SHMD

I must admit, it's a lot "tamer" now. There were really no (well hardly any) rules back a few decades ago! Kev.

Closest thing, I can think of, for AFL is - "murderball"! Kev.

Just got my "limited edition" departmental van now - 8 minutes into the DPD delivery slot. It came with a bag of bits (pipes couplings etc), an information sheet (with exploded view), and a "certificate" - woohoo! The van, itself, is nicely boxed and packaged, and comes in a "sleeve" of clear film which (appears) to have been shrink-wrapped onto the van and is slightly sticky on the inside. The order also came with a couple of (incidental) items but the O-gauge Buffers should be 00 gauge screw couplings", and the 00 gauge chain couplings appears to have at least one set that has disintegrated! This is really minor but I'll get back in touch with the AS team anyway. Conclusion - Nice van that I will be very happy with, pushing "Rule 1" to the limit! :) Thanks AS. Kev.

Counting teeth on gears is not tricky! ..but us modellers are a fickle bunch - If the prototype is A1A A1A then that's what we want, even if the performance wont be as good or we can't see what is actually powered - it's the "thought" that niggles at us. Kev. (Me? I'm not too bothered - as long as it is not tender-driven or has traction tyres!)

I never saw one. Maybe something for future though - not the certificate but a list of contents. Kev.

AS sometimes "closes" sales (as sold out) as they stock take deliveries/pre-orders/sales/etc to determine what are actually the correct numbers that can go back on sale again in a few days. Keep looking. Kev.

I'm pretty sure they are the curtains for you to fit where and as you please. (Find a photo of your prototype first, though.) Kev.

WOW - That was quick, and delivered 2 minutes earlier than the dpd delivery window started! They come in an odd sized box. At first I thought the mk2s couldn't possibly fit in it. ..but they do - lovely artwork.. ..tonnes of "stuff" inside.. I love the "exploded" views, in the info pamphlet, but I'm not to sure about the "wavy conduit" especially above the bogies. ..stunning though! Thanks AccuraScale. Kev.

I'm very pleased to have got the "RTC has been dispatched" Email. Kev. (..who is even more pleased that I have already paid for them and don't need some extra funds ASAP!)

Early phones radiated a lot! ...and remember, this was in the days before EMC compliance/immunity - or even was common knowledge. As things "improved" I guess organisations just got lazy and perpetuated the "phones can cause problems" scenario - just in case! (There are still restrictions on planes but hospitals are now much more tolerant of them.) As a design engineer (at the time), and then evolving into a support/service engineer, I come a across a lot of weird situations where the "mobile" caused problems on the production line. Distractions are a massive safety issue and are a factor in many incidents. How many youtoob clips show "people" driving off with the pump still attached! However, the "whacky Sign", here" is that you should not use the phone whilst being encouraged to use the phone! Kev.

I will be quite interested to see if this operator will be able to make these sets "perform". The abysmal availability, with TPE, was below a level not seen since "Claytons" and "Co-Bos" - IMO. ...but was it Dft, TPE management, or the the sets themselves? I suspect a combination of all three! Kev.

Or a 13 mil spanner - or worse, your metal watch strap!!!! Kev.

A fireless loco is not really a "contamination risk". It's the "air" it's working in that has to take president. Obviously oil, petrochemicals, munitions factories pose such a risk but factories with high levels of "airborne" dust pose just as much as an explosive atmosphere - such as tissue paper mills and flour mills. (Even coal dust is dangerous.) These are VERY explosive! Fireless locos are also an advantage when there is a (seemingly) "free" source of high pressure boiling water - such as power stations. then they become "convenient", clean and cheap to run. Kev.

Nippy little things aren't they! Kev. (OK, some noticeable steam when accelerating!)

I really like these fireless locos because they can quite "prototypically" run without requiring all that smoke (and steam) - which other "traditional" steam locos require BUT lack in model form! (This will be the only "steam" loco on my otherwise totally "blue Yellow Ends" Diesel layout. For a paper mill siding.) Will there be a sound option? As to which to choose - 5, 6 or 9 for me. Probably 5, the "Bowaters" No.1 one. Kev.

I'm definitely having one of these. In the village where I grew up in, we had a "fireless" loco, and I was always fascinated as to how it could possible work for more than a minute! I also recommend visiting Mol_PMB's thread, linked to above, as it has ALL the info you could possibly want (well nearly) on Fireless locos - including how they work and for how long. Well done Rapido. Kev.

Now THAT would be attention to detail! Kev.

At Manchester today, whilst on the (delayed) KL1076 MAN-AMS, I took this (phone) photo of this colourfully-creative-colossus (A380) with the much smaller easyJet trying to photobomb it. (Note the position of the rudder!) The A380s always use that gate, I don't think the rest of the apron can take the weight. Incidentally, our flight to AMS, although an hour late, was due to do the trip in 45 minutes due to tail winds, (Normally this is a steady 1 hour and 5minute leg), but at AMS we circled for 20 minutes (seemed like it) and then had an aborted landing (Captains words) for my fifth "go-around" in 2.5 years, and landed for a total leg time of about 1 hour 20 minutes. In my previous 25 years flying - averaging 50 legs/annum - I never had any aborted landings. 2 aborted take-offs, but their another story. Are "go-arounds" becoming more common now? And, if so, why? Kev.

That'll be a lot of biscuits then! Kev.

I am but I can't remember what I ordered - and I am too frightened to ring up because I'm skint and need to wait for pay day! Kev.

That really does sound "AI" written to me. Kev.

I think the simple answer is that you have bought a "latching" relay as the replacement to replace a "bog standard", (but bigger), original relay. The smaller replacement relay is not compatible with the circuit on the PCB. Kev.

Could you give a link of the 2A version? If not, perhaps a photo? Adding a resister in parallel will, at worst, reduce the current available for the relay coil to operate, and at best, do nothing! (..depending on supply..) Think of it as replacing the resister with another 144 Ohm coil, adding the second coil would not get the first coil working would it? Kev.

That loco looks heat damaged! ..and I mean that in an absolutely brilliant way. The loco looks like it is, not only live steam, but almost too hot to pick up! Kev.

...but according to "Home Law", the Injury will be directly proportional to Violence / Resistance. I= V/R Kev.