vitalspark

I find that a Minidrill has so little power that switching it on then squeezing the chuck between first finger and thumb you can control it from zero to any speed and allows you to concentrate on lining up the lamp squarely. There is no danger of it running away or damaging the casting if you regulate the speed as suggested. Dave.

I use a vice like the ones in the pics. Easy to clamp and hold to ensure drill is true to the lamp and unlike trying to hold the lamp in tweezers or even between fingers when the drill catches it doesn't twist it round and remove the handle..as I presume was what happened!

You summed him up well Tony and his comments to you at the Manchester show are Roy to a T! He welcomed us into his home on many occasions but referred to us as 'The Scots Gits'..which again is Roy. A friend who will be sadly missed. Davy.

Try Davy Franks' lamps from Lanarkshire Model Supplies. They look spot on as they should if you know Davys' attention to detail but they are also scale and well manufactured and easily drilled and drop over the lamp brackets if the latter are also scale. The latest Hornby locos accommodate them well as the brackets are quite fine. Drill out lamp and a little tacky wax or Blue tack in the hole and it slips over the bracket. Its easily removed and as they are cheap enough you can have a box of these things ready to lamp up every loco as required. The round LNE variety have slightly less body so little care is required but nothing too difficult..I haven't managed to bodge one yet. The square LMS type are easier to centre spot and drill. LNE lamps on my Hornby A3. LH one could do with being pushed down bit but its only really noticed at this angle. Hornby J36 with again LNE lamp over the bracket. Same loco with lamp on buffer beam. Placing the lamp which is an easy fit and with the hole filled with bkuetak or the like stays put but easily lifted off. The square LM type on a Hornby Duchess. Hope this helps. Davy.

Another from the same trainset.

And on shed.

Hornby J36 on Alloa.

Great as they are a Duchess is unfortunately not in the same league. Must be in the running for the finest steam loco ever produced.

The scripting was taken from interviews given by three of the Alloa team including myself and it was Davy Franks and me that were featured in the clips..the subtitles were probably inserted to assist our friends like the Retford crew understand our northern accents..( we are known to messrs Jackson Kent & Worthington as the 'Scots gits'!) The BBC team attended over three visits.. with the main filming session lasting five hours!..and they were excellent and always intended to present the video as factual and complimentary to our hobby. I submitted several B&W 'then and now' images but the one they chose worked very well. Thank you to all who have posted such positive comments..really appreciated..and thank you to Morgan and Magnus from the BBC . No bookings for next year for Alloa but maybe after the expose we might yet find ourselves visiting our friends south of the wall again soon. Dave.

Absolute topper. Weathering spot on and the fireman..can almost see his face. Well done.

..last couple I promise! Dave.

Another couple from Alloa. Dave.

Thank you for your kind comments Andy. One of the advantages of modelling a real place is with photographs and drawings to hand its easier to make the thing look realistic plus questions like the correct location and type of signals etc are all readily answered. To build a fictitious model and have it end up looking 'real' I would say is much more of a challenge..another reason why our group prefer actual locations. Dave.

A few shots from Alloa

​The great thing about this forum is hearing other opinions and after reading through the posts yes I agree Hornby do need to up their game. I was looking at this from a personal viewpoint and comparing with a kit and the hours and costs involved and on the basis of that if its 95% right then you're ahead so buy it but of course as pointed out Hornby are a business and cost this to make profit and set the retail accordingly so regardless of kit comparisons its the right price and should as pointed out be 100%. Never considered the analogy with white goods costing £180 and failing and yes I would be right back at the store. I need to read a few posts in future before adding my thoughts. Cheers all Dave.

Sorry Rob if this was taken the wrong way. It was never my intention to offend but I think its pretty safe to say that most of the guys posting here are modellers. As for forming small handrails from brass wire it should take even a modeller of limited skills about five minutes tops and same again to fit so I still think its a valid comment. This forum is about offering help and advice so I would be happy to post a step by step instruction of above. Kindest regards to you Dave.

Lets not forget the majority of locos that do run fine from the word go. My Duchess has been perfect from the beginning and still runs faultlesly although I would have been happy to forgive it any small cosmetic issues like missing handrails for such a superb model at a price that is impossible to match with a kit. I sometimes think we are unrealistic in our expectations looking for finer and more accurate models at a price cheaper than the kits that were the only alternatives and thats before we factor in the time and skills required to build and paint the latter. I would suggest that each and every loco could easily be checked and tested and after shipping rechecked but it would likely be double the price. I agree that the valve gear issue is a concern and having had two Black 5s with the same problem Hornby do need to address this but small parts that are easily repaired or replaced..we are all supposed to be modellers aren't we?!..I suggest we accept this as the price you pay for a great value for money model that has been shipped half way round the world. Stanier going strong..one of Hornbys best. And apologies if I upset anybody so the very best to all for 2019.

Locos like the J36 that didn't rack up huge mileages and stayed away from the works carried the small crest well into the 60s so I wouldn't be too concerned there. As example the only D11 to carry the late crest was outlived by members still with the early crest! Dave.

Haig had a tender cab fitted when withdrawn. Dave.

You have never lost the ability to spot a sales opening..not since your days of selling double glazing! A very happy new year too you and your missus Dave. D.

Excellent weathering and hopefully mine will look similar. One comment though..are the fire irons not usually on the firemans side of the tender? Nice job. Dave.

You're right the pipe is actually correct. I have applied a little weathering to it prior to replacing and its lifted it and now looks bang on. Number change next then it will get the full treatment. Dave.

Blimey..so it is! Yes you are right I do need to replace these specs. In saying on the model its very subtle whereas the pipe on the real thing was pretty obvious so still might replace. I'll see how it looks when picked out with a bit of weathering. Happy NewYear to all. Dave.

Oh b****r!..thats that hit on the head then. Funny how you don't see these things until pointed out. I have decided that my model will need to be vac braked to allow occasional local passenger so need to add the external pipe under the lhs running plate as simply sticking the vac pipe on the bufferbeam is not enough. Haig had vac brakes and therefore the external pipe as did Maude in preserved form but its not on the model. An obvious omission but easily added and will give it some extra character. Haig also had a tender cab in its later BR days although I suspect these were often temporary additions that could be added quickly as Scottish sheds seemed to have many J36s so fitted and which ranged from very simple weather boards to quite substantial. The former type possibly knocked up by the shed joiner although I may be wrong. Choosing an example is not proving quite as straightforward as I thought and as ever a photograph is the key. Dave.

Photographs of J36s in BR era show lamp iron generally only on smokebox door but a few show only on top...then there's a pic of a loco at Seafield colliery that has no lamp irons apart from on the buffer beam. then of course theres 65288 showing both door and boiler..love it. Note also the scorched smokebox door and the fire irons on the tender. Detail and weathering awaits to turn a great model into a superb one. Dave.