SWT442

Join us for our 44th annual exhibition by the New Forest Model Railway Society!

The show is being held in Brockenhurst Village Hall, with free parking available on site. The venue is also a short walk away from Brockenhurst Railway Station. Unlike 2022 and 2023, all layouts will now be in the main hall building, with the upstairs level now being used. Food and light refreshments are available.

Address:

Brockenhurst Village Hall, Highwood Road, SO42 7RY

Opening Times:

Saturday 25th May - 1000 - 1700

Sunday 26th May - 1000 - 1630

Admission:

Adults - £7

Accompanied children under 16 free

Layouts:

Castell Bevan Castle - OO9 - Freelance Welsh Narrow Gauge

Cwmbridge - OO - Welsh Steam shed

Elmbridge MPD - N - Modern image depot and terminus

Fareford Depot - OO - Modern Image MPD

Fence Houses NCB - OO - 1960's colliery

Grafty Green - O - Southern Region terminus

Ipleigh Castle - OO - Showing can be done in a small space

Los Tanimals - N - American modular layout

Parts Unknown - TT - Under construction TT layout

Pine Road - OO-FS - Southern region terminus

Quarry Bank - OO9 - Freelance quarry

Ramsgate Sands - N - Southern Region terminus

St. Holdens - EM - 1955 Great Eastern branch

Wickhambreux Road - OO9 - Fictional Kent narrow gauge

Traders:

BH Enterprise - N scale kits and accessories

Dave Smith - Second hand railway and transportation books

Jeff Wilson - Pre-owned stock and second hand tools

Ken Aveyard - Second hand models & rolling stock

Model Railway Solutions - Brand new and second hand R-T-R

Ron Lines - Second hand model railway items

Wheels of Southsea - Diecast models

St. Holdens:

Wickhambreux Road:

Fareford Depot:

Grafty Green:

2 hours ago, adb968008 said:

https://shop.keymodelworld.com/collections/limited-editions?grid_list=list-view
 

specifically for cappagh..

 

 

 8170 5500 714-7

https://shop.keymodelworld.com/collections/limited-editions/products/pre-order-cappagh-branded-royal-blue-jna-v5
 

8170 5500 716-2 
https://shop.keymodelworld.com/collections/limited-editions/products/pre-order-cappagh-branded-royal-blue-jna-v6

 

8170 5500 722-0 ^
https://shop.keymodelworld.com/collections/limited-editions/products/pre-order-cappagh-branded-royal-blue-jna-v7

8170 5500 733-7 ^ with tailight

https://shop.keymodelworld.com/collections/limited-editions/products/pre-order-cappagh-branded-royal-blue-jna-with-taillight-v8

and unbranded blue

8170 5500 654-5

https://shop.keymodelworld.com/collections/limited-editions/products/pre-order-cappagh-unranded-royal-blue-jna-v5

 

8170 5500 657-8

https://shop.keymodelworld.com/collections/limited-editions/products/pre-order-cappagh-unranded-royal-blue-jna-v6

 

8170 5500 698-2
https://shop.keymodelworld.com/collections/limited-editions/products/pre-order-cappagh-unranded-royal-blue-jna-v7

 

8170 5500 701-4

https://shop.keymodelworld.com/collections/limited-editions/products/pre-order-cappagh-unranded-royal-blue-jna-v8

 

 

i ordered 3 of each of the Cappagh in first 4, but as I can now get 8 unique wagons from 12, I can spare a set from 1-4. Lets see if this next batch sell out, I may yet get a unique whole train.

 

^ these ones were used on the intial Chessington South yard reopening workings in Feb 2022 (7154 / v2 and 7204 /v3 were also in the initial consist)

Well, that was an expensive morning. Missed out on the first run, having sold off my DB MMA's in hopes the Cappagh wagons would be done. 12 of these ordered along with 60029, good thing there's some time to save up!

Andy.

3 hours ago, Fat Controller said:

Looks like a nice model. Regarding the two hoppers in the train of car-carriers; they were carrying t flint for garden landscaping. loaded at Southampton docks and destined for Mossend.

1 hour ago, Benjamin Brady said:

I've a few photos but I'll have to dig them out the hea I was told was a stone contract with b and q 

10pm at Carlisle 6o15 later 6v15 always used to have them at the front 

Slightly off topic, but regarding the HEA's, the 'gen' which came from an Eastleigh based DB driver at the time said it was sea dredged pea shingle for B&Q, which went to PD Stirling at Mossend for processing. Initially was for 3 wagons a week but seemed quite sporadic at times.

The Eastleigh 'Enterprise' and it's associated trip workings to Southampton Western Docks, Marchwood and Fawley are much missed since the demise of the General Freight Network (as DB called it) in 2017.

Andy.

An excellent choice, been waiting a long time in hopes I'd see these done RTR! I'll definitley be having a few sets to model the Morris Cowley working.

Good thing is, you can get away with just the one set as part of an enterprise working or just on its own on a wagon move. Also means you can have them behind more locos than just an EWS/DB Class 66!

Yesterdays working from Morris Cowley to Southampton and return was just 3 wagons, so even present day modellers can get away with a 'short' train of them!

Andy.

Some not particularly brilliant shots of the SWT one on the bench. The new style of packaging was a bit of a surprise but at least it made it easier to remove the models. The old foam tray was quite a tight fit. Though it's odd that the motor coach comes in its own packaging.

The colours look pretty good to me, be interesting to see how they compare to Bachmanns 3-CEP.

Andy.

13 minutes ago, kintbury jon said:

Would be good if the chassis block could be bought so that the older ones can be upgraded. 

 

Is there still a drag on the trailer bogies?

No drag at all. The trailer bogies all have pin point axles and roll very freely. I've a pair of the SWT ones on the bench at the moment, found both motor coaches smooth runners on the rolling road and the body a doddle to remove to fit a decoder.

One slight niggle is the motor coach bodies being a touch too easy to remove! Picking up from the top of the coach body seems to risk the clips on the bottom not engaging fully, causing the chassis to sag. 

Definitely a good upgrade from the first release, and I really hope we see a 4-CIG join it at some point. 

Andy.

6 hours ago, LittleRedTrain said:

Had a chance to test my newly arrived sound-fitted South West Trains 3-CEP today.
All seems to be good, except the rear 'blinds' don't appear to illuminate in either direction.
Front blinds, centre headlight and saloon lighting all seem to be behaving fine.

Does anyone else have one, and if so, are yours working? Am I missing something obvious?
I couldn't see any mention in the manual of turning the rear lights on/off separately via a decoder function.

Same issue with mine. Someone on Twitter reported the same issue with theirs too.

No switches that I can see for light control. Manual states F0 for both head and tail lights.

Not sure whether the 4-TEP is similarly affected? Will be dropping Bachmann an e-mail about it to see what the score is.

Andy.

Interesting thread!

Was part of a group that had a tour of the stored Class 60's at Toton in October 2021. Took shots of the nameplates as thought it odd they were laid up with them still in situ. Wasn't really sure what to do with them until this thread popped up!

60034

Granted not a nameplate, but hopefully still interesting. Knew the 60's were fitted with WIPAC lights, yet didn't know it was printed onto the lens nor labelled as the 'Hair Raiser'!

Andy.

One of the aims with Maritime Lane was to be a test bed for proper wiring and point control, as the layout I had in my parents garage just had a few DCC feeds and all points operated by hand. With the loft being boarded out, it meant a 35ft by 9ft continuous run could be built, but would be a rather daunting project for someone who had never done it properly before! A small depot seemed a good way to get to grips with things.

A bundle of SEEP point motors along with a CDU were had from a mate a few years ago, so these were put to good use. I'd always fancied the DCC Concepts Cobalt point levers and with the layout only having six points, the bundle of 6 they do seemed a no brainer! A few hours one evening was spent practicing how to wire one up to throw a solenoid point motor.

With that figured out, the fun of getting everything wired up on the layout could start. One Saturday afternoon was spent pulling the points up, doing some mods to help with reliable operation and drilling the holes for the point motors. With the motors all fitted, a week went by as I got some additional wiring and jumper leads in place. A Sunday afternoon was then spent getting everything wired up and tested. Despite having an issue with one of the levers causing a short, everything actually worked first time round!

With that done, some testing was done to make sure everything was working reliably before the scenic work could start proper. This brings everything up to date, as some basic scenery placement and planning has started while I play trains and make sure everything works fine!

Most items will be ready to plant, mixed in with some kit built stuff. The shed has been made by Weston Models, while the portacabins representing the depot offices are from Bachmann. A Scale Model Scenery telecoms mast was also built up. Road vehicles are Oxford Diecast. The roadways and depot hard standing are made from 2mm thick grey board, with the hardstanding around the shed being doubled up so it comes up to track height.

The DB shunter is on hire until I find a Freightliner one, though I do like the look of the 6w Sentinel Hornby have just released...

Andy.

Hello and welcome to Maritime Lane VMF, a model of a Freightliner depot set around 2020.

Having moved out of my parents and into my first house during March 2021, the itch to play trains soon appeared! I had picked up a basboard off a club member during a show in 2019, which had been stored away by a mate, so this was retreived and planning could start on something. The board was a single 4ft by 2ft one, so a depot of some description seemed like a logical idea.

Having a load of Colas stuff, I did initially think about doing a depot based around them but having picked up one of Bachmann's Class 90's in Freightliner colours, my plans soon shifted. Thus, Maritime Lane VMF was born. The layout and it's name takes some inspiration from Southampton Maritime, with a bit of Basford Hall influence from having OHLE. A track plan was drawn up and laid out, with one of the aims being to not cram sidings in every bit of space but still give a good amount of stock on the layout. Part of the Southampton Maritime influence is the shed for wagon maintenance.

By the summer, the track had been laid proper and everything wired for DCC. Copper tape was used for the main bus under the layout. Testing could begin to ensure everything ran smoothly, with the only concern being the points needing some tweaking for more reliable operation. It also gained some trestles courtesy of a freind, who donated some from an old layout.

During August, the loft was boarded out with power & lighting installed not long after. This saw the layout move up there so could get my spare room back! It also gained a fiddle yard, which used a left over loft board. Some Dapol catenary was also installed, with only selected sidings getting it. In due course, the Dapol stuff will give way to Peco and modified Sommerfeldt OHLE.

More in the next post.

Andy.

The cab front numbering on 86609 in Freightliner doesn't look to be correct either from what I can find.

Looks like it was painted in around 1999, with the cab front numbers looking to be the same size as the cab side numbers.

(Crewe, June 1999 - Not mine, click for more info)

It looks like it carried them like this until mid-2012, when it was given a spruce up of the cab front at which point the numbers moved to the right, with them starting relatively inline with the corner of the ex-headcode box.

(Rugeley, May 2012 - Not mine, click for more info)

(Garston, November 2012 - Not mine, click for more info)

It then carried them like this until withdrawal in 2021. If the pictures of the model I've seen are correct, then the model has the number too far to the left and too small, in a position it never carried.

I know it's a trivial observation, but literally 15 minutes on Flickr threw up plenty of clear images of how it should be. I'm aware that either position wouldn't have appeased everybody depending on what era you model, but on a model pushing 200 notes I expect that something like the numbering to be correctly positioned one way or another.

Andy.

Last picture for me was back in October, catching the NMT at Hurstbourne Viaduct near Andover.

In dying light, ex-VTEC power car 43290 leads whilst 43299 trails out of sight, as they work 1Q23 Salisbury to Reading Triangle Sidings on October 21st.

Andy.

Black Swan - The Struts

A few years ago when my 2008 MB A180 CDI was in for an MOT and A/C recharge I asked about getting the thermostat done as it never worked properly all the while I had it. Got quoted £400 parts & labour to change it. Thought the garage was taking the p!ss quoting that, so turned to the usefull resource of YouTube for an instructional video with a view to doing it myself.

After watching some, prompty realised why it cost that much as It's buried at the back/top of the engine block, under the EGR valve. With the pipework that needs flexing out the way to get at it and other bits that need removing, I could see myself getting irritated with it and breaking something in my ham fisted attempt. Never did get it changed, should probably get it sorted at somepoint as the temp gauge barely reads above it's start point now.

Mercedes evidently thought it would never fail with where they put it.

Andy.

A recent trip to the Midlands netted a little bit of 'Tug' action, with shots of the unlucky ones the main target. First up though are the lucky ones, still in use doing what they do best.

In use with DB Cargo, DCR's 60029 'Ben Nevis' is seen thudding through North Staffs Jn with 6M57 Lindsey OR to Kingsbury - 08.10.21

With a rake of pig sheds in tow, 60024 'Clitheroe Castle' works 6E02 Bescot Down Side to Boston Sleaford Sidings - 08.10.21

Hot on the heels of 6E02 was 60074 'Luke' on a rake of TEA's, working 6E54 Kingsbury to Humber OR - 08.10.21

60020 'The Willows' mirrors 60024 and its train, as it thunders through with 6E08 Walsall Steel Terminal to Immingham - 08.10.21

Clattering over East Midlands Gateway Jn, 60074 'Luke' is seen in a nice patch of sun with 6M57 Lindsey OR to Kingsbury - 09.10.21

Andy.

The price of used cars is what prompted me to get mine repaired. I purchased my run around ('08 Mercedes A180 CDI) a couple of years ago for about half what the going rate for one was, the dual mass flywheel was a little rattly but still had some life in it. Fast forward to the start of this year and it was definitley on it's way out but still driving without issue.

Quotes from garages for a new DMF, clutch & slave cylinder were well over £2k, sometimes getting on for £3k! So, I thought screw it, if I'm paying that much to repair it, I'll add another couple of grand to that and get something a bit newer and nicer, plus I wanted an auto. Last time I'd had a look on Autotrader and the like, you could get a decent car that was 10 years old or newer for around £5-6k, primarily looking at a Mercedes C or E classes with a few miles on them. Nope, best I could find was a 2007 Volvo V70 with (I think) over 130,000 miles that was pushing £5k! Reckon it would've been nearly half that a year ago. Even the prices for my car (admittedly without DMF issues) were far and above what I paid for mine.

I was very fortunate, though, that the garage that looks after the work vans did me a deal, which did see all the work done for £1,400. Still a hefty chunk to spend on a near 15 year old car but it seemed daft to bin it and pay over the odds for something else. With the parts coming with a 2 year warranty, I'll keep it for at least that long and wait for the used car prices to become a bit more sensible again before I upgrade.

Andy.

Depending on what you've got, it may be worth checking the vehicle handbook before using the premium fuels to avoid using E10 petrol.

Mine states that anything with an Octane rating above 95 isn't recommended. Also says not to use fuel with an Ethanol content above 10%, so hopefully petrol doesn't change again anytime soon!

Andy.

2 hours ago, martin_l_jones said:

Anybody had any issues with the close couplers, the buckeye on one of my wagons seems to be permanently open and fails to couple with the next wagon, looks like there is a brown spring missing which is on all the others. 

 

 

Yep. Despite arriving 2 weeks ago, I finally got my rake out tonight for a once over and one was like this. Spring was still in the box fortunately, but it soon pinged out of the tweezers and disappeared into the carpet...

I replaced it with a spare spring from a Kadee pack, looks to work fine. It's a faff to get it on though.

Andy.

Not just the delivery drivers that end up parking in places to get people grumbling. As a utilities worker (sewage), quite a few sites are installed with no thought as to how you actually access them, or in some cases the area has grown around it, still with no thought to access.

Places like Winchester are littered with micro stations under the streets, at the bottom of steep cul-de-sacs or shop basements. All are great fun to get to in a van. No doubt there's internal complaints and tuts as to where I park but I (and I suspect most of the public) don't fancy the prospects of me swanning around the streets in a sh!t covered romper suit as I need to walk back to the van to get more tools/equipment or change out of my gear.

Even when space is actually provided, the public don't help as they wind up thinking it's free space for them to use, despite signage saying access is required 24/7 and the like. Most when they see you humping gear about move but some like to argue, like the Nurse in Lymington at 5am on Boxing Day a few years back. Having parked in the entrance to our pumping station (despite signage saying not too), got all huffy with us because we'd blocked her in and weren't moving the vans as we were in the middle of a pump lift. That little exchange wasn't filled with much Christmas cheer...

Andy.

15 hours ago, mdvle said:

First, I agree that at least some of the longer dmu/emu classes are likely good candidates for successful models.

 

But I wouldn't be so quick to fault the manufactures for avoiding them - there is a very vocal contingent of modellers who don't like the prices on some items (witness the recent complaints around the pricing on a couple of recent retailer commissioned items on here, and also likely elsewhere).

So? Since the invention of money people have no doubt complained about the cost of things. People will complain if a tin of beans in Tesco goes up by 1p. I guess because a few people have said an item is just too much, according them, the manufacturers and retailers should pack up and go home? Unfortunately, the cost is only going one way whether we like it or not...

Now, I'm not immune from complaining about the price of things, myself and friends have had a whinge about the cost of things in this hobby outside of RMWeb. But it mostly always boiled down to the value for money of certain items. Some manufactures seem to charge the earth for old models with virtually no improvements, whilst introducing ones brand new from the ground up, for the same price. The Hornby MK3 is an example of this, the old slamdoor model introduced some 20 years ago has an RRP around £35. The brand new sliding door one, with all its R&D costs, finer detailing and features expected of a brand new model has an RRP that's the same. Either it's insanely cheap, or the old one is overpriced.

15 hours ago, mdvle said:

This is where the reality of the sales potential of different prototypes comes into play.

 

The Hornby Class 800, a model of prototype that is replacing the iconic HST, with wide geographic appeal (the GWR, the ECML to start and now expanding across a lot of the rest of England).

 

That's going to be a very different potential market than a unit that remained in a small geographic area and wasn't as glamorous.

An IEP, glamorous? It's literally just another unit. I certainly don't disagree that it was a good choice as a model for Hornby, as it does satisfy those who want stuff that's bang up to date and can see them flying past at their local station. If they didn't do it, someone else would have as it's a good one for future sales when other operators start picking them up.

15 hours ago, mdvle said:

But how many modellers are trying to accurately model certain geographic locations and era, vs just running trains they like?

 

Like I said at the beginning, I think there is a market for at least some longer multiple units - but I don't think the market is big enough that everyone who wants them will be happy with what ultimately is viable.

Quite a few I'd imagine. Even if it's someone who wants to do even a flavour of an era or location, you'll want specific things for it.  But even those who do model specific things no doubt have stuff that they run 'just because'. I suspect even the rivet counters aren't immune from Rule 1.

Even though I said my modelling influence is the Solent area, I'll still be getting a TPE MK5 set because it'll make a cracking train even though there's not even been a sniff of them going South. I've already got the TPE 68 standing by!

Andy.

Having had a little read through the last couple of pages, I see the want for units is still there in some capacity, along with the mention of them never being done due to complexity and cost. But I don't agree with that as an 'against' doing them.

The argument always is that there is normally 3 different bodyshells needed to do a 4-car unit, which costs too much to tool and therefore isn't justifiable. To me, the TPE MK5 set proves that that isn't really a valid reason, as it requires 3 different body shells, while also having fine detailing, lighting, DCC capability and a complex livery. There's a cab end car with all the lighting too, no different to a unit in my eyes. This can all be had for £225, or £45 a coach, not too shabby at all in this day and age! The nearest coach that competes features wise, to me, would be the Bachmann MK2F, which has an RRP of £70. A rake of 5 at that price comes in at £350, though no doubt will be less if you shop around, but still more than a TPE MK5 set.

With a unit, there is now obviously the cost of a drive train to factor in. If you want to say that it's basically the cost of a newly tooled locomotive, then that adds about £160 to the price tag. Being simple about it, and saying it'd basically be the cost of a TPE MK5 set plus loco means this mythical 4-car unit comes in at £385, which, while not 'cheap', is not much more than the excellent 3-car Bachmann Class 159. It's also not too far off the price of a Hornby Class 800 with it's 5 coaches, they certainly seem to sell pretty well!

As has been mentioned in this thread, a good modern 'bread and butter' EMU to do would probably be the Electrostar, though there's variations on cab fronts and body sides when they went from ribbon glazing to individual windows. The Class 319 could be an even better bet. Covers from the popular NSE era until the present day, with many liveries to keep it going for a good while. Plus, there's the option of doing them as Class 768 & 769 bi-modes. The underframes and bogies could also help pave the way for doing the other MK3 derived units of this era.

I'm obviously in the camp that want's more units, specifically 3rd rail stuff. You can probably tell what I'd be in the market for with my username! Whilst most don't have any 'sex appeal' compared to most locomotives, they are the bread and butter of the real railway and have been for a while. You can't really model certain areas properly without them.

Andy.

Freak Night - Starcadian

She Has No Time - Keane

The images on the likes of Rails of Sheffield show the wagon in 'early' livery, which I think is applicable until around 2000?

Wagons in 'later' version of Yeoman livery look like this:

(Not mine, click to go to Flickr)

They're still in use in this colour scheme, though looking pretty rough around the edges and heavily graffitied. I took these shots last week, wagons were part of 7A17 Merehead Quarry to Acton.

Andy.