Hi Guys! It's that time again - you lucky, lucky people...another Corkscrew-Lines update! This will probably be my last update this year so as the photo below suggests, have a great Christmas and a very happy New Year.
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| Don't go having a "Duff" Christmas like me ! |
My great mate Gaz White dropped by recently for a cuppa so I grabbed the opportunity to get a shot of him in the inner sanctum of the Corkscrew-Lines. Unfortunately for Gaz, he's not a railway modeller...I know, it's sad isn't it?...poor bugger! He is however a professional carpenter/builder and actually helped prepare the double garage for me before any baseboards were erected so will always be a significant figure in the Corkscrew-Lines story. He is also the only man I've met who comes even close to drinking as much tea as I do...respect!
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| Despite appearances, Gaz is not actually a salty old sea-dog North Sea fisherman! |
On My Workbench
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| The military train project moves forward |
Much more progress has been made back home in the Fens however. Having decided to introduce the different specifications for my loco fleet, as detailed in the last fascinating update, (yeah right!) I thought I ought to take some steps towards actually preparing some locos to satisfy them. One of the things I was really keen to do was to add some traincrew to the fleet. Having been a train driver in the past, I always think it looks particularly odd to have trains trundling about with nobody in the cab. That may work for the Docklands Light Railway, but not for the Corkscrew-Lines old boy! We have some standards here don't you know! Dreadful!
A couple of months back I purchased a bulk pack of drivers and secondmen from Monty's Models so I set to work painting them ready for their new careers on the line. Back in the 1960s before flexible rostering and one-man working had been introduced, each diesel would normally have a crew of 2 men. As my diesels are going to be hauling trains in both directions, this means I need to have up to 4 traincrew fitted to my fleet...blimey - think of the wages bill! I stuck my new employees onto a spare piece of foam packing and batch painted them all as you can see below. At this stage I didn't have the heart to tell them they would all require surgery to have their legs, and in some instances even worse! removed so they could fit in the cabs...Ouch! Oh my Lords!, makes your eyes water just thinking about it!
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| People painting in progress. |
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| They'll all be getting legless soon! |
Traction Action!
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| Corky slaves away on the Corkscrew-Lines fleet! |
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| Traincrew, Zimo soundchip, speaker & stay-alive fitted |
The next loco to receive some attention was the Bachmann class 37 which was covered in update number 34 back in September. This is a great looking and performing model which now also sounds fantastic too! Yes my Corkette chums, this tractor has now been through the works and has received...wait for it!... a Zimo MX644D DCC soundchip, an ESU 2w speaker mounted on the chassis with a blu-tack enclosure, a Zimo "stay-alive" capacitor and a full compliment of legless traincrew. As this model already had Kadee couplers and a weathered finish, it is officially the first loco in the Corkscrew-Lines fleet to be awarded "Totally Bald Headed" status, as detailed in the last update....Hellfire!
It sounds fantastic and I'm hoping to knock up another video for YouTube soon showing it strutting it's stuff. Class 37's always sound glorious and now my miniature version does too...Dreadful!
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| DCC soundchip, speaker and "stay-alive" capacitor ready to be fitted |
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| Speaker wires now soldered to pads on loco mother board |
The final loco highlighted in this update is a Bachmann class 47 which I acquired from Rails of Sheffield a few years ago for the bargain price of £39.00 in a sale. The problem was the livery, which is green with full yellow ends. I know it sounds a bit churlish, but I really prefer the small yellow panel on Duffs, although I know technically I can run them with full yellow ends in my chosen time frame. I'm not sure if I'll paint over the full ends in due course but for now, the loco still fits the period and was a steal and not to be passed up. The only snag was, it didn't work! Although the motor turned, the wheels did not. After removal of the body and closer inspection the reason became apparent. The cardon shafts had become dislodged and needed to be re-fitted.
Once repaired, the loco was fitted with a Lenz Silver+ 21 pin DCC chip which was cascaded down from the Bachmann Class 37 now fitted with Zimo sound. The cabs were removed and a full compliment of traincrew fitted and then the loco entered the fleet with an "Oh My Lords" spec.
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| Bachmann Duff in the Works |
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| Traincrew Fitted |
New Arrivals on the Corkscrew-Lines
There have been no new purchases since the last update although there have been some interesting announcements by Hornby and Dapol which will no doubt lead to some future investments! On Monday Hornby announced their models for next year which will include Sentinel 0-4-0 shunters, a Bullied West Country as Okehampton and CCT vans which will certainly be required for the parcels fleet. Then on Friday, Dapol announced class 121 & 122 "Bubble" cars in virtually all their liveries - fantastic! Who can resist a flatulent green 121 with her exhaust stacks proudly stuck on the front? Not me that's for sure!
Who knows, I may have some pleasant surprises under the tree in a couple of days at Jones-Towers...fingers crossed.
So What Happens Next Year?
As I have already hinted at in earlier updates, significant changes will be taking place in 2013 regarding my career and where the Jones family eventually resides. This inevitably means there will be no more track laying or expansion of the layout until I know for sure what space I have available for the "Corkscrew-Lines Mk2". The good news however is there will be another Corkscrew-Lines and if things pan out the way we currently plan, this will be an improved design with extra space. Yes my little Corkette chums you did read that right...the Corkscrew-Lines may be getting larger!...Oh My Lords - Hellfire! There are some things which I can continue to do in the meantime, such as build kits, upgrade the loco fleet, weather stock, investigate upgrading my DCC system (I want to go wireless) and most importantly - keep running trains and having fun!
Something I will certainly keep doing is scribbling my thoughts and ideas in my "little black book". Becky bought me a notebook a year ago so I could keep a note of what I was doing on the Corkscrew and it's been invaluable. I sketch potential track layouts, make note of interesting articles in magazines, keep a record of DCC settings for locos etc etc and I don't go anywhere without it. Well, almost!
I would recommend everybody keeps a record like this of ideas and inspirations so when you get back to the layout you can dive straight into changing or adding things because the planning has already been done. You'll note from the photo of my book that I am currently devising a full history for the Corkscrew-Lines and a schematic route layout which is proving really interesting already. Hopefully I will be able to devise a layout plan that adds extra interest and possibilities for the Corkscrew-Lines Mk2 now while I have the luxury of time to plan.
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| Inspiration often comes between trains on the Alton line |
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| Little Black Book and minced pies - well, it's Christmas isn't it? |
To The Corkettes - I Salute You!
So there we have it...another year of the Corkscrew-Lines story drawing to a close. I said a year ago that I couldn't construct this line without the ongoing friendship and camaraderie you guys n gals give me and nothing has changed. Thank you to everybody that has helped me over the year whether in practical effort or encouragement or moral support. I love having Corkettes drop by to play trains so please keep on coming and hopefully next year we can continue to have loads of fun playing with what is effectively my big train set.
A few Corkettes have gone "above and beyond" this year so special thanks, in no particular order, for continuous support and friendship to Napier-Boy, Wibble, Rooster, Lord & Lady Dowsby, Bruv-In-Law Chris, The Wylde Child, Modular Steve and Levers. But a really big thank you to everybody reading this, and before this becomes an Oscars acceptance speech, I'll finish by saying have a very merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year and let's all keep Corkscrewing away next year! Hoorah, Oh My Lords - Hellfire!
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| Dreadful! |
Ho!, Ho!, Ho!, Corky!
