The plan changes (slightly)

I (will) have the following types of stock for the layout:

- Modern WHR carriages/borrowed FR modern carriages to be hauled by 143/87/138/K1/funkeys etc
- Modern WHR construction stock to be hauled by Upnor Castle/Conwy Castle etc
- Modern/heritage Col Stephens FR set to be hauled by Tal/Merddin (photocharters)
and (hopeful) I suppose:
- WHHR heritage carriages and wagons to be hauled by Russell

Then there are:

- Heritage WHR stock and wagons to be hauled by Beddgelert/Moel Tryfan/Gowrie/590 etc (which is a bit of a modellers' licence thing really).

and the following rarely if ever to be used on Rhyd Ddu (but to be used on the proposed future FR layout):

- Modern FR carriages

- Modern FR PW stock

- Modern/heritage FR slate trains and vans/waggons

- Modern/heritage Victorian FR set

But it will take me ages to get all of the above ready, so I must concentrate on the top 4 bullet points above.  Thus I have decided that locos that do not fit into that set may be sacrificed in order to pay for my 16mm garden railway project.  Thus I am looking to sell locos that are outside this plan and also are likely to be unreliable in DCC - i.e. 0-4-0s.  I am as yet unsure of what to do about Beddgelert/Moel Tryfan/Gowrie/590 as I would like to keep them if possible.

Colin

Taliesin update

Did some minor work on Taliesin last night, but gave up in exasperation after fiddling around for ages. 
I did manage to glue on the chimney and attach the cylinder back covers.  I also tacked on one of the slidebars and got it running nicely until one of the retaining bushes fell off whilst I was testing it.  Getting that back on (behind the slidebars) proved to be impossible.  I gave up for some thought and now have a new idea.  But first I must ensure that the crankpins stay where they are and so I will be investing in some loctite 601 retainer.
Colin

purchases

Despite my exertions in 16mm see here I have also been doing some 009...

This has included the purchase of an apparently dead England off ebay, and within 5 minutes having made it work.  Here it is above.  This will become Palmerston and this is aided by the fact that this model doesn't have the central moulded nameplate on the tank side.  The model does need detailing (not least by finding some replacement sandboxes), and also will need some work to stop it being so rear heavy - liquid lead in the smokebox and a plasticard roof are two ideas so far...

I've also been experimenting with the roco clean wagon I bought...

which works quite nicely indeed and I suspect that I could replace the track rubber with a sponge soaked in some cleaner like goo gone and replicate the CMX cleaner (although not with the auto flow thing unless I can find a way of putting a small recepticle inside this wagon!

Colin

Beddgelert and wiring

Firstly I have managed to do some tidying work on the wiring on the most congested board – the yard.

and after a most welcome suggestion from a commenter I have altered Beddgelert to take the outside framed Farish 08.  Luckily it didn’t need much to widen the axleboxes to get this in.  I also drilled two holes at the front for the chassis to be attached to.  Work is still required to find a way of attaching it at the rear and also to mount the trailing bogie.  Then it’s just the con rods and slidebars that need fabricating.  A quick touch up with paint and a conversion to dcc (easy) and it’s all done. Oh and nameplates of course…and a driver…and…

 

Colin

Much to report

Sorry for the delay in posting, this has been due to a very busy week when I was hardly at home at all.

On the 009 front, I have tested the points decoder and there is good and bad news...

The good news is that it functions as it should and each output I tested work - I didn't test output 1 as it runs across to the other end of the loop. The LED lights up and the controller can make the point motor operate. This has thus tested the continuity of the wiring and that the decoder itself is working.

The bad news is that in general the pulse does not have enough uumph to throw the point blade over. Now this may be due to the points being a bit sticky due to ballasting and painting, but I have also heard that many utilise a CDU to give a bit more uumph and I will try this (I have such a unit in stock in anticipation that this might be the case). John from County Gate has said he uses a CDU for each point(!).

I have also been lucky to have been passed some karma from the estate of the late Dr Ben Fisher, who many of you will know through his excellent WHR site and forum. I have been pleased to offer Joe Fisher, his brother, some advice on the models Ben left behind. Joe hopes to get a 009 layout going with the not inconsiderable stock that Ben constructed. In many cases this was either scratchbuilt or heavily modified from kits. The standard is excellent, and when I heard that much of this modelling was carried out when he was in his secondary school/university years, I was very impressed indeed. The stock that is finished included Ashover, Leek and Manifold, Ffestiniog and Blaenau, WDLR and French stock, all built to a very high standard. Joe then showed me Ben's piece de resistance - a beautiful model of the Pechot-Bourdon double fairlie - just wonderful.

Joe is however not interested in the unmade kits that Ben left behind and after an appeal via the WHR forum has passed them on to me. I will be making a donation to the WHRS appeal for Nantmor halt - the Dr Ben Fisher memorial appeal.

I have therefore been fortunate to 'inherit', amongst other things, a backwoods Russell kit - which I will build in the cut-down state - a NWNGR workmans' carriage and a complete WHR Pickering brake (although this is in a freelance livery).

Also I have been passed two 16mm narrow gauge kits, both Slaters - a quarry Hunslet and a De Winton. The garden railway plans are thus being accelerated. I have set up another blog for all things 16mm at http://16mm-ng.blogspot.com and will be posting there about garden focussed developments. I hope that this will not affect progress on Rhyd Ddu, as that remains by top priority.

Colin