Good read
 

Trev
Thanks for all updates on your latest project,:) it has been most interesting to read. Also it's good to know that mine is not the only model railway that sometimes takes a back seat to domestic reality.I look forward to more instalments and perhaps the odd photo or two, in the mean time the only thing that needs to be said now is HAPPY BIRTHDAY Syd.:D :D

cheers for now
Dave.

Thanks for the birthday wishes Dave. Now where the hell did I put that kitchen towel, must get the dishes done before I start on the ironing.
Syd

Syd

Wow! For that sort of amount I'd have to do some putting together of flat pack furniture. Actually I will have to soon, she's ordered some.

I'm going to relay my track using foam underlay. I had a test running session yesterday and the noise was terrible! Whoever would've thought such small motors could make so much racket!

And my Class 73 is going to have to go back as well. It did one circuit and then stopped. There must be a short in the motor or something, 'cos when I put the 08 on the same track, that failed to move as well. But when the 73 was taken off, the shunter moved off quite happily. Does anyone know what the usual course of action is when returning mail order models? Should I send it to Dapol ( the manufacturers) or the model shop that I got it from?

Glad you're enjoying it Dave. Keep looking in and you never know, I might have actually got to the point where I think I've done enough that a photo is deserved without embarrasing myself!

Trev
The photo I took of my layout "Cripple Siding" when I only had the track laid and the one of the track with the tunnel have both been viewed over 75 times. I have not had one comment on either of them. I can only think that people are looking at them to get some ideas for their own layouts. Even if they are just using part of it, that's fine by me. Just glad to of been of some use. Go ahead and post a photo.
Syd

Trev
The photo I took of my layout "Cripple Siding" when I only had the track laid and the one of the track with the tunnel have both been viewed over 75 times. I have not had one comment on either of them. I can only think that people are looking at them to get some ideas for their own layouts. Even if they are just using part of it, that's fine by me. Just glad to of been of some use. Go ahead and post a photo.
I would say the model shop you got it from first as it comes under the 'Sale of Goods Act' and as they sold it to you in an unfit state, they should ether repair or replace it. You paid the shop, not Dapol.
I used Gaugemaster underlay. It is great as it has ballast set on it and saves you having to do it. Remember to make an allowance for loco sheds if you ballast all the way through. It raises the track enough to stop locos entering the shed and they catch on the roof.
Syd

Yeah, I reckon you're right Syd. It's how it works in the clothes shop that I work in. I'll e-mail the shop tomorrow and let them know I'm sending it back. It's not like I'm asking for a refund, I just want this one fixing or a replacement model.

Anything to report Trev?:)
I am ballasting my layout with Woodland Scenics ballast bonded together with diluted PVA glue. I lay my track on Sundeala board and the trains initially run quietly but after ballasting the noise levels increase. I agree that foam underlay is probably the best solution if the noise is a problem.
John.

The first train set I had was a Hornby clockwork set with a few extra bits of track dad got from a friend of his. I think the loco was a Jinty (but it was so long ago I’m not sure) with 4 goods wagons. From there I went on to a 3 rail Hornby which was the in thing. Trouble was that as we were in Rhodesia at the time, 1950’s and we could only get train sets and a few things like tin stations, signal box, and a bridge. Points were something you ordered from the UK and then waited from 6 to 9 months to get. We were very limited on anything we wanted, and if someone with a name or money wanted the thing you ordered then the shop would sell them your order, then say that the order must have been lost. Many gave up modelling because of this cheating. Others were lucky enough to have family who travelled to the UK and were able to bring bits back. One chap told us that he was going back to the UK for a 3 month training course and would get what we wanted in the UK. Dad gave him some money to get a set of coaches and 4 sets of points. This was not easy for him as it cost a lot more than he could afford. As we had not heard from the guy 5 months later, dad went to his home only to find that it was empty. The chap next door said that we were not the first to come looking for him. Well that was the end of model railways for me in Rhodesia. Dad went on to become a top railway policeman in Botswana years later. One night he was called to a passenger train where a fight had started in the bar and a lot of damage was done. Two men were arrested. One just happened to be someone who was going to get my railway parts for me some years back. 3 years in a Botswana prison helped him to think of the young boy he had upset all those years ago.
Syd

Syd,
I found your story quite touching. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Even today I am sure that there are many train-loving kids in the World who can only dream of owning what the more affluent ones take for granted.
It was good to see that the law (and your Dad) finally caught up with the conman :D
John.

A little P.S. to that John, The guy's youngest son and I became very good friends later on when we both were firemen at a small town called Dett and yes he did know that it was my dad that put his father in prison.
Syd

I'm afraid things have come to a grinding halt at the moment (what about that for a layout name....Grinding Halt :D ). The monthly budget was exceeded many times over because I had to buy a new suit for a job interview....and I didn't even get the job. :(

So it'll be next month before any new purchases are made. I'll keep you all updated!

Sorry about that Trev. :(
Look forward to normal service being resumed
John.

P.S. I agree "Grinding Halt" is a great name:D

I was hoping so, but it gets worse.

The missus is talking about moving house.

Grinding Halt indeed! :(

Oh Heck !! :eek:
Hopefully she will not move too far away and you will still be able to visit her when you are not working on your layout.;)

If only! :D

I've been mulling over the current track plan (with a bit of help from a plans book and a glass of brandy) and I'm thinking of changing things.

It has occurred to me that I could do a terminus to fiddle yard scheme, but with the fiddle yard on a lower level and at the front of the layout. At the front because I don't want to go to the added expense of electric control for the points, and also for ease of access. The fiddle yard would be quite simple, just a couple of sidings where engines could be manually swapped onto the other end of their trains.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Would the fiddle yard being virtually under the nose of the operator distract from the realism? Or would the operator (ie me) be so taken up with the operating that the close proximity of the 'off stage' world is ignored?

Trev,
It's good to see that you are thinking about your layout again. A man needs his hobbies:D
The layout I am building at the moment has a "fiddle yard" at a lower level to the main scenic part. Most of the sidings are hidden but the entrance/exit points are all easily accessible from the front so that I can operate them manually.
My previous layout also had a lower level "fiddle yard" so as you can see I am quite a fan of the idea.
Although part of the "fiddle yard" is visible I find that the eye tends to be drawn towards the more scenic parts of the layout.
There are some photos/plans of my old layout (called Sustenbahn) and progress reports on my new layout at www.swisstrains.net Just click on the "N-scale model railways" links. I know that it is probably not exactly what you had in mind but it might give you some ideas.
John

Nice looking site that John. :)

I'm still looking at modelling a fictional preserved railway; one engine in steam at a time, as it were, so the fiddle yard doesn't have to be big, just easily accessible.

The more I think of it, the more I like the idea. I'll do a bit more thinking and planning at work tomorrow. :D

Unfortunately the terminus /fiddle yard idea is a non-starter. The locos just won't get up the gradient. They would go down it alright, oh yes! :D I blame my optimism on the brandy!

Back to the continuous run. :)

Trev, Do British N-scale locos have traction tyres fitted nowadays?

John.

Traction tyres?

Well I think I know what you mean, and having had a look at my three engines, no, I don't think they do. But I'm not all that sure what I'm looking for. :o

Sorry Trev. I have been away from the British N-scale scene for too long and should have realised that traction tyres are probably still not commonplace on British locos. However, Mainland European N-scale locos manufactured by the German, Austrian and Far Eastern manufacturers are generally fitted with traction tyres. I am sure that you have probably guessed what I am talking about but just to be sure I have attached a photo of one of my locos. The loco is about the same weight as a Graham Farish 47 but because of the tyres it can haul at least 8 passenger coaches up my 1 in 36 gradients:)
Attachment 50
The tyres are replaceable but in normal use they last for years. Despite usually having one tyre on each bogie they do not affect current collection as all the other wheels have pickups and even the wheels with tyres can still collect current from their flanges.
John.

Thanks John.

Just had a quick look at my two 0-6-0's and neither of them appear to have traction tyres. And as my main motive power is to be small diesel and steam (at least to begin with), then I'm going to have to forego the gradient. It might be a good idea anyway, this is my first model railway and I might as well get the fundamentals of track laying right before I go on to more advanced concepts!

Good thinking Trev.
The more reliably your first layout runs.....the more enjoyment you will get from it:)
John.

P.S. Except for possibly steam tender locos, European N-scale 0-6-0's wouldn't have traction tyres either. Only bogie diesel/electric locos and larger steamers.

I've been fiddling around with the track again this afternoon. (We beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets so my original idea of staring at the box for the day ended in mid afternoon....I had to do something! :D )

Anyway, another track plan took shape. Basic oval, three long sidings, passing loop, two road loco shed with another siding to one side, a bay road for DMU's and a siding for coal, water and diesel.

And that should be it.....hopefully. :o

Sounds like it has plenty of operating potential to keep you interested.
Go for it Trev:)

John.

I thought I'd resurrect this thread as there have been a couple of developments in this project. At the rate I'm going, this railway will have a longer history than the LNER!

Anyhow, more track has been bought. The railway will now feature double track, two long passing loops and a largish engine shed. And a new loco arrived at Christmas, courtesy of my wife. A green 'Peak', D67 Royal Artilleryman. I'm hoping to use my birthday money ( 50 years old today and Mum and Dad gave me £40! :) ) to get the underlay tomorrow which should make the running that little bit sweeter and less noisy. And then I'll stick the track down at last.

I must admit that Ian announcing that he is to start a model has spurred me on a bit. A year into this project and I have still got virtually nowhere. And on top of that, Syd has almost finished with N and is thinking of starting something in OO! I'm gonna have to get my skates on and get the track down at least.

Firstly Trev, can I wish you a belated Happy 50th Birthday.......you're catching up with me rapidly:D

It's really good to hear that you are restarting work on your layout.
This forum should start to get a little more active with both you and Ian (and possibly Syd) hard at work building miniature empires.:)

Happy Birthday Trev. The best is still to come. Keep on rocking!

Hi there lads,
Well I am off work at the moment as I have pulled a muscle in my back. Not too bad, but on the mend. So I have had a bit of time to take a long look at my N gauge layout and sort out how I want to finish it off. I did go out this morning to get my Dapol 2-6-2 Ivatt which I ordered when I got back from India.
The 00 gauge layout will not start until I have retired in 5 years, but as I know what I want to do with it, I have started to get some bits together. It will be a point to point main line in modern times, but with an agreement with the Area General Manager (Me) for the running of preserved stock on the line. This way I can run what ever I want to on the track.
Trev, I must still be doing something right as the wife has stated that when we retire and move away from Bristol (Devon or Cornwall) we will have to have a 3 bedroom house or one with a large dry garage for my railway. She has already given me The Venice Simplon-Orient Express + the add on 4 coaches (all coaches lit and DCC ready 35020 Merchant Navy class Clan Loco). Then she got me the The Royal Train with 6233 Duchess of Sutherland. I am thinking of a BR Standard preservation group and hope to run a lot of different BR standard locos. I am now saving for a Bachmann Ivatt 2-6-0 MT and a Black 5.
Syd.

Was that lot for Christmas then Syd? I can only say...wow!! :)

Anyhow, assuming the local model shop has got some track underlay in stock, I'll be giving the credit card a last bit of exercise until I find another job. The £40 birthday money (thanks for everyone's wishes, btw) will go toward a small steam loco...possibly a 4F. The motive power committee of the South Holderness Railway (me) thinks that some steam power will increase the tourist potential.

More news as it happens. :)

Was that lot for Christmas then Syd? I can only say...wow!!

I think she was just glad to have me home from overseas Trev. She sure as hell had a long list of things to be done by the time I got home, which were all done before Christmas. It could be her way of keeping me from going off again. I did tell her that the RAC wanted me to do another month over in India again. Then again if I come home to gifts like that , well maybe I should think about it a bit more before I say no.
Syd

Unfortunately the local model shop had very little to offer in the way of six coupled N gauge steam. Plenty of pannier tanks in stock but there is no way that the motive power committee will allow that sort of stuff on the line :D . So I have decided to wait awhile until the shop gets new stock in.

On a slightly tangential note, has anyone any experience of the 'Union Mills' N gauge engines? The firm is from the Isle of Man (I think), and offers a few ex LNER 0-6-0's in its advertisements. Does anyone know if they are any good?

Trev,
It just shows how out of touch I am with British N-scale. Until I read your post I had never heard of Union Mills so I decided to do a quick search. What little I could find was good and I was surprised to see that they (or should that be he?) build complete locos and don't just stick a new body on a Grafar/Bachmann chassis.
Don't forget, if you get tired of waiting for a small British loco to come along there are any number of good-running Continental locos out there. I know you hate the idea of running a Swindon-built loco on your layout but surely something from Munich would be acceptable.:D :D

I think Union Mills have been around for three or four years or so. I did read one letter in the Railway Modeller which extolled the virtues of their products, so I thought I'd try to find out a bit more about them. Unfortunately (or perhaps that should be 'fortunately' :D !), they don't accept credit card orders over the web. I might give them a call and ask about ordering once the financial situation eases.

I finally got around to ordering the track underlay today, so expect a call for help in this thread at some point in the next week! I've never used track underlay before, but I've heard it's virtually 'idiot proof'. They ain't asked me, obviously! :D

If I can use track underlay Trev, then anyone can. Just one tip, don't pin the track down too far or you will squash the underlay as I did the first time I used it.
Syd

P.S. Bet you never thought when you started this thread, that it would run to 77 postings and still be running.

Thanks for the tip Syd, but as I'm using Setrack only, will I need to use track pins at all? I thought that I would be able to just use PVA.

Trev,
Personally, I would recommend using the tiny Peco track pins, although this could be a problem if the baseboard you are using is too hard.(are you still planning to use the door?)
If you use PVA it will be much more difficult to make alterations and you could end up damaging some of your track.

Trev,
John beat me to it, but I have to agree with him. You would be far better off using tiny Peco track pins. It would be to your advantage to use a pin drill on the sleepers if there are no holes there. One pin in each setrack will hold although I used two on longer or stranded track. Be very careful with the points as you can upset them and cause derailments. If you use PVA, you will not be able to reuse the underlay again as it rips when lifting it, and it is not that cheap.
Syd