AntF92

Digging up an old thread here but I now have the same problem. Anyone know anywhere that has these in stock? 

Thanks for the responses chaps, wagon type particularly is useful and all very helpful info. I'm beginning to realise just how much diversity there was even just 20 years ago.  I'll have a look at eBay for old copies of Freightmaster.

Hi all, hope someone can help with my query.

I've had many aborted attempts to build a layout but what I am eventually aiming for is a representation of the railways as they were in my native South Yorkshire (Doncaster, to be precise) in the late 90's/early 00's. This was when I was actively trainspotting and though I remember lots of 56s, 58s, 60s (and 66s) etc pulling long rakes of freight wagons my interest in the wagons and their loads was nought compared to the locos hauling them at the time. I'm setting out to eventually model the area in 00 and have amassed a fleet of about 40 locos so far, but I need to know exactly what freight formations/wagons I should be looking at purchasing. One of my favourite places to spot was Barnetby in North Lincolnshire, and local stations like Stainforth, Hatfield etc, so there was plenty of goods going to/from Immingham and Grimsby. Beyond the obvious MGR formations could anyone else help me out with info about the consists and the wagons used? There is a treasure trove of photos on the web but they don't help me work out exactly what I'm looking at very clearly. Specifically I'm looking at a period of roughly 1998-2003. 

Appreciate any help with this.

Thanks for all your comments chaps, much appreciated and much to think about. After browsing back through some old mags, I came across the Hornby Magazine 'O' gauge Seven Mills depot, which seems to feature a good degree of operational interest in a small space - even smaller in OO - and space to store a couple of locos 'on scene', which is something I'd like to be able to do.

With some work, I'm sure this could fit into a 6x4 space in OO?

Evening all

Not really posted here before but thought this might be a good place to start - apologies in advance if this is deemed to be in the wrong area of the forum. I'm looking for ideas to bounce off other modellers as to size/setting of layouts.

A bit of background - I have been collecting model locos since I was probably about 10 or 12 years old, and mostly from the era depicting what I used to see when I started trainspotting around the turn of the century. As such I collected a reasonable number of Hornby/Lima/Bachmann EWS locos, most of which I sold a couple of years ago having never got round to making a layout for them. Since then I have amassed a collection of more modern offerings from the manufacturers, and currently have about 30 locos on the roster in EWS, Loadhaul, Dutch, Transrail and Mainline liveries. Some have been renumbered and the current fleet is as follows:

08665 EWS

20088 BR Grey

37055 Mainline

37057 EW&S

37174 EWS

37294 Civil Engineers

37371 Mainline

37405 EWS

37409 Transrail

37415 EW&S

37521 EWS

37668 EW&S

37670 EWS

37674 Transrail

37682 EW&S

37695 EWS

37703 EWS

37709 Mainline Grey

37710 Loadhaul

47760 EWS

47787 EWS

47793 EWS

56056 Transrail

56087 EWS

56094 EWS

56103 EWS

56119 EWS

58012 Mainline Grey

58016 EW&S

58030 EWS

60002 EW&S

60059 Loadhaul

Forgive the listing of every single locomotive but I do so to illustrate my problem; many locos, but no layout to run them on! For 15 odd years it's been my dream to have a layout but size has always been an issue. I had a house sale in place prior to the lockdown but that has since fallen through, though I hope to find a property with suitable space for a decent 'railway room' in the coming months. 

My biggest issue however is a complete lack of skill when it comes to planning out a layout. I'm ultimately aiming for a TMD type layout but on a size hopefully similiar to layouts like Crimson Road https://www.staffordrailwaycircle.org.uk/layouts/members-layouts/crimson-road/ . However in the meantime I have a 6ftx4ft board to play with, but can't even decide on a workable track plan for this. I think having a go on a smaller scale before aiming for the big time is a wise idea (I need to work out how DCC works as having sound-equipped locos is a must for me but I find the wiring etc absolutely mind-boggling), but after many, many hours poring over ideas and screwing them up in frustration, I wonder if any members here would be kind enough to share any ideas they may have? Struggling with a trackplan for such a small place doesn't bode well for any future, larger project! 

1 hour ago, Crisis Rail said:

 

No extra wiring - the frog can be powered if wished otherwise just cut the wire - easy - scale detailed points with Setrack style operation.

Anything that simplifies the process for my inept technical mind will be useful!

This evening has proved pretty successful so far, as have also netted myself two Hornby Class 56's for £150. Not a bad figure I don't think these days. Helps grow the loco fleet!

20 hours ago, Crisis Rail said:

 

Have a look at the PECO Code 75 Bullhead. Excellent  Unifrog points which don’t need the extra wiring. Flexitrack has correct gauge sleeper spacing. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Crisis - that might be the way for me to go if it is simpler to wire.

18 hours ago, Banger Blue said:

 

May I ‘point’ you (pun intended ) towards this website, if you aren’t aware of it:

 

https://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/index.html

 

 

Very useful Banger thank you, will put my studying hat on and take a proper browse at some point this week.

8 hours ago, Crisis Rail said:

Interesting and following Ant. 

Looks like a big micro! 

 

Ian

Thanks chaps, and yes Ian, it is a big micro I guess! 

My next challenge is getting my head around DCC wiring. Despite best intentions and with all the will in the world I will never be practically minded in an electronic sense. I vividly remember electrocuting myself with a home-made battery in my school days, so we'll see how this project goes! I understand electrofrogs are the best way to go with DCC, but I'm a little daunted by the prospect of wiring a 3-way turnout as in the above plan. If anyone knows anything about this I'd be grateful for some pointers.

Hello all

This is my first post here, so I'm glad to 'meet' you all. I've been a model railway fan for years, but have not had a layout to use since childhood and one that my father built around 1999/2000. It was set in the 1970's on the Western Region and was a tail-chaser, so catered more for his tastes than mine. That being said, I can't stop the bug itching any longer and have decided to move ahead with my own modest layout, which will be my first attempt. I had originally amassed a collection of locos from EWS, Mainline, Loadhaul etc that comprised mostly Lima and Hornby products made in the 1990's, but I realised converting all these to DCC and DCC Sound would be impractical so sold them off (except for a couple of treasured models of sentimental value) and began from scratch with modern, RTR products capable of fitting with sound.

To the layout; I intend to use a baseboard approx 6x2 ft, wired for DCC, hosting a modest TMD based in South Yorkshire in the 1998-2004 period - what I remember from my younger years when I was most interested in the real railways. The premise is that after the closure of my local colliery (Markham Main), the area where the colliery sidings once stood was bought by EWS and a small TMD set up to compliment Doncaster Carr depot and provide additional capacity for the area after the closure of Tinsley. (In reality it was partly turned into a wooded and grassed area, part into modern housing). Whether this is feasible or not I will leave to the experts to decide, but it's what I intend to go with! The depot is named Barton Lane, after a local public bridleway that runs the length of the opposite side of the slag heap from the colliery.

The trackplan is something I have yet to finalise and would appreciate any feedback from more experienced modellers than I.