mick

A great choice for a loco Chris and wagons too! I've responded to your other post regarding the MGR wagons (not sure if it will be any help or not) but you might want to bear in mind that there will shortly be a new version of the MGR wagon released by Cavalex models. I'm not suggesting that you go out and order them (£90 for 3 wagons ouch!) but it may well lead to a lot of the later version Hornby MGR's finding their way onto the usual auction sites and in my opinion they would be a better option to the ones you have obtained. However, If you're prepared to replace the plastic wheels an

That's coming along nicely Tony. It looks more impressive with each posting.

All the MGR's I have are the later Hornby version with metal wheels so I haven't had the need to change any of mine but it appears you need Hornby 14.1mm plain disc wheels as a replacement (Hornby R8218?). As for the wobbling I think this is a feature of the earlier MGR models due to the swivelling axle mounts but it would be a good idea to check the wheel back to back measurements too as this can also result in wobbling if the distance between the wheels isn't correct. You will need a wheel back-to-back gauge of some sort for this. There are a few posts dealing with upgrading these

I finally managed to cure the Heljan class 58 coupling simply by adding a single wrap of electrical insulation tape around the shank of my Kadee coupling before inserting it back into the NEM coupler pocket. It now stays level even when hauling a rake of MGR wagons and so far it has remained coupled. I'm not sure what will happen when I decide to change loco's again but for now everything is up and running. I was taking a few photos earlier in order to select one to use as the next video thumbnail and decided to pose 56095 on the mainline coupled to the Cawoods PFA container set. I've bee

I've decided to remove some of the wagons from the layout in order to put some different ones on so that I can ring the changes a bit. It's kind of getting back to what the layout is supposed to be about so the container traffic is now sitting on the floor until I can find somewhere to store it away and in place there are now MEA wagons and Plasmor wagons. Must try to remember not to step on them! I do remember container traffic passing through but it seemed to be mainly during the evening while the movement of coal, especially that destined for local power stations, was almost non-

Meteorologically speaking, today is officially the first day of SPRING and yes, it seems to have been long time coming. After an extremely chilly start to the month, the average temperature for February slowly recovered lost ground to end the month slightly above its monthly average of 5.3 Winter 2020/2021 became our wettest winter period on record with 241.4mm of recorded precipitation.

You've made a great job of that bridge - it really does look the part. Very nicely painted!

It's so good to see members able to return to their garden layouts. Most days should be sunny like that. Smashing photos Andrew - those Southern greens always look well in front of your bamboo. Keep the photos coming!

It gets us all like that at some point Iain. I doubt there's one of us who hasn't questioned what the heck we're doing at least once, especially when things don't seem to be going as we'd hoped. I noticed a couple of occasions on your video where it seems there's a bit of stuttering but wasn't sure if that was actual operations or a sound blip on the video itself. Other than firstly cleaning my track with the Garryflex abrasive rubber, I find the single most important task is running the CMX cleaner around with IPA solution inside. It really does make a difference both outdoors and up in

I haven't included the clips in the uploaded video because it just didn't look right with two of the 3 signals fading in and out. Here's one of the clips in question.... https://youtu.be/mcPk4ZZxWrE I think it's something to do with how I've got the frames per seconds setting but not sure yet.

Despite the spell of warm sunshine, a stiff neck has unfortunately prevented me from going outdoors today. I really couldn't face the task of crouching down to ground level for any videos so instead I decided to spend a couple of hours in the attic where I am able to perch on a stool and film at a more age friendly height. I've been trying to film from some different vantage points, though all around the bridge area which is most easily accessible for me, especially when I can barely turn my head. I quite like the low angle shots but there's some refining still to be done. And in spite of

It does feel like it's been a long winter this time doesn't it? Hopefully the worst is now behind us for another year but it is still early and there's chance we might get another cold snap but let's hope not. We've suffered enough this past year. It's been good to get outdoors and I'm glad you've found the time to do so too. It's nice to get on with something and maintenance, whether necessary or not, always makes you feel good. Look forward to seeing some outdoor running on the Pickle Line real soon.

Worsley Dale is officially open for 2021! Tracks were cleaned and cleared early today and power was applied shortly afterwards. I was immediately greeted with a short circuit! There's nothing really complicated on Worsley Dale, it's little more than a circle of track so what could possibly be the problem? I checked from one end to the other and found nothing amiss so it wasn't something just across the rails so that leaves just the two sprung points which each have frog juicers fitted. I should really have removed them before winter set in but they are housed within plastic boxes, cushion

What a glorious day it's been today- a far cry from what has recently gone before. I even considered firing Worsley Dale up and running at least one train but then realised that there was so much other work to do before that would be possible. I hadn't given the Koi pond filters a good clean for a while and with the warmer spell of weather it seemed an opportune time to remove the covers that keep the cold air off the pond surface. I'll probably have to replace them by next week knowing our weather! So it was a case of trimming back overgrown shrubs and vacuuming along the rail tops to re

Holgate Bridge - I remember it well and on one occasion especially when we passed beneath the bridge heading from the North Yard at exactly the same time as 3 other trains were negotiating the same junction. Pretty scary that seemed at the time with trains either side of you and you going directly between two approaching trains. Sad to see the HTA's minus their brandings as I remember their introduction. Mine will definitely retain the EWS branding. And even though the photo might resemble Skew Bridge in a small way, there's absolutely no chance of me installing overhead wires!