DK123GWR

A few hundred to get you started: Also, I am planning to create a whole range of GWR light railway locomotives based on the 101, which in this universe was far more succesful than in real life. My first is an 0-4-0 tender engine with inside cylinders, and the first stages are already in the thread above. The only real limit on what can be done is your imagination.

But not King

Probably the first thing I've done that could be described as a pugbash is starting to turn a (very battered) GWR body, a Dowlais chassis, and a Hornby troublesome truck into a tender-tank. The first steps were cutting the cylinders and rear buffers off of the loco before fitting it to the chassis. The coupling hook was then removed from the rear of the loco, and the already damaged coupling on one end of the truck (to use the Sudrian term) cut off completely. The next step was to couple the vehicles. This was done using a small strip of 1mm diameter wire, which will be painted a dark colour at a later stage. The wire was bent to form a loop around the tension lock coupling bar on the rear of the loco. The tender can be attached by connecting the wire loop to the (previously cosmetic) hook moulded onto the front of the wagon. So far, this has worked in both directions light engine and hauling a pair of Mainline/Bachmann (they were second hand unboxed so I don't know which) Mk1 suburbans. The next big jobs are painting the wire loop and making the tender look less like a troublesome truck.

It looks like it could be, but hard to see from this angle. Is there a PCB among those wires at the back?

without chicken dippers

Try taking the body off (probably the hardest part) and see if there are any wires which could be touching and causing the short (as it's a Lima loco you should be able to see every wire and trace the current from one side of the loco to the other).

Is it only shorting across points or on any piece of track?

And if it is rolled out more widely then the cost of the initial development as a share of the total cost could fall significantly.

As I've said before, this is a beautiful layout. Do you mind me asking how you align the track and carry current between the boxes?

Second hand is your only choice now - they were discontinued some time ago. Phil Parker has written about it here.

Thomas had just recovered from the fright Percy had given him, when he saw this: I was fiddling with spares when I noticed that this body fitted onto a Bachmann Underground Ernie chassis (with the bogie covers, which foul the steps, removed). Does anyone know if this is the same size as a normal Railroad 08 body? I believe the body is the same as the Triang 08 - can anyone confirm this? Feel free to invent a reason for the existence of a bo-bo 08 as well - I just noticed they fitted.

I think he might have been refering to this sort of thing: https://www.google.com/search?q=d1+grand+prix&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB819GB819&source=lnms&tbm=isch&biw=1600&bih=789#imgrc=BzaxaS4zjywWQM

That does look good! What modifications are there on the body? The coal bunker immediately catches the eye, and the tool boxes (presumably to hide the motor clip) also stand out.

According to Wikipedia (so take it with as much salt as you like): "They [14xxs] could reach a maximum speed of 80 mph which was much faster than the diesel railcars designed to replace them could reach."

Out of interest, do either of you have an idea of what the 'real' one would be used for?

Very common as I understand it. The 43s were used before the DVTs were ready and were initially dead in tow. However, this was found to damage the traction motors, so they were run in multiple in order to avoid this.

You'll have to take my word for it as I could only get the boring side in focus, but if you want a slightly unusual vehicle beside your layout and its set in North Wilts, why not add a post van which has a Royal Mail logo on the left, a Post Brenhinol logo on the back, and the outline of the logo with no text on the right?

Is there a technical reason that the loco is that colour, or was that just the paint they had available?

Unfortunately, I think my remarks would have been a little more entertaining (I stress the word little) with the benefit of intonation.

Sorry to resurrect this after another fairly long break, but did you ever find out how to remove the eye mechanism? I think that's the last piece I have to remove, having finally spotted the screw hidden under a mass of wires that was holding the decoder pcb in place.

Stupid question perhaps, but if you shoot trespassers won't they still be on the railway? And equally dead? And won't you now be legally responsible for the death, rather than the trespasser? Sorry for being a spoilsport.

Thank you for the advice, but it's now sorted. The combination of the Duette and modern locos seems to have been the issue. With the layout 95% wired everything is working on the intended DCC system.

Sorry, I had forgotten about this thread. Roasting the Duette might be a good idea. I tried running both of the aforementioned locos on another section of track, with similar results. At this point, the only common factor was the controller. The only other DC controller I could have used was some ancient Triang rubbish, so I took the decision to chip the 37. It seems to be working so far, although I still have some wiring to do.

I've been here a few times, but it's only after shuffling points around a pair of shoeboxes for an hour or more that I've realised how good this layout is. I very simply cannot improve on the track plan in the space. I doff my cap to thee sir, for thou art a fine modeller.