SRman's Current Layout - Newton Broadway

[SRman]

Fitting the decoder into the DJM J94 is a doddle: remove magnetic smokebox front, pull out decoder socket, remove blanking plug, fit Bachmann 36-568 decoder (I wish Bachmann would clearly mark pin 1, though), and replace magnetic smokebox front. That took longer to describe than to actually carry out!

[St Enodoc]

Fitting the decoder into the DJM J94 is a doddle: remove magnetic smokebox front, pull out decoder socket, remove blanking plug, fit Bachmann 36-568 decoder (I wish Bachmann would clearly mark pin 1, though), and replace magnetic smokebox front. That took longer to describe than to actually carry out!

Just like the Kernow O2 then - piece of cake.

[SRman]

Recapping on some of the newer arrivals at Newton Broadway, I have taken a few more photos.
 

The DJM J94 has now received nameplates from Narrow Planet, and is called Annabelle, continuing with the theme of girls names starting with 'A'. I think the only thing I don't like about the DJM model is the over-thick injector pipes under the cab. I may attack them with some files in the near future.
 

 

 

The Gate Stock has now had some running, with the Kernow O2 both pulling and pushing. I settled on using Hornby close couplings between the two coaches but Kadees between the locomotive and leading coach - #18 on the loco and #19 on the Gate Set coach.
 

 

 

And some NPCCS that I'm not sure I have photographed before: four BR mark 1 horse boxes from TMC. Two in BR(S) green, two in maroon, with one each of the latter from the LMR and the WR. Between them they have all the variations on original condition through various bits of reinforcement added in later lives.
 

Edited December 10, 2017 by SRman

[DougN]

SRmans you will have to doing the upper levels this summer... otherwise there will be too much rolling stock to move!.... ok there already is.... if we can get the upper running more of your stock can have a good run!

[SRman]

You may get a call for assistance in the very near future, Doug!

[DougN]

Well I am on leave from the 22nd until the 12th so 3 weeks other than the christmas nutty season I am around and we can look at getting the area done.... OK I think you need the push.... I want to see Newton Broadway High level  running. Remember I have the Hardware "frequent buyers card"ready and willing to go! 

 

Actually I think it might take you 2 to  4 days to find the upper level areas and clear everything off so we can get access around to install the boards.... Also will have to think about the back scenes as well. 

 

Strangely I wouldnt mind doing some wood work as I havnt done any in ages and it would stop me thinking about the new layout I have been thinking about for a year or 2 "Thistle Beck"... I even have a name for it! 

[SRman]

Sounds good to me.

I do have to clear my "temporary" workbench off the existing board area! After that, it will be relatively easy for two of us to manoeuvre the woodwork into place.

I like the name "Thistle Beck". Will that be based on anywhere in particular?

 

P.s. Do you have to deal with carols by candlelight with the younger DougNs on the coming weekends?

Edited December 10, 2017 by SRman

[DougN]

Well the program for the next 2 weeks with Mast. DougN is - Christmas Melodies (as I type) - Hamer hall, Friday normal rehearsal, Sunday night National Boys Choir Christmas concert - Hamer hall, 22nd (every one welcome if you are in Melbourne come along as it is usually brilliant!) , 1hr rehearsal at Sidney Myer music bowl, 23rd full rehearsal at Sidney Myer music bowl- 10hrs, 23rd carols by candlelight 5.30Pm bus from Ringwood, 1.00AM pickup at Ringwood! So his diary is full.  If you need a lacky moving computers you could steal him for the day or 3. 

 

As the UK readers might not know Carols by Candle light is the big function before christmas here in Melbourne 

 

 

Mast DougN is left of centre stage in the second row in a red gown! for the opening "all come holy faithful".

 

Now Christmas starts here in Melbourne at 7.30 where everyone here sits down to watch the Carols... There is no cars on the road, the shops are quiet, you can actually hear Melbourne stoping for christmas it really starts here! 

[SRman]

I'll save that video when I get home.   

[SRman]

As promised earlier, I took a file to the pipework under the cab of the DJ Models J94, slimming them down to good effect.

[SRman]

As if I need more rolling stock, I have been doing another quick kit-build, this time it's a Parkside BR/SR plywood sided CCT, which were actually built in BR days to the same basic design as the previous SECR and Southern Railway versions. I pre-painted the sides before assembly to allow easier adding of the window glazing and bars. The bars are just plastic micro-strip, although the thicker ones are actually a fraction too wide, but they were the closest I could get. The first pic shows it in a raw state, with a few bits still to add, while the second shows it in nearly complete form awaiting a few paint touch-ups and some transfers.






This gives me yet another minor variation on the SECR/SR style CCTs and PMVs.

[SRman]

Some new arrivals at Newton Broadway: A Bachmann class 101, a nice model but a little overpriced (IMHO), but worth every penny when in the bargain bin (Rails had them for under £90), and a Heljan class 28 Metro-Vick Co-Bo. The DMU fits in with my side collection of various DMMUs, but I have no excuse for the Co-Bo 'Wonderloaf' except it fills a gap in my range of diesels. I have fitted a Hither Green headcode for a cross-London goods from the Midland Region, but I very much doubt these ever actually ran onto Southern metals. Rule 1 applies here!




My Kernow 10201 arrived this morning. After a suitable running in session on the rolling road, I fitted a Lenz Silver+ 21-pin decoder, which works beautifully, although forwards seems to be the non-radiator end. I know I can change this by adding 1 to whatever value is in CV29, but has anyone else noted this on their Bulleid diesels when DCC fitted?
 

Anyway, I posed 10201 with my ancient MTK 10203. 10203 will never run on DCC with its current Mainline 'Peak' chassis! I didn't do too bad a job with the MTK kit, but it does show up as being a little oversized when compared to the Kernow model. 10201 is shown here straight out of the box - I'll change the headcodes later. For running qualities there is absolutely no comparison - a Rolls Royce compared to a lawn mower!
 

 

Edited December 28, 2017 by SRman

[SRman]

Bulleid 1Co-Co1 diesel-electric 10201 is seen paused in Newton Broadway station with  a 3-set of Bulleid coaches and a 'loose' BR mark 1, plus a BY van, all in crimson and cream, or plain crimson for the van.

O2 30182 is seen beside the train with gate stock pull-push set 363. On the other platform, a London Transport train of 1938 CO/CP stock can be seen.

Please ignore the out of period stock visible on the upper level.

[4railsman]

Looking at the platforms in the last two photographs, are the top surfaces and white edging just a painted finish on thin plywood, or are they printed card/paper covering?

 

The London Transport train of 1938 CO/CP looks good ~ just a shame that it was never made available r-t-r, as I would have loved to have obtained one ~ and also a 1923/31 Standard Stock Tube set.

 

I guess you bought it from Harrow Model Shop (before they closed and Radley Models took the range over) and had to build it from a white metal kit.

 

I had hoped that Metromodels would have produced a London Transport train of 1938 CO/CP in their original "brass" range that was made in Sri Lanka, but after devastating floods in that country stopped production permanently, they moved to offering only 3D printed plastic models which to me were a poor substitute for a well-built professionally painted brass model.

[St Enodoc]

Bulleid 1Co-Co1 diesel-electric 10201 is seen paused in Newton Broadway station with  a 3-set of Bulleid coaches and a 'loose' BR mark 1, plus a BY van, all in crimson and cream, or plain crimson for the van.

 

O2 30182 is seen beside the train with gate stock pull-push set 363. On the other platform, a London Transport train of 1938 CO/CP stock can be seen.

 

Please ignore the out of period stock visible on the upper level.

 

 

More of the F stock please!

[SRman]

Looking at the platforms in the last two photographs, are the top surfaces and white edging just a painted finish on thin plywood, or are they printed card/paper covering?

 

The London Transport train of 1938 CO/CP looks good ~ just a shame that it was never made available r-t-r, as I would have loved to have obtained one ~ and also a 1923/31 Standard Stock Tube set.

 

I guess you bought it from Harrow Model Shop (before they closed and Radley Models took the range over) and had to build it from a white metal kit.

 

I had hoped that Metromodels would have produced a London Transport train of 1938 CO/CP in their original "brass" range that was made in Sri Lanka, but after devastating floods in that country stopped production permanently, they moved to offering only 3D printed plastic models which to me were a poor substitute for a well-built professionally painted brass model.

 

The platform tops are plastic card, painted with a bitumen effect spray paint as used by wargamers. I made a 'skrawking' tool out of some brass offcuts and scraped the paint off along the platform edges; the tool also scored parallel lines into the edges which allowed me to paint them with a very pale grey enamel, thinned to flow along those score marks.

 

The CO/CP Stock is all white metal kits from Harrow Model Shop, with some parts added from Radley Models, such as the underfloor equipment moulding in resin. I have some of his resin seats to go in as well. There is one more car to build, to take it up to a 6-car train (2 x 3-car).

 

The F Stock train is a mixture of Harrow and Radley, with some white metal and a resin body. Both centre cars are awaiting glazing and some detail painting, such as black door dividers.

 

 

 

 

Both of these, and a 5-car Q Stock train (all resin from Radley and other sources) use two Black Beetle motor bogies to power them, with both motors wired to a TCS T1 decoder in each motorised car. There is a Radley Resin A Stock set under construction that will also have two Black Beetles, but mounted individually with one in each DM car.

 

I have an unbuilt C Stock train from Little Bus Company to do after the A Stock.

Edited December 31, 2017 by SRman

[Markeg]

Hi Jeff,

 

Happy New Year to you.  Hope you had a good Christmas.

 

Looks like some progress is happening on the layout including a fair bit of rolling stock.

 

I have been busy too, though it is taking a while.  These off course are for the north east of the Thames.

All Gresley coaches in process.  From front to back.  Brake 3rd (4compt), Brake 3rd (5 compt), Composite End Vest, 3rd EV, 3rd just in the picture.  Apologies for poor picture.

I did take another one but did not appear in program.  It will be slow for a while as I have work to do at home this week and back to work the following week.

 

Hope to catch up some time, maybe at BRMA meeting somewhere.

 

Mark

 

 

 

[FPH 603]

Those are some nice Gresleys you've got there. I hope they turn out well.

[P.C.M]

Happy new year Jeff,

Looks like you have been busy, I do like 10201.

 

Cheers Peter.

[SRman]

Hi Jeff,

 

Happy New Year to you.  Hope you had a good Christmas.

 

Looks like some progress is happening on the layout including a fair bit of rolling stock.

 

I have been busy too, though it is taking a while.  These off course are for the north east of the Thames.

All Gresley coaches in process.  From front to back.  Brake 3rd (4compt), Brake 3rd (5 compt), Composite End Vest, 3rd EV, 3rd just in the picture.  Apologies for poor picture.

I did take another one but did not appear in program.  It will be slow for a while as I have work to do at home this week and back to work the following week.

 

Hope to catch up some time, maybe at BRMA meeting somewhere.

 

Mark

 

P1010837.JPG

 

You have been busy, Mark.

 

I have no use for 'normal' Gresley coaches but still couldn't resist buying one of Hornby's BR maroon Gresley BGs to run in a mixed parcels formation. They are attractive designs, especially when in the varnished teak finish. What livery will yours be when you have finished them?

 

I am down for the March BRMA meeting, but hopefully we'll catch up well before that.

[SRman]

Thanks for the New Year wishes, Mark and Peter.

[Markeg]

I didn't make any BRMA meetings this year.  Just didn't work out.

I plan to make a couple this year and the convention.   Maybe it is time to have a meeting up here again if it can be arranged.

 

These coaches will be painted LNER teak. The interiors have been completed in 4 of the coaches.   I have worked out that I have 19x 61' Gresley's, 2x Non-Corridor coaches in kit form.

 

Not all will be painted teak.  I might do some in BR Maroon or Blood and Custard.  These are not available ready to run so help make up a proper train.

 

I have 4 Hornby Gresley 61' Teaks, 5x Non-Corridors and 7x Gresley 61' in Blood and custard.  I also have a LNER Coronation set to build.

 

Mark

[SRman]

Yet another older locomotive has now been converted to DCC. This one was quite a decent runner to start with, but is an earlier Bachmann class 45 chassis, with an even older Mainline body. 45 048 has the giveaway moulded roofline that allowed Mainline to separate the roof colour on the BR green versions - Bachmann themselves used slightly updated mouldings with that raised line correctly eliminated from the cabs back.

I needed a fairly thin decoder but the footprint was unimportant as there is lots of room in that regard; a Lenz Standard+ decoder with the 8-pin plug cut off was what was required. I analysed the fairly simple PCB and wiring to see what was needed. The brush wires were easily identified and desoldered, then the orange and grey wires were soldered to those. The track feed wires were soldered to the PCB bus tracks at each end, again easily identified and left alone. The red and black decoder wires were soldered to the relevant PCB tracks (red to the right).

The trickiest bits were isolating the headlights, which had a small side track on the PCB and what I thought were resistor in line, but were more probably diodes. I cut the side tracks with a slitting disc in the Dremel, then soldered the white wire to the point where the diode connected to the headlight wire, and did the same with the yellow wire at the other end. The blue common return was connected to both ends, to the desoldered return wires for the headlight bulbs. 

A test showed that the motor worked on DCC, but the wheels desperately needed cleaning. That task accomplished, I then tried out the directional headlights; forwards worked but reverse did not. At that point I decided that I had done enough for the night, so ran the loco back and forth a few times on the main lines, then took the photos. For some reason all of the photos came out slightly fuzzy, but they'll do for now. I'll deal with the non-working light tomorrow.






The next job will be to cut off the body-mounted buffer beams and mount them where they should be, on the bogies.

Edited January 4, 2018 by SRman

[St Enodoc]

Yet another older locomotive has now been converted to DCC. This one was quite a decent runner to start with, but is an earlier Bachmann class 45 chassis, with an even older Mainline body. 45 048 has the giveaway moulded roofline that allowed Mainline to separate the roof colour on the BR green versions - Bachmann themselves used slightly updated mouldings with that raised line correctly eliminated from the cabs back.

 

I needed a fairly thin decoder but the footprint was unimportant as there is lots of room in that regard; a Lenz Standard+ decoder with the 8-pin plug cut off was what was required. I analysed the fairly simple PCB and wiring to see what was needed. The brush wires were easily identified and desoldered, then the orange and grey wires were soldered to those. The track feed wires were soldered to the PCB bus tracks at each end, again easily identified and left alone. The red and black decoder wires were soldered to the relevant PCB tracks (red to the right).

 

The trickiest bits were isolating the headlights, which had a small side track on the PCB and what I thought were resistor in line, but were more probably diodes. I cut the side tracks with a slitting disc in the Dremel, then soldered the white wire to the point where the diode connected to the headlight wire, and did the same with the yellow wire at the other end. The blue common return was connected to both ends, to the desoldered return wires for the headlight bulbs. 

 

A test showed that the motor worked on DCC, but the wheels desperately needed cleaning. That task accomplished, I then tried out the directional headlights; forwards worked but reverse did not. At that point I decided that I had done enough for the night, so ran the loco back and forth a few times on the main lines, then took the photos. For some reason all of the photos came out slightly fuzzy, but they'll do for now. I'll deal with the non-working light tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

The next job will be to cut off the body-mounted buffer beams and mount them where they should be, on the bogies.

I think that I would have cleaned the wheels first...

[SRman]

Something I should have done, John , but it tested OK on DC beforehand. But, yes, it runs much better now.

I looked at my wiring this morning, and tried swapping the yellow and blue wires to the reverse headlight, to no avail (I thought possibly there might be a hidden diode there somewhere). Swapped them back the way they should be but still no light, so possibly the bulb is blown. I did have a heap of replacement grain of wheat bulbs floating around in my vast collection of bits and pieces - it's just a matter of finding them! Failing that, I may solder an LED in its place, with a suitable resistor.