Dunedin

You have to take the tension out of the couplings by easing back and then drawing away, so just drawing forwards over them should mean they don't uncouple; likewise pushing back over a permanent magnet won'tcause you to uncouple unless you stop and draw forwards, but there is a 'but'. With free running rolling stock, a slight jerk when passing over a permanent magnet uncoupler can be just enough to cause uncoupling. Also we have uncouplers at the buffer ends of our roads for uncoupling the locos on arrival. We also propel the coaching rakes into the same roads and stop with the intermediate coach couplers at about the same point as where we uncouple the locos so to avoid the coaches uncoupling we use the electromagnets in these areas. The numbers I quoted are the Kadee part numbers. Glenn

Hi Rich, If only it was that simple...... Unfortunately the NEM pockets are not at a standard height on stock or locos - they can vary, often by several mm. The manufacturers then compensate for these differences by fitting tension lock couplings with a "crank" on the shank which ensures no matter what height the pocket is, that the actual couplers are all at the standard height. Unfortunately, the Kadees with NEM fittings only have straight shanks, so if you fit them, you will end up with coupler heads at different heights and with Kadees that spells disaster and frustration with your stock uncoupling when you don't want it to and not doing so when you do! Generally speaking, our approach has been to use the No.18 NEM Kadees on the locos - Bachmann seem to get their pockets about right on the Class 37s, Heljan 47s & 26s are slightly high but we get away with it and the Hornby 08s are too low. Within some of the sets of coaches we do use the NEM Kadees because they are all at the same (incorrect) height so that doesn't matter, but at the ends which have to couple to something else, we use Kadee No.5s, glued to the underframe and using plasticard packers to achieve the correct height. We also use No.5s on everything else which doesn't have an NEM pocket including the HST power cars, which I think really ended up looking quite good (even if I do say so myself! B)). Tip: get a Kadee height gauge - it'll save you loads of time and will ensure you get your heights spot on! For the 08s, I removed the NEM mountings altogether, but even if you do that, the cast chassis still gives you a low mounting point and it's also very close to the buffer beam, so a No.5 box won't fit. I used a No.34 Kadee - this has a very short draftgear box which doesn't protrude (much) beyond the buffer beam but it also has what they call an underset shank. This means the coupler head is above the centre-line of the shank and gives you that extra bit of height that you need. The draftgear box is then just superglued to the chassis. (This also applies to Bachmann 08s.) Regarding the uncouplers, we have a combination of No.308 permanent and No.309 electromagnets at various locations depending on whether we always want to uncouple there or not. One thing we found with the electromagnets is that we tend to get inconsistent operation. They will always uncouple, but they won't always force the couplings into the delay position, enabling you to drop a vehicle exactly where you want it. I'm not sure if some of our couplers are stiffer than others (I've tried lubricating them all with Kadee graphite grease), whether some are slightly out of alignment, or whether we just occasionally suffer from low voltage at some venues. It's probably a combination of all of these factors. The permanent magnets are more reliable in this respect. I could probably start a whole thread just on Kadees - if there isn't one already - but hopefully this rather rambling reply has helped somewhat! Glenn

Hi Rich, Glad you like the layout. The 'U'- shaped bar you refer to on the BFK is the Bachman close coupling system which they supply with their Mark 1 and Mark 2 coaches (one per vehicle). It clips into the NEM socket in place of the tension lock couplers supplied. When coupled using the close coupling, the gangways are in contact. The NEM socket is mounted on the coach underframe on a spring-loaded turntable arrangement. This allows the pocket to rotate and extend as the bogie rotates so that the coaches can negotiate curves and points etc. without buffer locking. The bar is supposed to resemble the vacuum and steam pipes used on coaching stock of the pre-air-braked period. It works very well, but they are difficult to couple and uncouple and so we only use this system on the Aberdeen - Inverness rake (and I think that's only because we haven't got round to converting it to Kadees yet!). All our other coaching stock and the outer ends of the Aberdeen - Inverness have been fitted with Kadee couplers which allow automatic coupling and uncoupling. We designed Kirkhill deliberately with fairly large radius curves and medium radius points so we can close-couple our stock without too much risk of buffer- or gangway-locking. Hope this helps. Glenn

Hi Lewis, Thank you for the comments on the wheel lathe - we are really pleased with it. I'm replying on behalf of Graham because he doesn't have access to the pictures at the moment, so I hope he won't mind me posting these which I took the other night - they are of an HST power car on the lathe: Power car over the lathe: Number 3 axle in position: Nose end over the centre pit: Tail end repositioned for No. 4 axle: The photos tend to blur a little through the perspex side windows - when I get around to re-cladding the building, I'll take a few shots with the glazing (or even the building) removed. Best Regards Glenn

Hi guys, it was really good to meet you both and I really enjoyed the discussion. I'm afraid though that subtlety is completely wasted on us - you should have said you wanted a go! We were all too busy concentrating on trying to drive and talk at the same time ...... Hopefully there will be a "next time". Glenn

Thanks for the compliments! For the hoses, I used wire from an old computer printer cable - you know the sort we used to use before everything went to USB. I originally bought it to connect a control panel to on old layout, but the cable wouldn't handle the current from my capacitor discharge unit and the points wouldn't throw properly, so I found an alternative use for it! The cables have 25-way connectors at each end, but if you cut into them, you find you have 25 different colured cores inside. I use this stuff now for light current applications such as extending or replacing the leads on DCC decoders, but I have a lot of it and it just struck me that the cores looked about the right diameter for hoses. The orange ones looked perfect for the job to me and judging from your comments, they do to you as well. I actually used wire from two different cables so the shades of orange are slightly different and that helps with the effect also. The black hoses for the non-potable water are from the same cable. I haven't painted them; they are just as they came out of the harness. This is the original cable: ...and this is it once you remove the outer sheathing and the connectors - lots of useful low current cable and "hoses": I glued the ones on the cleaning platforms with superglue, but had to use Bostick to fix the ones lying on the ballast because the superglue just ran away into the ballast! You can buy the cables from electronics shops such as Maplin. Hope this is useful. Glenn

The gulls are quite partial to the odd red herring though!! We also have Gene Hunt's Cortina from "Life on Mars"! Anyone know if there are any models of Audi Quattros from the early '80s - preferably red, then we could do a cameo from "Ashes to Ashes"? Just to add to the variety of course! Regarding the wheel lathe, I found a few settings to change on the camera - well rather a lot actually - but one of them was for tungsten lighting which I think is what caused the problem. Anyway, here are some better photos with more natural colours: (Incidentally, these are all taken with the building in place looking in through the doors, or the roof lights or the side windows, so you can see that the building doesn't hide the detail.) South end: North End: Through the roof lights: Through the side windows: Yesterday, I set about cleaning the wheels on the loco fleet ready for next Saturday. This is the line-up by the time I had finished: There are about another three 47s which already had clean wheels so they missed the photo opportunity, plus the HST power cars, the two 08s, another few 26s and a 37. The 47 line-up might look boring, but as Graham has already said, they are all different in some way or another. Also missing are the 80-odd coaches that we need to run Kirkhill. Over a weekend, they do all get used, but we'll probably only need a subset of the locos next Saturday - but we might just bring them all anyway! Thanks for all the words of encouragement - they are much appreciated and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Saturday.

Well, we now have a wheel lathe to go in our wheel lathe shed! It was made by my good friend Ian (with a little help and persuasion from me!) down near Bristol. A week last Friday, I took Board 6 down there to get the lathe fitted - more carving of holes in the baseboard (!) and more wiring changes but I think it was worth it. During the construction phase: During fitting to the board: This last weekend, I got the lighting wired in to the supply and we got the steps, handrails and people added. Still to do is weathering of the lathe itself and the pits and I need to build an overhead crane and a swarf conveyer to a skip outside, but what you see now is more or less how it will appear at the Members' Day on July 10th. A couple of views without the shed in place, but nearing completion: With the shed in place - from the North end: ...and from the South end: The lathe is based on a Hegenscheidt machine but probably also owes something to Atlas and Sculfort wheel lathes that you can also find photos of on Fotopic and other web sites. I'll let you be the judge of how close we got it, but suffice to say, I'm pleased with the result..... Just a shame that the camera on my phone tends to give it a blue tinge - it looks better in real life, honest! A few final views from outside the shed - through the roof lights: ....and through the side windows: Thanks must also go to another former BR colleague, Richard, who helped with the transportation to/from Bristol and the fitting and finishing this last weekend and whom we are trying to co-opt onto the Kirkhill operating crew - and obviously also to Graham who did something somewhere........I think he shot one of the seagulls!

It's worth remembering that real Mark 3s were actually built on a camber, so the Hornby sleepers aren't that unrealistic, although they may be slightly exaggerated. The underframe jigs in Litchurch Lane works were designed deliberately such that the centre of the coach was higher than the ends. This was so that when the vehicles were loaded the bodyshell would be level and would not "hog". It used to be possible to see this camber effect when looking at the vehicles when in BR liveries, but it tends to be more difficult to see with the newer vinyl liveries because these tend to compensate for the camber. Whether Hornby really intended to recreate the camber is a dubious argument, but whatever the answer, the sleepers aren't as inaccurate as they might at first appear!

Good job we didn't have to cease operations due to them last weekend then!! There are a few more pics from last weekend and we'll post them over the next few days. I remember some of the fitters at Craigentinny bringing their shotguns in on a Sunday to get rid of pigeons - there's only so many times even the most reasonable fitter can stand being bombed from the roof. Of course, that was before the wires went up at Craigy. Glenn

That's great Steve! Thank you. I just need to sort out the buffer beam detail then it will look even better. Think we should aim to give the layout an airing about once a month so if we get a good weekend we can set it up outside on the patio and get natural light on it. You are a show-off Graham!

0S25 reached Glen Carron Junction on Tuesday where there was a further crew change ready for the final leg of its journey to Aberdeen Kirkhill. It is seen here leaving Glen Carron, passing through the junction and taking the line towards Perth.

We've got 43072 needs to get from Duffield/Neverwhere to Kirkhill as well, so with a suitable barrier it could drag the ETHEL - now that would make for an interesting combination. Let's see what the operating department can come up with......

Thanks Steve! I'll post a photo showing its condition when it arrives..... In the meantime, Ive finished the shed which will eventually house the wheel lathe. It isn't fully wired in yet, but I took the following whilst I was testing the lighting - purchased once again from Kytes Lights. When we eventually get a "lathe" inside, they should show it off to good effect!

Thanks for the feedback - glad it's looking familiar. I've used shore supply plugs and sockets of both types when I worked at Craigentinny - and yes it's almost impossible to connect a three-phase supply to a coach (or power car) single-handed. The bolts on the headstocks to hold the lids in the open position make it slightly easier whilst you insert the plug, but I still wouldn't want to do it without my steel toe caps! Only our representation of the 850V single phase supplies have the "sleds" on the sockets, the 3-phase HST plugs are just lying on the ground like the real thing - and I tried to represent the size of the plugs - like you say, they are enormous with a weight to match... Glenn

One more photo to keep the interest going - the subject of this one we are really pleased with: 43117 is a conversion of a Lima dummy power car by Alex Carpenter (ABC Models) - complete with working drawbar. We will be using this - dragging in a "failed" HST set with a Class 47, then detaching 43117 and attaching a replacement which will have "arrived" light (with barrier) from Craigentinny. The now working and refuelled HST will depart, followed by 43117 + barrier and Class 47 en-route to Craigentinny or another East Coast depot for repairs. Alex had an FGW fag-packet version of this which he brought to the club one evening and when I saw it, I thought "Got to have one of these!" so Graham donated one of his (many) power cars to the cause! This will be one of the moves which happens during the daytime part of the sequence when not much else is going on to keep interest going - should be an unusual move!

What that last view of the HST shore supply on Kirkhill was trying to capture was something similar to this view taken at Craigentinny sometime in 2004 - you can see the tangle of cables which are also draped across the rails: It also gives a good view of the type of grey brickwork which Graham has spent so much time applying to the depot buildings. This view from Norwich Crown Point last year shows the 850V supplies with the black tubular "sledges" which hold the live receptacle so you can insert the plug from the coach. Note also that this view shows the other type of control box, which I think means that the type or shape simply depends on the supplier as both types still appear to be in use. Note also how the red cable sheathing fades. I could go on (and on) but I think that would risk boring you all rigid!

Thanks Bob - as always, you are the real acid test for my memory, but I have to say, seeing the ScotRail rakes, HSTs and the sleeper sets sitting side by side and an 08 working flat out makes me feel very nostalgic. Add to that the fact that we can now reverse the formation of the Cross-Country set without the need for the hand of God thanks to Kadees and electromagnetic uncouplers and I'm really starting to feel pleased with the result. You mentioned the cables around the battery ends - we have a photo in the collection but it hasn't made it on so far of a real tangle of 3-phase cables for the HST on our second cleaning road. If Graham can find and re-size it we could show you. As I remember (backed up by photos) they were never orderly and always twisted and we've gone some way to re-creating that. That particular part of the scene is now itself a piece of history because we spent Sunday ripping up yet another bit of layout (a weekend wouldn't be complete without undoing something we spent hours doing in the first place as part of some improvement) to extend the road so we can fit the two HSTs side by side on cleaning roads - because we thought the two nose ends together looked good when we tried it!!! The new arrangement for the cables has to fit in to a slightly smaller space now, but still catches the look I think. The main challenge now as Graham says, is getting the scenery to a state where we are happy with it by May. Fortunately I have next week booked as holiday. A nice, relaxing time is planned - only got a wheel-lathe shed to build, scenery to progress and yet more wiring......should be a breeze!! Oh, and I have a have a second Hornby 08 due to arrive this week which will need repainting to BR blue (from EWS red) and chipping up so not much to do really!! At some point, we'll try to get some photos of the underside of the layout and the wiring that makes everything on the top possible - who was it that said DCC made layout wiring simple? Whoever it was was lying - it just makes it different. At this point I am reminded of a joke someone sent me last week: Normal people believe that if it aint broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it aint broke then it hasn't got enough features yet! I think that applies equally to railway modellers and certainly to us with Kirkhill.... Glenn

Thanks for all the responses - now for one of my own! Just to add to Graham's (Flood's) coments on the ETH cables and fuel hoses - I used single core bell wire (1/0.6mm). It's about the right diameter and the beauty of it is that once you bend it, it stays bent, so all the glue has to do is hold it in position. Rather than having five fuel points all the same, I'm considering having three as the one in the photo for HSTs so that the depot can cater for 2+8 and 2+7 HSTs and then keeping two fuel points for locos - we need two for locos because the push-pulls arrive loco-trailing whereas the loco leads with the conventional sets. There are a few reasons for separate loco and HST points: It makes it that bit more interesting to have some variety, We actually need different points for locos and HSTs anyway - although the fuel was common, locos and HSTs used different coolant and I seem to recall that the lubricating oils were different between the Sulzer/English Electric engines in the locos and the Paxman Valentas in the HSTs. I remember there was discussion regarding standardisation of lub oils but I cannot be sure if we actually achieved it. Chances are though that the depot would have been built to cater for both types anyway. The photo of the fuel point only shows two hoses and associated connections, but a third has now been added so that it can now be used for fuel, oil and coolant. Some may remember that locos used only water (softened with BSM) whereas the HSTs used an ethylene glycol based antifreeze solution which included a corrosion inhibitor to protect the Valentas. Eventually, during the later part of the 1980s, ScotRail also began using antifreeze in the locos following some very expensive frozen engines(!) but this (I think) was still different to the HSTs. Again, our depot would have been built before the change, so to cut a long story short, we need separate fuel points! Glenn