Loco Hauled

Sounds like you've had a busy day, look forward to seeing the pictures. Thanks for the answers to my questions above. Fair point about the sound on the ETHEL. I hope I don't come across as too anal about liveries, allocations, etc. It's just that it is that side that interests me in this hobby. When I eventually get the layout built it will be the operation of the right locos on the right trains and trying to figure out what locomotives I can use on which service after a simulated locomotive failure that will keep me going. Believe it or not I already have a full timetable with the locomotive diagrams and staffing duties worked out, with each depot's staff only 'signing' the correct selection of motive power etc. This also leads on to the correct formation of stock and locomotives in regard to braking etc. The big thing being when I'm forced to use a 'no-heat' locomotive on a service train. 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.

Hi Steve. Hope you're still around on this forum somewhere. I have been looking at doing this with my fleet of Lima locos for a little while now and your work seems very interesting, although I am far from being competent with electrics.

I think if I was going to operate 'on the ground' I would definitely go with concrete blocks, but I'm thinking that even though I'm 'only 50', I'm already suffering when working at ground level and so waist height I think would be better for me. I did realise after I posted the above that it was a silly thing to say as you can't use concrete blocks at waist height!! 🤣🤣🤣

I'm new to the forum and just read this. I noticed that Sam's Trains (not to everyones taste) has just released a video on issues with Hornby B12's and thought I would share. Not sure if yours is of the same type or if you have the problem solved now.

Great work. What is the score with the Ethel. I have seen them advertised at the same price as the powered locomotives, although I presume they are unpowered, like the original. I appreciate that they still have DCC capability, but that still seems a bit much... Do they have a simple sound file so they can be just left to idle to provide ETH for the Mk3 sleepers? Is 37415 going to be operated on the garden railway or indoors? I notice she is carrying the wonderful Thornaby Kingfisher so she is depicted after her days in Scotland were over, although I guess she would still have at least got to Scotland on 6S41 Haverton Hill - Leith South Yard Ammonia train. Having said that back then they still would have floated around and of course rule 1 always applies! (lol)

I guess as much as anything it is a case of once you have established that the trains won't come of you need to decide what level you are happy with. One of the reasons I plan to work in wood is that I imagine maintaining the permanent way and the structures that hold it are going to be an ongoing constant demand and I'm guessing that will be something easier to rectify in wood rather than concrete or blocks - although I have no experience of either to back that up.

Hi, thanks for all the replies. I work nights and only get a few minutes to pop in here at present, but I have a week off from tomorrow morning, so be warned I will be going looking at all your threads!! LOL My understanding of the bird poo issue is that birds try to poo in water. For some reason they believe that everything that is reflective is water - or at least counts - this is why birds will always poo on your newly cleaned car. To give some credence to this my professional training is running bus companies, and like everyone who works for independent companies that means going out on the school run. I had the luxury of pretty much my own double decker and one Christmas a Robin managed to get itself locked inside. When I went to clean up any mess it had made the only poo I could find had been neatly deposited on the chrome tops to a couple of the seat backs. I had been hoping that model train tracks were too small to attract this kind of attention, but it sounds like maybe not...

Ha, ha, yes it would, but an interesting thought... lol My plan is to build something at about waist height and have planters filled with Alpines running down the side so hopefully the cuttings won't be too large and so they can be carried away in customised (repainted) Hornby 21t open wagons, probably with a stone or something inside to weigh them down. The birds will be fed using the old Hornby Iron Ore unloading unit with the feed going down a short shoot and into a bird feeder positioned below. Having the layout at waist height will hopefully give me enough room to do that in a position where the birds don't feel threatened as they can be quite choosy. I have a whole long list of other things to do to. You hit the nail on the head with your comments regarding the garden railway, natural light, natural vegetation, a living thing and proper operational requirements. I love it when you see the bees flying around or insects crawling across the track, it all feels so much more real than something indoors. It's an interesting point about developing an interest in railways. There can't be many people who develop an interest in their later years. When I was a child my dad built a model railway that filled our living room. He had an idea about trains, but he couldn't really identify them or anything, he just enjoyed watching the models going around, and collecting all the ones in the catalogues, back when you could!

I just looked the guy up on ebay selling the Warship ones and it has just started listing a Peak Intermediate gear! In my haste I bought one without checking that this is the one that also goes on the driving axle - I believe they duplicated the gears and just left the smaller gear unused on the axle. Either way I will let you know how I get on when it arrives. Link to the gear : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224838204665?hash=item345966bcf9:g:HAEAAOSwDDtiCj0x

Hi all, Just joined the forum and so I thought I would say "Hello". I hate writing these things so I will just do some bullet points, but I look forward to having some fun in here, and you never know, maybe, just maybe, actually building a railway... LOL I was heavily into railways when I was younger, from 1978-1993, until I decided that girls, music and beer were better. This is the period I plan to model. Got back into the hobby at the start of Covid. I have built a couple of little test layouts indoors since then, but I'm waiting for a proper garden - see below. Seeing Crepello_100's videos on YouTube back in March 2020 inspired me. Also a big fan of Micks layout. Not really interested in indoor stuff. I like the operational side - loco rostering, correct formations, train planning more than anything else. Currently living in rented accommodation with an acre as my garden, but I have to move as the house is for sale. I plan to move to France (eventually) as I can't afford to do what I want in the UK. For most of the time I was originally interested in railways I was what is referred to as a 'loco basher', so haulage was my thing, with class 47's being my preferred choice. Also partial to class 25's and 73's... Part owner of a number of real class 47's, although I have very little to do with them these days. (Time and location being a factor). I hope that my layout will have many proper operational features like feeding the birds, running departmental trains to maintain the lineside vegetation, etc. A good mix of real and functional. My layout plan is BIG! That seems like rather a ramshackle random list, but there we go. Let's see where all this goes. Second from the right in the attached picture, which is just after we bought 47401 from BR and had it delivered to the MRC.

Hi, thanks I would appreciate that. I only got back into the hobby at the start of Covid and as a result I haven't yet ventured out into the big wild world to go to any exhibitions or the like - I've just been buying a mass of stuff on ebay!!! I believe Romford used to do replacement sets, but they were very expensive and very sporadic. I seem to recall that they are not listed on their current website. I will email the guy on ebay selling the Warship one's later tonight and get back with a reply - if I get one.

I have a pile of the old Mainline / Bachmann / Replica Railways Peaks in my stash, all but one are suffering from the split gear issue. Does anyone know of anyone who makes replacement gears for them? I know someone does them for the Warship. I might contact them to see if they might be tempted...

Crepello_100 on YouTube started out running N gauge in the garden (all his YT content is OO), somewhere on RMWeb there was a section on it with details and pictures, unfortunately I can't find it now.