.....and 2021 now looks as if its going to unravel as well! The Trainwest show in April has been cancelled....invited to 2022 show as consolation! I'm beginning to feel quite concerned about all these clubs who are losing out on their show income.....which will probably be the main source of their c...

Having moved onto work that will see the layout looking more complete, I've had a shuffle round in the work room so I can assemble the whole layout and still be able to get round (aka shuffle along the wall!) most of the layout. First job was to commission and test all of the control electronics on ...

As I'm about to reach a key point in my overall "voluntary" life....an EGM for the Tramway Museum Society, I thought it best to use the natural break in work at home to draw uo another progress report/to do list. Layout boards: Backboards cut out for where track goes through. Cut-outs still required...

If you find your fingers are too big to easily handle the couplings, then a pair of pointed nose tweezers is the best tool for the job. You'll be able to hold the coupling by poking one side of the pointed end of the tweezers into the "hole" formed by the coupling so you can then grip the coupling a...

Its been six days since my last post.....and I'm able to let everyone into a little secret..... Scenery laying is COMPLETE! On Monday, I put the finishing touches to the scenery on both the Saltash and Plymouth sides of the layout, and created the "beaches" (if you can call them beaches, that is!). ...

Plymouth side scenery now about 95% complete. Just a bit more vegetation and some details to add: And I've started putting together some marine life...of the human variety!:

Another good day in the workshop.....

Nothing much to show visually today apart from a pile of cut up paper in my waste bin and a thicker layer of foam bits in my Dyson's dust container!! I've spent a couple of days contouring the foam on the East side scenery, filling gaps with builder's caulk....and cutting out, loose fitting and seal...

And now we're at the end of a good day's work....all the buildings south of the bridge viaduct are now loose-fitted and some of the ground surface a lot nearer where it should be. IMG_4250_red.JPG Only a handful of buildings left to fit to the ground surface... and then the next job will be to finis...

I wouldn't worry about whether you need any form of booster. I've run a train run successfully approx 25 ft away from where power is connected to the track. And I;ve seen a Youtube video where someone did a test to see what around 200ft of track would do to running a train with a standard controller...

A productive hour or so this morning.... Stopping for a deserved cup of coffee...........

Moving on to my next "blank canvas".....the East side of the Tamar. IMG_4241_red.JPG I'd previously rough shaped the ground level around the branch line and under the east viaduct of the RAB, and loose-fitted the boatyard and park section that I'd 3D printed. Here you can see paper templates for the...

Three more photos of Saltash...this time with the approach viaduct for the Riyal Albert Bridge (almost !!!) in place... IMG_4236_red.JPG IMG_4237_red.JPG IMG_4240_red.JPG I do still have to add some scenery details as stated in my previous post....and loads of vehicles and boats....and people!! And ...

I've finally got the last couple of blank areas at least covered with something: There's still some finishing off required on this side of the river....some walls, trees, hedges, & vegetation, then I can move over to the Plymouth side!

And here's post Sunday's efforts....... IMG_4221_red.JPG IMG_4222_red.JPG IMG_4223_red.JPG IMG_4224_red.JPG Not bad progress for a few day's work..... I was slightly worried about the "joins" between one mini-area I've worked and previously completed areas showing up.....but they seem to blend in qu...

Saturday's efforts: I'm making it too easy for the cops to spot the illegal rave going on. I'll have to hide the next box of balloons!

The party's over..and all the balloons have gone:

At last.....some real progress! I've planted my first tree on the layout..across the road from Saltash station: IMG_4214_red.JPG And here's a couple of 2in-progress" scenery laying shots: IMG_4212_red.JPG IMG_4208_red.jpg The mass of pins are to keep the hedges and fencing in place whilst the glue d...

The DCX77 decoders are not old! DCC Coastal don't seem to get on with the manufacturer!..at least that's the impression I got a couple of years ago!

Here's the data sheet, 'in German, I'm afraid.: http://www.tran.at/Dokumentation/DCX77zD.pdf

The DCX77 and DCX 65 decoders connect in exactly the same way..... RED & BLK to the track supply, ORA & GREY to the motor, WHI & YEL for the lights. ANd I'm not sure what you mean by "the ground on the AC system". If its in relation to a ground for the light outputs, then if powering non-LED outputs...