DelticBlade

I am on with building a Scalescenes retaining wall to fit in a corner of the layout so a town can begin to be built above the main station. As the printer was getting low on ink the colour has turned out very pale, probably a more pink than the limestone we see in Sheffield and Warmsworth. Bridging the railway will then be interesting. Whether to go for a Holgate style bridge which is probably beyond my building skills or a Hexthorpe style bridge with the rest of the town built above the railway. The kids are enjoying the trains running through the new platforms as trains running from the lower level can now connect properly with mainline trains cross-platform, freight trains can be held as a passenger passes. This has created problems as i am going to have to buy a couple of extra LS150s for the extra point work but fortunately they run off a separate power source. With the arrival of the cricket season there is never enough time to do stuff so it might well be time spent just building houses and shops for the town along with bits and pieces for the stations.

Looks very nice even if it isn't blue. It looks like it will be well worth the wait for the weathered version. Of course for it to work on the ECML it would need to have domino markers before the powers that be would let it loose alongside FP/GD/HA finest. It would also have been spirited away somewhere to re-emerge during the FP white cab surround years.

Quick update (minus new photos). i worked out how to wire the working crossing lights to a small power source and they work very well and i am trying to make some barriers. The engine shed with lighting is ready to 'plant', the possibility of putting a Scalscene pit is being given some thought. in the summer i bought some laser cut spped signs from York. i have begun putting these around the layout and they really make a difference to the tracksdie appearance. It has to be said with small children wanting to play trains there isn't always chance to get things done at a decent pace. Here's to plodding on.

I knew Deltics from a young age as they were the mythical beast that we watched speeding through our village sometimes with dad on board. I remember where I saw my last one, Ballymoss. Running into Platform 1 at Doncaster as was waiting to go to Bramall Lane. As some of you may have seen on the yahoo forum I am in the process of transferring dads diaries to computer and have obviously started with Deltics. I will post on here for those interested when I have finished which should be by the end of the Easter holidays.

D8529 is blue yp (think it has catalogue 17023 or 17021) from the 1st batch. The Castle Cement liveried one is also a first batch.

Junction platform with illuminated canopy. Only 2 more to do here.

A couple of photos of a couple of changes. New platform roads and canopy with lights.

Some progress.A new strip light put up making it much better to work. It has made it easier to see stuff that needs sorting out such as cock-eyed track. Anyway the new platform roads have been wired and ballasted. The platforms need finishing properly with edging etc. The Junction station has one platform with working lights under the canopy. Hopefully another platform will be completed soon. I have discovered a new job as a little monkey has cut the wire that operate the railway crossing lights so I have got all the wires to sort out. Luckily I was going to provide a new power feed to the crossing.

After reaching a point of thinking that it was about to be sorted I still have an initial release not fixed. The shop where I bought it from received no new chassis. I also know of others who took matters into their own hands and the loco disappeared. I too have thought that there may still be a few people who have not had the issue resolved. The shop still will not touch Heljan products (locos) despite now being part of a bigger empire.

I took this earlier in the dark after one of the bulbs went in the loft making it rather dark.

Having spent little time in the loft recently due to the demise of my step ladders I have managed to spend few few hours putting some more bits and pieces together. I printed some of the outer walls from the Scalescenes and mounted them before stick the card to the back wall of the layout. These have signs for passengers and look ok. I altered some platform surfaces and have begun to build a better platform. I now have to decide whether to go for the arched roof or canopies for that part of the station. The other station where I had fitted lights has had to be dismantled after the lights wouldn't work when I installed a new transformer for the lighting, though I think I have solved this the canopies looked like the wonky ones that seemed to be at Kirkgate some years ago.

Tempted to add one to the Deltic stable. Will those commenting upon so called faults go and moan to Simon and his team who are busy building a version of the real thing? Thought not.

I am hoping for the 1970's refurbished examples minus sandbox fillers, removed quarterlight and plated over headcode. Finished off with the white window surrounds. I don't even model O gauge but a Deltic is worth a dabble.

Progress made this week. The power of a polite email! I decided to take matters into my own hands as the shop was having little luck. I am moving towards a positive conclusion judging by the reply.

Is there anyone still awaiting their replacement chassis? My local shop have been trying to make regular contact (now undertaking direct contact with the manufacturer), but have drawn a blank. Again it appears to be another long wait for positive news.

Thanks to the snow I have been off work and decided to try and get some lighting installed on a station and in one of the engine shed buildings. I have used some of the Maplins LED strips. They appear very bright. By Sunday I hope to have some pictures added.

The Cornish shop based in Redruth. If I recall it was D8507 (blue). When I went back to further investigate they had all gone. Kestrel was going rather cheap too. If I manage to get a week away at 1/2 term I shall be visiting them looking for some more top bargains.

I am still waiting too for a rejuvenated one to appear. Not to worry as which ever way things happen I will be able to have an engine that is fixed, or if the chassis doesn't appear as promised then it will be money back (very good shop). I noticed at BH last weekend some from the 2nd batch were being offered for £40

I have worked out how to sort photographs so I will add a few I took ages ago. Two are from the low level, the other from the upper level junction station prior to expanding the station.

Having spent many holiday hours at the side of the track between Dawlish Warren and Teignmouth this looks excellent. I have to say that if it was a Class 50, or I hate to say it Class 47, then it would look like photos I took when I was a youmg lad.

I haven't updated things from the old site. Our layout in the loft is a roundy-roundy type thing where the kids really like to watch trains speeding through cuttings, tunnels and stations. Whether that be Deltics on the racing section or Class 50's on the low level 'Western' themed section, with its station with a level crossing next to the platform so trains have to straddle the crossing if they are too long. After some time of inactivity we have begun to crack on with things. I have finally got round to building platforms for a new loop at my big junction station. Not that inactivity meant that I wasn't doing anything for the layout. I have been playing around with the Scalescenes large station with overall roof and where bits and pieces might fit once we made an effort to really press on. I intend to get a few photos on here soon but as I have said previously I don't think we will ever be able to match the efforts of some of my favourite layouts on here.

A sports ground of some description. For example football ground with proper terracing, a cricket ground such as Old Trafford, an athletics stadium. We seem to have lots of other buildings but little on the sporting front. Probably because of the size of such stadiums people don't really model them. Even if we couldn't have stands and things like that what about a pavillion and scorebox?

The 'Big Clayton' sounds interesting. I was told a few weeks ago that after Lion it wouldn't be a diesel or electric for the next prototype. I think that it is nearly time for a new thread on 'Which prototype next?' Will be having a blast around with the Class 15's later I hope. I will be checking those headcode discs too.

Having had to change email accounts and re-register I have not posted about these splendid engines. Having ordered the 'preserved' version, I bought the other SYWP version last weekend at Alexander Palace. What a super runner it is, and that is just running 8219 in on DC. It is just a question of buying a Silver Decoder now.