Another stint of away working had disrupted the push towards finishing Charlton. Whilst the whole layout is now operational, there is a lot of detailing work to still be done. The layout had been put away for a couple of weeks, so this weekend I put it up in the living room and set about running some trains - in order to find a little bit of inspiration for a final push. There are multiple jobs to complete on the layout, each of which takes a little time, so it can feel that progress can be a little slow. However, I have finished adding lights into the SK coach, meaning I know have one fixed rake of coaches to use as a passenger service.
Short rake of MK1s with lighting completed ready for use on the layout.
The class 45 runs the early morning passenger service into Charlton - the effect of the coach lighting is clearly visible in this video.
Class 31 shunting some goods wagons around the fertiliser store ready for off loading.
I loaded up the fiddle yard with a passenger service, a parcels train, a small fertiliser goods train for the provender store and an ECC china clay working. These are the general formations that will operate the layout, with the only addition to this being a DMU. It was great to get a feel for how the layout operates and the sequence of arrival and departure of trains. In the main the simple track plan works well, although it is slightly intensive using the 3 link couplings on each train, especially under the coaching stock.
Class 31 ready to drop the emptied wagons into the siding.
A class 25 has collected some ECC wagons from the local quarry and collected the empty fertiliser wagons, now ready to head back to Barnstaple.
A western runs round its train and is ready to head the service back to Exeter St Davids.
Playing around with the layout has meant that it has been possible to compare the DCC sound outputs of several locomotives running on the layout at once. What is quite clear with these locomotives running around, is that there is a large difference in the sound outputs from the locomotives, both in volume and in quality. These locomotives have been sound fitted by myself and have used different speakers - and the end result is some variation in sound output. I am now going to do some more serious experimentation with speakers in an attempt to improve the sound quality of the locomotives. I have ordered some iphone speakers and will look to replace the speakers in the Class 45 and Western over the coming weeks. However, a fleet of 3 sound fitted locomotives plus a DMU are more than enough to make the layout fully operational. So some focus on finishing off enough trains to make the layout work is in order, with a class 22, a class 25, a class 42 and class 52 the chosen locomotives to operate the sequence, at least initially.
Parcels train heads into Charlton.
A western departs back to Exeter, via Barnstaple jn.
So lastly, back to the layout, an office block has been purchased to place alongside the provender store. I am currently painting a fence for this. I need a fence along the front of the layout too. Another fence is needed to join the tunnel to the main layout board, and this too has been constructed. So lots of painting of these now, to move these ares through to completion. The station also needs detailing, and I have started painting up some station signs to finish off this area too. So some glacial progress, but progress none the less.
A class 31 backs some wagons towards the provender store.
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