[SRman]

Unusually for me, I bought something non-British. I have always loved the New South Wales Government Railways (and successors) V set interurban double deckers. Auscision recently released them in several different liveries, some of which lasted for quite a long time. Mine is in the so called 'blue goose' livery that they were delivered in right from the first units in the late 1960s. A few still wore this livery in the early 1990s, I believe. The real ones were built and delivered in several batches over quite a long period of time, with the first ones in approximately 1968, and the last in 1989 or thereabouts.

This one depicts the slightly later guise, with blue guard's indicator lights and ditch lights at the front.

This was an extravagance/indulgence on my part - a quite expensive one - but I have had quite a few memorable trips on real ones of these smooth-riding, quiet and comfortable units to destinations in the Blue Mountains and to Gosford and Newcastle to the north of Sydney.

Auscision say that the fitted couplings are only suitable for 24" radius curves and above, but a quick test showed they could just scrape around my 21" curves, but it was a little too close for comfort, so I fitted the longer couplings (supplied in the box) to one end only of each coach, retaining the shorter ones for the adjoining ends.

I have fitted a Lenz decoder to the powered car, and a basic Backmann (ESU) decoder to the unpowered driving car, after first testing on DC. Running is good, and they *just* clear my tunnel mouths on the underground section (these being HO where my normal stock is OO, the clearances required are not much different).





They may not get a lot of running in the future, but will be on display at other times.

 

[SRman]

Thanks, John.

I should try to get a photo of the full 4-car unit, but that will wait for better lighting, perhaps on the coming weekend.

 

[SRman]

I have recently been dabbling with a few HO models of Danish/Swedish and German stock, after some great experiences in Copenhagen and Hamburg, including a trip on two IC3 units of the DSB from Copenhagen to Hamburg with a change of trains at Fredericia. I decided that I would like a model of an IC3 unit. However, that's not as easy as it sounds, since the Heljan model hasn't been produced for many years and is now rather scarce. It was also known to have some faults. Anyway, long story short, I managed to locate a Heljan unit, albeit in Swedish livery as one of their Y2 units, which eventually got sold, some to Israel, who also run similar units, and some back to DSB.

I knew what some of the 'fixes' required for the units are, so once the unit arrived, I set about making it run reliably. This included filing off the little locating pips on the base of the centre, motorised car, then drilling holes a millimetre or so inboard of the pip locations, and adding some self-tapping screws (from the bases of Oxford Diecast model cars) to locate the driven bogies and stop the drive shafts from dropping out at the first bend. Another mod was to drill into the locating pips on top of the driven bogies, glue a short length of piano wire in, then glue a short length of plastic tubing over the top of that, to raise the locating pips and prevent the rather stiff wires from pushing the leading and trailing cars over and off the locations. Finally, I added a considerable amount of lead sheet, cut into strips, to the leading and trailing cars, to help keep the driven wheels down on the track.

Jobs still to do, but not urgent, include substituting some more flexible wire for the inter-carriage connections, and drilling out the moulded cab handrails and replacing them with wire. I may eventually repaint the unit into DSB's silver and dark blue livery (would that be sacrilege for such a scarce model?).

Once it was running properly, I fitted a Lenz Standard+ decoder to the 8-pin socket, and it now runs very nicely. I have taken a short video of it on my mobile phone, now on YouTube.


P_20190212_213559_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Lw4aKa7ZPIo?rel=0

Even though the unit is HO scale, it doesn't look out of place against my more usual British trains - it would even blend in with some of the Network South East stock!

As a fairer comparison for the size of the unit, I posed it next to an Auscision NSW V set.


P_20190216_110950_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

Here are a couple of photos of the real things: we rode on 5058 first, seen in Copenhagen H, then 5085 to Hamburg hbf.


P_20180924_125319_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20180924_180234_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

I have also been purchasing a few German locos and stock and European wagons, although some are still to arrive. I too am a very happy customer of Modellbahnshop-lippe from before when I needed some bits and pieces and all of the Vollmer kits for my yet to be finished viaducts. I recently received some Roco DSB coaches, although at present they are being hauled by a Piko BR 185 loco, while I await the arrival of a HobbyTrade DSB ME class diesel electric (bought on eBay from the USA - another scarce model). I'll post a few more photos once I can get stock being hauled by reasonably appropriate locos.

Incidentally, we did visit Miniatur Wunderland while in Hamburg, of course. I took lots of photos and video of that, but they are not for this topic. As another aside, while in Copenhagen, my cousin who lives there took us to the Danish tramway museum (around 60km outside of Copenhagen). Again, I took a lot of photos and videos, but the funny part of this was that one of the first standard gauge trams we saw was a Melbourne W class (an SW6, actually)!

 

[SRman]

They certainly wouldn't win any beauty awards! It does work, though. When units are coupled together, they seal very well. The driver's controls and front windscreen are all hinged to one side, allowing free passage through the train for passengers and guards. Interestingly, the 3-car IC3 DMUs, as per the model, can work in multiple with other IC3 units and with IR4 EMUs, which, apart from having four cars and two pantographs, look identical in design to the IC3s.

 

[SRman]

Hot on the heels of my last post, the Danish ME diesel electric arrived today. The model is from HobbyTrade, which no longer exists as such, although I believe another firm has taken over some of their production, including models of the Danish MZ diesels, but not the ME. I tested on DC and it initially ran perfectly, but then got a bit 'sticky'. On investigation, the pickups needed tweaking, a job that is made relatively easy because the bogie assembly is very similar to most of Heljan's British diesels, with the base clipping on, the sideframes push-fitted on spigots, and the pickups floating behind the wheels. A quick disassembly, tweak the pickups by hand, then reassembly and the loco ran much more happily on the rolling road.

Having sorted that out, I fitted a Lenz Standard+ decoder (must order some more of these, that was my last one!), and set it off around the layout with a short rake of Roco DSB coaches. I don't really know how realistic this particular formation is, but when it comes to getting DSB coaches at a reasonable price, beggars can't be choosers.

The ME has a Co-Co wheel arrangement, but the model is driven as an A1A-A1A. Also in two of the photos is a DB Bo-Bo electric locomotive from Piko (their budget range, with an unpainted plastic finish which actually looks quite acceptable to me), of class BR 185 (also fitted with a Lenz decoder). I have some European wagons on the way for this loco to pull. Anyway, here are ME 1506 and BR 185 066-8.


P_20190226_170559_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190226_212100_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190226_212047_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

 

[SRman]

Thanks for that, John. I found that the mechanism is very similar in construction to Heljan's offerings, including having that floating centre axle. As you said, this is very good for track-holding on less than perfectly laid tracks. It also makes it a little more difficult to put on the rails, more noticeable with the longer wheelbases on Heljan's British diesels.

Thanks for the tip on the typeface used. At present, my plans for the upper level don' include a station, or, at the very best, a disused station which will be nice and "generic" to suit just about any period or location.

p.s. I did find one of the bogie sideframes loose in the box, and also managed to dislodge both of the underframe modules while handling the model to fix the electrical pickups.

 

[SRman]

Random thought for the moment: Seeing as I am dabbling with Danish railways (with German locos travelling through too), should I be listing my layout as Newton Broadway/Nyton Bredvej?

 

[SRman]

QUOTE (Allegheny1600 @ 3 Mar 2019, 06:05) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Ooh, I like it!
My good mate, Doug called his old (German outline) layout Alte Rinkham because it was in Altrincham, Manchester so I'm sure you can do that!
By the way, if you have any spare "class 66" sound decoders, you can always fit them into an MZ or an ME as they are pretty much the same engines within.
It was good enough for me anyway.
Cheers,
John.

I was thinking of adding sound to the ME but wasn't sure I could justify the cost. However, I do happen to have a class 66 with sound that I bought second-hand mainly for the decoder. I also have a LokProgrammer, so could either use it as is or reblow it with a suitable European 66 or ME file from the free ESU libraries. Thanks for the idea; you have set me thinking now, John.

Edit: I just checked my spreadsheet, the 'spare' 66 decoder is a V3.5, then I checked the ESU website, and they have a file for the ME in V3.5 format. A win!

 

[SRman]

I have been weathering the two European wagons I have received so far (more are on the way). These two are from Roco, and represent an NS sliding tarpaulin wagon, and a DB telescoping steel coil wagon. The NS wagon has received only a very light weathering, while the DB wagon has received a heavier weathering, with just a little more fine-tuning on the cards.

The first two photos show the early stage of weathering on both wagons, while the second two show the state the DB wagon is in now (the NS wagon is unchanged since the earlier pics).


P_20190302_124011_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190302_124029_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190303_165350_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190303_165439_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

 

[SRman]

Hi Babs. As long as no one objects to my hijacking the topic temporarily.

The dimensions are approximately 14' along one side and 10' along the other. The layout is a dumbbell shape with a 90 degree bend in the middle, with two levels, and no connection between the two levels. The Underground tracks are also a dumbbell shape but with a shorter run along one side only of the larger 'bent dumbbell'. Scenery and buildings are representative of British practice in OO, but I have been dabbling a little with the Danish and German locos and units, plus one Australian train, all in HO. The plan is a rough sketch approximately to scale, but isn't 100% accurate for the final track plan (these things get modified a little as one progresses!).


Plan 4 cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

Looking along the layout from the middle looking west (at an earlier stage of construction):


IMG_20180226_235252 by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

... and from the middle towards the east:


First GBRf 66 725 Sunderland on Container Train - 1 by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

The layout is intended to have a nice long, slightly sinuous continuous run for near scale length trains on the upper level, while two London Underground trains at a time can run on the lower level. I have deliberately concentrated on a couple of scenic areas to display and photograph the trains with a reasonably realistic background, which will be improved further when I can get some backscenes up.

In the meantime, I do have a few more European wagons and two more locomotives to come, so you'll see just a few further photos from me on here.

 

[SRman]

Thanks for the compliments, John.

I have had six trains running at once, because the upper level lines are long enough to allow two trains on each track to run with reasonable separation for me to keep control of them. It does take quite a bit of concentration though.

 

[SRman]

QUOTE (Adrian Ross @ 5 Mar 2019, 12:01) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Yes! I had fun translating my Station-of-choice into German: Cootamundra. Schieldkrotenheim is the closest I could get.

I'll let you folks research how I got that.
Thanks for the photo updates.

Turtle Home? Am I close?

With mine, it's not entirely a literal translation. the Danish 'Y' is pronounced by forming your lips to say "ee" but actually trying to say "oo". Bred is broad, but "vej" (pronounced like "vie") is really a street or road rather than directly translating from "way". It comes out as a pseudo Danish Newton Broadway, but it is a little bit of fun, which is what our hobby is supposed to be about.

 

[SRman]

Babs, it started in December 2009, when my very good friend delivered the first framework on Christmas Eve (I think my wife had a hand in organising it as a surprise). I got the Underground loop working first after about 4 months, so that had all of my trains working on it at some time or other until March last year when I got the second part of the upper level laid ready (in a rush!) for a British Railway Modellers of Australia (BRMA) meeting at my house. Progress has been in fits and starts since, but it is nice to have a working railway, even with some of the viaducts as only placeholders until I can finish converting more of the Vollmer single arches to double track (only three doubles are done so far). The design was a compromise to allow me to largely avoid having to go down on bended knees to get under the layout as I had to do with my old layout.

The engine shed lines and turntable are still not operational, but are pretty well laid out in their final configuration (different from the plan sketches).

 

[SRman]

That's a nice view of the station, Adrian.

Anyway, another post with new HO stock from me: more wagons and locos arrived from Modellbahnshop-lippe yesterday, and two more wagons from a local seller just outside Melbourne. I have no doubt this is not a prototypical formation, but it is colourful! I also doubt that this particular loco, 185 540 Kassel Huskies went into Denmark, but it was a reasonably priced model from Piko to a similar specification to my previous Piko loco, 185 066. Another bargain loco from Piko (through Modellbahnshop-lippe) was a Taurus, 182 003. I'll photograph the latter two later.


P_20190306_205829_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190306_205939_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190306_205809_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190306_210053_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

 

[SRman]

QUOTE (Adrian Ross @ 7 Mar 2019, 14:46) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Thanks.
What are the red coaches with the awnings? Never seen anything like that before. (3rd shot down)

They are London Transport CO/CP Stock from 1938 (retired in 1981). These were built from white metal kits and have two Black Beetle motor bogies under one of the Driving Motor cars. At risk of once more diverting this topic, here's one photo of the 5-car unit at the back, with a 4-car train of 1920 F Stock in front on the lower level of my layout, where they belong. The second photo is on the scenic photographic area I prepared just for the purpose of posing trains like multiple units. They are to OO (1/76) scale, so don't really qualify for this thread.

F Stock and COP Stock at Newton Broadway - 3 cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190108_181445_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

 

[SRman]

Here are the promised pics of Piko 182 003 in standard DB traffic red. This one is a very basic model but looks fine to me at normal viewing distances.


P_20190309_103008_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190309_103034_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

 

[SRman]

A video showing all of these recent HO purchases in action.

European HO models running on Newton Broadway

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/hVzNQf5AIMg?rel=0

 

[SRman]

An interesting and varied collection. I like those last two odd-ball devices!

 

[SRman]

Just arrived today: DB InterCity double deck set (Twindexx) from Brawa. This is a fully featured DCC set of three cars, and I chose this livery as being one of the easiest to convert to DSB with a dark blue band between the decks for the length of each carriage ... once I get brave enough to go anywhere near them with paint! I know these aren't 100% correct for the Danish versions, most notably the doors on the intermediate coaches, which should be the same as on the driving trailer. Also, the front end light style is a later pattern than the DSB stock. However, in the absence of the HobbyTrade DSB version, these are probably the most convenient type currently available for me to consider.


P_20190320_204339_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190320_204220_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190320_204244_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


P_20190320_204258_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

I was going to say that these are probably my last extravagance with the railways of Europe, but I do have a few more wagons on the way, and I will have one last fling when the A.C.M.E. DSB EA electric loco hits the shelves later this year.

 

[SRman]

Still in keeping with my Danish/European sub-theme, I managed to purchase a reasonably priced ESU LokSound v. 4 decoder brand new. I downloaded a sound file from ESU's online libraries of sound projects for a Danish DSB ME diesel-electric locomotive and fitted the decoder into my HobbyTrade example of this locomotive type.

I used two differently sized 'sugar cube' speakers to get a better tonal range - the bigger double with large sound chamber I wanted to put in was too big to fit. I wasn't thinking and instead of wiring them in parallel to achieve a 4 ohm total rating, I wired them in series, giving 16 ohm impedance, but it actually worked very well this way, with nice clear and loud sound: loud enough that I had to turn the volume down quite a lot with CV 63 now set to 80 instead of the default 192. I think the horn volumes may need to be increased a little though, which is possible but I'll have to look for the correct CV values for those two sound slots.

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/cN8YMdH77cw?rel=0