The Big Move

Well it has finally happened, the 16.5mm gauge layout is now "home". Wiring was done and finally got things running well enough to do two videos of trains running round the layout so it was time to move the layout into the garage from its previous residence under the covered area that is much more exposed to weather etc. (I even found some bird poop on the table top recently, making me glad I had sealed the plywood table top: wipe off with moist cloth, no fuss)

Trying to get video of reliable running has highlighted an issue with the UK outline rolling stock. The tension hook couplings they have are of varying implementations. Some are quite old metal Triang. Others are more modern Hornby plastic ones that have narrower loops than the old metal couplings. Others are modern Bachmann couplers that are very neat and narrower again than the Hornby ones. Heights are not 100% consistent. Trying out my US outline rolling stock I had much better running. Whilst I do not yet have a Kadee coupler height gauge, it seems that the coupler boxes or installed boxes have resolved to close enough heights to provide much more reliable running in terms of couplers pushing other wagons around in disagreeable ways. Looking around and trying to recall, there is not a single, standard UK outline coupler, everyone has a favourite and best results mean standardising to that on your layout as your own choice (And then there is the debate on automatic couplers versus going all the way for realism with hook and link couplers requiring good eyes, steady hands and much patience). In US outline there is a defacto standard and while the style may vary, they are all Kadee or functionally Kadee clones. Kadee #5s have long been the default Kadee coupler for HO and while newer items are more to scale and so on, the #5 continues to be very popular. Given what I have just experienced I am inclined to continue my favouring of these couplers and am now wondering about a total conversion of my UK outline rolling stock to Kadees. Visiting various forums, many UK outline modellers have done so and some of the issues Americans have with Kadee #5s being overscale for HO mean they will be less so in OO scale. It has the advantage of meaning I can run "mixed" stock together.

Another issue that I suspect affected reliable running seems to be the rolling qualities of the wagons. The wagons that roll down the gradients on my layout all by themselves are metal axled, metal wheeled and indeed metal bogied boxcars. Vary little of my current UK outline rolling stock rolls all the way down the gradients without assistance whereas the boxcars do so from a standing start. So it seems a review of alternatives to enhance the rolling characteristics of my UK outline rolling stock is required.

The worst runner continues to be the long wheelbase Hornby Thomas who is not helped by the quality of the wheels in terms of flange size and tyre width. All these properties plus a low weight mean it does not negotiate the Peco code 75 crossing or the Walthers code 83 pointwork without some misadventure. The Bachmann Percy while also a light locomotive has no such issues but suffers a little from having only 4 wheels if wheels and/or track get dirty.

Speaking of dirty track, a 1200mm by 1200mm baseboard set into the corner of a garage (hard to reach the far corner) with truss bridges (too small to put my hand inside) mean that not all track is easily accessed for wiping with a cleaning cloth. Thus something to put on my shopping lost is a track cleaning wagon. The piece de resistance of track cleaners is the CMX clean machine but best costs most and the price represents quite a bit of other kit. A cheaper alternative might be to try incorporating this roller into a BR brake van I already have. Time will tell but I think the cheaper solution might be purchased first.

Anyway, the moment I have been waiting for is here and so a photo to celebrate. The level was still there after shimming up the layout. The 0-4-0 Dockside up the back was used for ensuring the wiring had survived the move. The Roundhouse boxcar has kadee 501 trucks with metal axled metal wheels (I suspect Inter Mountain but cannot recall) and kadee #5 couplers. The only negative aspect was that I painted it all silver but have no decals as yet. A model train guys hobby is never done, else what would be the point!

Capturing the moment

So recently family and I went to this year's Malkara scale model exhibition. DSLR in hand I hoped to capture things better than with the compact. It would seem that the challenges with the compact are not that different with a DSLR. Models are small so getting in close is important. Light levels are generally low as most models are exhibited indoors. While landscape is a good subject, photographing the powered models is the real aim. Depth of focus is important, often I want a high depth of focus for two reasons:

1. 1) So that more of the model and landscape is captured
2. 2) So the camera is more forgiving in its focus.

Here comes the dilemma: capturing low light and/or moving objects generally means an aperture set to as open as you can get away with, while a high depth of focus usually means setting the aperture so only a pinhole of light gets in, keeping all the light rays straight on the same point of the lens. Playing with high ISOs can compensate but the higher the ISO, the lesser the picture quality due to noise. All this to say that many of my shots turned out one or more of:

• blurry,
• out of focus,
• too dark,
• grainy

Meanwhile the 16.5mm gauge layout continues and is down to electrical wiring before being moved in to the garage finally. Winter in Canberra is not conducive to much work out side and life gets both busy and tiring such that modelling activity slows down over that period. Soldering of wires seems to be getting better but up was possibly the only option for my handiwork. While I am wiring the layout in a block/cab fashion, I still only have one DC controller so really they are just isolating sections. DCC thoughts are starting to run around my head though and perhaps the leap will come soon. Price is still the big barrier. No matter how simple a system, making a full switch from DC to DCC involves quite a bit of kit. Some advice says start with the decoders first. As far as I can gather that means running locos on DC with a DCC decoder that handles DC power without frying. As I am keen to use sound, I will have to do further research as to what happens with sound decoders running on DC:

• cooked decoder,
• decoder that just lets the loco work with DC control or possibly,
• a loco that works on DC control with some sound (that would be nice :-)

THe other barrier to DCC is my soldering skills which are improving but are not necessarily up to electronics yet. Given that only one of my locos comes with a DCC socket, I will need to do many conversions. On top of that, the one with the DCC socket does not have room for a sound decoder if the socket is used instead of soldering the decoder in.

Roll on the warmer weather as spring comes soon, more outdoor goings on to look forward to!