New Railway Modellers Forums

Almost totally OT, but I can never see mention of Hull Paragon without being reminded of the extraordinary accident that happened there in 1927. An arrival and a departure met head-on at a junction outside the station, because a signalman in a hurry had thrown the wrong points switch (it was an elec...

You are quite right. Only 8P classes carried the blue livery, and, yes, that included the Merchant Navies - but not the light Bulleid pacifics, which were classed 7P.

I think I’ve finally cracked it, after three false starts trying to design a layout to go in this cellar of mine. On the way I’ve probably made just about every mistake there is in layout designing: getting over-ambitious, trying to cram railway into every square inch leaving no room for scenery (an...

Ah, this thread has appeared at just the right time! Just got back a couple of hours ago from a trip to the Welsh Highland Railway (link as for the Ffestiniog Railway, above), and I can thoroughly recommend it. This is railroading (pity there's no English equivalent to that American word) in the gra...

Well, I still haven’t started on the layout, which is just as well, because I’ve been having a complete re-think. I’ve realised I’ve been ham-stringing myself (a) by putting the main station in the wrong place and (b) by setting aside three feet or so of the widest part of the room as a workshop are...

Yus mate, and as far as I'm concerned all those things you love so much are diseasels. They leave me utterly cold. No offence intended: it's each to his own. As for the "con rods on the front and rear trucks," there's no should or shouldn't about it. There's no mechanical connection betwee...

Yes, thank you: I ordered the decoder you recommended from Bromsgrove Models and it slipped in as easy as anything. I'll bear it in mind if I'm ever pushed for space again. Good service too from Bromsgrove. It arrived exactly when they said it would. And yes again. I particularly like Kirsty's lyric...

When you come to fit the decoder into one of these little beauties, you find a star, rather than a little number 1, marked on the socket. I seem to remember reading somewhere that this is for pin 8, rather than pin 1 as you'd presume. Is there anyone who has chipped one of these and can confirm? I'd...

Thank you for your replies. Knowledgable and full of good advice as Bigmet always is, I've decided to go with the solution proposed by Dad-1, and my order's in with Bromsgrove Models. A loomless direct plug-in decoder! Why didn't I think of that? What a good idea when you're short of space. Only thi...

'Scuse me if this is all simple stuff to some of you, but.... I have just become the proud possessor of a 57xx in GWR green, but, in my ham-fisted way, I'm having a hell of a job trying to install the decoder. Plug it in into the socket, fine; but where to put the thing? There's so little room insid...

Well, I more or less did what you suggested (Thanks!): looked at it a section at a time. Once I'd found the right site for the main station, the rest of it sort of fell into place - though not without a fair bit of juggling and head scratching. (If you're using, as I was, the trial version of Anyrai...

Thanks for the comments, folks. It's rather boggling my mind too, or at least the thought of building it all is. But hey, I reckon it's time to go for what I really want. Yes, I was reluctant to put in the lifting section, as it complicates both planning and construction. But at my age I have to fac...

Well, the image of my plan that I tried to upload seems to be coming and going at random, at least on my computer, so I'll try another way of showing it. Here goes....

Right, I said I was working on it, so here are the fruits of my labours. I've managed, not without a fair amount of sweat and midnight oil, to fit in just about everything I wanted. Comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome (though I don't necessarily promise to incorporate them. :D ) Hat...

Correct. The Rats in the Walls by H. P. Lovecraft, which is also where, apparently, the author of that Sherlock Holmes story got it. In my defence I cite as examples Dover Priory and the vanished Merton Abbey (near Colliers Wood). Oh, and there's a village mentioned in the same story that gives me a...