I tried to bore everyone to death on the old Newsgroup with a series of threads about a small Narrow Gauge layout I started eight years ago as "quicky" project to maintain interest when we first moved to New Zealand.

I have been working on the current phase for two years and last night I finally got something moving my little Bemo Tractor http://www.bemo-modellbahn.de/produkte/schweizer-bahnen-h0m.html?tx_userbemocatalogue_rubriclist%5Bitem%5D=182&tx_userbemocatalogue_rubriclist%5Baction%5D=show&tx_userbemocatalogue_rubriclist%5Bcontroller%5D=Item&cHash=d92143e96b8cec56fbf9375ebd7b014c

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The basic idea is to model a fictional extenssion of the Cavan & Leitrim in its final years complete with decrepit locos and stock.

The mainstay of the loco fleet are a pair of Dingle 2-6-0T and a pair of C&L 4-4-0T backed up by a pair of Donegal railcars and said Bemo Tractor.

Before leaving Ireland I had fitted the two Dingle engines with DCC Decoders which seemed to work fine, but prooved too unreliable so back to DC control on this one.

I finally finished the wiring on the two station sections plugged in the controller and action, the Dingle engines made it from one end of the line to another but for some reason would only push not pull a train. Time to have a serious look at the pick ups.

The railcars faired even worse, one an Anbrinco whitemetal model of the final Donegal caars 19 &20 with a butchered Fleischmann drive refused to run at all, so I have placed an order for a new Bull-Ant drive from Australia.

The motor of the other car a Backwoods Miniatures model of the earlier No14 literally went up in puff of smoke, which did not appear to bad after nearly 20 years, but the replacement motor was nearly 1/3 the cost of a Bull-Ant.

All appeared well when I fitted and tested the replacement motor, but later noticed the drive would sometimes jam.

The Backwoods chassis is similar in principal to the Bull-Ant and old Minitrains OO9 drive a near bullet proof system, where with spur reduction gearing between the motor and a layshaft that transmits the final drive to the wheels.

On closer inspection the lay shaft was flapping around between the frames, one of the bearings that supports the shaft had come loose and wore an oval slot in the ssupporting frame spacer, maybe I wouldd have been better to order another Bull-Ant or take up stamp collecting.

At thiss stage the tractor is the only thing that runss reliably I am not sure to dresss it up as one of the GSR Drewry Railcars http://www.worsleyworks.co.uk/Image-Pages/Image_NG_Irish_WCR.htm or possibly something like Phoenix http://www.madeinpreston.co.uk/Road/atkinsonsteam.html