[John Edge]

Hi John,
That is hopefully going to be one lovely looking engine shed in due course.
Like 34C, I had to titter at the thought of a “mobile pit” - ha, ha, ha!
Back when I was a long term member of the Mickleover club, we had a “branch” layout and the guys involved with it were very serious. They were also passionate about the Ffestiniog railway and so added a narrow gauge section and one evening, Phil T. Was chattering away about the dual gauge track.
Deap pan, I looked him in the eye and asked if he had any dual gauge stock to run on it. He spluttered for a few moments before realising then just muttered “pillock”!!!
Cheers,
John E.

 

[John Edge]

John, you have reminded me that many years ago I was invited to visit the Micleover Club hut where there Duffield layout was up and running. I took with me a Gutzold DR Class 50 2-10-0 steam loco and 5 Piko double decker bogie coaches. I watched as a Hornby HST set struggled around the oval layout with the power car leading. I then was invited to place my stock on the rails and I set it up with the coaches leading, the steam loco pushing from behind (this was after all push/pull stock). The German rake then flawlessly circulated around the layout ............. to much interest. A decision was taken to reverse the HST so that the power car was pushing from the rear. It didn't work out too well as it derailed on the curves .... rather generous curves at that.

The point was well taken that the standard UK couplings were not ideal and that pickups also needed to be improved to ensure smooth running. This was back in the 1990's and I hope that Hornby have upgraded their engineering standards. I have to admit that I have a few "continental" models that would have struggled on the Duffield layout but most would run in a similar fashion to the double decker stock.

Life moved on and with British Rail privatisation I lost touch with my colleagues in Derby who were the Mickleover club members who had invited me.

Best regards ....................... Greyvoices (alias John)

Good heavens!
I might well have been in attendance on that occasion but sadly, I don’t remember, sorry. In the early 1990s I was still busy with my studies and chasing girls. As a friend once remarked of his wife “I chased her and chased her until she caught me”.
I dare say your invitee may have been someone like Vic Evans? He was certainly very interested in H0 Continental/German throughout my membership. Probably still is if he’s still with us.
Anyway, the Duffield layout.
Through the 1990s when I was in attendance (!) I was an American outline modeller and I was determined to show off just how good American as well as European mechanisms were so I set up more or less my entire collection at the time - 100+ bogie wagons with three diesels at the front and one at rear. I managed a couple of fault free circuits but I didn’t have everything weighted properly nor did everything have genuine Kadee couplers fitted.
Had that been the case, I should have wowed them but my couple of faults let me down!
Never mind,
John E

 

[John Edge]

Don’t forget to include a means of altering the polarity to the bridge track!
My way was to feed the bridge track via a simple return loop or wye detector - which then does all the switching for you.
My mates way was to add a DPDT switch near the table and feed via that but he has to remember to flick the switch.
Cheers,
John E.