JCClark

Hi tjf4375 Thanks for your comment. I have been a lot slower than expected with the scenery mainly due to ensuring all the track and accessories are working spot on. It is the first time that my whole layout will have been completely controlled by DCC and thank goodness I opted for the ECoS 50200. What a superb piece of equipment and, as I have the thick end of 300 locos, no stacks to worry about. My other hold up has been due to a fair bit of work with the airbrush for both Roy and myself. I have just completed His Royal Scotsman 66 twins and currently nearly complete on D5579 in Golden Ochre, a resprayed Heljan 58 number 19 "Shirebrook Colliery" in coal sector and 37209 in Large Logo! I am also in the middle of re-spraying some Arriva mark3 coaches I got cheap from Hattons, into GNER coaches to take my IC125 set up to a full 9 car rake. I will post some photos shortly. Best regards to all John

Hello Vulcan product fan Glad you like the 57 on the sleepers. Just for your information, the 57 is a Heljan loco that I re-sprayed and fitted with Express Lighting 6 function unit which I am delighted with. All the sleeper coaches have their own individual running numbers and coach letters at the doors thanks to some superb decals from Mike and Colin at R3 Resprays who have been a great help. Regards John

I am guessing it might be right up your street Big Jim!!! John

Hi Eddie I tried to order from Phoenix but, being in the Highlands, delivery costs were extortionate! Just waited until I visited the Perth show. Not sure what the problem is with these couriers as just ordered some transfers plus two tinlets of phoenix paint from Fox and they called to tell me that delivery would be £30!!!!! Absolute nonsense so obviously cancelled and will get my mate in Montrose to order them from me. Best regards John

Hello Hilux I got my figures from Petegossrailwaymodelling.co.uk and they are superb. He has built the Worlds End layout which is a fantastic piece of modelling. Regards John

Hi Mike Thanks very much for your comment and pleased you like it. Should have been further on with the layout but keep getting distracted with my re-sprays like the Caledonian sleeper rake and the FGW 57 and re-numbered sleeper rake , not to mention Large Logo and Colas 37s or Colas and DBS class 60s!! All adds to the fun and interest with only about half of the shed trackwork to lay and then start the scenic bit. Regards John

Just picked Harry Beck up from the post office as I was out when it was delivered yesterday! What a superb model!! John

Hi Richard Managed to get extra sleepers in FGW LIVERY from Hattons for £17 each and R3 Resprays have done me a sheet of coach numbers and coach letters to read-number same. A great service from Mike and Colin. John

Hi Richard Thank you very much for your reply, great help. I tend to go for the spray orange method but have done a lining pen job on a couple of 60s. Just finishing off a Heljan 57 in FGW blue as 57603 Tintagel Castle. Have gone for a 6 function lighting kit from Express Models so looking forward to giving it a run with a rake of sleepers. Thanks once again and best regards John

Hi Richard Some superb modelling you have done. Your resprays are excellent and I wonder if you could answer a couple of questions for me please. What colours did you use for the roof and body of your Royal Scotsman 66 and how do you get the Bachmann 66 handrails off the ends without damaging them??? What method do you use for your excellent cantrail orange? Do you use a pen, decals or spray orange and use 0.5mm masking tape? Best regards John

Fabulous selection of stock and looking forward to the scenic work John

Hi Ian Your rake of coaches is coming along well and looking very impressive. Look forward to seeing the full rake. John

Might be a telephoto lens from a platform end???

The quality and availability of decals for re-badging and re-numbering the class 60s is really good these days and there are etched plates available for just about if not all the names of the locos. Not difficult to do and really worth having a go to make that individual locomotive you desire.

Hi David Layout looking good - always loved a visit to Knottingley depot and then down to Burton Salmon for some photography. Once Parkway is more completed will have to get some of my class 56s photographed to post. Knottingley, of course, was heaving with them! Keep up the good work and am following your progress with interest. Regards John

Good to see that the PCs will be with us very soon but, according to an e.mail from Hattons today, the VTEC coaches are not due until end of October. Very disappointing so come on Oxford Rail, can you compete with that delivery date???

Hi Longrail Completely agree with your comments on sector ideation and probably a majority of my stock fits into this era. However, we have a very dynamic and interesting variation in present day stock and I enjoy this era also. How else could I have an excuse to run 12vClas Rail loco examples which vary from the 47s to 70s? I have a loco stud of some 300 examples and have become a bit obsessive with regard to collecting! A good few will be coming up on EBay in the near future as I fully realise the overwhelming n red to thin down my stock!! Best regards John

Hello everyone As always, many thanks for your kind comments. As you can see from the video posted earlier, all the top section now running with points working from the ECoS controller. You can probably gather from earlier posts that my stock is from two eras - Era 8 and the Modern image Era 9, probably because I am a massive fan of the Large Logo Years even to the extent of owning 37 Large Logo class 37s ( a bit obsessive I know!). Still have to complete the shed are on Parkway which will be accessed over the canal from what will be the station area so looking forward to getting that completed in the near future. Meanwhile, I have been working on a few other small projects and have added some photographs to show you how things are progressing. The photos show where am I am with a couple of Caledonian liveried sleepers that will go with my previously re-sprayed 67 Cairn Gorm, a return of 50028 Tiger which I re-sprayed into faded Large Logo livery for Roy and is now back for a bit of subtle weathering, a JJA generator unit which I purchased off Ebay for £28 (instead of the £54 now demanded by Bachmann) which I have painted out the Railtrack lettering and added a number (Weathering will be next) and a re-named Hebridean coach that I managed to purchase at Perth Model Show - I have re-named it Capercailzie using Fox transfers so now have 4 coaches to go with the Brake. The final photographs are of the screen on my ECoS controller giving you an idea of the set up on Parkway. The photos show the Upper level of the layout and the Up and Down storage sections under the scenic section which are accessed by a helix at each end of the layout. The whole layout is constructed in a 20 foot by 6 foot shed that is fully insulated and the boards are Birchwood Ply 9mm. The UP storage has 6 tracks, two of which go right round the shed and can hold 3 to 4 long rakes of trains including my 9 coach IC125 sets. The Down storage has 5 tracks and 4 sidings so, al in all, a good bit of rolling stock can be out at one time. Everything is controlled by DCC and, I believe, well worth the effort. Please feel free to comment or pass on any advice, all your thoughts are most welcome. Best regards John

Hello ESS1UK Thanks very much for your comment Managed to get some bits and pieces done today, in between doing some external house painting! I have been doing some front end detailing of some of my new models - ^6416 in Powerhaul, latest Bachmann 37/7 collectors club loco in WCRC livery, 37421 in Colas livery, 47596 Kings Lynn in NSE livery and Phoenix liveried 37884. Always slow work in Summer as there is so much to catch up on but will get some photos sorted shortly. Need to get the layout diagram done on my ECoS controller and set some routes soon now all the top level points are wired, tested and working. Next part of layout is to install the TMD area so looking forward to that. As always, any constructive comments or advice are always welcome. Best regards John

Hello all Thanks for the comments. Absolutely delighted with the crane which was done by a very talented scratch builder friend. It was an original Hornby crane with, probably, only the original base chassis remaining! The HST sound decoders are a matched pair from Legomanbiffo and are superb, even have an accurate start up sequence with the non powered end starting first. The top section of the layout mainline now has all the main line point work activated from the ESU ECoS controller and all frogs are live wired to ensure smooth movement over them and no reliance on just blade contact. Point motors are a mixture of DCC Concepts and Tortoise. I have also being spending a bit more time on re-spraying activities and have nearly completed a couple of sleepers in the latest Caledonian Sleeper livery which will go nicely with my resprayed 67 Cairn Gorm. One or two new purchases for the layout, including 37884 so will post some photographs in the near future. Thanks for your comments Gents. Regards John

Hi David Thanks very much - seems to be taking a lot of time but worth it for the quality of running. Looking forward to getting all the electrics fitted and then making a start on the scenery. It is the first time I have gone DCC with both locos and accessories so would be lying if I said it has not been a challenge!! Having said that I would definitely say that the ESU 50200 Controller has to go down as a Best Buy without a doubt. Hopefully, progress will be made a bit more rapidly now and thanks for your comments. Regards John

Hello Everyone As per Roy's post before this one, you can see we have made some progress on Parkway's upper section that will be the layout scenic section. Still a way to go, as we still have the points to complete regarding wiring and what a difference it has made when juicing up the frog from the point motors. Had a another great day testing the track today as my biggest concern was successful running of my megafrets as I was forever getting derailments on the previous parkway layout. Ran 3 pairs of megafrets along with 2 pairs of Bachmann intermodal wagons and ran like a dream around the upper section and the same great running when I diverted the train down the Southern helix and up the Northern helix - what a difference the birchwood ply has made. main line is all concrete sleeper code 75 laid on cork and looks really good. Still have the TMD area to lay the rails to so now looking forward to that. I have attached some photographs taken on upper section completion day which include two of Roy's collection - a lovely WCRC 47 on a newly acquired rake of Royal Scotsman coaches and a sound fitted APT-E both crossing the canal on the mainline. Two of my collection feature on the mainline across the canal, my new Colas 60 095 which I only completed the re-spray on recently, my IC 125 which I have replaced the decals on so they are correct colour and also weathered the power cars (coaches not done as yet) - this set is fitted with the superb paired sound decoders from Legomanbiffo's range and are superb!! The fifth photo is my EWS 37174 stood on the canal bridge entrance to what will be Parkway TMD area. Any comments or advice please feel welcome to respond. Regards John

I heard at Model Rail Scotland that the new boss of Bachmann has agreed to all future named locomotives will have etched plates supplied with the loco. John

See loco is due in at Rails of Sheffield today gents. John