CloggyDog

IIRC both Ambis Model Engineering and Wizard models sell packs of the Smiths 3-link links. http://www.ambisengineering.co.uk/ While a tad overscale length-wise, they (combined with Ambis hooks and Instanter links as required) make for a practical 3-link for exhibition use.

They are, as linked by Ivan earlier in the thread.

I've used a couple of these Japanese RTR axle-hungs: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10260566 They work out at around £40 per pair, inclusive of postage from Japan. Gearing is around 1:5, so they are quick off the mark and ideally need some form of resistance built into the wiring circuit when used on 12v analogue. I bodged a pair into a DR Br172 railbus (Sachsenmodelle non-runner I picked up very cheap in Prague a few years ago) and they run smoothly and will easily shift the railcar and it's trailer. They can also be had with spoked wheels and 2 diameters of wheel. Only available in 16.5mm, though it is possible to regauge to EM with some care (and packing to keep the gears in mesh) Availability is sporadic - seems the manufacturer does small batches once or twice a year, but you can sign up to a waiting list which pings out an email when they are back in stock.

Another Kadee user here. I use a mix of #17 and #18, sometimes one of each on the same wagon to get the optimum closest coupling distance (even if this then means some of my stock is 'handed'). I'd suggest buy a couple of packs each of #17 and #18 and maybe 1 pack of #19 and experiment to see which type best suits each item of stock. I've made a simple list so I know what to fit should I get additional ones of a item of stock I'm already running On the few non-NEM items I've retained (older, DDR-era production DR stock), I've bodged NEM Kadees using mounts salvaged from my UK stock (where I use screw/3-links) Ideally, I'd prefer to use screw couplers (requiring sprung buffers) on my German stock too, but the cost of doing so with available H0 products is rather off-putting

Dave, the SLW 24's sound decoder is specific to the model and, for obvious reasons neither it, or the sound files thereon, are available separately. Imho, the next best available 'baby Sulzer' sound chips are a toss-up between Legomanbiffos (via dckits) and the CoastalDCC one, either combined with a decent speaker give very good results.

I can do you 08591 at Stranraer in the late-1980s with a curved leading section... 08 591 Stranraer by Alan Monk, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/hzJNxz Oval-buffered CR gronk 08256 on a Colchester area trip in 1979, towing a vanwide, 2 rebodied VB 16t mins, a 22t Tube, 13t sheeted highfit and a brake van. As for rostered passenger workings, I was by chance looking through my copy of Loco-Hauled Travel for 1982 at the weekend which listed a good dozen shunt moves, attaching or detaching portions from mostly overnight workings at a range of places - I'll post more gen when I get back home this evening.

I know I've done at least 1 8-pin Bachmann 25 (and/or 24) to add sound. While there is some space atop the chassis block for a speaker (you might need to remove the fan and trim the fan mount), I found a better bet was to fit the speaker facing downwards in the battery-boxes (removing the small cast weight - it's held in with a screw, so quite easy to do) and drilling a series of holes in the base to let the flavour flood out. I used Loksound 8-pin decoders bought from SWD, though I've since had at least one reblown by Coastal DCC.

Ugh... loathsome things. Much as I enjoy my table sauce red (like my politics) and enjoy toms in my curries, spagbols and on pizzas, they have absolutely no place grilled and on my breakfast plate. Devils work, definitely. At the Asylum (the UK/Worlds biggest Steampunk festival) last year we had a very heated public debate and referendum on the matter of the whether milk should be first or last in the teacup.

Talking to Phil Sutton at the DEMU Showcase last weekend (I was sat demoing next to him all weekend), he is looking at alternative rad grilles (both material and design), likewise he's discussing the glazing with his Chinese factory. I did note that one of the demo models Phil was running all weekend (one of the D5107 Darlington ones) appeared to have a much better-looking rad grille - on closer examination this was a slightly different factory-applied paint job on a standard SLW grille. Whether by accident or design, it looked much better than the adjacent loco (also the Darlington D5107). I did also see at Showcase that Shawplan have a laszerglaze pack out for the SLW 24. I bought one, will fit as and when I find a spare moment!

Hi Chris, I did wonder the reason for the different battery box placement on the BSs, but couldn't identify any logical reason. Didn't seem to be a Works-specific thing, nor could I find any obvious equipment-related reason for moving one.

When I did my article in Rail Express Modeller the other year I checked as many photos containing 57' BSs as I could find (probably a couple of dozen in total) and every single one had the battery boxes at the same end (nearest the van). All other 57' sub types had them diagonally placed. Can't say for the 64'-ers, as they were beyond the scope of my article. Laserglaze makes a big difference, though I removed the Bachmann glazing from all mine, otherwise there's a rather obvious 'double-glazed' effect. For the chassis, I looked at 3 options (4 including leaving 'as is'): 1 cut away the diagonals and replace with microstrip - easy/quick/cheap/fairly effective 2 cut away trussing and replace with modified Southern Pride* trussing - more difficult/relatively cheap/very effective * other aftermarket manufacturers available (Comet, DC Kits, 247, etc) 3 complete chassis replacement using modified Bachmann BG chassis - fairly easy/not cheap/very effective Internal decoration - there's a chap on a well-known auction site selling self-adhesive interiors for Suburban coaches - peel and overlay onto the plastic interior moulding. Unfortunately, they look more suited to Thompson/other suburbans (only 2 pictures/mirrors on the partitions, red/blue seating moquette), but it shows what is possible - I'm looking at something a little simpler by painting the seats in a more appropriate colour and making some form of sticker for the partitions with a dark wood effect and 2 pictures/central mirror. I just need to see what sort of self-adhesive label stock we have in the office stationary cupboard!

Despite spotting across London from the late-70s through to the early-90s, it seems I took few EMU pics. I've still got a large box of slides and prints to scan, so maybe more will turn up. This, however, is one of my all-time fave photos I've taken - refurb'd 2EPB 6404 (ex 6215/5715) at Addiscombe one evening, circa 1990. 6404 night by Alan Monk, on Flickr

Make yourself a little battery controller - PWM module, battery pack (I use 6 x rechargeable AAs), dpdt switch, few lengths of wire and a 0.2l Really Useful Box. DSC_0450 by Alan Monk, on Flickr Another option might be to recycle a 'wall-wart' plug in transformer of the kind used to charge phones, power small devices, etc. Select one that outputs in the range 6-12v dc, cut whatever plug is at the end of the lead off and replace with a pair of croc clips.

There was discussion recently somewhere (BR Coaching stock e-list most likely) about the early wanderings of NSE coaching stock. With plenty of it sitting spare at weekends, it was often 'borrowed' to run reliefs, adexes, railtours, etc. This only lasted a year or two (so 1986-87/8) before NSE issued a 'cease and desist' as they were paying for the additional wear and tear on the stock but not seeing the revenue. On my bashing forays in the mid-late-80s, I certainly recall seeing NSE stock as far north as Newcastle and Carlisle on weekend services, along with Skegness and Llandudno

It's most likely to be due to the sharp curvature - BH rail is quite 'floppy', so is easier to manoeuver into position in the tunnel section and get it fixed down than FB - this was effectively demoed on a LU self-improvement P-Way course I did some years ago which showed footage of 60' lengths of BH and FB rail being craned from the centre - the BH still had its ends on terra firma with the centre some 4 or 5 feet up while the FB lifted it's ends with the centre only 6" up. We are also told on the same course that BH is only drawn by the steelworks occasionally nowadays for LU and NR 'legacy' use and for the preservation market, FB production outstrips BH by easily 50:1 or more. Much of the tube network, open and tunnel section is now laid with FB rail.

Cool - a virtual fiver is on it's way to you via Paypal, Giles. Lifting rings next? (he asked, hopefully)

Marlow, Maidenhead and District Model Railway Club's summer exhibition will take place at Knowl Hill Village Hall on Saturday 10th June 2017, 10am - 4:30pm. This is the 6th year our summer exhibition has been held at this venue and we hope you will be able to attend and enjoy the wide variety of both exhibitors and traders we have assembled. 2017 Entry Prices: Adults £4.00, Children 5-14 £2.00, Under 5's free, Family (2 Adults + 2 or more children) £10. Knowl Hill Village Hall, The Terrace, Knowl Hill, Reading. RG10 9XB Layouts Whitecross Street - John Baggaley's OO Gauge Layout. Little Hister - Chris Pye's O gauge layout. Kidmore Shortline - N gauge (Reviewed in April's Continental Modeller). Millward Terminal - The clubs new American HO layout. Porlock - Hemel Hempstead MRC. Westleigh - Tony Dearlove and Harry Pollard's OO layout. Westhampton - The clubs N gauge layout, work in progress.Trader. Trade Berkshire Model Shop, Twyford.

SRI No12 hit the doormat yesterday with some cracking small layout inspiration. Sadly, No12 looks like being the last issue.

Add a set of wipers for me too, please!

My personal preference for 3-link/Instanters is Ambis etched hooks and Instanter links and Smiths ordinary links. Ambis sells all as separate packs, plus the iron links for the magnetic wand wielders. I chemically blacken the hooks/instanters. Once done, it's a matter of seconds to assemble a coupling - I usually make up a couple of dozen at a time. The Smith hooks are rather coarse, (hence the use of the finer Ambis ones) but the Smiths links are fine enough and still usable under exhibition conditions! Screw couplings - Most of mine are Smiths, though I have some Ambis ones to use at some point (I'm not a magnetic type, preferring a 4mm version of the properly-shaped shunters pole

The GRS is pleased to present Globalrail 2017. Didcot Civic Hall, Sunday 21st May 2017, 10:00 - 16:30 Adults £5, Children £3, Family (2+2) £12 Drinks and light refreshments available. Ample free car-parking. Fully accessible venue. Layouts: Sankei Kansen by Peter McConnel - Z Gauge Japanese mainline station Schwungischerplatz by Marc Fuller - N Gauge busy DBAG Hauptbahnhof Grunow by Richard Self - TT tiny DR halt Sonne, See und Schmalspur by Andrew Knights - H0e revived German narrowgauge Bad Rehau by Kevin Player - H0 1910 Bavaria (KBayStsB) Bahnhof Hofen by Alan Peacock - H0 1935 DRG branch terminus Kunze Brucke by Chris Peters - H0 1930s DRG line Samwell by John Cordrey - H0 DBAG loco stabling yard and station Salz OBB by Dr Michael Watts - H0 Austrian branch line terminus Industrivej by Nick Quinn - H0 modern Danish industrial yard Tachov-Urnichas by Alan Marlow - H0 Czech cross-country station Tilley Yard South by Robert Strachan - H0 1950s US switching yard Studland - freelance Lego harbour station Whiteleaf Tramway by the Buckinghamshire Garden Railway Society - G Scale modular Trade: Elaine's Trains - pre-owned H0 Modelmania (& Friends) - new and pre-owned RTR, display cases Chris Roberts - quality pre-owned H0 David Smith - secondhand books and paperwork Neil Grace - pre-owned N Gauge Mount Tabor Models - new RTR JB's Modelworld - rolling stock storage/transport boxes and tools. Societies: GRS (including member's sales) SNCF Austrian Italian Scandinavian Publications: Continental Modeller Scale Rails International www.grs-uk.org Regards, Alan Monk, GRS Exhibition Manager

Hi HD, yes, it's those 'grab' ones on the centre outer edge of each bonnet door that need to go. Only locos D3245 and upwards had them - I'm assuming there was some other form of pulling the doors open on the D3000-244 examples (possibly using the door lock key??)

Sorry Jinty, but D3432 has the later pressed bonnet doors without the long straps. The twin-box one you have cover the number ranges 13000/D3000-13244/D3244 (but don't forget to remove all the vertical bonnet door grabs, as none of this number range had those either new or later) Cross-reference that series against the BR Loco Database (which is sortable by depot) and Robert might well be your mum / dad's brother. Tondu got 13188/9/90 (renumbered D3188-90 in the late-50s) from new in Nov 55 and didn't lose them until the depot closed. Looks like those are the only 3 of the strap-hinge/double box examples that were NEW to South or Mid Wales, but there may have been other transfers in, you'll need to trawl through the rest to see.