trains12

Hi All Well I am back complete with a few bottles of Whisky Hic. Took a few railway shots and also a lot of the falls of lora in full swing , which last year it was high tide so there was none. Also The Oban Times have run a small article on me and the bridge (and Bruce - they have mentioned the show with dates in it) . Had a great time. weather was absolutely great and managed to make a load of scots pine trees in the evenings while overlooking Broadford bay looking out for seals. Will download some shots of the railways and connel ferry bridge which I took in the next few days. Cheers Peter

I still like Glenfiddich 15 and 25 year malt and Isle of Jura Peter

Hi Andy Yes Bertie is going on his summer holiday. Bruce has said that it is raining and the girls have said the same. Hope to go over Connel ferry bridge on the way up to Skye and get some shots of it without the rain? Will make some of the scots pines in the evenings. Dont suppose I will get a sun tan but we are going to the Talisker distillery on Skye one day for a tour and a (Hic) tasting of the Malts. Peter

Hi all Well apart from a few minor items and the trees the main layout is complete. The two fiddle yard boards are be be completed and connected to the main layout. Some of the roads need another coat of paint not happy with the bland grey. The biggest job now is the 200 plus trees to complete Will take these away with me and do in the evening while drinking a wee dram of malt and looking over the sea from Skye. Will be back in 10days time with some nice shots of railways around Scotland. Cheers Peter

Hi You are most welcome to call in and see us any time you are passing in North Wales as is anybody for that matter. Evenings get a little lonely due to Wendy working a late shift till 10.00pm so most of the time I spend modelling or watching NCIS on TV. Peter

Hi All well here are a few shots of the store and the small platform mounted signal box, the latter has to be positioned on the platform. It is detailed inside but in the shots you cannot see this. I should have put a light inside, in fact before I glue it down I may just fit a 12 volt LED inside running of the track bus. Peter

Hi Andy No Sanity prevailed Peter

Hi All Well here are some shots of the state of play as of tonight. Been a sunny day so managed to get a few shots of the station and small bridge. Hope you enjoy them peter

Hi David By all means call, will pm you my phone number so give me a call and will give you directions. Peter

Hi All Well just got back on the web, been off all morning again. They think it may be the over head line. Anyway a great big thank you to Ray who last evening spent the time sorting out the problems on the points 5 out of the 12 motors have now been returned due to problems. Check this morning still all working so I hope that is now the end of the matter. Many thanks to all of you who offered to come and help, you can still call if you want, always a drink here and a doggy biscut . Have done a lot of small work this morning on the layout. Started at 7.00am all plastering complete, roads all completed. Trees now being planted. Station building painted and roof being fitted also roof on signal box being done. Engine shed building has been drawn out and is ready to start manufacture. Just the far end of the bridge to connect up and the two fiddle yards boards to complete. I hope that by Friday it will al be completed bar a few small items which should be done when back from holiday. Will take some of the stock away with me to check and clean. (don't tell Wendy I said that) Will try and take some shots today. Peter

Cheers Ray Keep me sane please. Peter

Hi Andy Have just spent the last hour checking everthing again. Point that the engine was stopping on now engine going through but now the point want go over just dead. another point now working but another one has just stopped. If it is not sorted today I mean it it is going outside on the scrap heap and being chopped up. Just fed up with it. Dont have the time to rewire it back to DC before the show and finish it. Don't like letting them down but what is the point of having a layout that dose not work? 40 years building layout for people and myself and this stupid thing has beat me I think Ill pack it in and do model airplanes or go back I don't know what. I would have thought that there was somebody hear that could have helped Causing problems now with Wendy over next Saturday about going away so there is only this week to get it done. Don't think it is going to happen. Peter

Back on the web yet again it is worst than the bloody railway. Spent the morning rewireing the booster a soft start boards as Ray said ie from the main NCE board into the booster board then into the soft start board. All that this has done is now three points don't seam to have the power to move the points over and these three worked fine before. Another point which worked fine before now the engine stops on it. Have checked with the meter power to the frog OK when set in the right direction ,power to all points reading about 9 -10 volts on the main track Power on the points power bus is about the same 9-10 volts. I am totally fed up with it if anyone out there wants this dam layout they can come and get by the end of today otherwise it is going to be smashed up outside and left to rot. 11days wasted I am worse of now that a week last thursday. Come back DC all is foregiven. Any offers Peter

Hi Ray Just got back on the web since lunch time so only just received this will try this now . Have just spent most of the afternoon putting a separate bus for the points like David suggested but now another point has gone down that was working before and I can pick up the controller and operate a engine and half the points work. on their own. Just dont know what to do Now 10days spent on trying to get the sod to work so far behind with the rest of the layout that I am not going on holiday now have to get it working and completed in the next four weeks other wise it will cost me for the van hire which is paid for if we dont get it finished for Bonneybridge. If you can come on sunday and help I would be most grateful. Peter

Hi All To quote a famous actors words ' I don't believe it' Switched on this morning and all the points bar one are working fine. Engine Class 37 running great no firing of other points. Then a Bachmann 2-6-0 2MT fine , Class 08 OK.That is until I put a black five on (Hornby) Then all hell broke loose. NCE controller started doing things I don't know what . Point now playing up. Had to switch all of and leave it for a time now some points not working and engine moves points at other end of layout. Any ideas? Ready to kill the layout Peter

Hi all What I can't understand is on Water Mill Halt we have 6 DCC Colbalts working direct from the track with no booster installed due to it being only 10 ft long. They all work fine with no problems in operation. The only reason we have gone to working the points on Bridge of Muir which has nine points in 8ft was due to the time in operating the motors on WMH ie select accessory then enter then select position of point enter. It was time consuming. With B of M we will be doing shunting so I thought it would be easier to work them from push buttons on control panel and also have a booster unit due to the length of the layout 36ft and it was hoped to have sound on the diesel engines.But as I have said I have been over a week now on them and still not working right. Peter

Hi Andy Cheers for that. It is just doing my head in. The main control of the engines seams to be OK. Just the odd little problem mainly on the loco ID but have now done a sheet with all the loco address on it which I hope should solve that. Peter

Hi All Is there anyone near to me here in North Wales that understands the working of these dam Colbalt point motors. At present nearly bald with pulling out my hair. Switch on the power and they are working fine, next one fails, after a time it starts working again in the mean time another ones fails and so on, Ray was to come last Weds, but could not make it. I kown that Jinty has said to use a split power bar this is next thing to try but time is running out. Away a week on Sat. in Scotland for 10 days so real only this weekend and next week to sort it out. If any one can help would be deeply grateful. Peter

Hi All Well at long last the Bridge of Muir has been finally set in place on the layout. Have spent most of the last four days trying to get the blasted point motors to work any way we are short of one but all the others now work ( hang on while I touch some wood My head will do.) Gaugemaster have said the replacement point motors should be here in the next few days. Today a lot of small little jobs have been done and most of the scenics have now finished just the trees to do. The two station boards are now well underway and should have most of the basic work done by weekend. The only item that will not be completed for the show is the fitting of sound chips in the some of the engines, all are fitted with standard chips, but at present have run out of money for the sound chips ( about £1200) for 15 engines. It will have to wait for a while. Just at present the dinning room is so dark the photos are not coming out at well, far to dark. When the sun shines will try and get some good ones. Peter

Thanks Andy Will look into them. As you can see from above post not to happy . 4 out of 12 not working. Peter

Hi Ray Found two motors that once we had changed the power leads they seem to now work. one still will not work no movement at all one no switch it is missing and two just move at about 24hours speed if that. Still have a problem that a engine at one end of the layout going over a point can trip a point at the other end ? Paul now gone back he cannot explain it, I at wits end with them. If you can call on Weds it would be a great help, in all day. Peter

Hi all Well big problems with the Colbalt point motors . One has a broken run /set switch and three others just do not work ,the action is slow slow that it would take ages for it to complete its action. We also have another problem in that as an engine passes over a point frog at one end of the station another point at the other end operates.. Paul and Ray now seam to think that it is the Tam Valley 5amp booster that we have installed that could be causing the problem. Has anyone out there had any similar problems. On the whole the layout is working great with the chipped engines thanks to Paul. On a better note most of the scenics has been completed other than the station board. Next major item is the fitting of the trees, about 200 of them. Still got to finish the station building, engine shed and signal box. these should all be completed by next weekend. Peter

Hi all Paul is down and is fitting some of the standard chips into the engines today while I make the track connection to the main bridge . Peter

Hi all Here is the state of play tonight. Have given up for the night and fell a sleep. All the backscenes have been completed with a little jigger. Farm has been set in. and most of the flocking done on the last board over the small loch. All the walling needed has been cast and is curing The smithy has also been st and needs to be plastered in. Work on the fencing at then end of the main bridgehas been started together with the small huts and halt.most of the wiring has also been completed but still needs the point motors fitting. Hope to do this in the next few days. Below some more shots of the above. Peter