Buz

Hi Wagonwheels The plastic Triang made its early trains out of a cheap plastic that tended to warp and Hornby Dublo had a die cast metal bodies on its locomotives and did not use a lot of plastic in its models until towards the end, much the same sort of reason Wren was considered a superior product. Dublo used a better plastic than Triang did in the early days I believe they also had better motors which also contributed to the quality of the product The Hornby philosophy of the day was of producing a quality product. Hornby Dublo ended in the early 1960's. Hornby Dublo signals and super detail coaches are still sought after by railway modellers. Because the signals are of more of a scale size and the super detail coaches have near enough flush windows and a very railway like apearance, The trains not so much by modelers but they still have there followers I have a class twenty and a Deltic and a few wagons even one of the Hornby Acho French ones. That's my 2c worth on it. regards John

Hi 81F I am pretty sure the outer ends should have buffers, and that they ran in fixed rakes much like the modern well wagons in the US and Australia Not that it lasted in service for very long but the guards cabin is on Shapeways somewhere. I fitted my Triang con flats with metal wheels this helped the weight issues some what. Any one know where if anywhere, I might find some container doors some of my containers are missing a door or doors. regards John

Hi Blue My personal preference. Is a layout based on my personal preferences that has at least some foundation in the real world and is railway like. But also has the roundy - roundy option so I can play trains or play train spotter as the case may be depending on the kind of day I have had. It is well known here, that I am not a fan of track plans designed by the model manufacturers as their aim is quite reasonably to sell us product not necessarily produce a model railway. There where once many small stations and yards both in the UK and former Colony's that could be adapted to form a small but interesting model railway. You mention you are a beginner so if I may make a few suggestions. Keep it small and manageable to begin with, forget the grand empires beloved of the model press they where often developed over many years as experience grew. Make sure you have some operational interest and that it makes sense. Make sure you build the bench work carefully and it is properly constructed no short cuts more beginners layouts fail from poorly done bench work than anything else. Don't forget you need to be able to reach everything easily. Make sure it fits the space you have and also take your time to do the track work and wiring properly as well. Do not move from what I call the train set stage until the track is fully laid and wired make sure it works reliably the way you want It to and you have made sure you have not missed any connections that are needed. It is difficult to fix any track and wiring problems once scenery has been started and progresses. Do the research and make the choice between DCC and analogue control now as that will determine wiring considerations I have my preferences. But it is what suits your aims that counts. Get your self some beginners books on model railways not everything on the net is reliable information. What ever style track plan you eventually choose make sure you have a place that it is easy for an extension to start from. These thing have the habit of spreading to fill all available space. But most importantly have fun. If it fails the KISS principle test have a think before doing it remember the more complicated things are the more there is to go wrong. regards John

copy right remains the property of model Railroader magazine used for educational and research purposes only. Hi Steven The main 8X4 was a project layout the three track staging yard top right is the rest of the country and covered in the project. The branch line was converted from a previous project layout also covered in the articles. The whole lot can be built in individual sections it should last a long time as a project. If your interested I will try and find the magazine dates As I said change the trains and some of the buildings and it becomes a UK railway regards John

Hi Kevin Hodges The flat board is a problem waterways are best planned in at the planning stage so a cut out can be done for it. However all is not lost. Go to your local supermarket and scrounge some "BIG" empty product boxes they will probably be only too pleased not to have to dispose of them. You need at least enough for three layers of corrugated card cut your lake into the base layer in one piece if you can, it will need to be a good bit bigger than the lake so you can later hide the fact it was built up on the flat, build up the lake banks three layers deep crossing the corrugations, gluing with PVA and weight it down so it all stays flat Once it is dry form up the banks with plaster or polyfilla making sure you seal up all the gaps the model water will find them and seep in if any are left no matter what is used for water. Paint the banks and a strip inside the lake an earth colour matching your base earth colour then move into the centre with a darker similar earth colour painting the center of the lake black if the colours blend a bit that's OK, leave the paint to dry for a couple of days to make very sure it is dry. Next a single very very thin coat of Tamiya clear over the whole lake let dry. For water use High gloss solvent based artists varnish carefully pour very thin layers you need to watch out for air bubbles so gently does it. Anything like old tyres, cars, logs, Nessie whatever that needs to be in the water needs to be stuck down before the pour proper starts so it stays put and lightly feather the edges into the banks. You need to cover it up some how that won't stick to the lake, so as the varnish drys no bugs get caught in it two or three layers of varnish should be enough that's one very thin layer per day NOT three in one day. It may take longer than normal for thorough drying resist the temptation to finger test you don't want a finger print in your lake. You will know if you got it right because the surroundings will be reflected in the now dry lake, if your lucky you might also get some ripples in it. Hope you can follow this and you only get one go at getting it right. regards John

Hi Stephen The first thought that went through my mind when you said 8' x 4' was one of the Model Railroader project railways more specifically the Virginian. This starts as an 8' X 4' stand alone system has the possibility to run roundy roundy just watching trains run or operate as a railway as takes your fancy. Later you can add a branch line also covered in Model Railroader and a staging yard. making it a complete system that is not in the usual USA magazine monster layout category. It would not be hard to change its identity to a UK railway, change the trains and some buildings while still ending up with an interesting layout. coal hauling tank locomotives would be a must or the other possibility would be bigger engines short trains. Worth looking into as a possibility even if you decide err NO not for me. regards John

Hi Mctrains There are a few well documented and published modual formats out there. I concur go to a reputable timber merchant not one of those warehouse type hardware shifters for the timber. You are going to need quality timber products and hardware to build the layout, as it needs to be both light and strong. I don't know what UK prices are like but spend what needs to be spent to get a decent foundation to hold the railway up. Make sure you have adjustable feet on the legs so the board can be leveled up when set up. Make the sections of a manageable and easy to handle size and completely avoid points crossing joints and as far as is practical curves crossing joints. Base boards do not get any where near the attention to detail that they should as a result may layouts fail due to poor bench work holding them up. Also if you plan on maybe exhibiting the layout at a future date make sure it all fits in the proposed transport with minimal grunting and groaning. regards John

Hi GWR14XXpro You are no orphan with this particular problem not many have room for a 12+ coach long distance express train. The shortest trains I know of is your name sake a 14XX tank engine and an Auto coach you don't even need to turn the train around to go back where you came from. or a tank engine of some kind and a single brake composite coach a BSK ??? Err I think I am not that up on UK coach codes as an example if I threw NBC at you you probably would not know what it was or where to find it. Another slightly bigger train could be a composite coach and brake composite coach. There are many possible combinations for up to and including 4 coaches dependent on when and what kind of train it is and it might or might not have tail traffic of milk, fish or mail even newspapers. If you want a big engine on a four coach train take a look at the SR Atlantic Coast Express or the relatively modern locomotive hauled trains running in the Scottish Highlands where a big engine and two coaches was quite common. The classic two or three coach train for era six is the DMU There are odd ones like a class 4 diesel shunter and a composite coach and brake. composite but these odd and unusual ones in regular service are generally very location and route specific I have come close with this particular one on my railway. regards John

Hi wairoalbany Is the flange-less wheel by design or the tyre seperating from the wheel. If it is by design like the Coronation Scot set locomotive DON'T the trailing truck doesn't pivot which is why its flangeless so it will go round the curves the wheel will also be thicker than normal. I would rather have the old Triang design of flange-less center driver and pivoting bogies and trucks. It looks more believable. If however the cause is damaged wheels go for it and make sure the replacement is suitable and won't cause problems. That's my 50c worth on it. regards John

@ello That just threw the pigeon at the cat she knows nowsmiley Hi all Where ever possible the locos and stock are kept in their original packing & boxes, if not wrapped in acid free paper then bubble wrap. All then kept in plastic storage boxes with a couple of bags of condese (spelling) crystals. Like most hobbyists my trains are on the operation overkill levels. I have not got around to getting a glass fronted cabinet to put the favorites in. Anything in regular use is on the layout and has to be regularly dusted with a very soft brush large make brushes are good for this. But leave the domestic Authorities make up kit alone that would be an instant death sentence without trial. regards John

Hi moriaramike Silly thought have you checked that the number of digits in the phone numbers is right for your modeled era. Its the sort of thing some PITA will have great delight in telling you if its wrong. Its amazing what will get picked on until you ask to see their model railway. regards John

Hi Superkent50 OK first off ballast drying times vary depending on weather and temperature. If you have used MDF for board construction I hope you have given it a couple of coats of a natural colored house paint before building anything on it. MDF is very sensitive to moisture. Any tips yes unfortunately it is scrape all of the ballast off and start again with a clean board. The track is laid first with or without cork underlay Your choice. The track is then thoroughly checked for problems wired up checked again for wiring problems. Then trains are run for several operating sessions to make sure the track and wiring are as they should be and nothing has been missed and it works the way you envisioned it. Make sure all possible movements are done in all sessions and any problems are sorted. Only once all this is done and you are satisfied it works as it should do and runs well. Do you even consider ballasting the track and what it should look like when finished. Do points very carefully you don't want them jammed up with ballast or glue do them when you can go back an throw them over every so often to make sure they are not glued up. Once done and dried go over the whole area ballasted checking for ballast that will cause derailments interfere with points, check rails or otherwise cause problems this should be removed the track cleaned and you guessed it tested with trains to make sure you go all the problems and it all works this can take a while to get it all. regards John

Hi moriamike I hope that speed sign is 60Kmh I would suggest a stop or give way sign at the modeled road junction. Are you able to get a slight hump in the road to hide the harsh connection between the modeled area and the flat back scene. The difference in road coloration doesn't matter it happens in the real world just like that or sometimes in short patches. Connecting to a back scene can be a bit of a mystic arts exercise to get it to look right. Hiding the harsh join is 75% of the job regards John

Hi Keithp Sounds like you should find a copy of the book. Dig out the el cheapo foam core board a dead biro and have a go at making something stone for the railway and see if it floats your boat. Why the el cheapo because its bad feature is just what you want the paper peels of easy exposing the foam so it can be turned into stone work. watching some of the wargames craft videos will explain how its done textured and given a hard wearing finish. The buildings look like they would have to be scratch builds as none of the commercial buildings would match. regards John

Hi M. Mathews Welcome. Railway Modelling is an obsession not an addiction. It can be very expensive if you buy everything brand new. To help get the cost down chose a theme and time frame for the railway, then don't buy anything that doesn't fit the above. Avoiding these common mistakes will help a lot Start small don't make the mistake of designing a big empire that you will never build, has twenty miles more track than it needs to have, or such a complex track set up that Britain's war budget for both world wars was only 10% of what you will need to build the railway, it's next to impossible to do but try and avoid the beginners mad purchase phase of getting a load of stuff it turns out you don't want because you will never use it we have all been there done that and it can cost very real money. Don't buy factory made base boards build your own there has been plenty written about this over the years. Do the Job PROPERLY this is the foundation no short cuts then it will last, you only have to do it once and everything on top should run well. Do research on track buy the best that way once it has been carefully laid and properly wired it works and will last. Research the shop prices so you can avoid the Evil Bay price madness and take note if you spotted a good second hand what ever it is you want. Scenery is often made with what others consider to be junk and rubbish do it that way not the go and buy the latest scenic stuff at mad prices. There is a lot to be said for the older ways of doing scenery it is enjoyable, rather than stressing about where the new sheet of XPF foam is coming from you can grab yesterdays papers an empty packing carton from the local super market mix up some plaster and do the next bit. Buildings seek out the second hand UK outline (remember only if they fit the theme) complete un-built plastic kits you get to enjoy it twice once when you build and paint it and when the train goes past the finished structure. Also learn how to scratch build and Kit Bash because sooner or later you will have to, to get something you want that no one makes. There are ways of cutting the cost down without compromising the the quality of the build or the enjoyment you get out of it. One last thing DON'T RUSH IT its not a race take your time and do the best you can, ask lots of questions and most of all relax and have fun thats what it is all about. regards John

Hi Mac-_ - The only hassle is its getting harder and harder to get a choke cable at the wreckers yard. Many modern cars don't have a choke cable, auto choke doesn't have the long cable with convenient operating knob and means of mounting it on the end. So it now requires a bit of engineering ingenuity to use the wire and tube and that can get costly as well. As for the clunk as the solenoid goes over, that I like you know its gone over, though some don't like it at all. regards John

Hi Steamdrivendavy For a quick electric solution Hornby R8015 Adapter Base R8014 Point Motor and R044 point switch black. I would however suggest looking for a better switch solution for the momentary contacts needed to drive the point. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS that come with them. As different brands do use different color codes and terminal paterns for the wiring. Don't ask how I know. Do also note it is better not to use the accessory terminals on the train controller. But instead to have a dedicated transformer to drive the accessories and points. So throwing points doesn't slow down the train, or the cumulative effect of adding more and more electric accessories. Doesn't start causing nuisance tripping of the thermal cut out or other type circuit breaker your train controller is fitted with. For one only point a CDU is probably not needed but once you start electrifying crossovers and double ended points combinations it will be needed. regards John

Hi ellocoloco Thanks for that regards John

Hi all Does any one know if the Elecrotren long wheelbase 4 wheel balcony third and 4 wheel goods brake at least I think it was the goods brake are still made by Electrotren Or is it going to be an evil bay search to put together a Spaghetti Western Train regards John

Hi Brew Man OK not quite the same but you could check evil bay for Hornby Dublo electric semaphores. They are robust and are resonably to scale, also easy to wire up. regards John

Hi 81F Yes they did. regards John

Hi Clarie I don't see any resistors in your parts list. A LED works on about 1.5 V your loco works on 12v this could well be why it blows all the time. Check with the driver instructions to see if any resistors need to be supplied by you. However that said Crissaf is our resident expert in these matters. regards John

Hi Bighandz I don't think they did but I am pretty sure Triang did so you could try your luck looking tor the Triang stuff, if we are talking modern Hornby plastic platforms it will fit. The other alternative is to get the straight fence and cut a series of closely spaced triangles out of the base of the fence point into the fence. Drop it in boiling hot water to soften it then carefully bend it round the platform clip it in place and allow to cool. Once it has cooled it should hold its shape but it may be necessary to glue the bent fence into place. regards John

Hi Andy Thomas Are we talking horn hooks or knuckles for the Bachmann loco. To be honest I would convert everything to one coupling or live with the UK tension locks and USA as Knuckles. If you go down the conversion road make sure you get the KD tools as well if thats the way you decide to go that will make the job a lot easier. Dealing with incompatible couplings is something railway modelers have done as long as the hobby has existed. Another possibility get a Bachmann branchline or Hornby open wagon that has NEM pockets. Get NEM kadees put one in one side and leave the tension lock in the other paint wagon body say RAF yellow so you can find it easily and can get it as required for a train. A full brake coach with NEM pockets could be used to do the same and deal with passenger trains. regards John

hi john_ Mctrain You are aware that a lot of the over all glass roofed terminal stations where in fact built in the1800's not sure about Kings Cross though that has had magical interferencejoy I would look for the Triang, Triang-Hornby buildings suggested OK they are 60's modern, but still a lot of it about in the real world today. For older buildings if you want them look for the Hornby Dublo plastic art-deco buildings, in the real world today they might even have listed status and there is still some of it about. Both of these sets of buildings run rings around the modern toy offerings from the modern Hornby, and both have a better railway feel to them that the modern Hornby just some how misses printed stone just does nothing for me. Make sure any purchases you make have not been glued together this will make it easy to take them apart for painting and adding suitable posters etc. The Triang clips together and the Dublo screws and clips together. Nice and very robust though they are forget the die cast aluminum Dublo stations, unless you are laying track on cork underlay. The platform was designed for the Dublo three rail which sat a lot higher than today's track does. regards John