James Hilton

I guess DCC would be incredibly expensive for you Peter with your excellent selection of BR blue stock! I hope I can stop - I intend for this to be just a train set loco - something to play with, rather than a serious model. It will be detailed but not weather (I think) with a short rake of play wagons (obviously realistic though hence the Hattons Blue Circle selection look very tempting - or a multipack of fitted minerals).

Aaaaahhhh this is making things sound complicated. I thought there would be one standard - get a b2b and set them up - that's three standards you've quoted!!! Which one do I go for?! Not something to drop on a newby - I'm sure I can get it to work but that does sound off putting - I'm an engineer by back ground so like precision, but don't like ambiguity! As for compensation the Pacer chassis drive wheels are fixed, but the trailing truck is pivoted and has a degree of movement up and down too so I'm fairly confident. The other thing to bear in mind is this is just an experiment really - to see if I like it. I'll be buying a length of EM and a length of finescale OO track to play with as well to determine track standards for future projects One thing I do like is the fidelity of the tyres and flanges on the P4 wheels - beautiful to a man used to RP25 and coarse OO

Had a conversation with Dave at Ultrascale this morning - seems I've got my back to back a little tight, as actually I should need to file a little from the outside faces - I'll wait until I get the back to back before I do any more with the wheelsets. We also discussed the OO and EM wheelsets. The wheels are different on each kit, and designed so that the boss on the wheels fits around the boss on the truck perfectly - so in OO and EM they should just drop in (well placed in and then the side plates gently prising apart at the same time so the wheel still sits around the centre boss - fiddly but do-able).

Sometimes you know it's ridiculous, sometimes you know it is a waste of money, sometimes you know there are some fundamental flaws in the model - but sometimes you're just very very tempted! The Barclaycard is in for a bashing. I've wanted a DCC sound locomotive for some time, and after taking some advice on the best RTR options I'm on the brink of breaking the seal and dipping my toe in DCC as well as sound for the first time. I've had a soft spot for 25/3s after seeing the one at Llangollen a lot in my childhood. Now that sounds wierd doesn't it! Remembering a locomotive in preservation and being nostalgic about that, not seeing it on BR! Well they were still about but I don't remember them! I was all about steam and GWR as a kid! So despite the window inaccuracies, the frame inaccuracies and an aging model detail wise 25095 still ticks all the right boxes! A shabby looking messy body design, short chassis, rattly Sulzer engine... So what to get to go with her? I'm thinking a set of the Presflo's from Hattons... but we'll see... At the moment it depends on whether I get my daughter the DCC trainset (with a controller) otherwise I'll need the money for a Dynamis. Either way, I'm sure my family will love all the noise on the dining room table trainset on Christmas day! So off to Fotopic for some research... At Watford Jcn, 1986 http://sulzerphotos.fotopic.net/p25727834.html At Warrington, 1986 http://eightiesbritishrail.fotopic.net/p53324507.html http://eightiesbritishrail.fotopic.net/p53324506.html At Victoria, 1986 http://trackbasher.fotopic.net/p55956787.html At Bristol TM on Bridgewater flasks, 1986 http://alisterbetts.fotopic.net/p38636355.html http://alisterbetts.fotopic.net/p35006692.html And scrapped by 1988 http://keithmiller.fotopic.net/p42085796.html Am I mad? Probably

Well I've trial fitted the rear ones... I've not got a back to back gauge so I've roughly measured the back to back. It is then a case of filing down the centre supports in the rear truck to clear the bosses on the wheelset. I can understand why this is an issue on the OO wheelset - it was tight and I've had to take off about .5mm to get the wheels to spin freely, but spin they do!! And the outer frames don't need adjusting at all! The Pacer is now balancing precariously on OO track - time to sort that Exactoscale order I think!!!

Cheers Jim - that is a top tip!!

Which ones? Front or back? The front ones you need to assemble in the motor - so they need to be split, hence why I bought the DIY kit anyway. The rear one is going to need the pin point bearing holes opening up a fraction - I'll probably try and get a reamer for this purpose. I can see why it is tight, it's the fact that the axle is longer.

A flurry of activity on the Rose Hill project over the last few days and after the inspiration last Friday, and a day or two to mull things over I ordered my first P4 bits... Thanks to Dave at Ultrascale they arrived this morning - the wheelsets to convert the Pacer. I was so excited I had to test fit one of the driving sets before I even took a photo!! I've not yet got the trackwork and gauges ordered - so can't prepare the wheelsets properly as I need a back to back, but the visual improvement over the Hornby originals is staggering. I just hope the mechanism isn't too dissappointing. I test ran it in OO mode and I was happy so it should be fine. I'll need to work out a way of adding a pick up to the rear wheelset without too much drag though as this bears on the axle which is now completely insulated from the wheel tyres. P4 wheelset kit - ready to build up and a comparison in the top left corner, incredible visual improvement! and the first driving wheel fitted to test clearances and if this is going to work! Other progress on the Pacer has been slow - although I've started working on a front coupling. I scoured Hornby spares and Bachmann spares to get a version of their recent Sprinter releases to no avail - so have resorted to scratchbuilding. However I'm quite impressed and I think with painting and weathering it will more than look the part Scratchbuilt coupling, I can't find anything better on the market. The last bit of progress to report is the fitting of half the roof to the station building. More recent research has shown that I've actually scaled down the building a little too much - it's about 4 or 5' shorter than the prototype. I'm trying to decide if this is actually a good thing and means I can scale down the whole area slightly to keep the build under more manageable proportions. I know this is P4 but it's not my usual style to go 100% prototypical - more if it looks right it probably is... with this in mind I need to decide over the coming weeks if it's a comprimise I'm willing to put up with or if I need to rebuild. Anyhow - the dissappointment is the pantile embossed plasticard from Slaters is very poor. There brickwork is excellent and very easy to work with hence why I plumped for the roof tiles - however they just don't have enough relief. Any suggestions? I'm really at a loss at present how to build these without having to resort to complete scratchbuilding!! Help! Dissappointing - the Slaters pantile embossed sheet just doesn't cut the mustard. Time for a re-think... Anyway enough of my ramblings on here. Comments and encouragement is very welcome!!

Well it seems to have been an age but progress on Paxton Road has been made, despite the distractions of a new project! The warehouse that was constructed right back in the dawn of the project before even the boards were built has been brought inside for 'finishing off'. The layered plasticard construction has caused a little warping in places that I've tried to put back with some thick bracing and superglue. The roof is going to need totally replacing. I've started to detail it a little now so I could get a sense of it was worth rescuing. The warehouse is supposed to represent a rail served MOD depot just north of Winchester at Worthy Down and is completely ficticious. Obviously the compound will be secured by security fencing and regularly patrolled by guard dogs, but in addition and in this day an age the norm, the MOD have added CCTV - two camera can be seen on the north end of the warehouse. These are scratchbuilt from various plastic offcuts and some etched stainless steel fret left overs. I think these look less clumsy then those available cast in white metal and I'm very pleased with them. In the top photo you can also see some external pipework and the CCTV control box added. I have to decide next where I'll locate exterior lights and if these will be working or not - and then I'll be onto gutters before re-roofing. I'm pleased with it so far though! Also worth mentioning is the Ratio gantry crane I've started putting together. I envisage this will be located on some hardstanding outside the warehouse to enable offloading of large items of equipment that can't be fork-lifted or driven out of the vans and opens that visit the facility. It's a very nice kit and I've been very impressed with the quality so far. That's all for now. Slow but steady progress - these two structures really need finishing so they can be built into the scenery as it progresses from front to back on the second half of the layout

They look great

Hi Jon, great progress, it's inspiring to see how quick you work! I think the track investment would be worth it... As you say it'll be in every photo!

Hi Jon - since there are no points have you considered C&L trackwork? It's ready to run in OO and you could use the bull head to represent older sidings. From what I've gathered Exactoscale also do flextrack base for concrete sleepered code 83, bit more involved in putting together but much more realistic than plain old Code 75? Worth a punt at least... I've gone the whole hog and am trying P4 - at least at present it's only a Pacer to convert!

Cheers guys!! I used .45mm for the handrails and .35 for the driver grabs on the front doors. The knobs are Gibson short ones. I'll look into weighting before I chop off the box - and will update with progress on the P4 conversion. I'm not expecting it to be plain sailing but I do not expect too much problem if I take things steady, and calculated (rather than my usual - rush in, worry about it later style!).

Just one small step... that's all this is - one small toe dipped in the P4 water... With the excuse of the 2010 challenge I've finally decided to scratch that itch so to speak. P4 has intrigued me for a number of years with the increase in fidelity appealing to both my engineer and artistic natures. Rose Hill will be an exercise in restraint, in prototype observation and a bit of fun - not too much of a distraction from my real love - Southern region late 90's stock. photo © and (P) Stephen McKay So where is Rose Hill? It's perhaps the modern quintessential branch line terminus? A single line terminus, one platform, park and ride style car park situated in Marple on the outskirts of Stockport (itself on the edge of Greater Manchester). The branch is a little over a mile long and leaves the Hope Valley line (Manchester to Sheffield) after Romiley. There are about 3 services an hour into Manchester Piccadilly. I plan to model the station with the road bridge as a scenic break. I will model the carpark and fuel yard in their entirety as well as what I believe was an old Hotel on the main road. Here is a plan of what the layout will cover - easily within 13.9 sq ft with fiddle yard in 4mm. Rose Hill is not a new project for me entirely. It's been on my workbench for about 2 months as a possible layout idea. The 2010 challenge has given me the impetus to try something new (P4) and model it accurately. You can find my previous posts on my Paxton Road blogs here: A distraction... Rose Hill, Marple Pacesetting... Pacer progress... So what next? Get out the credit card and order some P4 bits... On a more serious note can I thank all of those who responded to my thread in the 2010 Challenge forum, and in particular those who have today offered a great deal of support and advice in taking the P4 plunge. Thankyou. I hope Rose Hill will be a credit to me, the scale and modern image modelling.

Well it's been a few weeks now since I first posted my intentions to modify a Hornby Pacer up to more modern standards and after a stint on my rake of PNAs and some structures for Paxton Road a parcel arrived from Mainly Trains... Handrail wire and short handrail knobs! Just what I had been waiting for - and an excuse to get the Pacer back out. I've removed all the plastic handrails and replaced with wire on one unit so far, it really does lift the model. I've also tidied up the doors with a knife and file to better represent the later two piece doors. Those that are following the 2010 challenge forum may have spotted my entry (or eminent entry). Rose Hill! What might come as more of a surprise is my choice of gauge - P4!! Yes P4 - I might be mad but I'll be converting this Pacer to be the sole item of stock on Rose Hill. So where a basic upgrade and repaint may have originally sufficed I feel I need to raise the game a little now. Ultrascale make a conversion kit for the wheel set and so I set to work with the rest of the chassis. I've removed the original front apron, and sanded down the original axle pedalstals to be flat. I've crafted up a front apron from plasticard which has worked well - it now needs the steps adding. The new front apron, modelled from prototype photos. Also note the new handrails, including additional driver ones on the door, along with a new lamp iron. The glazing is temporarily fitted to check it still fitted without modification. I've also added the modified squarerer pedalstals by adding plasticard to these carefully. These might need a little more work to make them slightly deeper and it looks like the prototype has a lip along the bottom edge I will try and craft from either thin plastic or some etched stainless steel off-cuts. A comparison shot of the original chassis at the bottom still to be worked on, and the modified chassis above. Next up is working out what to do with the exhaust on the inner ends, crafting the radio pod for the roof and deciding if the plastic block that holds the weight can be modified at all whilst still allowing some hidden weight!

Just a quick mini update. Work has progressed a little on the Pacer project. I've fitted the handrails to each cab end!! Typical slow progress!

It's looking lovely - I might recommend thinner gauge wire for the grabs and bonnet handrails though? Perhaps 0.35mm? The finesse of the finish on the rest of the model would really benefit of more delicate looking grabs.

Lovely Martin Yes the 4mm could do with being finished before that lovely white box opens - although I guess opening it now may save a lot of effort on the 4mm if you end up switching?!

According to my old DMU spotter guide 150232 was made up of units DMSL 52232 and DMS 57232 - does this help?

This looks a great idea for trying out scenics as even when it's finished and you've moved on to something else you've got a fully scenic test track, or somewhere to just put a loco on and watch it run around! Nice work!

That's a huge improvement Peter - awesome. Shows how restrained weathering can really lift an out of the box model.

Thanks guys!! Some progress has been made now on the MOD depot. I've started detailing the building, although the roof has badly warped and will need replacing before painting. I've also started work on an overhead crane lift (the Ratio kit) which will sit on the hardstanding outside the depot, to allow larger items to be unloaded from flat wagons as required.

OOOOHHHHH I'll be watching this with interest... I really fancy a 37/7 in Mainline freight blue - and a 7mm model would tip me over the edge I think!! Garden layout though!

Yeah what's in the white box? Anything like a JLTRT 37?

Good work so far - great details. How about a loco hoist outside the maintenance shed (Ratio do a nice kit)? Something a little different.