James Hilton

Works Notice 023 Victory / Motor Rail 14T / Welshpool and Llanfair gala The latest newsletter is available now: https://mailchi.mp/6722e5db15f3/works-notice-023 (If you have missed previous issues, you can click ‘Past Issues’ at the top of the page that opens on that link). As always, subscribers to our mailing list receive news and updates first, so if you’re keen then you can sign up on the Planet Industrials home page by putting your email in the box towards the bottom of the page.

I’m working with Alan at Modelu on this, there will be an additional email in the coming weeks detailing more on ‘customisation’ options.

Did you know that our email subscribers hear all the news first? We've a Victory update (amongst other things) later this week, so if you want to be at the 'front of the train' then visit our website, and enter your email address in the box (it's towards the bottom of the home page). www.planetindustrials.co.uk

I guess my point is if we don’t re-frame our thoughts around layouts as part of the home, then many of us will continue to suffer from being relegated to the shed, loft, garage etc etc. If a layout is carefully crafted with its location firmly in mind then I’d suggest you perhaps should consider a softer option… perhaps not the lounge, but if there is a shared spaced that might work, is it not worth considering? Surely main house decoration is as much of us, as it should be our partners and children? Anyhow, as you say, deliberately idealistic and hopefully a little thought provoking. I’m glad you, and others are enjoying it, a dream come true for me.

They will arrive with us first, and then once we’ve checked them we will forward them to Rails, so they may be a week or so behind by the time all that happens, but we want to make sure everything is right with them so the wait, I hope, will be worth it.

Jerry, that’s wonderful to hear, I am so happy that many of you are finding it something fresh and enjoyable to read, and even more so from those that are saying it has energised them to build something.

I’ve done a bit of a run through on video to introduce the book, talking about my intention behind the style and content, which I hope for those of you who haven’t yet picked up a copy, will help you decide one way or the other.

Thank you Simon, it is a life long ambition to be published by Wild Swan and if it had not been for your energy and enthusiasm for my project this would never have come to print. I hope that you all enjoy the writing and ideas, which I have throughly enjoyed putting together into this book. If it is just lovely to read that’s fantastic but even better if it influences your work, or perhaps even encourages the start of a project.

Thanks all - yes my blog is updated every day and the mix of my own modelling, commissions and other projects keeps me busy and the contents fresh. I find keeping the forums updated certainly slips… I had heard I was in August RMC but hasn’t realised I was in August CM! I’ve also got my new book out with Wild Swan in the next week or two… The Canadian layout has come a long way since I started this post, and is now based in Moncton, New Brunswick for anyone interested. Searching for Beaverbrook on my blog will bring up all relevant content!

@neal sorry to be a pain, but since RMweb crashed and we lost a lot of the photos, these aren't showing. Could you re-upload the photos from your original very useful post (quoted above). Thanks!

Although I’ve not posted on here there have been developments since the last post, check the, on my blog using this link which should pick up most of them… https://paxton-road.blogspot.com/search/label/dyfrdwy tramway

Just to bring this up in the postings, there are a few of us who have met now but plenty of opportunity for more if anyone is interested, or knows anyone else who lives in the region. We’ce standard gauge, narrow gauge, 1:87, 1:76, 1:43 and 1:13.7 scales and 6.5mm, 9mm, 16.5mm and 32mm gauges represented! No N scale yet mind…

Well my fledgling Facebook group has swelled to 5 members! We would welcome any other modellers in the area. Some casual meet ups are already planned, and perhaps in time some sort of group event. In which case, I’ll share details here too!

Thanks for joining the group though Nick. As you say, if I was on the coast myself I’d probably just go along to the Colywn Bay club, I’m hoping there are one or two interested in meeting up around here… certainly if I can’t find them via RMWeb and Facebook I won’t find them any other way these days!

Merfyn thanks for your encouragement- indeed the problem is the size of catchment areas. I cannot believe there are no active (or even armchair) modellers this end of Denbighshire. Wrexham I’m afraid seems to have gone, and as you say, you are too far to be regular for me… I hope a few come out of the wood work so to speak and we can create a community in this neck of the woods!

I’ve started a group on Facebook if anyone fancies making contact that way instead… https://www.facebook.com/groups/4664342143676611/?ref=share

Thanks Craig, that’s a little too far for a regular meeting. Hoping there are some in this neck of the woods too… I’ll drop you a Pm.

For some time I’ve wondered if there were any other modellers living in the Bala / Ruthin / Corwen / Llangollen / Wrexham or just over the border (Oswestry). The clubs in Rhyl, Chester and over the NMRA group over in Crewe are just a little too far for a regular visit. I live between Llangollen and Corwen, and would consider co-ordinating some sort of informal members day style event in this part of the county to get the ball rolling? Is anyone else actively modelling (or not) and in the area and is interested?

Sorry to revive an old thread, as this makes sense in terms of DC... however, I threw away the instructions with my own example! I've read the whole thread, with DCC, do I need one or two frog juicers? It looks like just two from 'Redgatemodels' DC illustration - as two of the frogs are always switched the same way?

Looking good, worth pushing the body back down on the Busch chassis of that Ruston Proctor though!

I've added another video to YouTube, this time demonstrating our DCC sound model running on straight DC... People who have ordered a straight DC or DCC silent model can upgrade by emailing info@planetindustrials.co.uk including their order number, and Steve will sort out the upgrade.

I'm very excited, again. Just like the first time I set eyes on the first Engineering sample of the Planet Industrials Victory, I've got the same feeling as a kid in a sweet shop... Paul Chetter has finished working on our sound project, and I've been testing and evaluating the final sound file in the revised Engineering sample with new speaker enclosure. The sound reproduction is superb, the feature list incredible and the experience as close to driving the real thing with a hand held electronic controller in OO as you can get! In the video I share the features we've included with Paul's help and guidance, along with the way the model performs, sounds and is controlled. I particularly love the way you get a mechanical clanking and banging as you back off the throttle whilst the model 'coasts' under a delayed deceleration before you apply the brakes, yourself, to bring it to a stop. This is the future! I'm a total DCC sound convert! I hope you enjoy the video, please consider subscribing to the Planet Industrials channel.

Thank you both for your reflections. On a personal level I have some early custom plates from Narrow Planet in nickel silver that are excellent, but these were in the larger garden scales. I will ensure we add a comment on sets where the material offered (eg brass on the Yorkshire) does not reflect the cast aluminium (or other) of he prototype. Our plans to add further plates in this range continue, and info@planetindustrials.co.uk should allow you to send any suggestions.

That is a good question and we should add it as a frequently asked question. Nickel silver doesn’t resolve as cleanly when the etching the finer detail on works plates so would result in poor plates. Brass gives a much sharper (and often legible) works plate in 1:76 scale. We would not be happy offering products we don’t believe in.

Unbelievably the tanks are hollow! There is plenty of space!