ba14eagle

Looks fantastic - especially the flowing stream

Are they whiskey tanks?

On 10/04/2023 at 23:47, Clay Mills Junction said:

You've still got a lot of OO stuff that does work though?

Though, in all honesty, had I been starting completely from scratch now, I'd go with O scale.

Oh yes. Ive loads of OO and am still buying odd wagons here and there. One of the problems i do have, is that im running out of storage space for all of it

On 06/04/2023 at 22:39, mick said:

If they're anything like my log wagons I doubt there would be room for wheels with deeper flanges. Everything is just so 'to scale' these days. The only solution, in my opinion, is to ensure your track is as perfect as can be. Mine wasn't, still isn't in places, but the more time I spent remedying it the better the wagons performed.

As i'm slowly losing some of my enthusiasm for OO, I have put the coaches and loco up for sale on marketplace - although so far, i've only been contacted by the usual time wasters.

With plenty of warmth in the April sun, I ventured outside again to run some new stock (I didnt post the last running session as it only last about 20 minutes before the heavens opened.)

Today it was the turn of the Accurascale TPE Nova 3 set and Dapol 68. I'd waited nearly 4 years for these coaches to arrive and I was blown away by them when they did. Ive fitted a dcc chip so as to control the head and taillights - how I set that up, i really dont know! Anyway, I have obviously forgotten the address of this chip because I couldnt make the lights work - the coach lights worked though!

When it came to running, what a disappointment 😒 One bogie just wouldnt go a lap without derailing. I gave the wheels a thorough checkover but couldnt see any reason for the problem, although i did notice that there were some marks on the chassis floor, which had obviously been caused by the flanges of the wheels. The wheels all moved freely and were good to gauge, so what was the problem? I changed the couplings - it didnt help. Nothing helped. It was definitely one of the bogies - take the coach out of the set and the train ran perfectly. I moved the bogie to another coach in the train and it still derailed and others joined it in sympathy! That was it - 2 hours plus of frustration. I know my trackbed and trackwork isnt great, but most stuff runs on it. Are these coaches just too perfect and fine? Maybe. So, with heavy heart, Ive decided to call it a day with these. I just dont think they can cope with my reverse cants and dips and rises. Anyone interested in buying them? pm me if you are 😐

Its been a while, so thought i'd just post a little update on whats going on at Summer Hampton - well not a lot outside, as its peeing down and the garden is in a bit of a mess. Ive a fair bit of gardening to do before much train running will take place this year and I suspect that some of the unbonded O gauge track joints will probably need doing.

There are a few new O gauge items to see service - a Heljan class 26 and a class 33 (not on my shopping list but a bargain that couldnt be refused), a pair of Heljan CCT vans and a couple more Dogfish, to bolster the ballast train set. A couple of pre-grouping goods wagons have also arrived to work with my S&D Jinty.

As far as OO is concerned, there have been more departures than arrivals, mainly due to the disposal of Baker Wood Bunker. Virtually all of the locos and rolling stock have departed, joined by a few of the main diesel fleet - these have mainly departed to provide funds for O gauge items or because they will be replaced by newer models, in the case of the class 50's.

Hopefully the weather will soon dry up a bit and I will get the motivation to get outside and tidy up, but until then, take care everyone and catch up soon.

If you are using it the way up its photographed, wont the sides hide the lower part of your rolling stock - from my experience, children like to see the wheels & mechanics of a steam loco moving.

You still mention using wood - if you read through any other thread that talks about trackbases, you will see I don't like the use of wood whatsoever 😄 Have you though about recycled plastics? Either in the form of solid posts or sheet material?

I will reiterate an offer I made previously - Ive still got a load of bits of recycled plastic sheet in my garage if anyone wants to come and get it - and its free!

Despite it taking 5 hours each way by train, Mrs H and I had a great day out to Chester yesterday, to see Pete Waterman's latest Making Tracks layout. The layout is on show until 3rd September 2022 and is well worth the visit. Chester cathedral is also well worth a good look around, with some beautiful architecture and stained glass. The entrance fee is unbelievably low and we can thoroughly recommend the cafe / refectory. Chester is, obviously, a beautiful City and there is also the added attraction of Chester Model Centre to visit.

Congratulations and keep your eye on George - my Wife loves him 🙂

Can you believe it? Its the 20th July and ive only just had my first session in the garden. Ive taken an age to get some of this rolling stock ready to parade but here it is. Im really pleased with all the weathering.

5 hours ago, Clay Mills Junction said:

The same guidance about inclines applies outdoors as it does indoors, just to consider that adhesion level may be lower than indoors so the maximum gradient will be less.

So, the lower the gradient the better. Curves increase resistance so shallower are better. Etc.

I don't know if things like Powerbase would be suitable outdoors. Fitting steel plates under the track might just rust out in a few years.

 

Powerbase works outside. The parts are coated so wont rust.

On 11/05/2022 at 09:20, Loco Hauled said:

The only thing I would say though is that I'm sure when I was doing them they were load 5 with 2x Mk1 BSK's in the rake, often marshalled back to back. I remember because I always thought it odd them having 2 half-brakes. Now I'm lost in nostalgic thoughts of window hanging along the Solent listening to some Sulzer magic up front.... I even remember the day they were filming 'Howard's Way' on one of the stations and we were trying our best to get in it... lol

When the Mk1 CK's were being withdrawn, they were generally replaced with a MK2 BFK or, very occasionally, a MK1 BCK.

20 hours ago, Loco Hauled said:

One day I might be as brave as you and pick up an airbrush once more. I did this back in my youth with very dyer results! I plan to operate the period from 1978-1993 so a two-tone green Bachmann class 25 that I picked up on ebay for £30 one Saturday morning will probably be the first candidate, although I will probably try with some old spare Lima bodyshells first.

Use acrylic paints and its easily removed if you don't like what you've done.

Keep it simple, but give yourself enough infrastructure to satisfy your own needs from running the railway!

Summer Hampton version 1 had 4 running lines (with a couple of fancy add-ons that I rarely used - that's the question answered!). 4 trains running at once, could sometimes prove to be too much, eyes being needed everywhere. But I did love just watching them run round and round and round.

Now SH v2 is multi scale / gauge, I have had to be happy with only a single line in each - and to be perfectly honest, I'm not as happy. Ok, I can run both scales at the same time, but something just isn't the same.

I will stop there - I'm already contemplating having a cull of OO stock to focus on O gauge 😮 - and yes, i've already worked out I could probably just squeeze in a double track O gauge circuit in, if I remove the OO 😆

If anyone is interested, I am looking to sell Baker Wood Bunker (- Ive finally had a fitted bedroom installed in order to tidy everything up - its only taken 6 years!). The layout will come with the power supply for the lights and an analogue controller to operate the OO9 track. You will need to find your own controller for the OO track. The OO points are wired up, but I think only 1 of these now works. There isnt any rolling stock included. Please send a PM if you are interested.

It is great to see you back Griff.

I have, at times, been quite concerned when seeing news reports from the US, of weather and climate induced disasters in your neck of the woods.

I look forward to seeing your next build mate.

On 08/03/2022 at 20:15, Clay Mills Junction said:

Just found this, six years before Hunt couplings made a commercial version.

I know - it was quite annoying when people were waxing lyrical about a "game changing" innovation 😂 I have actually bought a pack or 2 of Hunt couplings and, tbh, they arent very good - they break too easily, which for a commercial product sucks. At least when mine break, I only have my own shoddy handiwork to blame and am able to repair them - you cant do that to a Hunt coupling! I have to concede defeat though, when they have produced ones that dont have to be correctly arranged, pole to pole. I have also used the ones that fit the older Hornby mk3's.

Mick - are the bogies sprung at all or is there a spring between the top of the bogie and the chassis? I know its a different scale but the Dapol O gauge mark 1 coaches have a spring between the bogie and chassis, but it causes derailments (I am not the only person that this has happened too) so I have removed the springs and, now, they dont derail.

Friday afternoon in the packing department!

I had Roads and Rails fit sound into my Dapol class 68 - despite being at full volume, you can hardly hear it - quite disappointing - and as I'm not capable (or willing to destroy an expensive speaker or chip) of changing the speaker, I will just have to live with it.

The 4th HEA looks like its off the road or has a collapsed axle 😮

I cant think Ive ever seen these wagons in the flesh, but the light weathering really looks good on them.

I currently have a beef with Revolution Trains, which is a pity, as I would quite like to pre-order a Cartic 4 🤔

For what its worth, I like the lighter colours, not so much the red - I think they would be better buried under the others (inside the pile would look darker obs)

I have put brass bearing caps in my Hornby PGA wagons, as most of the holes were badly worn. I changed the axles too iirc, to metal ones. Its worth the effort to get wagons that run freely and the axles dont fallout, when you pick them up!