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Nice models. So you wouldn't recommend a Dapol 121? I see they have Railtrack and Loadhaul ones going cheap... I've been considering a Hornby 153 for some time, but knew it was an older model so wasn't sure how well it ran, what's your opinion on its running characteristics?
I really wouldn't recommend a Dapol 121, no - until they fix the issues plaguing the models. The main issue is the detailing around the bogies, which means the bogies can't rotate as much as they should, causing the unit to derail on curves. The only way of fixing it is by filing or removing detailing from the underframe or the bogies, neither of which are things I was prepared to to do. We had a bit of a discussion about the topic in this thread.
The Hornby 153 is a really good runner - it's nice and smooth and works perfectly over my points and junctions, none of which are 100% perfect. In terms of lighting there are directional lights but no interior lights.
The snowplough is really nice I think the shark face makes it that bit better!
That snowplough is amazing.
I like your Bubble Car Peter, my friend has an N gauge Dapol Network Southeast one with an interior lighting bar and it’s a lovely little thing because it’s a one coach complete train.
I really wouldn't recommend a Dapol 121, no - until they fix the issues plaguing the models. The main issue is the detailing around the bogies, which means the bogies can't rotate as much as they should, causing the unit to derail on curves. The only way of fixing it is by filing or removing detailing from the underframe or the bogies, neither of which are things I was prepared to to do. We had a bit of a discussion about the topic in this thread.
The Hornby 153 is a really good runner - it's nice and smooth and works perfectly over my points and junctions, none of which are 100% perfect. In terms of lighting there are directional lights but no interior lights.
The snowplough is really nice I think the shark face makes it that bit better!
That snowplough is amazing.
I like your Bubble Car Peter, my friend has an N gauge Dapol Network Southeast one with an interior lighting bar and it’s a lovely little thing because it’s a one coach complete train.
It's quite a novelty and the funniest bit is that my layout never gets any snow!
That was my thinking behind getting the 121 - I wanted to go for something which would allow me to have a complete train, whether that be an engine to go with coaches I already had, or a coach, or a unit.
Oh no! I hope it gets through soon. Royal Mail seem to be struggling to cope a bit with the large number of parcels/etc. being sent over Christmas as well. Hope you had a merry Christmas otherwise!
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Oldmoor Junction Model Railway - Update 18 (and OJMR Advent Calendar - Days 23, 24, 25, and 26)
I hope that everyone's had a nice, relaxing, and merry Christmas as much as possible. I personally can't wait for the end of 2020 (but I'm definitely enjoying the lazy days between now and then)!
Seeing as everyone else is sharing their Christmas presents, I thought I'd share mine. I was very lucky and received four engines - one of which I wasn't expecting!
The first engine (or unit really I suppose) is a Bachmann Class 121... View attachment 87749
This is the replacement for the Dapol Class 121 I originally went for. It is much lighter than the Dapol equivalent but is so much better in every other way - the main one being that it works as it should! I've fitted this with a decoder (which was very stressful, seeing as the body's held on with clips not screws and I'm amazingly clumsy) and the lighting functions are really cool - you can have directional lights, cab lights, saloon lights, and destination blind lights! All good fun to try and control. The decoder is a Plux 22 and apparently does braking simulation or something but if it does this with the 121 I don't know - I'll consult the interwebs and manual for more info!
I thought I might as well include this as well... View attachment 87752
This is a Hattons Beilhack snowplough from their Festive Sale. It's the 'Stratford Shark' version and it looks really cool with the face! I'm not very knowledgeable on this kind of rolling stock and so I'll be looking them up online over the next few days to see what engines could be seen with them and then make somewhat realistic formations from there. It's run around the layout with Smokey Joe and the Class 33 so far so that's something I suppose It's really detailed without being fragile or delicate and it negotiates all trackwork perfectly.
I also guess these can be considered the advent calendar engines for the 23rd, 24th, 25th, and today (26th) (apart from the snowplough obviously). My plan was always to continue this to the end of December, as I have enough engines to do so, so I might as well carry on until the 31st. I've done a quick count of my engines and I'll be able to do one engine a day until the 31st, when I'll end the year with a few just to finish it off (the year and this advent calendar!).
Once again, I hope you all had a very lovely Christmas - let's see what 2021 brings...
I am a bit clumsy on detail too, never used to be, but am now as 20/20 vision has gone too & I need glasses too! Modern stuff is so detailed that bits break off so easily, grrr
Oh no! I hope it gets through soon. Royal Mail seem to be struggling to cope a bit with the large number of parcels/etc. being sent over Christmas as well. Hope you had a merry Christmas otherwise!
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Oldmoor Junction Model Railway - Update 18 (and OJMR Advent Calendar - Days 23, 24, 25, and 26)
I hope that everyone's had a nice, relaxing, and merry Christmas as much as possible. I personally can't wait for the end of 2020 (but I'm definitely enjoying the lazy days between now and then)!
Seeing as everyone else is sharing their Christmas presents, I thought I'd share mine. I was very lucky and received four engines - one of which I wasn't expecting!
The first engine (or unit really I suppose) is a Bachmann Class 121... View attachment 87749
This is the replacement for the Dapol Class 121 I originally went for. It is much lighter than the Dapol equivalent but is so much better in every other way - the main one being that it works as it should! I've fitted this with a decoder (which was very stressful, seeing as the body's held on with clips not screws and I'm amazingly clumsy) and the lighting functions are really cool - you can have directional lights, cab lights, saloon lights, and destination blind lights! All good fun to try and control. The decoder is a Plux 22 and apparently does braking simulation or something but if it does this with the 121 I don't know - I'll consult the interwebs and manual for more info!
The second unit is a Hornby Class 153... View attachment 87750
I believe the tooling for this model dates from 2008 but honestly, looking at the detailing, you'd never know. It's DCC compatible, has directional lights, and is absolutely covered in rivets. The livery is also really cool - it's EMT ex Central Trains, so it's completely different to everything else I have, but it is really nice to look at. I fitted a decoder to it yesterday but something happened and it then didn't work with a decoder. I replaced the decoder with the blanking plate and it works perfectly on DC, so I'll try again with a decoder tomorrow and see if it works. I wonder if something accidentally shorted - probably the purple wire from the decoder, which isn't attached to anything.
The third and fourth engines are tiny little things... View attachment 87751
On the right is a Hornby Ruston 48DS in Longmorn Distillery livery. The chocolate and cream colours remind me of the GWR and the quirkiness of it makes me like it even more! I've not yet fitted it with a decoder (though my plan is to fit it, after buying the right decoder, soon), so it's currently DC but still works really well. I don't think I'm going to remove the conflat wagon it comes with as it needs to have the extra pickups for my layout really and I worry that I might lose it!
On the left is a Hornby classic - 'Smokey Joe'. I was very surprised when I unwrapped this as I'd got one of these famous pocket rockets before! It's one of the later, re-motored versions which are less pocket-rockets and more proper shunting engines as they have very good slow-speed performance. I'm not going to bother DCC fitting this as it's not got a socket and I've had enough of soldering for a while (more on this in the next update!).
I thought I might as well include this as well... View attachment 87752
This is a Hattons Beilhack snowplough from their Festive Sale. It's the 'Stratford Shark' version and it looks really cool with the face! I'm not very knowledgeable on this kind of rolling stock and so I'll be looking them up online over the next few days to see what engines could be seen with them and then make somewhat realistic formations from there. It's run around the layout with Smokey Joe and the Class 33 so far so that's something I suppose It's really detailed without being fragile or delicate and it negotiates all trackwork perfectly.
I also guess these can be considered the advent calendar engines for the 23rd, 24th, 25th, and today (26th) (apart from the snowplough obviously). My plan was always to continue this to the end of December, as I have enough engines to do so, so I might as well carry on until the 31st. I've done a quick count of my engines and I'll be able to do one engine a day until the 31st, when I'll end the year with a few just to finish it off (the year and this advent calendar!).
Once again, I hope you all had a very lovely Christmas - let's see what 2021 brings...
Nice models. So you wouldn't recommend a Dapol 121? I see they have Railtrack and Loadhaul ones going cheap... I've been considering a Hornby 153 for some time, but knew it was an older model so wasn't sure how well it ran, what's your opinion on its running characteristics?
I am a bit clumsy on detail too, never used to be, but am now as 20/20 vision has gone too & I need glasses too! Modern stuff is so detailed that bits break off so easily, grrr
None of the detailing packs which came with my engines have been opened because I know I'll never be able to fit them properly! Having said that, I'm getting better at not breaking things.
Haha I expect the inhabitants of both places will be thrilled with their new service!
-Peter
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OJMR Advent Calendar/first eight days of Christmas - Day 27
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You lucky things are being spoiled - I'm continuing the advent calendar into the first eight days of Christmas!
Today's engine is a new addition to the railway...
If you've read recent posts on this thread, you'll be aware that I had bought a new engine before Christmas - specifically, a Hornby Class 52. It was from an eBay auction and cost £50. I used Hattons to see more technical information about the model (as I always do when buying second-hand, to see if a model is DCC ready etc.), and they said it was DCC ready; this was the main reason for me buying it as I could get a decoder adaptor to go with a 21-pin decoder I already had to get a DCC-fitted engine for ~£60. However, when the model arrived (just a few days before Christmas - I thought it would arrive on the 30th), I removed the bodyshell to see that it was not DCC ready at all. I tried soldering another spare decoder I had to the engine but this failed and so it's going to be DC only for now. It's a really good runner, though, and the weathering effects, while a bit shiny on the top of the model, make the engine stand out. I want to get a Dapol 52 now!
-Peter
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OJMR Advent Calendar/first eight days of Christmas - Days 28 and 29
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I forgot to share the 28th post for the OJMR advent calendar yesterday so you're all getting two engines today - I bet you're thrilled
The engine on the left is a HST powercar - specifically 43010. It's an older Hornby model which I got a couple of years ago, along with a dummy powercar and Mk3, for £30 - quite a good deal I think! The motor works really well and the engine can easily pull four Mk3s (two new Hornby ones and two old Hornby ones) and another, dummy, powercar. The livery on this is one I quite like and thanks to @reddragon I now have three more of these to play with! One of them is 43002 so that's going to be done up as 43002 in GWR 2019 condition.
The engine on the right needs no introduction, but I'll give it one anyway - it's an LNER A4; specifically, 4468 'Mallard'. This is the Railroad version and it was my second engine back when I started with a layout. It runs amazingly smoothly and is very well-detailed for a Railroad model. The main issue I have with this engine is that the decoder socket is located in the engine, as opposed to the tender, meaning fitting a sound decoder is a right pain in the proverbial! I'd quite like to see a fixed version in the Hornby 2021 range, but it probably won't happen.
Hope you enjoyed,
-Peter
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OJMR Advent Calendar/first eight days of Christmas - Day 30
The penultimate day of December - and of 2020 - sees us have a look at a small shunter, and one of the engines which started my DCC venture...
This is the Hornby (RailRoad version) Class 08 D4174. It came in the 'Mixed Freight' train set, one of the DCC ones Hornby sell, along with an LNER J86 68478. The J86 doesn't work for some reason, but this one does run, albeit somewhat reluctantly. I like the livery on this, as the BR green is quite nice, but the proportions are completely wrong for a Class 08. I'd quite like to get a proper Bachmann one at some point, probably an NSE version!
Hope you enjoyed,
-Peter
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OJMR Advent Calendar/first six days of Christmas - Day 31
Well - we've reached the end. Not just the end of this little project, but the end of 2020. What a year! We've all seen ups, and downs, and we've all made massive changes to our lives. But model railways, as they often are, have been a constant throughout the mess we're calling this year. I personally have spent many, many hours working on bits of my layout during this year and I've really enjoyed reading about other people's layouts. To use a railway-related analogy, we're fast approaching the end of the tunnel and hopefully this time next year we'll be celebrating festivities in a more normal way - but that remains to be seen.
The final day of the OJMR advent calendar sees two engines and two units - it's the OJMR Bumper Advent Calendar Bonanza!
(I used the 'Night' function on my phone camera and it's made the lights all funky)
From left to right:
Class 110
This model came from @reddragon and is a good runner. The outer bogie on the dummy car plays up occasionally but apart from that it's a lovely little unit, and exactly the kind of thing I designed the smaller stations on my layout for. When I get it serviced and repainted, it will fit in well with my Class 121 and 153 to build up the DMU fleet.
Triang DMU
Having spoken about this unit before, turns out this isn't a Class 101, but is either a generic unit or another class (Class 105?). I bought this, along with another motor car, a centre car, and a dummy driving car, from a local model/toy fair and it's a lovely bit of model railway history. I've not tried running the two motor cars on the one train, and I don't plan to, but I expect it would go pretty quickly!
Class 55 D9003 'Meld'
This engine is another one from @reddragon and whilst it runs, it needs a service. It's a Lima model and has had yellow ends painted on at some point - as well as a chunk taken out of the front on the other end. I don't know what I want to do with this engine but the Porterbrook livery looks interesting...
Class 37 37130
If you've read previous posts on here, you'll know I've now got three of the same engine - 37130 (although I've got two models of it in its previous form, D6830, not as 37130). This is the slightly later Hornby/Triang 37, from the 1970s I believe, with the different motor and bogies. It runs fairly well but it is a but weak. I'd like to repaint this into one of the 37s I've seen at a heritage railway at some point - maybe one from the GWSR.
I really hope you've enjoyed these posts - and all of the other ones I've made. It's been so fun sharing my model railway with you all and I never thought it would be so popular. @Cowley, @reddragon, @Iskra, @43055, and so many others have all made this thread what it is and I'd like to thank them, and everyone else.
Have a happy New Year, stay safe - I'll see you in 2021.
I’d missed a couple of these Peter sorry, but I had to say that I used to have one of those Hornby Westerns years ago. That bought back some memories!
Happy New Year mister.
I’d missed a couple of these Peter sorry, but I had to say that I used to have one of those Hornby Westerns years ago. That bought back some memories!
Happy New Year mister.
Haha! It's a lovely model - I've seen various other Westerns I'd like to get as well: maybe I'm going to become the model railway equivalent of a crazy old cat lady...?
Haha! It's a lovely model - I've seen various other Westerns I'd like to get as well: maybe I'm going to become the model railway equivalent of a crazy old cat lady...?
My Western isn't too bad haulage wise but I've only really tested it with three or four coaches. I believe it may be descended from the Lima tooling? I must agree that Lima models are really good; I've never had an issue with a Lima model operational ability wise.
My Western isn't too bad haulage wise but I've only really tested it with three or four coaches. I believe it may be descended from the Lima tooling? I must agree that Lima models are really good; I've never had an issue with a Lima model operational ability wise.
Oh OK, I saw a review of it and the man said it was ex-Lima but he may well be wrong. It's an old model - product code R2475, with a ringfield motor.
-Peter
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I've made a small video covering some of the lighting features of the Bachmann Class 121 (prompted by @Cowley mentioning the lighting features on his new Class 31):
Oh OK, I saw a review of it and the man said it was ex-Lima but he may well be wrong. It's an old model - product code R2475, with a ringfield motor.
-Peter
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I've made a small video covering some of the lighting features of the Bachmann Class 121 (prompted by @Cowley mentioning the lighting features on his new Class 31):
The Class 117/121s are on my wanted long list. I used to travel on them on my rail explorations when younger all over the Thames Valley. Once did Oxford to Reading on one of those!
The Class 117/121s are on my wanted long list. I used to travel on them on my rail explorations when younger all over the Thames Valley. Once did Oxford to Reading on one of those!
I'd definitely recommend the Bachmann 121 - it's quite light but that doesn't detract from the model as a whole.
The last 121 I went on was at the Chinnor & Princes Risborough railway, and it was a very bouncy experience - I imagine Oxford to Reading would be quite good fun!
I'd definitely recommend the Bachmann 121 - it's quite light but that doesn't detract from the model as a whole.
The last 121 I went on was at the Chinnor & Princes Risborough railway, and it was a very bouncy experience - I imagine Oxford to Reading would be quite good fun!
Actually on CWR is was uneventful even on Network Day until I reached Reading and met the masses and spent the next leg of my trip standing in a BG coach with a grumpy guard who didn't know what had hit him!
Actually on CWR is was uneventful even on Network Day until I reached Reading and met the masses and spent the next leg of my trip standing in a BG coach with a grumpy guard who didn't know what had hit him!
Actually on CWR is was uneventful even on Network Day until I reached Reading and met the masses and spent the next leg of my trip standing in a BG coach with a grumpy guard who didn't know what had hit him!
Haha Trains today are nowhere near as fun as they seem to have been back then.
The GWSR has a Class 122; I've not ridden on it but I expect that would give a bouncy ride on the jointed track?
Haha Trains today are nowhere near as fun as they seem to have been back then.
The GWSR has a Class 122; I've not ridden on it but I expect that would give a bouncy ride on the jointed track?
A recent ride on the IOW class 483 reminded me of the olden days, jointed track & bouncing! Old trains had cart (leaf) springs.
My highlights were the clickety clack & track roar of worn rails on the Settle & Carlisle, known for its poor track condition in Mark 1s behind a 47; and 120 mph down Stoke bank behind 55013 in a Mark 1 corridor coach. REP+TCs were really bouncy at speed too as they were very quick, probably too quick.
My highlights were the clickety clack & track roar of worn rails on the Settle & Carlisle, known for its poor track condition in Mark 1s behind a 47; and 120 mph down Stoke bank behind 55013 in a Mark 1 corridor coach. REP+TCs were really bouncy at speed too as they were very quick, probably too quick.
Now those sound like brilliant rides. A bouncy train is always interesting! My favourite is the wibbly-wobbly bits (technical term) of the London Underground.
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In other news, the Oldmoor Junction Model Railway is now on Twitter! I thought I might as well make a Twitter account for it seeing as it's on YouTube and these forums. You can find it by looking up '@ModelOldmoor' or by clicking this link: https://twitter.com/ModelOldmoor
I would have liked to ride on the Class 483s before they went but it never happened; I'm hoping to ride on one in preservation.
Now those sound like brilliant rides. A bouncy train is always interesting! My favourite is the wibbly-wobbly bits (technical term) of the London Underground.
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In other news, the Oldmoor Junction Model Railway is now on Twitter! I thought I might as well make a Twitter account for it seeing as it's on YouTube and these forums. You can find it by looking up '@ModelOldmoor' or by clicking this link: https://twitter.com/ModelOldmoor
I don’t do Twitter but that looks quite good.
Re your question on there about ballast - Everyone has different techniques so rather than say Do This! I’ll just say what I do:
1) check that the running is perfect and that you’ve done all the electrical side of things (soldering, point motors etc), and I’d probably do the signalling as well because you might need some of it to sit in the ballast.
2) I always spray my track with ‘Railmatch Sleeper Grime’, but not the points which I mask and then paint by hand later.
3) I do a manageable section of ballast first just to get my eye in (maybe a siding) and I usually cut up a couple of dish sponges in to squares to dab the ballast into shape around the shoulders etc, but I also use various brushes to shape it as well and to get it around bits of detail like crossings, signals etc.
When I’m happy with the look of it I spray the whole lot with a mist of water to hold it in place before I start injecting watered down PVA into it.
I then leave it for a couple of days to dry before doing the glue a second time and leaving it again for a couple of days.
I don’t do Twitter but that looks quite good.
Re your question on there about ballast - Everyone has different techniques so rather than say Do This! I’ll just say what I do:
1) check that the running is perfect and that you’ve done all the electrical side of things (soldering, point motors etc), and I’d probably do the signalling as well because you might need some of it to sit in the ballast.
2) I always spray my track with ‘Railmatch Sleeper Grime’, but not the points which I mask and then paint by hand later.
3) I do a manageable section of ballast first just to get my eye in (maybe a siding) and I usually cut up a couple of dish sponges in to squares to dab the ballast into shape around the shoulders etc, but I also use various brushes to shape it as well and to get it around bits of detail like crossings, signals etc.
When I’m happy with the look of it I spray the whole lot with a mist of water to hold it in place before I start injecting watered down PVA into it.
I then leave it for a couple of days to dry before doing the glue a second time and leaving it again for a couple of days.
Thanks
I've been running trains for several weeks with no issues (I had a few issues with superelevated curves a short while ago but I've fixed it now) on all but one section - I think I need to remove the superelevation on the curve before the junction into the bay platforms so trains are running at the same (flat) angle across the points and onto the curve. I'll get that sorted before I ballast - thanks for reminding me. I've been trying to work out what kind of signals I want to have in various bits of my layout for a while so I need to get on with my research and then wiring. The layout is actually sitting on top of an old dining table, so there's no room underneath for wires and things; my plan is to run the wires through the gaps between the sleepers and underneath the track as this is the only way I can think of doing it. Drilling into the table isn't really an option.
I'll look into that sleeper grime stuff - I've heard a lot of people using it and they seem to get good results. Your trackwork looks very good so I might go with it but I'll obviously do some research beforehand. Whether the aerosol version would be suitable for a fairly small room, even with windows open, I don't know?
My plan was to do small sections of the layout at a time and so that seems to be a good way to go judging by what you've said. As I've not used cork for underneath the track, there won't be any ballast shoulders like you'd see on the real thing but from what I've seen online and from what I've tried it shouldn't make that much of a difference visually as most of the time I'll be viewing the layout from above. The water bit is what has always ruined it for me; I can never seem to get it right. I get the ballast looking really nice and then I spray it with water and it all goes wrong! I'll try the method you describe on a scrap bit of track to test first and go from there.
Peter - I always had that problem with the ballast moving around once I started trying to get glue on it, but a fine mist sprayer definitely works (you could even spray upwards so that it drifts down onto it).
Re the board - could you make a ladder frame up for it to sit on and just screw it to it where there’s no track in the way? It would certainly keep it rigid and give you some space underneath for wiring etc...
Then if you want to do anything underneath you can just slide it off the table slightly.
I could knock you up a frame for about twenty five quid in half an hour but I’ve got no idea how I’d get it to you!
Peter - I always had that problem with the ballast moving around once I started trying to get glue on it, but a fine mist sprayer definitely works (you could even spray upwards so that it drifts down onto it).
Re the board - could you make a ladder frame up for it to sit on and just screw it to it where there’s no track in the way? It would certainly keep it rigid and give you some space underneath for wiring etc...
Then if you want to do anything underneath you can just slide it off the table slightly.
I don't think I could personally but there are people in the area who could I expect. The only issue is that the whole room is based around the layout really and it was a "this is only being changed when the layout gets taken apart and the board's chopped up" kind of thing, if you get what I mean.
That's a very nice offer but I can't think of a way to do it either! Devon to the Cotswolds is a very long way indeed for what is essentially some wood. I'll find ways of working around the board's position, I'm sure; I'm kind of doing a test for running wires under the track at the moment as the only way to power the layout is to run the wires from the controller to the power track under the 'branchline' on the outside edge.
I suppose as one possible idea you could do the wiring in grey and orange. That way you wouldn’t notice the grey wires once ballasted and the orange wires would look like the ones you see underneath modern rails anyway? Could look pretty cool.
I suppose as one possible idea you could do the wiring in grey and orange. That way you wouldn’t notice the grey wires once ballasted and the orange wires would look like the ones you see underneath modern rails anyway? Could look pretty cool.
That was the kind of thing I was thinking of, yes - I was also thinking about getting some sort of insulating tube for wires in orange to look more like the cables going under the tracks you describe.
In other news, the Oldmoor Junction Model Railway is now on Twitter! I thought I might as well make a Twitter account for it seeing as it's on YouTube and these forums. You can find it by looking up '@ModelOldmoor' or by clicking this link: https://twitter.com/ModelOldmoor
For the question about ballasting I would think about what items you would like in these areas first as most things will require some sort of clearing such as signals, loc's (or loc bases), cables. On my layout I got my GPL's after I started ballasting so some have a base showing while others have the base hidden by the ballast.
For the question about ballasting I would think about what items you would like in these areas first as most things will require some sort of clearing such as signals, loc's (or loc bases), cables. On my layout I got my GPL's after I started ballasting so some have a base showing while others have the base hidden by the ballast.
Thanks for the help. I've been thinking about what kind of things I'd like to be around the track and I've boiled it down to cable troughs and maybe a couple of junction boxes. My ballast arrived earlier this week and so I've been slowly getting it looking somewhat decent around the track before I started gluing it this evening. There won't be any cable troughs etc. in the area I've started gluing and I've left a gap in the bits of ballast I've put down to remind me where they will go.
The coupling is there to remind me where I've glued - there's a man in high-vis at the other end of the glued area.
The ballast isn't perfect but I can always remove bits from the sleepers with a small screwdriver. Thank you @Cowley for the advice re: water then glue; it's made gluing the ballast so much easier than it would have been otherwise (and has been in the past).
Thanks very much This bit's taken me around 20 mins for gluing and around 40 mins for getting this section and a bit more around it so the layout will take a while but it will hopefully be worth it.
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I think the shark face makes it that bit better!
