St. Blazey's Works and Depot

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Well all that hard work was a complete failure.
The HST lights up the red tail lights when going forward and white when going backwards. Changing the decoders direction was my first port of call but it just wont hold the setting change on the decoder.
Every time I change a setting then read it back, the setting has reset itself to it's default whether it be DCC only running or anything. The only thing that is holding is the Loco number and the cab lights do not work at all. I've tested the cab light board directly using a battery and both lights on it work so it's not the board.
I've boxed it all back up and walked away in disgust and frustration.
Thanks
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I tried my hand at weathering a wagon for the first time this week, with a bit of a difference.
This is a china clay wagon so most of the weathering is white with some brown dirt on the undercarriage and the wheels painted black.
I tried to drag the paint down from the top somewhat to give the impression of spillage plus an overall dusty china clay mine look.
I don't have any prototype pictures to use as reference material so it's a bit of a guess really, but I did want it to look well used.

I used a fibreglass pencil at first to distress the wagon somewhat although the painted lettering hardly wore off at all.
I don't know what paint Bachmann use but it definitely stays where it's put.

Here's the weathered wagon next to an original 'out of the box' wagon for comparison.

I don't think it's too bad for a first try at weathering without any pictures to reference.
Thanks
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Going through the works at the moment is my Bachmann GWR Auto Coach.
It already has pick ups to every wheel so I don't need to install pick up springs but the space available within the coach is minimal and I don't think I can add a stay alive capacitor. Hopefully with all wheel pick up this shouldn't matter too much.

I've already painted the floor grey, added passengers, cut the drivers legs off so he is the correct height (He's lying down on the job at the moment as you can see ) and have begun the wiring.
The 'S' bends in the wire are to add a bit of flex before reaching a point along the wire where it will be glued down to the undercarriage.
This is so the bogie can reach it's maximum arc without the wire being taught nor snagging.

My idea is that the 2 yellow wires will be soldered to a single yellow wire and same with the blue wires, those 2 single yellow and blue wires will connect to the rest of the circuit I will install in the narrow enter / exit hallway.
I will try to hide it all by using vertical mirror sheet in the hallway, either side of the electronics, facing outwards towards the doors.

Thanks
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Wires now glued into place along the inside of the undercarriage as tidy as possible.
...and stairs glued back on because I broke them.

I removed the original weight as it was too light and replaced it with lead sheeting covered in insulating tape.
The lead sheeting is placed in the recess's where the green boxes are in the picture.

Next I need to think how I will attach the electronics. I used a small piece of vero board in the past as I added a stay alive capacitor but this coach will not have the capacitor so does it warrant the board or will this be too big for the cavity it all needs to fit into and I should just try to solder all the components together?

A lot of manual goings-on....for an AUTO coach.
The adventure continues.
Thanks
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After continuous testing throughout the Auto coach improvement to make sure everything was working at each stage, now one of the LEDs has stopped working.
I'll need to unsolder it from the light bar and replace it before anything else. What a pain in the brake van, when I'm almost finished too!

Still left to do:-
Add the mirrored walls to the hallway section of the coach which have already been made from balsa, painted dark brown, and the mirror sheeting stuck to the balsa with pritt stick.
Add figure(s) standing in the hallway, in front of each mirrored wall looking outwards (To distract the eye/brain into thinking you can see straight through the hallway even tough there is no light in the hallway part of the coach).
Remove the driving end coupling.
Add the detailing parts to the driving end
Replace the body and glue the stairs I broke.
Thanks
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[Phred]

Beautiful attention to detail. Following along.

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This project will take slightly longer than anticipated as (not only having to replace one of the LED's ) I've decided to order a specific figure for the other side of the hallway, looking out of the window, which will need to be painted when it arrives.
https://www.scale3d.co.uk/collections/c ... 4320189660
After contacting Scale3D about the height of both the 00 and H0 figure and a quick measure up of the windows, I've ordered the H0 version which should be seen through the window including the heads.

I've yet to drag the soldering iron back out yet but replacing the broken LED is my first task.
Thanks
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The internals of the auto coach are now finished.
The first 2 pictures show the Scale3d figure holding a child and a young boy on either side of the hallway with the mirrored walls behind each of them, hiding the electronics and wiring up to the light bar.

2 final 'body off' pictures with the lights on.

Still more external detailing to do.
Thanks
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[Richard08]

Leave the body off - it looks like a Swiss narrow gauge party carriage Nice.

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Looking at the last picture (with the lights on) I noticed the end LED needed more paint.
After closer inspection I also noticed, the holes where the LED legs are soldered, were leaking light upwards somewhat so I've daubed brown paint over the holes.
Now there is no light shining upwards.
Thanks
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Leave the body off - it looks like a Swiss narrow gauge party carriage Nice.

Wrong Alps Richard.
My layout's set closer to the Cornish Alps.
Thanks
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[Phred]

I would be reluctant to put the body on and cover up all that excellent inside detail. Richard08's idea sounds good to me!

[heda]

Looks great, well worth all the work involved.
You've got a lot more patience than me !
Dave

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I would be reluctant to put the body on and cover up all that excellent inside detail.

To recant a phrase etched deep in the scribing's of a certain J.R.R. Tolkein.... "Give us a chance precious!"
You haven't seen the finished model yet.

@heda I've soldered a million things. That part was easy. But with all the under carriage detailing I've already had to glue 2 parts back on, the light bar came unstuck twice, trying to stuff all the electronics into such a small space and replacing the LED, all were a tricky nuisance.
Determination is the key (actually it's more like, walking away when it get's too bloomin' frustrating)

I'm only going to add the exterior details to the driving end and so far I've glued 2 out of 5 on. Tiny as they are.
Thanks
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[heda]

Not just the soldering E2E, the whole thing, I can never be bothered painting little people in so much detail.
Dave