Pete smith

I still have the brush that came with my “hush puppies”.

The ones from my namesake, but no relation, fit on all my 31’sPete

It was Clarkson and usual patter on Top Gear in Iceland. Seen it done on a tractor in the middle of a field using quick start? pete

I use PTFE grease ( the white stuff ) on worms . It certainly makes Airfix cl 31’s run much quieter. You just have to find a way of getting into the motor bogie to do it. pete

Just got v old Triang class 31. I have fitted new drive wheels, brushes, lubed, weighted but it just sits and wheel spins on me hill. It is fitted with the amazing mag adhesion, great on steel but b***** useless on Peco. Considering machining grooves and fitting rubber tyres. Bet that opens a new can of worms!! pete

Mick Bonwick. Well done that man. I like a volunteer. pete

It is now possible to purchase special tools that look like reverse / left handed drills , which they are, but when driven Anti-clockwise ( reverse ) bite into the b******* heads of Philips, cross head type screws SLOWLY and unscrew. Look on that famous auction site or the fix you screw site!!? In metal to remove frozen, rusted etc nuts of vehicles we used the welding torch to heat and expand and allow spanner to shift.it. Try the tip of a hot soldering iron CAREFULLY on the head for a few seconds. The chewed up screws can be given a new lease of life by wire brushing the threads and then cut a slot with a cutting disc in your Dremel or similar. pete

50 years ago Peco introduced the ( expensive ) track rubber. Great on Triang steel track but far too coarse for their own track. I use Lion brand or Garryflex blocks available in different grades as they are easier to hold, last a lifetime so your next 2 generations will still be using them. They are brill! Use the blue and extra fine grades. I also have the Dapol which gets into the tunnel, “ underground “ storage and parts that I can no longer get to. The supplied fluid cleans the track but takes at least a week to evaporate and still leaves a residue. DO NOT USE with rubber tyres. Now how do I know that? The loco just wheelspins and loses tyres. If you use the abrasive pads supplied they catch the Peco point actuating pins and derail in the most awkward part of my layout. I have recently invested in 5 axle hung cleaners to clip to the axles of toads and coaches and so far so good . 10 laps collected a black stain on the lily white pads. I also use 40 year old Relco continuously and would not be without it . I do turn it off when leaning on the track else you get a nice surprise but at least you know it works. pete

The reply from Dagworth can be used to clean almost all files from plastic, aluminium etc. And even nail files - brownie points? Do not use a wire brush as it will blunt the file. Also note that files are designed to cut on the forward stroke and should be lifted off on the return stroke to prevent the teeth becoming blunt. To prevent clogging or pinning as it was also known the advice from the old timers ( that’s us now ) was to rub chalk into the teeth but I had better results with WD 40. In the good old days at The Royal Small Arms, the first apprentice “task” was to collect your new tools - 3 grades of files, ruler, try square, scriber and vernier callipers and reduce the 2” cube of mild steel to 1” cube using only the tools provided. Tolerance of 25 thou and all sides to be filed. They always took on twice as many as required as they knew failure rate was 50%. You certainly knew how to file after that. I think Royal Navy artificers did a similar task. No tools to be replaced so if you made it blunt so be it. The fitting of gun parts was by smoke from candles to leave carbon deposit, fit, remove and file off the high spots to get perfect gas proof fit. I used to know a lady that did that task from 1939 till the end of the war, sent her home and brought her back for the Korean War. She was the best of the best. I got all my school technicians from the Small Arms cos they knew what to do. pete

The man who makes exceedingly good cakes that come in vac formed rectangular shapes that hold 1 or 2 cakes plus the card container - storage of bits I.e. cows, sheep, sacks, people, spare parts and fit nicely into the drawer set that I bought from the Amazingly fast delivery site! Cotton buds with plastic centres ( no longer made - they are bamboo now ) make realistic sized pipes, hair clips of various types and bulldog clips when building card and plastic kits. Clear plastic sheet that covers open boxes that Santa’s cards come in and such like, plus the heat sealed covering that scissors come in that require scissors to open. Cut into suitable squares or rectangles to glue under people that have had feet left on but gert big stand removed. The background / ground shows through. Self adhesive “ lead” weights from well known auction site to make rolling stock stay on the track, stop rattling and give realistic starting speed. I also use 3mm steel strip inside trucks, painted or covered in plastic sheet. Corrugated card or paper for ploughed field. Spru’s from plastic kits make large steel loads, down pipes etc did I miss something? pete

The weights allow certain locos to run up the hill, round the curve and over the girder bridge without the wheels slipping . It is also longer than my arm away so else would need prod from my “ selfystick” pete

My first railway kit from Airfix was coal wagon with opening doors followed by meat van also with opening doors. Looked good then and still looks good today in a far corner of the layout, with men still trying to load them. They were bloody useless to run behind a loco, wobbled and derailed on every bend and point. Peco then brought out simple brass pressed out cups to make real bearings. My fathers white coat was brought home on Friday night for mother to wash, complete with all sorts of goodies in the pockets. Nuts, bolts, small springs, tool bits and unidentifiable oddments , plus small drills. I soon discovered a drill that fitted INSIDE the cups . When heated with dads Ronson lighter I found that I could press into side frames till level with the inside of the frames. Result - it worked and I could run them with the tool bits etc from his pockets as ballast. Last week I found 7 left in one of my containers with original Triang brushes. Lateral thinking for a 12 year old. keep taking the vitB tablets pete

There are self adhesive weights originally designed for alloy wheels that come in strips. Sold on the famous auction site I have made use of them mainly on Airfix class 31and inside/ under trucks. It certainly helps to prevent wheels riding up on frogs - even use then on toads!!!Pete

My 97 year old mother told me last week that her Yorkshire cousin grew rhubarb. Dad used to inspect the crop with a 3 candle candelabra as he thought he was better bred than the other local growers!!! Why has she waited that long to tell me? She also told me that my great grandfather drove full size ploughing engines for 20 years till he put one in a ditch. He would leave to do the thrashing then ploughing and when he came home mother had found another baby under the gooseberry bush!!!, He had no idea where it came from - true. There were 6 boys and 6 girls and my grandparents came from families of 12 as well. How many do you have? They didn’t have any hobbies. Now how about the treacle? Thanks for your replies. Pete

Just watched historical railway prog which featured the express trains from rhubarb triangle to London. What did they put the rhubarb in the send it down??? Not a joke. And what would they use to send the treacle from Taplow treacle mines? Pete