shipbadger

I subscribed to his magazine from the beginning and it was a sad day when Kirk sent me an email to say that he was no longer willing to send paper copies abroad. I owe a lot of the inspiration for US modelling to the articles he published. Tony Comber

When I purchased a 1983 Land Rover (an early 110) long wheelbase station wagon it came with a short wheelbase roof rack with a sheet of plywood screwed to it. I was told (reliably) that it had been used for TV cameras at Chepstow racecourse. Tony Comber

My N scale US exhibition layout has now done over 25 shows. All the scenic section is code 55 track. The fiddle yard is 'normal' Streamline, whatever that is, it was just cheaper than code 55 at the time. Derailments usually have obvious reasons, things dropped on the track, careless elbow and so forth. One thing which I notice in earlier postings is the mention of foam underlay. Manufacturers for decades have produced moulded foam to use with their track products. Other people may use foam of the 'closed cell' type, like camping mat or floor underlay. The first type of underlay does not produce a stable surface on which to lay track, it's main function seems to be to allow minor undulations in the baseboard to be to a greater or lesser extent negated when laying track. I've never been convinced by 'floating track' arguement. All my track is laid on cork which is sanded level before any track is laid. In N I would suspect that there is no cushioning effect whatsover. Weighting of stock is something else to consider. The NMRA publish guidance on suggested weight for rolling stock. I also use a back to back gauge set to their standards. It's always worth checking. After problems with one loco some years ago and correspondence with various people, including the manufacturer it turned out the factory had been using the wrong gauge to set the wheels. These things do happen. With regards couplings, mine are all Microtrains as I've never found any of the compatable ones satisfactory. Derailments will happen, the aim is to make them a rare event. Each time it happens try and work out why. Is it the same spot, the same vehicle or even the speed at which the train was travelling. After a while you will slowly eliminate the problems, be able to sit back, relax and watch the trains go past. Tony Comber

Some years ago I walked into a Warhammer shop (in Truro) just to go and look at the paint. I found the chap running the place very helpful. I explained what I wanted by way of paint and he disappeared out the back returning with a sack full of discontinued colours and sorted out some he thought would be of use to me. I also came away with 'A Free Guide to Citadel Colours'. If this is not still around it would be worth assking for whatever has replaced it. This explains what Base, Shade and all the other terms mean and how they are used. If like me you thought that painting equaled primer followed by an enamel top coat and not much else then it is a real eye opener.

I mixed dry black powder paint with the chinchilla dust. The dust being then fixed in the usual way ie pva diluted with water after first being moistened with water and washing up liquid or iso propyl alcohol. Toned down the colour, but you may need to experiment with quantities of paint to dust. Tony Comber

The vicarage garden in Newnham, Gloucestershire had an ex-LMS brake van body in the garden. By the time I was acquanted with it it was almost totally rotted away. The only thing I salvaged was a lamp bracket.

The Sandeman advert featured Orson Welles with a raised glass. Not an advert but in the days when graffiti was rare there was a factory unit with the slogan 'Moseley was Right' painted on it. It remained visible for years. On the other side of the line the end of a terrace of houses advertised Brands Meat Paste. In Devon there was a sign telling you that the train was passing the Whyteways Cider orchard. Not sure if it was ever updated to read Coates, Gaymer, Whyteways. The other one that sticks in the mind was the seed merchants, was it Carters? Tony Comber

I've just dismantled mine and can confirm that there are screws. They are pan headed self tapping screws that cut their own thread into the pillars they screw into. Can't check the size at present as everything is packed up for transport to Scaleforum today. If you have an old fashioned hardware shop near they may well be able to help. Tony Comber

I've just read this thread and so far I've not seen mention of the aerosol airbrush cleaners. My cleaning method involves passing some of the solvent just used though the brush and pushing an old paint brush around to remove any stubborn paint followed by squirting the airbrush cleaner directly into the pick up opening of the brush. I have a pile of old newspaper to spray onto. When the spray runs clear that's it. I only dismantle when it is obvious things are starting to clog up. I have half a dozen of so brushes ranging from single or dual action, suction or gravity fed, expensive Badger or Paasche or unbranded 'knock off' copies, all get the same treatment. My most expensive airbrush (initial retail price) actually cost £25 at a model railway show complete with three extra paint jars. I was told it didn't work. Well the three paint jars would have cost more than the £25 to buy so I bought it. A good clean later and one working high quality brush. Just persevere with your airbrush, collect some old models or tin cans and just keep bashing away until you feel comfortable using it. One final comment, etching primer may not be a good thing in an air brush as as it's name implies long term use or leaving it in the brush may etch the metal. Halfords sell perfectly good rattle can etch primers. Tony Comber

Are Hobbycraft not stocking the Revell enamels anymore? They were in my opinion much better quality enamels in recent years as the quality of Humbrol paint seemed to be in decline. This problem is also reflected in the full size heritage railway world where one of the very long extablished suppliers seems to be having quality problems. I'm assuming some 'traditional' ingredients have been replaced, (not lead, that went many years ago, last sanctioned for use painting glasshouses). Tony Comber

I used Antex irons for many years. The tips have some sort of coating when new. Knowing no better as they wore and became pitted I just used to take a file to them, clean them up until the surface was smooth again and re-tin them; just as we did when soldering irons were heated on the gas cooker (showing my age). The bits were perfectly satisfactory until their next clean up. If all else fails can I suggest you may consider filing a larger tip down. Tony Comber

J B's model world trades as Chevy625 on ebay. The full range is not normally shown, mainly the N scale sizes but I believe he is open to negotiation for mail ordering bulk orders of the 00 ones if you cannot get to a show. I have bought some from a friend of his who had them on his stand when he couldn't attend a show. I have to admit I have lot's! I buy the Really Useful Boxes seperately, only buying the inserts at shows, makes it easier to carry out to the car :-) Tony Comber

It's actually called a fully concealed hinge. Available mail order from Ironmongery Direct, other suppliers probably available, I just happened to have their catalogue on the desk beside me. If any one want to look it's p319. Tony Comber

Proxxon make a small hot air gun which is designed for just the sort of use you describe. Once you have one you'll find various other jobs you can do with it.

I'm a user of the dowel rods and cord barrier. Yes the springy things are from door stops. I went down this road when somebody deep in conversation in front of the layout actually rested their posterior on the baseboard! I use a bright green cord and that seems to be sufficient to be visible and has been used for over 20 shows now. I wouldn't consider exhibiting without it nowadays. I think I should credit the Gravett's which is where I first saw the idea on their Ditchling Green layout.

I strongly suspect somebody flushed the toilet whilst the train was standing in the station. Tomato seeds can pass through the human gut. The best tasting tomatoes I've ever eaten used to grow at the local 'sewage farm'.

Just another thought, the OP asked for black cloth. Can I suggest that other colours are considered. Hall floors are often dusty, espciially after everyone has traipsed in and out with everything required for an exhibition. Black material in contact with the floor will show up this dust even if you just have momentary contact whilst setting up. I have cloths in dark green, brown, blue and maroon which tend to have less of a problem. They can also be used to reflect the livery of the layout being displayed. Local fabric supply shops provided the green and maroon, the blue is nurse uniform material (a present from a firm that produced them) and the brown an old sheet from Dunelm. They have been treated with fire retardent solutions as used by theatres, the recipe being obtained from the internet.

Not to contradict all the advice above, but from the early days of using static grass. initially a puffer bottle and later the modified fly swat/tea strainer, I've always kept a vacumm cleaner hose to hand. Any grass that shows a tendency to lie down has the nozzle of the hose waved over it thus pulling the grass upright. A little practice is required otherwise your grass will disappear into the cleaner but the rate of loss is quite low once you have the knack. I've taught the technique to friends who now do the same. I suppose a nylon stocking across the nozzle would reduce loss of fibres but as a widower buying stockings or tights in the village shop may start some gossip 🙂

As someone who was closely involved in restoring the wagon on the short length of track perhaps I can add to the following. The short legth of track stands on ground belonging to the Forestry Commission. Fortuitously one of the utility companies happened to have a digger adjacent to where the track was going to go and the 'job' has finished. The driver obviously had an interst in the railway and asked if there was anything to do. Yes please, level that bit out please. Red faces later as the correct permissions were still pending. The wagon is in response to the residents of Parkend wanting their village gatekeeper. Another example is Littledean which has a collection of milk churns. Both are intended to show old industries associated with the settlement. The wagon is actually ex-SECR, the Parkend colliery wagons were taken to Liverpool in WW2 and used to store timber away from the docks area. The timber for the restoration came from the Lydney Park woodlands. The last movement out of Marsh Sidings afaik was the at the request of BR the DFR's 03 shunter retrieved a few wagons which had been left behind by the last revenue earning train. There never has been any intention to use the sidings for the heritage railway. Just look at old photos to se how close the railway was to the front doors of the cottages. Level crossings have been the subject of long winded negotiations with the ORR if the plans to reach further in to the Forest are to come to fruition. As is probably known the official policy is to remove as many crossing as possible, not have new ones even if they existed on the site previously. The rails in the road are there still as it's cheaper than digging them up! The MR 3 plank wagon was an earlier restoration project. Officially it dates from 1896 but I think could have been a year or two earlier. Originally it had a wooden underframe but at some point a steel one was fitted but using much of the originall steelwork. It was transferred to Sharpness docks as an internal used and never received brake levers on both sides. When we were working on it and needed to put the brakes on or off we always seemed to be on the side the lever wasn't! Tony Comber

Slightly OT, but many years ago now I purchased examples of the triangular LT badges as fixed to the radiators of RT/RM buses from a firm by the name of Garner. Further enquiries showed that they had supplied enamel signs, including many advertising signs, for a number of decades. Tony Comber

I have two of them :-) One in the shed and one in the house. No problems with either though I did by from the UK agent. I've bought the plug in irons from ebay (quicker to change than just changing the tip) and not had any problems with those either. Although obviously assembled by Hakko or a sub-contractor for them careful examination shows that a description of 'contains parts from more than one country' may be appropriate. Tony Comber

If your Scultamould has not dried by the weekend I would respectfully suggest that the environment that it is drying in has a relatively high level of humidity. I first used Scultamould over twenty years ago and was surprised at the drying time. I believe there is a powdered clay component along with the paper fibres and this tends to slow the drying. Whatever you do don't wave a hair direr or hot air gun over it. The outside of the material will dry and crack as it shrinks. Patience is required I'm afraid. I used it over expanded polystyrene (discarded packaging) and then used a two pack epoxy to create a river. I must have left a few pin prick holes in the Sculptamould as the resin contacted the polystyrene in places causing bubbles to form. Should have use a second layer of Scultamould. Tony Comber

Is the cafe perhaps a late Trojan? Track looks rather narrow and skinny tyres so could also be a coachbuilt on almost anything. A shame I can't make out what it says across the grill. Is the number on the Leyland cab of any significance, I wondered about a Lorry Driver of the Year round.

Weybridge gained a member of platform staff who added an extra line to his announcements 'please don't leave your newspaper on the train'. I assume he must have worked at one of the London terminii previously as at Weybridge people would be looking forward to reading their paper on the way up to 'town'. Tony Comber

I've had the wagon and two Coles cranes on the round tuit shelf for a while so will be interested to see how you get on. It was only a week ago I pulled a rather poor print out TRU6. I went to find the URL for you and initially thought it showed the other side of the brake van, closer examination shows that the picture has been printed back to front! In fact I've just realised it's the reverse of the one you initially posted, doh! This one does at least have the copyright owner on the photo. Tony Comber