After five years in storage, Shasta, my U.P/Espee layout is going out to a show. Its last appearance was Folkestone in 2019 After that a whole load of shows got cancelled during the pandemic and after that Republic Steel and Hakuho became the Z layouts of mine that all the show organisers wanted. Robin from the Spring Carnforth show asked me what I would be bringing and I said " I'll get Shasta out for a bit of a retirement tour" Stored in its flight cases in the layout shed it was in perfect condition when I got it out last week and powering it up only one section was found to be dead and one track was misaligned over a baseboard join been testing a lot of the locos over the last few nights on the test track in the office and started on the freight cars today ( there are a lot of them) This will probably be new to a lot of the visitors to the show as it has been out of sight for so long and I'm expecting a very good response to it more soon Kev
Very nice to see it running again Kev. Do you run DCC for your shows? Or straight DC? I can’t remember
Both. The outer track is switchable ( Key switch and warning lamp to save frying a DC loco!) inner is pure DC. NCE Powercab for DCC I'm having a rethink on DCC allocation as half the decoders are on the Nickel Plate stock and half on Shasta's UP/SP. It is a bit of a mish-mash really. My recent conversion of AZL SD70M #4003 to a dummy means DCC is less essential. That loco ran as a mid train helper but was always a " Will it, Won't it behave" sort of test and its long term pick-up and chassis problems prompted the move to make it less of a threat. It can just get towed around with the rest of the big intermodal train. I've spent the last few hours checking the freight stock and trying to remember which stock boxes they go in (It has been five years after all and I've acquired more stock since Shasta was last out) Got some busted AZL couplers to sort out. The TTX Spine cars ( Alan Curtis white metal kits) are not in good shape and I've robbed nearly every truck and coupler off them so they won't be going out in two weeks time What has been gratifying is the Bethgons that gave me some grief at Folkestone ( Two Freudenreich NS ones and a couple of AZLs) have behaved themselves perfectly on test tonight, so Fingers crossed there. I've added a USA Z album to my Flickr channel. Lots more to add to it in the future https://www.flickr.com/photos/152010806@N03/albums/72177720316202584 Kev
I wouldn't worry Robert. I suspect when show organisers see it again it might get a whole new lease of exhibition life. It is so different from anything the public see at the shows and runs so well that it has always been in demand More importantly we have never got bored of operating it so it will be around for a while and.... One day it might get snowed on! Kev
Todays test train on the outer. two SD70Ms on the front, UP #4003 ( the dummy helper) mid train and 21 freight cars all behaving themselves! On of the guys on RMweb over here has commented on the lack of straps on the MTL timber loads so i suppose I had better do something about them. Shame MTL didn't think to mould some straps on. These resin cast loads are way too heavy so they have all been on the milling machine and been hollowed out to reduce the weight Tomorrow I'll test the inner with the big, Double stack and Autorack train and also see how the Amtrak California F59PHI and coaches behave Kev
really not a lot of room in the workshop when it is set up. Lighting rig worked first time but I'd forgotten how heavy it it is (15mm Steel box section and old school flourescent lights) If my ankle was still in plaster this would have been a nightmare to get around Lighting rig flight case Boxed up ready for the show It's been interesting trying to remember everything after 5 years to say the least. Got the display board out about the real Sacramento River Canyon which was also in perfect condition Set up this evening at Carnforth. levelled the adjustable feet on the legs ( The workshop has a fall of about an inch in the floor). The baseboard joints have all lined up and the Z-Bend interface to the Shasta Springs board is O.K and..... I remembered the Marklin telescopic track sections for it! A word about the venue, Carnforth station will be eternally famous as the location for a classic movie 'Brief Encounter' and the restored station building is a museum and heritage centre centred on this David Lean classic. https://carnforthstation.co.uk/ Just over the tracks is the former LMS Carnforth steam depot, now the HQ of West Coast rail who run steam excursion and charters around the U.K It sits on the Junction of the LNWR West Coast main Line ( London to Glasgow). The Furness line to the Cumbrian Coast and the Midland Railway to Settle Junction and the Settle and Carlisle line. As a result you can get Steam specials, Nuclear freight trains, Avanti and TPE cutting edge EMUs and humble Class 156 DMUs on local services. Intermodal traffic from England to Scotland and the sporadic Royal Mail parcel EMUs This should be setting of from here tomorrow (34067 Battle of Britain Class 4-6-2 'Tangmere') Might have to let the layout run itself for five minutes! More soon Kev
This mornings' photo Yesterday was manic Just before we opened part of the outer main went down. Turned out that the cold conditions overnight had allowed a fishplate to creep. drastic action, including soldering up the offending railjoint after the 'Squeeze' with some long nose pliers didn't work. So now we were on the backfoot with only half the rolling stock out. And of course within 15 minutes the hall was packed and I had to describe, explain and inform a constant stream of visitors what the layout scale was, where it was based on and how it runs so well. I don't mind, this is why we do it but I was staring to panic as I only had the loaded timber train and a manifest on the inner and the empty Timber and the double stacks on the outer. And it stayed really busy the whole day. Tangmere had attracted the crowds as well as the show itself I had no chance of getting away from the layout so I sent young Brooklyn out with the EOS 5D. despite being not very tall he got up close and pesonal with it as it set off Today was a lot more relaxed and I wasn't quite so vexed as yesterday. Most things ran well, the SP chopnose AZL GP20 and GP7 were supersmooth and the AZL SD70 and 75s settled down. The MTL SD40-2s all behaved themselves. Brooklyn even ran the MTL Western Maryland F7 A and B units for a while with the Autoracks! Made the decision to eliminate the Z-Bend baseboard connection between board 2 and Shasta springs and go back to the proven 10mm stainless steel dowels and PCB Strips used elsewhere. The Marklin telescopic tracks work O.K but I like a connection a bit less random. The NRHS special 'Convention' train Marklin E8 (AZL) and assorted Marklin coaches (B&O, Pennsy, NKP, SP etc) all fitted with Marklin couplers kept randomly uncoupling over that joint Video to follow Robin the show organiser said " I've booked you in for the August show, what are you thinking of bringing ?" 'Well. funnily enough, me and Brooklyn were discussing that on the way to the show and we are going to bring Republic Steel but running all the NKP and Pennsy steam and diesel 1950/60s' He just smiled Kev
