SamThomas

I would agree regarding the earlier Gaugemaster ones & I'm not going to re-open the can of worms regarding origination. However, the new Ruby range are very different & having tried them they are now on my "go-to" list for locomotives that benefit from using a form or stay alive/keep going. Otherwise, for non sound locomotives my "go to" is the Lenze Silver.

I used to do quite a bit of work on the domestic side of Railtrack (which was often called Snailtrack by many of their staff) & then the nickname changed to said offending name (again by their own staff. There are many other nicknames around such as ; Parcelfarce Totally Failled London British Telecon & so on - usually concocted by the companies very own staff. All very much TIC - some people are far too sensitive & could do with a GSOH. FWIW I am of the opinion that Network Rail & it's employees do a pretty good job under often diffecult circumstances.

Excellent point & that could make a difference as the proportions probably do differ between manufactures & possible different batches from the same manufacture. There are so many variables & you could throw into the mix different materials used for the pickup wheels themselves. Even the type of track power could have some effect ? Modellers that live close to the sea could be effected by the salt laden air & so on as environmental conditions vary. Ex "Train Set" track could very well be poor quality.

IIRC there was a short(ish) lived magazine called "European Modeller" - or something like that. Some time ago I did confine traction tyred locomotive to in the inner loop & plain tyred locomotives to the outer lopp (or maybe the other way round) & did not find any noticable difference, but then again, there was no "much" present to be "spread around".

I still hate the term & in true RMW tradition you have found something to contradict. Let's just agree to disagree on that then shall we ?

Please forgive the correction - "continental" as a term should be banished ! We have Triang (whose "continental" range had nothing from Europe) & those people in Devon with their magazine with the offending word in the title ! Rant ovcer ! As you say European layours can be very different indeed where haulage capacity is very important. Most of my larger European locomotives can handle 20 coach trains with ease & without traction tyres (where I have changed wheelsets to enhance pickup). AFAIK Miniature Wunderland leave the traction tyres fitted as supplied & don't appear to have any "muck spreader" issues. Think about "muck spreading" - the much has to be present to be "spread" so maybe the so called issue is not specifically with traction tyres ?

I have no definate idea TBH, but the Roco ones (which I use on all locomotives that have them) seem to be a sort of neoprene. They do sometimes streatch & come off though. I don't really like them but the mainland european manufactures ones (except the 70's Fleischmann) are a better quality. Unfortunatly, the UK manufactures "did it on the cheap" (in the same manner the Flesichmann 3-pole ringfield type motor was copied) with the resultant generic hatred.

Beg to differ on the traction tyres front. However, European manufactures use a different material than the UK makers used which gave traction tyres a bad name with UK modellers. Having said that I usually replace the traction tyred wheelsets from diesel & OHE outline locomotives to increase pickup performance - I do not need to haul 20 coach trains up helix's. I would agree on the sunlight front though - sunlight seems to tarnish the tracks.

RMW can be like MacDonalds sometimes - you order one thing & get something else.

Personally I think you have covered a few brands & although I have used Fleischmann Profi & the brass model tracks (neither available now), both Rocoline types, Trix, Kato, Piko (the German one) & Hornby they are much of a muchness. Clean wheels & good housekeeping are the keys & different modellers will have their own "pet" methods which work for them. I do sometimes resort to gently using a track rubber but never the Peco one - IMHO it's too abrasive & should have been discontinued decades ago. I use the Roco or Piko** Track Cleaning Wagons with the pressure springs removed so that the pad rests gently on the track. & lastly, I use a sparing application of Track Magic (also good for pickup wipers.) GM do a badge engineered BR version like this one ; https://euroscalemodels.co.uk/product/gm-oo-track-cleaning-wagon-br-railfreight/ Hope this helps.

Follow Nigel's good advice & maybe look at any chemical blackening on the wheel treads &/or pickups (as you have said that this locomotive has not had much use). Check for pickup continuity with a test meter or test lamp. A tiny amount of Track Magic can help with pickups.

Another point to bear in mind when selecting possible locations is ease of access when we enivitably grow older - that loft ladder may not be so easy as our bodies/joints age - what is easy now may not be so in 20 or even 10 years time. Knees also suffer, making duck unders into creak unders. Access to the far corners/sides of the layout - will we still be able to rach in later years.

Until yesterday I was unaware of a specific bridge bashing thread - one of the "benefits" of a forum as large as this one.

I was under the impression that major thread drift was an RMW speciallity.

Jim. Unless a lot of infratructure is changed it will be a lose/lose all round. My point about the crash beams is that they cannot be errected if pedestrians or other road users could be inured by debris from vehicles or (as pointed out by Edwin) or from the crash beam itself (FYI a refuse truck is a very substancial bit of kit). Unfortunatly, this risk will always remain regarding the bridge itself. Edwin. Agree tottaly. DY Unfortunatly, HGV (& other drivers) are under a lot of pressure & that's how large segments of the haulage/logistics industry is (see my comment at the end). Personally, I never worked for such companies. I do not condon HGV drivers for bridge bashing. However, signage simply must be accurate & drivers must know the height of their vehicle. The particular bridge pictured was resigned some time ago when it was remeasured & found that the clearance had been reduced over the years by resurfacing. Of course if the signage "errs on the side of caution" and all "overheight" HGV's divert (often onto roads even more unsuitable for HGV's) with the resultant increase in journey times & pollution. Michael. I'm not familiar with Bridge 102 but do see your points. Curtainsider bodies are very flimsy & often used on multi-drop where the height of the vehicle does increase as the days duty progress' - not all vehicle have self levelling suspension. General. I'm not condoning bridge bashing at all - I'm just trying to point out some of the reasons it happens. Now, if HGV drivers had & followed a rule book like train drivers (& were in the same salary scale) bridge bashing would be a very, very rare occurance. The haulage/logistics industry is one of the most competative (& in some areas, noteably the parcels section) poorly regulated industies that we all depend on. If you are on multi-drop pallet work & could comfortably cover 12 drops you will get 14 & be expected to put your tacho onto "break" when unloading. Parcels delivery drivers are expected to cover 70 or 80 drops/pickups per shift - that could mean a drop/pickup every 6.5minutes - as for breaks - forget it (good job they are not subject to HGV/PCV drivers hours). Inattension is a huge factor & can be caused by tiredness &/or pressure to get the job done/back to base for another driver to use the vehicle. (see below) & who is to blame for this ? Yes, that's right, us, the consumer. We are indirectly part of the problem - we want it tomorrow, we want delivery for "free" or at minimal cost. So, next time you want something from that great river just spare a little thought for the poorly paid people in the supply chain, warehouse staff, the HGV driver who works nights, the people in the local(ish) distribution centre who get up everyday at "stupid-o-clock", the guy in his Sprinter who does not get a break during his working day or (at the bottom end) the guy in his (possibly uninsured) borderline MOT case vehicle nursing it through the day. It would be so simple to change this - pay drivers a decent wage (whatever you do for a living would you do it ?), less deiveries per shift (but then that means more vehicles). But of course the "free" deliveries would go & the costs of other deliveries would go up. I repeat, I'm not condoning unprofessional driving (which is why I have been lucky enough to only drive for the few & far between responsible companies), just trying to point out some of the reasons these things happen.

The earlier traction tyres were made from a natural nylon type material that did indeed turn a browny sort of colour when hard. The later ones are made from a more rubbery stuff & are black. (same goes for the HO ones).

You could try ; www.euroscalemodels.co.uk

You both missed my point(s). If the automatic signs "err on the side of caution" then human nature can then creep in so that some drivers will then think - "if the signage (including the automatic ones) say, e.g. 12'6" clearance then I will be OK for an extra 6" or so". The clearance on this bridge has reduced over the years due to road resurfacing, hence my comment that the various authorities need to get their house's in order. Clearly, something needs to be done here because with the amount of time this one gets bashed it's only a matter of time before there is a serious incident. "substancial crash beams" cannot be errected in areas where there is pedestrian traffic. A better solution would be something like the hanging tubes/pipes in the Blackwall Tunnel. Unfortunatly, these issues are a product of the age we live in now. The railway companies, when they built the railways did not envisage just how high HGV's would get in the publics quest for cheaper products - economies of scale. FYI - it is part of a drivers daily walkround (for which 15minutes is allowed & should show on his tachograph record) to check the actual height of the vehicle. It is a;lso part of the checks to ensure that the height indicator in the cab is present & displays the correct height.

As you are currently OK with the "D" & strip connectors would it not be feasable to simply re-locate them to the side of the baseboards/liftout sections ?

John has summed it up very well, especially regarding the traction tyres - they can als expand a little, grip the track but slip in the wheel grooves. The Limby & Hornby tender drives were cheap copies of European (I hate that word "Continental") mechanisms with the predictable poor view of tender drives. Indeed, a certain manufacturer of OO models used to use Fleischmann Tender Drive units on their factory dispaly layouts. Personally, I would obtain genuine Flesichmann Traction Tyres. You could also apply a tiny, tiny drop of Track Magic to the pickups to help conductivity whist keeping the friction down.

As an example trhe one pictured is signposted at 13'6" - up untill a year or so ago I regulary drove HGV's that were 12'8" (actually measured & they had self leveling air suspension) so I knew they were well underheight. However, the warning signs were tripped by every single vehicle in the fleet. The Local Council, TfL, Network Rail & Highways Agency were all contacted & informed about the issue & none of them accepted responsibility for the problem or appeared to get it sorted. I'm not condoning the actions of HGV drivers who strike bridges but the authorities need to get their house in order too.

Unfortunatly, a number of these signs are calibrated incorrectly & operate when high vehcles well within the height allowed approach.

The van driver may have been illiterate. The van driver may have read the instructions & did'nt understand them. The van driver may have ignored the instructions. Who knows but certainly the van driver was either born stupid or took lessons on terminal stupdity.

That was in the days of VHF TV reception which was very suseptable to interference from model railways. In the days of "Triang" I don't think there were even red LED's.

Do you get the same effect if you feed the chassis direct without the power going through the wheels ? If not, then the serrated wheels are the cause.