Robert Stokes

New Year resolutions are often of the negative kind, i.e. what you will give up or stop doing. Mine's simple; to stop using the surface of the layout as a workbench. Robert

That's a pretty good adaptation of 'Berrow' which I admired when I first saw it in a magazine. The only thing I don't like is the two platform roads in the main station being the same length. I think that the bottom one should be shorter, with the station building beside it, as in the original. I wonder whether you have drawn it like that because it is a part of what you have already built. Robert

Time for another update. I've now finished both main lines across the station boards. Here are pictures of the completed double tracks. You may notice that I have cleared some of the junk at the back of the layout but not all of it. The next picture is intended to show that I have slightly bent the points so that they follow the curve through the station but I'm not sure that it dies it very successfully. Here are two videos of down line trains. The next stage is to make the new platforms. I can't lay the sidings until they are in place. I'll post another update when I've made significant progress. Robert

I had to send my Power Cab back to America two or three years ago when I damaged it. I had accidentally built a short into a loco and the Power Cab shut down completely. There was good communication with them and it came back in about a three weeks. It cost me about £40 for the repair and postage both ways. It was returned with a note saying "track circuit blown". Robert

I like trains. I like classical music. That was good. It really made me smile. It can't compare with a symphony orchestra playing the Nutcracker ballet music but it was never intended to do so. Robert

I've only got the basic 2 amp system. Robert

If they are fairly modern 00 locos (which don't need as much power as much older ones) then an NCE Power Cab will handle three at a time quite easily. In fact I have used mine to run four trains at once to amuse the grandchildren. I think that you will find a lot of people happy with this controller. Robert

If it's taking advantage, then it's only taking advantage of the foolish. I once saw the bidding on a model railway item go over twice what you could get it for in several shops. Some people obviously have more money than sense. IMHO, it's only taking advantage when a child or vulnerable person is involved. Robert

I read somewhere that two bogie coaches are allowed behind a brake coach so I suppose that you only need one in the middle of a five coach train. However, I don't know whether this would have been done in practice. On the other hand, I think that I have seen pictures of three coach trains with the brake coach in the middle. Robert

Weren't signal cabins built quite tall so that the signalman could have a good view of train movements all around for some distance. Robert

Well done. They look very realistic to me although I'm no farmer. Robert

I would suggest a BSK at each end and SKs with one FK or CK in between. They don't need to be Mk 1s, especially as these are rather long at 63' 6". I think that 57' coaches from earlier periods would have still been around. (This may or may not be confirmed by others.) Five Mk 1s will be 130mm longer than five 57' coaches. Robert

If I cn do it correctly, here are links to youtube videos of two trains going round the up line. Please excuse the tools and other junk at the back of the layout. I was never the tidiest of workers. Robert

I bought it second hand off Ebay several years ago. When bought it was the version that had only two addresses in recall (or something like that). After repair it came back with the (then) latest version of the software that had six addresses in recall (but that may not be the most modern version). Robert

People may be interested to know what happened to my Power Cab a couple of years ago. I accidently built a short-circuit into a loco when I was fitting a sound decoder into it. (I had somehow got the wires from tender to engine mixed up.) I put it on the track and spent a couple of minutes unsuccessfully trying to get it to move. I then found that the screen of the Power Cab was blank and it refused to work. I sent it back to America for repair and it cost me nearly £40 for the repair and postage both ways. It was sent back with the comment "track circuit blown". It was not only repaired but the software upgraded. I recently accidentally built a short-circuit into my layout when I got wires mixed up (I really must get out of this habit) but this time, although the Power Cab got warm, it didn't blow. On the other hand, this time I realised very quickly that something was wrong and switched off at the mains socket. I wonder whether, when it was repaired, they fitted in some sort of short-circuit protection. Robert

You don't need IRJs at the toe end of points, only at the two parts of the V at the frog end. Robert

I don't like your 1:80 idea if you keep to 16.5mm track gauge. Why propose a scale/gauge combination that's not correct? I'm another one who likes the 1:100 idea. I look at N gauge models and think that they are just too small but I have looked at 3mm scale models (which are very close to 1:100) and really liked them.

Those are electrofrog points so you need isolating track joiners on all four places where you have red dots. Robert

You say that there is room for 14 trains but would they all be visible all of the time? What I would want is some hidden storage loops as in the first picture above. Robert

DCC Concepts make point rodding kits which are intended to be fixed on top of the layout and look like the real thing. I have just bought the starter kit but haven't even opened the packet yet. I intend fitting it but it will be driven by my point motors. However, I believe it can be made to work with miniature levers, but this could be difficult. If you could do it successfully it would look great. Robert P.S. I used the bicycle spoke method on a previous layout and that is quite an easy way to do it. You need to file the end thinner for it to go through the hole in the point.

I think that the diagram in the previous post shows a lifting flap across the doorway (and you would need some way to get inside your design). If it is very carefully made this will work, but there is an alternative which avoids the difficulties associated with it. This is to build the layout high enough (say about 5' to its lowest point) so that it is easy to duck under on your way in and out. The connection across the doorway could then be permanent (or at least semi-permanent with some way of opening a gap if necessary). Of course how high it needs to be depends on your height. I'm only 5' 7" so I find it easy to duck under 5'. I would certainly want to have the longest continuous run possible. Robert

Not in my opinion. It is very good for making curved backscenes for the corners of layouts. Sorry for going off topic. Robert

Thank you. I will do that now Robert.

I have searched the forum rules and procedures but can't find an answer to the following question. Is it possible to change the title of a thread that I started? I started one just called "Layout in a shed" because I hadn't decided on a name for the layout. I have now done so and would like to give the thread that title. Robert