Dave Holt

Western Thunderer
Paul.
I'm sorry to read about your trials and tribulations regarding visits to France caused by Brexit. I really hope you manage to find a way to work within the restrictions so that you can progress Moor Street, having thoroughly enjoyed following your updates since joining WT.
Dave.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Thank you, Dave

You know, I have worked on every continent except Antarctica, and now, in retirement, I find these restrictions between two neighbouring countries rather annoying! Just what is going on? Well, my wife and I discuss this a lot and think that poor education has a lot to answer for. As a scientist by training I also wonder about where this society is heading, when touchy-feely thoughts transcend clear analysis of facts. Again, I must stop short of the politics.

Moor Street deserves to survive. For me at least.
 

SimonT

Western Thunderer
Before I retired I spent a lot of time going to meetings at Airbus in Toulouse. The French lunch break was taken in the huge on site restaurent with excellent food consumed at long tables filled with others from the meeting from all over Europe. The EU was a frequent topic of conversation. The overall opinion was that everyone despised the Commision and the Parliament. Most disliked the self-grandisement and the EU membership of the G7, etc - they did not agree with the idea of the EU as a state. They disliked the petty rules. However, they liked being european with a national twist - well it is France!

Mods, I consider this post to be reportage andnot politics but will take it down if you feel it too touchy.
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
When I worked out there in the late 1970s I remember the coffee and brandy at about 10am, and then wonderful lunches, as you say, Simon, but enlivened even further by glass of red wine. We weren't whiter than white in that respect, though. Kodak had a bar on site at their factory in Harrow, open lunch times and evenings......

Brian
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Well, this latest conversation persuaded me to check on progress in South Korea on my order for a Lee Marsh Castle.


Having a Castle emerging from Snow Hill Tunnel on an UP express consisting of chocolate and cream coaches should help the disappearing mojo! The Castle order has quite a history. It started with an order for a Royal Scot, then transferred to a Manor, then to the Castle when Penmaenpool was abandoned. So it’s been a long while since the first down payment was paid!

Incidentally, I believe the same train could also be a DOWN express if it was the Cornishman.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Using the Schengen short term stay calculator, we have worked out when we CANNOT* visit France and as a result it would appear we will not be able to attend either Kettering or Stafford meetings and still do all of the other retirement diary commitments.

* Yes, the calculator works backwards!

Reading seems to be the most likely next meeting close to Hampshire, that is, if it happens.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Off to France soon with three Dapol Mk 1s, a Dapol bogie bolster and two Peco curved points. The latter to reorganize the redesigned trackwork that was started in September '21. With that completed I think I will get more excited about Moor Street. And the Lee Marsh Castle project is coming along well.

Also, I forgot to mention a Dapol 14xx with Youchoos sound. Expect a video!
 
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Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Today I finished a two day job, relaying the problem track between station and main line along with the local services fiddle yard. The problem has been resolved with one Peco curved turnout, while a second turnout provides two short storage sidings capable of holding two coach trains. The track has yet to be fully wired.

ABCC40AF-1738-4315-8F55-7A3F3C2491AD.jpeg

I had hoped the sidings would hold three coach trains but there is then no room tor the locomotive.

I have also started a Skytrex 5 ton crane kit, nearly all white metal. I am working on this while waiting on Copydex to set on the track.

image.jpg
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
I probably shouldn’t say this but this could be the end of track laying for Moor Street. There is now plenty of storage on the layout though there is never enough! The next job will be wiring up the new track and then tackling the point motors.

I do plan to do some scenic work while here on a short trip. But of course I am missing some supplies so there will a limit to what can be achieved.

My hands and fingers are showing their age right now. I struggled for 15 minutes trying to repair a coupler on the Dapol 14xx with no luck. As a result it has no front coupler until I buy some spares.

The Dapol maroon Mk 1 coaches are a delight. I need one more BSK but they seem to be sold out at the usual suspects. And that bogie bolster is lovely! Imagine a rake of them behind a 9F.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
The new fiddle yard has been wired in but no point motors as yet. The 5 ton crane is also getting there but it seems to be jib heavy, even without a load on the hook. I see that Skytrex sells a separate stone base so will make up a similar one to suit. Next Skytrex products to be put together are the two platform mounted water cranes. Then I may start on cobbling together an approximate lookalike to the original signal box. This, however does not need to have a narrower ground floor footprint base as the track spacing is very different from the prototype. It would look a bit strange. Essentially the box will be two Bearley North Junction kits joined together.

Moor Street

Bearley North

The are of the same Edwardian era, just like the water tanks (oh yes, that project is stalled even though I have all the materials. The problem is all the materials are not in the same country!)
 

MoatLane

Western Thunderer
Off to France soon with three Dapol Mk 1s, a Dapol bogie bolster and two Peco curved points. The latter to reorganize the redesigned trackwork that was started in September '21. With that completed I think I will get more excited about Moor Street. And the Lee Marsh Castle project is coming along well.

Also, I forgot to mention a Dapol 14xx with Youchoos sound. Expect a video!
Just a thought Paul: did you have to pay any duty bringing models into France? I haven't tried yet but plan to bring several items of stock back with me in June.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Just a thought Paul: did you have to pay any duty bringing models into France? I haven't tried yet but plan to bring several items of stock back with me in June.
No, Chris. Mainly because only three items were bought new and came within the allowance. I have never been questioned at Ouistreham even when we drive up in the “something to declare “ channel with a car full of luggage.

A lot depends on the luck of the draw. Last August we were last off the ship and the French immigration couldn’t wait to go off shift while the customs shed was already locked for the night. A small detail, however, was that we had to queue for 90 minutes!
 

MoatLane

Western Thunderer
Thanks. I must check the allowances and whether they are per person or per vehicle. Because of covid, it's three years since I've travelled to UK. Stuff I've had sent has done ok so far, bought VAT-free (from Tower) and charged TVA plus the dreaded handling charge. Unlike some, books have squeezed through.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Chris, as far as I know the allowances are per person, with some items like wine for adults only. The limits for wine include one catch. Sparkling wine is up to 4 litres per person but a carton of 6 bottles contains 4.5 litres, so if checked customs will charge duty on all 6 bottles according to their rules. No white vans across the channel any more on the traditional booze runs.
 

MoatLane

Western Thunderer
No indeed, and I doubt we will be carting wine any more. Our local stuff is widely available in UK supermarchés now at reasonable prices (if you exclude the petrol pump stuff), so hardly worth it. I wonder where you are? If you want to chat some more send me a PM and I'll let you know where I am.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Back to the Railway Room today after a day visiting relatives who live near Montpellier.

Somewhat tired at the end of the day (a 1 hr 15 min journey on Autoroute 9 is no fun, twice in one day!) so I have been tackling simple jobs. More work on the second water crane, a start on soldering up the base of the water tower, and tweaking a few couplings on the rolling stock. The latter tasks bring up a few Gauge O conundrums:

  1. The Dapol/Lionheart Mark 1 coaches are really good value and a lot of thought went into the design. However, Dapol decided to fit screw link couplings to the guard's end of the BSKs so that they can be coupled to locos and other stock. But I only have one maroon BSK in a rake of four, so a knuckle coupling chad to be replaced on another coach. No instructions on how best to achieve this so I undid everything, final removed the knuckle assembly and then miraculously put the coach back together with a Dapol screw link coupler I found in the bits box. I then attached two Sidelines coaches to the Dapol four and made up a nice rake for the Jubilee to pull.
  2. I like the relatively new MagClic magnetic couplers and have fitted them to a set of brass Western Region Mark 1s. Although easy to attach to each other (and to separate), the magnets either attract or repel according to rotation of the coach! So in reality they are better for permanent rakes. Luckily I don't have a reverse loop.
  3. The Heljan Large Praire won't push Dapol wagons around a 1.8m radius curve without buffer lock. Oval buffer heads would work but were never prototypical. It looks like a piece of wire will have to be glued across the buffer heads of a few wagons and vans if the Large Prairies are to be used for shunting.
I have also been finishing off the Dapol/Lionheart ancient autocoach which I resprayed crimson a few years ago. These were only seen at Moor Street before about 1950 but Rule 1 can apply here as they were still used at Snow Hill for the Dudley Dodger until DMUs came along. It's a pity that Lionheart chose such an old autocoach design to model.
 
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