My Settle & Carlisle style viaduct - OO Gauge Layout

[reddragon]

So long since my last update!!

On 1st July I introduced a loco / MU operating process to stop locos or MUs being forgotten in the back of the shed as some were being. This spreads the wear & tear on the trains. Each time one operates, I update my spreadsheet and it counts the days since last use. I also need to introduce maintenance and repair plans! Might do that once the weather out is less appealing.

Work has also restarted on the main stock sidings with another eastern end siding laid and 3 more western ones started. With 14 wagons on order, some on Ever Given apparently, storage will be required..

I have given up on eBay sales for a while due to poor sales / prices. Not buying either for various reasons. Summer maybe?

 

[Peter C]

So long since my last update!!

On 1st July I introduced a loco / MU operating process to stop locos or MUs being forgotten in the back of the shed as some were being. This spreads the wear & tear on the trains. Each time one operates, I update my spreadsheet and it counts the days since last use. I also need to introduce maintenance and repair plans! Might do that once the weather out is less appealing.

Work has also restarted on the main stock sidings with another eastern end siding laid and 3 more western ones started. With 14 wagons on order, some on Ever Given apparently, storage will be required..

I have given up on eBay sales for a while due to poor sales / prices. Not buying either for various reasons. Summer maybe?

That's an interesting (and quite clever) way of reducing excessive wear-and-tear on stock. Do you have a length of time that the engines/units have to run for when they're called to have a run around (i.e. they need to run for thirty minutes in either direction)? Having a way of logging the time each engine/unit runs for might make a maintenance schedule easier to work out if you say, for example, that a Lima loco needs servicing every thirty hours, a new Hornby loco needs servicing every fifty hours, etc.

Is it very warm in the loft with the layout? It's great that you've managed to get some work done on it - I must admit, I didn't expect you would have got anything done in this heat!
That's annoying with regards to those wagons. Have you got some shelves you can store stock on? Quite a useful way of keeping everything in one place and safe. One YouTuber I saw had shelves with grooves for the wheels of rolling stock to sit in - quite time-consuming but it reduces the chances of stock sliding around and hitting each other.

I think we've finally started to see the end of the lockdown eBay 'boom'. People are getting back to normal and have much less time to spend on model railways - including buying models. People going outside in the summer is also likely to affect the time they have to buy things, as well as the fact that the heat means a lot of people simply can't get into the loft to continue working on their layouts: there's little point in buying something for a layout you're not going to use or work on for several days or weeks! What kind of things have you been selling? Pricing may also be a factor.

-Peter

 

[reddragon]

That's an interesting (and quite clever) way of reducing excessive wear-and-tear on stock. Do you have a length of time that the engines/units have to run for when they're called to have a run around (i.e. they need to run for thirty minutes in either direction)? Having a way of logging the time each engine/unit runs for might make a maintenance schedule easier to work out if you say, for example, that a Lima loco needs servicing every thirty hours, a new Hornby loco needs servicing every fifty hours, etc.

Is it very warm in the loft with the layout? It's great that you've managed to get some work done on it - I must admit, I didn't expect you would have got anything done in this heat!
That's annoying with regards to those wagons. Have you got some shelves you can store stock on? Quite a useful way of keeping everything in one place and safe. One YouTuber I saw had shelves with grooves for the wheels of rolling stock to sit in - quite time-consuming but it reduces the chances of stock sliding around and hitting each other.

I think we've finally started to see the end of the lockdown eBay 'boom'. People are getting back to normal and have much less time to spend on model railways - including buying models. People going outside in the summer is also likely to affect the time they have to buy things, as well as the fact that the heat means a lot of people simply can't get into the loft to continue working on their layouts: there's little point in buying something for a layout you're not going to use or work on for several days or weeks! What kind of things have you been selling? Pricing may also be a factor.

-Peter

I have not gone too sophisticated on scheduling, just enough to keep loco's rotating enough. My oldest, most used Lima loco must have run 100's of hours and all I've done is clean its wheels and oiled it on occasions. Older Hornby do need more frequent oiling or they squeal. New stuff, err not sure yet! I do know that my Lima 73 with a printer motor replacement is best not run under load for long periods as motor temperature could be an issue.

The insulation keeps the loft cool all morning and ventilation cools it quickly in the evening. It now only gets hot above the track base so on a warm day I have to keep low as the hot air at the top cannot escape.

I'm happy to buy cheap now and store until I'm ready to use but many eBayers are holding out with silly prices. I can wait.

 

[Peter C]

I have not gone too sophisticated on scheduling, just enough to keep loco's rotating enough. My oldest, most used Lima loco must have run 100's of hours and all I've done is clean its wheels and oiled it on occasions. Older Hornby do need more frequent oiling or they squeal. New stuff, err not sure yet! I do know that my Lima 73 with a printer motor replacement is best not run under load for long periods as motor temperature could be an issue.

Ah fair enough - I expect it'll vary from model to model too so having a set time for each manufacturer wouldn't work as well for one model as it might for another.

The insulation keeps the loft cool all morning and ventilation cools it quickly in the evening. It now only gets hot above the track base so on a warm day I have to keep low as the hot air at the top cannot escape.

A positive of having insulation is that it keeps the room warm in winter and cool in summer (from what I've heard) so that's good. I suppose it also reduces the chances of the rails buckling in higher temperatures!

I'm happy to buy cheap now and store until I'm ready to use but many eBayers are holding out with silly prices. I can wait.

I've been saying throughout the lockdowns that eBay prices are too high. They've started to come down, but as you say there are lots of sellers who just don't understand that their items aren't worth the high prices they're charging for them.

-Peter

 

[Cowley]

I have not gone too sophisticated on scheduling, just enough to keep loco's rotating enough. My oldest, most used Lima loco must have run 100's of hours and all I've done is clean its wheels and oiled it on occasions. Older Hornby do need more frequent oiling or they squeal. New stuff, err not sure yet! I do know that my Lima 73 with a printer motor replacement is best not run under load for long periods as motor temperature could be an issue.

The insulation keeps the loft cool all morning and ventilation cools it quickly in the evening. It now only gets hot above the track base so on a warm day I have to keep low as the hot air at the top cannot escape.

I'm happy to buy cheap now and store until I'm ready to use but many eBayers are holding out with silly prices. I can wait.

Nice bit of progress @reddragon and I’m glad to hear that it’s not too hot up there.
Like the idea of an operating schedule. Machines and electronics need to be used regularly and doing something like that means that you keep on top of the whole fleet. I think I might do something similar even though my fleet is a lot smaller.

 

[reddragon]

Nice bit of progress @reddragon and I’m glad to hear that it’s not too hot up there.
Like the idea of an operating schedule. Machines and electronics need to be used regularly and doing something like that means that you keep on top of the whole fleet. I think I might do something similar even though my fleet is a lot smaller.

I have 40 to run, so takes around 2 weeks. My favourites get run a lot more often!

 

[Cowley]

I have 40 to run, so takes around 2 weeks. My favourites get run a lot more often!

What is your favourite incidentally? It comes and goes with me, obviously I like the two 31s because I can swap the sound chips between them and they’re really good fun, but I have a massive soft spot for my 33/1 because it was the first loco I bought for the railway.



(Blimey it’s all looking a bit different in Lapfordland now!)

 

[reddragon]

The top scorers on my spreadsheet

66621
D1026
LMS 4982
43187+43188
71008
70006
450.127
411-7113

 

[Cowley]

The top scorers on my spreadsheet

66621
D1026
LMS 4982
43187+43188
71008
70006
450.127
411-7113

A pretty eclectic mix. I like it!

 

[reddragon]

Today D823, 220.001 and 395.004 did their duty rosters.

D823 being vintage Mainline is a delicate thing, quite over sensitive and known to have a hissy fits. I keep it off track because when I turn the power off it goes full speed on capacitor power and can haul a rake of coaches a train length! It is also low powered so cannot haul full rakes.

220.001 is also a bit fussy, so I keep its mileage down. Once going, its fine

395.004 is Mr Lemon and will often stall on near flat track with wheels spinning away. I need to add extra weight to it.

 

[Peter C]

Today D823, 220.001 and 395.004 did their duty rosters.

D823 being vintage Mainline is a delicate thing, quite over sensitive and known to have a hissy fits. I keep it off track because when I turn the power off it goes full speed on capacitor power and can haul a rake of coaches a train length! It is also low powered so cannot haul full rakes.

220.001 is also a bit fussy, so I keep its mileage down. Once going, its fine

395.004 is Mr Lemon and will often stall on near flat track with wheels spinning away. I need to add extra weight to it.

This sounds just like my own layout - delicate engines, fussy engines, and grumpy engines which refuse to work
My experience of Mainline models is limited to just the one model - a Class 45 without traction tyres. It can spin and spin its wheels as much as it wants, and it's only after a few seconds of wheelslip does it start moving on full power!

-Peter

 

[Cowley]

Today D823, 220.001 and 395.004 did their duty rosters.

D823 being vintage Mainline is a delicate thing, quite over sensitive and known to have a hissy fits. I keep it off track because when I turn the power off it goes full speed on capacitor power and can haul a rake of coaches a train length! It is also low powered so cannot haul full rakes.

220.001 is also a bit fussy, so I keep its mileage down. Once going, its fine

395.004 is Mr Lemon and will often stall on near flat track with wheels spinning away. I need to add extra weight to it.

This sounds like a typical summer Saturday in the 1980s when everything available was kicked out with predictable results.

 

[reddragon]

My Hornby BR 71000 is fussy, it will need a stay alive chip as it stalls a lot. My Lima HST power cars keep falling out with each other and one will uncouple and run away from the train whilst running along (yes they are speed matched). My Mainline 56 is a run away and doesn't like to stop. My Hornby EMUs like to ignore DCC instructions to stop apart from the VEP which just growls.

Who would have thought that simple electric model trains could have such characters of their own, but they do.

 

[Peter C]

the VEP which just growls.

Mine does this too - especially at slow speeds. Not brilliant but not dreadful!

-Peter

 

[Cowley]

My Hornby BR 71000 is fussy, it will need a stay alive chip as it stalls a lot. My Lima HST power cars keep falling out with each other and one will uncouple and run away from the train whilst running along (yes they are speed matched). My Mainline 56 is a run away and doesn't like to stop. My Hornby EMUs like to ignore DCC instructions to stop apart from the VEP which just growls.

Who would have thought that simple electric model trains could have such characters of their own, but they do.

They totally do have characters of their own.

 

[reddragon]

My duty schedules are working by highlighting my locos that have not moved in the longest time. It forces shunting, relocations etc. It's good and with new deliveries due, will help more!

My main rolling stock sidings have grown. 5 RH tracks, one used as a link to the suburban lines and another as a programme track. 5 LH tracks, one quite short and one running to the main station accessing P5-10.

 

[Peter C]

My duty schedules are working by highlighting my locos that have not moved in the longest time. It forces shunting, relocations etc. It's good and with new deliveries due, will help more!

My main rolling stock sidings have grown. 5 RH tracks, one used as a link to the suburban lines and another as a programme track. 5 LH tracks, one quite short and one running to the main station accessing P5-10.

View attachment 100285

I think I'm going to have to implement a similar system to your schedules @reddragon - I found when running some of my engines yesterday that they needed quite a while to get up to speed and to warm up before they worked as they normally do. Would you have any tips on such a schedule (i.e. times between running locos, etc.)?
That trackwork looks good. I dread to think how much all of that costs!

-Peter

 

[reddragon]

Have a '=TODAY()' for the days date at the top; a date column for last run date; a calculation for today - last run date formatted in days; the condition format that by colour to various thresholds. Dark Green = today (0), light green last week (1-7), yellow last month (8-30), orange = longer, red = not run (>30)

 

[Cowley]

My duty schedules are working by highlighting my locos that have not moved in the longest time. It forces shunting, relocations etc. It's good and with new deliveries due, will help more!

My main rolling stock sidings have grown. 5 RH tracks, one used as a link to the suburban lines and another as a programme track. 5 LH tracks, one quite short and one running to the main station accessing P5-10.

View attachment 100285

I keep going a bit funny whenever I see your trackwork…
Where does the flyover on the right lead to and from?

 

[Peter C]

Have a '=TODAY()' for the days date at the top; a date column for last run date; a calculation for today - last run date formatted in days; the condition format that by colour to various thresholds. Dark Green = today (0), light green last week (1-7), yellow last month (8-30), orange = longer, red = not run (>30)

Ah super - thanks very much! I'll try that and see what I come up with.

-Peter

 

[reddragon]

I keep going a bit funny whenever I see your trackwork…
Where does the flyover on the right lead to and from?

Near side suburban station over the 4 running tracks to far side P1/2 at Red Dragon Station

 

[Cowley]

Near side suburban station over the 4 running tracks to far side P1/2 at Red Dragon Station

Nice!

 

[Cowley]

It’s gone a bit quiet on here Mr Dragon… Any activity at the moment?

 

[reddragon]

All services suspended due to staff absence! Service reinstatement due next week.

 

[Cowley]

All services suspended due to staff absence! Service reinstatement due next week.

Ah. Fair enough.

 

[reddragon]

Yesterday, the first trains for several weeks ventured out. Several cobwebs needed clearing!

 

[Cowley]

Yesterday, the first trains for several weeks ventured out. Several cobwebs needed clearing!

Won’t someone please think of the poor annihilated spiders!

 

[reddragon]

Won’t someone please think of the poor annihilated spiders!

No spiders were harmed in the removal of a few spider webs.

Previously a wasp has been run over by a train and harmed whilst trespassing on the line.

 

[Cowley]

No spiders were harmed in the removal of a few spider webs.

Previously a wasp has been run over by a train and harmed whilst trespassing on the line.

It’s what he would have wanted.

 

[Peter C]

It’s what he would have wanted.

Being splattered under the wheels of a Hornby "Western" and rake of Mk1s...

-Peter