Twintop

From a retailer, 4 metres of PECO code 100 wooden sleeper flexi track. 2 metres is to replace the carriage siding I lifted (I was not patient) to get track for extending the West side of the layout to 4 tracks from 3. The other 2 metres are on a shelf above the workbench for now to house rolling stock to be repaired or has been repaired. A PECO truss girder bridge to add to two existing ones to bridge the 4 tracks and 18 steel 3 hole disc wheelsets to upgrade some Tri-ang wagons. Whilst there, the dealer gave me a blanking plug for a DCC fitted Britannia Lord Rowallan that was run on DC but the decoder fried the other day.

I took the body off Lord Rowallan and with nothing to lose put current directly to the motor. The wheels turned fine, but the decoder was not amused and it smoked, and smelt the same as it had before so I guess that was the issue in the first place. I will remove the decoder gubbins next and just wire straight from the pick-ups to the motor via the capacitor - probably not the thing to do, but at the moment I can't see why it would not work - no doubt someone will put me right. I have left it for another day when I am fresh. I have also been working on my Black 5 that had one set of valve gear seize up and distort, no idea why. It took a while but I have straightened it and it has test run on the loco cradle OK, but I am mindful that once bent, the gear will be weak and may fail again. Nothing to lose though, so a running in turn beckons. I have also still not put a Bman peak = green D193 back together again. I know it will be fiddly, so have been putting it off. More wagons have been looked at, mainly Tri-ang, and I have found a few cracked wheels, so have replaced for now with like for like and I will see how they run over the single slip. Most need the couplings painting as they are rusty. Off to a model shop tomorrow to try and get wheels, PECO track and PECO girder bridge sides. Looking forward to that of course.

I am slowly working through my wagons and coaches cleaning, removing axles, oiling and scraping off copious amounts of dirt encrusted on the wheels. Minor repairs too, a few coupling hooks, some painting of rusting couplings and glueing on an odd buffer. I did 7 Lima MK1 blue and grey yesterday plus some container flats and open wagons. I have found some wheels for the two Tri-ang Horse boxes and will see how they work through the PECO single slip. On the layout the Up Main and Relief and Down Main and Relief are all laid. I modified the PECO track spacing tool by cutting a notch in it to get an extra 1/4 distance in the 6 foot and that has stopped the Lima coaches touching as they pass. I have modified the end of the Superquick platform to gain about 5 inches on the Down Main and so I can now get a 7 coach train on both the Up and Down main lines. The Up relief and Down relief will have to stay as 6 coach capacity. No idea why, but 7 coaches looks far better than 6. I have put some buildings back and started to replace ballast. Next I need to sort out a bridge for the single line disused track that forms a scenic break as the 4 lines disappear to the rear of the layout. I will likely use 2 Dapol girder bridges to get the length . I need a trip to a model shop to get these and some spoked wheels for the Tri-ang cattle wagons plus some PECO flexible track to replace the 2 metres I lifted from a siding in my haste to get the new lines laid ! Lord Rowallan 70045 is also on the bench. I realised it would not go backwards, but ran perfectly forwards. Then it suddenly stopped going forwards, so yet another loco is under repair. It is a DCC fitted loco, bought new knowing the decoder was faulty and it has run fine on DC for maybe 10 years - until now.

Thanks for the advice, spoked wheels it will be then for the cattle wagons. Another question though, on the same era Tri-ang horse box would they have disc wheels, being used in passenger formations at times ? Or would they be spoked too ? Off into the loft soon to lay track. The new Up relief will be first then I can work inwards on the Up main and Down main. Down relief is still working but will be relaid too so I can extend the platforms.Should not take long, just about 5 feet of track to lay on each of the lines. I did previously use Peco style prototypical spacings for the 6 foot, but my Lima coaches snagged a little when passing each other, so I am going to widen the gap a little on the two feet radius curve. I have been inspecting and cleaning a rake of 9 x 5 plank open wagons in bauxite. 7 are Hornby, but two that are identical are actually Airfix with 1977 moulded in the underframe. The printing is however much superior on the later Hornby wagons.

Yes, all good fun, trackwork is what I enjoy the best and the wiring for analogue, cab control. The changes should only be for minimal cost as I only need 2 metres of track at the most. There will actually be 2 less points as the previous formation went from Up main and Up loop, to just Up main and then split again for Up Main and Up relief through the station. I will now just have UP main and Up relief, so all plain track as the entrance to the old loop can be the splitter. The engineering work has started, with some track already lifted, signals removed, end sections of platform removed and an embankment excavated. Hoping to get an hour or so on it most days as at the moment only the Down relief is intact, so services are much curtailed !

i tested the cattle wagons again and a few more are fine through the slip, so managed to run a cattle special of 5 wagons. the wheels must have been changed at some point. Very odd though is that one of the two diecast chassis models with the axle boxes goes through the slip fine ? I will have to try the 2 Tri-ang horse boxes I have, they look reasonable enough to me. The new trackwork now has the rail sides painted, so just ballasting to do now and full services are restored. Next task is to lengthen the island platform that forms platforms 6 and 7 to take 7 coach trains instead of 6, the new slip arrangement means I have gained close to a coach length. I have enough spare Superquick sections already so won't be a cost. However when doing that I might as well change the track formation at the West end to go from 3 to 4 tracks. A bridge needs demolishing to facilitate this though and so is more involved. In essence it just needs about 3 feet of track, but there will have to be points as well to enable switching between the tracks.

I have changed the wheels on an R122 Tri-ang Cattle wagon as I had two spare wheel-sets and it runs through the PECO slip just fine now, so I will get wheels for the other 8 I have to do. The question is, which version - do I get spoked, 3 hole disc or solid disc ? I have also been cleaning the wheels on some of my Lima Mk I coaches, amazing how much is encrusted on them, but I may never have done them before and some will be 25 years old. I scraped it off onto a white sheet of paper and there was such a lot. Also oiled the axles and cleaned the roofs as they get so dirty up in the loft and replaced a coupling hook, borrowing one off a Lima wagon I must have picked up from somewhere years ago. I have brought all my coaches and wagons down from the loft and won't take any back until they have been inspected. mended and cleaned up.

The point is now wired up to the control panel and the track pinned down as I had run locos through the new formation in all directions and all was well. Just the rails to paint and ballast. Then, as I had been oiling the axles of my rake of repainted Tri-ang cattle wagons I decided the first test train would be a cattle special. Unfortunately the wagons all have original Tri-ang wheels and they would not go through the code 100 single slip ! The Hornby brake van was fine. So - next on the workbench will be re-wheeling most of the cattle wagons - a couple have the very old axles so they will have to be static on the layout. Not looking forward to the cost of the wheels of course.

No more mice lately, fresh cheese put out and no takers ! The single slip is laid, wired to the control panel - the previous crossover switch - and the two point motors tested. The point is laid, but needs wiring to the control panel - a new switch is needed. Then it is pinning the track down, ballasting and painting the rail sides. Next project is to extend a loop on the Up relief line and make one end 4 track. After that, the same at the other end so will be 4 circuits, but that is involved as it is under the branch goods yard so some a lot of work removing the higher level baseboard for access. Enjoyed going through al my rolling stock the other week, great pleasure just in looking at the models. What a great relaxing hobby this is ! We have had bats in the past up in the loft, but not seen one for years now. It is certainly odd when they flutter past close to your head.

On the layout really, but I had a Peco Medium LH code 100 point fall apart - brittle plastic - at the toe end in situ, so that was scrap. To be fair it could be up to 30 years old. It was part of a crossover/branch line junction. I have bought a Peco single slip to replace two of the points, but have lost the Up Main to branch routeing. This is not an issue as since the initial formation was laid, I put in another through Up road that does route onto the branch. I will gain from a smoother transition across the slip and also will be able to extend platforms on the Up and Down mainlines to take a more realistic 7 coach train instead of the 6 at present. I have on the workbench modified the PECO point by soldering wires between rails to eliminate the regular issues I have with the small spring piece on the blades not giving a good electrical contact. I am forever tweaking them, no doubt due to the force the point motors exert when throwing the points. At the moment Up and Down main lines are out of action as the point work has been removed and plain track cut to accept the slip - mainly to eliminate an existing too large gap between joins. I will lay the slip and the point and cut plain track to suit then test run for a while before removing and installing point motors. On the workbench itself I have brought all my wagons and coaches down from the loft and have listed them. Next stage is to clean and oil the rolling stock before release back to the layout. Very dusty in the loft of course. I have recently caught two mice up there - I was fed up with the droppings and my people being knocked over !

Many thanks for the replies, due to the forum being down I could not reply of course. I "rounded" up my cattle wagons and have 12 - with some having a 3712 and some a 3713 running number. Two of them are the metal chassis, one the SR version and they are a mix of Triang, Triang/Hornby and Hornby. I do have a very good Triang box and slightly less good Triang Hornby one. One of them will be from my D5572 Freightmaster set from Dec 1965, the others picked up at various shops and exhibitions over the years. I am on with repainting them in rail match bauxite at the moment - 7 done, 5 to go, but may leave one original. I have also been cleaning the wheels and will feed back onto the layout once the axles are oiled. I also found an old catalogue that showed the Harveys of Louth version mentioned in an earlier post.

Can anyone advise about the Triang Cattle wagon. Is it a fair representation of the wagon. I am asking as many years ago, I was told that it was modelled on a sheep wagon, and that sort of made sense as the wheelbase is quite long. I have about 10 of these that I steadily collected over the years, but have painted most a dark brown as the original colour never seemed right. I am now planning on painting them in bauxite. Would that be correct ? And - is the cattle wagon really a sheep wagon ?

Two Dapol 10T meat vans and two DAPOL brake vans. I enjoy building these kits even though I know they are over 50 years old. The brakes are just about finished apart from transfers and the lamps on one. One meat van is painted but will need touching up and the other is mainly assembled an a start made on the painting. paintedyon. The meat vans are assembled but need more painting Also a few PECO buffer stops being assembled/painted and around 9 Airfix WW2 military vehicles and a dogfight doubles Spitfire/ME109. Slow progress due to the multiple colours on most, hence why I have around 10 at various stages. It surely is great to play !! I have about 6 WW2 military vehicles and a Revell Ford Mustang unopened. Too cold in the loft at this time of the year to run trains around really.

I recall when I was a child in the 60s, being puzzled as to why when I bought a Superquick two road engine shed the geometry of the super 4 track I had would only allow the shed to have one track into the shed. I remember thinking that Superquick had made a basic mistake. It was many years later that I found out that Hornby track centres are far wider than the real thing to accommdate the situation on tight curves as mentioned in the real think, so it was not Superquick at fault ! I operate on a minimum 24 inch radius curves via a tracksetta and occasionally some coaches touch a little as they pass on curves, so if I laid track at the first and second radius dimensions at the real life centres there would no doubt be issues with coaches touching.

A Dapol - ex Airfix Brake Van. Decent enough kit in my eyes. Just about built apart from weights and the roof as I am waiting for some Bauxite paint and it wil be easier to paint some parts without the roof on. Roof and underframe are painted. No couplings though as I robbed the kit for spares.

Just ordered the following with birthday money. Dapol - ex Airfix of course - Meat Van, 2 x Cattle Wagons and a Presflow. Quite like theses kits as it is a model to construct and to be used on the railway. Bauxite paint for the above 3 PECO rail built buffer stops. Hornby BR Maroon 12 wheel dining car. Hornby site says it is era 5 so I hope it will be fine with Hornby BR MK1s in Maroon.

The first pack is a complete layout, with scenic materials, buildings, station etc. the 2nd pack is for people who already have a layout and just need additional rolling stock.

On the layout, I need to resolder a track connection. I ripped it out as there was no power to it - thinking it was a dodgy joint before I twigged that the section switch was not set !!

The four Dapol Stanier coach kits are now finished bar the transfers. One error I made was to paint the inside of the actual coach bodies as despite care and cotton buds handy, some paint bled out into the window recesses. There is actually no point doing the painting as once the glazing unit is in and the roof on, you can't see inside anyway as the interior coach partitions block the view from the other side, apart from maybe the brake area of the brake coach. As I did the coaches all together, it was only on final assembly that I realised the problem and by that time I had painted all four. Vespa was quite correct in that it is better to trial fit the glazing units first. Mine fit OK apart from the brake coaches brake compartment as 3 of the 4 bent away from the ends and needing some glue and a mini clamp to hold them in place whilst the glue set. Otherwise a small block of wood helps to press the glazing in in the tight confines of the end vestibules. I think it is time for a trial run of the 4 coaches on the layout, so up into the no doubt cold loft this afternoon. I think the Hornby 2P 4-4-0 can do the honours. This will pull 12 vans and a brake with only one traction tyre on, so I can wait a bit longer for them to get the spares tyres in. Not sure why they sell them in packs of 10 though ? I have also been mending a coupling on an open wagon, and noticed that it had "Airfix 1977" moulded on it. No idea where I got this from. Otherwise, mainly Airfix kits at the moment - some of them the same kits that I buily 50-55 years ago. The STUG 111 75 mm assault gun has "Airfix 1962" noulded on the floor.

Vespa, thanks for the advice about the windows. However your models are too good - I won't be able to achieve those standards. One question, I see you have painted the roof in a grey. I did that on the first 3 coaches I assembled a few years ago, but noted this time that the instructions say the roof should be Humbrol 29 - Army Green. I did happen to have that colour and so have painted the latest 4 coaches in that colour, but is it correct ? I am also struggling on the interior colours. I have painted the walls of the seating unit in a cream, and intend to do the floors in a grey and the seats in a maroon. I might not bother to do the insides of the actual coach body in the cream as a bit of a risk of getting paint bleeding on to the exterior finish and I never look inside the coaches anyway. Otherwise, I have painted the underframes, bogies and coach ends in Humbrol 33, supposed to be matt black but it has dried shiny. Am I losing the plot here !! A final point, the instructions recommend washing the parts before painting as do Airfix kit instructions. I have never done this, is it necessary ?

The Bachmann blue class 25 seems to be cured, and the Hornby 2P Fowler 4-4-0 is running fine on the one traction tyre. On the bench I have started on 2 of the 4 Dapol Stanier Corridor coaches. Preliminary work putting the 16 vents on each roof and painting the coach ends, bogies and underframe in Humbrol 33 matt black. I have done 3 before and if the wheels are changed to Hornby ones, then they run fine. I really like Great British Bake Off being on as I then have permission to do modelling !

A few locos as it is wet today, so no gardening or outside painting to do. Bman blue class 25. This was slipping and I finally realised how to get the bogie out to look further. The two wires from the bogie are looped under the circuit board, so loosening that off means you can tease the wires out and that gives you an extra 2 inches of wire, so the bogie can drop down enough after releasing the tower screw. I was expecting to find a cracked plastic bearing, but it was fine so it must just have come loose. I have pushed it back on and it now seems OK. However, I was a bit silly as I did not loop the wires back under the circuit board and one got sheared when I put the body back on. All sorted now though with a twist and tape repair until I can solder it. Mainline Jubillee. This is at least 36 years old to me and I got it second hand for £12 and kept it in the boot of the car for several days until I gained enough courage/picked the right time to mention it to.... It works fine, so body off and I just cleaned and oiled it. I did notice a crack in a drive wheel plastic bearing, but it does not seem to be affecting running at the moment, so I left it be. Heljan Metrovick. Just a clean and oil, with the body off, and replaced a coupling hook. Can't get to the motor bearings though. Hornby 8F - 48151 - Body off and a clean and oil. The pony wheel is derailing too much over pointwork, so I am hoping oiling the slider mechanism and the axle will help. Hornby Fowler 2P. I bought 2 O rings to see if they would be OK instead of traction tyres but thay are too thick. So I kave left off the stretched tyre and hope that the loco will do OK with just one traction tyre. I also cleaned the wheels and tested the pick ups and was surprised to find that all 14 wheels have pick ups. I could not work out how to take the body off though to get to the motor bearings. On the layout, I have been mending an Aifix/Dapol girder bridge - 1 x 50 year old plus Airfix recycled from my childhood layout extended by 2 recent Dapol ones. I have been putting Wills chequer plate in between and on the outside of the rails and it looks a lot more realistic now. Bit fiddly as the track in on a slight curve so I needed paper templates to make sure I cut the plate accurately. I have been generally tidying up the scenic bits around the bridge. The buildings from the high level branch good yard have been brought down for renovation as they have suffered from water damage and are generally filthy - a severe drawback of a loft layout.

i am carrying on with servicing the locos, with mixed success, as I can't always fathom out how to get bodies off, and am always wary of doing damage. Bachmann Clayton - the centre cab came off easily enough, but no luck with the bonnets so I could not get to the motor. Hornby DMU class 101 - I could not get to the motor on that - as I could not see how to detach it from the frame. The body is however easy to get off once you know how. I did however discover that current was not being picked up from two of the wheels, which I have sorted, so the DMU should run a lot better now. Bachmann Blue class 25 - this has the same problem as my Bachmann peak - it slips to a halt - so likely to be the same issue, which was a cracked plastic sleeve on a driveshaft. Body easy to get off, just 4 screws, but getting to the drivetrain is another matter - might need to unsolder wires. Bachman 9F Evening Star - dare not get the body off - it seemed like the brake rodding would have to come off and it is so flimsy I doubt if I could do it without a breakage. I have wrecked rodding before, so thought best to leave it alone. Lima D400 - many years old now but still runs very well - I nanaged to find a buffer that was missing. Lima D1842 Class 47 and Lima Class 40 - these also run very well, and seemed to benefit from cleaning and oiling. I even found a dead fly inside the 47's body ! Otherwise I have ben reapiring broken ratio signals - a snapped post - so I drilled holes in each part and glued in a piece of wire to help with the strength. All good fun of course, but frustrating at times. On the layout all the track is now cleaned and working aprt from the usuall issues with the Peco points - the small sprung metal that connects the point blades to the rails is a constant weak point, so I am going to modify them when they "fault" by dropping wires down through the baseboard from each side and join them with a block connector. Too much trouble taking the points out to modify them neatly as I did with one a few weeks ago. I am on cab control, with many sections, so the points dont need to serve an isolating function.

I gave up on my Lima Crab many years ago. It ended up with the driving wheels just locking up and the motor burnt out. Very happy with my Lima diesels ( 50,40 and 47) and Diesel railcars ( 117 and 121) which have given in excess of 25 years of service. I night try again having a look at the Crab, but at the time I just could not stop the wheels locking up.

Thanks for the advice about the O-rings, I will certainly consider that in the future. In the meantime, I am slowly working through all my locos, cleaning and oiling including taking bodies off where I can - some are quite a challenge - others very straightfoward. I messed up on the Heljan Clayton - inexplicably I pulled off 2 buffers thinking they were holding the body on as per a Lima Class 47 and of course one of the tiny springs and one of the retainers flew off, never to be seen again. Even a powerful magnet has failed to locate the spring which is high on impossible to see. The magnet is over 40 years old and still has immense magnetic pull which surprises me. However, the lack of sprung buffers is not really a problem - I still cant work out why they are fitted on models in the first place. I intend to end up with a list of parts I need, then in one fell swoop order a full complement of spares I require - if they are available.