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  3. Nice to hear how things are going from you. This very damp winter must have been a problem for your viaduct. I will have to wait to see how my track and buildings have survived under tarpaulins once the winter weather ends. I have spent a little time relaying the tracks inside the shed. Some of the curves were tight and causing running problems.
  4. Has anyone any experience of using angle cranks between point motor and point. I'm looking at using the MP1 point motor mounted in a box on the back side of the concrete block but this would give me a vertical movement that would need to convert to horizontal to move the tiebar. There seem to be a couple of angle cranks "off the shelf." GEM 1012 angle cranks (Mercontrol) seem to be out of stock, is GEM even in existence? DCC concepts Cobalt angle cranks (for those with bottomless bank accounts) Make my own. Does anyone have any advice on how would I go about making my own please? I was thinking I could use plastic servo arms with two of the arms cut off. I'd then just need a mount to go on the corner of the block. The MP1 motors are fairly strong so I don't think they'd need to be perfectly resistance free, just not seize up (I have plenty of oils and greases for cars and bikes.
  5. Since there is a recent picture of the viaduct, there will have to be some maintenance happening here in spring to clean the stones and bottoms of the viaduct supports. I'll also have to tone down the white of the glue somehow. The viaduct does need some walls either side of the track and I have looked at the possibility of making them from the off-cuts of concrete block. However, given the trouble Mick has had with pigeons and the difficulty in making them, I'm more inclined to use my favoured 15mm L section aluminium bent to shape. So I think the plan will be to wait for warmer weather and use the blow-torch to bend the aluminium to shape, glue it to the block with a slight overhang and then use paint to get it to a similar shade to the block.
  6. I've decided to abandon the second set of switches at the motor so I can go digital at a later date. That means my 7 core will take the common positive and 3 pairs of switched negatives. I originally bought 3 motors and I set one of them up on a spare piece of 9mm ply along with an unused SL-e91 point to test. I've settles on 9v as being optimum. Unfortunately, best laid plans and all, I've bought 6 more motors and used 5 of them on my Dad's layout due to space constraints under the board. I've also switched in my 1A power supply as more lights were added up there, leaving me with just a 0.3A power supply for this. The next task will be to make and wire up the control box to the 7-core and 3 motors to the other end to test whether voltage drop is an issue or if there is interference that could cause an issue with the wires being bundled.
  7. It is indeed a fine mesh netting. And it survived also heavy snow a few weeks ago.
  8. Levelling Up I was recently assessing what needs to be done on the garden railway site to reinstate the front part of the circuit and refurbish the rear part where the timber base has deteriorated after eleven years service. One of the key issues is to keep the whole thing as level as possible and avoid any gradients, to ensure best running. Although I possess a small laser level, it's not particularly useful in this context as the small size reduces its precision and in daylight you can't see the laser marker light across any significant distance. Then I went shopping in Lidl and found this: Costing all of £5.99, it seems like an excellent solution to my problem. Probably easier than trying to use the garden hose (which my friend Philip had found helpful when building his garden railway).
  9. I didn't expect the viaduct to cross an actual water feature.
  10. New Year resolution? Ordering some new track was the easy bit. Talk is cheap, as has been mentioned on this thread before!
  11. Christmas curiosity This rather odd laser-cut plywood kit, possibly around 0 gauge 1:43 scale, was completed over the Christmas period after being received as a gift (so I had to take it seriously!). It all pressed together well, with interference fits on every joint. Although it's a bizarre model and has no moving parts, it has been very intricately designed and was straightfoward to assemble although took quite a while. Quite why the boiler sides aren't continuous is a puzzle. Now I'm wondering what to do with it.
  12. I’d just like to second those thanks to Mike. Notwithstanding there is now a OO Garden Railway Facebook page, having a proper website presence does show that these projects are practical and worth taking seriously. Sorry I’ve nothing to show pics of. Compliments of the season to all.
  13. A very Happy Christmas to Mick and everyone here at 00 Garden Railway, hoping for good weather in 2024!
  14. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and a merry New Year. Let's hope 2024 brings weather more conducive to running trains outdoors.
  15. oh oh - someone got the narrow gauge bug. I love the loco.
  16. The National Railway Museum were having derailment problems with a bubblecar on their 0 gauge layout when I visited...
  17. So I've bought a pair of the new release TRSB coaches for the APT set. As put in the GlenDollar thread, my intention was to sell one on and make a 2-PC-5 rake. With the opportunity to take some photos of it while I have the set, it would be rude not to. I was tempted not to try to sell it having looked at it on the window sill, but looking at the photo I took in the garden in the summer, it'll be too long. My intention was that everything I run will fit through the inner line of the loop with the exception of the HST set, that means the APT can be max 8 cars total. APTs generally ran as two sets together, a full set would be 7 cars: Driving Trailer Standard - Trailer Standard - Trailer restaurant standard buffet - Trailer unclassified - Trailer First - Trailer Buffet(?) First - Non driving Motor. A 14-car train would therefore be two sets with the NDMs connected. It seems, from research, that the number of times 2 full sets ran together was actually pretty limited. The reality was that, in service, mostly they ran as one full set and a short set. The short set would be minimum DTS-TBF-NDM but could have a TRSB. Making them 10 or 11-car trains. I can't see may times they ran without the second NDM except in testing. A model railway is only ever a representation of a real train, we try to get as close as we can but there will always be compromises. So with that in mind, here are some photos of different configurations with what I have. Symmetrical 4-PC-4 3-PC-5 As I'll run it 2-PC-5
  18. Another enjoyable FREMO day Many thanks to the UK FREMO group for an entertaining time yesterday operating the latest configuration of their German outline modular approach to model railways, complete with fully detailed timetabling which drivers and signalmen have to follow. Some Anglo-Saxon interlopers appeared on the track during the lunchbreak. Altogether an ambitious undertaking, but very rewarding to be able to share in it.
  19. Well its been a nightmare for running outdoors this year with all the wet weather. I have also decided to revert to nearly the original track layout on the shed end of layout. I have had some trouble with the s curve derailing and the really tight curves have not helped. (all my fault trying to get a quart into a pint pot) So have started to lift the branch line and points and will relay next year after the covers come of for the 2024 season. So all best wishes to everyone.
  20. Hi Andrew, You lucky man, Paris is our favourite city especially all the main line stations. We used to go every year for three weeks at a time. However our age and our passports have expired we just stay in the UK. Have you been on Euro Star before? As you stated they are super fast. We found the seating a little hard. Regards, Ken
  21. Sadly there's been no garden railway action recently - but i have been to Paris:
  22. Thanks Andrew. I am hoping for a session next week. The hedge does look well on the photo. Our neighbour had a chap come in to trim it back and he took to much off the side so most of hedge is dead.
  23. Nice photos thanks, Ken, although as you say, no sunshine. The fourth one with the hedge backdrop looks particularly realistic.
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