Selby Garden Railway

[chris]

Things are starting to look good for 2010. That said I bet you could have do without todays weather.

Looking at the pics I'm reminded of Hambleton Junc. I know you don't like the idea of points outside, but a simple single line chord down from the viaduct (following the 2009 temporary route) would give you a nice bit of operational variation. Plus I like the idea of your 158 sat on the chord waiting for the route.

Just a thought.

chris

[mick]

Weather's called a halt once again Chris. It's really nice out there today but the grounds soaked once more and I've had my fill of working in mud for this winter. Hopefully it will quickly dry out and provide better access.

Funnily enough I had considered putting points in at the end of the viaduct and creating a double track curve so that I could run trains as before without heading directly back to the shed. As you say it will also add some operational interest and it's nice to see a train sat there waiting for the road as another passes by. It's something I can add later without too much trouble, but for now I need to concentrate on getting the track into the shed fully operational otherwise there'll be nothing running come the nice cool beer weather.

Mick

[mick]

It's been almost a month since my last update but with the warmer weather comes renewed enthusiasm and a decision to put other things on hold so that I can get on with the track extension. If I don't make some quick progress there's going to be very little operating time this coming summer.

I decided to tidy the garden before commencing work on the layout. The grass was ready for a mowing and beneath the plastic sheeting protecting the viaduct the grass was higher than the viaduct itself. I also planted a few box hedging plants to try and disguise the breeze blocks at the side of the viaduct and which can be seen from within the living room. It'll take a season or two to establish itself but it should look okay if I can keep the dog away from it until it's up and running. So, now for some pictures taken this afternoon.

The photo above gives a clear view of the little hedging plants in front of the breeze block wall. The soil in my garden is very heavy so I removed a good depth of it before adding a mixture of sharp sand and compost and then mixing the whole lot together. It'll be interesting to see how well these little plants progress and develop over the coming year. I will have to make sure they feature on frequent videos. The viaduct is holding together well even though it attracts the damp from the ground but so long as it remains level on the running surface it will be fine. I can always introduce a speed restriction if it starts moving.

The photo above is looking back from the viaduct towards the return loop which runs through the shed. After crossing the viaduct the line crosses over itself before taking a 7 feet radius curve to the right and into the shed area. Exiting the shed it passes beneath the viaduct line as can be seen above.

This is where the line passes beneath itself. I have deliberately made the dimensions here as tight as possible and intend to use a thin metal sheet as the track base to bridge across the gap so that gradients are as slight as can be. With a bit of luck the metal might even add some realistic sound effects.

Between them, the photo above, and the one below, show the entire layout. It's just a simple figure of eight that runs into and exits the shed where there will be a small number of storage roads or sidings. The layout's emphasis is on long running sections enabling long freight trains. The gradient might cause problems to some less than capable loco's but that's just an opportunity for double heading.

As can be seen in this final image, I am approximately six feet away from making the full connection to the shed but I need some more sand/cement etc. I always seem to underestimate the quantities required. I had better take stock of how many yards of track I have left because it's not going to be long before I'm laying flexi once again!

[mick]

Didn't get to see much of the sun today and that blustery breeze made it a bit uncomfortable at times but here's what I managed to do this afternoon.

I've laid the footings for the final half a dozen breeze blocks that have to be laid. As the ground slopes away and is much lower at this corner of the shed they will need to be laid as a double row. I usually break a block in half lengthways and use that for the bottom row with a full block on top. It's just the thickness of a house brick that's required so I might even use those.

The decking boards have been fixed in place on the lower level where it passes beneath the high level line and roofing felt fixed on to it using a combination of bitumen adhesive and galvanised clout nails.

As mentioned previously, to try to keep gradients as gentle as possible I had considered using a thin metal sheet to span the over bridge section where the two lines cross each other. The thickness of the decking boards meant that to enable sufficient clearance for trains to pass beneath the bridge, I would have to drop the line by almost another inch. Not having a suitable metal section to hand, and wanting to make some headway in this area, I decided instead to cut away a section of the decking board equal to the width of the 'bridge' to see if it would remain strong enough. I've actually removed more than I needed to and it's still remarkably firm so as it won't be under any undue stress I think I'll press ahead with it like this. I just need to build some cosmetic bridge sides now to finish it off.

It looks set to remain relatively dry for the next few days so I'm hoping to get the rest of the decking boards laid around the curve section tomorrow.

[mick]

The last remaining breeze blocks have now been cemented into position completing the construction of the track base. Looking at the photo below with a short section of decking board resting on top of the newly laid blocks I'm a little concerned about the gradient despite all my efforts to keep it to a minimum. I know that the diesel loco's will be okay with it but my hopes of running steam loco's with a good few coaches on is looking more and more unlikely. Whichever way they operate around the layout they're going to be faced with a bit of heavy going but in a way I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do to improve the hauling capabilities of my fleet of steam loco's and I'm up for the challenge.

The remaining photo's may be repeating what's already been seen but for the record this is how things look today.

The above photo is the view up the line from just in front of the shed. I like this long back straight despite the tricky climb in both directions as it offers a really good view of an approaching train. Once I get some trains running again and can get out with the video camera I'm sure there'll be some really good viewpoints from which to record the action.

The photograph above is taken from directly beside the large shrub that you can see in the previous photo and looks back in the opposite direction towards the shed. Again, it offers a great view of approaching trains

And finally, this photo shows that I've got most of the decking board sections laid around the curve heading into the shed. It also gives a good general view of the complete figure-of-eight circuit.

[mick]

I've been getting more and more concerned regarding the ability of my fleet of steam locomotives to haul anything above half-a-dozen coaches up the gradient on the long back straight section. I've done all I can to keep the gradient to a minimum but the facts are that a figure-of-eight circuit needs to cross itself and hence gradients are unavoidable.

Having run out of the essential supplies like roofing felt and another decking board, and without any means of private transport until tomorrow (didn't fancy carting them home on the bus) I thought instead that I would make a start laying some trackwork across and beneath the flyover section. When I had done all I could I decided it was time to test the gradient using a steam locomotive and some Bachmann MK1 coaches.

I chose to use the Hornby sound-fitted Black 5 and began by adding five coaches which were hauled away from a standing start on the gradient without a problem. With a bit of wheel slip, six coaches were also hauled up the gradient from a standing start. However, the addition of another coach saw the Black 5 stationary with all wheels spinning. What's amazing in these circumstances is just how little additional weight is required to get the loco moving. Very slight finger pressure on top of the loco, especially over the front driving wheels, and it's away with the seven coaches. The weight of my slightly worn Peco track rubber simply resting on the smokebox is more than enough to get the loco in motion. So, time to take it apart and see what can be added inside.

There isn't a great deal of room inside the loco body for the addition of extra weight but thankfully the smokebox is an empty void and for want of something more suitable, I stuffed seven 5p pieces inside, held in with a blob of blutac. Immediately the loco feels heftier and back on track the seven coaches were no longer a problem and I even managed to haul 8 coaches from a standing start with just a bit of wheelslip. Come on Hornby, just that bit of extra weight would solve so many haulage problems.

I'm more than happy with these results which means I can safely plan to run steam loco's outdoors with at least 8 coaches. Eight does look far better than a measly six or seven and if I can source something more suitable for adding as additional weight then perhaps I can be looking at 10 coach trains.

[mick]

Bathed in sunshine - food and drink outdoors - it's what a garden railway is all about and it really doesn't get any better than this.

Today after yet another trip to the local DIY superstore, I have just about completed laying the decking boards on top of the breeze block walls and got them all covered in roofing felt. Only one small section of decking board remains to be fastened to the wall but I have run out of the required plugs and screws so this will have to wait. With the tops covered it's now beginning to look more like a railway, and while some of the following photographs may again replicate what's already been shown previously, it is a record of my progress and the layouts continued development.

The photograph below is one of my favourites to date showing a near track level view from just in front of the shed looking up the line through the new over-bridge section and along the back straight. The track in the foreground hasn't yet been fixed in place but what a superb vantage point this is for watching approaching trains.

From a higher viewpoint, the photograph below is a view in the opposite direction looking back towards the shed. I had a pot grown acer shrub which had outgrown it's container and was not thriving at all and so it had been decided that it would be planted in the garden. Today was the day and it now resides adjacent to the over-bridge where it will bring some shade and help to disguise the presence of the shed in photographs and videos taken from the back straight section. It's not quite to scale (!) but it'll look okay.

When I first erected the shed I posted a couple of photos of the view of the layout from within and so with the additional work that has taken place since that time, the photo below is a view through one of the 4 windows within the shed as it appears today. It's going to be pretty easy to keep an eye on things when inside the shed but not as much fun or as enjoyable as it is when by the line side.

Finally, just to document the progress and development, this is a view from next to the viaduct on the left side of the over-bridge. There's still plenty of work to be done but once I have the trains running again it can all be done at my leisure.

[mick]

Today I laid the last few remaining metres of track that I had on hand and will now have to wait until Tuesday for another 25 metre box full to be delivered. If my memory serves me right this will be my 5th 25-metre box of track since I started the initial construction and that's not counting the box of finescale that I purchased with the intention of building an indoor layout before any thought of a garden railway had entered my head. Once I'd finished laying what track I had left I decided to run a couple of loco's back and forth to ensure everything was okay.

It was only 2 days ago that I last cleaned the rail tops and yet they were in need of a good clean again today. It needs a rub over with the track rubber, a brush to get rid of any loose particles and finally I like to give it all a wipe over with a damp cloth. Once I had done that, I placed a class 47 on track and set it in motion but it sounded as if it was running over particles of grit and so I gave the rails another wipe over. It made no difference and it was at that point that I realised it wasn't dirt on the track causing the problem but dirt on the loco's wheels. This particular class 47 is a new loco (the Gaugemaster 'Rail Riders') and so it's seen very little use since I obtained it so it just shows how quickly wheels can become soiled when operating outdoors. From now on I intend to ensure that the track and loco wheels are as clean as they can be before any running takes place. The difference that clean track and clean wheels makes to the days operations is worth all the effort. I'm not sure what is the best way to clean locomotive wheels but I have now ordered a Peco PL-40 wheel cleaning brush and will see how that fares. I also ordered a Peco servicing cradle so that I don't have to sit with the loco resting upside down between my legs while attempting to carry out any work on it.

With no track left until the delivery on Tuesday, tomorrow looks like it will be a quiet day. I need to decide on how I want to finish off the over-bridge and there's always plenty of scope for landscaping around the whole perimeter of the layout. I'm also ready to begin work inside the shed and the first priority will be to get a continuous run back in operation. I can add additional sidings gradually over time so there's no immediate rush for that although the sooner they are in place the better it will be.

[mick]

It couldn't have worked out better. Yesterday I was out of track and it rained. Today my track order was delivered nice and early and we have bright sunshine.

As it happened, yesterday wasn't an entirely wasted day. Instead of working outside in the garden I laid a nice wooden floor inside the shed using the cheapest wood effect laminate flooring I could get hold of at the local DIY superstore. Together with the underlay it should help to keep some of the cold out next winter. I've heard it said that the veneer flooring is also ideal for lining the shed walls and with some insulation behind it, that too should help keep it cosier during the winter months.

So, with another 25-metres of Peco track in my hands it was outside to get started. I completed the curve section up to the shed and now require an access hole so that the next section will actually enter inside. I might add here that I've staggered the joints slightly on the curved sections to help overcome the dog-leg effect that you can often get when laying track round curves. It does seem to have improved the situation. There was a short section of decking board to fasten down on the straight section leading to the shed and this was duly done along with the addition of roofing felt. Track was then laid and as with the curved section, it now requires an access hole for the lines to run inside the shed.

The following photographs might look very similar to previous views but as before, they help to record my progress and the lines development.

Firstly, now that the track has been fixed permanently into position, this is the view up the incline from the shed area. I still need to add a front and rear to the bridge but I've not yet decided what kind of bridge this is going to be. You'll notice with the track that I've also filled in the gaps in the sleepers where each section joins with the next. This makes a remarkable difference.

The photo below is looking down onto the top of the seven-feet radius curved section. As a guide to the size of the layout, the viaduct which can be seen covered in plastic sheeting, is approximately 11 feet in length. Again, the missing sleepers have been replaced around the curve to fill in the gaps in the trackwork.

Below: This is the view across the over-bridge and down towards the presently covered viaduct from the curved section. It's amazing how the addition of this small extension towards the shed has really opened up the whole layout and given some really exciting vantage points.

And finally, the image below show how useful the Acer will be in screening the shed from view when looking down the gradient towards the over-bridge. I don't really mind seeing the trains running into a wooden shed but this makes it look as if they just run on into the distance. Well, it does to me anyway.

My next update should be reporting of progress from within the shed itself. I've laid a few pieces of track inside this afternoon to judge the space available and I may well be adding 12 storage roads although several of them will be relatively short. More about that later.

[mick]

I wasn't able to make a start today until after 2pm but at least I've tidied away with the feeling that a bit more progress has been made. As often happens, the shed hasn't yet been used for the purpose it was originally obtained for (i.e. a model railway) but it has already accumulated a number of items that don't belong in there, such as a lawn mower, gardening tools etc. I had to clear it out before I could make a start constructing the baseboards that will hold the storage sidings within.

I've screwed together three softwood frameworks which will be fastened together once they're in their final positions inside the shed. The three sections can be seen laid out on the grass in the photo below. There will be two angled sections as depicted by the wood offcuts to round off the corners. The size of the framework is 9ft 7ins along the longer edge and 5ft 8ins deep. The centre section which will house the main siding area has a depth of 28 inches.

With most of the accumulated junk removed, the shed currently looks like it appears in the next photograph. The veneer floor adds a bit of comfort.

The two photos below show how the softwood framework fits into the shed. At the moment it's simply resting on the floor but once in its final position it will be raised slightly by approximately six inches. It might look like a lot of wasted space but I do have plans for putting an indoor only line at a higher level but that's for later - perhaps over the next winter.

Finally, I previously mentioned the fact that I had staggered the track joins on the curved section to try alleviate the dog leg effect that can often occur when laying flexible track around a curve. The photo below is of a close up one of these track joins where instead of cutting the track ends to an equal length I deliberately left one side longer. It does mean you have a bigger gap to fill in with left over sleepers but it certainly makes a lot of difference to the track profile.

Bonding wires have yet to be added to the track that has been laid over recent days. It's coming along nicely.

[chris]

Keep the updates and the pictures coming. The are very inspiring.

Must get to B&Q soon and purchase a load of kit, and order 50 metres of Peco track, and may be a trip to Maplins...

[mick]

Keep the updates and the pictures coming. The are very inspiring.

Must get to B&Q soon and purchase a load of kit, and order 50 metres of Peco track, and may be a trip to Maplins...

And don't forget the meeting with your Bank Manger Chris! Most of the materials I have used while building the layout have been purchased from my local Homebase and brought home in the rear of the car. I've lost count of the number of times I've been and purchased sand, cement, ballast, wood etc.., probably only spending £12-£15 a time but just watch how quickly those small amounts add up.

Despite being out in the garden for a few hours today, I don't seem to have made all that much progress. Some days are like that and it usually means that the following day will be much more productive. Using a length of left over decking board, I've made 2 cowlings (if that's the proper term) that fit over what will be the rail access points into the shed. My shed now looks more like a poultry hut than a home for a model railway.

Inside the shed I have begun to fasten 12mm plywood sheeting to the softwood frames I made yesterday and require one more sheet to be able to finish those off.

[mick]

I expected a more productive day today but what I did manage to do seemed to take far longer than I had anticipated. It would have helped if I had chosen to raise the baseboards in the shed to the correct height before I made the decision to fasten the plywood tops in place. As it happened, and in order to make things a lot easier, I decided to remove all the tops, along with approximately 60 screws, raise the boards, and then replace all the tops again. I have these senior moments sometimes.

The image below shows how the boards look now that they are in their correct and permanent positions. I've used offcuts of wood in various sizes as small legs screwed to the softwood frames and they have made a really solid baseboard that takes my weight so they should be strong enough for their intended purpose. At little more than six inches from the floor of the shed there's not a lot of storage space beneath them although there's plenty of room above.

As well as completing the baseboards I also managed to cut through the exterior of the shed for access at either end. I'm not sure the access holes are wide enough just yet but I've deliberately tried to keep them as small as possible. Once I start laying the track it will be easier to judge the size required.

On the exterior of the shed I've added two wooden covers over the access holes to help keep the nastier weather out. They still need a removable cover or flap of some kind adding once I decide what's best.

Although I'm keen to get the layout fully operational, adding the indoor storage lines will be done over a period of some weeks. Not only do I need a number of points I'll also need some more track and so it will be done as finances allow. In the meantime I intend to reinstate the continuous run and hope to have a train running again within a couple of days.

[mick]

With the weather holding up I was keen to see something running again and so I spent the day bringing one running line back into full operation. As soon as the final section of track was laid and a couple of wires had been soldered to the track, I had two loco's in action testing out my most recent handiwork. There was a slight breeze blowing which was strong enough to keep depositing small leaves and other greenery from some overhanging trees onto the lines and after a couple of minor derailments I believed that to be the cause. However, it soon became apparent that the class 47 loco was derailing at the same spot in 2 different places on the circuit and so a thorough check of those two sections was made.Two areas of track required packing underneath which solved the problems immediately with the result that I had no further derailments.

Over recent weeks I have been growing more and more concerned regarding the ability of steam loco's to haul reasonable length rakes of stock up the gradients on the Selby Garden Railway. After some minor testing a week or so ago with the Hornby Black 5 loco it seemed that my concerns may have been misguided. The Black 5 proved itself capable of hauling seven coaches up the long gradient from a standing start and with some wheelslip it even managed 8. With a continuous run now back in operation it was time to see how the Black 5 really could perform. Eight Bachmann Mk1 coaches were handled easily and the addition of a ninth made only a little difference. To be extra sure I ran the train in both directions and it performed very well on each occasion.

Satisfied that the track was in good state and free from potential derailments, I took a few video clips of the Black 5 in action with 8 Bachmann crimson & cream Mk.1 coaches in tow. The new extension really has presented some very interesting viewpoints and I'm looking forward to making the most of them over the coming weeks.

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[mick]

I've not managed to do anything with the layout today. Instead I tidied up some other areas of the garden and when the heavy showers came along later in the afternoon I was pleased I had decided to give the railway a break for the day.

Since filming the videos yesterday I have had chance to reflect on some of the issues that close video photography tends to raise. The slight hump immediately before the over-bridge after crossing the viaduct was an area I wasn't that pleased with when I began laying the trackwork but it seemed so insignificant at the time that I decided to leave it. Now it's annoying me every time I see stock running over it on the videos and so I intend to level that out as soon as possible. I've not yet soldered jumper wires to that section of track so at least that's one bonus.

As I was pinning the track in place I considered covering the protruding pin heads with bitumen to prevent them rusting. I'd never read of anyone going to those lengths before but a comment in response to the latest videos suggests that's the way to go and so I'll dig out a small brush or something similar tomorrow and get them covered.

The next couple of days promises to be relatively fine and dry so hopefully I will be able to make some progress and perhaps get the second running line back in operation.

I might as well add the following photograph as it depicts the area mentioned above. It's not a particularly good photograph but the locomotive (running facing road as it happens) is just about to set its wheels upon the little hump where two adjacent lengths of decking board meet. One stands slightly proud of the other and I really should have planed them level immediately.

The photo above also illustrates some of the work I have yet to do. With regards to photography and videos then I obviously need to do something about the background clutter as the area around the track resembles a building site and detracts from the attempted realism of the scene. I would also like to get something planted in front of the breeze blocks although I have made a start on this. Other areas where the blocks are at a lower level I would like to build up into a grassed banking. And of course there's the bridge seen in the photo which still requires finishing off with pillars and girder sides or similar. I'm also contemplating disguising the access holes into the shed as tunnels.

What I find most satisfying is that it seems to be getting to the point where I can take things at a steadier pace and begin adding the detailing touches. I want to be able to film the trains in action and make them appear as realistic as possible on video. The natural light available outdoors and a backdrop of greenery gets everything off to a great start so I'll have to see what I can do to complement that.

[mick]

Today I carried out some remedial work on the section immediately ahead of the new over-bridge to remove a distracting and annoying bump. The bump was caused by the 2 adjacent lengths of decking boards not being exactly the same thickness and my failure to plane them level at the time they were fastened down. It wasn't an oversight, I knew the bump was there, but it seemed so insignificant to warrant any action at the time. Seeing the section on subsequent videos was reason enough to remove it and this has now hopefully been achieved. It's not by any means perfectly flat even now as it has to rise slightly to cross the over-bridge but it's a more gentle transition which I hope will be confirmed on film. Not really noticeable on a photograph the section in question can be seen on the following photo after remedial action had been carried out and the tracks replaced.

Once the above section was back in order I used the stock I had in operation 2 days ago along with a Bachmann BR Green class 25, to test it out. The subsequent video can be seen at the foot of this post. You may notice that I added a BR Mk1 maroon dining car to the Black 5's rake, making a total of nine coaches today and you will see whether or not it managed to ascend the long gradient unaided.

I haven't made a lot of progress clearing away the unwanted clutter that surrounds the shed area of the layout but I'll be out there later this afternoon to make a start.

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[mick]

It's probably been only a few weeks although it seems like an age since I had two running lines in operation but double track running was finally returned to the Selby Garden Railway today. I seem to make a habit of temporary measures to get things running but the track configuration in the shed is only temporary until I can get hold of more track and a few pairs of points to construct some storage loops within the shed itself. With one line being out of use for a while it took me slightly longer than usual to clean the tracks before any running could commence. I'm not sure why but certain sections of track certainly become much dirtier than others, the rail tops appearing almost black in colour. They clean easily with a track rubber but it must have something to do with the position it is located in, overhanging foliage perhaps or some other feature nearby.

With the rail tops nice and shiny (I must remember to get some more track rubbers) it was out with some previously seen rolling stock. The HST was already out as I had run it only a couple of days ago and the Intermodal wagons have never been replaced back in their boxes since last summer. That was the lineup along with the Bachmann Freightliner/Shanks class 66, which had also featured on the line previously.

Amazingly from the first movement there was not one derailment (yes, I had expected some) or any kind of problem with track current collection for that matter, everything running perfectly. With 2 trains in operation and trying my best to capture some interesting action shots, it seemed that the 2 trains were passing each other almost at the same spot each time despite the fact that the HST was running faster than the Intermodal train. However, the over-bridge section is a good place for interesting shots and so again, most of the views are in that vicinity.

It's not an overlong video but with just the same 2 trains on view it might get a bit repetitive although I have tried to vary the viewpoints as much as I can.

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[mick]

A week ago I published a photograph showing how I hoped the Acer I had recently planted adjacent to the over-bridge would help to disguise the front of the shed when taking photographs looking down the gradient. It's amazing how nature progresses in just 7 days. The photograph below is how that same area appears this afternoon.

The video taken during today's short running session featured the Bachmann Freightliner/Shanks class 66 locomotive and here it is posing for the photographers just before the over-bridge section. I really must get round to adding some of the detailing parts for my loco's - I have yet to do any of them! As always, the long telephoto lens emphasises all the uneven areas of trackwork but believe me, if you looked at the real railway through a pair of binoculars you'd probably choose never to travel by train again. It's far worse than my efforts here might appear.

[mick]

A somewhat problematic day today. If you recall last year, I had trouble with the ridiculous tension lock couplings on the Hornby class 56 & 60. It seemed no matter what I tried the loco would derail the leading wagon as it went round a curve. It's not such a problem with a light load but under a heavy load the sprung coupling just cannot retract and the loco runs along with the tension lock coupling fully over to one side and subsequently rounding the following curve it derails the leading wagon. With my MGR wagons I was able to alleviate the problem by adding weight to the leading wagon but this is a work-around rather than a solution.

Today I thought I'd ring the changes a bit and run my set of TEA tank wagons using a previously unseen Hornby class 56 in EWS livery as the motive power. Shortly into the session there was a derailment, followed by another and then another, each time the leading wagon was derailed on a curve. I had almost forgotten about my previous problems with the class 56 but was quickly reminded of them. I filed away at the offending slide section of the coupling to remove any burrs until it was able to move more freely and it did actually make a difference. I captured the loco in action and it derailed on just 2 more occasions.

In addition there was another problem with the Hornby 56 which I perhaps should have mentioned first of all. As I removed the Bachmann TEA wagons from their boxes it was noticeable how freely they ran along the track. The wagons feel nice and substantial but not overly heavy like some other Bachmann wagons. My initial thoughts were that they wouldn't cause any haulage problems for the diesel loco's. I coupled 14 TEA wagons behind the Hornby 56059 and set it out from the shed up the long gradient. It struggled to a stand and needed helping on its way. After one complete circuit and on it's return into the shed, I noticed that the roof fan's on the loco had stopped turning (I had noticed they were turning initially) and so, as I did with another 56 last year, I removed the drive belt to the fans. This time there was no haulage problems and it hauled the 14 wagons up the gradient easily until it derailed on the first curve (see my initial moan).

I then decided to try out another Hornby class 56 which has also been sitting in its box in a cupboard since it was purchased over a year ago. It was hopeless - the loco didn't even manage a complete circuit without a derailment and I just couldn't get hold of the video camera for fear of another derailment. Finally, to cap it all, just as I was about to call it a day the factory-fitted DCC chip in the second class 56 decided to expire with that tell tale aroma.... It's the first time it has been on track and it didn't even manage a half-dozen laps before the chip gave way.

My experiences with some Hornby products leave me feeling less than happy.

Moaning over for the day - here's a video of EWS 56059 in action with the TEA wagons. A lot of work to get the coupling working satisfactorily and the removal of the operating fan mechanism to ensure it can haul the wagons uphill but other than that it's almost 100% Hornby. The wagons of course are stunning Bachmann.

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[mick]

It was good to see the sunshine today after the rain of the past couple of days. I hadn't planned on having a running session but the sun convinced me that I should and as I had put all the loco's away from the last running session I decided to run a different loco for a change. I have 2 Bachmann 9F loco's, one of which already features on the website but I don't recall ever mentioning the second which came factory fitted with a DCC chip. Bachmann 32-858DC is a BR Black 92185 with a double chimney and the late crest on its BR1F tender. It is also factory weathered which isn't too bad but it is confined to the chassis and very lower edge of the body sides. Straight from the box it performs excellently and was able to handle the 8 BR Mk1 coaches without a problem. In due course I will be making an effort to add some additional weight, as I will be doing with all the steam locomotives but it can wait for now.

I also gave a run out to a Bachmann Standard Class 4 Tank, No.80140 which like the 9F came DDC fitted. Also in BR Black and with the late crest on the tank sides, this loco also performed very well straight from the box but was unable to pull 8 coaches from a standing start on the steep gradient. I decided to take a look inside and see if there was any room to add some additional weight. With the body removed it's clear that with a DCC chip fitted there isn't a great deal of empty space inside. The largest void is beneath the coal space but removing the rear of the cab and the coal bunker section which is a separate moulding, was a real fiddle. I've managed to add some additional weight but it's not unfortunately directly above the driving wheels although it does make a difference. There is also a small space directly behind the 'opening' smokebox door where I was able to add 15p worth of 5p. Not a lot I know but 8 coaches are now possible which is ample for the 4MT tank. The addition of just a few grams is usually all that is required and it's a shame that those empty spaces aren't already stuffed with some weighty material which would make a real difference to the hauling power.

I have put a few clips together again in the form of a video but as with previous videos, there isn't a great deal of variety with regards rolling stock - in fact it's all the same throughout apart from a couple of cameo appearances by 56059 hauling the TEA wagons again. With the ground still saturated from the rain it was also awkward trying to get down to a low level for shooting the action so it's certainly not one of my best efforts.

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