Jol Wilkinson

Mikkel, yes it is. bought in 2023 as I recall. Jol

Stephen, the Hold and Fold tools were available through Eileens Emporium. An internet search turns up clones on Amazon and Ebay. Jol

My preference, having built plastic bodied (Ratio), whitemetal (Gem, Ks, M&L) and etched brass/nickel silver (Proscale, LRM, Brassmasters), my preference is for the later. Whitemetal may have the benefit of built in ballast but generally lacks the crispness of etched metal and more prototypical thinness of exposed edges. Etched kits need added weight but that is not a problem if you allow for and build it in during assembly. Mixed material kits also can have an advantage, such as resin castings for complex boiler/firebox/smokebox shapes. lost wax cast brass and n/s castings for boiler fitting and cylinder cross heads and slide bars.

I think that the problem with AI search engines such as Co-pilot is that they are dependant on what their searches on the web turn up. What they then create becomes part of the web "norm" so inaccuracies become embedded.

Jesse, from many years experience assisting a trader at shows, children and the occasional adult think that an item on display is an invitation to touch or even pick up. Most sensible people who want to do so, usually to look at the detail, will ask. The only thing you can do it to put out a prominent "Do not touch" notice, also pointing out that the models are valuable and any damage will have to be paid for. Sadly small children will probably ignore it but their parents should be aware. It is also not generally appreciated that small children have a third eye in the end of their forefinger, which they use to closely inspect things. Jol

According to wakkypedia Claude and Eustace were Woosters, cousins of Bertie.

"given practice and patience." Which is what is often quoted as the reason for not building kits, i.e. lack of the required skill and the time to do it. In a time when people want it quick, easy and cheap, diy 3D printing isn't likely to appeal to the majority of model railway enthusiasts.

Perhaps it is referring to playing with toy trains (as you said in your earlier post) that has caused the hobby to be looked on by some other sectors of society. Shouldn't we be promoting railway modelling as a creative, worthwhile activity rather than disparaging or lessening it in the eyes of the general public or media?

My reference to modelling was a personal reflection on previous posts about what others consider modelling, quoting a dictionary definition of modelling. For me modelling means making things. Buying models that someone else has made isn't the same as model making but if it's what you want to do then that's okay with me. As for doing any modelling, I do get some done.

The LNWR built over three hundred and fifty of the D358 passenger brake vans, so probably the most common of the six wheel vans.

Jerry, looks like an LNWR van. Did you use use that paint I gave you? Jol

Which precisely describes the problems I had when building OO locos in my early days.,I always built the chassis first and get it running smoothly. Then I would bolt the loco body to it and it wouldn't run as well! When I moved over to P4 and started building compensated chassis, originally using Perseverance axle jigs (with parallel ends in two diameters) and later the LRM taper end jigs, I never experienced the problem again. Why, because any twist the body imparts to the chassis is counteracted by the horn blocks. I later took this further and now attach the body with a screw at one end and a relatively loose locator at the other, usually the coupling hook through the other end buffer beam and into the chassis front spacer. Where possible I included this in the locos I designed for LRM.

I have realised that I needed to add some more section switches, one of the problems about getting old is leaving a period between building and wiring the storage sidings before getting round to the control panel. While waiting for the switches to arrive I have made up the connecting cable and tested the continuity to the various sections, servo controllers etc. so I am in danger of getting to a point where I should be able to start test running something later in March (we have a lot on next month which will prevent me from putting as much time into the layout as I would like).

I haven't posted anything here for a while as I have been concentrating on wiring up the layout. I have also been deciding what signals I shall need as well as doing a bit of work on the two LNER signals for my S4 Area groups model of Lavenham. However, another AG member and good friend, Dave Carr, has built some models for London Road. Dave is a newcomer to P4 and I have been helping him with converting a Hornby J11, building a HL chassis for a J72 and taking his first steps in track building. I also gave him various"apprentice pieces" to do. He built a POWsides wagon, a NER Insulated Van and an NER Carriage Truck. The latter has a Rover car on it, which I built but Dave painted. I think it is fair to say he has completed his apprenticeship with flying colours.

I stain ply sleepers and timbers with Liberon Spirit Wood Dye which soaks into the wood. I then use butanone to fix the chairs (Exactoscale in my case). The chairs bond well to the timber and the solvent has little effect on the stain. If it does it is easy to apply a bit more stain with a small brush.

Neat work. Some fore and aft rock on the bogie might be a good idea. A short piece .45mm wire laterally on either side of the bogie bolt hole would provide this.

I built mine with a fixed driven rear axle, sprung the flangeless wheel (third) axle and used a single central beam on the front two axles. using LRM hornblocks. It works well on London Road but the minimum radius is about 4' 6". Unfortunately I can't remember how much side play I built in and the loco is currently packed away.

D&S kits usually command high prices (more than I am willing to pay, anyway), but asking for more than twice the price for a D&S kit that is still available through LRM ( and is listed as ex-D&S ) shows that the seller is confident that there are enough "collectors" out there to pay over twice the cost for a new kit. He also claims to have 5 for sale, as well as multiples of some other D&S kits, so must have found a modellers hoard. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256425987038?mkevt=1&mkpid=0&emsid=e11021.m43.l1120&mkcid=7&ch=osgood&euid=072ae36f25e043f1919726568f70404e&bu=43007734306&ut=RU&osub=-1~1&crd=20240227012645&segname=11021

If you look up the definition of modelling. one answer is "the activity of making three-dimensional models". So the purchase and use of RTR/RTP items isn't "modelling". The creation of a layout or diorama. which may enable those purchases to be used however, could be seen as modelling. It depends on how much effort you want to put in.

A bogie retaining link has the same effect as a radial (curved) slot. The front mounted link has the effect of moving the bogie pivot point forward as the bogie moves sideways, the opposite with a rear mounted link (the normal configuration). Other than possibly providing additional clearance to chassis mounted fittings such as brake gear, the fore or aft displacement will be relatively small unless on very sharp curves so it is difficult to envisage what other benefits there are.

Nice artwork, Dean. Is the chassis "multi-gauge"? I use CorelDraw which is 2D software and avoids any need to transfer from one format to another. I also found it very easy to learn, unlike 3D (I started with Turbocad many years ago). I did some training weekends on model etching for beginners, where people turned up with various software on their computers. It was very much the case that those who had 2D rather than 3D software were able to progress much more quickly. I generally work to two decimal places of a millimeter (0.01)although it is possible to work to ).000001), which I find sufficient for etch artwork. Jol

Most modellers won't care or be bothered if they did know. Other RTR manufacturers may do the same, e.g. the Rapido "Not- Quite-Minks" (although at least they point it out).

Progress seem to have been a bit slow of late, various things getting in the way. I let myself get diverted into a bit of proper modelling occasionally as a change from wiring. The main control panel is largely finished but some of it will have to wait until plans for the engine shed building is finalised and the tracks are laid. However, the storage siding control panel is well underway. I have used a Model Railway Solutions laser cut control panel kit. This can be hung on the baseboards edge and moved out of the way when not in use. About one third of the panel wiring is done, so it shouldn't take too much longer, although I also have to make the 37 way connector lead that will plug into the baseboard socket. A MERG 12 volt power supply plugs in to power the various controller servo and LEDs. The Pentrollers plug into the main board but have long enough leads to easily reach across.

A good website, but without the cost/complication of online ordering can work well for "Small Suppliers". The market for their products isn't large anyway (even for those with quite wide product ranges) and probably wouldn't justify the cost of a full e-commerce site. It might make purchasing a bit easier for the customer but would probably do little to attract new customers. We need to remember that sales and marketing are effectively two different disciplines and it is the former that gets your products in front of the customer. In my experience attending shows is increasingly un-productive or unviable unless it is a specialist society or one of the "finescale" shows. Even large shows such as those put on by Warners, etc. don't attract a suitable customer profile to make it worthwhile for the small supplier. The mainstream magazines also seem to be heavily invested in reviewing and promoting the products of the major businesses and an advert or a piece in the Small Suppliers Forum in MRJ won't extend awareness very far beyond the existing consumer sector.

I find it remarkable that anyone would get the LNWR livery so wrong as on the carriages you bought on Ebay. I have too often seen kit built models described as "built and painted to an excellent standard" when the word mediocre would be more accurate. It isn't difficult to find online photos and details of both prototype and model LNWR carriages. While the quality of the painting can be variable if the painter was inexperienced or wasn't familiar with suitable techniques for two colour liveries, getting the colours that far out is ridiculous.