sixteen 12by 10s

Nice work Frank Those Crinch multi-way connectors are just the job, but if you haven't got a stock of them and need to buy some new, be prepared for a shock (in the wallet area!) Gary

I think you will need to add a few things into the foreground to avoid the looking down affect, been as the main part of the scene is taken from high ground.. The ideal shot would be from a low level, but the area is so built up, it would be impossible to do this without just capturing the scene in the immediate area. Gary

Where I werk, and have werked for 33 years!, there was a tradition amongst foundry men, of drinking beer on the job. Being the youngest in the foundry it was my job every morning, and just before dinner time, to go to the pub and fetch the ale allowance. I had a few hundred yards to walk with a sack trolley, and if the pub landlord was in a good mood, he would give me a half. The beer would be paid for on account, and once back at the foundry, the leading hand (head furnace man) would distribute the ale. The foundry is still going, but times have changed, no beer now, but the pub also lives on, as the Bottle and Glass in the Black Country museum. Gary

Nice try Pete, but I don't think my fuel claim will pay for the avo kerosene !.

Hi all well its been some time since I posted in this thread. Glenuig is packed up ready for its journey to Wigan. I set it up on Saturday for testing and to evicted the resident spiders!, I coldn't resist a few snaps, so here's a PW train approaching the station. See you all at the show, and for those who show any interest at all, full training will be given on operating the layout, because as of yet, I am on my own, any volunteers?

Hi all Pete, yes I had looked at putting the loops at one end, and this might be an idea. Most of the stock will be in block trains, with a couple of PW trains fitted with auto couplings, to allow some shunting activity in the yard. I will however only fit the hook on the locos, and most will only have it one end and I may be able to include the hook on the snow ploughs. Jerry. I hadn’t come across that decoder, but it looks and sounds good, I was looking at Mini MSW last week at Railex and was impressed at the sound fitted diesels on that layout. Next job, a bit more detailed design work, time to get Templot going. Gary

Its made of " Tufnell" electrical insulation. Gary

Just started to have a dabble with D&Gs and had noticed that there was some difficulty soldering on the droppers. I have come up with this simple jig, one slot is deep enough for the whole loop to go in sidewards, and the other just about 1mm. Seems to work Gary

First, thanks all for your helpful comments. Well this all started last year when I found this photo in my collection, it appears to be “Concrete Bob†37425, just about to top County March summit, hard to think that this was an ordinary service train. it looks like I am going to jump in at the deep end, and make a start on Bridge of Orchy A few things, The doughnut design, I have had a ply around with a conventional layout, but to fit on say a 3' by 8' board, I would start to get tight bends, and that is one of the things I was trying to avoid. Number of boards in the doughnut, I had a play around with 7, but, I would then only be able to have 3 scenic boards, because of matching them with the fiddle yard boards, to form a box, and still get the whole thing to fit in the car. So it looks like I am stuck with 6, which will make up into 3 box's. Track and wheel standard, I think I am going to go for the compromise, I have read Toms blog and Eldavo's thread, and for me it looks the way to go. The main reason for this is, I am going to need about 8 trains, of 6 to 7 coach lengths, and it would be a lot to convert. I will order the bits and have a go. Track construction, Easitrac , for the plain track, and some points built using Easitrac components. A lot of the mainline, is, was flat bottom rail and pandrol clip design, so where the turnouts are built using this method, I will use FB rail and PCB sleepers. Control, DCC again, and if I can afford it! With sound, it is yet to be seen, or rather heard, weather a sound fitted class 37 can make enough noise to represent one slogging up County March!. I have had a bit of a dabble, and produced a 2mm association mineral wagon kit, and had a go at making some D&G couplers. Thanks Gary

just try this instead

Hi all First Pete, there’s a nice Scottish layout in the 2mm mag this month, point taken, pardon the pun, start small with a bit of trackwork, maybe the south end loop points at BoO. Time scale, not really, but it would be nice to think I have something to take over for the Glen, when ether I get fed up of it or the exhibition goers. I do have the 0-16.5 slate quarry, but to operate that at a two day show, sends you loopy. Simon, I spent most of the show around that layout, it works well, actually faultlessly, I am hopeless with putting faces to names on this forum, and intact, as I came away from the show realised who Jim S W was, besides been next to him when I was at Nottingham show. Shortliner, I see where you are coming from, and I will look at the plan again. At this stage I am only thinking about it. The layout will be 8 feet diameter, this size is determined by the space in the workshop, and the ability to fit in the car. Bridge of Orchy lends itself, to the plan as the prototype is on a curving formation. Tony, take your point on the number of boards, I will have to play around. The main problem will be space, the idea is that a scenic board is twined with a flat fiddle yard board, to save space. Anyway, thanks for all your input, its given me a few things to think about, I will keep you all informed of the progress, which will start to pick up pace after Glenuig at Wigan show. Thanks Gary

Glenuig has been on the exhibition circuit, for over a year now, and I have bookings for 2014 and beyond. I an now looking at a follow up project, and have found myself with a big dilemma. First I have made my mind up on a few points in my plan. Some kind of 2mm standard Set on the West Highland, in the 1980's Well the latter sound familiar, but the 2mm?. This scale has impressed me in the way you can produce a model of a railway in its scenic setting, and it is the creative and scenic side of the hobby that interest my the most. So what track standard, I don't like the look of standard N gauge track, it just looks too chunky, so 2mm finescale looks like the one to go for. The job of making the track has become easier of late, with the introduction by the 2mm associations “Easytrackâ€, when this is carefully laid and ballasted, it looks the business. Now to the location I have a sketch of an imaginary halt, shack, which would by the next stop up the line from Glenuig. If I went ahead with this option, it would be small and a good tester in this new scale to me. But The one I really want to do, is Bridge of Orchy, this layout would be built on a 8' “doughnut†with the station loop taking up just under half of the viewing area. I would use DCC and sound on this one, the station is in a dip with steep banks out in ether direction. I would set the date at about 1985, so retaining the semaphore signalling, and will just allow me to use 374's, 370's, 27's 20's and the odd 26 and 25. So the big decision, do I just “go for it†and make a start on Bridge of Orchy, or start with the smaller, and see how I get on. Gary

With an overhead crane, roof off, and a crane straight out and in with the new one. Frost damage, its a problem with diesel preservation, ok we could use antifreeze, but this tends to find its was through cylinder liner seals, when left standing for months on end. Gary

I though this might interest some modellers, and I know some of you are involved in railway preservation. I have been involved, with the Class Forty Appeal, for some 23 years, and have held the post of technical officer and engineer, for my sins. A few years ago we visited the GCR with our 37190 and our class 50, no other than Sir Edward Elgar, number 7. During their time there, both locos suffered damage to their heat exchangers. These units cool the engine oil by exchanging the heat to the water cooling system, and out via the radiators. Having both these locos out of service for all of last year, the group is now looking for a moral booster. The 37 is in the middle of a body overhaul and repaint, so the other loco we could get going was 50007. The heavy heat exchanger had been removed last year and a spare tested, now all we needed to do was to get the spare into the loco and installed. Saturday was the first day of “operation Hercules†Dan, Derek and Mike joined me for a fun packed day. There wasn’t anything technical about the operation of getting the heat exchanger back in, just a lot of mauling and shoving. The unit weighed about ½ to ¾ of a ton, and with no ease access, a bit of brains and a lot of muscle was needed. The main problem was getting the thing through the radiator room, and clean air compartment, it is 15†diameter and the corridor is 16†wide. After a lot of “cusin†the four fixing bolts were in place, allong with the four letter words, and I only dropped the spanner in the oily bed plate 4 times!. Next job is to replace the oil and water pipe, and then battery’s permitted, we should be ready for a start. If anyone is interested in joining in the fun, the CFA are based at the Midland Railway Centre, please drop me a PM. No health and safety representatives were harmed in this operation!

Hi Mark Good work, those viaduct pillars turned out good. Did I spot a proper Large Logo 37, with the real name on it? Its got to be Bob. Helfire. Gary

You know when you have made it, when the senior members of your club or group, who have in the past, looked down their nose at you, start asking you questions! Gary