Where have I been?

Ok so you might have noticed that I have been noticeably (or otherwise) absent from posting.
Why such a hiatus? Perhaps I am a show done by Mr. Moffat…

Well no, the answer is simply that I have basically not done any railway work since last summer, when I finished my station building and this is just how it’s always been, except of course that in place of whatever I used to do between the summer holidays I have been instead doing my car.

Either that or driving my car. Anyway the long and short of it is that I have decided it’s about time that I started being blog-active again and so hopefully I’ll start making posts about what I’ve been doing with the car, other models or whatever just to keep you entertained.

Anyway, thankyou for not unfollowing me and hopefully you’ll see a new post before too long. Don’t hold me to that though, I might forget.

Mini

I’m sure (I’m not really) that you have all been wondering where I’ve gone.

Well, let’s just say there’s not so much time to fiddle with your railway when you have become the very proud owner of a ’94 Mini.

That’s a real Mini not a BMW MINI

Do you see?

The perils of heavy engineering work

You know how sometimes a train is delayed because of engineering work?

Sadly I’m not quite as speedy as the real railway’s Pway gangs and so my latest (and most fantastic) acquisition has not been able to run properly yet.

Also – she’s Redhill allocated and I have no idea whatsoever what features she has. I know it’s the smaller (3,500 gallon) straight-sided tender, or I think it is, but I don’t know if it is an N, U1 or BR Standard chimney, amongst other things. As I would be wanting to renumber her to a suitable loco for the area I first need to know exactly what features she had and what Salisbury’s (the nearest BR shed with Ns) N classes had, as well as their numbers!

This could prove difficult…

Also, I visited the British Museum with my Archaeology class and our minibus stopped right outside the architecturally pleasant end of Waterloo (not the blue scaffolding tunnel thing at the other end which is spectacular but is not as nice as this)

Finally, a report on those engineering works.

It would appear that Gaugemaster/SEEP made their point motor rods out of heavy duty steel as all attempts to cut them have failed. Their height precludes the running of trains which is rather sad. I tried pliers, side-cutters and a saw and all failed. In fact my side-cutters are now ruined as there are several circular indents between the jaws when shut, which goes to show just how hard the rods are. Minutes of sawing also had absolutely no effect, apart from bending the rods.

Also, the starter signal took a knock at some point – definitely not my doing – and I don’t think it will take a lot more. It now undulates more than your average steel-bodied carriage side!

Finally – the electrics of Duncomb Road in pictures!

Here we see the Gaugemaster/SEEP point motors fitted.

Here we see the “lever frame” before installation. I will add labels above, complete with colour coding but I don’t know how they are meant to be labeled or which colour corresponds to points. If anyone can help I would appreciate it. I think I will wire them to the points their position is relative to or I may group them, so it will either be (from left to right) the buffers end loop point, goods yard point, goods yard throat/loop point, station throat/loop point or it will be buffers end loop point, station throat/loop point, goods yard point, goods yard throat/loop point, if that makes any sense. I think there is an appropriate picture overview of the station somewhere on here if it doesn’t make sense, especially if you can help with the labelling/colouring/naming of these points as I would like to do it as prototypically as possible and as far as I know levers in a ‘box had a panel with some sort of code on? This is what I want to have on the labels.

Finally, here is a view showing the lever frame once glued on, with triangular section brackets supporting it. This may be a temporary measure as I would rather like to make a more aesthetically pleasing solution in future and I do expect additional switches. I already have a ‘pot’ for the layout lighting!

‘Leccies at Duncomb – work report & “Spring term” service

This is a quick post to report that the lever frame for Duncomb Road has been built although currently it only has 4 levers! They will eventually all be labelled, however the frame has not even been fitted yet.

In other news, a reduced service is to be in place following these works (because I need to tidy up)

This will be run by 76069 and the Class 105, as well as the MK1 BSK and a few wagons.

Electrickery – Let there be light!

I tested one of my new grain-o’-wheat bulbs and they are certainly bright enough.

This was where I tested it in a position intended to represent one of my gas lamps, and all of the yellow light here was really cast by this bulb, whereas the headlights on the 105 are swamped by the bright light. The lamp is actually just out of the picture on the right hand side. The bulbs are rated 12V and the controller’s auxiliary output has a rating of 15V. Needless to say I will be fitting resistors to dim the lamps and prolong their life.

Addendum: please note that as it’s night this porter has decided to take a quick forty winks, but the lady passenger is obviously quite agitated. Porter Biggs cannot really be expected to carry all of her heavy cases himself, surely?

I currently have the same lamp positioned on the signal. However as you can see it will need covering so that the light only projects straight forward as the glow illuminates the area and shines right through the signal arm, as well as lighting up both lenses.

Electrickery – a black art

Today I finally got round to buying SEEP point motors, SPDT switches, wire and a 10 pack of yellow grain-o’-rice LEDs for Duncomb Road…

Thing is I have been told by the Civil Engineer (Mum) that I must be aided in my efforts by brother dearest…

And he’s usually busy.

BUT

I do know how to solder and what not…

So why not?

Travel by train

I’m writing this, sat on a Southern Electrostar between Cosham and Havant where I am changing for Petersfield, and the morning sun is casting the train’s shadow along the lineside. It’s beautiful.
To me, I cannot recommend much more than this. Such a great experience.

Hornby 2014 Announcements!

Good news, Southern Region fans!

Hornby (or the Great Expensive One as I call them, bless their cotton socks) have released details of their 2014 range which is, well, Somewhat exciting…

It’s very exciting if you model lines of the former NER or the Scottish Highlands or like A4s…

But Southern Region fans are not to be too disappointed, as their showing is a slight improvement from recently, if you ask me.

Firstly, and most excitingly for me (although I won’t buy one because of the expected price and lack of room at my teeny tiny station)

(Brace yourselves)

The Drummond ‘700’ Class “Black Motor” 0-6-0

This model looks promising to me, mainly because the sample in the photographs uses a lot of metal.

Perhaps Hornby realised that the weight they gave to their M7 and similar types was insufficient (especially on rough track *cough* mine *cough*) and decided to improve it. This seems to follow Bachmann’s model – “You don’t need to see all the rivets on the frames, but if you cast it in metal the loco will run much better!”

Looks fairly good so far!

Next up:

A 2-HAL (HAL being Half-A-Lavatory)

Needless to say it follows the 2-BIL’s success, as does the 2-BIL! (more on that later)

And lastly for our new stuff (and here I cannot contain my excitement except that I already have a Bachmann one – albeit unilluminated)

BR Mark 1 carriages with interior lights – only in BR(S) Green!!

What a bummer that I already have a lovely BSK… Damn.

New liveries include:

A new livery for Hornby’s beautiful (and desirable) Pull-Push set and Second/Standard Open (Third open before the later BR period)

No picture for these as the livery will be as before, but with new (unconfirmed) running numbers. I’m praying for set 611 (Wareham – Swanage) so that I can pre-order it!

Hunslet ‘Austerity’ class “NCB Kent No 12”

Two Terriers, “Whitechapel” and the K&ESR “Sutton”

2-BIL in:

SR Maunsell Green

BR Green with yellow panels

BR Blue with full yellow ends

A wartime black SR T9 “708”

BR green Bulleid Battle Of Britain “Manston”

One last thing…

I’m very sorry for pinching these images from RMweb.

But I hope that was interesting/helpful/worth reading/not a total waste of time

I do like good news…

In the works

Duncomb Road is currently entertaining two visiting locos: 6100 Royal Scot, and a Class 3F
The Scot is Bachmann, but with an elderly replacement tender that is probably Hornby, the Jinty is Triang and is fitted with a currently non functional synchro-smoke unit.

Both are in for repainting into LMS wartime black, lined and unlined respectively, I intend to number the 3F 7298. The 3F also requires repairs to the smokebox, if you catch my drift 😉