P.C.M

Thanks Terry, Glad to hear you have some wheels on the way. Your Cromptons will certainly be running a lot better once you fit them. Cheers Peter.

Well for the first time this year I have started to do some work on the layout. I quite like ballasting and have started n the new bit, but before I go to far I need some help with the signals for the yard and carriage sidings. hopefully the pics make sense. Beast 66606 helped me out a while back but the trackplan has changed a bit since then. Pic 1 shows the mainline and signalbox controlled point and catch point (I know it's set wrong I moved the point when ballasting) I am thinking ground signal for entering just outside tunnelmouth? but do I need a repeater at the other end of the tunnel? the other pics show the up and down mainline, then the 3 carriage sidings and single slip leading into the yard. coming back to the left is the yard headshunt and two sidings that willl be fenced off and used to unload my oil train. I am thinking all points in the carriage and yard should be hand points but where do I put the ground signal for leaving the sidings. One for the carriage sidings and stop boards for the yard, and use the ground signal for freight yard as well. I am also thinking an LMS lattice post semaphore on the lower mainline leading into the station with replacement colour light signal laying near by. Top left of he last pic would be a Three aspect with feathers for the junction off scene. Cheers Peter.

Hi Simon, The 16t minerals are a minefield but from memory most ZHVs were the later built ones with top door removed and clasp brakes, I am sure your mate will be able to help you choose the correct Parkside kits as they do a few different ones. You can have the transfers, people have given me stuff over the years so no problem, they will be wasted here as I don't need them. They are Modelmaster waterslide ones so you need to cut round the edge. I have ZUV and ZUB which i think is air braked vac piped, you can have both just in case you get another Shark. I will also send the Shark name plus other bits. PM me your address and I will post them of to you. Cheers Peter.

Hi Simon, Latest wagons are looking good, I have a few ZHVs made up from old Airfix and Parkside kits. it was a real pain making up the data panels. I have an old Stanier brake myself and was thinking of repainting it, yours looks really good. The shark looks good too, I have transfers somewhere if you need some. Cheers Peter.

Hi Kevin, That makes sense, be a shame if you couldn't use all those cassettes. Love the building in the last pic, the new section is looking great. Cheers Peter.

Hi Terry, If you have earlier Heljan loco's they do have copper wheels which pick up all the crap from the rails and get dirty really quickly. I have replaced my wheels with replacements from Howes which isn't cheap but I didn't mind doing on my early Cromptons that much as I had picked them up when on Special. The new wheels certainly make a difference, but it worth making sure all the pick ups are doing their job. Cheers Peter.

Nice Pics Larry, Well spotted Merf. I lost my Bardic once. It went to Woking on ballast we couldn't find a tail lamp so had to use my lamp. Cheers Peter.

Hi Terry, As Jeff mentioned there is a bit to do to convert your standard 33/0 to a 33/1. I used a Craftsman DK13 on an old Lima model years ago and it look ok. I think it's the old time against money here. Do you want to spend more money on a kit and time to convert the loco. or do you buy a Heljan class 33/1 with very little to do. I would be tempted to keep your 33/0 and weather that up then get a 33/1 when you see one second hand. You can never have too many Cromptons. There are plenty of nice dirty 33/0 s on my Flickr page there might be one there you might like to do. HTH cheers Peter.

Thanks cav, I haven't done much this week, still working on D200 and 56070. I pulled an MGR apart last night to see what needs doing, I put some 14mm wheels on so will have to lower it by a few mm. Cheers Peter.

Hi Kevin, Looking good, though I have a question. How do you used the cassette system now that there is a board over the fiddleyard? Cheers Peter.

Don't have many on freight but here is 50042. Posted on RMweb before. Cheers Peter.

Hi Terry, You can't beat a push pull Crompton, When I weather my loco's I try and find a pic of the actual loco I am doing and copy the weathering that I see. I find too many models these days are a bit over the top. Cheers Peter.

Hi Wayne, Have a look at the Kingsley Colliery thread. Chris has some nice class 56s, one has a Heljan chassis it looks pretty good. Cheers Peter Hi Wayne, Have a look at the Kingsley Colliery thread. Chris has some nice class 56s, one has a Heljan chassis it looks pretty good. Cheers Peter

Thanks for looking Rivercider, I have a couple of Cargo wagons for the ingot traffic, didn't know about Cider being exported though. I often run a few VDAs or VGAs to Holyhead and some get dropped off at Llanbourne for a local transport business as I think there was one at Holyhead for general merchandise. Cheers Peter.

Thanks Cav, I am really pleased with it. I spent a bit more time on the roof with this one, trying to get the middle section to look right. Problem is I should probably re do my others now. Cheers Peter.

Thanks Scott, Hi David, While 40012 was a 97 it got quite a few little extra's painted. Red bufferbeam white window surrounds and a half finished white cantrail stripe. at some point someone must have thought yellow axle boxes might look nice and for some reason added the red line. As Scott mentioned google and Flickr are a great source of pictures and information and there are quite a few nice pics of 97407. Thanks for pointing it out though, if it had been wrong I would have happily changed it. Cheers Peter.

Hi Ian, Really like that warehouse, the rest is coming together well. Nice to see you got some UKF wagons. Cheers Peter.

Hi Jinty, My two PCAs behind the loco aren't the correct type but other wise not bad. Challenge exepted. Cheers Peter.

Thanks Scott, Yes the bay at Bournemouth, always worth a look back in the day. Cheers Peter.

Thanks Alan, The coach behind the loco is a Mk1 the others are MK2s all old Hornby with flush windows. Cheers Peter.

Thanks Bob, Cheers Peter.

Thanks Terry, I have always liked my Cromptons, had to do a 33/1. Cheers Peter.

33111 arrives on a special from Bournemouth to Llanbourne 1Z11. 25244 leaves on a Speedlink service to Warrington. Cheers Peter.

No worries Coachman, My memory isn't great either and I am only 46, we travelled some of the A55 in 2012 and it was pretty busy Chester was really busy too lovely city though. Cheers Peter.

Thanks for posting up that pic Jinty, I still have my Rail mags from 85 to 89 and remember seeing that pic. Larry took a nice pic of 25057 on the same train in 1987, I think it was the last class 25 to work the train. It's funny you mention the OCA on the rear of the train, about this time last year I did a couple of OCA's for my Speedlink service though I still haven't done brick loads as I haven't found any decent pictures. Merf posted a nice pic of a couple off the road at Llandudno Jct. Hi Stu & 40044, I run a Warrington to Llanbourne Speedlink as 7D14 arriving at 06.20. Departing at about 14.00 as the 7F10. The train loco works a trip to Bangor and Holyhead I think this was called target 92 another trip is worked by a class 25 or 31 down the branch. I think I read somewhere that for a while the Speedlink conveyed Timber. Anyone know if this is true. A couple of OTAs would look nice. Cheers Peter.