Taigatrommel

What are the issues with the 742? I haven't got an educated enough eye to spot anything from the pics I've seen. I'd been hoping they'd introduce it in TT.

I really don't see that it's sensible to try and come up with a new standard, by adopting an existing one there will be a few modules already existing which could kick-start things. I'd personally call for 00Fremo, not least as I have some module end plates already cut! I made them without the use of any specialist gear using the well documented standards. I also like the options for differing land profile. At Warley and Intermodellbau I've seen setups that demonstrate how well presented a system of these modules can be, blending effectively scenically and offering a fulfilling operating experience. I wouldn't kid myself in saying that modules are ideal for exhibition, but perhaps a move away from the peculiarly British focus on the audience rather than the modeller's own pleasure could be worthwhile. I know this post is a bit "me too", still, perhaps it helps demonstrate the weight of opinion one way or another.

I hope you haven't got exactly the same ones, they'll be underscale for Hasselhof..

I've been making further small steps of progress, and taking pictures of it with a potato. I shouldn't be so lazy, I have a better camera... Electrification work has started, under the experienced tutelage of Andi Dell (Dagworth, Ravensclyffe) . Sommerfeldt masts are a pig to solder to. I think if I was doing any more extensive electrification, I would draw up etches in a more solder-friendly material, brass or nickel-silver. The U channel is the wrong way round, which is ironic as I was trying to go for greater accuracy than the commercial offerings allow. This is a reduced encumburance double cantilever mast. I have registration arms to add yet, plus of course the overhead wire itself- I'm thinking 0.0011" guitar string with 0.0009" for the droppers. I'll use 0.0014" for the registration arms. Overscale, but finer than shop bought catenary. I've had the shells for the main paper mill buildings laser cut, and now must work on the brick overlays, window framing etc. I'm still a novice with CAD! This is about 2/3 of the main building. Clockwork Ideas of Horndean provided the cutting service and helpful advice.

Not crazy prices either... good luck with the models Jason & Co!

I've been catching up with a backlog of unchipped motive power & rolling stock, which has been more interesting than it might sound. In TT there are at least five different interfaces in use, with NEM 651 (6 pin), NEM 652 (8 pin), Plux12 and Plux16, and Keuhn's Next18. By and large I go with Lenz or Zimo decoders, but I'll always give other a try if the price is attractive. Tillig's BR189 has a Plux12 interface. Fine, I bought a Lenz silver with the appropriate plug. It didn't fit in the available space, and after searching I found that Tillig have a dedicated decoder for it. Further searching revealed that this was a Tams decoder, and was cheaper getting the OEM version than the Tillig branded one. The 189 has since had its chassis redesigned to fit any Plux12 decoder... I'm trying to stick with Railcom enabled decoders as future proofing. I saw a budget priced Viessmann decoder with NEM 651 interface and Railcom, so ordered one. The function outputs didn't work, and the drive was horrible. I got a replacement under warranty, and while the functions work on this one, the drive is so rough that I've relegated it to work as a function only decoder in an InterCity driving car (Bimdzf 269). One sensible bit of wiring from Tillig is that the lighting in this coach is effectively reversed, so running it on the same address as the train's locomotive (Tillig BR 101, NEM 651 interface, spare Roco decoder) the forward and reverse direction makes sense relative to the train. The decoder might be rubbish, but at least it gives that train Railcom- the Roco decoder lacks this. Thanks to the design of the Plux interfaces, I was able to use the Lenz Silver Plux12 in a Piko BR 294 in spite of its interface being Plux16- I think the Piko loco only uses 7 of the pins as it doesn't have independently switched tail or headlights- something the Tillig BR 189 does with the Plux12 interface. Here's a gratuitous shot of the Piko 294, a better model than either of the H0 options for this type in my opinion. Everything else has been reasonably easy, although both decoder and stock manufacturers could make pin 1 more readily identifiable on NEM 651! I'm steadily working through weathering wagons. A few have gone really quite well. A couple have been disastrous. A selection of covered hoppers for lime traffic were the first I tackled. All work is enamel paints. I've yet to sort the buffers out. Lately I've had mixed results with vans, an Hbis 294 going swimmingly. Enamel washes and powders (Mig and Humbrol) A couple have gone so badly I haven't even photographed them before stripping them back to factory finish. One was an attempt at fading a traffic red van, which I managed to get brush marks on. Another is a Zacs tank, and I failed miserably to get anything approaching the look I wanted. I'm going to work with washes and powders, leaving a day between layers. Impatience was what really left it fubar. A simpler task was painting the interior of a Tillig BR 642 Desiro to from the factory pale beige to a more prototypical mid grey floor and blue seats. I tried painting the mechanism bulges in the interior matt black to hide them a bit more, but the lighting is so bright that it's plainly visible. I'm not sure at all what to do there! Oh, NEM 651, decoder in the toilet...

I have a Roco 132, and it definitely leaves the old BTTB model looking comical!

http://www.crewearchive.com/2011/08/liverpool-independent-goods-tunnel.html

While putting things in my blog, I thought I should give an impression of how things stand generally. There's a road progressing down the middle, there was a concrete segment coal yard where the paint pots are, but water leaked onto it from the iron I was weighing it down with and trashed the laser cut slabs. Stupid mistake. I have a petrol station kit to go in at the end roughly where the pic is taken from, and decisions to make about scenery between the road and the paper mill, especially where the industrial tracks go offscene.

I've spent a while fiddling with electronics and computer interfaces, to the detriment of visible progress. I got a new controller in January, a Roco MultiMaus Pro & MultiZentrale, which I thought would give me a start with JMRI. Nope. The MultiZentrale just doesn't want to communicate with JMRI, and I haven't got the will or expertise to make it happen. This leaves me with basic options, a change of controller or use Rocomotion. As Rocomotion only allows the use of Roco's own train detectors, this gets expensive even with such a small layout- a change to a LocoNet based system to allow me to use the Uhlenbrock DAISY II costs no more than kitting out the layout with the necessary detectors for Rocomotion. As I have a longer term, much larger project which I want automation on I think a change of system will be the course I take. Having frustrated myself with the control side of things, I decided to do some work that I could see tangible progress with. The run up to the left hand tunnel entrance needed a retaining wall of some sort, and as yet I haven't found TT brick or stonework that I like. Inspired by a few photos, I decided to build a blandly modern wall with cylindrical reinforcements. I've made this out of balsa, and my current challenge is to get a smooth finish- I've given it an initial rub down with wire wool, and I will do the so again between coats of paint- household emulsion from Wilkinson's. Here's how things are looking at present. Overall there's 1.1m of the wall, steadily decreasing in height as it comes away from the tunnel. Cutting all the dowel to length was tedious! The tunnel portal is simply foamboard. If it seems large, bear in mind it has to have overhead lines in, and the width was following NEM recommendations. The catenary masts are simply stuck in their holes for some flavour. The train in that picture is from one of Tillig's current start sets. I wanted both the wagons that were included, which would have been over €60 bought separately. The set was €104. Effectively, that's a sub €50 loco for me. I chose the livery that I thought suited, having found pictures of the locomotive in Germany. However, lately I've only seen pics of it in Holland, and since late last year it's been in Akiem livery. I might just sell it! As for value, I'm very impressed- consider that these are European made models. Although the loco is slightly simplified from its standard range brethren with one visible error, the wagons come with the full complement of detailing parts. I had some good news in discovering that working point indicators that can be lit are now on the market at about €8 a piece. I can accept this sort of price for what will save me a lot of time and fiddling! I've also been designing the main buildings of the paper mill in DraftSight for laser cutting, these are nearly ready to be sent off. As I get to grips with CAD I'm becoming excited by its potential for me. Hopefully I'll have something to show soon. I need to get on with things, I have an outing for Stromallee in December!

I'd long promised Mike Walker that if he ever needed a layout for his twice-yearly show in Cheltenham, I'd help out. That call came a couple of weeks ago, and so I'm taking Bad Horn. I've been hurriedly weathering a few wagons and checking that everything still works, and so far all is OK- though rushed weathering is never great. Not that any of mine is great, but I hope it's at least presentable. The exhibition is Saturday and Sunday 5th/6th April at St. Margaret's Hall, Coniston Road, Hatherley, Cheltenham, GL51 3NU. http://cheltmodrail.org.uk/

Another manufacturer joins the ranks of modern European TT, and this time it's something that could open up the scale* to British modellers. http://www.lemkecollection.de/shop/index.php?page=categorie&cat=550 I note that DB Schenker is one of the models produced. *Continental TT is quite a different size to British, using 1/120 scale rather than 1/100. This puts the 12mm gauge track within 5mm of scale width, 1440mm against 1435mm.

Ray, Wagon ID is a consideration for a large long term US-style system project which will have storage & industry sidings "offscene" - I'm using this little layout as a test bed. I had been going to use rake IDs as most trains will be block trains but the lower cost of RFID would allow individual wagons to be identified. The goal for this layout is simply automation, but if I can incorporate the more advanced features to get to grips with them before a large scale installation, all the better.

Thanks for your help Richard. Having looked further into my options, I think the route I will take is RFID in conjunction with JMRI. It's slightly frustrating that I can't easily take full advantage of the decoders' features, but RFID makes it cheaper to add wagon IDs too.

Forgive my ignorance, this is a subject I really don't know anything much about. I want to have accurately operating signalling and some automation of trains on my TT layout. Owing to the fact that some of the locos use Plux decoder interfaces, RailCom seems to be the obvious choice of train ID feedback. As such, so far I've stuck with Lenz decoders in most of my locos, save for one fitted with a TAMS LD-G-31 owing to space. User friendliness is my priority. I simply don't have any coding knowledge. I'd like to be able to have trains on the main oval running automatically, sometimes passing on the loop. This seems simple enough. The spanner in the works is that I'd also like to be able to periodically bring a train out from the manually controlled industrial branch and into the storage tracks, and vice versa. Below is a crude schematic of the setup. My signalling will be the ex Deustche Reichsbahn (DDR) Hl system. While this is a very simple scheme, it's also a learning exercise for me prior to a much larger project that I would like to have similar automation and signalling on. Quite simply, I'm looking for a recommendation of a program that is user friendly to achieve my goals. Of course, the cheaper the better as well, I'm only human!

All right then, DEMU members- though it was published by you in UpDate after all, inviting discussion on how to rid the railway modelling scene of the phrase. It's nonsense like this that makes me ashamed to be a member. As a good few posters have rightly said, diesel/electric era is no more useful a phrase than modern image, and it's not like it's even derogatory. It's just a pointless high horse.

I really wonder what place DEMU has seeking a change of terminology for their sub-segment of our hobby when their members still proudly brandish "no kettles" mugs?

TT scale Halberstadt driving car with Wittenberger cab. Well, I can hope...

On EMUs the revision was to add a radius to the upsweep and change the blue to a darker shade. There's a good illustration on this page: http://www.networksoutheast.net/emu-ac.html Just over halfway down, or ctrl+f "2 versions of Network lines."

The "122" is a 116. Very similar front end, but of course the driving car only has one cab!

Working from the tiebar's length of movement as the distance of a 90 degree arc, so in this case 2mm. Length=[angle x (pi/180)] x radius(ie crank lenth) 2=90 x 0.0175 x radius 2 = 1.575 x radius 2/1.575 = radius 1.27 = radius/crank length Edit: I go to the pub and realise that I grossly overcomplicated things, and to cap it all off that gives you an incorrect answer. Triangles are a better way to work. In this case, it's a right angled triangle, so the square root of half the square of the hypoteneuse gives you the crank length.

I've got a mild obsession about correct signalling, and this small detail is strictly a part of that. It's probably obvious, but these little objects indicate a point's position. I made a simple crank from rod and scrap etch, working out the throw distance from the tiebar's movement. I didn't get it quite right first time! The cosmetic details are Auhagen, and happily are ready painted- I do not have steady hands. They also have the lever for hand thrown points, but I'm not even going to try and make that move. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the indicator to take the rod, and in the baseboard a short length of tube holds the rod in place and allows it to turn freely.