From memory you can get pages scanned for a small fee by the British library, but again not much use if you don’t know what page number your looking for…

£50 is steep. What's the chances they reprint?

Does anyone know where I can find the dimensions/positions of the lighting for a GWR Autocoach A30. I'm looking to update my Airfix one but other than images of the coach I can't find any diagrams indicating where they were exactly. Reading threads the suggestion is one for each compartment but that leaves me unsure about the parallel to coach body seating area. I noticed that the Dapol A28 had driver lighting but that seems a little suspect, did they have a light in their cab whilst driving? I'd like it to be as prototypical and accurate as is humanly possible.

I was thinking of adding some lights to my Lima GWR parcel express railcar. The polarity of the motor changes when it goes into reverse regardless if I hook it up to DCC later, so I thought that would be the obvious place to hook up some lights. I was planning on two sets of led circuits protected by diodes when the polarity changes. I am aware that motors can be quite noisy. Is there a better way or should I be adding some form of protection against spikes? Plan so far looks something like the diagram attached:

Thank you, I was hoping to use it as a reference for the modifications that I need to do. Got 2 sets of Bachmann Collett bogies on the way and I'll have to hunt for the rest of the items. Looks like its Lots 1441 up.

Has anyone got the Siphon Underframe.pdf as I'm looking at detailing 2x Lima Siphon G units. The link in the thread appears to be broken.

I’m interested

I've had a google and can't seem to find any good answers. I have half a reel of CAT7a structured cabling which support 30W devices at about 50v, FS says 600mA max draw for 802.3bt standards. Cable itself has AWG 22/1 printed. I am planning on installing MTB MP1/MP5 turnout motors which should draw 150mA. Is this a silly idea and are there any good reasons not to use the 8 core cabling? Seems like a perfect way to cable back to some levers on the control deck, whilst being pluggable for disassembly. Just for clarity this isn't garden variety network cable.

I've pencilled in the Sunday, Is there a better time to arrive?

So I think I have my final layout plan. I've extended the board to 2400x1200 and propose to use 3x 1200x800 boards as on printing out the layout a meter+ really is quite unwieldy... (thanks @Nearholmer) This means it lives always in the attic but will stack nicely on top of each other. The major changes are as follows: Flipped the station round again. So it follows the original Bredon. Longer platform two which means the 14xx + auto coach fits nicely in. A goods line / storage line on the outer left edge. I envision the goods/mineral train coming into the lower line and then being banked into that hidden line. 2 hidden sidings at the top which will receive the postal rail car and the auto coach train as they go down the branchline. The random double slip is because I only have a left hand Hornby express turnout as the alternative. It also means I could add fiddle yard latter (borrowed from one of the original creators of Bredon here: https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/threads/bredon.3009/#post-78358) All in all pretty happy with this setup. It has the back stage area to store whole trains+rakes that I have, and enough of all the bits to make it interesting. I need to decide on laser cut baseboard vs make it myself. The cost saving is quite a few MP5 motors but the dcc train automation ones look cracking. Moving onto the electrical plumbing now and have just discovered StaRFIsh Rail as an alternative to current block detection. Another rabbit hole to disappear into 😁. Thanks for all the suggestions!

I'd be there already if I had the space, unfortunately at most the baseboard to start with will be 2000/2400x1200mm as that's what I have space for and it can be packed away . Problem with EM/P4 is the Radii. If I had the space and it was just for me and not the kids I'd be there already. I've pencilled in the Scaleforum for the Sunday the 24th. To be honest there is quite a bit a kit that I would like to acquire first including point motors etc which will be transferable so it isn't really lost time and effort making a 00 layout, that and I basically have the locomotives track and turnouts to get something going...

Funny enough 6-7 years is the time scale for us looking to move to our next house. I’m looking at it as practice time 😂

Thanks for the tips! I have access to a stack of old and used electronic parts so there would be no outlay on rotary switches, resistors, capacitors etc. As such it’s a question of time, what can I learn and what can I practice. I can put some set track together at any point and run trains if that’s my desire. Far more fun to see what I can achieve with what I have. My initial thoughts were to have several options on a rotary switch (All off one input/split1/split2), they are the modular variety where you stack disks. Still trying to establish what exactly I’ll be getting (3 pole 5 way) (1 pole 12 way) but will see what is possible when I get my mitts on them. The droppers are for better running and because I’d like at a minimum to be able to detect trains on a particular section for automation of the signals in the future (open to ideas how to do this with DC if at all possible). By wiring at the start I have options even if I don’t go down the DCC route later. As you have identified DCC is expensive hence the bias to the Hornby Bluetooth efforts. I don’t have lots of trains and I don’t have lots of space to store trains so my reasoning is fewer but better. They are in the main Mainline and AirFix (one Lima Gwr parcel railcar but I can improve that with new glass etc) and they are variable in running performance. I see that as an opportunity to play and upgrade them with either new chassis or refurbishment. The turnouts are going to be a collection of uni frog and insufrog as that’s what I have to start with. I’m looking to slowly build points, replacing the insufrog first (conveniently also the simplest ones). I’ll also slowly buy point motors (mp5) and convert the unifrog into electrofrog. This is to spread the costs out. I’m interested in any ideas or example wiring diagrams for point control. The board (or two halves) is what I have permission to build and allocated space for (which is at a premium. I like it primarily as there is plenty of space for a bit of everything. The feedback has had me thinking about how and where I could build a stackable/portable layout with the operator in the centre, but there is no opportunity for shelves round a room so it would go from one set of legs to many with the weight that would come with that. That and needing to level a multi board layout every time it came out led me to think the 6x4 idea isn’t that bad. Either way it’s work in progress and it’ll be a little bit here and there whilst the weather is still good, and the priority is likely to be outside events, aka the park with the little one. But come late autumn/winter it would be good to have a basic layout ready (baseboard and tracks).

I would be interested in this. I was pondering if I could set this up with a rotary type switch allowing various sections to be switched between the different controllers, although hadn’t got as far as sketching out a schematic.

I think I’ve addressed the concerns around the turnouts and curves. I’ll use set track curves were I have nickel silver curves and infill as suggested with flex track. Turnouts are now all from streamline range. The running trains is just a part of it for me. I see that middle space as modelling area and it keeps the “mess” in a nice compact square. When running I’ll push it to the wall and the kid can see Thomas come in and out of the station then disappear into a tunnel. It’s the simple things.

OK So taking into account the feedback and realising that if I mirrored the layout I could use more of the turnouts that I have... Version Fredon rev0.01 I've added the .any file, modify the extension to use. Turnout list stands as follows: SL-87, 00/H0 Peco Streamline Code 100, Left curved turnout 12º x3 SL-89, 00/H0 Peco Streamline Code 100, Left turnout 259mm. x1 SL-97, 00/H0 Peco Streamline Code 100, Wye turnout 148mm. x2 SL-U76, 00/H0 Peco Setrack Code 100, Right curved turnout 22.5-33.75º (manual) x3 SL-U77, 00/H0 Peco Setrack Code 100, Left curved turnout 22.5-33.75º (manual) x2 This removes the Y turnout from the station Makes all curves min R2+ All Brach/Main line points are express apart from the curved PECO streamline ones. It does result in the track going to the very edge of the board.. But that's how it is. Maybe I can add a cm or 2 to the width. I like the curved turnouts as they would make for a cracking project in templot once I get going. Fredon_rev0.01.any.xls

The point at the top right is to run to a cassette system, I’ll have a play with removing that lower RH side point. I guess I could also use another curved point. Down that end as an alternative. I’ll play with this idea later. 👍

Is 100mm the minimum size to fit things like the cobalt. I was eyeing up the MP5 motors and was hoping the rest of the movements (gates, signals, shed doors) would be covered by mini servos (I have a stack of them). I’m really looking to minimise the baseboard thickness to the bare minimum. With that said the motors seem to be constantly out of stock everywhere.

Thanks for the response. The inside right hand track is a touch under R2 but not by much. It was as large a curve as I could manage but perhaps I can rectify that. I’m not sure what you mean by fowl the next line? I’m looking at moving away from code 100 track altogether so this will be the first and last (hopefully) track using it. The justification for the Y turnouts was better running characteristics to the short set track type turnouts it suggests. I could swap the lower left Y for another curved turnout as that’ll be electofrog and would flow better. Always what do you mean by removing reverse curves?

I did look at the laser cut boards but they are pricey for something that is ultimately a test bed rather than a serious endeavour at modelling rail. The cost of one of the two boards would equal the whole of a diy board and I have timber left over from the house renovation so.. I’m starting DC as that is what I have in the box to start with. The plan is to fit Hornby Bluetooth receivers as funds allow and then when I have a better idea as to what I want from a controller to move to DCC. I’m not buying any insulfrog points they are what I have already and I’m trying to keep costs down from that perspective. track spacing does look funny but it allows the use of all streamline points rather than set track points and I’m hoping that will allow better running.

I had originally planned on using the set track turnouts as the space is limiting. I took the Y turnout idea from the Brendon revisited thread. They’re streamline so the reasoning is that the train running will be better than using the set track. Whilst I agree that it looks funny, it gives me hopefully a smooth running layout. I won’t be using ST245 rather the new PECO streamline version (not in AnyRail currently) , hopefully with better running characteristics. All the engines are 0-6-0 or prairie type affairs so hopefully no major problems. eves the wrong word but attic space close to the edge. The rest is taken up with priority junk 🙄

Thanks Martin. I largely based my 00-SF idea off your posts and the 00-SF guide on your website. Its good to have confirmation. I imagine I'll be postig questions soon enough on the templot forum..