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Hi james and thank you for taking the time to post your comments which are much appreciated. How long the layout is I'm not entirely sure though I will have measured it at some point. The attic is approx 33 feet long so the layout will be close to 30 feet as I've been unable to use the entire length. I can easily accommodate a 36 wagon MGR on the scenic section and that was my primary consideration when deciding to build it. I hope you are able to make progress in your own attic in the near future and would be interested in hearing about it when you are able to begin.

@@oogardenrailway Hi Chap,I think my loft is 18x 11 so perhaps a full rake of HAA,s will not be achievable sadly.I plan on using the perimeter with one end as a fiddle yard giving me a U shaped layout.As long as i am not tail chasing i think a decent train length will be plausible.In the mean time i can watch your sublime uploads as inspiration.

Thanks Ray. That video is from a few years ago now and there has been further progress since that time on the scenic side. I'm pleased to say it's still all fully operational.

Thank you. It's become something of a personal challenge to edit the images so that they reflect how I remember those times but I'm still very much in the learning phase of photo editing at the moment. I'm not sure it's something that everyone will appreciate or relate to but it's another area of the hobby that can be enjoyed.

That's very kind of you, thank you! As for the likes, my videos rarely get that many views so I'm more than happy to settle for an appreciative comment now and again.

Thanks Richard, I'm pleased you enjoyed them. A bit different from the more traditional running sessions but certainly no less enjoyable, in fact there's a greater sense of satisfaction from having created the images. Have a great New Year

Thank you, I'm pleased you enjoyed them. Wasn't sure about posting the photo slide shows but in all honesty it's been as much fun doing the photos as it has ever been running trains round. It's made a nice change. Have a great New Year.

Thank you. I'm pleased you enjoyed them.

Thank you. I think my technique is improving and some of the images do appear more realistic. I especially like the 56s on MGRs. There's a marked improvement between my earlier and more recent attempts and I'm now finding it necessary to add all those missing bits such as driver figures because their omission really stands out. It's been a welcome change from simply running trains. Have a great New Year!

Thank you. Taking photos is a great way to add more atmosphere and realism, something that's very difficult to do through video alone. And yes, I've been trying to make them as realistic as I can by removing the more obvious model aspects such as attic roof and timbers and replacing them with sky effects. Some of the class 56 photos have turned out extremely well as my technique improves! It's something I'll continue to do throughout 2023. Happy New Year to you too.

Hi and thank you for your comments. Much like some of the videos you yourself produce it shows you can get a lot of enjoyment from a relatively small space or as in my case by using just a small section of the layout. Creating these static images has been just as enjoyable for me as sitting watching trains circulating the layout.

Cheers Darrell. There's only so much I can offer when it comes to running sessions so this made a nice change and I've thoroughly enjoyed doing the photos. Have a great New Year!

Thanks for your comments Stuart. I really do need to do something about that if and when we get any more snow on Worsley Dale. I remember a dozen or so years ago running trains on my previous garden layout shortly after snowfall but I have to agree with you, it would certainly bring Worsley Dale to life if I can bring myself to make that effort. Even if I'm unable to run trains, at the very least I should really get some stock out and take photos in the snow. I'll do my best!

Hi. Yes it's an oval/circular layout with a total running length of approximately 40 metres which equates to a scale distance of approx 1.9 miles or thereabouts.

Thank you. Hasn't been in use for a few months now but it's still complete and in working order.

Thank you for your comments! There are certainly better outdoor layouts to be discovered but mine was built with the specific aim initially to resemble a small single line heritage type railway until I discovered the delights of a Scottish Highland line. Now I try to keep to the Scottish theme and really like the ruggedness that you can achieve outdoors by using natural materials and allowing nature to do its work with the weathering.

Hi James and thank you for your comments. I'm pleased to hear that you enjoy the layout despite its relative simplicity. It's a layout that could certainly accommodate a wide variety of liveries though my own personal recollections are from the early 80s through to approx 2005 with predominantly class 56s, 58s, 60s and 66s and almost exclusively on coal traffic. I do stray from that quite a bit and have a fair number of class 37s despite me having minimal contact with them during that time. Many of those models have yet to make an appearance on Skew Bridge due to the extreme cost of adding sound decoders and speakers and the necessary work involved in order to make them sound something like reasonable.

Hi and thank you for your comments. Yes DCC sound is subjective and a lot of soundfiles and factory installations leave a lot to be desired. In my opinion the examples from Sutton Loco Works seen in this video are the most pleasing and satisfying models I have ever purchased both in their operation and indeed in their quality of sound reproduction. Highly recommended.

Thank you. It's virtually impossible to keep track clean outdoors but fortunately cleaning it before use isn't such a big problem and the more you use it the less cleaning time is required. I use a Garryflex fine abrasive pad (brown one) to go over the rail tops to remove any tarnishing and use a 2 inch paint brush to clean away any debris that could lead to derailments. Then the CMX track cleaner loaded with IPA and it's good to go in 10-15 minutes. A garden or mini vacuum is also useful at times. Just as important is keeping wheels clean but in all honesty I have very few problems with running or DCC sound cutting out and I have only a couple of locos with any form of stay-alive fitted.

Thanks Peter. I tend to prefer getting down close to the action to give that 'standing by the lineside' feel. Sometimes I overdo it so I need to widen the viewpoint a bit more too. Getting in close allows me to crop out most of the distracting background in order to focus on the railway itself.

Yes mine's a good few years old now but they set the standard at the time in my opinion by which all others would be judged. Sadly few of the others have been as satisfying. I often used mine as the demonstration of what DCC can and should be capable of when we've had visitors though I would refrain from telling them how much it cost!

Thanks! No issues at all with track expansion out in the garden but a couple of dead end roads in the attic have buckled slightly. Mind you, I couldn't face it up there when the heat was at its peak - it was unbearable. Just glad everything else appears to be okay.

@@oogardenrailway My upstairs hobby room was at 45 degrees centigrade the other day, and I'm sure your loft would have been more, so I don't blame you from shying away from it! LOL

@@locohauledforum I can believe it! I was sweating buckets up in the attic and I'd only gone up there for a Kadee coupling! Had to leave the trapdoor to the attic open for much of the time to generate some ventilation.

@@oogardenrailway Hi Mick. I notice no updates this year and that you haven't been on your forum since June. I hope everything is OK with you and your family. All the best.

Hi and thank you for your comments. I am honoured if my videos have helped give you the inspiration to extend your own layout outdoors. I wish there was some way of connecting my outdoor line to the attic layout! Yes Peco code 100 and soldering across the fishplates is exactly what I would recommend. My own preference would also be to keep it simple with few exposed points and sophisticated electronics but that's just me. It's important in the beginning to have problem free running and that would then allow you to progress further as desired. Great layout you have already by the way so look forward to the expansion outdoors.

@@oogardenrailway No problem,Its been a idea i have had for some time,i've just done the point work and link line for the new outdoor bit,Starting construction of the base outside next week :-)

@@Kristian.S.Bristowphotography That's great. Look forward to following along.

Thank you! While obviously inspired by the famous 'The Jacobite' I've been trying to come up with my own name for the excursion but it seems all the more obvious ones have been used elsewhere already. I'll have to give it some more thought.

I totally agree with your comments regarding the SLW class 24s, I have 4 of them and they are a delight to operate and listen to. Why the major manufacturers appear unable to replicate that I just don't know. As I've said in another comment, the Hornby DCC sound Black 5 is over a decade old now so I can forgive its shortcomings in sound quality. I've seen several videos depicting model railways with sound added from actual recordings and yes, they do sound far better than the actual Hornby model but it's not something I would personally wish to do. The videos I publish are just records of my own garden layout and to be honest, in action round the garden that decade old Hornby model sounds okay when it's heard amid the shrubbery even if it's fails to please when captured in focus on video. I set out on my garden railway adventure with high expectations of what might be achieveable but in general I've been very disappointed with what's available and so now I just enjoy what I've already got and make the best of it.

The thing about video sites is there is a whole series of things between recording and viewing that affect the sound. Quality of recording equipment, video editing software, TH-cam compresses the file and the speakers the viewer plays it through. It could sound different to one viewer than another and totally different to being there in person. Luckily, there is a solution in turning the volume down if its annoying.

@@GDGRailway47712 I wasnt suggesting it was annoying, only pointing out to my ear its current limitations taking into account all other additional factors. Its all subjective after all

@@alantraish3368 Probably sacrilege, but I actually prefer the sound of this Black 5 to the real thing, and it keeps 'chuffing' unlike so many locos where you see them passing making an idling sound when they are hauling a very heavy train. I agree about the base, it's one of the reasons nobody has made a really good class 47 sound file yet - or at least not one I've heard. Although to be honest my favourite garden OO railway (Crepello_100's) doesn't have sound at all and I just love the sound of those Lima pancake motors 'thrashing' by and the noise of the rolling stock clattering on behind. I know he puts a lot of effort in to exaggerating the sound, including making sure you can hear the trains coming through the rails. You would need to ask him for more info though.

@@locohauledforum Just remembered ive got a Lima railcar on DCC it growls like a good un!

Thanks Mike. Yes the West Highland coaches do look very nice. I have 2 Black 5's which I use with them and a third that doesn't have sound. Was wondering about the Locoman offering for that one but it's more expense and would it be worth doing? I've also got a K1 which I'd like to put with them eventually but that's also non-sound fitted...expense again.

Certainly not just you. I have the same complaints with sound, especially in 2mm. I'd love to convert my fleet of 37s but the sound quality just isn't there yet and DCC sound locos never have that trademark bass to them. What bugs me even more is the seemingly useless features they throw in to the sound files just for the sake of having some noise to justify the price tag. Windscreen wiper sound effects... seriously?! Who has working wipers on their locos to warrant that sound clip? I'd say we're a good few years off having true realistic sound yet. Mike.

I agree Rob and it's the quality and cost of sound decoders, not to mention the quality and cost of the models themselves, that has made me reluctant to purchase any more items. I recently cancelled all my existing pre-orders except one and have decided to make do with the models I already have. In defense of the Black 5, it is approximately 10-11 years old now (still runs fine mind you) and in my opinion it's better running with that sound rather than without it.

@@glenshielrailway5696 I'm of the same opinion regarding some of the sound features they incorporate. I occasionally blow a horn/whistle but it often sounds like too frequently when viewed back on video. AWS bells, cab doors, detonators, station announcements...does anyone really use them? Windscreen wipers I admit I've never heard of but that really is going too far.

Yes me too Richard. I wouldn't want them any other way.

Thanks Rob.....again LOL! Unfortunately I don't have an SPV but I'll certainly keep an eye out for something suitable. I'll have to spend some time looking through my books and at some of the excellent online Scottish photo galleries and see what other combinations I can come up with.

Cheers Peter. Unfortunately I never seem to bring myself to run the layout all that often for various reasons. I do need to make a bigger effort to use it more often and to complete areas that await my attention.

Thank you! It's great to have a layout where 37s can be run exclusively and not appear out of place.

Thanks again Rob. It's tempting to double-head everything but best just to add the odd ones now and again to liven things up.

Thank you for your comments Richard - very much appreciated. Yes the loads are intended to represent aluminium ingots. From a distance they're not too bad and they add additional variety to the freight workings.