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Worsley Dale Garden Railway


mick
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I've combined some video clips from yesterday and today but it's much like what's gone before so there's nothing really new although I do notice one or two areas of track that need my attention tomorrow. You've probably seen the thumbnail image before too!

 

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Great video, Mick.  The garden railway is looking in pretty good shape (to the uninitiated, anyway) and the spring flowers are nice.  The video shows off your viaduct very well - it's good to be able to follow trains all along it.  And I particularly like the tunnel  mouth on the indoor section, where the trains disappear into the blackness without any visible daylight showing behind.  All very effective, as a result of lots of hard work.

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Thanks Andrew, though there's been little chance of any additional videos since that one as I've concentrated on trying to iron out some of the track irregularities that I've noticed on recent videos. It bugs me when I see kinks in the rails and wagons being thrown about as they pass over them so if I can eradicate it I like to do so. One such section is over the point leading onto the smaller 'Low Shott' viaduct and I've been trying to realign that today as it's one that's been bugging me for a week or two. 

I've been very pleased with how the layout has been running since I started it back up but today I put a Realtrack class 156 DMU on track and it went 3 or 4 yards before derailing. I thought maybe I'd not put it on track correctly so tried again and it came off the tracks once more. I turned it round so the other end was leading and away it went only to derail half-way round the circuit. I sent it back inside the rear of the shed and it derailed on the points in the station. Reading the accompanying literature one of the things it advises you to do is check the wheel back-to-backs which I did and they were okay according to my gauge. I can't say there's anything wrong with the DMU itself it's perhaps just a bit picky about the track but what I have noticed is that with very light finger pressure on the roof it doesn't derail. I've also run it round the attic this evening and it's been okay so maybe it's just one that doesn't like the outdoors. I think the more advanced these models become the more problems they bring with them - I just hope there's still some summer left by the time I get them all sorted out.

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On 13/04/2020 at 23:08, mick said:

I think the more advanced these models become the more problems they bring with them 

I totally agree. I find the old Lima coaches & wagons run far better out in the garden than any of the Bachmann ones or newer Hornby ones I have

 

Noel

Edited by Noisynoel
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14 hours ago, Noisynoel said:

I totally agree. I find the old Lima coaches & wagons run far better out in the garden than any of the Bachmann ones or newer Hornby ones I have...

I'm sure you're correct Noel, though unfortunately I don't have any experience of Lima stock as I (mistakenly perhaps) decided to go with the newer products from Hornby and Bachmann which were the main players when I started. But saying that apart from the odd occasion I don't really have many complaints about the loco's, wagons, or coaches produced by either Bachmann or Hornby, in fact I think the majority of them are excellent other than some of the coupling systems they introduced.

When I get the chance later today I am 'going back to basics' meaning I'm forgetting all about the Realtrack class 156 and the Dapol Black Label A4 because to be perfectly honest I've had it up to my neck with both of them. I just wish I'd run them immediately after purchase and not left it until now to discover just how bad they are because otherwise like the Hattons class 66 they would have been going straight back! I find it incredible that there are people out there singing the praises of some of these models as if a sophisticated lighting system where you can have day/night or any other variation somehow makes up for poor sound and/or poor quality running as well as detailing bits falling off all over the place. The Realtrack class 156 has a motor in each of the 2 cars but they don't run smoothly together so one is always pushing or pulling the other when they do manage to stay on the track. Anyway, I'm going back to running the stock that I know runs well for me because they make it an enjoyable hobby whereas the others really don't and there have been times over the past few days where I honestly could have called it a day.

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I have some Realtrack intermodal flats that derail at the slightest opportunity. I bough them at York Show. Ran them that night. Went back to the show the next day and commented to one of the Realtrack chaps, his response was basically, "Yeah, there isn't enough weight on them. I stick some lead in the container boxes, that helps a lot." This was not the answer I was looking for when I had spent over £100 with him the day before.

That said the Realtrack 144 Pacer is excellent.

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8 hours ago, mick said:

The Realtrack class 156 has a motor in each of the 2 cars but they don't run smoothly together so one is always pushing or pulling the other when they do manage to stay on the track. Anyway, I'm going back to running the stock that I know runs well for me because they make it an enjoyable hobby whereas the others really don't and there have been times over the past few days where I honestly could have called it a day.

That's right, it has I had similar issues but eventually realized that I had a different make DCC Chip in each so they were both responding differently. I changed them to both identical chips which improved them no end to the extent they are almost identically matched in speed.

I agree with you about the 144.. excellent runner.

 

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27 minutes ago, Noisynoel said:

...That's right, it has I had similar issues but eventually realized that I had a different make DCC Chip in each so they were both responding differently. I changed them to both identical chips which improved them no end to the extent they are almost identically matched in speed...

My pair were actually purchased sound-fitted so should have identical/compatible chips I would have thought. I'll just have to keep running them in and hope they improve over time.

8 hours ago, chris said:

I have some Realtrack intermodal flats that derail at the slightest opportunity. I bough them at York Show. Ran them that night. Went back to the show the next day and commented to one of the Realtrack chaps, his response was basically, "Yeah, there isn't enough weight on them. I stick some lead in the container boxes, that helps a lot." This was not the answer I was looking for when I had spent over £100 with him the day before.....

That's the problem. These people may well be railway modellers themselves but when it all boils down to it it's a business for them and their business is to sell as many pieces as possible. "Add some lead" is an easy get out for them much the same as Hattons suggestion of how to glue the axle box covers back in place so that the loco runs in a straight line. Lets face it, the basic requirements of a model locomotive or item of rolling stock is that they run true and remain on the track - if they aren't getting that right then they shouldn't be expecting our money.

As mentioned in my earlier post, today I really needed to go back to what works for me and forget about the stock that just doesn't deliver. I'm glad I did because it's been enjoyable with none of the frustrations of previous days - or at least until 67024 collided with an uncoupled sleeper coach and discarded a buffer head over the top of the elevated section. Trying to locate a buffer head among a layer of gravel is a hopeless task especially when you're unsure of exactly where the collision occurred. Here's a photo of 67024 at Shieling Bridge shortly before the incident:

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I'm trying to compile a roster of locomotives for particular trains to make things less confusing. The two class 67s will work the sleeper trains although a class 37 may well deputise on occasions. The Excursion stock will be in the hands of the two Black 5 locos as well as with the K1 which I'm hoping to fit with sound in the near future. The 'Highlander' coaches will be class 37 hauled primarily. The remaining locos will alternate on freight and passenger workings.

Despite its recent stuttering performances, 37025 is certainly a favourite of mine and is seen here at Cattle Leys station waiting to depart with the 'Highlander' while Black 5 No.45010 stands in the bay platform with the Excursion stock. I normally run the Highlander rake as a set of 6 coaches in order to fit in the platforms although I have 8 different coaches in total. It was my intention to rotate the coaches at intervals but who notices which coaches are present anyway?

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One last thing I did today was to restrict the swivel on the VDA van bogies which occasionally led to derailments when they were being propelled into the sidings. I think I've sorted all the freight wagons now, coupling wise at least, but would still like to try add some additional weight to certain ones such as the oil tanks and grain wagons to aid better running.

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It's back to the videos and today's offering features 'Black 5' No.45010 deputising for 44875 on the excursion stock while 37025 works the Highlander rake. 67024 is in charge of the sleepers, initially with 4 buffers and latterly with just 3 (see above post), and there's a brief appearance by both 158 and the troublesome class 156 DMU. I actually had two class 158s out today but somehow missed capturing the other one. There's a distinct lack of freight workings so I'll have to make up for that another time.

 

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11 hours ago, Andrew said:

That all looks and sounds superb, Mick.  Love those close-coupled coaches.  And the 37 and Black 5 both look the business.  Glad you had a good day in the sun.

Thanks Andrew. It was a much better day than the two previous ones and I've learned some harsh lessons so from now on I'm sticking to what works best.

Close-coupled coaches are one thing I really wanted to see and it's pretty easy to achieve either by using close-couplings or, as in the case of the Mk3 sleepers with their kadee couplings, paper corridor connectors which I think look great. It makes an enormous difference to the appearance of a rake. 37025 is exactly how I wanted it to look while the two Black 5s are still works in progress. One of the Black 5s was factory weathered which really didn't fit in with the type of railway this is supposed to represent so I've managed to remove a fair bit of it and then I've attempted to give a bit of a sheen to both loco's using a combination of t-cut and polish but getting rid of the dried on remnants of t-cut from the crevices is an ongoing process! I've added real coal to one tender and might do the second one today, and there's now some footplate crew on both. Considering that the sound-fitted Black 5s have been out for so long I think they sound pretty decent, especially when you compare them to some much more recent sound offerings that I've stupidly wasted my money on.

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Another enjoyable afternoon on the layout saw me removing a couple of the passenger rakes from the track to allow me to spend the time running only freight.

My loaded OTA log wagons have been in store since last year so it was time to bring them out again. I'm quite pleased with how they turned out because it was rare at the time for me to do any actual modelling work so fitting suitable loads to 13 wagons was an achievement however, some of the restraining straps do look a bit wide so maybe when I have little else to do I'll redo some of them and make them a bit finer. At the moment there's no great hurry. As for suitable power well there could only be one loco to start the train off...37025, and here it is at the head of the train ready to depart from the run-round road at Cattle Leys terminus. Must sort out that wonky jumper cable!

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On 13/04/2020 at 11:22, Andrew said:

...And I particularly like the tunnel  mouth on the indoor section, where the trains disappear into the blackness without any visible daylight showing behind....,

Rarely seen, but here's the opposite side of the tunnel portal at Shieling Bridge. I was going to post this the other day but completely forgot about it. I think more than anything it's the angle that the tunnel portal sits at that cuts out a lot of daylight as there's a similar covering over the terminus side but there's clear daylight visible through that one, which isn't good when it's supposed to be a deep mountain face. Maybe I'll extend the cover at that side to darken it further. There's a piece of rubber fastened to the top of the cover which folds down when the layout isn't in use and the section of aerated block seen on top has a cut out that fits over the track to hold the rubber firmly to the face of the opening. All very technical!

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At more than 11 minutes you might not wish to watch the whole thing but I've uploaded a video with clips taken today and there's even a clip of the log train departing through the above tunnel exit.

 

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Thanks Andrew. Yes not surprisingly the 37s play a prominent part in the running of the outdoor layout and I've been looking at bringing more of them into use so that there's something just a bit different on view. Hopefully over the coming week there'll be another 4 or so trundling around but it all depends on the ability to obtain the necessary bits.

I told you about my little collision the other day where the EWS class 67 collided with the rear of a Mk3 sleeper coach resulting in the loco losing a buffer. Well try as I might I couldn't find the displaced buffer but I didn't know exactly where the initial collision had occurred so perhaps I'd been looking in the wrong location. Yesterday running the OTA log wagons there was a couple of wagons next to each other that were squeaking so I brought the train to a stand in the main station and uncoupled the two wagons from each other and lo and behold there right where I'd uncoupled them was a buffer head!  I find it really strange how little things like that happen.

Also the other day, I'd been running my two class 158s and managed to capture only the one in 'Scotrail National Express' livery on video but looking at the photos I took on my phone I did manage to take a photo of the other in the later 'First Scotrail' livery so here is 158741 making its way along Stackgarth Gill.

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This afternoon I'm going to give running trains a miss and see if I can sort some wagons out instead. I still have to look at the PRA wagons and fit kadee couplings so they can be used in mixed freights and I still have more OTA wagons to weather as I had hoped to be able to run a full empty log train too. It's a bit cooler and breezier out there today and I'm sure you've all had enough of my videos so I'll give everyone a break for a while.

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These PRA wagons have to be the most difficult models I have ever attempted to weather. There's just so much fine, delicate, detail that it's almost impossible to get brush, tissue or cotton buds around them without fear of damaging some part or other.

I've made a start on two of them, one weathered slightly heavier than the other, trying to replicate some of the states I've seen them in on actual photographs. Although I have used a wash over the roof it's just to tone them down slightly as in general use they appear to have a more uniform dark covering of dirt. They also have residue from the china clay mainly around the tarpaulin securing straps but I imagine it would be randomly over the wagon - I haven't yet worked out a way of depicting that. 

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At least they're starting to look more in keeping with the rest of the layout stock but I still need to sort out a way to lower the kadee coupling a few millimetres.

A year or two ago I remember earmarking some soundchips for reblowing and removing them from the respective locos ready to send away. I came across them today and had a hell of a job trying to remember which locos they'd come out of. Eventually I found 37417 'Highland Region' and replaced the chip so although it still retains its poor factory sound at least it can be brought into action until a time that I can send the chips away. I've not yet discovered the identity of the other 2 locos.

 

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Another thing that would benefit the PRA wagons is a little bit of additional weight but I'll be blowed if I can see a way to take them apart in order to fit weight inside - in fact even grabbing hold of them scares the pants off me! I suppose I may be able to fit something underneath but it's likely to be visible. Maybe drill a hole in the floor, pour in some sand (china clay?) and then seal it back up?

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It's been a bit of a lazy day for me today so there's nothing really of note that I can add.

I've been trying to get some more loco's ready for the layout but I always seem to have the wrong chip available when I decide on one. As most of the class 37s currently on the layout are in large logo blue livery I thought I'd add some variety by putting D6607 to work as it's depicted in BR Green. D6607, as it was originally numbered, was later renumbered as 37307 before being selected as one of the batch of locos to be converted to class 37/4 for working passenger trains in Scotland, emerging from the workshops as 37403. Put to work on the West Highland and Oban lines, in 1986 the loco was named 'Isle of Mull', a Vi-Trains example of which I already have in my loco collection. 37403 retained the name 'Isle of Mull' for less than 3 years before the loco was renamed as 'Glendarroch', a fictional place from a Scottish tv series. In February 1994 the name 'Ben Cruachan' was assigned to the loco which gained celebrity status by being outshopped in BR Green livery as seen in the photo below.

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This is one of Bachmann's earlier 8-pin class 37 models and was produced as a Limited Edition for the Bachmann Collectors Club in 2002. I do not have any 8-pin class 37 sound chips so she is currently trundling round in silence.

Although destined for work on the garden layout, D6607 is seen above alongside Skew Bridge sidings with the four recently weathered PRA wagons in tow.

 

 

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On ‎17‎/‎04‎/‎2020 at 22:28, mick said:

These PRA wagons have to be the most difficult models I have ever attempted to weather. There's just so much fine, delicate, detail that it's almost impossible to get brush, tissue or cotton buds around them without fear of damaging some part or other.

I've made a start on two of them, one weathered slightly heavier than the other, trying to replicate some of the states I've seen them in on actual photographs. Although I have used a wash over the roof it's just to tone them down slightly as in general use they appear to have a more uniform dark covering of dirt. They also have residue from the china clay mainly around the tarpaulin securing straps but I imagine it would be randomly over the wagon - I haven't yet worked out a way of depicting that. 

20200417_154331.thumb.jpg.b77e14615cd1fb82dc326bc384f8bf56.jpg

 

 

I know what you mean Mick, about the fragile detailing - I've been too scared to start weathering mine! Maybe this week. What about using talcum powder for the clay residue? I've bought concrete coloured weathering powder for mine. 

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I'd considered talc among several other things. I notice Peco also do a China Clay Dust weathering powder, product PS-361, if all else fails.

By the way a word of caution, those little extensions at the corners of the roof are the most delicate of all parts and even though I thought I'd learned my lesson after the first wagon I still ended up losing more.  Are they roof catches or something like that?

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Hi Mick, wow nice work indeed , good felling to finely have trains running after the rebuild section you did , looking good inside the shed too, I have a new Technic in  scenery I want to try , will save on plaster for outside and shouldn't cost too much, try it tomorrow and let you know if it will work.

Like the videos.

Tony from down under.

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