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Tower Building print (10hrs!). I had hoped to salvage the print using model filler and scribing as de-lamination had only affected one corner and print quality was otherwise good! Filler has shown up some misalignment in area of de-lamination.  Possibly re-print to 2nd floor level, then re-check alignment, before committing to a total re-print!

K27 #464 once again in the workshop, this time to re-place (and simplify) the wiring system after the origonal failed. The wiring system in the Large Scale Bachmann K27 was a little overcomplicated. The main circuit board located in the tender, linked to the loco bay a cable loom with 2 multi way connectors and selector switches in the smokebox controlling smoke and lighting functions! (cable loom right of photo). I simplified the wiring by removing one of the connectors (power pick ups and chuff -timer) following conversion to on-board battery power & fitting chuff-timer to a tender axle!  I decided to replace the wiring/loco tender connection after the - negative connection on the lighting circuit failed and the loco did did not appear to be holding a charge for prolongued running despite recently replacing the batteries.. Circuit board in firebox & motor cooling fan. Main circuit board in tender loco is almost 20 years old! In the absence of an agreed "Large/G Scale DCC interface Bachmann developed their own hybrid! Track or Battery power was selected by a slide switch with screw connectors for battery power, with a separate plug-in circuit/baseboard for DCC decoders or RC control boards with hard wiring (ugg!) Loco and tender stripped down to the basics Bachmann wiring and circuit boards removed. Wiring on left connected with battery and Phoenix sound board. Putting it back together! I use these 2pin in-line connectors as standard between loco & tender on my large scale locos. Two wires from tender/power controller to loco and two for lighting. I am using a second connector on the lighting circuit so I can separate loco body and chassis. Found a use for a redundant Bachmann circuit board, should prevent lighting circuit getting tangled up in flywheel. Smoke unit adds some weight to the front end! Managed eventually to get classification lamps and headlight working by salvaging LEDs from a spare smokebox. Everything worked perfectly while testing lighting at each stage of the installation, but nothing happened when I replaced the loco body and re-connected the tender, discovered a day later that I had managed to cross wires on the engine-tender connector! Loco is almost ready for re-assembly, a section of running board/air receiver had broke free on one side of the loco and need to fit cable clips to some of the loose wiring in the tender. Poor performance of loco/ possible power drain may have been due to loose adhesive tape inside loco rubbing/binding on flywheel.  Original wiring on lighting circuits partially bound with adhesive tape.

Or even more saleable. Just tag the listing with "RARE" or "UNIQUE" (in capital letters of course), and bang it on ebay for €2,000 🤣

Having been very nearly badly caught out in the same way, my rule now is to not close the door, if there is not a card in the slot. This has saved me a few times.

Swillybegs was at the Dreamworks 1:1 at the weekend. DreamWorks is of course the Hornby factory in Margate but the 1:1 part is special as it is a a collection of full size stuff that currently opens only one day a year. It must be the closest thing to the show that Cultra used to run, because of being among the real locos. The ground floor includes a Eurostar loco, Deltic 9016, Royal Scot 46100, a Hall 4-6-0, a breakdown crane and a 4SUB EMU. Below that are working layouts in 0 and 00, alongside display cases of large scale models. The mezzanine above has the restored Gresley beavertail observation car, plus a small selection of motorbikes, cars and a tank! There are also many five inch gauge locos too.  I was there with the Chatham Club, plus several other ones who brought layouts and stands from some of the local preserved railways. It really was a splendid place to be, but though I took my camera, I'd left the memory card out. Took pictures on my phone, but at the moment can't get them transferred to my laptop. Hopefully will post some later...