Rossi

Decision made, and no going back. WOODWORM!!!! And ORDERS from Mrs Rossi Rustic bar and roof now almost dismantled and all the railway at the bottom end uprooted awaiting the builders (this afternoon). This wont be a quick fix! No wonder we've got a cloudy sky.

Mick...just put it down to old age. Of course its a V3. I think K3 actually signified 2-6-0 wheel arrangement. yes, quite happy with the cement blocks. Also allow some of the track to be a little bit looser than tacking down sleepers every 6 inches or so. I think being too rigid is detrimental to the track which makes it fight against the differences with rain and sun. We'll know in another 6 months or so.

All this talk about track foundations, thought I'd post a couple of pixs of the front station with the cement blocks. And this one leaving the station. Blocks been in place since last Sept and there is no real disturbance at all. Also a quick shot of K3 on freight duties. (Station was erected to provide cover from the sun for stationed trains and seems to do the trick) Not sure if the glass actually amplifies the situation!!!

It's the ongoing problem with outdoor railways (The Warps). I don't think anyone has come up with a solution. My last piece of chipboard/laminated wood went into place in September 2013 (see page 22 of Rossi railway in the sun). It has now warped at both ends due to water retention and then the fierce sunshine drying it out. As I said at the time, I knew it would need replacing after a year or so and so it has proven. Then September last year 2014,(seems I do a lot of work in that particular month!) I ventured into laying breeze type blocks along the front. This has been very successful. (Page 27). No derailments and only the odd piece of track lifting slightly. I rectify this with the odd blob of Super Glue. This got me to thinking about modellers who are building track at ground level. Maybe a channel dug out and filled with concrete, i.e. the start of a mini pathway. Then breeze blocks cut and laid in place on top. With the aid of a spirit level and whilst the cement is still soft you could build up a nice (and realistic) permanent track way. In theory. Maybe one of our newer members who are venturing from the planning stage to reality could give it a go. My days of chipboard/wood decking are finally behind me, even though at first, that piece of ultra smooth wood looks inviting! Now...In our garden centre I have come across a new product which is used for decking. I can't remember the name but it is made from some sort of reinforced heavy duty plastic and looks very durable. I'm thinking of trying this out across the girder bridges to replace the metre and a half wooden section. Updates and pixs will follow in time. Maybe it will maybe it wont, but God loves a trier. More transformations in the house and clear-outs, as well as book dead-lines, so not sure when this will happen...But it will!!!

Always been happy with Hattons and they've dealt admirably with any problems (Railroad Deltic not functioning correctly). The track is a problem for shipping over here (Canary Isles). Difficult to fit in friends suitcases etc. I had some shipped directly and the VAT was annulled, however the tax is then placed on at Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, next Island) and it proved to be an arm and a leg more due to different rates. Delivery man got the usual "HOW MUCH?" Good luck with the build. Rossi

Gareth...Don't think plan B will work. If you don't socialise that much in the front garden it defeats the object of sitting down and watching trains go by... cup of tea in hand. Also,sadly we have to be aware of security problems.Your front garden does look a little exposed, (but I'm only going off what I can see in the photos.)

Gareth, Re foundations for track. I've used most ideas thrown up on the forum:3/4 inch timber, plywood, decking etc and all have had to be replaced at some stage. A few months back I changed the front of the layout (from the viaduct to the high level girder bridge) cementing in types of breeze blocks. I've done this before but always topped off with decking. This time I've gone with just the cement blocks and pinned track directly onto them. Some pins/nails will hold, others break off and I've also used super glue (sparingly) in various places.

Hi Gareth and a warm welcome...well at least from the Canary Islands! We've all been at the planning stage and I think it's half the fun. Join us all,warped woodwork,shifting earth,buckled track, you'll no doubt confront it all. I've lost track (!) of all the parts of the railway that I've demolished and rebuilt due to Mother Nature as well as pure vandalism from the cat. But there is nothing better when the weather's right than sitting back with a cool beer and watching a couple of trains plodding round your handiwork. My only advice is don't bite off more than you can chew. Some of the grander ideas on this format seem to bite the dust probably due to the sheer enormity of the original idea. Bit by bit. Just get a train running and then add. Mind you, if you sift through some of my pages on here you'll find that a lot of my ideas never really came off but I love it when friends come visiting especially with the coy words of "can I have a go?" Keep us up to date and don't forget the photos, Rossi (railway in the sun)

Nice video Andrew. Truly endorses the garden concept. No trouble with warping wood sections? Also, any plans for double tracking the circuit? Looks like you have enough room.

Where are we all? It seems the winter has put a lot of modellers into hibernation, or so it seems from the amount of posts recently. Looking back at some stats I noticed that the most people on line was last year (February 20th), a huge 89. So what occurred on that specific date to encourage so many to gather? Not much to report myself on the railway as we've been doing a thorough spring clean on the house. Sharp decisions made on "letting go" some of the baggage that has accumulated over the years...and it`s surprising how much there is (was). Most of my musical amplification is being given to a friend who a few years back handed me a few locos from his childhood, so a run with the trains will be made next week as well as a run on a few beers. No new photos, so a quick look at the back end of an express through the rear cutting.

Mmmm.... Always good to read the small print first. Just translated the Spanish and it does make reference to holding moisture. This is what happens on impulse buying....And yes, they do look a little on the large side. Will try it on a small siding in the station, though not sure before Christmas. Delivery of some more "Build a 60's railway" mags and had a small sachet of "coal" amongst them, so I thought I'd top up some of the steam tenders to make them more realistic.

Clearing stuff off camcorder. Here's a couple more vids from the past few months. This was moving stock about in the station. As I've said earlier, I sometimes run a sought of timetable...well, it keeps me off the streets! This one (with wind effects) stopping a train in the middle lines dead section (points control) and allowing passing trains either side. Now off to get my wish list ready for Santa as our Grandson comes over next week from Uni...so fingers crossed. Maybe Mrs Rossi would like an early Xmas sherry. (Now that sounds like a cunning plan!) Oh, quick PS. Came across this bag of "something" in the garden centre. Not being green fingered, so not sure what it is, but it looks mighty good for ballast

Bit of an update on the railway...and we all seem a little quiet at the moment, so I'll show the progress (if you can call it that) in the last few weeks. Oh, and Tony, no church kit as yet. I'm up to issue fifty, so still waiting. It'll be in two issues. I'll let you know when they arrive. I mentioned putting some sort of roof/station building over the front tracks to give a bit of shade from the sun. This would enable a train to stand in one of the passing loops. This (I think) is a link for the last video on the railway. Pretty sure the address doesn't have to be that long. Someone will probably see if I've done it right. Had a delivery of a sound capsule from Train-Tech. 40 pounds. You can judge for yourselves whether it does the job. It's in the truck behind the class 24 diesel. Downside is the battery life...300 minutes. That's five hours, but you'd be surprised how quickly that goes when you let the train go on loops whilst socialising!!! And a bit of advertising...The latest book is out on Amazon .co.uk. Called "A Tale of Two Stories." Nostalgia from the 60's decade.

Up and running is the good news! Bit of a mammoth task is an understatement, but the basics are in place. Extra passing loop added as well (if you view original plan) so a couple of trains can be held in the station platforms. All the wiring actually came good when I remembered the colour coding. managed to add some scenics. The track is now laid down directly onto the blocks (type of breeze block in England, I think). Long slim nails holding firm into the block, although some did bend when encountering really hard rock. I also put a dab of super glue here and there to make it more firm. We'll see how all this reacts in a years time!!! The track does seem more realistic than when I had it on decking. Thinking of making some sort of detachable station roof so the standing trains have some shelter from the sun. Also looks like a visit to the garden centre is needed. Some of the plants didn't take too kindly to all the upheavel

Time again for replacements!!! Front of the railway now showing too much wear and tear. The decking has begun to warp slightly and the track has decided to move. The old Tri-ang platforms are showing gaps where passengers could disappear without ever coming back. The artificial grass frontage is decaying and...well, you get the picture. Work on the computer has now finished so I've more time for the railway, especially with friends arriving next week. So...out with it all!!! Brash statement, because you know it always becomes a bigger job. Bags of cement, blocks, sand...bucket and spade and a worrying Mrs Rossi as she surveys the scene. All the wiring now looks like the proverbial Spaghetti junction. It was colour coded, but damned if I can remember as it all cascades out into a jumbled heap. Keep thinking it might be time for a complete re-wire. I'm also thinking of a different approach to the track laying, something I've not tried before. Chipboard and decking, treated wood...all tried. Anyway, off to the builders yard. Seemed like a good idea at the time!

Roy, I'm glad someone has remarked on the Lenz Dcc instructions. I too have come across people who have Lenz DCC and I find it hard to operate and looking at the owners manual I didn't find it an easy read either. A few years ago I too was on DCC with Lenz. I found the small manual daunting to say the least. Not sure if it was down to the translation, but a lot of it left me scratching my head. This wasn't the cause of me reverting back to analogue by the way. But glad to find that I wasn't on my own!

Must be catching this subsidence. My viaduct has been in situ for one and a half years now, but this little crack has started to worry me.

Another package arrived from England this week...and, yes, you've probably guessed. Another lot of "Your Model Railway Village." Remember the first edition which gave you a completed coach? (And which are not available to buy any more...out of stock), well in issues 28 and 29 came the chassis (28) and then the body (29) to complete a second carriage. I think it was Tony (Australia) who asked some months back about accessing the inside of the carriage. Well here are the instructions. (It's no wonder I couldn't locate the screws initially!) Next pic is a posed shot of the carriages and magazine as well as a cast off orchid from Mrs Rossi from our front garden. "It looks like it's dead" was the remark, "Do you want it on the railway?" Not sure what she meant by that, but after a couple of months of watering/talking to/and allowing it to have the therapeutic benefits of watching trains go by...we have blossoms. She'll not hear the last of this. Just call me old Green Fingers from now on.

Hope I'm not becoming a pain in the neck, but I'm thinking of changing tack slightly on my research, away from the 0-6-0 tender engines and onto the Fowler 3f 0-6-0 tank. It will give me a bit more leeway as they survived a little longer than the tender engines. So, what I'm chasing now is details on number 47627 tank engine. I've found that it was first shedded at 18d Stavely Barrow Hill in 1948 but I need to know its last shed (about 1966/7) Possibly someone with an Ian Allen shed book...Riddles? It was withdrawn from traffic in April 1966 and cut up two months later. This time span would fit ideally the scenario I'm building up. Just found this shot of a 3f from my collection and what a coincidence. Can't find my old notes from Barry scrapyard, but this one actually ends in 27. Weird. can't be can it?

Thanks for that info. The problem is that the info has to be spot on, otherwise, you know what railway boffins are like...They'll correct even the smallest indiscretion. However... I've just found this site http://www.brdatabase.info/sites" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and it is an absolute treasure trove of info on BR steam, listing scrappings of all classes. Obviously not every engine. But I'm going to spend a good couple of hours trawling through it. Bliss, as well as a trip down memory lane. At least I will have done my homework/research. thanks again.

I was wondering if we have any steam buffs amongst us or someone to point me in the right direction for relative info? In my writing capacity I'm doing a little research where I need to know if such a class of steam engine was actually running at a specific time. The dates will be in 1966, around the months of March/April/May. I'm favouring the 0-6-0 tender engines (4f), numbers from 43845 onwards. I'm aware that most would be heading to the scrap yard. My Ian Allen "combine book" (eleven shillings and sixpence!) is dated winter 1962/3 and shows many of this class still active, (approx 500 plus) but were any of them still chuffing in early 1966? Alternatively, I would be interested to know of any other "coffee pot" engines that may have been around. North western shedded would be great!!! Blow the spell check...Shedded sounds like good word

Well done Griff...Don't know why it conjures up a picture of you in a robbers mask and a striped jumper! Had the builders and painters in the last few weeks for some work on our front room. Mrs Rossi was adamant on throwing out an old wooden cabinet that we used to store magazines etc in. Bet you know where it ended up. Yes, stored in the back for some future use. You can't throw good wood out. She despairs.

Robert, That's a sore point! ("Wanting a viaduct") It started a couple of years back or so on this forum. Hence a lot of us now own a viaduct. Luckily the "windmill" challenge seemed to disappear.

hi Tony, questions to answer for you. How do I do the water? Bit of trial and error actually. On that last canal I first laid down a strip of cork sheeting then brushed on dark brown paint, then a mix of other dark colours from the odds and sods I had. Also swirled a bit of a paint brush which had some turps on it and mushed it all together until I was happy with the mixture.(All canals I can remember were filthy looking things) Then I heaped some dark varnish (which I'd just used on the garden furniture) and did some strong brush strokes to give a little bit of "motion" to the murky looking water. Adding a small boat also helps to lift the eye and brain to think that you are looking at water!!! Could do with a few swans but pretty sure we don't have any models like that over here. The church is not from the "village railway." Can't remember where it came from. Also, in the magazine you only get parts of buildings in certain editions...so you have to collect two or even three editions to collate the full buildings. Clever idea, what? Picture below (from my gallery) shows that the platform ends need painting white, but not sure if my eye and hand co-ordination is up to it! Might leave it as it is...but I keep looking at it.

You're right Griff...pixs up and running!!! 2nd lifting section completed (except for a bit of painting), next to main station and covering the small gradient up towards the top curves. Not sure what it is with me and canals/streams etc, but another one appeared without any formal planning. It just flowed out so to speak! The original canal was on this part of the railway but got scrapped with the new make-over some time back. The lights actually work albeit rather dim. They came in a small box of goodies a while ago from friends, so had to put them to good use. Family and friends arrived yesterday so I can't see me making any headway on the next lift-out section as I'll probably be summoned to various watering holes!!! Hopefully!