Captain Kernow's layouts

[PMP]

I think the Sentinels will be a much easier conversion than I first thought. The chassis sideframes come off so widening shoudl be achievable with relatively little work. Both mine are OO and I had real issues getting the bodies off due to 'keen' assembly methods by Mrs Chan.
First thoughts here,
http://albionyard.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/hornby-2015-predicitons-and-sentinel-maintenance-101/
Revised (less Vino Collapso) opinion here :0)
http://albionyard.wordpress.com/2013/12/28/shock-horror-internet-proved-wrong/

The best bit is that they are almost certainly going to do the outside rod version in the future, (its engineered that way) and if they do my two will make way for a 'rodded' pair.

 

[Simon]

Later on there was an even more unusual stock movement, a piece of new rolling stock being moved northwards towards Marshcastleshire for the premium service soon to be introduced on the line through Rowley New Street



A couple of other unusual vehicles were attached and sent on their way up too, but our intrepid photographer got distracted by tea and missed them

A grand day out was had by all, thank you Tim

Simon

 

[Captain Kernow]

I put 'Engine Wood' up for testing this morning, and took the opportunity to run 82044 for the first time on the layout (this is a combination of Bachmann body and modified Comet chassis, and featured on here a while back).

Here are a few snaps:

 

[Neil]

Very nice Tim; but you are a tease, the really interesting loco would be the green Scottish thingy. From what I can see I don't think it's the DJH kit, care to tell us some more?

 

[AJC]

Lovely pictures. Exactly how many industrials do you have these days Tim? I don't think I've seen the Barclay (very nice; Mercian? Scratchbuilt?) before and different ones seem to be in the back of every other shot of your work I see...

Adam

 

[Captain Kernow]

The Barclay is a Mercian kit, it's the '14 inch' one, IIRC.

There's another Barclay somewhere in my boxes, which is of an entirely different provenance, being a scratchbuilt example by Brian Clarke, so I'll try to find the photos I took of it a while back.

I do have a soft spot for industrials, I will admit. There are one or two other kits in the pile currently...

 

[AJC]

I daren't think how many industrial projects I have on the go (it's at least 4). I need a Peckett...

Adam

 

[Neil]

Thanks Tim I think many find industrial locos fascinating as until Hornby's Sentinel it was kit or scratchbuild if you wanted one that wasn't also common to the main line companies.

 

[Captain Kernow]

Thanks Tim I think many find industrial locos fascinating as until Hornby's Sentinel it was kit or scratchbuild if you wanted one that wasn't also common to the main line companies.

I think perhaps that some of the early enthusiasm that Brian Clarke had for his industrials has rubbed of. Whilst it's quite nice running kit-built locos that not everyone will have on their layout, I do think that the RTR boys are missing a trick here, especially in terms of the almost infinite variety of liveries and 'collectability'...

 

[Captain Kernow]

I think the Sentinels will be a much easier conversion than I first thought. The chassis sideframes come off so widening shoudl be achievable with relatively little work.

I was fortunate enough to get in touch with Ultrascale at exactly the right time. They had advised on their website that they were developing a drop-in wheelset for P4 and EM for the Sentinel, but the wording didn't quite make it clear (in my eyes) as to whether the wheelsets were still in development or now available for sale.

Either way, I e-mailed them and expressed my interest in a set for me and also for John F. Ultrascale then replied almost immediately and asked if I would like to trial a set of wheels in my Sentinel. I agreed straight away, and the new wheels were with me by first class post the following day.

Because they have a slightly narrower wheel tread than normal, the sets fitted between the frames without any modification to the Hornby model whatsoever - you simply remove the brake rigging and base plate, tweak the pick ups and replace the Hornby wheels with the Ultrascale ones.

I ran the loco in for 30 mins or so in each direction, with the power leads 'hard wired' directly to the pick ups, and the loco resting upside down. This 'bedded' the tweaked pick ups in nicely, and the result was a lovely, smooth and slow-running loco, that works just fine on all parts of Callow Lane. I reported my findings to Ultrascale, who then put a few photos of my loco up on their website - http://www.ultrascale.com/node/37

When I asked how much I owed them, David Rogers very kindly said that there was nothing to pay at all.

Ultrascale then offered up a limited set of wheelsets on their website, for both P4 and EM, that they had already manufactured. These went very quickly, so I guess it's now a question of waiting for the next batch...

 

[Captain Kernow]

Here are some photos of the Sentinel conversion:

 

[Geoff]

Very nice Tim, you certainly have the knack of being in the right place at the right time when it comes to bagging Ultrascale wheels, first the Class 14 and now the Sentinel!

 

[Captain Kernow]

We had a most convivial visit from Martin (Pugsley) and Michelle (Mrs Pugsley) this afternoon, and while the ladies were talking about knitting and cakes, Martin and I retired to the next room and had a play with Callow Lane, where I had earlier put all the completed buildings and other structures out. I didn't take any photos while Martin was here, but managed a few snaps afterwards.

 

[Simon]

That looks very effective indeed with it all "dressed up"

 

[john lewsey]

Still my favourite layout on the forum the signal box is superb but then the whole thing is
John

 

[iak63]

It lives and breathes.....
Very tasty beasty.

 

[Neil]

Even though it's not finished it has a sense of believability about it.

Are you thinking of relocating it Tim? That dark grey slag heap in the bottom photos gives it a valleys look.

 

[Captain Kernow]

Are you thinking of relocating it Tim? That dark grey slag heap in the bottom photos gives it a valleys look.

Nice one!

I draped that over CTMK's crates of 'stuff', which uncovered (see one of the Sentinel photos above), looked a bit like a skyscraper! So, South Wales verses New York - no contest!!

 

[SteveO]

That's a lovely looking layout. Is the green diesel shunter one of the NBLs? Looks familiar.

 

[Captain Kernow]

That's a lovely looking layout. Is the green diesel shunter one of the NBLs? Looks familiar.

Thanks, yes, that's right (Judith Edge).