The Welcome Mat

Welcome to this Blog. Hopefully you may find it of use (i doubt it but it doesnt stop me hoping does it?). All my skills are normally self taught, and at the moment i'm a lone ranger when it comes to my layout with the occasional help from friends (normally it involves alot heckling).

I've never yet got a layout really past the electrics stage. I normally lose interest which is why i've decided to become involved in lots of things so i can vary my time between different things. All the work you see on Westleigh is my own work and all the photos you see on my fotopic sites are again my own work. I'm amazed i havent started to play with it, perhaps leaving the vast majoirty of the wiring to the end helps.

My main interest in railways is principally the early 90s. Even though i only just got into double figures in terms of age just as privitisation came in, i find it a very interesting period. My earliest memories were at Salisbury, Oxford and Bristol. So to counteract this aswell i tend to model the northwest scene during 1990 to 1994. However i also do the Wessex area during the same period and the scottish lowlands during 1988-1990.

I do have a little interest in the 1996-1998 privitisation period. I'm more aware of this period than the sectorisation period and again i wouldnt mind if it turned into this era.

I also am working on a project of Devizes station in 1963/64 just before alot of the line was rationalised and eventually closed. This however is a very very long term project and probably wont get anyway for many many years yet.

I do spend alot of time in the summer out an about doing photography particularly of civil jet aircraft. I'm certainly no David Bailey but i'm reasonably proud of most of the photos taken.

Anyway i suppose i really should get off the computer and get on with some modelling work, except work has a tendancy to get in the way!

Friday, 7 October 2011

DCC new age!

Westleigh has finally joined the new age and is now DCC. Its also still DC too. How come?

Well the layout was originally wired for DC cab control using centre off switches. All i have done is convert one of the cabs to a DCC control. By changing a plug i can operate DCC or DC quite safely (though not both together). The NCE powercab i am currently using is very good although i'm having a few problems but these are mainly due to lack of knowledge on my part. I'm using bachmann 36-553 chips for their cheapness and ease to get. For my lima models i'm using a NEW652 wiring harness (8pin socket to you and me) so i dont have to chop the plug off so chips can be swapped around.

Apart from that very little has occured since the show. I've decided to add a fiddle yard at the other end so i can run through trains. This along with the replacement for the others will be 5 roads in a ladder style. It can run however in the exsisting set up for home or even show use.
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