Update No.34 - 24.09.12

Hello again boys and girls...Corky's back!

After the sudden burst of track laying activity in the last update, things have slowed again as I've been spending the vast majority of my time in Hampshire and Surrey earning a crust in Farnham signal box.  Although frustrating, this is a short term problem as either I will find another job closer to home or we will eventually sell our current home and relocate to the South and the Corkscrew-Lines will have a new permanent home and I can work on it whenever I like.

Latest arrival tops the helix. Note the blue-point switch machine under the loco.

New Arrivals on the Corkscrew-Lines

As I mentioned in the last update, a new loco has been added to the Corkscrew-Lines roster in the shape of the latest re-tooled class 37/0 by Bachmann.  This is a loco fitted with their latest powerful mechanism and comes in the best livery these locos ever carried (maybe with the exception of large logo blue) classic green with small yellow warning panels.  As seems to be becoming more and more popular these days, the loco is factory weathered and although it looks attractive, I still remain to be convinced by manufacturer weathering.  I would on balance prefer to have a pristine loco and then weather it myself at a later date as I see fit.  However, it looks good and it certainly runs well as I've come to expect from Bachmann diesels. 

New couplers and a DCC chip fitted and she's ready to go!

Powering a freight past the yet to be named signal box at the top of the helix.

Before being allowed out onto the mainline, the loco had the standard tension lock couplers removed and had a pair of Kadee couplers fitted.  Next the body was removed and the mechanism was lubricated with some light engineering oil and a Lenz silver plus 21pin DCC chip was fitted.  I have tried TCS, DCC Concepts and Bachmann DCC decoders but I have found Lenz are the only manufacturer with chips that fit straight in and give smooth, slow speed control straight away without the need to constantly tweak CV settings or speed tables.  The vast majority of my Heljan and Bachmann locos are Lenz controlled and they all run beautifully.

This loco is fitted with directional lighting and working cab lights - all function controlled via the DCC chip.  This is probably a personal preference, but I really do not like the lights fitted to the majority of models and find them at best too bright and normally totally unrealistic.  My memories of trains in the pre hi-visibility headlamp days was you couldn't normally tell if they had any form of lighting at all in daylight and there was normally such a thick and even layer of grime over everything that they may as well not be lit at all.  As I have no plans to run the layout in night-mode then I will probably rarely use the lighting functions.  The 37 has a typical model lighting set up with a strange hue to the headcode panel although the separate cab lights are fun.

This loco becomes the third class 37 on the layout.  Although the earlier pair are from the previous tooling and don't have quite the same haulage grunt this beast has, they are still acceptable models in my eyes and until another incarnation of the new version is released they will be safe on the loco roster. 

Blue-Point switch machines, hardware packs and tubing from the USA

I have mentioned before that I decided for the majority of the points on the layout I will avoid the use of the normal Peco, Seep or Tortoise motors to switch the blades.  I have decided to do what BR did in the 1960s on absolute block lines like the Corkscrew-Lines and use mechanical means.  My chosen system is the Blue-Point switch actuator which is installed under the point and via a metal rod, throws the point blade and via internal circuitry, alters the frog polarity in one movement.  They are pretty simple to install, easy to adjust, small and very reliable.  The only down side is they are hard to locate at a decent price in this country.  Therefore I tend to order them in bulk from the USA and the latest batch of 10 including associated hardware and tubing arrived last week.  You can see one fitted in the first photo of this update.  Just need to finish the installation by installing the control rods and the fascia knob.


Becky's Global Adventures  

Apologies if I stray from railway related matters for a moment.  Many of you will know my wonderful daughter Becky and will be aware that she recently went to China after raising vast amounts of money for her chosen charity, Childreach International.  Well she came home with a 32GB memory card bursting with images of her adventures so I thought I'd share just a few with you. 

Look for the Pink!

Bexter on top of the world!

The Great Wall

She was home for a week or so and then boarded a Mumbo-Jumbo-Jet and headed off to Toronto in Canada for the second year of her degree course in international development.  I know everybody you know back home is missing you Bex...Corky certainly is!

Seeing Becky off at Heathrow...Canada bound!

London Termini at Night

I have worked on the railway for the best part of 25 years now and for many years I regularly worked night shifts in London.  Whilst I was a driver at Kings Cross I always enjoyed the time between 2am and 5am when apart from newspaper deliveries and the occasional whistling cleaner, places such as Kings Cross which are normally nothing but hustle, noise and frantic movement, fall under a surreal silence and are becalmed.  I have recently visited Waterloo and Kings Cross at night and thought you may enjoy a few images of berthed stock, the final arrivals and the revamped concourse and restored cathedral like roof at the "Cross".

Waterloo - Look at the buffer stops on that...Dreadful!

New Concourse - Kings Cross

Kings Cross Nocturne

Kings Cross Nocturne

Kings Cross Nocturne

Continuing the full sized railway theme, my local line in the Fens, the "joint" line from Peterborough through Spalding to Lincoln has recently been resignalled and lost it's semaphores and some bridges have been replaced ready to accept larger containers on intermodal trains.  Unfortunately the resignalling has resulted in the closure of some signal boxes and the removal of some Crossing Keepers from the line.  Our local box at Gosberton has been closed and replaced by a battleship grey monstrosity which now controls a longer section of line and has incorporated monitoring and operation of numerous level crossings on the route.  This is the shape of modern signalling and it isn't pretty.  In a few years time this will in turn be replaced by incorporation into a larger signalling panel at Lincoln and eventually under Network Rail's long tern vision there will be only 14 signalling centres in the whole country, each, an enormous great office building not necessarily next to any railway line.  If you have a local signal box then don't take it for granted...it's days are probably numbered!

The new Gosberton box with it's predecessor in the distance

Future Adventures

Next weekend is the Nene Valley Railway diesel gala and I intend to be there.  This will be my first and probably my last gala of the year so I intend to go the whole Ned 9 yards...Oh My Lords!  If you are going I'll see you there on the Saturday.

Wibble and Rooster have decided a Corkscrew-Lines diesel gala is also required at some stage in the next few weeks...sounds like a great idea to me!  If any of the other regular Corkettes are interested in an autumn running session with their own DCC locos then get in touch.  Green livery is of course preferred but not essential.  I will even turn a blind eye to sprinters and sheds if that's what floats yer boat...Dreadful!

Moving Pictures! 

If you've visited the blog recently you may have noticed a new section....Video Vault.  Yes my little Corkette chums, there are now short video clips of the Corkscrew-Lines available here and on Youtube.  I'm just starting to get my head around filming, editing and uploading them so don't expect dolby surround or 3D.  I'll try some extended clips and eventually would like to get an on-train camera sorted but for now you can see Goyles, Hymeks, Cromptons etc strutting their stuff on the helix...enjoy!

Pre-Ordered Goodies!

After checking the latest predicted release dates for models I've had pre-ordered for many years it looks like they'll all be arriving at the same time...Cripes! My wallet has just run away and hidden in fear!  I have D600 Warships, Thumpers, Westerns, Baby Warships and Class 128 and AC Cars railcars and 02 steam locos and a USA class shunter all scheduled to arrive in the country in the next few months!  It's exciting but I may be living off a diet of baked beans only for a while.  You have been warned...Hellfire!

Until next time my friends....keep up the good work and don't let the buggers get you down! 


Corky! 

Update No.33 - 02.09.12

Hello again my lovely little Corkette chums - I hope you are all well.  You'll all be delighted to hear I am sure that much progress has been made over the last few weeks on our beloved Corkscrew-Lines so brace yourselves for some serious track laying action...Oh My Lords - Absolutely Hellfire!

Hydraulic action and a mug of tea - What could be better eh?

Well now, in the last update I showed you some shots of my tentative efforts at starting some track laying on the central peninsula where the tracks which rise from the storage level via the helix finally see the light of day on level 2A.  Well I rolled my sleeves up and over a couple of weekends I finalised my ideas on the track layout and position for points and cut the track boards, fitted them to risers and laid the trackbed foam.  This is exactly the same method I have used previously and you can get a fuller explanation by looking back at earlier updates.  Once the trackbed was laid then the trackwork followed using the tried and tested Copydex adhesive (now on my 4th bottle!)  and tin can system I devised last year.  Anyway, have a look at the following snaps and I'm sure you'll get the idea. 

Junction and Level 2B track ideas...just thinking things through.

The various levels on the Corkscrew-Lines will give the layout it's main operating interest with trains running around the room multiple times at various heights.  I know more or less how this will all be accomplished in my head but I've yet to put pen to paper and produce accurate plans.  In the meantime, the simplest way to describe the photo above is to imagine a through station on this level (level 2) with a single platform which might be used by a small number of local stopping trains (probably Hampshire DEMUs when I get them) but mainly by the military.  This area will represent a very basic station constructed in the 1940s to serve nearby military camps and firing ranges which were quickly and cheaply constructed whilst gearing up for the D-Day landings.  Troop trains from all over the country (often with foreign locos being conducted by local traincrew) will arrive to deposit soldiers before departing back to their home region.  I'll also have a single line which heads off and ultimately disappears through the backscene and onto the outer helix boards as my military branch for ammunition, supplies and when I actually construct the kits, my tank/armoured car trains.

The tracks you can see at a higher level curving in from the end of the peninsula are at level 2B and will have arrived here via the outer helix boards.  In this area they will be a double track mainline which curves over the station area via a girder bridge and then heads for the corner of the room where another junction will probably lead to another off scene industry or branch line.  That's all a long way off because I need to run level 2A all the way round the room and back to the helix first and that could easily be a year away.  I may have to lay the trackbed boards for level 2B fairly soon though because this will obviously have an impact on any scenic work I do on level 2A.

Track bed cut from plywood and risers being fitted.

Large spirit level used before trackbed finally secured.

Points being installed and holes drilled for switch machines

Track laying in progress - baked beans and soup mainly!

Rough idea of scenic boundaries and tunnel mouth positions.

You can see above the way the mainline dives into a tunnel almost immediately after bursting into the sunlight following the ordeal of the helix climb.  This small area provides a home for a signal box and a set of crossovers which will be needed for some of the running round moves for the station on the other side of the peninsula.  It all adds to the operating interest when you have to use the next box's section to complete a set of moves but you have to time it so you're not interrupting the flow of freights on the mainline. 

Because I have a mainline which loops twice around the room on each level, I have decided to go for a peek-a-boo approach and try to minimise the amount of unrealistic quadruple track on 2 levels running parallel to each other.  In this area, when the tracks emerge from the outer helix onto level 2B they will remain visible and run over the lower tracks which will be concealed within the tunnels below.  As I've said before, it will all make more sense once I've produced some plans for you all.  Watch this space!

Completed mainline track laying on level 2A peninsula.

Turbo-Banjo moved to it's next temporary home.

This latest track laying frenzy has added another 26ft of mainline running and another 4 sets of points.  I have updated the totals on the Corkscrew Totaliser so you are all fully up to speed.  The "Turbo-Banjo" has now been reinstalled at the new limit of the line and continuous running has been reintroduced.  Having timed a typical freight which began it's journey in the lower yard and then ran the entire length of the line until arriving back in the storage sidings, the total run is now at 9mins and 10secs which is food for thought considering only a fraction of the run is actually on a scenic level so far.  It wouldn't surprise me if a run over the entire line when all the track is laid on all the levels could be in excess of 40 minutes...Hellfire!

I'm using Peco code 75 track for the Corkscrew-Lines but I am not using the Peco point motors which clip onto the base of their points range.  Having decided to operate my points manually using a variation on the wire-in-tube system, the additional "gubbins" around the sleepers and the spring mechanism on the moulded Peco points base is redundant.  Rather than just lay the points as they come out of the box, I firstly do some additional soldering and remove the pins on the bottom to improve the electrical flow and do away with the reliance on the point blades to transmit the current.  Next, I use a razor saw to remove the spring mechanism and mouldings and then I trim the sleeper ends to remove the clip points for the Peco point motors.  This gives a far less cluttered and far more realistic appearance and this is what I'll be doing for all of the point-work on the visible sections of the layout.  You can see the results in the photo below.

Visiting Corkettes  

Mr & Mrs Rooster visited last weekend and brought their cats with them...as you do!  Now once the boys were released from their travelling boxes they naturally wanted to check out Uncle Corky's model railway.  Enjoy the shots of Blue & Charlie doing a bit of train spotting!

Waiting impatiently for the next train

What's next, hope it's a Crompton Dad!

Rooster attempts to get a very excited cat to leave the helix...not easy!

Rooster's Railway!

You'll know from the last update that my mate Rooster now has a shed for his model railway and I assisted with the construction of his baseboards.  Well, being the friendly chap that I am... pushover more like , I recently also assembled his fiddle-yard board as shown below and Rooster is now up and running constructing his own layout.  Unfortunately the layout is not similar to the Corkscrew-Lines in any way as it's in N-Gauge and based on a North American prototype.  However, it's the diversity of interests that's so special about we model railway (model railroad) folk so if that kind of thing floats your boat check out his fascinating blog and don't be surprised if you see some shots of Corky when you get there...Dreadful!

http://www.cambridgeheightscsx.blogspot.co.uk/

Timber, Power tools, Corky and a mug of tea have produced the Rooster's Fiddle-Yard board.

New Arrivals on the Corkscrew-Lines

Unusually, I do not appear to have picked up any new model railway items since the last update.  This is naturally not normal behaviour for me but I know there'll be something green, dirty and tractor-ish to show you next time.  I have been advised by Hattons that a weathered green Bachmann class 37 is en-route from Liverpool right now.  I have examples of earlier Bachmann Class 37s but this new version is re-tooled and should have the extraordinarily powerful mechanism as fitted to Wibble's tractor which took 13 coaches up the helix without missing a beat (see previous updates).  I feel a haulage test coming on...which is the most powerful diesel in the fleet?...Hellfire!!

Another item which has been ordered but not yet received is a multi pack of "Blue Point switch machines" from our friends across the Atlantic.  Although there are some limited stockists in Britain, the associated fitting packs are very hard to locate at sensible prices so once again I have ordered from an American dealer and I'll report once they are safely received.

More unusual this one, but very significant in Corkscrew world.  I have a huge love for rock music and in particular prog' rock and I've followed a diverse bunch of bands for years and collected their albums.  As well as Porcupine Tree, Spock's Beard, The Pineapple Thief, Office of Strategic Influence and Storm Corrosion, I am a devoted follower of Amplifier's work.  This magnificent band last year produced an album called "The Octopus" and I played it almost constantly, much to the amusement of my family, whilst constructing all the baseboards for the Corkscrew-Lines.  The band has eschewed traditional marketing and sells all it's albums directly to fans.  When I discovered they had released a special edition of the album in book format with additional material I just had to have it.  The big bonus when it arrived was my name was listed within the album pages and the first page was dedicated to me and signed by the band...Oh My Lords!  So I include a shot of myself enjoying the multi-layered and sumptuous sound of The Octopus by Amplifier and thank them for their significant contribution to the Corkscrew-Lines story...Dreadful!

I'm available for work as a Cyber-man impersonator!

And just to prove I don't spend all of my spare time wielding a soldering iron and juggling baked beans tins, here are some shots of an enjoyable day out with the other members of the Corky household at Rutland Water where we rode bikes around the entire 17 mile perimeter.  I ached a bit the following day and in very specific areas but that's a story for another day...or not!

Don't look now but that church is sinking!

Pint time at a bikers pub...sort of!

Sarah's delight at hearing track laying had started again!

So there you have it my Corkette buddies, consider yourselves thoroughly updated.  Next time I'll share my conclusions with you regarding Bachmann's tractor and once I've got a couple of time consuming work commitments out of the way I'll start producing track plans and layout diagrams for the blog so you'll at last know what I've been bleating on about for the last year and a half...ha-ha!

Take care and toodle-pip for now,

Corky