A new N gauge wagon from Peco is a rare event - I think the last one might have been horse-drawn. Their new model of the ubiquitous MGR hopper is therefore a very significant release, especially with a similar product from Graham Farish just around the corner. I'm very pleased to say that the newcomer is a far more convincing replica of the prototype than either of Hornby's attempts in 4mm scale. Particularly noteworthy is the way the sidesheets correctly reach down as far as the horizontal brown framing, something the larger Hornby models distinctly fail to achieve.
There are fundamental errors in the basic shape of the Peco model, though, it's far from perfect. Most significantly, the outer diagonal edges of the hoppers are much too square. The real ones are very rounded and this also impacts on the shape of the side sheets - these curve in rather prominently towards the horizontal framing on the prototype, but not on the model. These flaws are not particularly apparent in my photos, but are easily seen if you compare an actual model with a photo of a real wagon.
Fortunately, these errors are not such a big issue when the wagon is running as part of a train on a layout. They're far less conspicuous than the major errors of the Hornby model and I reckon they're something I could reasonably happily live with. But nevertheless it's difficult to understand how a manufacturer can make such basic mistakes in 2004. With a competing model due from Graham Farish in the near future it'll be difficult to avoid making comparisons. If the Farish is both more accurate and cheaper, Peco's bungling will do them no favours.
But whichever way it pans out, one thing is certain. The trademark MGR trains of the D&E era are much easier to model convincingly in N than in 4mm. At least until you start to look for decent RTR locos to haul them, anyway.
Currently On My Stereo: Marillion - Holidays In Eden
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Peco's Code 83 HO track is now in the shops. The new range is aimed at US modellers and comes in distinctive red blister packs that won't easily be confused with Peco's existing ranges. Both electrofrog and insulfrog versions are available - naturally I avoided the insulfrogs like the plague.
The #6 turnout, to use the American terminology, is shown underneath a code 75 medium radius point which many modellers will be familiar with. The #6s are certainly closer to medium radius than large, although not an exact match.
The most obvious visual differences are metal check rails, extended timbering where a switch-stand would fit on the prototype, and the much smaller ties (sleepers) compared to the code 75 and code 100 ranges. By design, these products are even less like UK trackwork than ever, the tiny sleepers alone render them completely unsuitable, but Peco haven't produced this US trackwork for modellers of the UK scene.
The wire from the frog is now longer, making it easier to drop it through a hole in the baseboard and solder a feed to it. The related jumpers are now more exposed, making their removal easier if you want to switch the frog polarity. A couple of welcome design improvements.
The existing Peco code 75 range has a major design defect in that there's nothing to stop the cover over the centring spring from sliding backwards, after just two or three years of use mine are failing left, right and centre. This has changed with the new code 83 range and it doesn't look like the cover could work loose at all - this is a major plus point.
There's a flaw to this arrangement, unfortunately, as the retaining plate is underneath the point and you won't be able to get at it once the track is laid and ballasted. It seems you need to pray that you'll never need to replace the spring! Users of Tortoise or similar motors will presumably want to remove this item before laying the track.
There is a substantial chunk of plastic between the rails in the frog area, no doubt to enhance the smooth ride of RP25 wheelsets, but old steamroller wheels with deep flanges object violently to this arrangement. But then I object violently to old steamroller wheels, so I'm not going to lose much sleep over this...
Currently On My Stereo: Marillion - Marbles
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The Class 58 Locomotive Group have announced their intention to commission an all-new RTR OO model of the Class 58 from Heljan. It is intended that the model will be of a standard equal to or better than Heljan's Hymek.
Further details are available from Richard Bucknall, the project co-ordinator, by e-mailing models at c58lg.co.uk - you'll need to replace the 'at' and the surrounding spaces with '@' to get that address to work, of course...
Currently On My Stereo: Marillion - Fugazi
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Next up on the workbench are these Kato hopper kits, not particularly difficult to build but I've got six more boxes of three to do so I've been putting it off. For about 6 years now.
Like most modellers I've got more unbuilt kits than I'll ever manage to construct, and they're currently forming a nice thick layer of insulation in the loft. I wonder if I could get a grant to buy some more in the name of energy efficiency?
Currently On My Stereo: Pat Travers - Blues Tracks
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Bachmann have produced some fine 4mm models of coaches and wagons in recent years. Some, I would suggest, such as the BRA/BYA steel wagons and the intermodal twins, even have a fair bit of the illusive 'wow-factor' normally absent from UK D&E RTR product ranges. It is against this background that many enthusiasts have difficulty in fitting the same manufacturer's diesel locos, a range that is, at best, startlingly mediocre. It's often remarked that they could well be two different ranges from two different manufacturers.
The cynics, of course, point out that Bachmann's headlong rush to flood the 4mm marketplace with diesels before competitors manage to get a foot in the door is to blame. Quality isn't a factor in such a policy. Should the cynics be correct then the average modeller can only wonder at the effectiveness of such a strategy, one that seems as likely to bar paying customers from the market as rival manufacturers.
Currently On My Stereo: Terrorvision - How To Win Friends And Influence People
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Hornby's Class 50 was a worthy entry into the adult D&E market, let down by a few silly errors but still a huge step in the right direction. It's major failing lies in the completely inaccurate cab windows, worryingly reminiscent of the older Lima model. Despite regular and deliberately misleading claims to the contrary on one infamous website, Hornby have not taken any steps to rectify this error.
Another irritation for many modellers was the provision of traction tyres on four of the wheels, a bizarre example of toy train thinking which doesn't sit well with the model's presumed position in the marketplace. Fortunately, and to their credit, Hornby have since rectified this and current production comes without the offending items. This is of no help to loyal customers who bought the intial releases, unfortunately, and they're left to try and resolve the problem using their own resourcefulness. My favourite route is simply to blag discarded wheels from friends who have upgraded their models to EM or P4 gauges.
Currently On My Stereo: Uriah Heep - Firefly
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Having spent my formative modelling years in the Scalefour and EM Gauge societies, I still find I have an ingrained aversion to most commercial track systems. Just because the ambitious nature of my layout pretty much forces me to use what's available, it doesn't mean I have to like it, in fact I curse the infernal stuff until the air turns blue. But, with a layout like this, the choice is not between Peco track and handmade track, but between a layout and no layout at all. So I plod along, mixing pragmatism and profanity on a daily basis.
I hate set-track even more, unsuprisingly, but that doesn't blind me to it's advantages when the circumstances are right. Most UK set-track is useless to me, but overseas ranges, as always, offer more options for the serious modeller. Although I could never bring myself to build a complete layout with this track, the Roco range includes large radius points and curves which are ideal for temporary arrangements. I've used this system extensively for test-tracks and temporary parts of the layout, enabling me to continue running trains whilst development work progresses.
The Roco points in the photos are fitted with Roco's DCC point motors, which slip unobtrusively under the point itself. This is quite literally two wire DCC, as the point motors are connected directly to the rails. No further wiring is needed to operate the points or deal with polarity switching - it's pure plug and play and you operate the points directly from your DCC handset. Small wonder that I'm currently using this system for a temporary fiddle yard on a temporary US shunting section of my layout.
On the DCC front, I've also been moving steadily through my DMU fleet, upgrading lights and circuitry in general. Normally I like to spread electrical pick-up across all vehicles of a set for greater operational reliability, sometimes I'll do this by hard-wiring, but when I'm feeling motivated I'll install plugs and sockets. I tend to favour plugs and wires cut from decoders that have been installed into non DCC-Ready stock (more robust than anything I'd ever solder up!) and make the sockets from socket strip - Maplin product code DC17T. It works well, although you need to keep an eye on curve radii, especially on crossovers.
In this instance, though, life has been made that little bit easier by the use of some cast-off circuit boards from Proto 2000 GP30 locos. These fit nicely into holes cut in the Bachmann Class 158 DMU shown, and there are even solder tags ready for the wires.
Currently On My Stereo: Caravan - If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You
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The popularity of US model railways continues to grow apace, whether it be an interest in the trains themselves or just the immense variety of techniques and kits that can be adapted for UK layouts. With the prominence of the internet in the hobby these days it's increasingly difficult to ignore this convergence, although our model railway magazines seem to manage quite well. But then they're pretty good at pretending the internet and 50 years of home-grown D&E traction never existed, so I guess that's no suprise.
As a result of recurring questions on a UK-focussed modelling group, I've added starter page for anyone thinking of dipping a toe into US waters - fairly basic, by design, but you've got to start somewhere...
Currently On My Stereo: Pink Floyd - Pulse
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I wasn't originally going to feature the Bachmann Class 40 here, there are far more exciting things to be getting on with - such as making the ditchlights work correctly on my recent US purchases. However, a number of people have complained that mentioning it in passing without even including a photo isn't very sporting, and I guess that's fair comment. So here's a photo, unedited other than being re-sized to fit my screen - I haven't done the usual dust removal, levels tweaking and sharpening.
It's inoffensive yet uninspiring, probably one of Bachmann's better diesels so far but lacklustre when placed on the world stage. There are no major 'in your face' errors that render their Deltic and 37 completely useless to me, but a host of lesser discrepancies that emerge once you start to do your research. I've no doubt that many existing modellers will find the Class 40 more than adequate for their needs, and I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility of various blue examples finding their way onto my layout in the fullness of time. It's just that it's very, very basic and I can't raise any enthusiasm for the thing. It does nothing to drag UK D&E modelling into the 1980s, yet alone out again.
For example, there's a very thick pillar between the cab side windows and the cab front - what impact do those extra millimeters have on the rest of the model? Is it too long? Or is something else shortened to compensate? Once you start to do your homework and cast a critical eye over this loco, you see a myriad of similar errors - many things are slightly out of place or not quite right. It's a model that you'll be happier with if you don't look too closely at it. Of course, this begs the question of just how many people want to buy a brand new product in 2004 and then not look too closely at it, as opposed to buying something else which will stand up to scrutiny.
One trend that seems to be emerging with Bachmann diesels is the almost complete disregard for bogie accuracy and detailing. Perhaps the poorest in this respect has been the Class 20, but the Peaks and now the Class 40 are close runners-up. This latest offering is anaemic in the extreme, with little in the way of the chunky detailing seen on the real thing - peculiar given that the one thing Bachmann are good at is 'chunky'.
There's little in the way of underframe detailing, either, yet over 20 years ago European modellers could expect the level of detail seen on the battered old Roco Electric seen in the photo above. Will we never move forward?
Currently On My Stereo: Jethro Tull - Live Bursting Out
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Like a good citizen, I regularly take photos of projects in progress, with the aim of adding step-by-step guides to this site. I never manage to keep pace with these good intentions, however, as in most cases the photography and typing takes much longer than the actual project - time gets the better of me. The diagram above, showing lighting circuit modifications, is a case in point. Although I have a full series of photos showing how to convert a Bachmann Class 158 DMU to DCC, including lighting, they're still lurking on my hard-drive and so I cobbled together this view as a temporary measure to answer a question on the D&E Modelling group.
Obviously a single image lacks the comprehensiveness of a proper step-by-step guide, so the diagram will only be of limited use, but it's enough to give you a few pointers if you know roughly what you want to do but aren't sure of the best way to go about it. It should be noted that:
The biggest issue with these Bachmann units is getting the lighting circuit board out in the first place. I find the easiest solution is to snip the central retaining pillar (the one with a black screw in it) using a pair of Xuron track cutters. This allows the board to come free with only a little bending - you can see the remaining stump as the white circle in the centre of the top view. The tips of the LEDs are sufficient to hold the board in place when you put it back, but if you think the fit is too loose then you can always glue it or insert a plasticard shim between the screwhead and the perspex bulkhead behind.
Currently On My Stereo: Arena - Contagion
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A recent arrival from Mac's Models is this Kato AC4400CW, seen here with it's array of unfitted detail parts. I've only recently begun to take an interest in the more modern US railway scene, having been fixated with the Southern Pacific in the 1970s for longer than I care to remember. My current thinking is that sailing into these uncharted waters will give me something fresh and invigorating to explore - I've modelled the SP for so long that I tend to slip into the same layout plans too readily.
These locos come complete with a void in the fuel tank, ready to take a speaker should the modeller wish to add DCC sound. This attention to detail is a refreshing change when you're used to UK releases that aren't equipped with lights and sometimes aren't even DCC-Ready.
If I had to criticise the generally first class Kato mechanisms (seen here with a Lenz LE1025E Back EMF decoder installed) I'd target the lighting. Although streets ahead of almost all UK releases, it's a shame that the ditch-lights are fed by light-pipes from the main headlight LED. This means that those wanting independent control of these lights need to add extra LEDs, especially if the alternate flashing so often seen on US railroads is required. At some point I'll add a web page detailing the simple modifications needed for this.
The other slight gripe with the lighting is the colour temperature and brightness of the 'golden white' LEDs which isn't consistent across various models in the range. Although this might seem to be nit-picking, it's the very reason I moved away from using incandescent light bulbs all those years ago.
All-in-all, these Kato models are very impressive machines. Although, as I've mentioned before, they aren't at the top of the tree in the US when it comes to detailing, they're light years ahead of contemporary UK offerings such as Bachmann's recent Class 40. The Kato model is not without it's faults, but they're far less significant than the fundamental errors found on even the latest UK releases.
Is it any wonder that UK RTR models don't command a significant market share on the world stage?
Currently On My Stereo: Kim Mitchell - Akimbo Alogo
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Latest addition to the roster is this Kato SD70MAC, picked up from the M G Sharp stand at the German Railway Society's expo over the weekend. I've spent most of the afternoon sticking the details onto this, much swearing was required as the slippery little parts have a high ping factor.
While Kato are certainly not front-runners in the detail stakes, this is still a most satisfying model. The almost complete absence of chassis level under-gubbins on these models makes for an interesting comparison with the equally bare bottom of Bachmann's new Class 40. The SD70MAC looks very convincing, whilst the Class 40 looks crude and under-detailed - a sure sign that far too many corners have been cut.
Currently On My Stereo: Kim Mitchell - I Am A Wild Party (Live)
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By way of a change, here's a guest contribution from Pete Piszczek, illustrating a useful model railway photography technique. In Pete's own words, "the trick is to install a temporary parallel track the right distance from your subject..."
"...then to time it for available evening light plus get the right combination of shutter speed and motion blur. The PVC pipe between trains keeps everything in alignment."
"Then, keeping your fingers crossed that your wonderful 10D doesn’t go tumbling off the flat car and into the dirt, hopefully you get something like this."
Excellent stuff, but why Pete goes to all that trouble with models when he's got these magnificent real machines on his doorstep, I'll never know!
Currently On My Stereo: Rush - Roll The Bones
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Having tweaked the gradient of the new high level line until it was exactly how I wanted it, I've now put in proper supports to replace the various chunks of polystyrene packing that had been holding it all up while I shimmed a bit here and shaved a bit there. In order to keep things fairly open (no point in a fiddle-yard where you can't get in to fiddle!) I've used 21mm square pine and lengths of dowel - I'm told the whole staging area is now starting to look like Spaghetti Junction.
The two sidings holding the Bachmann Voyager and Super Voyager have been lying loose on the chipboard ever since the fiddle yard was first constructed, so now seemed like a good time to fix them in place properly, extend them to their full planned length and put in a couple of stop blocks to prevent mishaps. I've also rewired them, so that either can be switched to be a programming track - at last I've been able to dump the short lengths of track that I'd tacked to the front of the baseboard for this purpose. The fact that the sidings will hold a 4 car unit and a 5 car unit is no accident, these are the longest items that I'll through-wire for pick-up purposes, and it's handy to be able to drive the whole unit onto the programming track in one go.
I always feel I should apologise for the mix of nationality and eras in these photos, but it's essential to test things with the more varied and extreme sizes so the layout will cope with anything that might visit...
This is a classic example of the clearance issues involved. A lot of thought went into the fiddle-yard design and this has paid off - although I've reworked the track-circuiting and electrical aspects a few times, as I gained experience with the train automation side of things, the trackplan itself has remained largely unchanged. As I was never confident that enough quality RTR UK stock would emerge to enable me to build the UK layout I'd love, the fiddle-yard was designed to be equally capable of feeding a UK or US layout in the future - due to the significant investment of time and materials it needed to be a reusable component.
Under my ideal four track mainline UK scenario, both tracks of the return loops needed to have sufficient clearance for all UK stock, but if I had to fall back to my single or double track US scenarios (Plan B and Plan C) then only one return loop road would be needed. I therefore took the opportunity to restrict clearance on the surplus line, in order to make the gradient of the track above it as gentle as possible. This was done with one eye on the lacklustre performance of most older UK locomotives, they tend to need all the help they can get to lift a train up a hill.
So, by design, taller US stock can't run on the outer return loop because of the UK-only clearances seen in the photo, it has to use the inner loop next to it. This isn't a problem for me, it's exactly how I wanted it, but I wish I had a pound for every visitor that's ended up scrabbling on the floor looking for the top half of a double-stack container train that shouldn't really have taken that route. I might alter this arrangement, then, just to make life that little bit easier. The dysfunctional UK stock that influenced the design compromise has long since been consigned to the delete-bin of life, anyway, so there's no reason why the gradient couldn't be a tad steeper in order to give full US clearances on both lines.
Another change that I'm toying with concerns one of the two sidings/programming tracks I've just installed. When sitting on a stool at operator height your eye sees pretty much what's in the above photo, and the upper level with it's new supports starts to look like a raised freeway viewed from underneath. I'm tempted, then, to model the underside of a typical modern concrete road structure and chuck in a whole bunch of buildings. More than tempted, in fact, as I've already entombed an uncoupling magnet under the track - that shows commitment!
Although I never planned on adding scenic details to the fiddle yard, this one little corner seems an ideal place for a mini layout-within-a-layout cameo of the US urban switching variety. I can picture a cross between John Allen's Port (Gorre & Daphetid) and Tim Burton's Gotham City (Batman) - all I need is a load more buildings.
The layout currently needs 6 operators to work to it's full potential. 3 to drive the trains and another 3 to run ahead, moving my limited supply of structures to the next location...
Currently On My Stereo: Joe Satriani - Crystal Planet
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I've been trying to catch up with my backlog of fitting door warning lights. These look absolutely superb in operation, but I find the task of installing them tedious in the extreme - filing square holes in the sides of multiple units doesn't hold my attention for very long. But if I do one every now-and-then, I'll get there in the end...
Latest off the production line is this Bachmann Class 158, which had been running round for at least 2 years with all of the factory installed LEDs glowing at full power, regardless of direction of travel. I've now modified the lighting (left-hand side of the photo) so that it has basic directional capability and installed the door warning lights (top right) at long last.
The capability to operate these lights is built into the DCC decoder, of course, so no extra gubbins is required apart from the LEDs and their accompanying resistors. The scrap of circuit board stuck to the roof, therefore, is nothing clever - just a convenient place to attach the various wires and resistors. I tend to use scraps of computer ribbon cable these days to carry power to the lighting. Folded into a vee it tends to hold it's shape well without getting in the way of moving parts, yet can be left long enough for the body to be easily removed from the chassis for routine maintenance. Anything more serious requires a quick dab with the soldering iron, but that's not something I need to do very often - so I don't bother with plugs and sockets on the grounds that they're overkill.
Currently On My Stereo: Joe Satriani - Strange Beautiful Music
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While modern lofts are a great source of virtually free layout space, and the timberwork more than sympathetic to an along the track view, they're a genuine pain in the posterior when it comes to layout photography. The timber gets in the way of both the camera angles and the lights - you're forced into using views that wouldn't be your first choice.
Trying to get a shot of a line-up of Southern diesels on the only vaguely scenic part of the layout wasn't easy, I ended up going for a low diagonal shot as the best compromise. This overall view shows some of the dodges used, including a temporary shelf clamped to the front of the layout and sprinkled with Woodland Scenics materials in order to hide the baseboard edge.
The finished photo was taken for the new Modern Railway Modelling magazine. If all goes well it should be in the first issue, looking very different to this behind-the-scenes shot.
Currently On My Stereo: Joe Satriani - Flying In A Blue Dream
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The Kato SD45s featured in the previous entry have now been fitted with the supplied detail parts and have entered service. Although I've never been a particular fan of the Union Pacific, I seem to have amassed a whole division of the armour yellow machines, largely because Union Pacific had a pool power agreement with my beloved Southern Pacific. Due to SP trying to equalise mileage, the UP units were especially common during the late 1970s in the parts of Oregon that I've modelled off and on over the years.
Known by many as 'flares' due to the pronounced flare of the radiators, the SD45s have always been my favourite US diesel, even though generically I tend to prefer Alcos. There's something about the looming hulk of these beasts that stirs the soul. The low-down and in-your-face camera angle certainly shows the flare well enough, but it also highlights the generally chunky details on these Kato models. Mind you, I bought my first one of these at least seven years ago - think what UK models were like back then...
Currently On My Stereo: Neil Young - This Note's For You
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I have a pathological hatred for yellow LEDs used as headlights, so I tend to whip them out at the earliest opportunity and replace them with something more suitable. The colour just isn't right - it reminds me of the yellow snow where the huskys go.
Going through the electrical shops at the moment is another brace of Kato SD45s. As well as receiving the obligatory Lenz LE1024E Back EMF decoders, the yellow LEDs have been replaced with white ones. Golden white would have been the best option, of course, but I've got about six million regular white ones still to use up, and, being as tight as a duck's underparts, I'm not about to throw them out. Anyway, a little piece of colour negative film glued over the light-guide tends to make things look about right.
The unmodified board is at the top of the photo, my hacked one at the bottom. The surface mount resistors in many Kato locos tend to run very hot, they're obviously working very near their limits as I've had a couple burn out in the past. So while I've got the soldering iron out I replace them with something a little more adequately specified. I've used 680 ohm resistors (Maplin product code M680R) along with their 3mm white LEDs (product code GV65V) on these locos. I've also removed the diodes from the boards as they're not needed under DCC. Conversion back to DC would be a little more involved because of this, but after nearly 8 years of DCC operation that's not something I'm going to lose sleep over.
The blobby soldering is as much my trademark as the little mouse was Cuneo's...
Currently On My Stereo: Frank Zappa - Strictly Commercial
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