Stanley Melrose

Hi, I hope you are aware that there's an error in the panelling on the Jidenco etch for the carriage sides? If you check with the attached drawing, you may find it possible to correct the small fault with the panelling - or not - if you consider it immaterial. Cheers, Stan PS Bill Bedford used to do an etch for the trailer carriage . . . Platform 15 P6.pdf

Many thanks, Les! Now if only they were available commercially . . . Stan

Hi Les, Can you tell us a bit more about the corridor connections, please? Thanks, Stan

Somewhat off topic, I recall a headline above an article in the Liverpool Echo many years ago: NO WATER SO FIREMEN IMPROVISED I always wondered if they used their "tools" . . . Stan

Seems as if Keith is a realist . . . Stan

It looks as if it may be possible to remove some of the intermediate gears to leave only the drive to the centre driving wheels . . . Stan

The modified bogies on mine do have the additional front member but the slop in the wheels is still excessive. I realise that the metal strip/bearings can be bent inwards to take up the slop but the bogies are still very skinny and cannot be used for wider gauges (EM or P4) because of the unfortunately narrow axle (23.55mm on one random sample) used by Bachmann. I hope that decent replacement bogies will eventually become available to enhance the splendid upper parts of these coaches for those of us who have adopted wider gauge trackwork. Stan

I made my comment on body-only availability simply because in a phone conversation with Bachmann Spares Department it became clear that Bachmann ensure there are extra bodies produced. Once the 12month warranty period has expired and therefore any damaged parts replaced, they will supply bodies and related spares - admittedly these are not cheap but for the modeller adopting wider gauges, they are certainly cheaper than buying the complete model and trying to dispose of the 00 chassis. It was on this basis I conjectured that KR Models might wish to follow suit. Stan

I think Mike may be wondering if he will be able to obtain just the bodies of the loco and tender to mate with the HighLevel chassis so he can build his model to P4 (or perhaps) EM standards. Those who model to the wider gauges (especially P4) usually find that the 00 chassis is surplus as adding springing/compensation to improve running and current collection and replacing the wheels in the 00 chassis is not possible, Stan

I think you'll find that production runs in China today are based on a single day's output. By this I mean that the parts bins are stocked overnight with sufficient components for the next day's production. The workflow is planned so that painted parts are readily available to stock the bins and similarly for those that do not require any painting. The workforce is trained on the relevant assembly procedures and when the bell rings in the morning, production commences. If all goes according to plan, the requisite number of finished models comes off the production lines and the staff go back to their barracks. Any left-over parts are gathered up and thrown away or saved as spares (perhaps) while the bins are replenished for the next day's output. Any testing (!) is carried out and packing follows before palleting and shipping. That's why everything is a limited edition today, unlike the inventory rich days of yore - and why there are often too few spare parts. Anyone tried to get a set of cylinders for a Hornby Pug? Think about it - that's just about the only way the system can work. It's not as if our brand names are our manufacturers any more. Production slots have to be booked months in advance and if any part is not ready, that slot will be re-assigned PDQ to ensure that cost targets are met - hence delays and even cancellations. It also explains why what may seem to be common components do not exist, e.g. tenders or loco chassis may seem to suit two or more locos but each product will almost certainly have been designed ab initio by a different team and they could not care less that a previously produced product's parts' could be re-used. That's what just-in-time manufacturing means and why there is so much angst at present in the European car industry as the B-word looms. Stan

Just north of that area abutting Regent Road and Grove Street was a timber yard in the 1960s. I worked for the company that operated from there, Hunter Fowles, during 3 Summer holidays in my student days. It was strenuous stuff but did wonders for my physique and visits from Jinties on shunting duty maintained the railway interest. Stan

I phoned Mark Ascott yesterday to discuss details of a couple of his Markits products and then placed an order around 4pm. The goods arrived in today's post - truly excellent products at good prices and the best possible delivery timing. Wow! Stan

I've just found an etch labelled MORGAN DESIGN 1998A Horn ©. It contains 4 small outlines for hornbocks for 2mm axles and 6 larger ones for 1/8th" diameter axles plus washers for both sizes of axles. Can anyone provide any further details of the product? I'm thinking I've had this for about 20 years but suddenly it was there on my workbench and that's all I know about it. There must have been turned axleboxes to match the etch but whether I had these or the etch was intended for use with another supplier's products I've no idea. Any help gratefully received. Stan

Those were the days! I worked on Euston Road so lunchtimes could see visits to Hamblings (re-located from Cecil Court to Euston Road), W&H, Kings Cross Model Shop and Victors - not to mention Collectors' Corner in Eversholt Street. My memory tells me there was also a model shop in Neal Street, off Shaftsbury Avenue, as well but the name escapes me. Sorry this isn't helping with anecdotes about Victors but the OP set the little grey cells in motion . . . Stan

Besides the anti-gravity problem, unfortunately they're not the more common version with a round top link, rather than two straps bolted through the hook. I'm not sure how many, if any, of the type available from Accurascale were fitted to rolling stock in the period you are modelling, Mike. Happy to find that they were extremely common back then but as far as I'm aware they were not. I understand that if Accurascale produce something with rounded top link screw couplings, they will be available as spares at that point. Stan