9C85

It appears to be five months since I have touched the layout. I have been in the garage quite a bit, but playing on my electronic drum kit. I have been getting my train fix from the PC simulator. I have also relaid my lawn and this time it has a 'gravel' (it's ballast but keep it quiet) border. I hope to get either an SM32 or G scale layout built in the garden next year, with a live steam loco if I am lucky. I had a steam loco driving experience gift at Sherwood Forest Railway in the summer. It was the second one I have had there and I loved it. As for Burchill Edge Sidings, I have just had an hour shunting session on it (after a drum practise) and I was quite pleased with how most things worked. It obviously needs a clean - especially the 08's wheels, but the bigger locos ran smoothly considering the lay off they've had. I don't know if I will get back into working on the layout again. It works as a therapeutic shunting session provider and I am happy with that at the moment. I might get round to weathering the remaining 'clean' stock at some point. Hope you're all well.

The Red Bank sidings track layout. Copyright Train Sim World.

I have now downloaded the Tees Valley Route complete with Triple Grey 37/5 , Railfreight coil carriers and coal hoppers. A bit later than my 'real' model layout era but it's an impressive piece of engineering including Lackenby steelworks, Tees yard and Thornaby depot (albeit mostly derelict). It's made me rethink my need for sound on my layout. Having grown up in South Wales in the 70s & 80s, I have never wanted a 37 on my layout as I wanted something different from my everyday experiences. However, the sounds on the PC sim are absolutely superb and benefit from being heard through decent quality speakers/headphones, as opposed to a phone speaker. The 37 and 08 are particularly good. It's not just the locos either- the wagons creak and clank as they speed up/slow down and the track joint sounds are accurate over turnouts etc. So I can get my sound fix on the virtual layout and have my real layout whenever I need a shunting puzzle to sort out.

Another reason for my lack of activity could be that a month or so ago I finally upgraded my Windows Vista pc for a 'gaming' spec Windows 10 affair, built by my clever nephew. The first thing I did was install Train Sim World on it and, lo and behold, it's got a Trans Pennine route, set in the rail blue era, including Manchester Victoria, Red Bank sidings, and Newton Heath depot. The locos on the route are a Peak , a 47 and a Class 101 DMU. I have also downloaded an add on including an 08 and a 40. There's a few Newspaper shunt workings in the timetable, but the rolling stock is limited to early Mk2 and BG coaches, all in blue/grey livery. If someone creates a GUV add on, then that would be nice. I have to say that, having been underwhelmed by Microsoft Train Simulator many years ago, Train Sim World is excellent. Whoever worked on the Trans Pennine route obviously knows their stuff.

Still here... just busy with other stuff.

Thanks for the info. That's basically what I try to replicate if I ever feel like a 'structured' running session. I decide if it's morning or evening and move stuff around accordingly. I eventually plan to install tower floodlights to enhance the evening vibe. I have got three storage sidings in the hidden section, each of which holds a loco and six GUVs. I have also got the fiddle yard headshunt (also hidden) which can hold the same plus another loco, so that could be used to turn a train immediately if need be. I effectively have four storage sidings in the yard with the two peripheral sidings being the exchange siding and the fuelling point headshunt respectively. There is room on the fuel point headshunt for probably 3 locos to be stabled there and still allow access to the fuel point. I envisaged having two or three 31s burbling away in between turns. I currently use it to park coaching stock in need of fitter's attention. The layout is taking a back seat at the moment, but I have just about finished the shed for my daughter at last.

Ah, I get what you mean. I usually look at what's in the sidings and what's in the storage yard and see what I feel like moving from one to t'other. I don't have a set working timetable as yet, but I do try to make it as prototypical as possible by having light engine movements corresponding to the stock moves involving the station pilot. Yesterday I felt like emptying the yard of the passenger stock and concentrating on having it littered with grimy NPCCS. I do intend to introduce more operating interest by using a 'random consist generator'* to put together my mail/'papers trains. *either a deck of cards or a bingo machine

I have a chalkboard in the garage with long term 'jobs' on it that I listed at some point last year. I have just nipped in to check and it says 'left end scenic break, point control, control panel '. I am yet to start any of these jobs

The Peak drags its train of parcels empties from the yard exchange road into the headshunt at Burchill Edge Sidings whilst a Class 25 arrives with some Newspapers empties destined for Red Bank. It must be morning again.

Another two weeks go by without anything happening on the layout. I managed to get an hour's session in this afternoon though. There's plenty still to do on the layout but I am still building a 12 inch to the foot scale shed for my daughter, which is consuming what little spare time I have.

It's more or less a month since I posted anything on this thread. All I can say is that I have been super-busy dealing with several DIY projects and family health issues and have had no time to even operate the layout, let alone write about it. However, this evening I popped into the garage to put something away and managed to grab a 5 minute shunting session. It was a simple drag of the Pullman stock from one siding and dropping it into another with the 08 as motive power. Considering that the layout and loco have stood idle for a month and neither the track nor wheels cleaned, I am pleased to say that everything worked perfectly, including the Kadee Delayed-action uncoupling. I hope that I will be able to get some more sessions in over the coming weeks. I have a few items of stock that need weathering and I hope to get back into that now that the weather is warmer.

Ah, I see. I have used Halfords grey plastic primer on at least one reworked GUV. But I don't think I did a flaky roof on that one - but IIRC it wasn't far off the 'new roof' look

I have done a couple of Lima GUVs by simply putting patches of blu-tak over the existing grey roof and then spraying with roof dirt. Lift the Blu-tak afterwards to reveal the grey patches. I initially made the mistake of painting the area to be revealed in a rust colour, but after having it pointed out that the roof is galvanised, I managed to remove most ot the rust with thinners & cotton bud.

I found I enjoy 'staging ' compositions and posting them on here more than I thought

I was late to the party regarding AC electrics but will never forget my first day at Crewe in 1979. I think an 86 'City of Stoke-on-Trent ' was my first cop but there were so many that day. I believe I saw at least one member from every class from 81 to 87 that day. There was even a rumour that the APT might have been out , but it didn't turn up. I have mentioned before about having at least the yard reception road 'on the juice'.

My favourite era and somewhere not too far away from me. Looking forward to watching this develop. Enjoy it. Stu

I think at least one of the cut down shunters went to work around Allied Steel and Wire (ASW) Cardiff?

Yes, I found the reference to the photo, but there's no photo of Porth on Pages 1 to 6. Hence my request.

Sorry for being late to the party but the RMWeb search engine points to this thread having a picture of Porth, Rhondda in it. I have looked through all the pages and can't find it. Could someone point me to it please? Ta Stu

I remember Porth 'box replacing the Rhondda Fach Junction South Signal Box. Apparently, the 'new' Porth 'box was the last mechanical signal box built in the UK.

I am at another impasse. I recently got an unexpected bonus at work and thought I should use at least some of it to treat myself to something trivial ie something for the layout. I have been toying with the idea of getting sound fitted to another loco - the prime candidate being the Class 25. I am even at a point where I think I will have a go at fitting it myself. The main stumbling block is cost - there were some sound-fitted 25s on Ebay last week which went for around or not much more than the cost of a chip, so do I keep searching for bargains or do I bite the bullet? Also, my 25 doesn't have any lighting, so I would probably still be looking to trade it in at some point. The other slight issue is that I have noticed that if I have my 47 running with sound on, after a while of it idling away in the sidings (which happens a lot) I have to turn it off as it gets annoying - and believe me, the sound of a 47 is one of my favourite sounds ever. I have also noticed that I enjoy the sound of the stock being shunted over the rail joints and this is more noticeable when there's no loco sound. So, for the cost of a sound chip, I could probably get a second hand Heljan 33 to complete my loco line up and if, by some miracle I get another unexpected bonus from somewhere, I could use that to upgrade to a fully sound fitted fleet. No doubt that by the time I have decided what to do, my little windfall will have been swallowed up by everyday outgoings.

My layout is 'probably ' set on the industrial edge of the Pennines, but I also have that backscene. Having grown up in South Wales, I am acutely aware that it is Port Talbot in the background- if I can get away with it, so can you

I never visited the North East until a few years ago but I have always been fascinated by heavy industry. I grew up in South Wales and I thought there were a lot of industrial railways down there but when I start to look at old maps and photos of the North East it really is something else. I stumbled across a set of photos of Blyth Staithes and Cambois sheds in their final days (by Ernie Brack IIRC ?) and I became almost obsessed with it. I think it was the combination of relatively new Class 56 locos, hauling 4 wheeled hopper wagons, to be gravity-shunted on massively over-engineered wooden piers that captivated me. The pictures of your layout have exactly the same effect on me - they make me wish that I was born 20 years earlier ...and 300 miles further North

You're probably right. I would assume that it was only a special load when it was actually laden.

I keep popping in from time to time. You can already tell how good this layout is going to look and how it captures the vibe of the WCML in an urban setting. The retaining wall and backscene look superb - shames me into thinking I should do more on my layout. Enjoy.