harry27

I love shrimp, there's so much you can do with them.....

Having just recently acquired all the replacement parts to complete the set I find the control switch to be working temperamental. The gates open and close as they should but when closed the lights do not flash. The flasher unit is working as I have checked it, as do the bulbs and all the wiring is correct. To make them flash I find myself holding the down button and tapping the controller until they flash. However when I open and close the gates the lights won't start flashing again. As the controller is a sealed unit I assume its non serviceable. Has anyone else had issues with these before and is there a solution or is it just another replacement needed. Any help or advice would be much appreciated. Rich

You only need the one controller, just take the track power feeds add extra wires and contacts and attach them at different intervals around your track. Just remember to keep the positive and minus in the same order. Its standard model railway practice as you cannot always rely on the 'teeth' of the power rails to effectively carry the current consistently around track.

Adding extra power feeds to the track helps keeping it running more smoothly without loss of power. Also keeping the power rails clean. I would recommend isopropyl alcohol (IPA) but only the 99% content as lessers may contain water.

Absolutely I used to love the schooner more when it came out but now I feel the barracuda looks more like a real galleon. I think one day I should try and bash them together to make the ultimate barracuda with 8 guns and a fully opening rear cabin a steering rudder.

All finished! Admittedly I had to raid a few other models for the last remaining pieces. Ship ahoy! Annoyingly I redone the barracuda last year and already it's covered in dust and missing a few bits but she still looks good

Almost there!. At present I'm only missing the all black minifig head (ironically I'm also in need of another for a previous build). One thing for sure is I will definitely have to replace alot of the white piece's as I feel their too far gone for my taste. So once swmbo has kindly ironed the sails all that's left is to find the crew, I'll probably have to check the local tavern...

I put it all in the sink (minus the sails) with warm water and washing up liquid. I used a nail brush and scrubbed as much as I could, rinsed and checked and then left to dry overnight. One handy tip is to have some form of wet wipes on hand as you'll probably miss a few areas. My sails aren't too bad but I personally wouldn't risk touching them given their age and if necessary try and find replacements. Either way a tedious job but worth the effort.

For me when the pirate theme was first released it was so exciting, With so many new elements and of course those new minifigures which were like no other at the time. I was fortunate enough to have quite alot of the original series and obviously the ones you wanted were the big ships, which is why this weekend I've decided to send out the divers and deep sea rescuers and raise up the Black Skull from depths of...a dirty dusty shelf in my playroom. Quite frankly I should be ashamed. This is one job I've been putting off for far too long. It's mainly 95% complete with never been taken apart before with most missing pieces scattered across various parts boxes. Luckily the sails are in pretty good shape nothing a good iron won't sort out. Unlike when I rebuilt the Black sea barracuda a few years back. Her sails had gone all fraid and mouldy, due to their design an easy substitute was found. First job is to strip scrub and dry.. With all the parts boxed up in the airing cupboard over night it dried nicely. With the instructions dug up it was time start the rebuild... So far so good..almost. As with alot of my old lego it would appear that when I was younger I must have left it in the sunniest place possible. Who would of thought Lego made the tan shade of colour all those years ago. I've some substitutes, some bricks can be turned around to face the other way but others will have to wait for now.

I do have a real passion for the 12 and 9v era. So I'm glad its giving off that look. I like to try and make things look original but add in more details and newer 6 wide vehicles. I have of recent fitted the newer powered up motor to 7740 as some of my older motors are becoming too old.

I'm always surprised when my girls friends sets are being built as to the detailed interiors, its on par with the modulars. 41318 heartlake hospital is so impressive we rebuilt it recently and it still wows me

Ironically I never found them fragile. They seem to be my only base plates that managed to not bend or have the coners chip or even discolour. I think unless they bring back pirates or castle I wouldn't think they would suit any other themes. Shame really because I loved them too.

This is my octan inspired refuelling point for my locos.

Thanks for the comments, Its been a long time coming but I've finally got round to sharing. Here are a few more shots that hopefully show it all a bit clearer.... As I still don't have all the pieces yet to finish off 6378 I thought it would look better being either demolished or completed. I wanted a cargo/depot feel for the layout and this is the entrance to the yard. I've tried to create a weigh bridge and porta-cabin for when trucks roll in and out. And a bit of a closer shot of these two beauty's because they are just 12v gods. The layout actually sits underneath the base boards of my 00 gauge model railway so it is following it's foot print, I do plan on making it a full loop in the future as i plan on building a new shed to clear all non related lego and railway things out of my cave.

Here's a few shots of my layout I've been messing around with lately... Station area Shell station being dismantled Overview loading terminal this is the end of scenic area, there's still a lot of work left to do but as this is the first post I will leave it here for now thanks.