knottyAl

Andy,just caught up with this masterpiece. I thought your backscene would be better than you thought, and I was right! Any worries you have about definition are unnecessary, because the focus is always on the actual modelling, moving and landscape. A rule of thumb I like is can you see it from 3 feet away( 1 metre).....? If not don't panic! 3ft equals 150 yards in real life at 2mm scale. How much does the eye see at 150 yds? Well done mate. Alan

How about some fine grade wet & dry abrasive paper for the asphalt platform surfaces? Say 800 grade? Available at most car accessory shops. Don't forget the paving slab or whatever edging---- Alan.

Well done,Darren! A super job on your tender. Might French curves and /or a circle template (clear plastic) with an assortment of sizes around the edge be any help to run your pen around curved lines? Try drawing office supply companies, if interested. Anyway, nothing wrong with your lining as it is. Cheers, Alan

Outstanding Andy! What a beautiful example of the possibilities of N gauge. Love the convincing juxtaposition of your buildings, river and viaduct. Keep us updated with the backscene....I'm sure it will be a success. Alan

Received my order of 12 n gauge wagon sides yesterday. I' m very pleased, as free hand lettering in this scale isn't easy! I ordered 3 of the same company, and Robbie kindly ran off 3 different running numbers for me at no extra cost, plus you get 6 wagons for the price of 5 anyway! Very pleased, and excellent value.

Your fix for direct link from a surface mount Peco point motor is perfectly Ok. Other plain top baseboard users can link the drive to the point tiebar with a short length of piano wire bent up at both ends and threaded into the holes. To keep the ends upright, form a Z or omega loop shape to slide flat on the board. No raising of the point is then required, if the upright parts are long enough to engage the drive bar.

Chubb or similar bolts are a simple but cunning mechanism. Essentially the moving bolt has a rack, and the key is the pinion. Wind the key and out pops the bolt! The bolt is locked by a lever engaged in the rack teeth. If the key doesn't enter enough to lift the locking lever, it won't open. I agree with Keith, a service or replacement maybe the quick fix. New bolts aren't dear.

From the security viewpoint, is this star key hole on the outside of the door? Not a good idea, if anyone can buy these (see previous posts)! Don't just install these bolts by drilling the keyhole straight through either! Doh....

Well done Norm81! So did we on our N gauge layout, and it usually worked Ok.

If a club layout is shown at an exhibition, not all the members may operate their home layouts in the same era. In this case, a sequence of consistently stocked trains can avoid anachronisms. Not everyone can afford or desire the same stock! Within any one train, if the loco and stock match, it seems more convincing to me.

I believe the large Victorian vicarage so common, in the days of large families and cheap domestic servants, may have influenced our reverend gentlemen. What to do with all those empty rooms? Later and smaller parish accommodation to save money,may be reducing the model railway enthusiast numbers?

With reference to burglars needing sophisticated data from your Smartmeter.....many opportunist thieves just walk up and down your street, and spot the soft target house: Open windows,unlocked garages,handy unlocked ladders etc. They want easy pickings,not complex hacking!

As a retired meter reader(gas and electricity), I'd like to suggest that the supplier companies motivation for encouraging Smart meter takeup is this: Saving money!Not yours, their's. Less meter readers = less wages, and less travel and transport costs for them.Installation costs will be paid from higher tariffs and billing. So for them, it's a win-win!

The phrase"I'll be with you momentarily" Do they mean" I shall be present for a few seconds" OR " I'll be with you in a moment"? After finishing whatever they are doing at this moment, of course!

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum, but as an ex Ordnance Surveyor, 20 odd years of using bow pens and fixed gauge pens every day, I agree that successful lines requires practice. Also a bowpen tuned up to suit the medium(paint or ink etc)and your personal grip on the pen. As an N gauge modeller,lining vehicles is not impossible, but also not easy! Other uses for a pen can be drawing window glazing bars, and wagon lettering (if you don't look too closely!) Alan.