Dunmar

4 hours ago, David Bell said:

Looking forward to seeing this develop. If you need any photos of what is there now drop me a line. I am only half an hour from Helmsdale.

Cheers

David

Hi David,

Thanks. 

My man on the ground. You may well come to regret saying that. I'm not sure at this stage whether I go down the road of photographic background or painted, as I  previously did on Kinlochewe and Glenfinnan but the area behind the station doesn't look as it poses too much of a problem. For the time being I shall put you on hold.

Bill.

13 hours ago, Ben Alder said:

 I'll drop you a line.

 

Hi Ben,

Thanks.

Thought you might be the first to get back to me. With regards to my proposed track plan , I want to  keep the pointwork to a minimum. So my first question would be what did it look like around 1974  and again in 1985. I'm more concerned what it looked like at the North end as I am happy enough with the South end. Again photos of the period in question are thin on the ground , or am I just not looking in the right places.

Bill.

Hi,

The destination for my next exhibition layout is the Far North Line. What has brought me here, well having exhibited Kinlochewe and Glenfinnan which were based on the West Highland extension I decided I would give the West a rest!  However, which station should I model. I had looked at 3 possibilities - Wick, Brora and Helmsdale.

First and foremost is size. Glenfinnan when at home has to be operated in my loft, it takes up a lot of room. I need a smaller more manageable layout. Now I'm not saying this is my last exhibition layout, but we ain't gettin' any younger.

Helmsdale appealed to me as it has a nice sweeping curve approach into the station, I just love the signal box. That footbridge will be a challenge. It just feels right for me!

My chosen era will be mid 70's to late 80's, now there's a surprise. I have been doing a lot of research on line and there is no shortage of material however, what I can't find details of is the track layout from this period especially the north end. There are a handfull of photos but they aren't clear enough. I would be satisfied with details of the pointwork on the approach from the south which is clear enough, and the setup on the north side which isn't. 

I also intend to install my working semiphores which I built and have been languishing in a box on my work bench. Any help forthcoming will be greatly appreciated.

Bill.

Hi,

If you think it is ZIMO, then with sound on , move loco off along track at medium speed and then hit zero on handset, if loco continues to move and doesn't come to a stop, press key 2 on the handset which is the ' brake ' and there should be a braking sound and the loco should come to a halt. Then its ZImo. I can then help with reducing speed and volume of sound!

Bill.

Hi,

I have just fitted a Peco 3 way Insulfrog point at the entance to my fiddle yard. I have used this type as it suits my purpose and fits in with my requirement. The layout is DCC and powered by a Gaugemaster Prodigy Advance 2 . My question is , I wish to use 2 Seep PM2 point motors from my previous storage yard but I notice that one of the operations could result in one of the motors moving two point blades - would this be okay ? If not, how should I install them to overcome this. I intend to install a CDU to protect the motors.  I also noticed on other posts on here others have removed the over centre spring, is that necessary ?

Regards, Bill.

Having purchased my copy of Modelrail magazine I settled down yesterday evening to read through the article on Connel Ferry. Sadly, and somewhat shocked to read right at the end that Peter had passed away just before the article went to print.

My only connection with Peter was through these posts and the one and only time I spoke to him when he came up to Bonnybridge Model Railway show in Scotland with Connel Bridge. What a lovely man to talk to. I'm sure he will be sorely missed by the modelling fraternity.

Bill. (Glenfinnan).

When I painted Glenfinnan station building I used a testor pot from B&Q. It is a fairly thick consistency and using a small flat brush, starting from just under the gutter dab the paint on and work along lengthways, work your way down the wall , overlapping each time till you reach the bottom. Allow to dry overnight. It took 3 coats to complete the effect I needed. You can find a pic here on the forum.

Bill.

On 21/04/2020 at 07:21, young37215 said:

 

Based upon the various pictures that I have, I also think the Woodland Scenics iron ore ballast I used is a good match for colour. It just looks new/fresh out of the tin whereas in reality having been exposed to all that Scottish sun (and rain) it would likely have faded. It is not easy to be certain because most pictures taken on film in the 1980's have also faded meaning that they are potentially overstating the amount of colour degardation. Hopefully I can find a way to dampen down the vibrancy of the colour.

 

I have no idea which quarry the ballast came from, I have read that the famous red/brown comes from somewhere in Lanarkshire but beyond that I am blissfully ignorant. Fortunately my obsession with the WHL has not yet reached the level of needing to understand this. I attach a link to a picture from Ernie Bracke's Flickr site which shows the gravel colour which, on balance, actually looks pretty close to Woodland Scenics. Perhaps I should concentrate on something else: can anyone suggest where I might get a working lamp to match that in the picture. The twin headed dustpan light, telegraph post style wooden post was typical for the WHL in the 1980's, I need them for Arrochar and Ardlui as well.

 

On 28/04/2020 at 17:33, young37215 said:

A wet day spent mostly modeling with the focus continuing on Garelochead. Having largely completed the area at the south end of the station, I was keen to get on with the rest of the station surrounds. In between I managed to run some trains, first train of the day is the down sleeper seen with 37192 arriving at Garelochead.

 

37033 follows the sleeper north with a Sighthill to Mallaig Junction Yard freight

It was a good growing day, before long some bushes had grown on the embankment.

37081 arrives with the first Glasgow to Oban train of the day

The boundary fence to Station Road begins to take shape

Rapid vegetation growth at the northern end of the station

 

 

On 28/04/2020 at 17:33, young37215 said:

A wet day spent mostly modeling with the focus continuing on Garelochead. Having largely completed the area at the south end of the station, I was keen to get on with the rest of the station surrounds. In between I managed to run some trains, first train of the day is the down sleeper seen with 37192 arriving at Garelochead.

 

37033 follows the sleeper north with a Sighthill to Mallaig Junction Yard freight

It was a good growing day, before long some bushes had grown on the embankment.

37081 arrives with the first Glasgow to Oban train of the day

The boundary fence to Station Road begins to take shape

Rapid vegetation growth at the northern end of the station

 

 

Hi,

With regards to lightening the ballast colour, on my Glenfinnan layout I used Woodland Scenics but chose slightly different colours. Might I suggest you try a similar paint colour to the ballast such as Railmatch Track colour or one of the Rust colours with a little White added to it and try 'dry brushing ' the ballast using a flat brush and drag the brush across the ballast. A bit of trial and error, might get better results!

Bill.

25 minutes ago, mallaig1983 said:

Bill do you have a link to your Glenfinnan layout? I plan on building that on the other side of the attic. Should add playability when folks come to play trains.

Hi Andy,

If you search for Glenfinnan under topics it should appear. I also have a Facebook page, again search for Glenfinnan exhibition layout.

Bill.

On 14/04/2020 at 10:56, mallaig1983 said:

Ah yes, I know your layout. I remember talking to you at Warley a few years ago. Great layout. You've set the bar dauntingly high.

Andy

Ah! Yes Warley, what a mad weekend that was!

Will watch how you get on with the Peco bullhead as I intend to use it for my next layout. I used C+L finescale for Glenfinnan and that was fiddly enough. Have posted a couple of pics of the oil terminal I came up with, purely fictional, but functional. Will you be building the signal box?

Bill.

Hi Andy,

Not been on here in a while, but just been reading through your post and it brought back memories of when I was building Kinlochewe- seen elsewhere on this site. I based the track plan and surrounding area on Mallaig in the 1970's / 1980's. It may be of some use to you. Will follow your posts with interest!

Bill.

Hi,

In all honesty, I have only recently stumbled on this amazing layout! I too have modelled a real location - Glenfinnan station on the West Highland extension, but to be able to model so much in the space that you have is unbelievable. Can I enquire how you are operating your semiphores, and what mechanism are you using?

Bill.

Hi,

At the risk of hi-jacking this thread , can someone point me in the direction of a replacement speaker to fit inside a Bachmann CL20 which is fitted with a Loksound 3.5 decoder. I want to get a better base sound. It presently has what looks like a 20 x 40  100 ohm fitted that has too much treble. I know there is a base reflex available but it looks too large. Is there an alternative ?

Bill.

Hi,

I have only just come across your post about your proposed plans for a model of Glenfinnan. I have for the last 5 yrs been exhibiting on the UK show circuit my own version of Glenfinnan based on 1970/1980's practice which is featured on this site. If I can be of any assistance to you I would be only to glad to help.

Regards, Bill.

Hi,

I have recently fitted a Digitrains Zimo V16.03 sound decoder to a Bachmann 37 for a colleague using a Zimo LS 40 x 20 x 09 speaker and the result is nothing short of spectactular. Some months earlier I had a similar version in a Vi-trains 37 , the only difference being it had a bass reflex speaker fitted to it, nonthe less it produced an excellent and clear sound. I then opted to have the decoder re - blown by Digitrains for the V17.07 version with 'Speedlock ' and whilst I was satisfied overall with the running properties I felt that the overall sound quality was not as good as the previous sound file in that there seemed to be a lot of background 'clatter ' whilst sitting stationary, much to my annoyance! I tried changing the speaker in case it was faulty but to no avail, the problem still persisted. I decided to shelf the problem meantime. It wasn't until I got down to do this recent sound fitting that I got it out again.

I'm now looking at the possibility that something might have gone wrong during the re-blow or maybe the amp is damaged , but how can I find out. Can it be checked out on a programmer???

Regards, Bill.

As part of the Scottish contingent I shall be there with my colleagues exhibiting 'Glenfinnan'. Please drop by and say hello!

Bill.

Hi,

A welcome return to this popular show, and as ever some stunning layouts including my own ' Glenfinnan ' This is a Joint effort by Bonnybridge Club and Scottish Diesel + Electric Group which promises to bring the best there is in Railway Modelling including the clubs own ' Allanbridge ' layout.

Get yourself along to the show which promises to be a great weekend. Photo's by Nigel Birkin.

Bill.

Some months ago I fitted a TTS to my Hornby "full fat" (not Railroad) 31 110. Fan removed.

 

It took a lot of experimenting to get the CVs just right, but I found it really worth the time and effort.  I can honestly say that the motor control I'm getting is now every bit as good as my Zimos. And at £36 each I'm happy to fit a few more 31's 47's and 60's to boost the fleet.

 

With NCE Powercab, I ended up with the following on the 31:

 

CV3 = 100

CV4 = 20

CV10 = 128

CV150 = 0

CV151 = 20

CV152 = 0

CV153 = 80

CV154 = 20

 

I'm now fitting TTS to a Bachmann 47, and have also got it super smooth, but you do need patience (and a nice long program track!). I also found it benificial not to have the sound on while tweaking the CV's. That way you can actually hear any very slight motor juddering or buzzing so you can then fine tune even better.

 

One problem I am still having with TTS though is that I find them too loud!  Even turning down CV182 to 1 (minimum volume) it's too much for my small layout room. I like a "scale" sound!  I've resorted to laying a bit of tissue over the speake!  Needless to say this bodge is not ideal!

 

Could anyone advise if a quieter speaker is availabe - if there is such a thing - please?

 

CDF

Did you use the same CV changes on the Bachmann 47 as you did on the CL31?

Bill.

Looks smoth enough once it gets going, but is it not possible to correct the moving off? Will let you know how I get on with mine once I have made the changes.

Bill.

Have changed the CV settings you suggested and my Bachmann 37 now moves off slightly better than the one in your video.

I used your settings along with the Hornby suggested ones in a Vitrains 37 and 47 and they are as smooth as silk,both of which have the 20 x 40 base speaker fitted.

Bill.

heres a quick video, its a lot better than how it started...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wfwp7BgfAA

Bill.

I spent a good hour this evening trying to get mine running right, I got it better than it was but it’s not perfect. I switched to the alternative alithogram, I think it was cv150 to 1 to change that, then I changed 153 to 255 and 154 to 1. It sets off slightly too quick in speed step 1 but runs fairly smoothly, especially in speed step 2 onwards. Still happy with it for the money, I’m impressed how customisable it is through the CV settings.

Richard

Thanks for the info, I've spent most of this morning trying to get this Bachmann 37 to run smoothly but with little success. Both my Vitrains 37 and 47 seem ok but just might try your option on them to see if there is any difference.

Oh! and I will be getting in touch for another 20 x 40 speaker☺!

Hi,

Having received my replacement CL37 TTS decoder from Hornby I set about fitting it to Bachmann model. I got the the same 'stutter' and set about changing CV151 to 255 and CV152 to 1. but it doesn't like the Bachmann 37.

The Vi trains 37 fairs much better and respond to the change.

Are there any other CV's I should be looking to change or considering the previous posts regarding faulty decoders should I treat mine the same as it still stutters???

Bill.

Bill

It could be your TTS decoder is one of those that needs its firmware reprogrammed by Hornby and it has slipped through the net.

Call HCC to arrange to get it done.

Chris

Is your track complete loops with/without a bus. If so you may want to try gapping the track in each loop. You could try fitting RC snubbers to the track or bus to eliminate any spurious signals which may be causing your extra toots. There is plenty of advice not to make your bus into a loop but trackage is usually always laid as a continous loop.

Rob

Hi Rob,

Been onto Hornby Tech Services this morning and like you said, its a decoder issue and I am having it replaced.

Cheers, Bill.

Hi,

Thought I might experiment with a couple of TTS decoders so got myself 1-CL47 and 2-CL37 and fitted the 20x40 speakers from Richard Croft which vastly improved the sound quality.

After fitting the decoder in a Vi-trains 47 I had to alter CVs 151/152 as per Hornby Tech Services it seem to improve the 'stutter' effect. However, I fitted the two Vi-trains 37s with the decoders of which only one seemed to run okay whilst the other suffers from a bad stutter and the lights don't work in one direction. Having altered CVs again and the EMF,it doesn't seem to help. I have now come to the conclusion that the decoder is at fault as when fitted with a non-sound decoder the loco runs normal and lights work in both directions. Any ideas as what to do next before I return to retailer.

Regards, Bill.

Lovely photos of a lovely layout, Bill. Thanks for posting.

 

Looking forward to more when you get the chance.

 

Dave

Haven't been on here in a long time. Hoping to add the new module and some more detail such as PW staff and equipment along with a couple of cameos. Will post more of Nigel's excellent photo's. Bill.