big jim

Off hand I think it's Norwich-Lowestoft-Ipswich-Lowestoft-Norwich-Cambridge tomorrow, that's all I'm on anyway (obviously not driving as I don't know over there!)

Just a few iPhone pics from today, had to go to reading to do some class 37 static training Some from the station And that was that, anglia the rest of the week, Norwich, Cambridge, Lowestoft

The 67s have just gone through crewe at speed as I came down the steps to the platform, 30 seconds earlier and I've have got a pic! Would have made a nice shot as the 67 hauled WAG was leaving at the same time

I'm hopefully going to fit my Biffo chip fitted into my DRS 68 this week, having received it over the weekend it's given me a bit more motivation to complete the track laying on the layout so i can give it a good run!

Just a couple from today, a last minute ask, move a 56 coleham to crewe, should have then gone to london to lodge but I decided to travel in the morning instead as the job has changed considerably from its original incarnation!

Just one pic of the yard with the shed roughly in place, first time I've taken a pic from that angle, the line where the 70 is sat will join back in at the top in a 3 way point as will the lines with the 20s and 08 on On the mainline is my newly converted NMT, more pics in this thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/106497-big-jims-workbenchok-dining-table-37057-dbso-sgt2/?p=2666872

Hand painted the coaches with Phoenix paints network rail yellow using a nice Daler and Rowney wide brush, very happy with how they have turned out Got to paint the roof black on the pantograph coach Got some laserglaze for the Lima coaches but I'm not sure if it will fit as it should be pushed in from the outside and I've added etched frames, hopefully I can get in in from the rear when the coaches are fully dry Going to look good snaking its way round the layout once it's finished (both the layout and NMT!) Testing times, the NMT passing the other test train, SGT2 with 37057 leading I'm going to get some NMT decals ordered from railtec, I know the power cars have the old style decals but I'm happy to compromise mixing and matching the 2 styles (unless I can easily remove the existing decals without damaging the locos of course)

thats odd, looks like someone has peeled the decal off and tried to refit it higher up (you can see the old outline below the logo)

Not much more to report, managed to get hold of 2 more retaining wall packs so they now reach the end of the platforms and give me 2 more uprights for the canopy A fellow member has offered to send me a couple of extra uprights too so I can use them over at the end I was planning on using the mdf tunnel mouth, revert to plan A and use a wills flexi girder between the uprights

Primed up the NMT coaches A bit rough and ready but for what I want they are more than passable, I'm going to let them dry/harden over the weekend and possibly give them a bit of a rub down in places and patch prime before hand painting the yellow Pantograph loosely fitted in place, glued in the down position so I could remove the spring holder so it sits lower One thing I will have to do is replace the Lima pizza cutter wheels with Hornby ones, unfortunately the Hornby ones don't fit the Lima bogies as a direct replacement Lima wheels You can see the difference between the size (Hornby on the right) It's not the overall diameter that's the problem but the length of the axle, the Hornby one being a fair bit longer That's where this micro mark 'truck tuner' comes in, this little tool has been a god send, I bought it for the hachette coaches I updated a few years back and have used it a fair bit to free up binding wheels Basically sits in the bogie... Give it a twist nad gently squeeze the bogie sides and it cuts into the plastic to allow the wheels to fit The Hornby wheels then fit nicely and free wheel lovely, just 3 more coaches to do (when I get the wheels)

Some from last night, 37604 carnforth to Carlisle 47815 in the centre road Then it was 60085 Kingmoor to crewe, running 4 hours earlier than booked So I got to crewe 20 mins after I was due to leave carlisle!

according to wnxx 60047 is the loco

first time ive seen or heard anything about that event so no, not a clue what the loco would be, class 60s work down there woth the tanks so maybe one of those

Nice, I've driven that one too!

yeah, i wondered if marcus37 may have been on it

its HST/NMT specific, there is quite a difference between braking at 125mph compared to 75 or even 100 mph this comment made me laugh, well more to the point what my dad said, he reads this thread and sometimes asks me things about it, his gem of a question yesterday was "what did the driver mean by on the pull?" thinking it being a railway term, had great fun explaining to him that it wasnt in fact a railway term and that said person was out on the lash trying to get off with women! anyway some from yesterday 67s round the midlands, ran really well, in multi, 4 vehicles, somewhat nippy where i could get it up to speed such as between leamington and fenny compton, 90mph running saltley, opposite where gareth 73 took his pic bordesley loop where we sat for 45 mins 172 passing by 170 168 66 stratford for 2 hours! hatton for 10 mins down to fenny and back to whitacre jn via coventry and nuneaton back to stratford moor st and onto tyseley for stabling and that was that, nice to have a go on 67s again, very surreal arriving into moor st with one after a gap of almost 4 years since i last did it with chiltern!

Ah, I saw you on the ramp grabbing a piccie!

Teaser pic from yesterday's job, will upload more later today

It's a shinohara crossing, it has been used previously in the old 'hidden section' of the layout (go back through the thread and have a look) I've merely moved it forward As for point motors, what a pain those are, as they are side by side I've had to adapt some seep latching point motors, basically dremel'd away part of them so they sit close together but still have the screw holes, I've managed to salvage the old ones so will simply refit them when I get round to it, I will have to do it fairly soon as the blades on the crossing are not sprung and the motors are so I need them fitting to hold the blades in place!

If you look at some of the later pics you can see where I've planned to fit the canopy into U channel slightly below the top of the wall as you suggest The interesting bit to get to look right will be the 'pillar side' as the u channel will run inside the pillars

NMT is pretty much at a stage to prime up Gen van 977994 977993 985814 Gen car Gonna try and prime them soon and see where I need to add a bit more filler etc

Found an MDF tunnel mouth in my stock box that I may be able to utilise I've been umming and ahhing about buying these from rails of Sheffield for a couple of years as they are HO scale but as I was in Sheffield on Saturday I called in and had a look at the size and realised they will look ok on the layout, basically a single shed and waiting room and bus shelter all for £39 I want to use the shed as a wagon shop, as it happened I needed to have worried about it being too small, it's far too big to fit in the yard as the track work stands! I can get it to fit though with a minor rejig of the tracks, I'll have to add a new 3 way point to the nearest end of the yard, what was a dead end road will become a through road and one of the through roads will become a shed road with 2 cripple sidings behind the shed Still not finished the mainline though!

Only one pic from this morning a nice short hop crewe to derby with 37421 and 37219 67s to Stratford upon Avon tomorrow (hopefully)

i bought a few of them via ebay, mainly fitted to Bachmann 66s and 37s with no adjustments carried out, most run well (4 or 5) whereas one is bit erratic, a loco will be moving along nicely then just quickly change direction (as can be seen by the headlights/tail lights changing) and back again, the loco normally comes to a brief stop before zooming off at whatever speed it was set to originally (ie with acceleration curve disabled) the function only one i fitted to by converted DBSO coach appears to have lost a function (tail lights wont come on any more ) but ive not really looked into it or tried a reset, may just be my hooky wiring despite the above problems i probably would use them again in cheaper locos but stick to better brands for my more 'prestige' locos

Tell me about it, I've just stripped 5 Lima mk3s for redoing into NMT coaches, took me ages to work out how to get into them, next problem is going to be refitting the roof/glazing as I've plated over a number of windows with etched parts so I'll have to cut them out of the roof moulding, I have bought some shawplan laser etch glazing to see who's that looks but fitting that means totally removing the windows from the roof mould! Nothing's simple, and to top it off Oxford are bound to announce an NMT rake once I've finished them