Ighten

Im guessing your doing this indoors (the spraying from aerosol) - there's only so many times I can get away with saying the Rayburns juts been serviced...

its a very long shot but I cant really see it unless they had got in first to grab pre orders... End of the day the model sells well and fills the market need

Did you get Farrow and Balls colour consultancy service to do the boards Very Nice

Today was a day of poor eyesight and missing wire --- But we managed -- we will correct the errors later.. I started by laying out a basic bus wire along the board which is the method I usually use.. On this layout I am keeping it super super simple as its super super small... The only reason I have kept the bus wire idea in place is that I may want to go DCC later so its more future proofing than anything.. So basically nothing more complex than a set of red and black cables of generous thickness running the length of the board that match the black and white droppers from each section of track and all the point throats that are in place... Now its time to look at the DC power.. I want to use Din plug in controllers (I can swap from my Gaugemaster W to my Gaugemaster feedback though I suspect the latter wont be seeing much use - it seems in the years I have been away that they basically don't work with certain types of motors (the only 00 engine I have being one of them) - but at least its still easy to just plug and change)) My Din socket is ready and waiting - my eyesight though is OMG seriously!!!! --- after a cpl of hours though we seem to have wired it up.. I have to admit to a serious skool boy error that will be corrected for OCD reasons if nothing else.. I could not find any yellow or blue wire to continue the colour coding to the controllers plug wiring - I hate having wiring that doesn't follow through.. Not a big issue I will change it once I think about setting the socket into a facia which I can't really do yet . I was tempted to set it into the 2"x1" structure pine until I discovered I have about a hundred blunt 12mm drills (too small) and a few 20mm (too big) but nothing in between. So I'm running my incorrectly coloured (just shoot me now) but labelled wiring from the tiny circuit board to the Din and we should have a running train. (I think)

No problem Andrew - plenty to be getting on with at this end.. Wiring the boards and having a day with the soldering iron and attaching the walkaround to its din socket.. Hoping to actually get something running by the end of the day just to make sure I know what I'm doing lol..

Have now coated the mod roc in black poster paint - just some cheap variety from a local shop that was hanging around - water based which is fine for the plaster and MDF but beware if you get it in on this type of water resistant foam board as it will take a while to dry and can run off if you tip the board up assuming its all dry.... The black brown mix does a cpl of things - the obvious one being you get less white glaring knocks from mishandling in the future - but it also allows you to take a light or torch to the landscape (as small as it is) and see how shadows work better.. It sounds odd but natural shadows stand out better on darker backgrounds when directly illuminated. This should help in decisions when it comes to blending the grass colours. With the generous arrival of James RH point i can also get the track stuck down and the droppers in place.. I used a layer of Javis cork for the track area laid directly onto the foamboard using gorilla glue spread evenly and left weighted overnight.. Care has to be taken in the initial first hour that any bubbles of excess glue are smoothed out from under the surface.. The final result was "solid ----- solid as a rock". The track itself was done section by section using PVA onto the cork.. I first get an idea from the drawings and then using a wagon to check that this looks correct with the use of drawing pins to move things around. I dont have much space here and I am aware I need one or two buildings for interest yet dont want it to become overcrowded. For now I am going to be stuck looking at just drawings though for the front siding as I await Andrews RH point to make its way from the Outer Hebrides This little bargain just appeared though so its time to dig out the rolling road and soldering iron and wire up the transformer to the Gaugemaster W.

From Revolution The Class 93 models will be offered in ROG’s stylish green and black launch livery, and it is understood that they are to be named after Roman Gods. The terms of the licence – which covers both 00 and N gauge models – mean that ROG and Stadler will work closely with Revolution, sharing important technical specifications, 3D data and design drawings, to ensure the models are as accurate as possible and that any changes made during construction are incorporated. Class 93 Initial Specification Heavy diecast chassis with smooth electric motor and flywheels and provision for DCC and Sound 4mm-ft/1:76.2 scale 00 (16.5mm) gauge, with provision for simple conversion to EM/P4 Separately applied etched metal or fine plastic details NEM coupler sockets with fully detailed, factory-fitted bufferbeam at one end (second coupler in accessory pack) DCC provision: 21 pin decoder socket Prototypical lighting arrangements, switchable for DC users where necessary Twin speakers on sound-fitted models RP25 (110) wheels with provision for simple conversion to EM/P4 We will investigate options for a DCC operated pantograph mechanism, though the pantograph itself will be cosmetic It is intended that the models will be delivered as soon as possbile after the prototypes enter service.

OK first things first a huge set of thanks to both James and Andrew - I seriously cant thank you enough and it means I can now release stock from my Hattons trunk for delivery (should arrive in the next couple of days) so the build can continue... Thats not too say there has been zero progress.... I decided that mod roc was the way to go to start to ease out my contours from the 90 degree foamboard steppes... Smoothed out with the help of cotton wool - I possibly added a few too many layers by the time I had finished so it took longer than expected to dry. The foamboard and PVC coated MDF has proved itself well though. As you can see below my first attempts still left me with quite severe angles - TBF I can probably disguise this later with grasses etc but just adding more layers and plumping up the sharp edges with wet kitchen roll or cotton wool smooths this out.. The track area will receive a layer of cork and then the whole thing will be painted black/dark brown as a base colour.. I have had a further play with just how the whole thing sits "scale wise" not easy to do when you have only two pieces of track at the moment (but that does allow me to confirm the scale of my drawings is spot on) So hopefully lots more to show in the next few weeks

Couldn't resist at the current price the weathered version - has anyone else had an issue though with the packaging rubbing the weathering in places...

It was more a point of having a female socket flush on the edge of the layout (rather like the din for the walkabout) for easy plug in ability - though now that you mention that another idea springs to mind

Thanks Brian -- I did read it but must have not taken it in I assume they are including the plastic covering in the 10mm - standard is 5mm

Is it possible to extend the lead from the wall transformer to the input on the circuit board on the WM1 using some sort of female/male socket - and if so does anyone know the size.

Yikes my wallets going to take a hammering

They do look seriously good - I feel an order coming on and I haven't even finished the layout or bought the rolling stock

Im planning to add a single solid layer of cork to top off the entire yard -- I think the simple solution (just never really thought of it) is to use a simple peco motor attached to the point.. I cant see it ever moving - even the layers of foam seem to have set like concrete so the cork and track with gorilla glue should be fine.. I just was under the impression the motor had to be secure to the board.. MAny thanks again

Have you thought about keeping your idea and also employing few cms of backscene (matching the rear and as high as) that protrudes out from in front of the exit line..

The track bed will be 32mm above --- Thanks for all the ideas

Beautiful -- Seeing the overall picture it just ooozes rural charm

Probably a total schoolboy error but I started building a small inglenook and decided for scenic interest to elevate the yard above the board level using contoured layers of foamboard which I will then smooth out woth modroc or sculptamold.. Originally this was going to be a simple little DC hand operated affair but I came across a well priced DCC system and have decided to use the board to also learn some skills with regards to wiring etc.. So I want to automate the points now but how can I even attach a point motor to this style of construction.. Should I start from scratch as surely the wire from the motor to a solenoid or from a tortoise is going to be so long all it will do is flex ..

My trunk is nicely full of flexi track but the Short RH electrofrogs are like gold --- Been waiting weeks now - I managed to pick up LH with no problems at below retail and unused on ebay but RH in the last few days have been selling at more than double RH --- Forget Bitcoin I should have stocked up on these

One of those usual shortages that only seems to impact Morrisons - along with frozen fine green beans and any decent wine..

Could I ask whose couplings your using

I think the simple lesson is it doesnt matter what it is -- from a ltd edition mountain bike - to a PS5 gamethingy - and to some extent (though not quite the same) an airline ticket - "A pre order is not a guarantee of delivery." I used the airline ticket example to make a point though - a value no frills tkt will always get pushed if an open full price tkt arrives at the check in gate. The airline has to oversell in order to take into account the x amount of open tkts that it has sold that theoretically could all turn up at once... Its a fine line that changes on daily basis A kind of opposite (I'm sure lurking in a Thesaurus is the correct word) is true with this hobby - with no deposits in many cases and no commitment to buy - every retailer has to protect themselves from underselling as you can preorder in many cases with no commitment (which is a little unusual in direct retail) and no risk as a buyer.

Wouldnt that be simply down to them being the more popular "go to" retailer -- Even if they always allow the same % oversell as everyone else its going to affect more people (especially more forum people) just due to the higher numbers

Not really a lot more to report - I have taken the decision that Im going to start smoothing the contours out to form the landscape using layers of modroc etc.. Im also going to apply a bed of cork to the yard bed area.. I just feel it will give me a little more solidity to work against.. Track is still an ongoing problem with nobody seeming any the wiser as to when peco are going to see stock arrive back for distribution (namely the short RH electrofrog) . I must have got lucky with the one unused LH I managed to aquire from ebay as I paid way less than retail even with postage.. But today I watched in amazement as short RH reached selling points of double the retail..