kevpeo

Many thanks to Charlie for lending these beauties for a pose on Parrot Hall today at Preston show. Looking right at home in my slice of south Manchester 😀

Just a bump to say that I have added all the photo's back in again! Plus the 81 and its buddies will be in action at the FMRC show in Barrow next weekend, 14/15th October.

Liverpool - Scarbados sometimes!

Phil was kind enough to let me have a good look over Tamworth Castle at the weekend, even though my “review” took place in the car park after the fire alarms went off! Here she is posing on Parrot Hall -

I have a weird one if somebody can help, we took delivery of a Bachmann Zimo sound fitted WMPTE 158 this week, and all seems good apart from when you start the engines the end lights go out on the decoder fitted car! If anyone has any idea’s which cv/s to look at please. I’ve tried altering the underframe switches to no avail. Thanks, Kev.

I have a weird one if somebody can help, we took delivery of a WMPTE one this week, and all seems good apart from when you start the engines the end lights go out on the decoder fitted car! If anyone has any idea’s which cv/s to look at please. I’ve tried altering the underframe switches to no avail. Thanks, Kev.

Parrot Hall has had a good clean up ready for its trip to Canterbury this weekend. Finally a few small details I've been meaning to do have been added too - The ''mysterious fridge'' for one, I cannot believe the other Kev did not get that reference! Seen above that is a small parts bin outside the factory and alongside the fridge a discarded mattress! Further along - The obligatory discarded shopping trolley! Just the EMU's wheels to clean now. See you down south! Kev.

There are still 3 or 4 old portal ones on the viaduct after the yard.

I had a run Wigan - Stalybridge - Man Pic yesterday and they have been cracking on over the hols! No sign of any more progress between Wigan & Bolton, lots of masts and bases added between Man Pic and Staly, but between Staly and Man Pic, wow! I counted four complete wiring runs in both directions plus a run of catenary and droppers only in the westbound direction. This, plus lots of previously missing concrete bases.

😀 The answer to that Meanach is nether! I have had an accurscale Deltic to test, and was very suprised to find it could handle LD's corners and hills, but the couplings couldn't! So a sound fitted 37 is on the shopping list for the 70's period when the correct version comes out, as for the 80's, I'm sticking with what I have. Kev.

Thanks Pete, the track is, if I remember correctly, P4 track co, even though it isn't P4! Kev.

Yes indeed donny, after I finish a mattress and a (mysterious) fridge! 🥶

After a long,(very long) hiatus, I finally summoned up the energy to push on with the 309! Once I started, the mojo came back for a bit! First the interiors - Mostly made from Replica coach interior moulding seats. These were chopped off the mouldings. It was a lot of work but I had them given! And here she is posing on Parrot Hall - The pantograph is a rare beast, a Hurst Models non high speed pan! I built the first two of these back in the day, one for Andrew Hurst and one for me. And I wrote the instructions, if they were ever used! She made her first showing on Coppell at Newcastle show and ran all weekend with no issues. Parrot Hall will be appearing at Canterbury show in January if anyone south of Watford wants to see it in the flesh! Kev.

Pluxx 22 since the first one Chris. hth. Kev.

Had a run Man Vic - Stalybridge - Man Pic and return again today, and things are cracking on! Masts have now passed Ashton and bases have reached the throat at Stalybridge, but there are still odd missing ones. More earth wire runs have appeared and one full contact & catenary wire run is up! Looking up at progress it is obvious that the Rochdale lines are not being done at this time, despite quite a few portals passing over them. On the Guide Bridge route, about a dozen masts have also appeared, mainly around the junction and liner depot. On route back to Wigan via Westhougton on a 769 a lot of rectangles of undergrowth have been cleared at regular intervals, mast locations? A works compound has also been set up at Hindley for the bridge rebuild. Kev.

Video here showing recent progress between Stalybridge and Man Vic -

I had a run Wigan - Stalybridge - Man Pic and return yesterday to have a look at progress. No change on the Wigan line that I could see, other than the one bridge replaced and veg clearance. Man Vic - Stalybridge I reckon 95% bases in, 60% masts up, 35% small part steelwork (arms etc). The big news, a full earth wire run is up and bases have appeared in Stalybridge station! Guide bridge line, looks like most bases are in, except the viaduct mounted ones, but no masts yet. Good progress. Kev.

yes please to the first two!

OzzyO has finished off his point-work, bar the fine detailing- and has now swapped the next baseboard in. This shows how little track remains to be laid - just a few gaps now!

And continuing the wiring theme, mains and dcc “gadgets” going in!

After a few weeks off playing on the real railway I went up the clubrooms last night to check on progress. OzzyO has got this far with his pointwork, and is now working on the yard trackwork The fiddle yard crew are on with the wiring up of baseboards, four down and two ongoing for the traction dcc ''bus'' and feeds, as can be seen here - The ''kettle'' connectors will run right round the layout for traction current for minimum voltage drop as its all mains rated wires, droppers to the track sections will be lighter rated wires. We still need to add mains supplies and some 25 way dins across some board joints for signals and accessories. Kev.

Well, our luck has run out, and we have been kicked out to make way for Swiss Pass again! Rick has managed to get his half of the fiddle yard cleaned up, gapped and electrically tested - I have been shoved into a corner with one baseboard to work on! Finally all the fiddle yard rail is now down, tie bar holes on this board now drilled and tie bar fitting and gapping ongoing. Photo taken from inside Swiss Pass! Ozzy is still cracking on at a glacial pace in his ''cubby ole'', he's nearly got a point finished! Infact, I think he did actually finish that one after I took the picture!

I believe so, yes.

Watched on the Swiss/Italian border many years ago before these fancy bi-modes appeared, they simply dropped the pans on approach and braked to a stop in the platforms. A shunter then took the 'dead' loco off and took it back to its own voltage!

Just be aware Pete that the Hurst pans as supplied are designed to work with 'continuous' electrification, ie, the whole circuit needs to have overhead wires. If you want to use 'ramps' for hidden storage area's, you need to modify them with 'height limiters' to stop them raising too far. Oh, and be prepared to break a lot of drills in preparing the castings! hth, Kev.