Breitefurt (my first layout)

[Chris]

Thanks HJ

I bought some of that stuff about 40 years ago when our front door cylinder lock was giving problems. Worked first time. Used it one and I'm sure it is still kicking around but goodness knows where.

Local hardware store? I'll try the Skye Home Entertainment shop (big enough for 5 customers at a time, at a push, and see if he has some. That shop is like the Tardis and seems to have everything the local supermarket doesn't.

All the best,
Chris.

[Andrew]

Chris, the other way is to coat it using a HB pencil. At least you have control as to the amount. I use the pencil on my KD no5 couplers rather than powdered graphite.
Andrew

[Chris]

Hmmmm, yes. I had wondered about that. Somewhere I have a 6B pencil! Seriously, I have already bought some Kadee Greas-em, so I will try that and, if I get in a mess, I'll go for a soft pencil. Yes, thanks for the suggestion.

Best wishes,
Chris.

[Chris]

Hello everyone.
It's been a long time since last I posted. Basically I got burned out so nothing happened over the summer. However, I have an exhibition coming up next month and I needed to push forward with a number of changes. I have replaced all 5 burned turnouts, removed some of the spurs these turnouts accessed, and done  the appropriate re-wiring. The removal of the spurs also allowed me to lay out the route selection buttons into a more ergonomic layout (thank goodness). All this threw up the fact that my wiring was not well documented. The diagrams were mostly accurate but there was no diagram for the layout of the hundreds of terminals under the board. Also item IDs needed to be consistent, getting rid of all the original IDs that I had used. All this is under weigh.

All this means that I am back using AnyRail. I had been off it so long that I had forgotten how to use it!!!!  Soon caught up though, thanks to AnyRail's excellent specification. So, I thought I would put up the current station schematic; this may give some of you some ideas about labelling.

Finally, my diary has updated at last as well.

With best wishes,
Chris.

[Jeff]

Glad to see you back at the important things in life (railroading!). I thought you were having so much fun operating the layout that you couldn't find time to get into the forums   Big things are coming up in AR and I think you'll find a use for them.

[Chris]

Sounds good Jeff. I have been playing with AR as I amend my drawings. I've even managed to use layers! After this autumn's expos I will start turning my mind to an N scale layout. So I will look forward to what happens in AR. Still haven't fixed which track I will use though I do have a lot of Peco (55 and 80) but don't like the idea of fitting all those point motors. Do they do above board ones? I'll have to have a look.

With best wishes from a very wet Skye,
Chris.

[Jeff]

Well, Chris, things have been rather damp here in the States, as well. Last I heard, my area was some 20" over the yearly average and we're supposed to have rain for the next 6 days along with below-average temps. If this is global warming, I'd hate to see global cooling!

[Chris]

Global warming will give us much more rain whereas global cooling would give us much better weather. This was borne out in those years when we have massive volcanic activity, e.g. Mt St Helen's. We had super summers that year.

Having got the expo bug, I am thinking of producing a round the room N scale layout that can be turned inside out so that I can play with it at home as well as being able to show it — if I live long enough.

Best wishes,
Chris.

Attached: Current version of Hidden Sidings Schematic. Note the letter pairs that define all feasible routes.
[Added later: The coloured discs represent the route selection buttons. Loosely, red=cw, green=ccw & yellow=spurs. Weather SSW gusting to >40mph, heavy rain! Impressive.]

[Jeff]

They also say that it could cause the Gulf stream current to shut down, which would cause another Ice Age. Mother Earth has her ways of self-correcting, given time. Oh, yes... a p.s.- don't forget to post us an up to date track plan when you're done ripping things out.

[Chris]

Hi Geoff.

True about the North Atlantic Drift. That would give us very cold winters with possible icing over of the sea. It was a bit like that when we moved up here 33 years ago.

Here's the latest track plan file. Some of it is still to be updated; other bits are a head of me.

Best wishes,
Chris.

[Chris]

Apologies for the few hours during which images on my site were not available. This was the result of a incorrect code in my .htaccess file which has now been corrected. Recently my site has been flooded with hundreds of automated hits and I am trying to find an effective way to block them. If anyone feels that they can help, please do contact me. With best wishes, Chris.

[Jeff]

That one's difficult for the site owner, Chris. It usually is handled by the server owner, at least on the servers I use it is. My provider handles spam blockng, anti-virus, and firewall defenses. Send him a note that you're suffering a DDoS attack. I guarantee he'll understand the issue.

[Chris]

Hi Jeff.

I mentioned it, in passing, on the trouble ticket for another problem. It's not really a DoS attack as the calls are relatively slow (2-3 per second) so don't affect site accessibility. It can be solved using .htaccess but it is a bit tedious. It's just a pity that .htaccecc for the domain doesn't act on the subdomains. Anyway, this is a bit off topic (my fault) so best left for now.

Moving on topic. I've just finished a footbridge for my passengers. Far from perfect but quite a job doing all the kit bashing involved and has taught me a few lessons. Pictures on website.

All the best,
Chris.

[Jeff]

The only lesson I learned from kitbashing and scratch-building ladders and railings (admittedly in N scale) is that one should buy a commercial finished product unless one is a masochist

[Chris]

There isn't one! That's why I required 2 kits.
Best wishes, Chris.