Llanbourne North Wales in the 80s.

[P.C.M]

A few pics taken today showing 31319 arriving on ECS, 97407 has been used for this recently but as you can see the banger blue class 40 was blocked in by D200.

Later D200 is seen leaving on 1K38 for Stoke.

 

D200 has just re entered service as I have fitted a DCC concepts chip, it runs quite well though I did spend a few hours yesterday trying to get the LEDs that were fitted 15 years ago to work, originally a recharable battery did the job but a re wire for DCC hasn't really worked. At one point nothing worked then they all worked even when the light button was turned off. So I have given up for now this hobby is meant to be enjoyable and after nearly melting D200s body with the soldering iron it was time to leave it alone.

 

Ceers Peter.

[d winpenny]

More great photos, david

[P.C.M]

More great photos, david

Thanks David,

I have been playing around with my new camera trying out different settings, I need to try and get better depth of field.

 

Cheers Peter.

[RBE]

A couple of pics from the operating session the other day.

 

Cheers Peter.

 

Well we all liked the half built brick wall. Anyone who's interested might like these to do similar things!

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-REAL-MINIATURE-BRICKS-MODEL-RAILWAYS-OO-GAUGE-/390394457713?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item5ae552ae71

 

Cav

[HealeyMills]

Some serious whistler action going on at Llanbourne then

 

Looking good as always, the weathering on Aureol is top notch 

 

Cheers

Lee

Edited April 15, 2013 by HealeyMills

[P.C.M]

Well we all liked the half built brick wall. Anyone who's interested might like these to do similar things!

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-REAL-MINIATURE-BRICKS-MODEL-RAILWAYS-OO-GAUGE-/390394457713?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item5ae552ae71

 

Cav

OMG it still amazes me what you can get on ebay.

[P.C.M]

Some serious whistler action going on at Llanbourne then

 

Looking good as always, the weathering on Aureol is top notch 

 

Cheers

Lee

Thanks Lee,

Still waiting for the Bachmann ones, but these two are running pretty well since I chipped them. D200 kept stopping on the double slip in the fiddleyard but I fixed it tonight by adding some extra pick ups at the motor bogie end.

 

Cheers Peter.

[coachmann]

Much as I enjoyed photographing in North Wales, which you have captured so well with your model, shortly before his untimely death, friend Bill Rear showed me the photos he had been lining up for a North Wales Steam Album. Now I fully understand if steam is not ones thing, but some of the shots taken circa 1949 really made me drool. Instead of a Class 24, imagine a LNWR Webb 5' 6" 2-4-2T on the daily goods from Llandudno rolling into the Junction. Instead of Class 25's and 40's,  Compounds galore on passenger trains from Bimingham and Liverpool, LNWR 'Prince of Wales' and 'Precursor' 4-4-0s on Bangor-Chester turns, or a 'Cauliflower' running in with the Blaenau Ffestiniog goods. It was almost the end of an era, and we have seen plenty of those since then!

 

Ever considered a 'funny hour' with all steam running or even a 'today-era' with modern Units and 66's?

[P.C.M]

HiLarry,

I could go 90s with class 37/4 working passenger and freight etc, there were some good liveries back then. But 2000s isn't really for me, class 66 67s are ok but I am not a fan of the modern units.

Steam on the other hand I have always liked, I have had a few steam locos over the years and have always liked the BR standards, I have had Jinty's std4 tank std4 2-6-0 and 4-6-0 Merchant Navy West Countrys a Scot and a couple of Jubilee's  and a 9f which I sold recently plus a  few others. I have always liked the S&D and was very tempted with a 3f and a 7f but I don't really have  the money to do everything but maybe one day.   

 

Having said that I do still have a Standard 4 which was my first ever tender engine and an old Airfix 4f.

 

I found a couple of pictures taken back in April 1966 not quite the heydays of the late 40s but steam none the less.

A 4f 44422 waits to leave the branch while std 4 75009 rolls by Light engine.  

 

Cheers Peter.

[P.C.M]

I hope its warming up for you guys over there, it's started to get really cool here. Had to light the fire tonight, first one for the year.

 

Back to diesels I am afraid. 25109 waits to leave on a van train to Manchester.

 

Cheers Peter.

[P.C.M]

Hi All,

I finished touching up the sky backscene on the extension the other day, I might even get round to doing some senics this year.

 

I have also been playing with a new DSLR and trying to get more depth of field so took some pics of 20121 and 20169 arriving on a special coal working from South Wales I would guess the 20s were put on at Crewe or Chester.

 

31403 is seen on the empty postal stock heading to Redbank.

 

Also newly fitted with decoder 45111 works it first train of the year arriving on a Trans Pennine working from York.

 

Cheers Peter.

[d winpenny]

Great photos as always, david

[HealeyMills]

Nice piccies of the choppers... they always look good with ploughs

 

Nicely weathered peak too   45111 was always a regular on the TP run.

 

Cheers

Lee

[P.C.M]

Nice piccies of the choppers... they always look good with ploughs

 

Nicely weathered peak too   45111 was always a regular on the TP run.

 

Cheers

Lee

Thanks Lee,

One of the reasons I chose 45111 was it was one of the last Peaks to carry it's cast nameplate, plus I took a pic of the loco at York after riding on the train from Leeds.

 

Ploughs were more common on the Scottish class 20s  but I did see 121 and 169 with ploughs although it was in the 90s. Don't tell anyone.

 

Cheers Peter.

[60091]

Hi Pete

I'm catching up with Llanbourne tonight.

Amazing how much nostalgia there is here both in your photos and the general mid/late 80s railway chat. Despite not getting to North Wales until 1996 it's suprising how many personal recollections I have of several of your locos...either from around Manchester or the North East.

Lovely photo of 45 111 entering Llanbourne. As has been mentioned, a regular on TP services and a favorite of mine along with 123 from the ETH Peaks.

 

Interesting to see you've mastered the mysteries of DCC. This is one of the things putting me off getting back into 00 modelling. Apart from the cost, I know it's the way to go... I'm just not sure I want to go that way ! I'm worried (maybe unnecessarily) that a computer is going to start dominating a hobby I enjoy so much.

 

I can sympathise with your frustrations with the X overs etc. As many others have said , we've all been there. S+C almost ended up in the bin after I'd got everything wired in and running. Came back from 2 weeks holiday, tested it again - short circuits everywhere. Hardly anything moved without cutting out. Ripped out wire after wire...re-wired...same problems but in different places.  

The reason - instead of using my Gaugemasters I used an old Hornby Duette to test the layout. A couple of weeks later I used it to help a friend sort out a wiring problem on his layout....Thats when I discovered, at some time, one of the Duettes' controllers had packed up and was intermittently shorting out!....and I'd never noticed before.

Edited April 22, 2013 by 60091

[P.C.M]

Hi Pete

I'm catching up with Llanbourne tonight.

Amazing how much nostalgia there is here both in your photos and the general mid/late 80s railway chat. Despite not getting to North Wales until 1996 it's suprising how many personal recollections I have of several of your locos...either from around Manchester or the North East.

Lovely photo of 45 111 entering Llanbourne. As has been mentioned, a regular on TP services and a favorite of mine along with 123 from the ETH Peaks.

 

Interesting to see you've mastered the mysteries of DCC. This is one of the things putting me off getting back into 00 modelling. Apart from the cost, I know it's the way to go... I'm just not sure I want to go that way ! I'm worried (maybe unnecessarily) that a computer is going to start dominating a hobby I enjoy so much.

 

I can sympathise with your frustrations with the X overs etc. As many others have said , we've all been there. S+C almost ended up in the bin after I'd got everything wired in and running. Came back from 2 weeks holiday, tested it again - short circuits everywhere. Hardly anything moved without cutting out. Ripped out wire after wire...re-wired...same problems but in different places.  

The reason - instead of using my Gaugemasters I used an old Hornby Duette to test the layout. A couple of weeks later I used it to help a friend sort out a wiring problem on his layout....Thats when I discovered, at some time, one of the Duettes' controllers had packed up and was intermittently shorting out!....and I'd never noticed before.

Hi Alan,

Thanks Mate, I do like my Peaks and 111 is a bit of a fave I had a quick look at my list of slides and don't have a pic of 123 and it wasn't marked off for haulage but then I missed out on quite a few as I was living down South and had to get my Sulzer fix from class 33s. 

 

I have to say the new crossing is now working fine and I haven't had any shorts or derailments since my dummy spit. I was a bit worried some stock might not like the code 75 but I haven't had any problems as yet.

 

I am not sure I have mastered DCC yet but I would say I am going ok with it, and if I can manage it I am sure you could. I am not a big fan of computers because when they go wrong I am stuffed but my powercab is fairly easy to use I still need to play with the CVs on my sound locos and I would like to dim the loco lights if I can. As for non sound locos I can fit decoders no problem and even hard wiring my old Bachmann Peaks and Lima 40s wasn't that hard. 

It took me a while to go DCC and it was the sound locos that got me in though I don't plan on having sound in everything its costing me enough just to get normal decoders, the cost is a big factor but by doing things gradually it dosn't seem too bad. I am not planing to run my points through the powercab I will keep my old control panel and change the points by pushing buttons, so I haven't had to do any major rewiring.

 

I would certainly look at DCC when you build your 00 layout.

 

Cheers Peter.

[MRDBLUE17]

Hi Peter,

 

Great to catch up and see all the photos of the layout. Very good to see the 31's working hard they look brilliant on the layout.

 

Glad to see the DCC transformation is going well.

 

All the best

Mark

[P.C.M]

Hi Peter,

 

Great to catch up and see all the photos of the layout. Very good to see the 31's working hard they look brilliant on the layout.

 

Glad to see the DCC transformation is going well.

 

All the best

Mark

Thanks Mark,

I have one more 31/4 to do which is a sound fitted model. I may not get around to it this year though. 

 

I am going ok with the DCC still a few locos to fit decoders too and looking at getting a Zimo chip for my class 08.

 

Cheers Peter.

[DougN]

Great to hear that you have found that DCC is easy to get a handle on and a computer is not needed to start with and that things run nicely without the next level of difficulty! personally I like DCC to run the trains with lights and sound but not for the full automation stuff. I find it all too much.

 

we will have to catch up at the next meeting Pete

[60091]

Hi Peter

 

Reading the last few posts and knowing nothing about DCC it's good to know it can be used to just run the loco with sound and lights. I'm not interested in a fully automated layout but might start looking at whats involved as I've always been impressed watching sound/light fitted locos at exhibitions

.

Future plans for 00 are vague but a couple of 08s will be essential so it will be interesting to follow the work on your 08. I assume it will be a more difficult job because of the small body size? Also interesting to know that you've done a Lima 40.

 

Alan

[DerekEm8]

 

Hi Alan,

Thanks Mate, I do like my Peaks and 111 is a bit of a fave I had a quick look at my list of slides and don't have a pic of 123 and it wasn't marked off for haulage but then I missed out on quite a few as I was living down South and had to get my Sulzer fix from class 33s. 

 

Cheers Peter.

Peter,

 

A couple of shots of the 'missed' 45123 on a Trans-Pennine (unfortunately a Liverpool -Newcaste)- but would have worked to North Wales somewhere in the diagram.

 

45123 Man Vic 30 July 1983

 

Edited April 26, 2013 by DerekEm8

[P.C.M]

Great to hear that you have found that DCC is easy to get a handle on and a computer is not needed to start with and that things run nicely without the next level of difficulty! personally I like DCC to run the trains with lights and sound but not for the full automation stuff. I find it all too much.

 

we will have to catch up at the next meeting Pete

Hi Doug,

I am happy with the DCC so far I think the hardest thing is remembering what is forwards or reverse, I have a habit of sending the train the wrong way. I just need to remember fan end is forwards a bit hard to do sometimes with a pair of 20s.

 

I am with you, full automation would mean some major rewiring and it all works fine as it is at the moment, so I am happy with  just controlling just the trains with DCC.

 

Cheers Peter.

[P.C.M]

Hi Peter

 

Reading the last few posts and knowing nothing about DCC it's good to know it can be used to just run the loco with sound and lights. I'm not interested in a fully automated layout but might start looking at whats involved as I've always been impressed watching sound/light fitted locos at exhibitions

.

Future plans for 00 are vague but a couple of 08s will be essential so it will be interesting to follow the work on your 08. I assume it will be a more difficult job because of the small body size? Also interesting to know that you've done a Lima 40.

 

Alan

Hi Alan, 

If you don't mind spending the money to chip all your locos and you can find a control system that you like then go for it. The 08 will need a small sound decoder and speaker but can be done and the Lima class 40s were easy, for a start there is plenty of room and hard wiring is pretty easy if you can use a soldering iron, there is plenty of info out there on how to wire them up but if you need any help let me know.

 

Cheers Peter.

[P.C.M]

Peter,

 

A couple of shots of the 'missed' 45123 on a Trans-Pennine (unfortunately a Liverpool -Newcaste)- but would have worked to North Wales somewhere in the diagram.

 

45123 Man Vic 30 July 1983

45123 MV 300783.jpg

 

45123 MV 300783 A.jpg

Thanks Derek, 

Always nice to see your pics, 45123 looks to be in good condition too, and still with nameplates very nice.

 

Cheers Peter.

[P.C.M]

Ok guys I need some help here, I wasn't really planning this but got sick of tripping over a great big block of polystyrene in the garage so started to hack it up to fill in my senic break. While at it I have started to think about the road bridge. Hopefully the pics will explain but I am not sure if it would be better to have the road higher up with with some senics between the road and bridge  with the hillside going up behind that or to have the road lower and next to the bridge  again the the hillside going up behind.

 

Cheers Peter.