Jack P Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 That really is fantastic, I now regret not pre-ordering Royal Mail. What does the engine come with in terms of a detail pack? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted March 17, 2017 Author Share Posted March 17, 2017 That really is fantastic, I now regret not pre-ordering Royal Mail. What does the engine come with in terms of a detail pack? I wasn't gonna because I don't really need a big express loco but then some wine happened and I saw it was only £134 at Rails at the time (December) so it happened, no regrets! It comes with couplings and some pipework, there might be some other bits and pieces too, haven't really had a chance to look at the detail pack properly yet, gonna have a look at it tomorrow when I have a free day Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted March 18, 2017 Author Share Posted March 18, 2017 speant a good half hour / 45 mins attaching the detail pack, it includes pipework around the front bogie wheels, brake pipes and buffer beam ladders. It was so fiddly, I managed to get it all on except for a rear brake pipe, to get it on I have to go up through the NEM coupling and I just couldn't angle it right and by that point my patience was wearing thin, I'll try again later maybe haha. And a couple of photos I posted elsewhere on the forum, inspired by a comment I read about a promo photo someone had seen of a Merchant Navy with a rake of all SR wagons. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack P Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 It was supposedly a mixed traffic engine after all Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 I rebuilt my yard again aha. Now locos are able to run straight into a couple of sidings and coal loading area without the layout short circuiting, I'm not sure what was causing it before but it works! Stop not completely happy with it, I'll probably end up playing around with the sidings again , jsut trying to make the best use of the space without over cluttering. I have ifnally come to a point where I have too many locos and rolling stock to fit on the layout >.< . Also yard operation is going to be very limited because I'm only DC. I shal certainly consider going DCC in the future. The idea of being able to have several trains on a track but only control one at a time is very appealing P.s Still in love with the Merchant Navy. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trade Member BlueLightning Posted March 22, 2017 Trade Member Share Posted March 22, 2017 Looks good. Also DCC is a great idea!!! It doesn't have to be to expensive either. I made my own DCC Controller for a lot less than any of the commercial ones!!!! Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 Looks good. Also DCC is a great idea!!! It doesn't have to be to expensive either. I made my own DCC Controller for a lot less than any of the commercial ones!!!! Gary I don't think there is much point on this layout as it is, but certainly on a future one for sure! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trade Member BlueLightning Posted March 22, 2017 Trade Member Share Posted March 22, 2017 Probably not on this one. I can't see you being able to get much advantage out of it. Unless you want some sound locos!! Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 Probably not on this one. I can't see you being able to get much advantage out of it. Unless you want some sound locos!! Gary I'm not sure how I feel about sound, model railways are a very visual thing for me, it seems a bit odd to have sound without smoke lol 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trade Member BlueLightning Posted March 22, 2017 Trade Member Share Posted March 22, 2017 it seems a bit odd to have sound without smoke lol You need the Dapol black label A4 then!!! that is an impressive loco. This guy's review shows just what can be achieved with DCC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GNg6u61Bf4&t=671s Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 You need the Dapol black label A4 then!!! that is an impressive loco. This guy's review shows just what can be achieved with DCC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GNg6u61Bf4&t=671s Ah yes I've seen them not gonna lie, if they produce something ex LBSC or ex SECR in black label I will be extremely tempted.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trade Member BlueLightning Posted March 22, 2017 Trade Member Share Posted March 22, 2017 If they produce something LBSC or SECR in the black label range I will throw money at them until they start handing them over!!! Gary 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 Do we have any famous record breakers in the South? Stepney is the only remotely famous LBSCR engine I can think of aha Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trade Member BlueLightning Posted March 22, 2017 Trade Member Share Posted March 22, 2017 None that I am aware of Stepney is famous enough that he is literally the reason I model the LBSC though!! Gary 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 aww 473 has always been my favourite of the restored LBSCs 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted March 23, 2017 Author Share Posted March 23, 2017 Here have another video, I don't think the Merchant Navy needs a reason :') https://twitter.com/GreenGiraffe22/status/844596079559659520 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trade Member BlueLightning Posted March 23, 2017 Trade Member Share Posted March 23, 2017 Saw this one earlier after it got re-tweeted by Hornby!! You must be doing things right!!!!! Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted March 23, 2017 Author Share Posted March 23, 2017 Saw this one earlier after it got re-tweeted by Hornby!! You must be doing things right!!!!! Gary They do flatter me aha, and didn't know if you had a Twitter account or not, F4F if you want =] 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trade Member BlueLightning Posted March 23, 2017 Trade Member Share Posted March 23, 2017 F4F if you want Why not LOL. I have just clicked follow on yours. (My twitter is in my signature lol) Gary 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted April 23, 2017 Author Share Posted April 23, 2017 Hello all! I haven't updated in a while, mainly because there hasn't really been anything to say, I am still in love with the Merchant Navy, it's annoying that it is restricted to the outer-most route of the outer loop due to it's curve radius limitations but I can live with that for now. I've been rebuilding the yard and the storage sidings on the inner loop again, I'm probably never going to fully happy with it but I seem to have built it in such a way now that every locomotive (excluding the Merchant Navy) can travel through every siding derailment-free. Now, after travelling behind a real S15 last week at the Bluebell Railway during the Flying Scotsman visit, and noticing the Wartime Black one is still £79.50 at Rails. I caved and bought one! Safe to say I have 0 regrets. What a fantastic model! Firstly it can make it round the tightest curves of the layout completely fine, it runs beautifully, the cab detail is exquisite and it is a very handsome looking locomotive, I take back all the horrible things I said about locomotives with smoke deflectors . It is a perfect goods locomotive for my wartime layout. I fully recommend it. The only issue I had was the instructions for the detail pack, on the tender, the instructions tell you to attach some coupling pipework that is moulded on to the loco, and there is no instruction for the little bit of pipework that isn't moulded on, but is clearly visible on the picture on the box so it must go on somewhere, but I can't see a hole for it to slot in to. Likewise the piping at the front, there seems to be no obvious place for it to go although it is included on the instructions, I'm sure I'll work it out. The brass pipework and steps at the front went on fine 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trade Member BlueLightning Posted April 23, 2017 Trade Member Share Posted April 23, 2017 She's a mighty fine looking machine!! It's a shame they don't fit in on my layout! Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted April 23, 2017 Author Share Posted April 23, 2017 (edited) Well, I've ballsed it up. I haven't had a chance to rest it properly since adding the detail pack, turns out the steps and pipework restrict the bogie wheels horrendously and now to derails on every single curve. Of course I superglue them in because I'd been ruining paintwork trying to use model glue. Now I don't know what to do. It's gotta come off... Somehow. Edit: I've got the steps off without breaking them, don't know how I'm gonna manage the gold pipework, what is the f*****g point of Hornby including detail that is going to make the model unusable >.< Edit again: got the pipework off in one piece, back to running beautifully Edited April 23, 2017 by GreenGiraffe22 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trade Member BlueLightning Posted April 23, 2017 Trade Member Share Posted April 23, 2017 I think those detail packs are meant for people that have layouts with 20ft radius curves!!!!!! On a more serious note these things work better if you take my approach to modelling, if a blind man on a horse 300ft away cant tell that it's missing then it's good enough!! Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 Just had another incident with the S15, it's mechanism kept jamming and the only way I could fix it was to put it into reverse then back forwards, then it jammed up completely, had a look at it turned out one of the bits of side rod had bent to almost a 90' angle , no idea how on earth that happened but I've straightened it out and all is fine again, curious. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 Hello Everyone, it seems I haven't updated this since April 2017 so I thought I'd post about how I'm getting on with the layout. If you follow me on Twitter @GreenGiraffe22 I post quite a lot of videos and photos of the layout there. So as of today, the layout looks like this, little bit of mess, a constant work in progress!: Not much has changed, just been tweaked a bit leading to smoother running and far less derailments! It's always an achievement I find when the Merchant Navy can complete a circuit without derailing on the tighter curves and points. I changed the location from Brighton - Eastbourne, to loosely based on Hove and have been researching all sorts of services that came through the station, there's quite a few! Brighton - Horsham seems to be the most photographed! Brighton - Littlehampton Brighton - Bognor Regis Brighton - Portsmouth Brighton - Salisbury (Going to give my Merchant Navy this route, there are photos of Battle of Britain & West Country classes taking over the service there from Cardiff and Plymouth, so I think a Merchant Navy seems plausible. ) Brighton - Bournemouth (the route my H2 is going to have when it arrives, H2s are well documented on this service in the 50s, I'm sure they would have done it in the 40s...? There's been quite a few new additions since the S15, which was replaced by Rails as it had faulty side rods, the new one works perfectly fine. The most exciting new additions have been the birdcage set which I absolutely love and have enjoyed running it behind my E4s, Cs, N, Terrier, M7, and everything else! There's quite a few new wagons, Hornby's Maunsell cattle wagons, wagons from Oxford Rail including their Warwell with tank & Hatton's Warwell. I finally completed carriage set 209 and have added a tail lamp to that, the set form the Dunkirk pack, and the birdcage set. I received an Adams Radial in wartime black for Christmas from the parents , it is running on the layout as a 'what if' , personally I think it is an ideal loco for the south coast line. I think that's it. The locos currently operating on the layout are : 2x E4 2x C Class Terrier E2 M7 700 S15 Merchant Navy Adams Radial Schools Class N Class Q1 T9 2BIL. I shall hopefully soon be welcoming P Class 1558 and 1555 to the layout, the latter of which was based at Brighton in late Southern days. Also waiting for Hornby's H and Bachmann's H2 along with the warflat. fortunately the only things that took my interest from the rather BR heavy 2018 announcements were the SR Open Third & Restaurant Carriage & Oxford's Rail Gun, so minimal spending for me from the 2018 ranges! =] I think that should bring everyone up to speed, enjoy some photos taken over the past few months !! Matt =] 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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