Martin S-C

I would be very interested if any of your CAD designs come to full 3D print fruition. And what nefarious plans does that 25-pounder crew have? They look very suspicious taking cover behind that Andrew Barclay.

GWR maglev?

Thank you all for the kind comments. Neil from the LLC is a member here so I hope he'll be delighted with the positive remarks about the timber work. His father-in-law, Alan, is the baseboard wizard and he's enduring a course of chemotherapy while still working on various carpentry projects so I'm extremely grateful that he feels happy to carry on working during such a difficult time. His woodwork really is excellent, very clean and crisp... unlike mine which tends to be grubby and wonky! The WELR isn't an affluent company, as will be seen when you clap your eyes on their coaching stock. They only own one goods brake van and it was a second hand purchase from the GWR. Enquiries were made about fitting roofs and support pillars to the verandahs but the GW's invoice was 18/6d per end so the directors declined. Messrs Peckmans of Ryehope (outfitters to the gentry, officers military clothing a speciality) offered an overcoat for the guard at 5/3d so one of those was bought instead, and even that expenditure was only secured after a three hour board meeting. Wilf is the engine. He really ought to stay within the confines of the colliery. The WELR goods guard is Mr Ernest Wobham, a resident of Snarling. Which reminds me I need to paint him! Many of my wagons are e-Bay buys. Some I am lucky on and secure cheaply, others turn out less cheap due to competition . The brass kit SECR CCT was a bit pricey but they rarely come along. The W-irons/axle assemblies were slotted to take P4/EM wheels and the flanges of the 00 wheels it came fitted with fouled the inner edges of the slots meaning it wouldn't run at all. I had to spend a while with a file working out the openings quite a bit but fortunately this is the kind of messing about I enjoy. Despite being passenger rated and vacuum braked it has a handbrake lever and brake gear on one side only. Apparently prior to these vans being taken into SR ownership this is correct. The LNWR beer van is a curious thing, a scratch built body on a brass chassis. It looks ancient, like a child of the 70s, or even the 60s. It was thickly coated in some kind of heavy woodworking varnish which had gone yellow so needed a bit of TLC, delicate scraping out of the corners with a scalpel blade . Even with some weathering on top the photo reveals a bit of yellow varnish in the corners. Removing most of it led to some damage to the lettering but I left that as it was, since I like the battered faded look. The van has that old school look that the Madder Valley rolling stock has and which I like so its perfect for this project. Both wagons have compensated chassis. Tuesday will be a big day, Neil is returning to install the lifting flap and begin work on the risers and station/yard boards so by close of play I should have something more layout-like.

Two more vans fettled and weathered today.

I can smell that compost heap from here!

By using the word 'train' in your posts does not make them on-topic sir! You can get tracking chips for pets now although the cheapie option is to hang it from his collar but that's of little use if the collar comes off. The much more expensive option is the medical one. Costly, yes, but very much worth it for a much-loved animal.

Pets eh? We love 'em and despair of 'em in equal measure. You could hang a cellphone off his collar and ask him to ring you if he's going to be a dirty stop-out.

Happily Rule 1 applies to when trains run as well as which trains run.

I love those GE coaches and the loco - is it a Buckjumper? Looks like you need one of those tall USA style switching towers at that impressive star junction!

I am facing the same issues in my universe. I think I need to have all the track wired up and working with trains on it before I can work out how it will be operated. I've sat for hours staring at spreadsheets and scribbled back-of-envelope timetables to no avail. I am discovering that I'm one of those people who needs to stand there with the locos and stock and sidings in front of me before I'm able to get clued in to what's involved.

Which is wonderful if you are comfortable with it. I am not. I got an Alexa free with my new BT cable deal but gave it away as a gift to my daughter who can use it.

That last drawing is a very attractive engine.

Cheers, but I've just bought it and a separate track is out of the question. I will have to convert... somehow...

You only need two posts to get your count up... I'm like you, John. A phone is something I use to speak with people far away. Mine doesn't even do texts and everyone who knows me, knows that, so if it bleeps with a text I can happily ignore it because I know its spam. Oh it does have an alarm though. Two things I use it for then. For controlling model railways I use a model railway controller and for buying I use a PC or get in my car and drive to a model shop. Simples.

Yeah... but its not a train controller. I like buttons and sliders and knobs. And a train controller doesn't come with an expensive monthly contract!

Thanks for your help. I'll try Gaugemaster for a conversion kit. Having just bought the thing I have no desire to sell it and make a loss!

Up the rear end of someone's brake van?

Sorry, I couldn't resist...

Does this web app only provide the one option for mangled edges? After 2 or 3 the same it loses its fascination. Great fun though, and nice effects.

That's fantastic, the damaged postcard corners make it perfect. What software did you use?

Yes, that's true, but labels/cards are of universal application. A phone app is only useful to those with the tech to run it. My layout will run at optimum with 6 operators. Expecting everyone to have a compatible iPhone to attend a model railway operating sesion is a wrong approach I feel. If you are on your own or just a couple of you it makes more sense, but still not as much sense as physical card labels. Its curious, I am embracing DCC and digital control and even looking at digital bell codes between operators wearing headsets for my layout (which I would supply) but for freight management I feel the solutions found by modellers in the 1960s are superior for a model at least. I also just prefer the tactile presence of cards, for a model set in the pre-computer era it feels more appropriate - and yes, I take on board the DCC digital signalling argument not being a pre-grouping concept but this and train operations are a means to an end of a mechanical simulation. Unless we use live steam we all use electrictity to power our trains, so we're all doing it unrealistically in that regard. I've seen iPhone train control apps used to operate a model railway. I've seen them go wrong a lot more often that someone losing a wagon card under the layout But is there a model railway freight management phone app? Or even one that runs on a PC or Raspberry Pi? For those modellers with all the tech it would be worth investigating.

Absolutely fantastic. That last pic needs to be in a sepia tone with one of those white written postcard view titles at the bottom.

I'm sure their is an app for something like this but it would be a lot of work to first populate your database of wagons, traffic types, stations and/or industries otherwise how would an app know which wagon to send where?

Hi all, I have just bought a Maerklin <<37285>> V188 DB heavy double car diesel loco and want to convert it to 2-rail DCC. It has the skate for centre stud contact and presumably non-isolated wheels. The instruction booklet mentions only for use with Maerklin systems (Maerklin AC / Maerklin Delta / Maerklin Digital / Maerklin Systems).

I'm keen to hear the details of how this system will work. I'm still procrastinating over my own freight dispatch system, made more complex in my case as many of the places generating and receiving traffic are modeled on the layout, so it may be a case of actually having a system that generates wagon loads with the railway company (aka the layout operator(s) ) finding the correct number and type of wagons to send to the "customer" to collect and deliver the loads. That is much how Ian Thompson works his AFK layout and I like his methods.