HAAppy HAAllowe'en. Trick or treat? This has got to be some kind of trick...
There are two defining wagons for my location and eras, the merry-go-round hopper and the humble 16 ton steel mineral. Both of these I need in large quantities and without both of them the layout just won't look right. So, along with many other modellers, I've been looking forward eagerly to the release of Hornby's revamped HAA - not only do I need a lot of these wagons but it's theoretically the first example of the firm's new breed of products for the modern modeller. Steam enthusiasts have been well supported for some years now, but there's been nothing for the diesel & electric fan.
Unfortunately this release isn't really much of an improvement over the previous offering. Some areas are better, sure, but others are worse. Disappointingly, neither of it's predecessor's two biggest faults have been rectified.
The good news is some of the underframe detailing is second-to-none, easily the finest on any RTR wagon to date, and there's a lot of nice, extra detail inside the hopper. Also the model has NEM coupler sockets and they're at the correct height (Bachmann, please note!) although there's a bit too much slack in the socket which lets a replacement Kadee coupler droop a little as seen in the photo. I suspect some people might have problems with the socket, however, as it's set quite a way back - even the long #19 coupler I've used only just reaches out far enough. The sprung buffers will go some way towards mitigating the problem, but keep an eye on this if you've got tight curves.
One of the older model's major errors was the emaciated solebars, they needed to be anything up to 50% deeper to match the prototype. If you look at photos of the real thing the bottom of the solebar is level with the midpoint of the buffers. Hornby have not tackled this problem with the new release, indeed it's now more noticeable. Not only is the eye drawn to the chassis because of the fine detailing, but the error is accentuated by the much poorer w-iron and spring detail on the new model. The w-irons just don't look right, the springs are too shallow which leaves the roller bearing sticking out in a peculiar fashion and there's a big gap between all this and the solebar - despite it's faults the old model was better in these areas. The overall effect is a model perched on a distorted chassis, late 1980s Lima style.
The other major, see-it-across-the-room flaw on the older model was the thick rim around the top of the hopper. This has been very slightly reduced on the new release, but not by enough to make a significant improvement. This was worryingly visible in the pre-production shots and led most people I know to believe only the chassis had been re-tooled. Certainly, it looked to be a serious enough problem to stop me ordering these models in quantity until I'd had chance to see a sample - this crude tooling doesn't even compare well to Hornby's much older PGA hopper as seen in the next photo...
Overall, then, not a very impressive release - a step sideways rather than forwards. At the individual product level it does little to bring Hornby's somewhat aged D&E product line into the 21st century. At the strategic level it does nothing to convince me as a D&E modeller that I'm going to be taken seriously by a company traditionally more focussed on the steam and trainset end of the market - this doesn't even come close to the standard of product Hornby have been offering the steam enthusiast for some years now.
I'm still optimistically awaiting the release of the Class 50 which could still be a turning point, but these hoppers are not an encouraging sign. The small improvements like the brake levers and chunky sprung buffers (along with opening doors and working louvres on the 50!) look like gimmicks to pull in uninformed shoppers and reviewers. If this is the best we're going to get then perhaps it's time I stopped wasting time and money on the toy market and followed other serious modellers overseas. American again? Or that Roco catalogue looks tempting...
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I've currently got 16 Lima PGAs going through the wagon works to bring them up to basic running standard. Primarily this entails fitting Ultrascale wheels and Smiths instanter couplings, but I'm also taking the opportunity to replace the supplied steel weights with liquid lead. This isn't essential, but has the advantage that the wagons are far less likely to dart for the nearest uncoupling magnet - the only things left for the magnet to attract are the axles.
When fixing liquid lead in situations like this I use a 50/50 mix of Resin-W glue and water, applied with an eye-dropper until everything looks like a bowl of Weetabix swamped in milk. Those nearest the camera show what I'm aiming for, whilst those toward the rear are dry and ready to have the couplings added.
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The thorny issue of coupling systems is one that troubles most modellers most of the time. Given that the prototype has more more than one system there never will be a 'right' answer - it really is a matter for the individual to decide. The only thing you can ultimately be sure of is that any self-appointed expert holding forth on the exclusive use of brand X is most definitely wrong.
Regardless of which type I've been hooked on, as it were, over the years, one I've always had a lot of time for within rakes is the version of the prototype instanter coupling manufactured by Smiths. Merry-go-round trains such as this one are rarely uncoupled on most layouts, so any fiddliness inherent in these tiny devices that might put you off ceases to be a worry. I tend to hook the vehicles together as I place them on the track and that's it. End vehicles can have whatever coupling you want, while within the rake these little things give nice, close coupling between vehicles.
Highly recommended at under a quid per wagon, the Smiths product code is LP2 for a pack of four pairs and they're widely available from model shops.
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Playing trains again, but with a purpose. Diversions across Cannock Chase were a common feature of the real Walsall, with diesels dragging dead electric locomotives via this secondary route whilst engineering work was carried out on the main line. Having quickly established that there was no point trying to run a Hornby Class 86 under power behind a Heljan Class 47, I set about putting together a couple of unpowered electrics. I've got a fair quanitity of spare parts kicking around after various double-motoring exercises, so this was a quick, no-cost option.
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What a mess! Although I've carefully tried out patches of various ballasts in off-scene parts of the layout, I made the mistake of using one batch untested. Greenscene's 2mm ash ballast was a safe bet, I thought, on the grounds that a couple of sidings didn't really matter and the ultimate in appearance wouldn't be required. Unfortunately the stuff is too dreadful for words - it's exceptionally coarse (about the size for 7mm) and has a host of horrible brown bits in it that look like they haven't been coloured properly.
The whole thing had the look of dyed sawdust on a 1960s 'Railway of the Month' so I've started to scrape it off, as you can see by the various holes.
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A bit of a cheat, this one, as the above photo is two and a half years old. It's included as I've been adding a few more layout photos to a neglected section of the site - OMWB seems to have taken over to the extent that nothing else gets a look-in. Sorry!
A couple of other sites that are worth a visit. Firstly, I'd strongly recommend a look at Widnes Vineyard, a superb layout that's obviously being put together by a bunch of guys who walk around with their eyes open rather than buried in a model railway magazine. Very atmospheric - looks like a model of a railway rather than the all-too-common model of a model. Secondly, Project Waldberg, currently featured in 'Continental Modeller', has a very definite web presence. A very professionally presented site - I wish there were more layouts on the web.
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The reconstruction of the uninhabited side of the loft started this evening, as is evidenced by the forest of uprights that can be seen sprouting in this photo. The Class 47 is about to dive under the town centre and emerge into Walsall Victoria from the north end - in reality it is travelling along tracks that will be entirely hidden once the middle level is in place.
The row of stumps down the middle of the scene are the supports for the middle level, while the track on the left is the beginning of the scrap branch. Way back when I started the layout, it was my intention that the middle level here would depict a freightliner terminal, complete with a DCC controlled container crane. Roco's change of heart in producing this crane, unfortunately, has put paid to that plan, but I have a number of other schemes in reserve. Nothing concrete as yet, though.
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N gauge models get a raw deal on the printed page, where everything is effectively the same scale. The same applies on the computer screen, of course, and the above shot of the new Bachmann/Graham Farish Class 37 appears between 3 and 4 times larger than life on my monitor, ruthlessly (and unfairly) exposing every little flaw. Given that, I think it acquits itself rather well.
N gauge modellers, at least those with a UK leaning, have always had an even rawer deal, with only one consistent manufacturer producing RTR stock, and not doing it to a very high standard at that. But with Bachmann having taken over the Graham Farish range some time ago, things are at last starting to change - revamped models have been appearing with a brand new chassis that, hopefully, marks the beginning of a whole new era.
I think I can safely say I'm impressed with this model. Not only does it look more like a Class 37 in the flesh than any of the dire 4mm offerings, but the running qualities are perfectly acceptable, too. Straight out the box it's smooth and powerful, hugely better than the performance you get from the likes of Lima. It's a little hesitant at low speed, but it doesn't stall or anything - it just seems to want to slow and stop. This may be because I'm testing it with a pure DC controller - no doubt DCC will bring it's customary improvement. It might also improve with running in, of course. Regular readers of 'Railway Modeller' magazine will be aware that even a Brio trainset with woodworm will purr along with Swiss precision after 30 minutes of careful running in. It has to be careful, mind you - I don't know if a condom is required, but then I'm one 'Shows You How' booklet short of the full set at the best of times.
While we're on the subject of all things N, have a look at the above photo which shows just how tiny a typical DCC decoder aimed at the smaller scales really is. On the Left is the Lenz LE0521A and on the right, my favourite Lenz LE1024E decoder, one that finds it's way into more of my locos than anything else. Decoders for the smaller scales can be usefully deployed in some of the smaller 4mm models, too - although only rated at 0.5 amps this is sufficient for many modern mechanisms. Personally I try not to use them if at all possible, purely because the number of function outputs is normally limited. In this age when more and more people are going overboard with lighting, the basic 2 function front/back facility that this decoder has can be limiting. This doesn't diminish it's value to N gauge modellers, of course.
Finally, a size comparison between the Bachmann/Graham Farish Class 37 next to a 7mm model built from a DJH kit - the N gauge model is about the size of it's larger sibling's bogies. Model trains the size of bogies - now there's an unsettling notion...
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As I've been doing some routine maintenance to point assemblies today (I get almost 100% reliability from the motors, but not, alas, from the microswitches) I've taken the opportunity to add a page about wiring Peco points. It's a bit basic for established modellers, I'll admit, but it is a question that crops up repeatedly from beginners - especially as much misinformation abounds about 'wiring for DCC'. Hopefully it'll help somebody, somewhere.
In a similar vein are a couple of basic examples of computer control, designed to illustrate the speed and simplicity of this approach when compared to the laborious task of constructing and maintaining traditional control panels. Obviously it's something that won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I know an awful lot of people out there just don't appreciate how little there is to it.
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I've added a guide to chipping the Bachmann Super Voyager to the DCC section. I've also got photo-sequences waiting in the wings for a sound-equipped version, not to mention the plain vanilla, non-tilting Voyager. But they'll have to wait - these things take a lot longer to put together than doing the actual models, unfortunately, and after writing all that b*ll*cks I need a beer...
I've featured the cheap'n'cheerful option, for a change - Nigel Burkin already covers the more obvious (and better) route in the DCC section of his site and I didn't feel it was worth duplicating his efforts.
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One of those days when I didn't find the time to get anywhere near as much done as I'd planned, and I wasted an awful lot of the time that I did find. When test-running a Super Voyager that I'd finished late last night (or early this morning) I noticed that the lights weren't working as expected. Either all of the tail-lights were on, or all of the headlights, but not that subtle blend of the two that we've come to know and love. After nearly 90 minutes of head-scratching, testing and double-checking of wiring, it eventually dawned on me that the wiring was, in fact, 100% correct. As I'd re-used old decoders to control the lights in the end cars I'd managed to pick one where CV29 had been changed to alter the direction. Ten seconds to fix, but only once you know what the problem is.
Bachmann's Voyagers and Super Voyagers are nice models indeed. I'm not much for the prototype, if truth be told, but as models they're just fine. I've had a good hour or so tonight just playing trains and admiring them. A great shame, then, that the Dapol Pendolino is of little use as anything other than a toy - I think the real Pendolinos are fine machines and would kill for a decent model.
The Pendolino isn't converted to DCC (I'd judged it to be a waste of a decoder) but was having a quick wobble round the layout as loco zero. If you are tempted to convert one then be very careful of which decoder you choose. My model has a stall current of well over 2 amps - a figure that will blow most normally-rated chips. A heavy duty decoder would be required, which given the poor quality of the model would probably be throwing good money after bad. A better bet might be to replace the motor with a superior model and take it from there, but personally I'm unlikely to bother. If it looks like a turkey, sounds like a turkey and moves like a turkey, then the odds are it's a job for Bernard Matthews rather than Bernd Lenz.
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Just to show I haven't spent my entire quota of hobby time of late up on my soap box, here are a couple of real work-in-progress photos. Firstly, ballasting trials. Ballasting is right up there with wiring and cleaning the kludgie when it comes to fun things to do, I'm afraid - not something I relish even when things go right. And things haven't gone right...
Firstly, when I'd got everything sorted out and ballast spread out on the line my last remaining syringe disintegrated. Secondly, when I eventually secured a couple of eye-droppers from Boots (used to apply the dilute woodworking adhesive to the ballast) and got going I found I didn't like any of the ballast samples I'd got. Previous layouts had been done using a nice silvery sand that I'd got from who knows where in the dim and distant past. As this ran out some time ago I need to find a commercial product I can live with. Experiments are continuing in little patches on the hidden parts of the layout - hence the odd effect in the photo. 25275, by the way, is the standard Bachmann item - renumbered, chipped and fitted with Express Models lights, but otherwise unaltered.
The other job in hand at the moment is fitting DCC & sound to the Bachmann Super Voyager, using an ESU LokSound 2 sound decoder. I'm still working on this - it's not the decoder fitting that takes time, but taking the pesky photos for the step-by-step guide.
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Much chuckling this afternoon...
I try not to take the mick out of MREMag, I really do. It's not supposed to be a site for even the semi-serious modeller and is quite upfront about it's leanings toward the collector/train-set end of the market, which is fair enough. As I, to some extent, collect European models and know nothing at all about the prototypes I don't really feel I'm in a position to criticise others who do a similar thing with UK prototypes.
But as it's not my scene I don't look at the site that often, and I certainly don't read the letters as I long ago found them to be of the 'anybody who wants something better is a rivet counter and should be burnt at the stake' variety - deeply disturbing to anyone with even a passing interest in the gene pool. So I'm indebted, as Cyril Fletcher used to say, to a collector friend of mine who thought I might be interested in the checking out the letter from Dennis Lovett, apparently 'Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs, Virgin Trains' concerning the infamous Dapol Pendolino.
It would seem someone had the temerity to suggest the Dapol model was little more than a crock of the proverbial (I don't know why - perhaps he'd bought one?) and Mr Lovett was taking the time to reply. What tickled me was not the fact that anyone should even attempt to deny something so self-evident, but the typical spin that was trotted out. "We are more than happy with the model", "the initial tool shots were checked by engineers", "only praise has been forthcoming", "Some minor problems were experienced with one axle on the initial batch that were quickly resolved by Dapol" - you get the idea. Now why did an image of Gus from 'Drop The Dead Donkey' spring suddenly to mind, I wonder? I think we're experiencing a slight togetherness shortfall...
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As we leave the last century further and further behind I've been making sure some of it's poorer examples of the modelmakers art go with it. Over the last few years I've jettisoned many of those questionable lumps that we all pick up from time to time - when the price is right and we're young enough to believe we actually will get round to rebuilding and remotoring everything. Much of what has been sold has, unsuprisingly, been from Lima, a consistent purveyor of questionable lumps to the gentry for 25 years or more.
I can't pretend I was sad to see them go, I wasn't. As far as I'm concerned their demise opens up the field for far better products for less money, as Bachmann have already proven, as well as (hopefully) even better products at higher prices. But their existence has pretty much matched my time spent in the hobby, they've always been there for me, even if I have normally chosen to reject them in favour of better quality US or European products - even kettles! So, at a time when some folk are already starting to rewrite history faster than an adoloescent music journalist can say 'lig', I've knocked together a Lima overview, a not particularly affectionate autopsy of the product range that probably indirectly did more for the bank balances of MG Sharp, Victors and Mackay Models than they ever did directly for the many staunch retailers of British outline. Gone, but not forgiven.
Handy things, these soap boxes. Hey! I can see your house from here...
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On My Soap Box: odious comparisons. A few people asked for a better photo of the boxy Spanish loco after my rather poor effort with a compact camera some months ago, so here it is. This presents an ideal opportunity to illustrate the gulf between the quality (if that's the word) of products for the UK market compared to those of the rest of the world, in this case the teeming hotbed of railway modellers known to us as Spain. Pictured above are models of two prototypes that only their mothers could love (GM certainly believes styling is just something that happens to hairdressers) - Lima's 4mm Class 67 and Roco's 3.5mm RENFE 319.2 diesel.
Note that the Class 67 has had all of the detail parts fixed in place, while the 319.2 has had none of them applied. Note also that I'm looking at the quality of manufacture here, rather than prototype accuracy - Lima's howlers such as the wrong shaped cab roof are already well documented elsewhere. Basically, Lima's model is little more than a crude, plastic lump - many body parts are either printed on or poorly moulded and the underframe is utterly appalling - just a coffin with vague shapes on the outside that are supposed to represent underframe equipment. The Roco model isn't just a different league, it's almost a different sport. As well as being far more crisply moulded, every single detail on the underframe is a seperate part, and I do mean every detail. The tanks, the individual pipes, the various boxes, the brake details - there are even actual tiny chains on there that you can't really see in the photo. Oh, and the axle boxes rotate when the model moves.
Mechanically, the differences are equally extreme. The Lima offering, despite belatedly incorporating a central flywheel drive, is a noisy and rough runner. The Roco item is silkily smooth and totally silent. Once again I must stress that totally is exactly the word I mean - the only sounds come from the wheels of the loco and it's train on the rails. Or the onboard DCC sound, if you switch it on, but that wouldn't be a fair comparison - it isn't really a fair comparison anyway, to be honest, as the Roco item is a fair bit more expensive than the Lima product even if you buy the version without DCC and sound. Nevertheless, I can't help thinking the Lima loco is over-priced rubbish of the kind that I won't be caught buying again, whilst the Roco release is very definitely value for money. I'm not overly enamoured of the pastry-cutter wheels the 319.2 has, but then the Lima ones are just as bad. If I had to find fault with the Roco model (other than the fact that it's foreign!) then I'd say those lift rings on the roof are a tad on the heavy side. I think I could live with that kind of serious issue...
Another comparion that I've inevitably made, given the recent Bachmann release, is the Super Voyager against Roco's ICE-TD unit. Now I'm not in any way unhappy with my Class 221 - sure, it has errors, but to my mind it offers reasonable quality for a reasonable price. Most importantly it's not a complete debacle like the same manufacturer's Class 37 - definitely a turd in the swimming pool of life, that one. But it's European cousin immediately appears substantially better, looking more detailed even though the prototype probably has less in the way of actual detail to depict.
The difference is not subtle. The rather cruel enlargement above shows the windscreen detail on the Roco's model, Bachmann haven't even bothered to try and mimic the distinctive boundaries between the black parts and the tinted glass on the Voyagers, and the light clusters were obviously done late on a Friday afternoon. The Roco multiple unit is much better in these areas, plus also has much smoother windows with no rippling and the gap between cars is minimal, even though it negotiates train-set curves. The break in the vertical black line is purely down to my inadequate lighting technique, by the way, it's not a deficiency of the model. Once again, it's not fair to mention the DCC and onboard sound (including door warning beeps) the Roco unit comes with, but it should be noted that the lights work properly even on the unpowered car under both DC and DCC - no rewiring required.
In recent years diesel & electric models have played second fiddle to steam in both Hornby and Bachmann's release schedules, but even the better quality UK kettles are pale shadows of what the European enthusiasts enjoy. Things are getting better for UK D&E modellers now, the oft-heard phrase "you've never had it so good" is certainly true, even if only by virtue of the fact that the old products were so dismal in the first place. Although Hornby have nothing new as yet to offer the discerning modern modeller, Bachmann have a string of useful products to their credit, especially the Mark 1 coaches and the many modern wagons. Things are definitely moving in the right direction, although cataclysmic own-goals like the Class 37 can still offer an unpleasant wake-up call from time-to-time.
Better quality products only come about because manufacturers perceive there to be a demand from the massed ranks of money-wielding consumers, so keep demanding, boys & girls. These multinational companies don't exist to keep a handful of sycophantic hacks on the free sample gravy-train, but to profit from our requirements as consumers. And if you need evidence of the quality those demands can lead to then look to the European or US markets. Decades of being patronised with "we must support the manufacturers, for who knows what delights await us in the future?" b*ll*cks has merely left us 30 years behind the rest of the world in the quality stakes. Now it's time to start catching up...
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A couple of views of the south-west approaches to the real Walsall taken in 1980. These clearly show the sprawling, open nature of the area, in spite of the fact that it's 'built up' by anybody's definition.
If you straighten the tracks out and draw a couple of lines in to represent the boundaries of typical model railway baseboards you just end up with a linear, multi-tracked stretch of line that could be almost anywhere, even out in the country. This wouldn't in any way capture the hemmed-in feeling that I used to get when standing on the platforms and neither would it incorporate most of the visual clues that define the place as Walsall. This is exactly why I'm not trying to model the real location - far better to model the impressions or the feel I remember from being there. Otherwise I'd end up with something that looked like a fiddle yard...
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Impressed with the success of the extra track circuits I've recently installed in the up lines between the fiddle yard and the station, I've now added another 4 to the down lines in a similar manner. This part of the layout is the transition from the off-stage to the scenic (ha!) section and it was never intended to come under close scrutiny. Automated trains, therefore, have always come to fairly abrupt halts in these sections, with no real precision being required. As things progress, however, you tend to see opportunities that were never part of the original plan, and this location has evolved into one where I just like to sit and watch the trains go by, the view along the line towards the station (see Friday morning 10/10/03 for a photo) showing passing traffic sweeping by to good effect.
The extra circuits give a far finer degree of control to movements that are now taking place right under my (electric) nose. When approaching a red aspect, any automated trains start to slow when they enter the yellow braking sections in the photo and then creep the last few scale yards towards the signal - the gantry will live where the wooden place-holder can be seen. If the signal doesn't clear then the train will come to a gentle halt just inside the red stop section, as the Bachmann Class 24 has. When the signal clears the train will move off, the signal returning to danger when the train enters the next track-circuited section which I've positioned a few inches beyond the gantry.
All this is fairly easy to set up using the TrainController software and my layout files are already up to date including these latest sections. Perhaps this is a good time to stress that this is NOT supposed to be a computer-operated layout, merely one where the computer simulates other drivers to give me the impression that I'm running my train as part of a busy national network. Think of the computer-controlled trains as moving scenery, if you like. The computer takes nothing away from the layout, but adds an awful lot - far more than I imagined possible when I bought the software, which is why changes in the masterplan are frequent these days!
Other than the nice view along the line from this point, the main reason this spot appeals is it's pivotal nature operationally. All terminating local services have to cross from the up lines to the down lines in order to reach platform 3, running the last few yards along a section of the down fast which is signalled for bi-directional running. These services will approach signals WV1 or WV2 which will be held at red until clearing to a single yellow at the last second, if indeed they clear at all. With sound-equipped multiple units this produces a nice surge as the power is applied, or, better still, the unit rattles and chatters to itself if held there waiting for a down train to clear the section. However did I manage without DCC?
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The latest Bachmann offering is the Class 221 'Super Voyager' DEMU - basically the same as the previous Class 220 unit, but with 5 cars, different bogies, a tilting mechanism and red tail-lights at long last. Once again, the model is not DCC-Ready, which is pretty pathetic for a new product in 2003 - scrap the 'half-a-job' circuit board and hard-wire your decoder.
And yes, it really does tilt, I've included the box so as to give a vertical for comparison.
Also out from Bachmann is the latest version of the intermodal pair....
...this time with P&O liveried 20 foot containers.
Note that although the vivid green is authentic, the real wagons are typically a mucky brown in service. The filthy example in the above photograph is actually much, much cleaner around the lettering than they usually are, it's normally difficult to tell what colour paint is under the dirt.
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A view looking the other way from the photo below, showing the same train continuing it's journey into the lower fiddle yard. Taken some 10 hours after the previous shot (so it's a slow train, you got a problem with that?) I've included this picture as it shows just how wrong the Hornby Mk 4 DVT looks when dressed up in Virgin livery. I bought a number of these as they were cheap enough and I thought they could serve as 'place-holders' in the short term, until I got around to building the rather better Hurst kits that I'd got sitting in the cupboard. To be honest they don't look that bad when they're hurtling past in a train (who looks at the DVT anyway?) but stationary or in a photo it's a different matter. The tapered Mark 4 cross-section looks most out of place next to the straighter-sided Mark 3s. Fortunately Nigel Burkin wanted some DVTs to build for an article, so I'll be getting the correct replacements onto the layout rather sooner than I'd expected.
The 'place-holder' approach is very important to me. Looking at some of the fine layouts at exhibitions or in magazines it's easy to forget that, for the majority of it's life, the typical layout is under construction rather than complete. During this period of evolution many aspects will be less than ideal, but that's not a problem - it's just a necessary phase of the project that you have to go through. I don't see operating the incorrect Hornby Mk 4 DVT in the short term as a compromise but as a plus point - an economical, RTR place-holder lets me run approximations of the real trains while I develop both the timetable and the layout. I'll be glad to see the back of the things, true, but they'll have earned their keep when they go! Another place-holder in these parts at the moment is the substitution of modern Bachmann intermodals for proper 1970s Freightliners - again, this lets me develop the timetable whilst making sure everything fits in the required sidings.
In fact, this is quite a place-holder shot, now I come to think about it. A few timber offcuts have been glued together to denote where the signal gantry will be, useful for making sure any computer-controlled trains stop in the right place whilst at the same time being clearly visible to operators of manually driven services. Another pile of offcuts indicate where a retaining wall will be sited - I've decided it'll probably only be one block high and factory units above it will conceal the middle level tracks at this point. The Bachmann Class 24 even has a red sitcker on the roof to show it's intended TOPS number as I haven't got around to renumbering most of my type 2s as yet. One thing I regret is not having any Lego these days. Lego is absolutely brilliant for mocking-up structures on a model railway - don't make my mistake and throw it away because you're too old!
Finally, the point at which the middle level has been slewed backwards is marked by the four under construction Parkside parcel vans. Viewed from afar this has introduced a bit of a dogleg into what used to be quite a smooth section of track, but this isn't a problem as it won't be visible once the buildings are in place.
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The ongoing upheaval that has kept the layout from these pages for some weeks now. The mainline behind the camera has been reinstated with extra track-circuiting, but the middle level is still under reconstruction, having been raised and moved further towards the back of the layout. Work has progressed as far as the green Tortoise point-motor, but you will note a large gap between this and the other half of the line, which is still at the lower level.
The Hornby Virgin Class 86 and it's not very prototypical rake (10 HST vehicles plus a DVT arranged in no particular order) is seen having a last run before being put into store. I've shelved the idea of modelling the modern scene in the immediate future as reasonable motive power just isn't available. I'll be coming back to it later, but for the time being I'm concentrating on the 1970s era as there's a better selection of locos available. It doesn't matter what you do to models such as this Hornby one, whether you weight them, beef up the pickups or whatever, you can't hide the fact that the pancake motor is a crock of sh*t, not even suitable for the toy market. A shame, really, as this particular rake looks especially smart as it flashes by, but the illusion is soon spoiled when the loco executes a random speed change that whiplashes along the rake. I have a quantity of Bachmann Warships set aside as chassis donors for 86s and 87s, but that's a job for later.
There are at least 3 different types of coupling visible in this shot, something I'm slowly trying to erradicate. The translucent tub with a spoon in it contains the ever indespensible liquid lead, in case you're wondering, and the green bottle shows what most of my money seems to go on. Not locos. Not track. Not decoders. Just plain old wood glue. Finally, the 12 ton van seems lower than the rest because it's awaiting replacement wheelsets - it's not supposed to be the grounded van body beloved of railway modellers everywhere.
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I've been trying to catch up with some of those part-finished projects that tend to multiply in the darker corners of the workbench, locos with lights half-installed or the many pieces of rolling stock that still lack any coupling facility. Pictured is a Hornby Class 92 having a second power bogie fitted - I was doing a batch of these some months ago and this particular example was being photographed for a step-by-step guide when the camera battery ran out. The very act of charging the battery was enough to break my train of thought and I started something else, leaving the 92 sitting on a bookshelf until now. Short attention span, moi?
A sad day today as my mother's cat, Jasper, finally passed away. Having lived for well over 18 years, Jasper was best known for being the "What's New" pussycat on my main photo site, until it's last redesign saw his well-earned retirement. Although many people sent appreciative e-mails over the last few years, Jasper never let his celebrity go to his head - he'd still p*ss in the same corner of the hall that he'd always used before he was famous.
He's gone now, like Lima, to that great litter tray in the sky - although unlike Lima he'll be sadly missed. Jasper leaves behind him a legacy of chewed 4-aspect signal heads and LP sleeves with the corners missing...
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As I squandered most of yesterday's leisure time playing with computer control again, I haven't really got anything new that's worth photographing for OMWB. Conscious, however, that the layout pages haven't been updated in a month of Sundays, I've added a page explaining the thinking behind the various scenarios for the layout. Should keep one or two people amused while they're accubating at the computer...
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Over the weekend I've fiddled extensively with the automation side of the layout, setting up many experimental schedules in the TrainController software and deleting them again. As part of this I've refined the signalling somewhat, which I'm quite pleased about.
The reason for the photo of DB's celebrity 18201 is that I've been using it as part of my testing, for various reasons. For any kind of automation to be convincing, absolute reliability of all layout components is a must - things such as Lima & Hornby locos that need a periodic poke with a finger are no use whatsoever. I only use locos that are 99.99% reliable, this needn't be expensive as Bachmann Class 24s & 25s fit the bill nicely, but I also take the opportunity to give some of my European 'display only' collection a canter on the main line. One attraction of locos such as 18201 is they're supplied with DCC and sound installed - an advantage during testing as with 5 or 6 trains running at any one time the sounds can be a useful monitoring aid. I can set horns or whistles to sound at any key point that I'm working on, for example.
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Severing the mainline a month or two ago in order to alter the track-circuiting was a mistake as I couldn't be bothered to finish the job due to the summer heat in the loft. Now things are cooler, however, I've reinstated the tracks, added the extra track-circuits, wired them in and resumed mainline running. Over the weekend I've incorporated the extra circuits into the TrainController software and tested everything out, not to mention carrying out a lot of experiments with signalling.
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Norwegian blue. Out of the box ready to have the detail parts added is this Roco LKAB IORE Norwegian double electric locomotive. It grieves me that the UK market has to put up with the low quality junk that we do, while the Norwegian enthusiast can enjoy products of this quality. Norwegian, I ask you! I didn't even know Norway had railways until I saw this fine model and now I'm pining for the fjords. Of course, some w*nk*r will be along in a minute to explain that the UK market isn't as big as the Norwegian one...
I've a certain fondness for big electrics - look for the magnificent BLS Ae 8/8 on the new European page.
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Not much happening at the moment, although I have unpacked a couple of Hornby Mark 3 coaches and given them a test run. These complete another HST set that I don't really need, but as is often the case a livery that I hate in real life looks nice in model form. I've added more photos of these coaches to the products section.
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More 7mm Parkside mineral wagons in works at the moment. The leftmost one was actually started a good few years ago (you can tell by the yellowed glue and the rusty wheels) but never finished, while the rest are fresh out of the box. Note the sprue offcuts in the rear wagon, I leave these in as a force-fit to ensure the wagon sides end up bowed out rather than in - works a treat.
I have a bit of a bottleneck in the wagon works at the moment - Bill Bedford is threatening some new sprung W-irons for 7mm and I'm waiting to see how these turn out before pressing on. Previously I've used Slaters sprung units.
While we're on the subject of wagons, here's a size comparison between a 4mm Lima PGA and a 7mm equivalent. The latter was picked up secondhand and is somewhat battered - the kit is currently made by Nigel Stanley Models.
Finally, some ancient history that I've dug out for inclusion on another part of the site. The GWR brake van was the first ever 7mm kit I built, way back in 1984. I never did quite finish it (no weathering, or even varnish over the transfers) and one or two bits have broken over the years, but it's an interesting curio. These plastic kits were originally manufactured by Webster but are currently made by Peco.
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This Bachmann intermodal turned up last week in the same parcel as the new 25/1s, but I've been too busy even to get it out of the box, what with two exhibitions over the weekend as well as family visiting. However, while waiting for my favourite Dial-A-Curry service to turn up with some top scoff, tonight I've taken the opportunity to put the various bits together and take a photo or two.
The 37-312 intermodal/container set includes two 20 foot containers in 'MSC' livery and a pair of intermodal flats.
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No, not some child-like attempt to simulate steel coil loads, just a quick and dirty way to hold the sides in place while the glue dries - the wagon is a Parkside slope sided mineral in 7mm scale. Generally Parkside kits are very good indeed - easy to build, accurate and highly recommended to anyone who fancies putting a toe in the 7mm water. The slope sided mineral, I know from past experience, involves a little more work than most of the range. A fair bit of filler will be needed to get a seamless join in the side pieces - nothing too difficult, but if you don't put a bit of effort in then things will look unsightly.
In the past I've been reluctant to feature much 7mm modelling here, simply because the site is supposed to revolve around my 4mm layout. The idea was to feature the layout because mainstream magazines always concentrate on rolling stock, to think big because the mags tend to think small. In short, an antidote to all those bl**dy BLTs (Branch Line Terminii) and 6 page white metal kettle articles we're bombarded with. However, due to a large amount of e-mail from interested parties I've now relented on that score. I don't know what form it will take (probably a new, separate 7mm section) but for the time being I will drop the odd photo into OMWB to keep things simmering. In a non-kettle kind of way...
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At long last Bachmann's new Class 25/1s have arrived in the shops and my samples have just been delivered. This latest incarnation of the ubiquitous Type 2 offers no suprises to those familiar with previous releases, and although it's nice to see a line of rivets have appeared around the base of the cab, this does little to compensate for the main errors that have been well documented in the past. The windows are still too flat at the tops, the nose door is too short and the trench around the triangular side-plate is reminiscent of 1970s Matchbox aircraft kits.
By way of comparison, here's the veteran Hornby model on the left next to the new Bachmann release on the right.
And again, but this time with Hornby's 1970s moulding on the right. Whilst Bachmann's bodged window shape is clearly inferior to it's 25 year old ancestor, in most other areas the aged Hornby item is outgunned. The proportions and shape of it's body are inaccurate, the detail poor and the whole lot sits far too high on a crude chassis that's barely functional.
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Off on a 7mm tangent again. I returned home from Guildex this weekend with a 7mm Class 37, professionally built from a DJH kit by Keith Barber. It's seen here (minus a few detail parts that have yet to be added) next to the diminutive 4mm equivalent from Bachmann.
The DJH kit is by no means completely accurate and caused me some considerable disappointment when it was first released, especially in the roof profile. Having lived through the saga of Bachmann's definitively inaccurate 4mm model, however, I can better appreciate it's distant 7mm cousin. Few things in life are perfect - for my money the DJH kit is the closest to the real thing so far.
I've always spent a fair bit of time modelling in 7mm, in fact the majority of my wagon building has been in this scale for more years than I care to remember. Up until the last house move I've always had a 7mm layout, but I've not started one since moving to Telford as I wanted to get the main 4mm layout to an operable level as a priority. But now, I think, it's time to rectify that omission - track components have today been ordered from C&L Finescale!
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Why no updates for well over a month? Purely because in the heat of the summer, when it's almost hot enough in the loft to melt solder, I tend to concentrate on other things. I might be out photographing the prototype, or relaxing in the garden, but I certainly won't be slowly asphyxiating amongst the rafters. Modelling isn't totally forgotten, however, and during the summer I always end up (I think it's a tradition, or an old charter, or something) pressing on with my 7mm stuff.
The photo shows another batch of wagons (my main interest) that I started work on last night. I tend to build these on a production line basis, tackling half-a-dozen or so per batch, and things are starting here with the various chassis components. I prefer to hold the chassis together with woodworking clamps for a day while the glue sets as I find this is the best way to keep everything square - the old table in use as a workbench here is valued because, unlike most modern furniture, it is perfectly flat. The weight of the clamps is almost enough to hold everything in place, I tighten them only slightly in order to stop the inevitable cat disturbing things en-route to the window ledge. Over-tightening will distort the chassis members.
The Ariel Liquitabs container, by the way, is something I use to keep completed models free of dust while they're awaiting their turn in the paint shop - ice cream containers are equally useful and have the added bonus of being more fun to empty.
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