00 gauge Adams 02 on a layout at last!

30207 has finally made it on to a layout albeit a Western Region one.

St Mewan is the easiest of my 00 gauge layouts to set up.

It makes a good test track having code 75 rail and pointwork so if it works on this it will probably work anywhere.

There is also a passing loop to check bogie throw , magnets are placed (removable) to make sure couplings uncouple where needed- if they work at all.

Must crack on with the push-pull set!

 

New identity for Replica Railways 57XX Pannier Tank.

The replacement cabside numberplates have arrived from 247 developments and 8791 has had the numbers affixed to the front and rear buffer beams.

With lamp irons on the front footplate and lamp atop the smokebox 8791 is completed.

For an ancient (in relevant terms) model which is split chassis, after some cleaning and adjusting of the motor brushes, the response is acceptable for my purposes. A spin on the rolling road bedded everything in and ensured that the right areas were lubricated.

 

00 Gauge Paint your wagons!

 The Southern Van in primer- pin point berings have been mashed so dont become clogged with paint. 

Excess Mek stain should disappear when matt varnish has been applied. First the chassis has to be painted then transfers applied. On order from Railtec-https://www.railtec-models.com/index.php

This one is a Dapol Western Mogo van which came as part of a recent lot.

 Just parted the body from its chassis- fitted with Sprat and Winkle couplings.

Just the roof to paint, transfers added , varnished and then can be re-united with its chassis.

Again a primed western Van which will have its chassis and buffers painted and transfers applied- again from Railtec,before a coat of Testors matt Varnish is applied.

Then wheels can be refitted and the roof , which has also been primed-this time grey , can be stuck in place.

Nearly forgot! Both the Ratio vans have had a piece of lead glued to the van floor for stabilising weight.

 Whilst the rattle cans were out this Dapol 5 plank, bought with GW branding, was dismantled from it's chassis and primed in grey.

Once completely dry all that is needed is to apply transfers and matt varnish before being re-united with its Spratt and Winkle fitted chassis.

Once these are completed there are a couple more to make but first magnets need to be fixed in place on St Mewan.Wagons will be in rakes of 3 or 4 with coupling convertor wagons at either end.

St Mewan Control Panel!

A grand name for something so small!

Apart from the handheld controller which plugs in, this is the nerve centre of St Mewan.

Five point levers and one isolating lever and three section switches and that's it.

Everything on St Mewan is operated from a double 16V AC outlet transformer the leads of which just clip in. And- at long last it all works!

Preparing Woody Lane for Colehill 2019.

 Whilst preparing Woody Lane for the Colehill open day Itook a few pictures from the back of the layout.

These views are not usually seen when displayed.

Track and points have been cleaned with methalayted spirit and it is surprising how much muck is removed after a while of storage.

So, the stock has been chosen and run for reliability and the controllers packed all ready.

East Boldre point operation.

KISS- keep it simple silly- Is a phrase I try to adhere to.

Yes, I know I have electrically operated points on other layouts but in the main I like good old fashioned wire in tube with changing polarity enabled by a simple slide switch.

To the left is a close up of the business end with the lower pic showing  a couple mounted and with holes through the backscene to enable grubby fingers to actually change (slide) the things!

The 009 Challenge.

 After much deliberation I have ordered and received the pair of baseboards from Norfolk Heath Works and am very impressed with the quality of the product.

The board has been embellished with the 009 Society logo- sorry about the poor image but I don't want to unwrap them before I can assemble.

The two packs are shown below and await assembly and creative juices to flow!

009 Woody Lane- progress.

 Well, it has been a long time coming but everything now works on Woody Lane.

A couple of minor scares, clearance on one of the tunnel mouths needs easing (smart phrase for take a knife to it).

The level  and barrow crossings needed a bit of scraping to allow smooth passage.

Other than that all runs smoothly, even the raised line.

So with the back and side boards fixed the next job is to complete the detailing and then construct the fascia/ light board.

Controller at rest.

 For a long time there was the perenial problem of where to store controllers such as the Gaugemaster Walkabout, HH etc- until now.
I was tired or seeing controllers nosediving to the floor after the velcro had failed in sticking to said piece of equipment.
So- firstly John Greenwood came up with his laser cut MDF offering which does the job just rig ht.
Then Model Railway Solutions introduced a acrylic version but with a larger cut out to enable changing of the direction switch without removing the controller.
Both do the job they are designed for and come as a kit of parts to be stuck together.
At around the same price both are a useful addition to the exhibitors toolkit.

Morley Controller

Haven't had a lot of time since receiving the Morley controller.
After sorting out the new shed, I thought I would have a trial with the new 00 'East Boldre'
I must say I am impressed- good slow running speeds and with a centre off it seems to be more comfortable to hold.
Seen here sat in one of the Greenwood Models Gaugemaster Walkabout holders shows how much smaller it is from its intended use.

Greenwood Model Railway products controller holder.

When at Wimborne with Colin and Parkstone Goods, we spoke to Greenwood MRP.
Shown were several holders for DCC controllers but none for the most prevalent-Gaugemaster HH,Walkabout and Combi.
To our surprise Sunday saw a holder had been produced overnight from measurements taken from the controller on the layout next to him!
Supplied flatpack, the 7 parts go together precisely -stuck with PVA in this case-
www.greenwoodmodelrailwayproducts.co.uk

Gaugemaster Walkabout Controller.

This is the original type of Gaugemaster Walkabout controller. The case is longer than the present offering- indeed the present type has the same case as the Combi , HH and Walkabout.
Having the previous type of HH as well, it appears that the original type is more robust and slightly better operationally.

I would be interested to hear of others opinions and experiences.