Dubmatix

I have recently added a few breeze blocks into my border as the basis for my run round loop and siding. No points out there yet as i want to make a cover. I had noticed that if i left a rake of oil tanks out, they kept getting knocked over. So i decided to set my camera trap (Swann Outback Cam). And within an hour i have this! The cause of my demolition! Now how do i protect my sidings from giant cats??! http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk253/bernie564j/SUNP0001_zps02ea98a4.jpg' alt='URL>'>

Hmmm, only just picked up on this. I have a Heljan 47 in blue and a Hornby 31 in blue too! Will have to check these out as they have not been out for a while. I hope they're ok!

Excellent link there, thanks Ian, i'll get a set and give them a go! As the oil terminal is eager to re-establish their rail link, we need to get the infrastructure sorted ASAP! I'll see if i can get it with my spare batterybox/fuel tank for the Heljan baby deltic which i removed forcibly when installing sound but then left them out. They then got "tidied away" so now i have no idea what happened to them! Will post up my results, been a hectic few days redecorating so not had chance to mess with it this week.

In fact I have lost a few windows from Broadbean Jnc box, does anyone have any tips for making some reasonable replacements? Ihave one blanked and one poorly drawn on white polythene currently. Is there a good window sheet i could cut some from?

The branch had seen a huge reduction in trafffic to the oil terminal, MoD base and the occassional passenger diversion and as such was closed and lifted with the Broadbean Junction signalbox falling into disrepair and vanadals taking their toll. The branch is very overgrown now but is still passable with a little determination. http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk253/bernie564j/P1020776_zpsc1a59754.jpg' alt='URL>'> We had a fence panel blow over and break my signalbox and it knocked off my loosely laid track (i normally take the 2m lengths in and store them through the coldest part of the year). The pesky raspberry runners strike again on the branchline, i think an engineers train and weedkilling set is required. Repairs to the box have been carried out and i am fitting connectors to the ends of my jumper leads between the 2m lengths. I still would like to add a set of points and a siding at Broadbean Jnc and maybe a runround loop. But this will need to be removable to preserve good operation i think. Will post some more when we are running again. The Baby Deltic is due to run up the branch with an RTC special.... John

Tom My old DCC unit blew up (PIC processor went completely short circuit - all pins and took out the on board fuse...pretty much unrepairable short of writing a new PIC but i don't think i fancy coding DCC in assembler though i did look into that at one point). So i decided to change brand...NCE Powercab was my choice as i have a panel for outside and one for the loft...perfect. I tried one at my local shop (they don't sell them, just use one on their layout) and i liked the layout and features. When i bought it i was very impressed with the comprehensive and well structured manual too. Not that you need that until you get stuck! Great unit, i like them. John

Thanks George. I think it was reading all the pages of your build thread yesterday that made gave me some enthusiasm to have a play. Though my hedgehog friend has really brought running to a halt for the year, i'd not really run since June due to the rain. I may make a barrier to limit branch intrusions onto the line to limit the amount of disturbance for next year. The rhubarb is right next to his little hide so i don't want to rummage around too much near him but with a barrier in place less clearance would be required for running. I guess i could just thin it out a bit slowly and i may be able to get some winter runs in as it dies back. John

Yes i prefer the blue ones Mick...they are from the era of my youth so there wasn't an option for me Although i do sometimes stray into green...i have a green Deltic and wouldn't mind a green 25. The vegetation around Broadbean Junction has died right back. I dug up the garlics bulbs that had grown...not many, i think the lack of sun didn't help. Looking for a container and my ballast wagons at the end of the siding "weathering" caught my eye (it really does the wire handrails well on the Seacows...authentic rusting just don't leave out for more than a year!!) so i dropped them into those temporarily. Had to bring the 24 out to pose in the sunshine....on a rare visit, borrowed from RTC Derby to assist with some....erm large root removal trackside http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk253/bernie564j/20120902_161403.jpg' alt='URL>'> http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk253/bernie564j/20120902_161350.jpg' alt='URL>'> Down from here the track is VERY overgrown....the rain has caused the rhubarb to go mad and it's blocking the track completely for abour 2 feet. Thing is, i think my winter visitor is back in his hidey hole and is thinking about hibernating so i think that i might not clear that area until the spring. http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk253/bernie564j/20120902_161258.jpg' alt='URL>'> Need to add bufferbeam detail to one end of this loco. She has sound (howes) too and is one of my faves. I think the white handles are a bit coarse though.

Nice work george, look forward to the phase 2 for the viaduct enhancements too. Don't forget to allow space for the connecting spur into next door's railway when they get theirs done! Now that would take garden railways to a whole new level (no gradient related pun intended!).

What a warm evening! My son wanted ot play out, and so did I so we got the railway working! After he had gone to bed i was left to clear up and shunt all the stock back up to the "works" which meant breaking out the class 24 (no pics of that sorry) with Howes sound and my pair of permalinked class 20's. The Sulzer and the 20s are my fave sound equipped locos as the set ups are perfect straight from the box (with the exception of the class 20 volume which now i have a PowerCab, i can finally adjust!). The reason they are permalinked is that i have the speaker in one (and motor removed, reversibly) and with the twin startup sounds it's the perfect backdrop to pottering in the garden, doing a bit of weeding! (and messing with the beetle!) So here's the lineside shot taken by an enthusiast before he went off home on his bike. I think the 20s were running around to take the wagons back off the branch. http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk253/bernie564j/Awsworth%20Springs%20Branch/20120627_203732.jpg' alt='URL>'> This reminds me of the great view of the tracks in front of Trent Junction power box...when i used to cycle up there Note to Ian R : that's my first effort at an inkjet print in sellotape. Will be installing your updates next! I don't know about Broadbean in this shot...it should be Raspberry Junction!

Cheers TGB. Yes, i imagine the Broadbeab junction box as controlling the (non existant currently) small freight yard at this end of the line which seldom sees much traffic. Maybe the driver stopped to get the token or key for the ground frame...or a quick cup of tea! My ideal would be to make this a a little two or three track yard with a few yard lights made workable from my surplus bag of solar lights hanging in the shed!

There's also Rhubarb tunnel (formed entirely of Rhubarb arching over the line) and Rhodedndron Junction...(which now actually does have the start of a junction) Need to make a nameplate for the signal box. Has anyone had any joy with weatherproofing inkjet printed stuff? Else i'll have to print it on a colour laser printer onto card then paint it in clear laquer? That might work. Also would like to add some interior detail and (solar) light to the box as i have a few spare solar lights the a guy at work was throwing away. Probably just the glow from a pot bellied stove and a few instrument lights is all you would have had normally....and a small desk light i guess? (I have some optical fibre so one LED could do a few different things). John

Quite a late reply, but i have now a similar track cleaning device on a hook in my shed. I already had plenty of them and it works well! Had a few operating sessions over the spring in the gaps between the rain! My son loves it, especially now i have a blue and a green tank engine....Thomas and Ivor to run between my blue diesels Broadbean Junction signal box is getting pretty overgrown with onions and broad beans with the rain last week causing the onions to grow to the extent that i had to weave it a bit like hedging to clear the running line. Took a few pics as i was wrapping up with 25034 after i added the bufferbeam detail...no sound on this model but i do like the name detail. It's just arrived and Broadbean Junction with a test train from Derby RTC. http://thebughaus.co.uk/models/P1370193.JPG' alt='URL>'> http://thebughaus.co.uk/models/P1370203.JPG' alt='URL>'> I've also added a set of points as part of a future run round loop at the far end (where the 37 is standing in the previous post) and realigned the track so it no longer deviates into the flower bed but the run round loop will do that. It runs under evergreens mainly but there is one plant that seems to leave sap dots on the track for about a foot or so, that's the worst bit for cleaning. Still not fixed anything down or put any more track joint jumper wires on though that is my next job...but I am (we are) enjoying it!

Totally agree Roy. I've even contemplated building one myself and i think that would be better (for me at least) than the EZC!

Just picked up this thread today, interesting stuff. A note on your HST squealing...if the HST is DC running on DCC it is most likely the coils of the motor oscillating as the waveform of the DCC signal is audible and your motor coils are acting a bit like speaker coils. My last DC loco (an 04 shunter) does this when using it on channel 10 on an EZ Command unit. I don't leave it on long as i think it would heat the motor up after a while. A tip for solar lights. If you want to make them look warmer and more like tungsten lamps, coat the LED in amber translucent paint (Humbrol do this) and it takes the edge off their harsher bluer light. If you look at "warm white" LEDs, these have a similar coloured coating applied to do the same thing. Keep up the good work guys, have been contemplating replacing my sigle track CLS board with some inlaid brick...and it's good to see it in practice. One thing i think i would do though is put them on a bed of dry mix cement to stop them moving around. Especially after seeing you had problems with that. John