engage

Hi Paul Please take care with ur chopper ! Cheers John

Hi Paul Not a very pretty sight at the mo, hope you didn't do the work in the dining room Looking forwards to seeing it after a bit of Fettling has taken place and to hear if it will be staying or if it has to go. I must add however that I think it looks the part so we might be OK. Cheers John

Hi Paul Yeah , I'll go along with that, it's quite a good write up actually. Just one question, What are U going to use as a table when U start work on the scenics ? :-) Cheers John

Ref #86 pic No 1, Many more comments like that might find you carrying you own tackle in and out of the hall at the next exhibition Mr Stivesnick :-) and in any case this bidirectional working can get very confusing as the man with a cup of coffee in the hand will testify. Cheers The Operators

Cheers Ben, very nice pics, very nice layout and a very nice day out. Considering it was the first time out the minor electrical fault (bad contact through a couple of points on the factory branch) was not really worth a mention. Cheers John

Hi Nick Looks like you are cracking on now and the model is beginning to look more like a railway. With the nights drawing in and with Autumn approaching you should make the debut exhibition next spring with no trouble. Don't forget to tell your followers that we will be at Newark on the weekend of 21/22nd Sept with Horseley Fields and invite them to come and have a word. Cheers John

Hi Nick ............I would put it all down to bad planning,....we could do one of two things, one lower the road...,two lower the bank then the boards might fit as intended..... I think the Carpenter said he was going on a long holiday in the not too distant future so I am not sure if you will catch him before he sets off........ Looks like we will have to buy still more plywood ! Cheers John

Hi Nick ........Thanks for the update,looks like you are making good progress. Due to its comparatively large size I think that the warehouse will look quite impressive when the smaller details are added......Yeah! I like it a lot...Keep up the good work. Cheers John

....Anyone looking for help on the following box conversions please go to link. GF container flat Dapol Collett coach GF Class 66 GF 100T Bogey Tank Wagons NGS Kit 009a Polybulk bogey wagon Union Mills Tender drive GF/Bachmann VGA GF Mk 3 bogie coach GF Bachmann Class 50 Modifying stock to take Dapol Easy Shunt magnetic couplings - Modifying & Detailing RTR stock - RMweb Cheers John

Hi Ian.... Thanks for posting the above pics,I do not have any VGA's in need of conversion at the moment but I am sure that those that do will find the pics most helpful. As the members in the south west would say " it Looks like a proper job" and I like the strengthening loop that you have added and the side pieces you have left from the original moulding will also help to hold the coupling in place, I don't think that one will move far. I look forward to seeing a pic of your bogie conversion, I have not done one yet but I think there could be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth before all bogie conversions are complete, so I think any advice would be much appreciated all round. Any members looking to uncouple similar trains in a hidden siding etc and in the same place every time mind find the tips given on our HF thread useful, See...link.......Horseley Fields - N Gauge layout (was Dibben Junction) - Layout topics - RMweb - Page 8......#103----#106..... We have been using the decouplers very successfully for about a year now albeit with the factory fittet NEM sockets. Cheers John

Hi Ian,... If your observation is correct then a good way to search for lost springs would be to use a large magnet.......Tip !... try not to loose them in the first place by working in a shoe box or large plastic bag......Tip.2...This might not appeal to everyone but I have cut several of the magnets in half and so get two for one.The main advantage being that one does not need to remove so many sleepers but the disadvantage is that shunting to align the couplers over the magnet must be very precise and there needs to be marker of some sort on or near the track to achieve this. Another tip for newcomers to this latest uncoupling craze is to remember that space must be left at the rear of the train so that it can be pushed backwards off the magnet or the wagons will not recouple...Like some other members I have given up with the delayed action but otherwise find that they do work very well. Cheers John

Hi Nick From what I can see of it I think you building looks very suitable as a track-side building and the Dries have been modeled very well indeed. It is no doubt a trick of the light but it looks like there is a light on a pole shining to the right above the roof of the Dries. . I like car to the right of the chimney parked on the grass and the sheep, will you be keeping them ?... and that chimney, Wow !. . It's a bit late now but there was a modeling challenge on the RM web, you could have entered loads of models. Thanks for the update and we look forward to seeing the bridge over the river......,. the river........has it actually got a name ? Cheers John

Hi Jo Thanks for the update Considering the size of your model I think you have done a marvelous job on the crane and pallet grab and the whole really looks the part.If I was to be really critical,I would say the lorry body is a tad short.ie not enough overhang behind the rear wheels but at this late stage in the build it is not going to be worth the effort to alter it. As you say with a coat of paint and the right transfers it should turn out to be a really nice model.Keep up the good work! Cheers John

re Mini Project #134 Hi Jo Looks like you are doing a very good job so far with your crane lorry project. I note that the operators platform etc on the pictures that Merf kindly uploaded as opposed to the one on Flickr is a lot more compact and should be easier to model. I am a great believer in chopping bits of various items and rebuilding them or even scratch building to make a model look how you want it look and the work is also very rewarding. Above quote "it's in N, would be easier in 4mm" Nonsense! it's a case of mind over matter. Look forward to seeing the finished article. Cheers John

Hi Ian It was very nice to have met you and your helpers over the past weekend. I was very impressed with your layout and the attention to detail has to be seen to be believed, well done ! It was a pity about the various problems we both encountered but life might prove to be a bit dull if everything always went according to plan. Ben had his eye on your end covers so that might be a job for the not too distant future,probably won't need to give you so much grief with this one. We did the packing up in a similar time,left the site at 16.36 and a journey time of just under 1½ Hrs. Looks like we will now need to keep an eye on your Roundhouse Thread from now on then, eh ? All the best John Horseley Fields - N Gauge layout (was Dibben Junction) - Layout topics - RMweb - Page 8

Hi Jo What a marvelous little layout, albeit with rather unorthodox beginnings, can't quite make out how you got from pieces of duck-taped foamboard to your pic on #31 which looks very presentable. Without a bit of experimentation everything would stand still and then where would we be ? I just love your scratchbuilt buildings and the 12v LED lighting. Embankment Road is a real credit to you, well done. Like your real life pics as well as your two little helpers, I have one of the latter but of the canine variety, Keep up the good work PS Is the foamboard standing the test of time ? Cheers John Horseley Fields - N Gauge layout (was Dibben Junction) - Layout topics - RMweb - Page 8

Hi Ian Considering the time you have left this advice is coming rather late in the day. Ben originally made the station signs for HF using a similar method to the one you describe, they did look very nice but were far too flimsy,we even fitted them but found whilst doing nearby work that they would get a knock and snap off. Solution ! very fine round steel uprights with equally thin steel plate of exactly the right length for nameplate and the joints soldered together. These were given a coat of primer then topcoat and then the name plates ( Homemade by Ben on his Computer) stuck on. Had no problems since. They will skin knuckles if hit hard enough. Only one day left ! You will need to start packing this time tomorrow. Cheers John PS like the name plates. Horseley Fields - N Gauge layout (was Dibben Junction) - Layout topics - RMweb - Page 8

Hi Ian Thanks for calling by HF. Been having a look at the last few pages of this thread, what a marvelous layout and superb modeling !. Likewise! I cant wait to see it on Sat and to meet you in person. Be a bit of a turn up for the books if we happen to be put adjacent to one-another. Carry on the good work ! Cheers John Horseley Fields - N Gauge layout (was Dibben Junction) - Layout topics - RMweb - Page 7

Hi Ian You certainly don't hang about ! I am very much obliged to you for the above pictures, I can see just what needs to be done now. I might have to use a different fixing method at the bottom because we use trestles and they wont lend themselves to anything being bolted too them. I might have to drill holes through the two end baseboards and put blocks underneath and possibly more blocks on the top for support. The outer 2' of our layout is not scenic and we have it screened off. I better start looking out for the necessary materials. All the best John Self-styled Chief Engineer to Horsley Fields Horseley Fields - N Gauge layout (was Dibben Junction) - Layout topics - RMweb - Page 7

Hello again Ian Many Thanks for the very quick response and the above information. I would never have guessed that the poles slot in between two sheets at the top,what a very simple and good idea ! Yes! I am sure that a few pics would be very helpful to other RM members and yes! I will certainly call by to have a look at your marvelous Banbury layout and do a bit more brain picking regarding the pelmet and I am sure that colleague Ben will be interested as well. We won't have time to get anything done before the show ,just hope the lighting will be adequate. All the best John

Hi Ian I notice that you call in on our Horseley Fields thread occasionally and you even got to meet Mr Pike yesterday so I thought that I would reciprocate. Saw the above picture of your Roundhouse layout and very nice it looks too,a working coal chute eh! that is really something that appeals to me, One of the things that sets off your layout is the lighting pelmet. Although it means more clutter to cart around, lighting can be invaluable if one gets put in a dark corner at an exhibition. Our group have been disusing the possibilities of adding a pelmet to our layout and yours looks to be a neat and simple design. Perhaps you might be so kind as to answer a couple of questions, Can I take it that the two uprights are made from steel tube ? and if so how are they fixed to the layout at the bottom and the pelmet at the top ? and if the wind doesn't get up do you find these two supports adequate for the job? Many Thanks John Horseley Fields - N Gauge layout (was Dibben Junction) - RMweb - Page 5

Hi, In drop testing on the A4 and A3 loco's there has been problems with them fitted with these couplers, so we will fit them with rapido's and have a pair of magnetic ones on the packaging. It's annoying I know but to prevent damage a necessity. Interestingly enough the drop test and long distance transport test with 2 diesels fitted with these couplers proved ok, so they will come factory fitted. I'm in the factory next week and I will clarify for you. Cheers Dave Hi Dave We now have a product on the market that most Ngauge modelers have been waiting years for. It is very refreshing to know that a representative from the manufactures is directly offering much sought after advice. This is I am sure greatly appreciated by all readers of this thread, Very good of you Dave ! I have been experimenting with the couplers and find that they work very well except that after uncoupling they will not continue to push the rolling stock backwards but simply re-engage, no big deal ! I have not lost any up to the present time but it is a pity about the springs, a few spares in the packet is or would be a very good idea. Cheers John