davknigh

If you don’t mind using an existing layout as a starting point there’s Arun Quay. The original is in O scale and would shrink quite close to your dimensions if modelled in 00. Cheers, David

The Great British Train Show scheduled for April 25 & 26, 2020 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada has been cancelled. Cheers, David

Hi Will, The other Dave here. Coupling should only need contact of the loop with the hook and the loop should slide up over the hook, push up and under the latch and fall into place. No need for a magnet, electro or otherwise for coupling. The leading edge of the loop should be bent at an angle as per the instructions and the hooks should all be at the same distance above the rail to facilitate this. I’m not sure if your couplings are fixed in place yet but that does make a difference to performance. There’s all sorts of good hints in the instructions as to height above the rails etc.. The one problem that occurs is that some manufacturers don’t have all their buffer beams at the same level . Cheers, David

Hi Will, Glad you like them. The blackening process makes them look even better, I’ve used gun blue to good effect for the job. The distance you leave them out depends on the sharpness of your curves and your buffers. The instructions cover all this well. Enjoy! Cheers, David

Hi Will, I used half of an old solenoid point motor to generate the magnetic field and a piece of scrap steel for the core which is OK if you have old point motors lying around . I was able to make two magnets that way but for day to day use I’ve settled on button magnets in the trackbed. With luck things don’t uncouple when you are propelling and the magnets do their work when some slack is introduced. I do intend to make up some more electromagnets eventually, just not at the top of my “to do” list. Dinghams do sell their own electromagnets and with the ability to delay the setting out you need surprisingly few of them. Placing one at the throat of the yard may be all you actually need. Manual uncoupling of Dinghams is very easy and just involves flipping the loop up. HTH David

Hi Will, I would recommend Dinghams http://dingham.co.uk/. They have all the advantages of Kadees and are found where couplers are supposed to be found, on the buffer beam. They are unobtrusive when blackened and do not get in the way of any of the usual dangly bits that share space on the buffer beams of locomotives. I’ve been using them both at home and at exhibitions for years and find them very dependable. They take a little skill to assemble but judging by your track skill is not an issue. Usual disclaimer applies, just a happy punter. Cheers, David

Dinghams for me too. They go where couplings belong, in the buffer beam, and when properly tuned work a treat. They have their limits TBH but the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages IMHO. Cheers, David

The 1951 pic reminds me of one my late uncle took of HMS Duke of York in the Clyde in the early ‘50s. Same class of battleship at any rate. Cheers, David

Vitamin D is important to many processes and those of us in northern latitudes will benefit from a supplement during the winter. While it is true that sunlight is the natural way to generate vitamin D it is also the route to skin cancer if overdone. The old adage, “all things in moderation” applies here. Not to be overlooked is the role heredity plays in prostate cancer. My dad had it so I started getting checked in my early 50s and caught it in time. The main message here is get checked, ignorance is not bliss. Cheers, David

I think you’ll find that your engine is actually an RS2. A CPRail RS3 looks like this http://www.trainweb.org/galt-stn/cproster/locomotive/8400s/cp8426.htm. The external difference is the step at the front of the cab which, IIRC, is the battery box. HTH, David

Not sure if this is of any help but Heljan 17 s & 27s both came with paper headcode options including the quirky variations often found on Scottish lines such as ***2 or ***1. HTH David

“Just get it done”. Amen to that. A number of my colleagues couldn’t be bothered/didn’t like the idea and a fair few of them are no longer with us. If caught early prostate cancer can be stopped, the trick is to catch it early. There are an ever growing number of ways to cure cancer not all of which involve surgery but the main thing is to be informed. Ignorance is not an option. Cheers, David

Me again. In looking at the available pics of SYP Class 21s with headcode discs I notice that some have a dark line around the open disc presumably so that a white disc will have sufficient contrast to show up against the yellow. That said, it's difficult to determine what colour the contrasting ring is. Could somebody help, please? TIA, Cheers, David

By a very happy coincidence I have a bottle of Kristal Klear which I will try after I find an appropriate shade of yellow for the closed discs. Sigh, there's always something else... Thanks for the advice. Cheers, David

Very useful, thanks. Would I be correct in thinking that Glue ‘n Glaze is a form of PVA adhesive? Cheers, David