BEIJIAO - a large Chinese HO exhibition layout set in the 21st century

[roundhouse]

Just now, TT-Pete said:

 

At one point on the Sunday a spectator leaned in and asked me "Is that a codeword?" as every time something went wrong we were yelling "Gordon!!"

 

We have a similar codeword ' Mike!!'. He was standing next to Making Tracks at NEC when I texted him to ask how the show was when he replied saying that two trains derailed right in front of him. Hes just bout one of our most reliable long standing helpers and wouldnt be able to do so many shows without him so its a good job that he has a great sense of humour.

[TEAMYAKIMA]

8 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

The good news is that two of the major problems were simply freak accidents

 

7 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

Not 'cause & effect', perchance..?? Next accessory for the layout, a Breathalyser... 😂😂😂

 

You have somewhat misunderstood my meaning when I use the phrase 'freak accident' - TBH it was probably the wrong phrase to have used. What I meant was an event which was not the result of some mistake we made i.e. it was out of our hands. For example, one such 'freak accident' was that the 20v transformer which powers the DCC modules which control 95% of the pointwork failed on Sunday Morning and so we lost all route selection. Needless to say, "YES", Squires stock 20v transformers, but "NO" they hadn't brought any to the show. 😕

[St Enodoc]

7 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

 

 

You have somewhat misunderstood my meaning when I use the phrase 'freak accident' - TBH it was probably the wrong phrase to have used. What I meant was an event which was not the result of some mistake we made i.e. it was out of our hands. For example, one such 'freak accident' was that the 20v transformer which powers the DCC modules which control 95% of the pointwork failed on Sunday Morning and so we lost all route selection. Needless to say, "YES", Squires stock 20v transformers, but "NO" they hadn't brought any to the show. 😕

So you're going to buy two 20V transformers now...

[TEAMYAKIMA]

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

So you're going to buy two 20V transformers now...

 

I see your point - no pun intended!

[Geep7]

Murphy's law states that if you buy 2, with one as a spare, you'll never need to use the spare. But if you don't buy a spare, you will need one at some point.

[St Enodoc]

1 minute ago, Geep7 said:

Murphy's law states that if you buy 2, with one as a spare, you'll never need to use the spare. But if you don't buy a spare, you will need one at some point.

When I was a rugby referee, I carried three pencils (those handy little ones from the blue and yellow furniture store). One to use, one in case the first broke and the third in case the second broke too.

 

In 20 years, none ever broke.

[TEAMYAKIMA]

OPERATORS REQUIRED FOR BURY St EDMUNDS EXHIBITION - Sept 28th

 

My layout requires a base operating team of six people. As time has progressed, I have managed to amass a pool of thirteen operators spread throughout the country, but the upcoming show in Bury St Edmunds Cathedral is causing me a few headaches - very few of my pool of operators live near Bury St Edmunds 🤔.

 

This exhibition is our first (and probably last) one-day show - we have only taken it on because it is in Bury St Edmunds Cathedral. Ideally, we need six on Friday to set the layout up quickly and six on Saturday to operate and then pack the van at the end of the day, As of this morning, I have three confirmed for the set-up day and four for Saturday. So, I am using this post to see if there is anyone out there who would like to join us - ideally on Friday and Saturday.

 

We simply cannot set the layout up with just three people and so, unless we can enlarge that team, we will have to pull out of the show - something we don't want to do.

 

As to actually operating the layout, things have got far simpler after the experience of recent shows. We have had several raw recruits helping us recently and, having studied their feedback, we understand better how to integrate newbies quickly and smoothly.

 

So, is there anyone reading this who would like to join us at Bury St Edmunds - ideally for both Friday and Saturday - there is a hotel room available if required. Please send me a PM if interested or feel free to ask any questions here on this thread.

 

Edited May 30 by TEAMYAKIMA

[luke_stevens]

13 hours ago, Geep7 said:

Murphy's law states that if you buy 2, with one as a spare, you'll never need to use the spare. But if you don't buy a spare, you will need one at some point.

 

Unless one time you decide to not bring the spare to an exhibition: then the first will fail... 

 

Luke

[TEAMYAKIMA]

I am happy to announce that BEIJIAO is now finally finished and I am finally going to be able to get on and do other things in my life! 😃

 

However, that doesn't mean that I don't need to do a review of everything after every show and deal with any outstanding issues.

 

Since we started exhibiting the layout, there have always been (minor) damage to stock when setting out and re-packing stock. It's been nobody's fault - it's just a fact of life - and this has resulted in me having a small box full of steps, brake wheels and other bits and pieces. This week I have dealing with all these outstanding issues. 

 

Here is an example : most of my coaches are Bachmann and they are pretty robust, but some are from new manufacturers who add some ridiculously delicate detail. In most cases, I have only bought these 'extra' coaches when they offer coaches that Bachmann never made - for example a baggage car.

 

The N27 class 25G baggage car does (thankfully) match the Bachmann ones for colour, but it has several VERY fragile metal steps and they easily get caught in the foam 'slots' in the storage boxes we now use.

 

 

 

 

You can see how the one on the far side is intact and the other has broken off .

 

 

I had to remove those residues, clean out the slots where the steps fit and then superglue the replacement in place. Having done all that I have made a 'carrying cradle' which will protect the steps now when being taken out of, or returned to, the foam storage box.

 

 

 

[jjb1970]

Some Chinese models are a warning of the dangers of going crazy with separately fitted details and chasing maximum fidelity. Some of the models made by companies like Changmin and 1435 are beautiful but very fragile. Getting them out of the box is bad enough let along operating on a layout.

[TEAMYAKIMA]

EXHIBITION INVITE SOUGHT FOR EARLY 2025

 

2023 and 2024 have been (and will be) very busy years for us on the exhibition circuit - six shows in total per year - but after GAYDON in late October this year we have a six months gap until YORK in April 2025. This is because we have had to pull out of going to Holland in January (post-Brexit paperwork issue) and then Basingstoke in March because of restricted access to the hall on Friday night.

 

Due to the time it takes to set up the layout we do need access to any venue by 4pm on the Friday and many exhibitions which take place in schools simply cannot give us that opportunity. So, is there anyone reading this who might be able to help us fill that early 2025 void in our calendar?

 

Please help us find somewhere to exhibit in early 2025 - our team is widespread and we only meet up in person at shows and we don't want to go six months without seeing each other - and I'm buying the first round in the pub! 😉

Edited June 4 by TEAMYAKIMA

[TEAMYAKIMA]

Another, very anal, thing I've been looking into is Bachmann DF4 bogies.

 

When Bachmann re-invented the DF4 chassis in about 2006, they produced in with the correct wheelbase, but short sideframes as in this photo..

 

 

I think that you will agree that that looks odd. After complaints, replacement sideframes became available....

 

 

I thought all my locos had been upgraded, but some which had been confined to showcase display had been excluded. Recently, some usually showcased locos have been put into use on the layout due to some issues with our 'regulars' and so the sideframe issue has had to be addressed.

 

 

Better I think

[TEAMYAKIMA]

Returning to Bachmann DF4's. As I said in my last post, Bachmann have made two different versions of the chassis. My last post related to the later version. This post deals with the original version.................

 

The original chassis was VERY heavy and I mean VERY heavy and the wheels had RP25 profiles, but

 

a) the wheelbase was too long

 

b) the sideframes were VERY basic

 

This is how they looked as bought....................

 

 

 Luckily, at some point some better sideframes were made available and I have been lucky enough to obtain enough to convert my three original chassis

 

Edited June 14 by TEAMYAKIMA

[phil_sutters]

I am fairly sure that I have mentioned this source of Chinese steam photos before, but just in case I haven't here is an atmospheric one from 2008, if Tarboat's records are correct.  https://www.ipernity.com/doc/302581/52511564  He seems to have an endless supply, which he keeps uploading.

[TEAMYAKIMA]

I have just been made aware of another 'different' layout which is absolutely amazing

 

 

This is war-torn Lebanon set in the 1980's and I think it's brilliant. It's only been to one show so far, but I'm hoping to see it in the flesh sometime in the future.

 

It has a thread on RMweb and I know that some of you already follow it, but I think it deserves a wider audience. Here's the link -

 

[luke_stevens]

On 18/07/2024 at 07:55, TEAMYAKIMA said:

I have just been made aware of another 'different' layout which is absolutely amazing

 

 

This is war-torn Lebanon set in the 1980's and I think it's brilliant. It's only been to one show so far, but I'm hoping to see it in the flesh sometime in the future.

 

It has a thread on RMweb and I know that some of you already follow it, but I think it deserves a wider audience. Here's the link -

 

I saw the video too. I thought it looked amazing! Hope to see it I'm person at some point.

 

Luke

[TEAMYAKIMA]

As I have said before ( and will probably say again - and probably several times 😉) the layout is now finished - but that doesn't mean that there won't be work to be done to sort out various problems that arise now and then.

 

So, yesterday Gordon came over and we looked into the few minor problems we inherited at our last show, in May.

 

Once they were sorted, we turned our attention to a 'problem' which has never been a problem, but could easily become a problem and that's the problem - are you following me so far 🙂?

 

We have, so far, been VERY lucky with the weather when transporting the layout to and from shows - but that can't last forever. All the stock is transported in water-proof boxes and, to an extent, it doesn't matter if the fiddle yard boards get a little wet, but the scenic boards are a different matter😐!

 

We have bodged things on an ad-hoc basis in the past, but yesterday Gordon and I experimented with something more permanent.

 

Here is the result ......................

 

 

It needs a bit of tidying up, but it's basically finished. It uses velcro to fix it to the boards and will take at least two people to fix it on and take it off. That is a bit time-consuming when we are packing away at the end of a show, but it fulfills another purpose - keeping dust off the layout when it's in storage. That is something which I have somewhat overlooked in the past, but it is something that needed to be addressed.

 

 

One down, three to go !

[john new]

Interesting post on something most of us don’t think about. An observation though, will it cause any condensation whilst in storage mode if you get temperature changes?

[TEAMYAKIMA]

4 hours ago, john new said:

Interesting post on something most of us don’t think about. An observation though, will it cause any condensation whilst in storage mode if you get temperature changes?

It's not an issue that either one of us considered. All I can say is that the store room has a dehumidifier and is fully insulated. Other than that I have no idea of the scale of the problem or ways to deal with it. 

 

Thanks for bringing it up as a discussion point 

[F-UnitMad]

23 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

 

 

How many times has your friend there been told "Don't panic!!"..??!! 🤣🤣🤣

 

 

[luke_stevens]

On 25/07/2024 at 10:27, TEAMYAKIMA said:

As I have said before ( and will probably say again - and probably several times 😉) the layout is now finished - but that doesn't mean that there won't be work to be done to sort out various problems that arise now and then.

 

So, yesterday Gordon came over and we looked into the few minor problems we inherited at our last show, in May.

 

Once they were sorted, we turned our attention to a 'problem' which has never been a problem, but could easily become a problem and that's the problem - are you following me so far 🙂?

 

We have, so far, been VERY lucky with the weather when transporting the layout to and from shows - but that can't last forever. All the stock is transported in water-proof boxes and, to an extent, it doesn't matter if the fiddle yard boards get a little wet, but the scenic boards are a different matter😐!

 

We have bodged things on an ad-hoc basis in the past, but yesterday Gordon and I experimented with something more permanent.

 

Here is the result ......................

 

 

It needs a bit of tidying up, but it's basically finished. It uses velcro to fix it to the boards and will take at least two people to fix it on and take it off. That is a bit time-consuming when we are packing away at the end of a show, but it fulfills another purpose - keeping dust off the layout when it's in storage. That is something which I have somewhat overlooked in the past, but it is something that needed to be addressed.

 

 

One down, three to go !

 

The covers should also lessen the occasional damage when in transit/ loading /unloading.

 

Luke

[TEAMYAKIMA]

It's hard for us in the West to understand the enormous growth of Chinese HO - who buys it?

 

Stranger still when there are two or three or even, in one case, four different manufacturers of the same item - the DF4 diesel being the prime example.

 

In my case it is the standard class 22 coach in the orange emergency livery - there are two manufacturers, Train Garden and MTC. Needless, to say, there are niggling differences between them i.e. livery choices and I originally I had a mixture of the two makes and the differences annoyed me. 

 

A rake of Train Garden - YES!

 

A rake of MTC - YES!

 

A mixed rake - NO!!!

 

So, from now on it will be exclusively MTC and two more YZ hard class seated coaches have just arrived. Now as they come they are, by most people's expectations, reasonably close coupled .......

 

 

But after about 90 minutes work, they looked like this .......

 

 

Why did it take so long to make the changes? 

 

About 30 minutes per coach to modify each coach to shorten the NEM box and fit a Fleischmann close coupling and then another 30 minutes to repair all the damage I did to the coaches in making those modifications - MTC coaches are very fragile.  For example the end steps are not one piece plastic moldings (as you would expect) they are several pieces of very fragile pieces of very fragile etched brass folded up and they are easily damaged and don't bother asking me how I know!

 

Edited August 4 by TEAMYAKIMA

[mjenderby]

On 04/08/2024 at 07:09, TEAMYAKIMA said:

It's hard for us in the West to understand the enormous growth of Chinese HO - who buys it?

 

Stranger still when there are two or three or even, in one case, four different manufacturers of the same item - the DF4 diesel being the prime example.

 

In my case it is the standard class 22 coach in the orange emergency livery - there are two manufacturers, Train Garden and MTC. Needless, to say, there are niggling differences between them i.e. livery choices and I originally I had a mixture of the two makes and the differences annoyed me. 

 

A rake of Train Garden - YES!

 

A rake of MTC - YES!

 

A mixed rake - NO!!!

 

So, from now on it will be exclusively MTC and two more YZ hard class seated coaches have just arrived. Now as they come they are, by most people's expectations, reasonably close coupled .......

 

 

But after about 90 minutes work, they looked like this .......

 

 

Why did it take so long to make the changes? 

 

About 30 minutes per coach to modify each coach to shorten the NEM box and fit a Fleischmann close coupling and then another 30 minutes to repair all the damage I did to the coaches in making those modifications - MTC coaches are very fragile.  For example the end steps are not one piece plastic moldings (as you would expect) they are several pieces of very fragile pieces of very fragile etched brass folded up and they are easily damaged and don't bother asking me how I know!

 

It's a question I keep asking myself - particularly because it seems to keep prices high !!! It's particularly galling now that most new models seem to require pre-ordering. Clearly, there's a lot of collectors in China - suspect mainly for cabinet display. However, the growth of N (particularly Changming) seems to be the big thing now now and new models in HO are declining :-( (probably better for my bank balance and sanity!). I'm not sure there's any HO on the horizon at the moment.

 

Mark