john dew

Hi Anthony Not sure to what extent you know about multiple linked switchboards on TC? I would think their use will be a great advantage on your layout (assuming you havent implemented them already?) An other thing to use the simulator for during pre-retirement......to check the virtual linkage between switchboards Regards John.

Hi Anthony You can alter and save as much as you like in demo mode provided you are off line. You can incorporate all the changes you have made without using up any time.......provided you are not connected to the layout I like the cassette drawer I suspect it will prove very useful Regards John

Hi Anthony Thank you for your good wishes. The limited time period in demo mode for Train Controller only applies if you are connected to a layout. If you work on it off line there is no time limit. I worked on mine for a year before I bought the software. Even now rather than move the licence USB stick from the railway room computor every time I have a query or whatever I just work away upstairs in demo mode off line. You can while away your leisure hours in Sydney gaining invaluable experience and saving tons of time when you actually start operating. You can set up your loco roster now.....there is a lot of data needs to be entered.........you can keep your electronic switchboard up to date.....and you can test run schedules (train journeys) using the virtual simulator. There is no charge for downloading the full manual. The file you create will transfer seamlessly once you buy the licence. One word of warning.....do guard your remaining hours when live very carefully. I believe that once the hours are exhausted you are unable to save further changes ...even off line. I think you are wise to postpone the actual purchase until you retire.......if you bought it now you would spend too much time using it when you are actually in Brisbane........its very addictive! Juergen Freiwald, the developer, seems to issue a major update ie a new version every 5-6 years........minor upgrades and bugfixes are released quite regularly. Not sure what version you have but it would be best to keep it up to date.....there is no charge. I guess I should amplify the usual disclaimer. I have no connection with RR&Co other than as a perhaps over enthusiastic user Kind Regards John

Hi Anthony Happy New Year from a very cold Vancouver. Last night I read all 24 pages of this thread........I had always been aware that it was a large, complex, multi level layout but now I more fully appreciate the sheer size of the project. What an amazing guy you are to have achieved so much in such a short space of time. I am so glad that you modified the fiddle yard so that there are now two entry/exit points......I am sure the original plan would have proved to be a false economy....I know from my own layout how easy it is to inadvertently create choke points which create all manner of problems with RR&Co operation. Talking of which.....I do hope that have you started to use your time in Sydney (in addition to some excellent Scalescene modelling) to good effect by testing some TC schedules with the simulator? Best wishes John

Happy New Year to you Rob and all the other contribuitors to ANTB from a sunny but rather cold Vancouver. Of course, living here, I will not be celebrating 2016 for quite a while. Bit like Cpl Jones really, always that bit behind everybody else! Cheers John

Compliments of the Season Mr Duck Edited....oops I nuked the bit where he was looking for a toilet

BREAKING NEWS AT GRANBY JUNCTION Literally I am afraid! I have always said Granby is a warts and all thread so I guess this post definitely maintains that tradition... Recently I removed the Scalescenes Roof to add more platform detail and perfect the automatic uncoupling in the bays (much easier with the roof off). I also wanted to attend to Mikkel's creeping Green Monster The roof measures 40" x 20" ......its too big to put on the worktable and rather tricky to manipulate under the duck under. So it was placed carefully on the floor I have done this a few times already. I enforce a strict "no dogs in the railway room" rule.......to avoid collateral damage from wagging tails and big paws........and I am ultra careful to avoid stepping back to admire some piece of handiwork. Unfortunately we had a cold snap on Saturday so I pulled out the mobile radiator........then swivelled round on the chair.....the arm caught the radiator which then overbalanced Not a happy sight.....one section pulverised .....the three support arches suffering most damage.........very depressing But, after uttering a few choice words I realised, that considering the state of the world, it was hardly the worst thing that life could throw at me. I must be getting more phlegmatic with old age or the blood pressure medication is doing its job. The components for three replacement arches were printed out.....I reckon about 30 minutes cutting per arch....but then I have had lots of practice. The damaged roof was safely moved under the duck under and lifted on to the desk (where it should have been in the first place ) Repairs are now underway Normal service should be resumed in the New Year Thank you to all the followers and readers of this thread who during the year have made comments, checked "likes" etc and generally made my modelling that much more pleasurable. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year

Three posts from me in one day......possibly a greater achievement than 15,000! I have been meaning to ask about the double headed prairies .........was this a common occurrence on the prototype or something created by the preservation railway.......they do look rather good and a perfect solution for me....upgraded to a roundy roundy schedule rather than the loco Xchanges Regards

Normally I would just agree but in order to keep the count going........I think in those days you had to be an international to be invited to play for the Babas and I think your Mum would have mentioned if he had played for England (I assume England) Cheers

In your first post you said your Mum told you he played for the Barbarians against the All Blacks........The list is the combined Devon and Cornwall team. Brilliant job with the Prairie Rob.......I just wish they would couple consistently Regards from Vancouver

Despite the support I got on your other thread, from another RMWebber, that the stand would be painted white with black metal work I got increasingly uneasy........... Tv was rubbish the other night...surprise!.....so I did some rudimentary research and googled "GWR Fire Buckets" Quite a few hits.....almost all preservation railways.....they were painted red with the letters GWR FIRE in black.....I will give the lettering a miss I think. The only stands were of the single red painted plank variety with black hooks. I then skimmed through my favourite reference books: Stephen William's Branch Line Modelling, CJ Gammell's GWR Branch Lines and Paul Karau's Branch Line Terminii. Amazing.......Fire points/stands were almost as rare as hen's teeth.......lots of photos of places where ,as a modeller, you would put one....not a glimpse. All I found was in Paul Karau's book......Hemyock Page 69 under the Ground Frame shed window 6 unattached fire buckets Moretonhampstead Pages 86 87 88 a stand very similar to your (our!) Dart castings stand The photos are B&W circa 1957.......its all a bit run down. The stand appears to be painted a dark colour (definitely not white) which looks similar to the buckets that are hung thereon. In the light of this if I were painting my stands again I would paint them red with black hooks........not sure if this helps......but thats my bid. If you havent got a copy of Paul Karaus book PM me with you email address and I will scan the photos for you Regards from a very damp Vancouver. John

Hi Mikkel......its always good to hear from you. I am so glad you liked the photos......the viaduct is a useful location but it is part of the duck under. I am going to either make a portable painted canvass or work on Photoshop to better effect. The green plant monster.........I love it! The explanation is rather more prosaic. I am afraid that was me being a butterfly.....moving on to a new project before finishing the current work. The platforms under the train shed still need more people and clutter. The tentacles are little strips of masking tape marking the centre of the arches so I know where to put people when the roof is removed.! Best Wishes from a very wet and windy Vancouver. Ideally todays overflight will be Schnapps rather than chilled white wine. John

Thanks Mike......I am guessing I managed to stay in bounds then! When, in the spring, the S & T department revisits the signalling at the North end I suspect there will be a number of redundant calling on arms! I should be able to replace the disc with one suitably repainted. Kind Regards

I have a number of fire points dotted around Granby......over many years I have always painted the buckets red with black handles and the stands white.....I can't for the life of me remember where I got that scheme from.....it just seems " right" somehow. I have a feeling it was like that in the army? Regards from a very wet and windy Vancouver John

Thanks Andy. Praise like that, from a modeler of your reputation, is so encouraging. You are particularly kind about the photos.......I keep worrying about the obtrusive backgrounds....I guess my new years resolution has to be to spend more time with photoshop elements! Kind regards from Vancouver John

So far so good.....the signal has survived a number of successful Sauvignon Blanc overflights. Hopefully I have now sorted the Down signalling for Platform 6. Mike, my signalling professor (emeritus), using a skiing metaphor, explained that local operating divisions could, occasionally, stray "off piste" when resolving a particularly tricky signalling problem. Sadly, he felt that my suggestion of two ground signals to cover the facing point at 4a was more like entering avalanche country I now know that running lines must always be signalled with a conventional arm. So here is the proposed solution .....an off set bracket placed on the "wrong" side ( no space on the platform side plus issues with the roof). A ground disc at the base signals entry (in emergencies!) to the Shed exit road The principal purpose of #4b is to provide a starter for Platform 6 and secondly access to the carriage sidings. The starter has to be as far forward as possible in order to accommodate 4 carriage trains. Visibility because of the roof line and curving track make siting the signal very difficult! I hope Mike will judge my solution is, at worst, more akin to a Black Diamond run than venturing out of bounds. A double bracket ......starter on the left......large disc for the carriage sidings ......on the right, the relocated shed exit Here they are in situ. Hopefully this shot is clearer than my explanation........ Heres is a close up......I am afraid, as Mike feared, they do seem rather close together.......but needs must. You may wonder why I have spent so much time attempting to get P6 correct. When I first planned (?) the layout, P6 was a mere by way....the down relief. Once I started operating it became much more significant. I realised, somewhat belatedly, that it had easier access than the main line P5, to all the key sidings....Engine Shed, Goods yard and Carriage Sidings. I can shunt P6 while running roundy roundy expresses through P5. Here is an illustration 7802 Bradley Manor crosses Granby Viaduct with the 10.05 am express from Phwelli The Manor Class was in the top 5 of the RMWeb wish list.......I do hope that Bachmann notice before my elderly locos expire This model must be at least 15 years old. They are super reliable runners but like all split chassis locos the plastic bushes have a finite life. Her shed mate 7805 Broome Manor rolls off the Turntable bridge in readiness for a swift turn around In order for the passengers from all four carriages to alight, the incoming loco edges just beyond the platform. In the RR&Co routine I have the turnout preset to allow this Once the passengers have alighted the loco moves forward to the uncoupling magnet......this forward movement clears the shed exit point so that the relief loco can couple up. This is a lot more difficult than it sounds with RR&Co Once coupled the new loco pulls the train forward so that all four carriages are along side the platform again Of course all this could have been avoided if I had made the platform longer in the first place.......hindsight is a wonderful thing! While all this is going on a Chester Races special passes through Platform 5........I have some photos but I have exceeded my self imposed limit......... so next week perhaps Meantime, to finish this post, Broome Manor awaits the start of the return trip to Phwelli :

Thanks is a rather inadequate button........I needed "Huzzah!" or similar. A Dean goods.....how splendid . Please don't leave it too long Mike.......I am already long past three score years and ten! Cheers

Thanks Mike I thought it was maybe a bit long and I did hesitate with the scalpel poised. Perhaps I will make an adjustment when the inevitable happens. Its in a very vulnerable position directly under the flight path of cups of tea and glasses of wine being passed over the duck under. Cheers

I really enjoyed the shots of your Panniers, Rob. I firmly believe you can never have too many Panniers . Will you be ordering a 94xx? I suspect I will succumb although I am not sure how many got up to North Wales. Forgive the change of location and loco but SAUSAGES have not been mentioned for a while: Regards from a very wet Vancouver

More about signals but there a couple of not bad loco photos (said he immodestly), so this post might be worth persevering with The lights have been burning long into the night at the Granby Division Signals workshop. Signals 1 and 2 are now complete plus a refurbished and about to be relocated siding signal. The bracket signals take a lot more time because, construction apart, I like to add safety rails to the walk way The starters are almost straight out of the box......I guess I have been building non working signals from Ratio kits for at least 15 years. I have a huge box of accumulated bits and bobs but as usual was missing a few essentials so I had to order two new kits. Its interesting to compare the differences.....the new kits are much easier to assemble with a number of minor but useful improvements. The pre-painted signal arms with proper spectacle lenses are so much better than the ones I used to paint (see the small siding signal far right) So here they are in place 1 Up Main Advanced Starter The only difference from out of the box is the addition of a "Shunt ahead" signal that Mike (Stationmaster) suggested.......the lowest signal with an S. I hope its in the right place View from the rear.......adding a third arm meant I had to fiddle around with a third service platform. Not sure if the rear of the shunting arm is painted correctly? The lens on the main arm shows off rather well in this shot along with the back detail' 2 Up Main Starter I had originally intended to have the normal stop arm plus a calling on arm.......apparently Granby Signalling Dept had mislaid the 1920 instruction discontinuing their use on starters. The previously prepared arm is now back in the spares box where it will shortly be joined by a number of others from the North End I think this shot may merit a second posting on ANTB.......for those unfamiliar with the acronym...."A nod to Brent" GWRrobs iconic thread........required reading by any GWR enthusiast.......a liking for sausages also helps! The next shot shows the reason for relocating the starter: I had originally planned for it go just where the platform ends.......but realised that a combination of the curving track and roof glazing would, as you can see, make visibility a major issue. So by relocating it on the "wrong" side a little further back I solved the problem..... hopefully in a not un-prototypical fashion. I am beginning to feel that Black and White shots suit Granby: Time for some trains Here is an overall shot showing 5033 Broughton Castle heading the 2.10 pm Birkenhead-Paddington Express. On the down line 1029 County of Worcester rolls down towards Granby with the 7.30 am from Exeter St Davids. Once the plywood building site has its Post Office and Hotel I suspect this will be one of the best locations for photographing Heres a close up of County of Worcester I think this is Hornby ex Dapol......probably 15 years old. I recently replaced the springs and bushes and she is a very reliable runner and finally Broughton Castle passing the Advanced Starter A renumbered and renamed Wellington.....brilliant loco and for once I got a reasonably ok photo.....not up to Coachman's standard....but ok Still working on the bracket signals.....doubt if they will be finished for a week or so. On Thursday we head south in search of some sunshine .....albeit just for 7 days Best wishes from an increasingly damp Vancouver

I guess friendly supportive can be in lieu of a sorry button I thought you had it sorted .....I must be confusing you with someone who got the cab off. I chopped my guy off at knees and eventually got him in using tweezers.....it can be done but I would be frightened of messing up that beautiful weathering! Cheers

That's brilliant Rob.....every time I see close ups of your locos I keep reminding myself to fit more of mine with engraved plates...they make such a difference. Cant see the fireman.....is he on the other side? Regards

Thanks Mike I am not fixated on a backing signal as such......you are probably right that I took the name too literally. It sounds as though an elevated shunting disc on the gantry would be a more appropriate solution?

Thank again Mike. You were up late last night! I spent the evening sorting out all the bits and pieces that I need for the 4 signals.....I think I have everything I need except the centre pivot (.see below). I had bought two Ratio kits in anticipation but its amazing how much spare stuff you accumulate over the years. Kind Regards

Thank you so much Mike for taking the time to answer my convoluted queries......and doing it so quickly and clearly. I have some comments/supplementaries below Those links look very interesting.....again many thanks Kind Regards from a wet and windy Vancouver