Hello Guys,

It has been a while since I have updated this site and I am truly sorry for not keeping up to date with what has been happening at the club.

Well the main reason for the lake up updates is due to my mrs Amanda being pregnant over the last 9 months and on December the 29^th at 11.55pm our little baby boy Harry Evan Jones was born in Arrow Park Hospital on the Wirral. He weighed 8lbs7. He is now 11 weeks.

Potential New Member Harry Evan Jones

Having popped down a few times roughly once a month to check up on progress of Bacup Shed and Ramsbottom Layouts, I can now give you an update.

The biggest update I can give is that Bacup Shed layout will be DCC! A first for Ramsbottom Model Railway Club. We have now acquired a Gauge Master controller and 5 decoders for 5 DCC ready engines.

Bacup

• The Bacup Shed layout was dismantled and given an upder coat of paint to hopefully stop any damp that had started .
• All the pits have been dug out within the mdf top board. This includes cutting into the cross bracing of the layout frame.
• We have now acquired a Gauge Master controller and 5 decoders for 5 DCC ready engines
• The 12 pits for Bacup Shed have been sized, rail cut and are now being painted in a concrete looking grey colour.
• We have managed to aquire some suitable sized cable to hold the current as the power travels between 4 sections. This being 2.5mm pvc singles multi stranded.
• Keith is currently progressing with putting in isolation joints on small sections of track. This was already started before we went DCC so he has said he may as well carry on.
• Keith has now been looking through Hatton’s website to decide on what shade of ballast he would like for Bacup.

Ramsbottom

• 2x Gas Lamp and  1x Swan Neck Gas Lamp (Electric Street Lights) have been replaced on Bridge Street. 2x after the police station heading towards the paper mill and one at the total opposite end towards adj the William Decon Bank. These lamps are grain of rice 12v lamps.
• The curve point and track on the Accrington Up Line has been taken up and the level smoothed out as engines were derailing.
• There are around 3 L.E.Ds buffer lights that have been replaced in Ramsbottom Sidings..
• Alan has bought, painted and stuck in position on top of roofs on the junction of Kenyon Street and Bridge Street.
• The cross over point by Stubbins Signal Box was replaced by Alex in a night.
• A point in the sidings on road 10 has been replaced by Alex.
• The signals on top of the foot bridge had a loose connection and had to be rejointed which was solved by me (Danny) and Keith.
• The crossing gates have had to be realigned as they have not been right for awhile proberbly as Alex has gone through them….again :p
• The 8ft light fitting above the rear board has also stopped working. As 8ft tubes are now no longer available, this will now be replaced by a 6ft. The 8ft has now been stripped of all useful parts.

Last Thursday 21^st February 2013 our old friend Adrian come over for a flying visit from spain and was impressed with Ramsbottom. He has of course not seen Bacup yet and was shocked that we had started another layout…..but could not get his head around DCC.

Hopefully I should be able to attend now on a regular monthly basis but recently I have had to work away down in London so have not been able to attend. So I might just get a monthly update in one hit like this one.

For those of you who are asking about open evenings or days. At the moment we are concentrating on making the Bacup Shed layout so haven’t really had any time to plan anything. Maybe some time in the near future when we have a good clear out of the train club we will organize something special. But in the mean time if anyone is wishing to visit our club then please contact me Eagle1711@hotmail.com for details.

Cheers

Daniel Jones – Club Secretary and Webmaster