The new generation

One of the first things I did on my return to the T gauge fold was to order a chassis with the 3rd generation motor. Oh Boy! Is that a world of difference! There's a degree of control here that hasn't been there on the previous chassis'. The unit will run at varying speeds and even stop and start up again as controlled. This is a far cry from the days of the first class 103 units where you pretty much had one speed. Fast, and that only when the track was perfectly clean.
Colour me impressed and excited to carry on some more.

Hello again...

It appears that I might be back.
It all started back at the good old Granite City train show at Easter. I had been chided (once again) by local Radio personality Bob Hughes for not bringing any T scale along to the show in a while. This time he did it on the air and I found myself saying that I'd more than likely, very probably, bring some T scale along to the November show.
In the intervening few weeks I've been familiarising myself with developments in the T scale world in the 18 months since I dismantled Gonou. I see there is a new 3rd generation motor as well as a PWM controller available. This should improve running qualities. There's been some very nice modelling done, and the explosion of 3D printing means that skilled computer types have been able to produce all kinds of structures, locomotive bodies and freight stock. It's quite incredible really. It does get you a little excited to do something. 
So, over the holiday weekend and because I was something under the weather I sought out my T gauge stuff and see what was what. I even found I had a 24" x 14" baseboard ready to go. So I laid a "kidney oval" on the baseboard and tried the stock. After a quick track cleaning the stock was running as well as it had done when I packed everything away. All very heartening indeed.
So, as they say, "watch this space"...

Gonou Gonou... gone

The deed is done.

As true as my word I've just finished dismantling Gonou.

Everything on the layout was saved. The petrol station, the lighthouse, the bridges, the entire lot.

The task only took about half an hour and in that time I managed to strip the layout all the way down to the cork noticeboard base. The layout has stripped down pretty cleanly so perhaps the base can be used on the sucessor layout.

Where to next?

Watch this space.

Deflated

(posted from small model railways)
Here today in the USA its National take a model train to work day. The organisers bill it as a great chance to spread to word about this great hobby. A great idea. When you consider that computer gaming is all the rage. A down to earth low tech hands on presentation of the hobby seems like a great idea.
Until you get ridiculed at work.
Like me.
I though people were better than that. I could take it when I was a kid at school. You know kids don't care what they do or say. But in this world of mature responsible adults, especially here in the USA where political correctness and respect for all is preached from all angles of society. To be greeted with derisive laughter is kind of upsetting. Deflating to say the least. It definitely bothers me otherwise I wouldn't be posting this.
I was really on a good high with the hobby after the success last weekends Granite City Train show so this idiots reaction is doubly painful.
I might just take a break for a while...
Still it is only one idiot.
But still...
I don't know...

Granite City Train Show with video

Once again I return stoked and inspired, full of enthusiasm for T scale. The Granite City Train show seems to do that for me. The trains ran perfectly.

Incredibly so.

A few days before the show I had cleaned the track and coated the rails with the Energizer/Stabilizer pen available from TrainAidsA. If you have not bough one of these yet. Do so. Especially if you are running the regular battery pack. The improvement in performance is marked. On previous trips to the show I had been cleaning the track pretty much every hour to 90 minutes or so and went through up to four sets of trains, the wheels would get so dirty. However with the rails and wheels given a coating from the magic pen, I never cleaned the track. This is amazing for I even clean the rails on my HO scale and Gn15 layouts during shows in the past. My Z scale layout was alongside Gonou and I had to clean sections of that during the show more so as the day went on. The trains themselves ran so much better too. I only used two units during the show. My KiHa 47/48 and a CCE models RDC railcar on an unmodified KiHa chassis. Incredible.

So for those of you who've never seen Gonou in the flesh, so to speak enjoy these videos, shot on my iPhone at the show .

So what now for the future? Gonou has been seen three or four times locally so I think its time for a change. Something new. What will that be?

I don't know.

You'll just have to keep watching the blog. One thing is for sure it's not going away just yet.

Tested

This weekend Gonou was tested. The track was cleaned and given a coating from the magic electroconductive pen and trains were run.

Perfectly.

KiHa 40, 47/48 and Hankyu all ran fine. Which surprised me as the 47/48 and Hankyu were on their last legs at the Easter show with dirt on the track and wheels. The electro-magic pen must work.

So I'm looking forward to more amazed comments from show goers on November 12th. If you read this blog and come along say "Hi".

"T" minus 35 and counting

Days to the Granite City Train show that is. I received a new railcar set from Train Aids A today. The KiHa 47/48 two car train. Very nice it is too. Basically it looks to be a two car version of the KiHa 40 single car unit that I already have. It's the kind of train that is perfect for the Gonou locale. Having spent some time working on my 1:1,000 scale Nano trains I can at last say that this stuff looks BIG!

The other item I received was the energizer/stabilizer pen. Sounds very high tec doesn't it. What it is is a dispenser containing some kind of electrically conductive fluid that you put on the rails and the wheels of your trains to improve performance. Those who have used it have spoken quite highly of it. Running trains in a dusty exhibition hall takes its toll on the running quality of the stock so any trick I can use to improve performance I'll take.

So clean the track spread on the magic fluid and I'm good to go.