SRman

I have been trying to resurrect a couple of positively ancient Airfix cattle wagons, built when I was teenager. They had crudely added Triang metal couplings, and had lost the odd buffer, but otherwise were basically intact. The first thing was to replace the old plastic wheels with metal ones, but they didn't want to roll freely at all, so I drilled out the axle boxes and put brass bearings in, with little improvement. Next, I tried reducing the length of the axles slightly, using a drill and file to turn them down a bit; this was a little better but they are still stiffer than is really desirable. I replaced the missing buffers with approximations from the spares boxes (a few real wagons could, and did run sometimes with odd buffers). I replaced a missing coupling with a Parkside NEM adapter and Bachmann coupling, something I'll do with the rest of the couplings if or when I can get the wagons to run properly. They may be a lost cause, in which case I may well buy a couple of new kits and build them around the wheelsets to make them run properly. The photos show them in pretty well the finish I achieved when I built them all those years ago. Also in the photos are the two Parkside Palvans I built a week or two ago, with just a tad more weathering applied. P_20180916_135814_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20180916_135831_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr Now for some new arrivals at Newton Broadway (yes, they still keep a-coming!). First up, the Hornby Maunsell Restaurant Car, which is posed here with an open second coach. P_20180916_135841_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20180916_135850_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr I wanted an ex-LMS Ivatt 10000 diesel to go with 10001, but couldn't justify the cost of a new one. I recently scored a second-hand one in green with orange lining, which will get a repaint in due course into black and silver. Doing it this way means I don't have to add the extra marker lights and lamp irons, seeing as they were already fitted by the time they went into the green livery. Of course, they never ran on the Southern in green, but it will remain in this livery until I am ready. P_20180916_135857_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20180916_135909_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

Coming back to the class 455/9, the unit will be numbered (45)5907. I have made a little further progress on adding the vinyls, this time to the Motor Brake Standard Open (MBSO), and in matching the blue on the Driving Trailer. There is some work involved in finishing these off and correcting a few errors in the vinyls, but overall the vinyl overlays take a lot of the hard work out of adding the livery elements and details. Note that the DTS is not sitting correctly on its chassis in the pics, hence the slight lean to starboard. url=https://flic.kr/p/MmJm76]P_20180916_135806_vHDR_On[/url] by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20180916_135758_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

Flush-glazing considerably improves what were not bad models for their time. It is fiddly to apply though. A cheaper option is to paint the window rims with black or dark grey to disguise the body thickness.

Still awaiting the sound-fitted PLA one I pre-ordered.

Nick, you are correct. The facility exists on the Power Cab but not the Power Pro. I use a Power Pro for normal operations but a Power Cab for the Programming Track.

I once had a similar effect with my white metal underground stock on a friend's unfinished layout. There was a point that was partly unsupported so it sagged under the weight of the stock as it passed over, allowing the white metal shoe beams to momentarily contact the turnout rails as it went. It was very effective!

The hauling power of the 128 is prodigious! Gwiwer (of this parish) ran one on his old layout, Penhayle Bay, with 36 coaches. He didn't have a 1 in 40 gradient, but there were gradients on the layout. I am willing to bet that it will manage 5 coaches up your 1 in 40 easily. I would imagine that fitting 14mm wheels (a la 34C's suggestion) would also increase the gearing a little giving a higher top speed. Even Replica Railways quote different top speeds with their chassis, depending on whether they have 12 or 14 mm wheels fitted.

If you go down the Replica motorised chassis route, you could also use one of their BR suburban mark 1 chassis for the trailer.

After a long wait, the Electra Railway Graphics (ERG) vinyls have arrived for the Bratchell class 455/9 kit I was building in South West Trains livery. While there is still work to do and some adjustments to make with paint, I am happy with the effect on the first Driving Trailer Standard (DTS). Putting these on and trimming slightly to compensate for the odd discrepancy is time consuming, with the use of a hair dryer set on hot to help settle the vinyls over raised detail and form it around corners, so the other three coaches are going to be done over the next couple of months (because of other commitments I have in the next few weeks). Anyway, here are photos of the work so far, with, as I said, more blending in and touching up to do. The first couple are a little blurred because they were taken rather hastily. P_20180913_121926_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20180913_121935_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20180913_191324_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20180913_191332_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

That red valance lifts the appearance a lot, Bigherb. It also gives the effect of being an inverted version of the colour scheme on the Andrew Barclay behind.

I use an old desktop computer with Windows XP purely for train use: that is, it is in my train room and connected to the DCC system with JMRI Decoder Pro and ESU LokProgrammer applications. It does connect to the Internet for updates, but is never used for any secure transactions or work. It does have a current version of Kaspersky AntiVirus and Security software on it. I would suggest the old netbook could be used this way too. Windows 10 is quite good for use on older hardware so may be worth a try.

Wouldn't using the Bachmann (or Heljan) cranked couplings make them sit even lower? Or did you mean use the cranked ones on the adjacent wagons?

I replaced my kit's original plastic wheels with metal ones, also to the Mansell pattern.

None of the previous umber and cream sets have had headcode lights at all, only the blue and grey set did (with modelled roller blind headcodes).

Out of interest, what engine sounds have you/Youchoos put on the decoder? I am enjoying your build, and tempted to try it myself, but not until I clear a few other unfinished projects off my workbench queue.

I'll do that the next time I fire up the computer with JMRI on it, and report back after that. I'll have to find the MN manual but will scan it for you once I find it again.

Thanks for posting the vid. Murphy's Law of videoing models is that everything behaves perfectly until you press 'record' on the camera, at which point things stall, derail, hiccup, jolt, uncouple, and otherwise do all the things you don't want them to! In my case, it also means SWMBO, who has been asleep while I was setting up for the session suddenly decides to get up and start clattering things in the kitchen!

Thanks, John and Doug. I did a little powder weathering on the two Palvans this morning. On one I used grey and dark earth coloured powders, while on the other, I used dirty black and dark rust. As you can see, the effects are quite different. I think the paler one may need a little dirty black worked into the crevices too. P_20180904_105407_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20180904_105419_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr The loco is a Heljan class 07 diesel shunter, D2990. While it has a very slight tight spot at extremely slow speeds, it runs very smoothly at all other speeds. It too needs a little weathering, but I haven't figured out what will be the best effects or methods yet. p.s. John: I haven't knocked the side or end rails yet (being very careful!), but I have managed to flatten the coupling hooks against the headstocks a few times.

For the recent exhibition at Caulfield, I had a couple of Parkside Palvan kits in reserve, but didn't get the chance to build them there, so they have been a quick diversion over the last few days at home. They aren't finished yet, with a coat of varnish required to protect the transfers needed. The paint is patchy but that really doesn't matter once they are varnished and subsequently weathered. The photos show them at various stages to date. Note, I only had one 'proper' set of transfers for Palvans, so made up the second one but it is still missing the actual 'PALVAN' lettering. That can always be added at a later time. P_20180829_111226_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20180830_092915_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20180902_160901_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20180902_160854_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

I ran the 4MT around the layout and made sure it was working properly before rereading the decoder, and it still reads CV8=25. The only thing I can think of is that Hornby used someone else as a contractor to manufacture the TTS decoder for the MN. Either that or there was a simple error when programming the decoders for their manufacturer code.

Could you use a strip of 6mm MDF along the board edge where the window is, Rick? Enough to keep the curtains and blinds away from the models, but not enough to get in the way.

I fiddled a little with the carriage shed lines, loosely laying some Bachmann underlay strips, tacked down in places with double-sided tape. The Ratio carriage shed always sat a little low for clearances, so on the previous layout I had two layers of ice lolly sticks raising it a little; this time I am trying two layers of the Bachmann trackbed, cut into half strips (i.e. as per the N gauge mark), with the bottom layer stuck upside down, and the square edge of the upper layer acting as a guide for the outer edges of the tracks. The idea seems to be good, notwithstanding the fact I haven't glued anything down yet, so it can all move around a bit at present. P_20180831_135136_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr P_20180831_135243_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr The EMUs and DEMU are also helping keep the tracks in place for now. The blue 2 HAP unit in the middle is not yet finished, hence the lack of glazing and jumper cables. The other units are a 'tin' 2 HAL (left) and a 2H Hampshire DEMU.

OK, where's the 'groan' icon??

Hmmm; a bird eating spider. You should see the size of the ones that eat emus!

My 37 was also from the RailRoad Network Rail version (which I sold on, later). I'll have another go with the 4MT later - it hasn't been run for a while so there could be a couple of electrical gremlins in the reading.