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