Waverley West

18 years of waiting for Hornby to release an original Railfreight liveried version and a white-striped 31/4 are over at last. No more Hornby 31s for me now. What a difference in attitude there is between Hornby and Accurascale in covering liveries and making the most of tooling. I'm tempted by a white stripe 31/4, but will also look forward to a headcode-fitted original Railfreight version and a standard headcode-fitted blue 31/1 in the future. Not to mention a coal sector one and maybe a petroleum one (or two) as well. They're not really must-haves for Scottish-based layouts, but these look like they're going to be too much to resist. I have seen a photo of a 31 parked at Haymarket though and they were sometimes used on Edinburgh - Newcastle services too. Nice one Accurascale. As other have said, so much for cutting down on my modelling budget.

Looking good, Mark. I think a few of these might well be winging their way towards Waverley West. Just need to decide exactly which ones. Looking forward to seeing them (and you!) in Glasgow on Saturday (tickets booked and ready to go). Cheers Dave PS I still think there's a gap in OO for these...

I recently bought some of these... http://www.precisionlabels.com/k18.html They did the job perfectly as replacements for a couple of horns that had broken off on my Bachmann 37s.

No, I find I have to hunt around sometimes. The same goes for the 50708 lighting strips I use too. Coastal DCC have some 50710's in stock at the moment... https://www.coastaldcc.co.uk/search.php?search=50710

Here are a couple of photos showing the pickup arrangement I use. One pickup on each side per bogie, but it's plenty in my experience. The wires are fed through the chassis through a hole drilled immediately adjacent to the bogie pivot. I normally glue the wires to the bottom of the bogie, to stop them rotating with the axle. The dog hair on the second wheel is optional (but inevitable if you have a Labrador ).

No, sorry, these are the ones I mean, ESU 50710... https://railsofsheffield.com/products/esu-loksound-50710-led-powerpack-double-pack?variant=35450577125448&currency=GBP&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google+shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQiAoY-PBhCNARIsABcz770KURKDp4nPwq6qWz9QWB83n6-y9T47nTNYXs_uanXBHoO4Ps70j_kaAmT7EALw_wcB Nice and compact. They fit perfectly in a toilet compartment. You get two in a pack. As well as eliminating flicker, they also reduce the need to clean the coaches' wheels. In fact, I have so far had to clean very few wheels once these are fitted.

Hi Ian, I use replacement wheelsets from Peters Spares (such as https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/312097566608?hash=item48aa76ef90:g:fbQAAOSwYKNau6Qs). These are insulated with the axle being electrically connected to one wheel only, so I alternate the live wheels along the rake (meaning there is only one wheel live on each side per bogie, if you see what I mean). I also use DCC Concepts low-friction pick-ups (such as https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323063295527?hash=item4b3812ae27:g:zxwAAOSwWUlan5PA) Even with these pickups though, I find there can still be quite a lot of friction over a full rake, so I tend to trim them (cut the coil in half). This still provides plenty of pickup in my experience. Finally, I use ESU power packs soldered to the ESU strip, which eliminates all flicker in my experience. The result, in my experience, is low-friction, completely flicker-free lights, even over complicated pointwork! Hope that helps! Dave

I do remember how hard it was to get the various front end stripes even reasonably straight on my version when I resprayed a Swallow-liveried one into the original version of the IC livery.

It looks to me like the orange stripe is all over the place. If that was a transfer I'd put on, I'd be doing a lot of nudging to straighten it up. As GordonC says, the top edge of the actual windscreen looks straight to me. I think the moulding line is very prominent though and it would be nice to think Hornby would do something about it. Unlikely, I'd say, but I'd be very happy to be proved wrong. I'm pretty happy with my current HST power cars though on the whole. There is already space in both power cars for sound chips and decent sized speakers, and the couplings have never caused me any issues at all (unlike virtually all other Hornby loco couplings).

I have, thanks, but I experienced the same problem. I find removing the coupling hook is often sufficient on the Hornby Class 31. On their 50, 56 and 60, I file down the v-shaped piece of plastic behind the buffer beam, making it easier for the coupling to switch from one side to the other. This normally solves the problem, although it does result in a bit of a gap to the first wagon/coach. This can sometimes be reduced by using a shorter coupling though.

I don't think so. It's to do with the centring mechanism, which uses a small spring. The spring is completely overwhelmed by anything resembling a heavy load. With anything more than just a few coaches, the spring just isn't powerful enough to return the coupling to the centre, with the result that when the train passes through a reverse curve, the coupling remains on the "wrong" side of the v-shaped plastic which is supposed to create the close coupling on the straight. The result is that the coupling drags the leading bogie/wheelset off the track to one side. I much prefer bogie-mounted couplings, which work pretty flawlessly in my experience, as used on all my Bachmann stock, for example. Some CCMs work OK (again, Bachmann's version fitted to their Mk 2fs, for example), but many don't (the version Heljan uses on its bogie wagons is another example of a CCM mechanism which usually needs major modification/replacement in my experience). But, I digress, back to the APT, which I'm very much looking forward to.

You may be right, but I have too many Hornby diesel locos which have needed extensive modification to their couplings to stop them dragging rolling stock off the track through reverse curves to believe that their on-track testing methods are exhaustive.

I hope you're right, but I'm not convinced.

I was watching an edition of Hornby A Model World last night, the one about the development of Churchill's funeral carriage. It was very disappointing to see how little on-track testing the coach seemed to go through before being accepted. Apart from using what looked like just an 8' x 4' roundy roundy set-track layout with the only reverse curves being through the points, the testing simply seemed to involve dragging the coach as the last vehicle in a rake of 2/3 coaches around the layout, with no trailing load whatsoever. A quick google reveals that the funeral train consisted of a six-coach rake with the funeral carriage as the second coach. The least Hornby could have done would surely have been to test it in that formation? Despite his pleasing enthusiasm for his job, the person in charge of the testing seemed to be a product designer/developer, rather than an enthusiast and had no thought whatsoever for the possible drag effects of trailing coaches. If this is the sum total of Hornby's on-track testing, it does at least give an indication of how they can pass the close-coupling mechanisms on their diesel locos, which has long been a bane of mine. I can imagine their CCM mechanism working with a short rake of a few wagons behind the loco, but not with any significant number of wagons (in my experience and that of many others at least). On a more positive note, it was good to see the effort being put into getting the light grey colour on the APT right. When Hornby first released its horribly orange/yellow version of this colour, SK defended it by citing RAL values. That approach seems to have been abandoned in favour of visual cross-checking against the real thing. I'd say the light grey on the latest APT is not far off the mark, especially given that it is a difficult colour to reproduce and that it looks different in different lighting. Having sold off my 1980s set, I'm looking forward to getting my 7-car rake to go with the 2 coaches already received. I will have to do something about those capacitors, but it's a bonus that pickups are already fitted, which will speed up the process of fitting replacement lighting.

Belated Happy New Year to you, Alain! More great videos, especially the one with 37012 on vans and timber. I have one of those on my workbench ready to do. Best wishes for 2022 Dave

Hi folks, Well, that's the season's festivities over for me now. Back to work tomorrow. Just thought I would post a few pics from today's operating session. Lots of minor jobs done over the Christmas break, minor repairs, improvements and all those small jobs I've been meaning to do for ages. So, without further ado, here they are... Some general views overlooking the station, with 37417 on an Inverness service alongside a Glasgow push-pull set. On the far right is 47745 on a Bristol service. A couple of closes-up of 37417 Highland Region, recently released from the Waverley West Works, fitted with a Legomanbiffo sound chip as part of the Waverley West Class 37 renewal and refurbishment programme... 47642 Strathisla arrives from Inverness... Up on Waverley Bridge is the Red Star parcels office as was. I finally managed to track down a photo of the building in its Red Star days in the 1980s, so it has now been adorned with suitable posters of the period. Apart from its external decoration, the building is remarkably unchanged to this day. One of the lights on the roof and one light on the station ramp were also replaced over the Christmas break. Down on Platform 14, a Glasgow push-pull set with 47716 at the rear prepares to depart... Passengers on a departing service for Aberdeen enjoy a cuppa, or maybe something stronger... Coach B in the rake leaves the platform... A busy station scene... A different view of 37417 through The Mound Tunnels... A Strathclyde-liveried 107 and a newly arrived Regional Railways 156 prepare to depart on their respective services. One of the minor jobs was to finally get around to straightening that gantry signal. Another job was to fit resistors to the signals on the gantry to reduce the rather artificial green/yellow/red glare from the signals on Waverley Bridge. An HST snakes its way into Waverley with a service from Aberdeen... D200/40122 brings a service from Kirkcaldy into Platform 17... Well, I think that's all for now, folks. Plenty of jobs both on the bench and at the planning stage! 37114 and 37401 are both nearing completion. Two Class 150s and a 156 will also enter the works soon for detailing and passenger-fitting, etc. I have rewired the decoders on the 150s and remapped the functions, so that the interior lights can be switched on separately from the running lights. As much as I love interior lights on rolling stock, I think they look way over the top during daylight running. Hope to be back soon with another update. Cheers for now, Dave

That was the pre-Christmas rush... 47644 had failed on departure with an Inverness service (dirty wheels), and 37417, recently released from the WW works, was deputising. On the left is an HST set about to depart for King’s Cross. In the centre next to 37417 is a Glasgow-bound push-pull set, while on the far right is 47745 with a X-country service bound for Bristol via Carstairs.

Happy New Year One and All from Waverley West Amazingly, I have managed to spend quite a bit of time up in the railway room this holiday. Most of the time was spent on general maintenance/repairs to the layout, mostly involving catching up on jobs which were building up. Although the jobs were relatively minor, they have made a big difference to the reliability of the layout, making operating sessions a lot more fun. Hope to be back soon with some pics of recent running sessions/improvements. Happy Modelling! Dave

Hi folks, Just thought I'd drop by and wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Unfortunately, I can't stop and post any piccies this year, but I hope Santa brings you all the trains you have asked for. I'm hoping for one or two of the new Bachmann 47s and a few Cavalex BBAs to make up a short steel train. I'm also hoping for a little modelling time, with the plan being to fix some of the street lights that have failed over the past year or two. It's a job that has been building up over that time and has finally got to me. Season's Greetings One and All, Dave

The tunnel outlines were actually traced from a photograph of the real thing, so they're pretty accurate. The real tunnels also have "limited clearance" signs too of course, as they're tight tunnels.

Hi folks, Just a quick update on recent developments on WW. The past month or two have been very difficult, as my wonderful mum passed away last week after a six-year battle with dementia. Fortunately, she died peacefully in her sleep with a carer from the care home by her side. Her stay in the care home coincided with the pandemic, so seeing her was very difficult over the past 18 months. I think she still recognised me right at the end though, so that is something to hold onto. It's funny really, over the past few months railway modelling has seemed such a trivial pursuit at times and at others such a welcome chance to escape from the trials and tribulations of life. I do think we're very fortunate to have a hobby like ours. So few hobbies are so wide-ranging and offer a chance to escape to a time and place in the world of our choosing in the way railway modelling does. Anyway, whenever I have had the chance, I have been busy working away on a few projects recently. First up is Inverness-based 27029, which has now been put into service on a PW rake. This loco has no water tanks and as far as I am aware never carried snowploughs, so it's a little different from the other 27s on WW. It's finished with a dirty underframe (of course) and a dirty roof. The sides are work-stained but relatively clean. Here are some pics... Next is something of a novelty on WW - a Class 90 in the shape of 90019 Penny Black and a matching Mk 3 DVT. This both hauls trains without any OHLE when no one is looking and gets dragged through Waverley on a diversion due to closure of the WCML south of Glasgow. I only noticed once I had taken the photos that I had broken off one of the multiple working cables on the front, so that's a mending job to add to the list. I think it's a fine-looking loco which really comes to life with a bit of weathering. Finally, a few busy night-time views from some recent running sessions... With the impending arrival of some Accurascale 37s, I thought now would be a good opportunity to go through WW's Class 37 fleet. There are some that will become surplus to requirements, but there are also others which will continue in use, along with a few locos in their boxes which I have yet to get round to doing. As part of this project, 37417 has now been completed and is ready for service. 37418 was temporarily withdrawn and has had its snowplough replaced with a version fixed to the buffer beam (from a Heljan 47), so that I can go to town with the buffer beam detailing. This is now almost finished and just needs touching up. Both of these locos have also been fitted with Legomanbiffo 37 sound chips, my first biffo 37 sound chips (very impressive!). Two more 37s are now on the bench in the form of 37114 Dunrobin Castle and 37401 Mary Queen of Scots. I already have a 37401 on the layout but I think I can do a better job of the weathering, so that one will probably be sold off. Santa is also bringing another Large Logo 37 to be renumbered as 37403 Isle of Mull. In other news, I have recently invested in a couple of Provincial-liveried 150s to replace my existing ones. I decided that the latest version was enough of an upgrade (mainly due to the interiors) to make it worthwhile. I was disappointed to find that I couldn't switch off the interior lights separately from the running lights on the new Bachmann version, so I have invested in a Loksound Programmer and have now remapped the functions so that I can do precisely this. I have also switched all the functions round so that they are similar to the Legomanbiffo function layout, which is my sound source of choice. I quite like the sound itself though, so I don't think I will be reblowing the chips, for now at least. The old 150s will then be sold to recoup some of the cost, but I do find myself thinking more and more, can I really justify spending that much money on X? I hesitate to bring up the cost of models these days, but I do give a lot more thought to what I want/need now. I quite fancy one or two of the new Heljan 104s when they come out, as they did operate from Waverley. But can I really justify the best part of £400 on a 3-car DMU before sound-fitting? I'm not sure I can really. This isn't so much a complaint, as, like most modellers, I have more stock than I could ever need, but it is a change of approach that has been necessitated by the price rises. Modelling a specific location does at least give me one way of narrowing down what I buy - I just ask myself did it ever pass through Waverley between ca. 1979 and ca. 1994? And before you say it, yes, I do know that 90s never ran through Waverley in pre-OHLE days. Or did they?? Built from '87 onwards, wires up in Waverley 89, WCML diversion drag in '88. It's not impossible, you know. Well, I guess that covers everything for now. Stay safe everyone in the face of this pesky pandemic. I'm really hoping Glasgow won't be cancelled for another year in February, but I guess there are more important things to worry about in life! Hope to be back soon with another update. Happy Modelling! Dave

Hi folks, Here is the latest video from Waverley West...

A June 1987 shot of Inverness-based 27029 emerging from the Mound Tunnels with a rake of PW wagons, as it heads east through Edinburgh Waverley...

Could it be that the black plastic ends of the carden shaft(s) are slipping on the shaft? I had this problem, mainly because it regularly runs coupled to a Bachmann DMU which has different speed characteristics (must fix that!). Replacement shafts are available from Dapol if this is the problem. I couldn't work out how to secure the old ones again once they started slipping.

Just a curious trick of the light, I'm afraid. It would be good to see that sort of thing modelled on loco bodysides in particular though. The amount of rippling visible on some classes is quite striking sometimes.