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Voicey

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Posts posted by Voicey

  1. On 23/02/2022 at 14:47, mick said:

    I've had very few derailments outdoors with my current rolling stock, in fact looking back I am amazed at just how few there have been. I remember a class 40 and a Deltic proving problematic over the points but that was quickly traced to uneven trackwork and rectified.

    Up to now I've taken very little notice of current wheel standards and couldn't say whether any of my other most recent purchases have similar 'scale' wheel flanges to those of the RevolutioN IWA wagons. It does appear to be the norm these days but I haven't tested any of the Accurascale wagons outdoors to see if I encounter similar problems.

    It's a bit too breezy to try anything at the moment, they'd probably be blown off the rails today.

    My accurascale PTA wagons seem pretty forgiving, not one derailment yet!

  2. On 11/02/2022 at 18:01, mick said:

    What a day! On the one hand it's been totally frustrating while on the other it's been quite enjoyable.

    With it being calm and sunny outside I decided I would attempt to make a short video of the log train running on Worsley Dale. It wasn't going to be something I could do straight away because there was firstly the track to clean and then of course everything needed bringing down from the loft. It was also lunchtime by the time I came up with the idea so no sooner had I begun cleaning the track and hoovering away the debris it was almost time to break off for something to eat.

    Dinner over with I got cracking and sent the track cleaner round to do a few circuits. Everything going well so far. I started placing the log carriers on track and thought it best to just run a few of them first to see how they fared but they made it out of the rear of the shed and as far as the first curve before one of them came off. Thankfully I was being cautious and had them running very slowly. I placed the offending wagon back on track and sent the train on its way again. On the curve just before Stack Gill viaduct it came a cropper again so I decided to take a closer look at the track.

    The track on this curve has been ballasted using exterior varnish to hold the ballast in place and placing a spirit level across the rails it was clear that they were not level. So it was time to dig out some of the ballast using an old screwdriver (it's an old one now!) and place some packing beneath the sleeper ends to level the track out.

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    The following photo is an indication of just how far out the track was.

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    I had to do a fair length of track in order to get it something like level.

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    But while it was certainly an improvement I am still down to two particular wagons that refuse to run over it without coming off the road.

    I've read of some other owners having problems with the log carriers derailing and everyone seems to accept the fact that the problem lies with their track laying rather than anything to do with the wagons. I think the track has got an awful lot to do with it and my track laying skills leave a lot to be desired but I'm going to have to take a much closer look at those two wagons because something isn't right. Our demands for finescale detailing means that wheel flanges are ever so small and these on the log carriers are some of the smallest flanges I have ever seen on a model (don't allow your mind to drift!). Still, I accept that on level track they should be quite capable of staying on the road.

    For what it's worth the train managed to run round the remainder of the layout, crossing both sets of spring points, without any further problems.

    I never did manage to get round to taking any video and by the time I'd grabbed the following photos it had turned bitterly cold so I retired indoors to sulk.

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    I mentioned at the beginning that it had been both a frustrating and an enjoyable day and that was definitely the case. While I would have liked things to have run smoother it was great to be back in 'maintenance' mode, trying to remedy areas of trackwork that require attention. I've always enjoyed that funnily enough. Keeping things running is all part of the attraction of a garden railway. 

    I have one corner I had to pack and adjust last winter and now this winter. Just the one same corner. Maybe it's slightly more exposed so it makes a difference. How well My long rake of older version hornby MGR's run around are usually a good guage of track conditons (even with the axle swivels fixed) If they make it around everythings fine!

  3.  

    12 hours ago, mick said:

    You've made a great job of those 31's and TTA wagons. It just goes to show that you don't need all the latest gear to have a truly convincing and thoroughly enjoyable layout. And to be honest, if you can add sound in post then I would recommend you go down that route rather than paying the earth for over-priced sound decoders and often disappointing soundfiles.

    I've got to the point now where I enjoy the 'after sessions' as much as the actual running. It's great to be able to take short video clips and put them together into a video. It's great to be able to pose loco's or trains and take photos using whatever expertise you have and then head on to the computer and add sky effects and so on to create your own pictures. I enjoy using the layout and stock as 'props' as part of my interest in photography.

    The work you've put into the 31s and TTA wagons is evident in your video and it's just as enjoyable and realistic as it would have been with models costing many times more.

    Thanks! Its quite fun taking videos and looking for matching sound from the real thing. I would like dcc sound etc, but I simply have to keep things somewhat budget, though its nice to splash out on some of the great new models such as my rake of accurascale ptas. (All the track on this layout is secondhand too, I had a great saving with a big box of used but decent flexitrack). As for the lima 31s they're a great model for the age. Along with the class 73 they were limas finest. Cheap to buy, Bit of detailing and they look good. I was swapping my old lima bodies to hornby railroad chassis, but the railroad 31 is pricey now. I have two with the later plated lima wheel chassis and they run nice with cd tray motors and robust for outdoor.

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  4. The 31's with TTA's. This rake was mostly the cheap bright red and yellow tta tanks you can still pick up for under a fiver. The 31s are lima with railroad chassis and some detailing such as shawplan roof fans, flushglaze and etched wipers. Sound added as I'm running DC as part of my attempt to keep this hobby affordable 😄

    • Like 1
  5. Light weathering and detailing of the 121 today. Also I enjoy looking for bits that will work for detailing an outdoor layout. Picked up some brass speed restriction signs that will bend rather than break (brass ones hard to find now)

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  6. On 03/01/2022 at 11:36, mick said:

    I was just out cleaning the pond filter and noticed the moss growing on part of my viaduct again so thought I'd post a few photos. Wouldn't it be great to be able to grow this exactly where you want it? 

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    It only seems to thrive on the short 8-arch section of Stack Gill viaduct, just before the girder bridges, where there's shade for the majority of the day and where, at this time of the year, it tends to be fairly damp. The remaining 16 arches of the viaduct have very little moss growth but they are more in the open.

    That looks so real, if only we could tame moss. The viaduct is great!

    • Like 1
  7. Been a while since any updates. Mostly because the layouts been under tarpaulin! Uncovered it and cleaned the track today to run the 121 bubble I had for Christmas. Bloody cold though 😆 No winter problems so far except one broken solder joint on a point frog microswitch.

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  8. 2 hours ago, mick said:

    Hi.

    Just catching up with what others have been up to while I've been opting for camera's over controllers.

    The layout looks really good with a lot of detail. It's a wonderful example of what can be achieved outdoors in OO gauge. The long trains look fantastic and I particularly like the photo of the I/C class 37 with its matching stock. I see there's a rake of MGR's rounding the curve in the distance too - very nice!

    What's the actual setup? Are you able to run into a storage shed or do you have to manually add stock to the track for each session.

    I hope you're able to continue with the layout now that lockdown restrictions are behind us. It would be great to see regular updates.

    Thanks! Its all outside so I put trains out every time. However most of the time I'm just running one or two around whilst I do things. If I've a full relaxed day and its dry  I'll fill up the fiddle yard 😄 There's also a shunting section so if I'm lazy I just play with that, though it only takes ten minutes with a track rubber, occasional wipe with alcohol to get going. There's an outdoor 240v socket for the controller and it plugs to the track with 2 pin plugs like you use for a mower.

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    • Like 1
  9. On 08/09/2021 at 21:07, ThomasI said:

    For just one and a half years of construction, however, a remarkable layout was created.
    Even with ballasted tracks and working signals!

    Thankyou! Its certainly not your layouts level, but its fun to play trains again! The signals are very old hornby dublo with some beefing up to the bases. They seemed the most robust option for outdoors

  10. I already posted in  'members garden layouts' but really shouldve posted here. I returned to the hobby due to lockdown. I was a member of Barry and Penarth model railway club from 1993 to the early 00's (youngest member back then by a long shot) built one or two exhibition layouts but left the hobby until lockdown, when I retrieved the only trains I had left...a rake of honrby MGRs and some lima locos. I fancied running them but had no space so after researching outdoor layouts here I am! The idea for a simple loop in the garden has escalated a little though. Been good to get back into the hobby, even if budgetary contraints mean I'm slowly collecting mostly secondhand locos and stock I can fix /detail or repaint. This forum was a souce of some useful info for sure!

     

  11. Hi everyone. I returned to the hobby during first lockdown. Hard to believe that was 18 months ago. Due to lack of space, love of running long trains and looking at peoples outdoor layouts I built my own! Its been reliable so far. Running DC to save money, though every track joint has soldered bridges and there's a 'bus' running all around, points have been modded with live blades etc Reclaimed outdoor switches used for some isolating sections. Some buildings and details, mostly from the bargain bin or scrap box 20210715_180509.thumb.jpg.7f9401158937953512c68198e6ee7afc.jpg

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    • Like 2
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