TomJ

And here’s the engine shed (couldn’t fit it previous post)

Its kitbashed from a Ratio carriage shed, helped with the curved roof! I built the rough shell years ago for a vague plan so I’ve updated it with fresh paint, new windows and doors and vents. I’m rather pleased how it’s turned out 

finally a rough draft of the track plan to give an idea how it all fits together. I’ve since added another quayside siding

A bit of construction has started - between the bigger jobs I’ve been working on some of the buildings, some of which I’ve upcycled from previous projects. 
There’s nothing special about the baseboard - 2x1 stripwood bracing with 9mm ply and a bit cut away for the harbour. Track is all Peco code 55 - next job is wiring 

the area at the front will become the harbour. At the back siding is a rake of partially built mineral wagons standing where the loader will be. 
 

The station is complete apart from interior and roof and is based on the timber structure at Abergwfinwi in South Wales, Chris Klein did some drawings in the RM for his 7mm layout Cwm Bach (that’s on here). Nothing fancy, plasticard shell with ratio windows and embossed timber. I wanted something that was obviously GWR but not at all grand. 
 

The goods shed is also from South Wales based on Glyncorrwyg. The engine shed is from Newcastle Emlyn, I could only find a few photos so it’s loosely based on. 
 

Next job is wiring and point motors. Not my favourite!

It was posted on here - in the Industrial Railway section. I can’t link on my phone by just google ‘loco passing between two shops’ and you’ll find the thread. 
It’s from a set of Rady-Dowlais freight working and the location is Caeharris Crossing, Dowlais High Street. You can still find it on google street view 

Even though my main layout is nowhere near complete I’ve started another one! Because I can! But mainly because I had some wood, track, points and motors left over from another aborted project. The aim was to build a little layout (5ft x 9inch) that can live on the shelf and be played with on the dining room table. My 8tr expressed an interest in helping so that clinched it. It had to be ex GWR to fit my stock but I wanted something different from the usual West Country branch. Initial plans were based on a GWR version of Wantage. Then we went on holiday to Pembrokeshire and we walked the costal path to Porthgain

Up till the 30s stone was loaded into ships, and the ruins of the loaders and the narrow gauge railway serving them are still explorable. This was too good not to model! A bit different with plenty of shunting. 
 

The story is that as the quarries grew a light railway was built to take the stone away to the GWR Fishguard line. This was later taken over by the GWR itself who Swindon-ised some of the fittings. This is where we now see it in the 60s. A sparse passenger who general foods service but Stuka fairly busy with stone trains. BackRoomBoffin on here drew up a track plan which kept shunting interest up. 
That’s the backstory. Construction has started and I’ll put details and pics in the next post 

I suppose my point was that even if the seats are complained about is there actual evidence people are abandoning the train for the car or plane? What people say and do are often very difference, especially on social media!

The LNER trains still seem rather full!

I’m not a techy person and certainly don’t know how to run my railway by computer. BUT I’m a total convert to DCC. There are so many systems and it doesn’t have to involve computers or automation. 
I use a NCE powercab. The layout is wired pretty much as I would for dc except no sections or isolated tracks. Imagine you were wiring it to run just one loco - but instead you can run several and park them anywhere etc. 
I control my points from the DCC controller. Again wiring pretty similar except the point wires lead to a decoder not a switch!

I travel almost once a week from Leeds to London - luckily first class - and I think some of the comments are a little melodramatic. The seats may be a little harder but I don’t notice a great difference from mk4 or HST. Certainly fewer problems like broken seats or blocked loos. I think most passengers are quite happy with them. Certainly not enough difference to make someone fly or drive. At the end of the day it’s a train from A-B, just like before. The older stock was really starting to show it’s age. Every time we passed a train my drink spilt - #firstworldproblems

The risk is not really of someone harming children on the premises, at a club night. The real risk is of individuals using access to children to gain their trust and grooming them. Sadly this can happen even if parents are on site, if say they are sat in the kitchen with a coffee and book whilst the children are modelling. 
 

It’s not a case of being suspicious of every single adult in a model club but instead being aware that some horrible people will take advantage of any opportunity such as this. 

Completely OT but it’s got me wondering. Why do trains on say the Victoria Line or Waterloo and City have such large windows? They run entirely in tunnels so nothing to look at except the stations. Would it have been cheaper/simpler to have small aircraft style windows? Or do passengers expect a window even when there’s nothing to look at? 

48 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

Still does in much of Europe.

 

Forget PRM, I have a hard time thinking much European stock even has running water.. and I don't just mean to wash hands. Ive seen people slide open doors and spray to the passing countryside.. must be a shock at a level crossing, but then again Ive seen an elderly gent relieve his beer in the middle of gare du nords concourse too. At least in the UK people tend to keep there privates, private, even if those facilities are digital & minging.

 

coming back to topic.. what happens when XR goes pop, and passengers are stranded for 2,3,4,5 hours with no loos... when TL properly lost its teddy a month back, some passengers had to wait from 5pm until 2am to be rescued, though they had loos on board.

What happens at present when London Underground goes pop and passengers are stranded on a tube train???

I agree it seems like a change for the worst - but Chesham to Aldgate is 1hr 15min and that route’s managed without toilets for a long time

The pier tramway ceases running in 1969. A tramcar is at the preserved line - there’s only one on the island!

 For many years later BR did use the down line for a shuttle from Ryde Esplanade to Pier head. Not sure when it stopped but I remember getting it in the 80s as a kid. Now the rails are there but rusty and out of use. No idea when something last ran on them. 

Bssically it’s now double track from

Smallbrook through St Johns to Esplanade, then a single line to Pier Head

Without proper medical details that could be anything or nothing to do with Crossrail. One needs to know how many worked on the project and what the death rate was in a matched cohort of other construction workers. 

One person was directly killed during construction, and although one to many, this is actually an amazingly low figure for a project of this scale.  For comparison there have been well over 1000 building the World Cup venues in Qatar 

Foster Yeoman brought a US General Motors switcher for shunting at Merehead. It was partly their experience with it that lead to their acquiring the class 59 from GM

Whatever the actual designation of that train it makes a nice subject for a model

I’m not sure how rare mixed trains were. In my ‘Great Western Branchline Modelling’ there’s pics of a mixed train at Faringdon 1947,Kemble 1952 and Churston 1930s

Thanks for the advice. I’ll speak to the guys you mention to see how I can join their products to my existing board. 

Its more than a scenic extension, it’s to allow for 12-15 inch curves at either end 

I hope it’s ok to post here - I couldn’t find a baseboard forum. 

My woodworking skills and tools are v limited so many years ago I brought a pair of 4x2ft Brilliant Baseboards 

Sadly these are no longer available and the new layout I’m thinking it could do with being 6-9inches wider to allow for gentler curves (I model in N). It seems a shame to buy/build a whole new set of boards. 

What at would be the best and simplest way to extend? Should I do a few inches on either edge or all on one side. I can just about saw a straight line but have trouble keeping everything square! Or are there any suitable commercial products I could adapt to fit?

many thanks

2 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

I see a comment has been made already but will the D78 stock really fit the tunnel at Ryde?  This has always been quoted as the reason why C1 restriction stock could not be used on the Island.  While the D78 dynamic envelope is probably not up to full C1 dimensions the vehicles are signficantly higher than tube stock.  Does their adoption mean the line through the tunnel might be singled to improve clearances I wonder?

I know we can be pretty inept in this country sometimes but I’d like to think they’d have measured first before ordering the trains

Would singling it help? It has two separate entrances for each track. I presume it’s therefore a twin bore tunnel?

If there’s a passing loop at Brading will they still need the double track between Ryde and Smallbrook? And if not could it be used by the steam railway?

Forgive me if this is a daft question. A well known Merseyside retailer had the large logo in stock. One of the options at purchasing is DCC fitting. 

There are also DCC fitted locos not yet in stock, and a few pounds cheaper than the retailer DCC options. 

Is is there a difference between these options and should I wait for the DCC fitted version

Platform 9 to Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross???

I’m edging towards ordering some! Thanks guys. I’ve built a length of Easitrack at a 2mm society demo stand - I guess the plain track is similar

Because I’ve only ever used Peco before I’m not familiar with the dimensions and terms A6, B7 etc. Are there any templates I can print anywhere?

Thanks. Really helpful

What are the options for operating them? I presume solenoids are out