Buz

Hi joe_holmes1 First off loco coal comes in bigger lumps than domestic coal, so you have a bit of leeway for size. Pictures are useful for size judgment. The only thing that looks like coal is coal. Get a lump of coal a plastic bag and a big hammer place coal in bag one of those press seal ones is ideal stronger plastic. Then start bashing it with hammer do this out side on hard surface like the driveway and wear safety glasses repeat and wear safety glasses repeat and wear SAFETY GLASSES got the message. Keep bashing the coal untill size looks right, you may well get a surprise as to how hard it can be to break it up. It can be glued down with PVA or PVA water mix keep leftovers and dust for next one or scenics as required. regards John

Hi Mctrains Have a look at heritage railway track plans when you can Some times track ideas can be gleaned from the heritage railway web sites as well. Being modern image track will be simple with very little in the way of freight facility's. If you connect the heritage railway to the main line don't forget the gate to close it off from the main line and have the gate operational so you can run heritage charter trains on the main then bring it on to the heritage line closing the gate behind it. It will add extra operational interest to a modern image line. regards John

Hi Trains trains trains While made in Australia or made in the Atipodies or New Zealand even does add to the value they need to be in top condition with a good correct box to have any real value What are they worth generally not as much as you think they are however the collector's market can get very silly at times as far as price goes $50 for a Hornby VR Z van madness that's more than I paid for them new. I certainly would not pay $355 for them you would be lucky to get $50 each out of me. As I am an operator not a collector and I look for the "modern" TC much easier to set up for modern track. If you want to get rid of them just put them up on E bay at a reasonable start price and if conditions are right then watch to price go up. The collectors market is a very fickle thing. regards John

Hi Chrisandson The first step is to make a good solid train table that the set will fit on a little bit bigger if you have the space. Drill some 10mm holes through the cross beams to allow for wiring both now and with later additions. as for leg height make sure to make a set of legs at a height that the child can reach the trains and controllers. You can always make longer legs later. Step 2 forget everything you saw on the great model railway challenge they rushed and some was sub standard, and the reality is that it takes longer than they did and quiet seriously some of what they did was just so out in the world of weird. Having extra working bits is good but take a lot of thought and engineering to create and can be added later after the basic things work properly. Oh! they are not professionals they are just hobbyists who have been at it for a while, and in time You your Wife and the Young un can all be that good. You need to take your time with building the train table laying track and wiring it up no short cuts or "she will be right attitude" on these three jobs, the long life and reliability depend on getting those jobs right. There are many publications available at good book shops and hobby shops on all aspects of the hobby the local library when you can get to it should be able to get the books in as well. When you get the chance grab a couple of model railway magazines from a news agent more so if it has a step by step project write up all information that comes in handy later. There is a lot of information on-line but treat with caution there is just as much bad as there is good information out there. Do not consider anything else too seriously (but do make allowances for it), until the table is made and trains up and running reliably once that is done then the world it runs in can be created. For now work on the KISS principle as you get a handle on things you can start to push the envelope. And lastly it's a great hobby to be in so the most important thing is to have fun and make sure the 7year old has input on what to do if he feels part of it he will look after it "excellent excuse for quality family time". If you get stuck some one here should be able to help, and remember the stupid question is the one that should have been asked and was not if you don't know ask away. regards John

Hi PTD You need a track fitted uncoupling device to suit the couplings being used, this is placed so you can uncouple the Loco then move it forward. Uncoupler signs are useful as uncouplers can't be easily seen with a train over the top What happens next depends on the station layout and whether it has a loco release road or is running with station pilot working. Covered station is only a real issue if the over all roof is not "glass" so you can't see through it. regards John

Hi bulleidboy An uncoupler sign is easy enough to make get some 2mm graph paper cut a rectangle 8mm X 16mm Fold in half with super glue in the middle this will form a 8mm square which works out at two feet square which many railway signs are. Use a piece of "N" scale rail to make a post that puts the center of the sign 9 feet above rail height 36mm paint sign board yellow post white and put a centered U on the sign. It will look the part people will scratch there head trying to work it out and you will always be able to find the uncoupling magnet regards John

Here is an early pic of my more or less home made station/media/tinymce_upload/f809dde54b6fb5c4d0a9e2545dd87b28.JPG It is not very big the train is a panier tank, cattle truck, triang davy crocket coach, and brake van. No prizes for guessing the influence in the train 😆 So the platform is not big at all, those familiar with my layout will tell you it is a very small one. The loco shed being on the far side of the layout On the platform Peco phone box Triang hoarding Hornby post box Wills station sign in home made flower box Wills lamp hut. It now has three oil lamp posts as well not working yet need wiring in. Your station like all those pictured will need to reflect the image you wish to represent and if grouping or later the owning company. regards John

Hi all Well a coach is two platform lengths long a typical branch line in model terms is generally two coaches and a small locomotive. So my suggestion would be make the platform six platform lengths plus the two ramps this will fit the whole train in the platform with a little over hang on the platform. This is based on the modern Hornby, Triang or Peco plastic platform lengths. Alternatively you could look at having a small halt instead which will be small and could be done with two Wills kits one with shelter and one without doesn't take up a lot of room./media/tinymce_upload/a2c22546200aad50b411310b6c9c8603.jpg Then there is the above which while not 100% accurate is based on a once very real stopping place note the level crossing all most out of shot on the right you can go even more basic if needs be yes they really did go more basic on branch lines and light railways The building is the fog hut out of the Hornby line side hut set the ground level platform if you can call it that is about credit card size. still needs farm fencing and hedges at the back and road side a couple of milk churns have since been added. regards John

Hi Nick73 Get your track down finalized and working reliably before you even think about ballast. Ballasting is left until fairly late in the model railway process. As it is a once done very difficult to undo to fix any issues that should have been found and fixed before ballasting. I would say if it is not to late that a couple of coats of natural color house paint where in order to seal the board from the moisture of scenery works and also it will look better than bare wood until proper scenery is in place. Also once track is down and working you will know what space you have to set up town and if it will be advantageous to build town over part of the track to create more scenic space. regards John

Hi all An interesting load of stuff the one that really surprised me was the Rocket three packs more particularly the goods wagons. I half expected the Rocket 3rd coaches. Not sure what prompted the sudden rash of better four wheel coaches and the six wheelers but will certainly looking at the four wheel brake and luggage coaches regards John

Hi NSWGR 38 By your name that suggests you are in OZ get the book Safe Signals A history of NSW railway signals. you will find it useful. Signals are positioned on the left hand side of the line mostly there are variations for sighting reasons and are in clear view of the driver. What and where they are is according to operational requirements and line speed Do you have a diagram of your layout you can put up, it would help getting more specific answers. The UK and the NSWGR have a lot in common with each other as far as rules and signalling practices this has only changed very recently with the national rail regulator being created. regards John

Hi Kevin Hodges Drumming might be an issue but so might strength. I would suggest two layers of core-flute set 90 degrees apart and glued together like the war-gamer's do with corrugated card board to make strong bases for structures. regards John

Hi Bogmonster There are a number of publishers that do track plan books Peco Kalmbach are two of them that are worth a look as is anything written by the late C J Freezer, Iain Rice and John Aherne all three are well worth reading for ideas even if you end up doing something completely different. A caution with Kalmbach these are American layouts and work on American RR principles which are different enough from UK practices that it should be noted. My layout came from Peco's track plans for small layouts I in fact expanded it to a larger space as it was really suited to 1960's practice rather then more modern manufacturers practices. Mine is also very small being 4'6" X 4'6" square and its bigger than the original OO scale plan it suited my needs for something quick and believable once sceniced Which brings in make your minimum radius 2nd radius while your current older trains will probably go round 1st radius. But many modern locomotives will not also some of the larger rolling stock won't either. I would suggest a visit to a good hobby shop to see what helpful publications they have. A good hobby shop will have books on model railways not just manufacturers publications The internet can also be helpful but be wary there is just as much bad information out there as there is good Resist the temptation to rush take your time get things done properly saves a lot of heart ache and wasted time and money. Or like me a mistake I have to live with because it now can't be fixed a pair of missing track feeds that should have gone next to the fiddle yard but it was built over before I realized they had been forgotten so I can't run from the fiddle yard direct to loco depot no track feed when the route is set. So really play with the layout long enough to make sure all possible routes including shunting run and run well before starting scenics Nothing wrong with basic a properly built basic layout is just as much fun as a more complex one. I would go for an electronics cleaner and use a Teflon lubricant and Tamiya grease as applicable both available from hobby shops seek out the maintenance sheets for the loco's you have they will show where the lube goes Some of the materials model trains are made of don't take kindly to other products so make sure what you use to clean and lube won't damage your trains isopropyle (spelling) alcohol is often mentioned as a good cleaner for model trains. While on cleaning its worth getting a couple of second hand more modern pin point axle type Triang track cleaners the ones with the felt pad that look like US box cars there old but many including me swear by them as still being the best track cleaners, something that will need to be done from time to time replica felt pads are available for them and the pads are damped down with isopropyle alcohol run one wet the other dry. From you description I am assuming you plan on the good old 8' X 4" with extension which done right will produce a very nice layout. Just because a layout is roundy roundy doesn't mean a meaningful layout can't be built. Its all down to what you want to achieve and represent Don't be afraid to change any plan to suit your needs just remember to leave some room for scenery if you want some, and if you go over the track, make sure you have 6'' clearance so your hands can get in to retrieve that train that had the cheek to derail under whatever is built over the track you have to be able to get at any hidden track. I have probably given you a headache now so will stop and give you time to think. regards John

Hi Mr Fink-Nottle I forget where but I have seen vinyl overlays to fit the Triang / Hornby Pullman coaches. One was a kitchen car could be worth a thought, and possibly worth looking for?. regards John

Hi Bogmonster Check the board is still straight and sits level and is well supported this will be important later. Given the age of the locomotives and I assume they have sat idle for many many years get them all properly cleaned and serviced they will need it to get rid of dried up lube and accumulated muck which may stop them working properly and damage them. Track goes to green file and is replaced by modern track it is just not worth the hassles to get it clean and cleaning of fish-plates will be a pain in the >>>> Peco track is well worth a look while investigating the brand of track you want, also investigate a suitable track plan, avoid the manufacturers plans they are designed to sell product instead look at plans of real stations etc this will give a better looking more workable track layout much more fun if you can play trains rather than just roundy roundy. As and when you can afford it change over time the rolling stock wheels to metal ones there are plenty of choices about and the modern Hornby wheels will fit the older Hornby models and some of the later pinpoint axle Triang and some other now defunct brands. The more metal wheels running on the track the cleaner it will stay I only have anecdotal evidence for this but it does also give a satisfying clickety clack as it crosses rail joints and points. As you have DC you might as well stick with it and when looking for new locomotives look for "DCC Ready" in the description, this means the loco is DC and if you choose to go DCC at a later date that the chip can be fitted. The two systems don't really play well together so best too choose one or the other at your earliest convenience. "Do not feed after midnight or you will find it has spread to fill all available space 😆" these things have the tendency to do that so plan ease of expansion into what ever kind of layout you decide to build. regards John

Hi Steam Steve There is a limit but I have not found it yet its BIG If you are concerned run a ring main track feed with regular feeds up to the track that works well I have done that for years. Keep the track clean and make sure the fish plates are clean properly fitted and not loose, make sure you jumper across any board section joints as this is where any issues will show up later if they are going to. Also check and re-check as you fix in the track feeds so you don't end up with a crossed one. regards John

Hi ArmyMedic Re the WW1 layout had a quick look while I was over on you tube interesting You might need to keep the figures separated looks like some are 1/72 Airfix like toys and some are 1/76 model railway figures. As for the explosion flashes could be a nice touch from a modeling point of view, But given your forum name might be to much like taking work home (which is why I don't have many signals on my railway 😆) A camp fire might be a way to cheat on the pranged plane if you do it and it hasn't splintered on impact engine fire perhaps? If you can find Black Adder goes forth in the great model railway challenge that might give you some ideas. I am sure there are a couple of WW1 layouts on you-tube that might give you some ideas one of them not sure which has the explosion flashes. From an exhibition point of view the more action things you have the longer you can keep Joe public interested but don't get carried away with it can be over done. regards John

Hi ThePidgeonArmy_TrainCollector The train should run on any HO OO scale track that has a large enough rail size it may need some minor back to back measurment tweeks to get it to run reliably The reviews I have read don't recon much to the Lionel HO track so I would say your going to be running on your existing layout. You will only be able to use the features the train has if you can use the Lionel control gear or have a compatable control system, I am not real sure what Lionel uses for its Lion Chief control system. Pretty sure its some kind of digital control system and as a Lionel toy train, Lionel only make toy trains they are more known for O gauge ones. You are going to need to find some one who can understand the digital set up Lionel have used it's probably not compatable with normal model railway systems, but some one who understands DCC witchcraft (I don't) should be able to assist you to get it to work with all features working. It can be done I just don't know enough about it to advise you further on the DCC witchcraft side of things. regards John

Hi ArmyMedic Stop that your having far to much fun 😆 The Son? Grandson? is going to love that, and will no doubt get many many hours of fun out of it. You have set yourself a hard act to follow, but at least you will know what presents to get for the train set 😆 Where did you get the working belsha beacons from? regards John

Hi mightyllama No formula just remember many modern locomotives and some rollingstock will not go round R1 curves 14 5/8" for British standards and 15" for US standards not sure what the are in metric. So when you come to design a perminant layout or use a comercial plan and they mention R1 curves or the two measurements above as the minimum radius for the plan its not OK and you need to go for min R2 and some adjustments may be needed. regards John

Hi Mctrains You don't it's too late by then. Please can you be a bit more specific as to what exactly it is you want to do, move an existing layout? build one that can be moved?. Or build a layout in one of the modular design systems? or using design parts there of regards John

Hi wagonwheels Railway modeling is a very broad church with a pew for everyone and plenty of standing room if it's needed First please define proper railway modeler 😆 All of my trains are RTR some old some new and some in between many of my buildings are kits I have Dublo and Triang buildings as well. I don't like the modern train set buildings they have a lot less detail than the Dublo and Triang ones so the modern ones I have are GRR!! gifts for the train set I have some very nice Scaledale buildings as well. I have a whole Two scratch built items one built for fun as it has a Halloween theme to it, the other makes the railway Mine All MINE HA HA HA ERHM! back to normality 😆. I even have a couple of nearly Kit bashed buildings I say nearly because of the very low level of work?? to create them. Historically what was once called a model railway, we would call a train set today very operation oriented no scenery as we know it only buildings and features that are purely railway in nature maybe also some factories for freight destinations absolutely no scenery or ballast as we understand it in fact anything out side the railway fence did not even get a mention or build. The idea being to have an operating railway that follows the real railways before that railway modeling was the domain of engineers. To show people who had no idea what he was talking about with this new fangled thing called a railway to show what it was. Toy trains then models for personal pleasure followed very quickly as leisure time was invented and became a thing thank you Victorian era for that. Railway modeling as we recognize it today started around about WW2 with the likes of John Aherne and in the US John Allen as materials where short for making trains commercially or privately. So to keep the Hobby going they started making scenery and buildings (it caught on) with what was available some of the stuff used would give the health and safety people today at a minimum clinical anxiety. We all do what we can with the skills we have and what our personal tastes are. The only clearly defined line is between a Toy Railway and a Model Railway and even that can be a bit blurred at times and they are just equally valid hobbies that basically form both sides of the same coin and I am not even sure which one is the head of the coin 😆 The only question that matters "Is your version of the hobby fun?" and the answer is YES or your in the wrong hobby 😆 regards John

Hi potbus2378 First question exactly which Hogwarts Castle do you have, I have the first production run and it hauls a full movie length five coach train with no issues and that's on a layout which is not big enough for the train to straighten out and really stretch its legs. When the newer features where added like lights and witchcraft chip some of the weight was removed to make room for the new features. Check the loco is sitting correctly that the tender draw bar is not playing games with it, and all wheels move freely and that pickup contacts are not bent causing drag. is the leading bogie moving freely etc. Clean wheels and track won't be an issue in fact the cleaner the better. If all appears to be well you are going to have to try and increase the weight some how and make sure any added weight is balanced out and don't add to much. I can't comment on the arcane witchcraft side as I know nothing about it. regards John

Hi treelink Not as well cut and softer thats two answers that preclude them from use not made to a high enough standard for restoration or replacing missing and broken bolts. All the EU garbage, rules and regulations as I understand them (I live in Australia) require total alignment with EU standards which means the French nuts and bolts are metric and not imperial sizes another reason they can't be used. Where ever posible regardless of product when making repaires you replace like for like or at least match the original specification with parts replacement. regardsJohn

Hi ChrisBeadling You have a real problem there Sir Toppem Hat is only about 4'6" tall I have not found a realistic figure or even a toy figure that would be suitable for Sir Toppem Hat and I have looked. 3D scanning and printing would be an option if you know some one short enough and rotund enough to play the part. regards John