big jim

i'll give those fixes a try when i get a chance i really dont want to start ripping up the layout if i can avoid it, part of me is getting a bit bored of the current set up though, a reason for that may be that i can only trains on one line as i need to resolder the rails on the removable section, i think once i do that and can get trains running in opposite directions again i may get some enthusiasm back, its been oou for 12 months + now as i quite simply cant solder and keep making a mess of it when i try to repair it!

a lot of the problem on the layout is the gradients start pretty much at the end of curves or are indeed on curves so as the train prepares to go downhill and the bogie comes over the lip its still "turning" as it were so with the likes of the 66 with very little lateral movement, for the split second the lead wheel may leave the track on the transition when it attempts to rerail it its the wrong side of the rail, were only talking a knats whisker off but enough to cause issues i have tried to eliviate it in the past by putting a slight cant on the rail on the curves which has worked in places but i'm still not happy with the results

some from last night, a grand tour of the midlands........was the plan, but unplanned possessions put pay to that so we had a minitour instead had to miss out lichfield to aston as we didnt have a route conductor so ran via sutton park to walsall and picked up the path from there to international international to stafford via bescot mentor into new st where we should have gone to reddich but didnt get there so did a trip out to washwood heath and back then sat in New st for 2 hours we then headed off towards soho, over to perry barr and back into new st, changed ends and did the same in reverse from there we then headed back to derby!

its a shame i cant move the stuff (ie junk) from the garage into the shed and rebuild a layout in the garage instead

It wont happen, too much 'sentimental' OO gauge stuff!

Tried that on a few of them but they still derail, it's almost as if they sit on the centre wheel more than the others so the slightest dip and the lead wheel skews to one side, it will keep running fine until it either re rails or comes a cropper on say a point! It's not just the 66 issue, the likes of Hornby mk3s override each other's couplings on the downhill grade and either detail or uncouple, not every time but it does happen To be honest if I didn't have so much stock I'd start again in N gauge!

ive not updated the thread for a while as ive been so busy in work ive done nowt with it i must admit ive been seriously thinking about a complete rebuild of the layout just recently, the reason being the inclines are proving problamatic at times with wagons and coaches derailing as they push down the hill, troublesome trucks as it were! another reason being the running of locos over the transitions between the flat and inclines, most are ok however Bachmann 66s dont like the 'ramp' at all, they are prone to derail quite easily on shonky trackwork due to the lack of lateral bogie movement so adding inclines and sharp curves doesnt help the situation and as i have about 20 of them i dont want to just leave them boxed up coz i cant use them the final issue is there is a lot of hidden trackwork, i havent really had issues with it other than the points at one end which are difficult to access if a loco derails on them i cant see ripping everything up being a huge problem and it wouldnt take long and i can re-use all the track, i would go so far as replacing the boards too as they have access holes, point motor holes etc cut into them the idea i have is still a multi level set up but have the mainline and p-way yard on one flat level but have a junction (station?) with a passenger line rising to a higher level terminus station watch this space!

Yes me and a trainee went on the hunt for it a few years back on our way to chirk in a van and found the new housing estate in its place, very sad to see it gone

proper camera pics from friday

Some iPhone pics from last night, tyseley to new st, over to bushbury jn then back to new st, out to tyseley, back to landor st, up to banbury and back to derby!! Some pics on the proper camera that I'll upload when I get home New st, platform 12, first time I've ever been in there! 2nd trip back and into 12 again Having never been that far over its the first time I've ever seen this bay platform right over the back of the station, it looks to be an old motorail type bay with a loading ramp at the end And finally home and dry into derby As a slight aside today we went to twycross zoo where the little un was looking forward to going on the miniature railway, when we got to it we discovered it's been ripped up within the last few months which is a real shame There are a few stretches of track still in place such as over the tressle bridge and various foot crossings but everything else has gone, the auto crossing barriers so it looks like it won't be back anytime soon Panorama view

alan sent me the full range of modern image figures this morning which i'm hoping to make a start on painting this weekend (in between shifts) now i know i may be bias as they feature myself and a couple of work collegues but the one that stands out to me is the WD117 figure of william (little willy) reading the magazine, the thickness (or lack of it) of the mag itself is something to behold, infact the one of me with my backpack over my shoulder, (WD106) even has the peak on the bumpcap thats hanging from the bag!

what sort of price are we looking at per wagon?

and on that note here is the loco i had today! road learning loco, first off, shrewsbury then away to derby via leicester, had to wait a few mins in east midlands parkway back to bescot and into the consist of 6V46, the 70 will drop onto the train later

some from today, road learning preston to blackpool unusual sight in crewe a LM 323 (soho to crewe lnwr) someone having a laugh couple of trips to blackpool and a look in the box, its going to close in november 2017 and be demolished straight away a few trains passing by some of the infrastructure has seen better days, this signal is held up by scaffold after it fell down a couple of years back! this is quite possibly one of the ugliest semaphores ive ever seen on the network! and after that i did one more trip between preston and blackpool and away home

some from sunday, all the way to london and job cancelled! new art installation in St Pancras, much better looking than the 'clock' that was there earlier in the year, this one was rotating slowly new eurostar sets not a cloud in the sky but there was an airbus A380 monday was old dalby (no pics obviously) but i saw the virgin 'azuma' set and the crossrail 345 unit which looks very smart, after that over to derby where i captured 37057 departing to bristol NR 73/9 arriving in from a test run and finally we took 37025 out to leicester, from there its continuing to hither green some time this morning road learning later

the glass floor in blackpool tower makes me smile, gethin 'freefalling' on it

I'll just leave this here

seeing the latest post on this thread reminded me to order (ok, reorder) the white one, as it happened i was in the mess room at marylebone at the time so i decided to hop on the tube to covent garden and get one straight away while i was in town unfortunatly the shop at the museum hasn't had their allocation yet, the ones that have already been sent have come from acton! d'oh! anyway, gave my details and should hopefully get one by the middle of the week, the shop assistant said she would make sure its sent tomorrow for me she recons the shop in covent garden should be getting their allocation this coming week

some from last night, tyseley to didcot and back via the leamington to coventry branch, 37716 again on it into didcot with its new wires over to coventry back to leamington and away to derby and done 73s down the chiltern later today!

the shadows on that picture almost make it look like its in loadhaul livery!

It was out last weekend at the gala, my vid below starts with the train departing Loughborough, I would have liked to have videoed it lineside somewhere but missed it a few times with different locks up front, glad I caught I with the 9F though https://youtu.be/BnCG1CFViC8

didnt bother with the camera tonight but got a couple of iphone pics loco for the evening and into derby station to change ends, meant i had the dbso all night to crewe so when i got off in crewe my relief had the 37 all the way to newport at 30mph (rather him than me!), although i've got tyseley to didcot and back this evening at 30mph which is going to be soul destroying https://youtu.be/WOInkqGzZIw

The strobe effect is only apparent on videos of the loco, it doesn't have a 'strobe' setting in the cab on the real thing

Beautiful model, I think I may have to go got the white one too

just 4 from today, yet another 37 (man i'm getting fed of of them!) 37219 derby to stoke with another UTU stoke op stop in Tutbury and Hatton derby