The Duke 71000

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - "Fruit salad" or Cocktail of latest pics. ABOVE: Hornby Schools "V" Class 4-40 No:3098 "Wesnster" on the tuntable, just before it got ploned out of the way to allow wiing of the tutable. I have four of these "V" cass Hornby modes, and as they have traction tyes, they will pull 1/14 oaches up 1 in 100 gradients stright out of the packet.....

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - "Fruit salad" or Cocktail of latest pics. ABOVE: The track situation around the shed currently. This reveals tracklaying of the mainlines (U Slow & Up Fast) has fially reached the min station plaforms.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - "Fruit salad" or Cocktail of latest pics. ABOVE: Another collection of loos outside the shed, just before wiring up the Locoshed area bgan about a week ago. Promnent is a Bachann Clas 4 diesel, which appeared on Inter-Regional trins from the Mdlands from around 194, occasially at Basitoke.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Main Fiddle Yard & Third Rail ! ABOVE: Now minus the train, the third rail should be just vible. The rail usd is Peco code 0 rail, soldered to Peco brass nails, in the end of everyth sleeper. The nails allow adjustmnt of the height. The remmended Peco pstic 3rd rail "china" pots, are I foud useless, as they getdamgedevery time you cean the trck, hence the brass nails.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Main Fiddle Yard & Third Rail ! ABOVE: An Bachmann 8EP formaton of EMU's, proceedin ginerly over the newly laid Third Rail, to esure their (plastic) third rails shoes don't quite touch the rail. This loation i my revised vrsion of Wrting Junction, which has now been wired up, and ballasted. Thse uts interestingly give a very reaistic sond clatering through this juncion.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Main Fiddle Yard & Third Rail ! ABOE: Another angle on the copleted "Country end" of the Min 2 track Fiddle Yard. The roblem at ths end was devising the scenery to cope with all the pontwork which has stretched a littlefurther tan planned. The enrance to the Fddle Yard will have to ulise a number of tunnel mouths, and the resultant hillsdes will have to extend to coer some at least of the poitwork.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Main Fiddle Yard & Third Rail ! ABOVE: This is the man Fiddle yard where track layng has finally been completed at the end nearest. It has to include at least one crosover between the Up & Don lins, to allow for reversing certain trains such as EMU's & the Bournemouth Belle. Each of the our mainline tracks has six sidings, each long enough to accommodate 1 coach exress or two shorter trains.

Basingstoke 1958-67 When I first discovered the Forum was back up and running, I quickly discovered my page was no longer listed. But I found it using the Search facility. As it wasn't showing in the listings, I began a new page under the same title "Basingstoke 1958-67". Our Moderator "Chrisaf" suggested I return to the original, and I assume as a result, that the original had been brought out of the cupboard so to speak. However adding new content to the old page, requires the Moderator to currently keep "bumping it up the current listing". But the pictures on the original section have still not been added, making those old posts look rather dis-interesting. But as "editing" appears to work on all the old Posts, I have just begun adding the missing pictures, having reduced the size of the originals, due to the new limits on picture size. This however appears to have put my page back into the cupboard, as it seems to have vanished from the current listings again !!!??? Adding the old pics seemed to work, and the system confirmed that it had been saved. It didn't say it had been sent for further moderation, as it appeared with all the other Posts ! The Duke 71000

Luke, That all depends on which Class 43 !!! The original class 43's were of course the North British built "Warship" diesel Hydraulics, which certainly did haul Mk1's. Keep up the good work, the layouts coming along nicely. The Duke 71000

BASINGSTOKE - Progress in the Locoshed area. ABOVE: As a prelude to the net Post which will deal with progress wiring the shed up. We can see here, one of my 0 Bulleid Pacifics on the turntable. This moter being rebuilt Merchant Navy 35026 "Laort & Holt Line", and a dirty one it is. Having reived a good weathering, along with a number of modifications including the mising cab to tender roof, and a litle real coal in the bunker.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Progress in the Locoshed area. ABOVE: A closer view of the single slip, metioned in th previus picture. The tracks meioned in the picture help reveal that this single slip will be part of a long crossover. This will connect all the trks maked in the picture, and allow locos to reach the n Freight yard, via three more single slips and a couple of points.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Progress in the Locoshed area. ABOVE: An aerial view of the shed, with a few locos, including a Class 45 1-Co-Co-1 diesel to the right under the "sheer legs". This shot also reveals further progress with point , which is now spreading to link up the four mainline tracks to the right, and includes the first of number of single slips. The pic taken on 16th February, so there is yet more progress to reveal.....

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Progress in the Locoshed area. ABOVE: A view inside the shed through the main entrance doors. The rail built rig for the lighting is now revealed over the centre track. The little LED's are just bright enough to reveal any locos hidden inside, which also allows viewers a glimpse, if they are standing at the end of the layout some 15ft away.

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Progress in the Locoshed area. ABOVE: Looking in through the rear windows of the locoshed, can be seen some of the little yellow 1.5v LED's. This shed was hit on a least two occasions during WW2 by German Luftwaffe bombers, which destroyed the shed roof. As rebuilt they omitted theaking it even darker inside.....

BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 - Progress in the Locoshed area. ABOVE: It's a bit gloomy inside this 3ft long 3 track scratchbuilt locoshed. So to help the shed operator see what is lurking inside I have built this gantry from bent rail, and mounted a number of 1.5v tiny's on it. There is also now a sponge "buffer stop" (extreme left) to try and stop derailments ! The shed simply slides over this lighting rig, which is built the centre track.