Nova Scotian

No rush as I'm going to make the second baseboard this coming weekend - wish puts me on a late April timeframe to be finished with those before I can start making the gradients and laying track. I'll be using code 100 - I have some older US and UK outline with pizza cutter wheels. It's for kids and not proto-typical so no concerns for me using code 100. With the track plan airehead shared I think the inside curves are R2 not R1? I was planning on trimming some of the points/switches etc if I do use set-track to pull the spacing in a bit.

Oh yes, I would keep the double track! I'd just consider pushing it back, so only three parallel tracks at the back (eg, the outer roundy track is pushed to the back edge), and use that space at the front for more.

I got a couple of tubes snipped... and they cauterise one end. I'm lying there, in a very silly (and vulnerable) position while two medical professionals seemingly poke around looking very serious. Suddenly an aroma hits me - and I'm back in GCSE Design and Technology soldering LEDs to a circuit board. It was such an odd association and feeling - because obviously it was cauterising body parts... but it smelled just like the soldering iron! The other smell for me is enamel paints.

Thanks for posting this - doesn't make sense to put people in a metal tube for 24 hours to travel between provinces. (The Ocean). Nova Scotia has no confirmed cases yet, New Brunswick only has one.

For me the smell is a Lima pancake gently overheating as a small Nova Scotian makes them haul too long trains, too fast, with immediate direction changes - in a warm, dusty loft.

I only get to work at it every two weeks and have been overtaken by events the last month or so. I have one of the four baseboards built, and what I need for the second. I really liked this: I'm thinking about whether to do flexi track or set track - and the concerns of set-track on some of the curves with longer US outline stock. I may also consider shifting that plan back a little - removing the outermost track (but still running a couple of non-prototypical sidings off at the corners. That gives me a little more depth at the front to put a feature in on one side eg port/quay. The airfield in the middle they'll love. Engine shed is good. Need to identify somewhere they can "load" the livestock into the trucks. This coming weekend I'll look at finalizing design and building the second baseboard. I'll be ready to lay track in May, which is fine because I have lots of airfix for them to build at the moment.

This is a great idea. However, we need to meet the needs of differing heritage railways and enthusiast tours. So let's suggest some designs, of, let's call them "Standard Classes". We can have a mix of driving wheel diameters, boilers, tractive effort, power ratings, and even a mix of tender versus tank. However, for economies of scale they should probably use a common cab layout and shared components. We could name them based on their tractive effort. This, new, class of standard locomotives. The name Sir, is Riddles. Mr Riddles.

Interesting thought exercise then for the new build enthusiast crowd - does it need to: 1. Look like a steam loco 2. Look like a specific steam loco 3. Sound like a steam loco 4. Smell like a steam loco Current new build suggests all four is important. Rebuilding turbomotive would hit #1, #2, and #4 (how many of us heard turbomotive? Not me...) Switching off coal would remove #4 and alter #1, #2 possibly. New design, reciprocating would hit #3 and #4. I don't think we'll see any new designs - we'll see continuations of families of locos where they're filling in gaps, or in time replacing as preserved are withdrawn.

I thought everyone's work was like this? "We've got money to do this thing, but it needs to be spent by Friday. I need to approve it by 4pm Friday, so I need it 4pm on Thursday. Your manager should see it 4pm Wednesday, and see your first draft 4pm on Tuesday. It is now 2pm on Tuesday. Let me reiterate how critical this project is..." I had assumed "coal" was part of it - for me part of the preserved railway experience is the smell. Moving to any fuel that's not coal would remove a significant part of the experience. There's still the look, the power, plus the smell of the oil on the moving parts, I guess. Can the preserved/heritage and steam railtours "industry" sustain the number of new builds under development? I guess with some regulars like Union of SA dropping out of use there's room for them?

As you can probably tell, I'm not an engineer I was also a little flippant... Breaking down some of the limitations of later steam, and what could be done to alleviate, mitigate or avoid. - Hammerblow. I'm sure modern design, engineering and metallurgy (and maybe even a hydraulic or electric control solution) could create a functioning valvegear similar to Bulleid's pacifics. Combine this with new metallurgy for lightweighting of parts, and you can probably significantly reduce hammerblow. The valve gear, if electronically controlled, wouldn't need a hard link to the cab, could have infinitely variable steps + cut-offs etc. - Disc brakes. Total redesign could see inboard disc brakes to meet braking performance requirements for high-speed running - Computational fluid dynamics etc on steam passages, exhausts, etc; optimize thermal efficiency and minimize power losses - Four cylinder, two in, two out, for power and loading gauge - again modern metallurgy and design may allow you to minimize various issues from inclined cylinders, "big ends" etc - Simulation/modelling of the dynamic envelope, as they have done on the P2 build, could allow you look at suspension design etc - I have no idea re. pony truck issue - assuming it's about weight transfer into a bend that creates a force through an equalising beam on the drivers? With some imagination, and without going the full bogie route, surely there's a way to either increase the transferred force from a pony truck, or allow the drivers slightly greater movement? (eg. EMD HTCR / Adam's Radial, within a fine tolerance, on the drivers) Anyway, this is tangential to the OP - sorry. The P2 is my favourite currently underway. It just *looks* right, conveys power, and I will pay good money to be hauled by it once it's in service. And when I say good money, that includes a transatlantic flight... Special release of the P2, or re-release, in OO would generate a sale from me. I'm also going to suggest something... everyone would find awful...because when I grew up I LOVED the Wrenns that were beyond financial reach. I'd love to see a P2 in express blue. If I win the lottery (because not an engineer, as already made clear), a 7 1/2" gauge live steam of the P2 is in my future.

I'd like to see a 2-8-2 new build utilizing best practice across the board. Something "new" new. Designed to run at 125mph, but never any more, haul 18 enthusiast coaches up the shap etc. Designing from scratch you could get pretty imaginative on incorporating the new tech required for the railway, along with really pushing power/weight/efficiency.

Resurrecting an old thread - but very frustrated by the PECO website. Selection of a new view format, sorting rule, or number of items per page resets all the filters. Various other filters get reset constantly, seemingly randomly. No way of sorting to see all OO landscapes, buildings, rolling stock, etc. I get why they do it by brand, but it'd be helpful to also sort by category. While there are thousands upon thousands of items, maybe they could start with one range at a time, and those more expensive items? (those more likely to be searched online?). It should be good; it looks like they put a lot of work into this; and then haven't worked up on functionality since launch. E-commerce is hard, really hard. Time consuming and expensive. I get it, but even some minor updates could make this a little easier to get around.

Has anyone tried modifying code 83 for UK outline? Is it best of both worlds (especially for modern outline), or is it terribly American?

I think there's also different types of modellers - and they are sometimes not compatible with the others. I like a diversity of rolling stock - locomotives, liveries, coaches, wagons - a typical UK mainline with an attached branchline is what gets me buzzing. So like many others, BR steam/diesel transition scratches much of the itching there! A BNSF SD70 hauling 100 identical wagons one a single track, then another one, and another... doesn't do it for me. But for others it's the scenery. Or the operational interest. Or modelling somewhere they know. Etc etc. For US outline I'd be interested in 40s, 50s, 60s, probably somewhere around New England where you could throw in a couple of competing lines - some commuter etc. That doesn't fit most peoples' space constraints and budgets though!

"Help" e-mail address doesn't line up with the company's domain name. Lacking many of the required statements for a UK site; cookies, privacy, etc etc. The about us, and various other bits are generic, and english as a second language (but much better than most - it's less obvious). I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

Been here a decade and I find train spotting here mostly dull - but I am at the end of the line. Everything's a hood unit. The class 1 railroad are all Canadian comfort cab. Mostly EMD 70/75s, and GE44s - I can't tell the various types apart. Short-lines are GP38s - and not enough of them. Now, 40s-60s seemed fascinating. Fairbanks Morse, Baldwin, ALCO, MLW and others. Hood and Cab units. FM Erie built were genuinely good looking. I find it such a shame how many lines have been lost - ones that were distinctive, progressive, had fascinating industrial design etc.

Went across one today - "Class 1 railroad" - the steel is 136lb rail and was rolled in 1972.

Hymeks - bet they'd have been dragging welsh coal around until it stopped being mined if BR hadn't prematurely cut their service. Then, someone in the 00s would have re-engined like the 73s, space for ETH and everything else - and they'd be glorious on the west highland way.

It's not dead, it's just resting!

I did this more often when I was an hour from the border - although I can never quite get over calling it "Calis" when it's spelled Calais... Even within Canada the postage is $17 on most items - I'm modelling on a budget (divorced, two kids, live in two provinces) so $10 for a coach is great, $27 not so. Until recently the merest of lip service seems to have been given to Canadian modellers too - Lima were probably the worst offender of just throwing Via Rail (or other) liveries on their US products to satisfy Canadian buyers (even when those locomotives never made it up here!). Older Bachman here were awful quality, I wasn't expecting such weedy motors after my UK experience being so positive. With Rapido in particular the high-end is being well taken care of. The second place I live has a club - they do an open day most weekends so people can watch their running sessions. I take my kids occasionally - https://www.facebook.com/sjsmrr/

I've picked up some North American outline in the last decade, but very little. Most is based in the US - so ebay shipping costs are $30+. Local Canadians on kijiji have no idea what their tat is worth. So generally I pick up UK outline, mostly for the kids, dirt cheap when I'm over every year. An example - I'd love to pick up a 70's Rivarossi E8 (yes, I know they're not seen as the best). I have a powered and a dummy, I want to run two powered (switch the wires so they run properly), so need either a powered in the same livery, or dummy and I swap the body shells. I've fettled mine, lots of weight, well lubed etc and with two like that I'd be more than able to run what I want. I find the version I have is very smooth and nothing like the reputation they got here. I got the original powered one for $20, the dummy for $15 - and $16 packaging as within Canada. Now I can't find anything less than $70 including shipping. For a model that no-one wants. Now, win the lottery and I'm going to personally keep Rapido in business...

Starting bed seems reasonable; if someone wanted to do their own custom repaint this would be a good starting point. WOAAAAAAHH. I did not see the foil glued to the bottom when I formed my initial opinion. What the actual duckery?

How disappointing. Then again, at least if they're not running they're not being held up by livestock on the Acle Straight...

How are they settling in now? My parents are going up in a couple of weeks to Norwich (and will probably do their usual Bittern and Wherry line excursions). Is the reliability improved at all? The thread has quietened down, so maybe? So there were problems with the pan (software?), traction and track circuits, and other software (door opening?). Someone else mentioned the diesel units running out of fuel? What's been causing the most recent failures?

With pending air legislation you've got about a year left of being able to use coal for residential use.