John Geeee

The OO Garden Shed By John Geeeee It has been about 18 months since I last posted a blog update on here. I have mainly been playing with sound decoders and growing my sound fitted loco collection. I picked up a Bachman stone signal box the other week which was at a sale price in my local model shop. It came in a blue/green colour scheme (Scottish??) so I have repainted it to fit more in with my loose LMS type theme. I am now putting together a Ratio white metal signal box interior kit to install in it. Here is the source of all my DCC frustrations of late! Don't get me wrong, it's a great controller, probably the best, but trying to program decoders when you do not know what the terminology means is a nightmare. I have recently got a new SLR that has a video function in it so thought I would try some quick DCC sound demos of my fleet. The first is a Bachmann sound fitted 55022 that I bought from someone on this site. The video shows that in reverse it only has a single slow speed? When moving forwards it moves off straight away before the engine sound has had time to ramp up? Can I figure out how to change this, can I hell! I am not sure why the picture links show up as small but Click and Watch and you should see the full size versions: The next two are a new Bachmann class 55 and a Dapol Western that I have fitted sound chips to. Everything hunky dory and fun. The last one is my only (and probbaly my last!!) sound fitted steam to a Bachman 5MT. A loco that ran perfectly well under DC, stick a Sound decoder in it and it wants to sit and admire in silence every point it crosses!! I have cleaned and proded and cleaned and proded....... nothing makes it any better. It has an MX646R Zimo decoder in it and it was suggested that a stay alive capacitor could not be fitted to it, but I honestly can't see how it will work without one. Once it is running at pace it can skip over points quite effortlessly, try crawiling around a yard and my index finger gets blisters from pushing! I also recently bought a Digitrax PR3 decoder programmer to help me with easier programming by connecting it up with DecoderPro software. It lasted all of 30 minutes at which time I innocently connect it to my program track at the same time as my ECoS 50200 was connected to it. I assumed the PR3 would just read the decoder whilst the ECoS would test out the changes. I pay my attention to my laptop and behind my back the PR3 is now smoking and melting away!! Hopefully it is now on its way back to Digitrax for repair under their "I am an idiot" accidental damage warranty. So the world of DCC is certainly more exciting. Is it simple? There are people who baulk at the thought of wiring up a DC layout, believe me it was a piece of p**s compared to getting a DCC sound loco running how you want it to Cheers John Geeeeee

No but I wish it did

Hi Footy Fans Enyone interested in joining an online football management game. A group of us that originated from the NewRailwayModellers website setup a league in Xpert Eleven 5 or 6 years ago but our numbers are dwindling and we are looking for new recruits. our league has now been running for about 35 seasons but we are now only down to 7 teams. You manage a fictional set of players and have to organise your team for two matches a week. Takes a few minutes to set up each match at anytime up to 3 days before the game, Player Transfer system, develop players skills over the season , watch players increase or decrease skills on how they are used, various ways to have a bit of banter, earn money by writing your own match reports, prediction pools competitions, Teams of the week, Player tables for most goal scorers-assists-bookings- ratings etc Free to join and any new managers are more than welcome. If anyone is interested please take a look at www.xperteleven.com or apply to join our league by following this link http://www.xperteleven.com/?lid=84169 Cheers John Geeeee (Leeds United fan)

The OO Garden Shed By John Geeeee Well the Garden Shed is feeling a bit neglected of late. It's been a long while since it's had any work done on it and the spindley legged spiders have taken a good hold everywhere I look, shudder...... I did a refit of the main station platform which looked ok but now after a few months it has buckled up slightly in the atmosphere of the shed so another disheartening project may need to be revisitted. So whats happened in the last couple of weeks? I have bought a couple os second hand Warships and a new Bachman 10000 taht I could not resist at the Warley show last week. The 10000 looks very nice to my uneducated loco eyes, runs very nice out of the box on track that has not been cleaned for a very long time. Below are some pics and a link to a video of the 10000 running around the layout. Click on the link below to see the video: http://s128.photobucket.com/user/JohnGeeeee/media/10000ontheloose_zpsf5e9004a.mp4.html I am currently working on a Ratio signalbox so if I can complete that within the next 12 months I will add another update Cheers John Geeeee

Hi Dave, Yes its worth practising on some bits of "scrap" plasticard first to get used to the effect you want to achieve, I can't say if my way is the right way to do it but I like the effect it gives. Good Luck. John Geeee

Hi Dave, Thank you for the comment, Over my short modelling career for buildings and scenery I have tried Higher quality Newton&Windsor Galleria acrylics, Tamiya/Humbrol/Airfix modelling acrylics, and cheap acrylic tubes that you can pick up from various high street bargain book chains. They all work but In my opinion save your money and buy some of the big tubes from cheap book stores. I generally use them straight out the tube for main coats and dilute them with tap water for washes. They have good adhesion to the Ratio and other modelling plastic sheets. Just give them a bit more time to dry before applying subsequent coats or washes. Spend the money you save on better quality brushes instead. John Geeee

The OO Garden Shed By John Geeeee Well it has been a while since I last posted a blog entry. After months of nothing, I have been re-skining the station. The base was a Scalescenes card job that had turned a silly shade of pink due to using cheap printer inks. Rather than waste it I thought I would try and add Finecast stone sheets to it and paint it accordingly. I broke the building down into sections and removed any signs and cills etc. I used another printout of the scalescenes kit for templates. Heres the completed skin before painting. First coat of stone base colour applied and old roof peeled off. Various washes applied to give a bit more weathered look. I struggle with dry-brushing but find I can get a nice effect by repeated dirty washes with burnt umber and a final cream wash for morter and to add a kind of faded appearance, and now needs final finishing with guttering, downpipes, and signs. The finished thing, Dirty windows and all, its about time the window cleaners were in: I say finished, I want to add a clock on the platform side and maybe some flower baskets or something if I ever see such things in the future. THe nest project is to apply the same skin to the station platforms to again hide the pink base and turn it into stone with a complete paved surface. Cheers John Geeeeee

The Mad O'Rourke pub crawls in a day (or a weekend for wimps) about 15 pubs from memory. You got a card stamped in every pub when you bought a pint and when you filled the card you won a tankard. Cow pies were impossible to finish for most, I can remember going to one of the O'rourke pubs in tipton where they also served the mixed grill on a hot shovel instead of a plate. I used to go to The Barge ( I think it was called that) by a canal near tipton where the bar was actually the front end of a canal barge! Loads of litlle breweries everywhere, Simpkiss at the Jolly Crispin in Sedgeley, Holdens, ... The Crooked Inn where bottles looked like they rolled up hill. I miss "Faggits and Paes", you cant buy decent butchers hand made faggots wrapped in the stomach lining (delicious) in Widnes for love nor money ! ;-( Listening to old relatives who had to tell me everything twice and slowly because even I could not understand a word . Ommer 'em Craaadley!!! Speedway on a saturday night when Bruce Penhall was king followed by Erik Gundersson and a whole stream of other speedway stars riding for my club!! I want to go back 'ome now , sob !

A dare you to model Galton bridge. It crosses the railway and the canal. I used to live a couple of hundred yards from it as a kid, just over the road from Smethwick West station. Add a canal scene and add the Pump House just in front of Rolfe Street station. Also try recreating the sound and feel of the drop forgings at the top of Rolfe Street. I used to wait there for the old No43 bus and you could not lean on the factory wall because of the vibrations every time the hammers dropped.

Here are some pics of my control panel. There are more than 30 switches for points, various on/off isolator switches, switches to power turntables, and 4 rotary switches to give me CAB control to four sections of the layouts, and a CDU underneath to boost the point solenoids. The pictures are not fully up to date, ther are some more crossover points at the main station and added switches in the middle of the panel to control the turntable and sidings in the engine shed section that was added to the layout later. The black Hornby control is used to provide the power to rotate the turntables. All other power comes from a guagemaster Q4 controller. Maybe not the pretiest but it was my first effort and works a treat.

The OO Garden Shed By John Geeeee I have replaced the cardboard platform with a plastic based one. Made from a Ratio platform kit and scratchbuilt steps. I painted it to give a stone effect in my usual way as described in previous entries. It is fixed down with a bead of milliput. The milliput just needs painting and a few crates and other goods added to finish it off.

Well its been a while since I posted any updates so I thought I would show some of my recent weathering efforts. Its all done with an airbrush and I use humbrol enamels leather and matt black and a bit of encouragement from the various frenzy of DVD's, books, and magazine articles that have been released over the last 12 months or so. I am not sure if it is to everyones taste but I like what I have done so far. I think there are some interesting effects especially some by using a bit too much white spirit thinner which once dried seems to have left an uneven damp look on a couple of the locos. Anyway I hope you find some interest in my efforts, sorry for the quantity but I get carried away and think they are all worth posting Thanks for looking. John Geeeeee And to Finish here is a picture of my new Bachmann Deltic and Crimson coaches.

Fantastic photo as usual. Can I ask what you use for lighting when you take pics?

The OO Garden Shed By John Geeeee After a few months of lack of enthusiasm for modging about in a cold shed, I have finally got back on with things and finished off a new wall for the station. It's scratchbuilt using Wills Stone sheets and painted with cheap artist acryics in my usual method. Yellow Ochre basecoat, repeated burnt umber washes untill some of the dark brown starts to settle on the big stone, then finish with a creamy coloured wash and wipe off with a damp kitchen towell to lighten it again. Here are some pics: Cheers John Geeeee

Hi Tony Thanks for the comments. Try reading the text instead of just looking at the pictures LOL . I have a nice source with my local model shop for busses and that one was a real bargain for a tenner! B) Cheers

The OO Garden Shed By John Geeeee Well it's been a few months since Part One, but slowly I have been making progress. The platforms have now been weathered and fencing added. The high street road and pavements have also been relaid using Scalescenes printouts. A new station wall is in progress made from stone Wills sheets to replace the flat looking brick card used previously. It now just requires capping stones, painting, and fixing down. I have also added a nice looking double decker bus that I could not resist. So I thought I may as well add the pictures here. Work remaining is to finish some more stone walling at the top of the high street and across the end of the station platforms. Then I need to sort out some street lighting and to add some steps to the front of the station. I will also add a small pavement island at the front of the station with a bus stop or something. I hope you like the work and please feel free to comment. Cheers John Geeeee

Hi Tony Yes, I agree about the platform lengths I can just fit 6 carriages if the loco is just in line with the end ramp. Thats also the thing I wanted when I started with regard to plenty to do when operating. I didn't want a too restricted "exhibition" style layout. I wanted something that I could happily let trains zoom around the loops without being watched or derailing and still have plenty of other things to do with shunting puzzles and feeding various sidings. I feel I am spoilt for choice at times thinking "where shall I go next" B)

The OO Garden Shed By John Geeeee I decided to extend the length of the terminous track and add an extra crossover for a longer runaround. I also thought I would build a new station building and a new platform to accomodate the extra length. The extra length will now hold 5 carriages plus the loco and tender. I also wanted to move the station building to sit along the track rather than across the track ends. The new station and platforms are made using Scalescenes kits. Here is the station building and all I have added so far is plastic doors. Here it is on top of the old platform Next I started the framework structure for the new platform. Once measured and glued together it was fixed down with bluetak and then the card for the top was cut to size. I ran my widest locos up and down to ensure that they did not snag on the platform top. Surprisingly I found one of my 08 shunters created most problems with the platform catching the connecting rods. The platform top was covered with the tarmac and paving printouts and finished with the edging stones. The paltform structure was made from 2mm card and the top was 1mm card. The 1mm card was too thin so I fixed thin strips to the edges underneath to try and give a thicker appearance. I like the look of the platform and the new station. Next I need to add some fencing, Platform canopies at the farthest end and a footbridge onece I have made the other platform. I will probably have a stone wall across the track ends and I need to construct some steps for the front of the station building. Lots of detailing and bedding down to do once I have sorted out a new road surface and perimeter wall fro the high street. Cheers John Geeeee

I have enquired before by PM to John that my wish would be a nice large front, low relief hotel to put near a station.

It was a pleasure! I am glad you enjoyed it Cheers John Geeee

I got it from here Pay4x.com The cheapest I could find but you need to get an micro SD card for it . I got a 2Gb card for about ??3.50 from a computer fair. The video quality is better than the files attached , I scaled the files down from about 30Mb to about 5mb to try and make them quicker to download.

The OO Garden Shed By John Geeeee I have just got a mini DV recorder to play with on the layout for a bit of fun. It is just small enough to be able to hold on the side of a wagon and for the size and memory the quality of the video seems quite good. Here is a pic of how I attach it It is a bit heavy so it does need a counter weight in the wagon: So with a bit of playing to get the best angle and height so as not to drag I offer you the following videos to watch (you will have to ignore the dates and time on the vids, I have not figured out how to set the current date on it yet): The Down Line: The Up Line: While I am at it, here are a couple of pics of the refuelling station that has now had some weathering applied. Thanks for looking. John Geeee

Hi Alcazar, Yes I agree with your comment. I plan to do something like a very low surrounding wall or sort of raised bed around the table and a buffer stop on a piece of rail to prevent overun. I just have not got around to doing it yet until I have another look at the motor drive. I may also add a couple of extra storage tracks off the turntable as well. All in good time, it is still a WIP