Lacathedrale

Of course sir, I just don't have any track to try it on yet and I don't know how that part of wheel geometry matters - I did some more digging and found a thread ( http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/41941-can-p4-wheels-be-regauged-to-em/ ) which implies that if the crossing noses are done properly, it shouldn't be a huge problem but the running could be a little rough.

There will always be a vocal minority who buck the trend, but I think you would not be far off the mark by saying that in vogue right now with people who are newer in the hobby but taking it somewhat seriously (as opposed to choo-choos on the carpet) would be DCC controlled, 00 gauge, late BR Blue/Sectorisation/Privatisation. I see SO MUCH NSE. I think this is the strange result of a few factors: - the south east and London has some of the most dense trackage in the country, means that the people with the most 'railway' experience are those in those areas - there is no freight to speak of, so passenger services (with big passing unit trains) are front and centre, which again reinforces urban/suburban railways - there appears to be a desire to model 'twenty years ago', probably because those who were young then are seeng the fruits of employment and have a little disposable income. 'Roundy round' on the carpet seems to have turned into 'roundy round on the shelves of a garage, with a through station and/or TMD'

Thanks SRman, that's exactly what prompted me to worry - I thought there was a new tooling which wasn't split-chassis. If the older ones just had hardwires rather than sockets then that's fine too.

Hi guys, After the mixed success of the Class 33 upgrade, I realise I've got basically everything required for a Class 37 upgrade. Hopefully with the lessons learned the result will be a little more professional looking The first thing that comes up is that the loco has been fitted with an Ultrascale P4 wheelset already - is it possible for me to re-gauge this to EM and have it run OK, or do I realistically need to get a 'proper' EM set? It is my understanding that if the wheels are the same as those on the 33 they are free to be adjusted on the axle, rather than the stock wheels which wedge specifically on at a certain point. Secondly, is the Hornby Railroad and Lima model effectively the same other than the drive mechanism?The former appears to have a worm gear drive and the latter a pancake motor, and since this engine is likely to be doing a fair bit of shunting in the aggregates siding having good low-speed control is important. My thoughts were that I could frankenstein the bogies and TTS chip from a Hornby RR version with the Lima shell/detail parts, and sell the remaining bits on eBay. If however the RR version is no great improvement, I'll focus on tuning the Lima as much as possible and spend my money on a Heljan/Bachmann 37/33 at a later day for the 'delicate' work.

One of the things I've seen demonstrated on many sound decoders is the use of what I think is termed 'realdrive', that is, that the control on your locomotive represents only the throttle, so if you dial it down then the locomotive will coast until it comes to a stop. Should you wish to stop it sooner than friction would do it for you, you apply a function key which represents the brake. This obviously works very well for sound, because it can match the ratcheting up of an engine, coasting, brake squeals, etc. but it's something wholly new to me (I've only ever used the direct control via the dial/knob with accelleration/decelleration turned up). Is this a feature that is unique to certain chips and decoders? Or is it something that can be programmed into them? It seems like it might cause a problem with computer control and automation, but I think the realism of the system seems very tempting. Can you imagine a dead-rail system with the Protothrottle and the above style of driving? Phwoar.

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. - Socrates (469-399 B.C.)

Yes indeed, but since Phil at C&L has had over two hundred pounds of my money in his bank account for the last month, I'm somewhat invested in my current plans. The long term goal for Godstone Rd is to try exhibiting and seeing whether I enjoy it, and then potentially integrating it into a larger loft-based layout - given that I would rather shove pins into my eyes at this point than attempt to order anything else from C&L, the Peco option (and/or Exactoscale) seem like the perfect choice.

Apparently I should get my EMGS membership and C&L components imminently, and I've just had a cheeky snipe of a blue/grey 4-CEP on eBay for Godstone Rd. All my DCC kit is still in limbo with DCCTrainAutomation and in Germany. I'm currently away in Lisbon but upon my return task 1 is to wrap the 33 such as it is, with nameplates and SOMETHING being done with the minging cab front. That done, I'll potter around with the Lima 37 until I hve a chance to make a 1:6 filing jig and start tracklaying.

DCC is an obvious evolution from DC and provides vastly more functionality and interconnectivity. We're not talking about the difference between pen and quill (which you seem to be implying), we are talking about pen and smartphone. Some people may of course choose to eschew it for whatever reasons they desire but the vast majority (of layouts which are trend-setters i.e. New Junction, Old Oak Common, Everard Junction, etc. at least).

That's genius!

Just because new entrants to the hobby are more tech savvy it doesn't mean they have to be innovators - that's a separate discussion IMO.

I'm 33 and have bounced off this hobby a number of times in the last 15 years, each time being told that it's dying out and young people aren't interested. I don't think that's strictly true (and as per the Great Model Railway Challenge thread I think this contraction is heading back towards a natural equilibrium after a surge in the young transpotter -> retiree paradigm, rather than towards the abyss). In my opnion the only thing that is really, holding it back participation by younger folk is a generally conservative attitude towards new practises and patterrns. It can't be all laid at the individual decision makers - the market in the UK is smaller than the US and with far more one-man-shop outfits for the myriad of sprockets and whizzbangs. Smaller spaces push modellers towards diorama-style layouts instead of operationally interesting ones.

I think one of the most challenging liveries to make look 'real' in model form is the Southern's Malachite - anyone have any particularly stunning examples?

I can see there are Southern 'sunshine' and BR Early crest locos and it seems obvious that others will be released, but I don't know where to find the information! Many thanks,

For RTR stuff it's mostly the same concerns AFAIK, except with steam locos you need to deal with quartering, coupling rods and any outside valve gear. I've not attempted any of the latter so I can't speak for it's ease (or lack thereof) but for diesels it certainly is extremely simple - Ultrascale provide drop-in sets for everything, for example - just requires opening up the bogie and swapping them.

Northroader, I can't remember which book it was, but old enough that someone suggested tracing the OS-grid map onto a fresh sheet, and then start to re-trace and cobble together the ladders and crossovers into reasonable length. Iain Rice's style plans can sometimes come across as too compressed to my eye - so there must be a balance. That said, we don't see 'real' railways from the same birds eye view from which we review most layouts. In the context of a model railway we expect to see lots of compression just by the virtue of experience, so the transposition of real distances to model form jars our expectations. I imagine if the cameras and viewpoints were at close to eye level and with the same attention to detail, view blocks, etc. one would expect in real life - the result would be even more authentic. I do feel that having a decent throat and a couple of headshunts along the running line makes a big difference, as well as room for at least a four coach train on the platforms - to my eye and less and it's toylike. What do you think about Bodmin (see previous) for an example? It seems to be a pretty faithful duplication of the real station's plan and dimensions. Maybe it is the exception in this case

Wow, I'm really excited to see how this pans out - I've built track partway in 2mm-7mm but never managed a consistent, working result. I've invested quite alot in EM equipment and it's great to know that should the worst befall me, I could buy them off-the-shelf.

Thanks Mike, I appreciate the good thoughts. I took a look at my starting model again, and there is quite a difference even if it's not quite where I wanted it to end up:

That was a big justification in Iain Rice's "Urban Modelling" book; that the space of a tiny, quiet BLT was the same length as a busy urban/suburban terminus. I think one must bear in mind however, that undulating countryside and haywain-esque scenes appear to be a big part of the nostalgia that's a huge part of railway modelling for many people - so the scenic modelling opportunities of a rural branch outweigh the operational limitations. It also helps that it's a damned sight more work to model 17' of viaducts, factories and houses than it is a rolling field.

Kingsbridge is certainly very pretty - I the gentle curves make it a real winner in my book for that reason alone. I mean look at this, it's like somethign directly off of a Peco backscene: It doesn't help that the whole station could be modelled 100% as-is in 2mmFS in under 10' - MUST RESIST

Thanks all, maybe you're right and I just need a bit of time - all I can see now are the faults! (that is the best view of the loco) I do actually have some weathering powders (the white marks you can see are from white powder) but I didn't think to use them with alchohol/etc. to make a wash. I think apart from the cab faces which are abysmal, I'm not 100 miles away from my chosen prototype pic:: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143518034@N05/27096459578

Thanks both, lots of lessons learned on the final stretch on this one. I did use Tamiya but figured that Maskol was specifically designed for this, so why not? The felt-tipped pen idea would make alot of sense; I have a sharpie so I'll try that on the non-destroyed cab front. After the Maskol fiasco I was ready to launch the whole model across the garden like a javelin, so my temper was short and enthusiasm completely waned (not helped by the fact my layout has totally stalled while both track and control have been paid for, but are in limbo) - I rushed at the final furlong and probably made it worse. In retrospect of today's misadventure - I'm really just annoyed that there's basically b***r all I can do to fix any of it. In fact, most of the problems I've encountered have been specifically related to the fact it's a plastic RTR loco rather than a kit made of brass. Anyway, in no specific order the mistakes made: Have a DCC setup BEFORE attempting to wire in a DCC chip Ensure any brass panels sit really REALLY flush Bend handrails using a jig, not by eye - and fit after painting. Don't use Maskol (at least, not on something that doesn't already have a hard coat of varnish) Wash with enamels or oils and 'mop up', or at least add alchohol to break the surface tension of acrylic wash (see the hard edges on the dark patches on the cab fronts of the loco)

Ray, your blog really is a treasure trove

Really enjoyable and a great flickr link. Do you have any wider angle shots?

davepen's comment around freight piqued my interest - Other than the usual suspects of general goods and domestic coal; it seems that the GWR and WR in general is synonymous with milk traffic. Would this be in evidence in most of the west country? what about Wales? Would these small BLTs have feeder lines from nearby large industry, or would those factories and plants have dedicated sidings? Or would they just unload and load in the same spot as everyone else?