Wright writes.....

[MarkC]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

I found it difficult to leave. My shoes had become stuck to the carpet! 

Sounds like one or two nightclubs I frequented in my younger days... 

 

Mark

[Dylan Sanderson]

Morning Tony and everyone!

 

Just a quick question, what glue does everyone recommend for small White Metal/Brass kit parts that can't be soldered?

Many thanks,

Dylan

Edited May 17, 2021 by Dylan Sanderson

[jollysmart]

33 minutes ago, MarkC said:

Sounds like one or two nightclubs I frequented in my younger days... 

 

Mark

 

I went into a few of them during the day when it was light enough to see what they were actually like, not very clean and sanitary, don't forget smoking was allowed indoors,  would probably cover the state of most. In the dark not really noticed, due to drink and lack of proper lighting. 

[31A]

4 minutes ago, Dylan Sanderson said:

Morning Tony and everyone!

 

Just a quick question, what glue does everyone recommend for small White Metal/Brass kit parts that can't be soldered?

Many thanks,

Dylan

 

I usually use a thin cyano; currently using a bottle of Power Bond that seems to be very good but other types are available - Javis seems to be sold quite widely through model shops.

[Clive Mortimore]

Home visits.

 

I worked as an advocate for people making complaints about the NHS. All people have their own standards of living and at times it was considered better to politely decline a cup of tea. The lack of an offer of a cuppa was the first clue this might be a slightly more challenging client. This was normally followed by them ranting at myself and my colleague (we always went in twos) as if we caused their problem. The next indication of a client beyond being a challenge was when looking around the room you saw amoungst their 10 books would be one on Princess Diana and one on the SAS, on spotting these it was advisable to conclude the visit as fast as possible. 

 

We did have quite a few unpredictable clients and if on a home visit and things didn't look safe we had to make an excuse to call the office and ask could the person in the office look in the red file for what ever the client was complaining about. The "red file" was call the police now.

Edited May 17, 2021 by Clive Mortimore

[TrevorP1]

In a previous life I was an instructor for a motor vehicle training company. Occasionally the more experienced  lads worked on ‘real’ vehicles as part of their training.

Now and again we would have to collect said vehicles. More than once I was advised that I might want to take clean overalls and disposable gloves for when I drove the vehicle… 

[MarkC]

1 hour ago, jollysmart said:

 

I went into a few of them during the day when it was light enough to see what they were actually like, not very clean and sanitary, don't forget smoking was allowed indoors,  would probably cover the state of most. In the dark not really noticed, due to drink and lack of proper lighting. 

Oh yes - being inside at chucking out time was an eye opener! "I'm never going in there again - it's horrible". Aye, right...until next week! 

 

Mark

[lee74clarke]

On 16/05/2021 at 14:58, Tony Wright said:

I don't think many of the recent comments have been 'negative'; rather just 'realistic'. 

 

Staging a show at this time is really fraught with difficulty. Could it be cancelled at the last minute? If so, how much might already have been expended? I don't think these are negative questions.

 

If the worst came to the worst, it could see a club fold (with debts?). Long before Covid, WMRC decided it couldn't risk putting on a show any more because, at the last one, the exhibition only just about broke even. 

 

There are shows I know of which are no more because the organising club's membership is too old (and infirm) to carry on. 

 

It might well be that the hobby is entering an Indian summer, but such a 'summer' is merely the prelude to harder times. Speaking personally, I haven't been so prolific at making things in the last 15 months since I stopped building locos professionally, 18 years ago. Over 20 locos built, and counting! Granted, most of the kits for these were already in stock, but I've ordered far more motor/gearboxes, wheels and even complete chassis kits since the first lockdown than in many years before. All ordered without visiting shows and all delivered by post or courier. May I please thank all the firms concerned for their fantastic service during these difficult times? Particular thanks go to Comet, DJH, SE Finecast, Nu-Cast Partners, 247 Developments, Hobby Holidays, LRM, Markits, LMS and several others (if I've missed any off, then my apologies). 

 

Would it matter to me if I never attended another show? I'd miss the friendship, banter and enjoyable atmosphere, but I have that already with Little Bytham. The first 'guest' as restrictions are lifted is coming tomorrow and more old friends are due to visit later in the week. LB is a kind of fixed one-layout exhibition in itself, and already the diary is filling up with dates for visitors. I accept that not all are this lucky, but if it's the future way, then so be it.

 

It also has a 'trade stand as well'. I have masses of donated stuff to sell. All I do is to put it out on the table for 'punters' to browse - either all the proceeds going to CRUK or 10% if I'm selling stuff on on behalf of the bereaved.  

 

To end on a positive note, the Bingham Show is scheduled for the 4th and 5th of September. 

Good Morning Tony,

 

I trust all is well? Hopefully, you didn’t hear too much blue language across the boundary yesterday, when I was fitting a new light in my folks living room? 

 

I meant to let you know about the V2 chassis, donation made to CRUK last week, with Gift Aid, it added up to double the price you mentioned. 

 

Hope to catch up soon.

 

Kind Regards,

Lee

Edited May 17, 2021 by lee74clarke

[St Enodoc]

3 hours ago, Dylan Sanderson said:

Morning Tony and everyone!

 

Just a quick question, what glue does everyone recommend for small White Metal/Brass kit parts that can't be soldered?

Many thanks,

Dylan

Judging by the two previous posts, carpet glue...

[grahame]

5 hours ago, Dylan Sanderson said:

 

Just a quick question, what glue does everyone recommend for small White Metal/Brass kit parts that can't be soldered?
 

 

BSI produce a superglue that is formulated to include a rubber compound that makes it a little flexible and less brittle (and allegedly stronger than other CA) when set, so less likely for small items to snap off if knocked. I've used it to good effect in the past.

 

https://bsi-inc.com/hobby/insta_flex_plus.html 

 

 

[Roger Sunderland]

Hi Tony

My latest build is a DJH black 5 I purchased on eBay. Came with a full set of wheels and an AM10 fully built up so no complaints.

A while back you posted some pictures of one you were building showing your arrangement for pick ups on the loco. Please could you either repost or tell me what page it was on. I’m going goggle eyed trying to find it.

Many thanks.

[Chuffer Davies]

24 minutes ago, Roger Sunderland said:

Hi Tony

My latest build is a DJH black 5 I purchased on eBay. Came with a full set of wheels and an AM10 fully built up so no complaints.

A while back you posted some pictures of one you were building showing your arrangement for pick ups on the loco. Please could you either repost or tell me what page it was on. I’m going goggle eyed trying to find it.

Many thanks.

Try this link.   https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/64295-wright-writes/page/2219/#elControls_4299280_menu

Frank

 

[Tony Wright]

8 hours ago, Dylan Sanderson said:

Morning Tony and everyone!

 

Just a quick question, what glue does everyone recommend for small White Metal/Brass kit parts that can't be soldered?

Many thanks,

Dylan

Good evening Dylan,

 

When you state 'can't be soldered', why not? 

 

The only parts on a metal loco I glue in place are where internal soldering is difficult - a smokebox door, for instance. In that instance, I use five-minute epoxy.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

6 hours ago, lee74clarke said:

Good Morning Tony,

 

I trust all is well? Hopefully, you don't hear too much blue language across the boundary yesterday, when I was fitting a new light in my folks living room? 

 

I meant to let you know about the V2 chassis, donation made to CRUK last week, with Gift Aid, it added up to double the price you mentioned. 

 

Hope to catch up soon.

 

Kind Regards,

Lee

Thanks Lee,

 

Didn't hear a thing, though did you hear me?!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

4 hours ago, Roger Sunderland said:

Hi Tony

My latest build is a DJH black 5 I purchased on eBay. Came with a full set of wheels and an AM10 fully built up so no complaints.

A while back you posted some pictures of one you were building showing your arrangement for pick ups on the loco. Please could you either repost or tell me what page it was on. I’m going goggle eyed trying to find it.

Many thanks.

Frank has answered your request, Roger.

 

This thread goes along so fast that items get buried in no time.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Edited May 17, 2021 by Tony Wright
typo error

[Tony Wright]

With visitors now allowed, two dear friends popped round today to operate Little Bytham; the first time it's been fully-run for over six months.

 

Needless to say, the trainset performed faultlessly. We didn't, but so what?

 

Thanks Geoff; thanks George. 

[Dylan Sanderson]

15 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

When you state 'can't be soldered', why not? 

Thanks Tony,

 

I'm building a 51L NER 12T c10 open wagon and there's quite a number of small under frame parts that I don't feel confident enough or able to solder, especially with my accident prone fingers!

 

But don't worry, the main construction of the wagon has been soldered, albeit not very neat!

 

Dylan

[Compound2632]

The other day Tony showed a beautiful gallery of his 4Fs on his M&GN section, so I thought I'd take the liberty of contributing to the entertainment by showing my little collection of Airfix 4Fs (apologies for the unstaisfactory lighting):

 

 

Two of these I bought as a teenager when the model first came out; the pristine one on the left I bought off a second-hand stall at an exhibition about twenty years ago for £20 - which is just what the first two had cost me c. 1980! Back then, I renumbered one as 4041 in 1923-28 style; in my youthful ignorance I was unaware that this was a right-hand drive engine. Some years later, I started on an attempt at Midlandisation with a Gibson 3500 gal riveted tender - sitting on the Airfix tender drive. But then marriage and small children intervened and by the time I returned to the question my dissatisfaction with the Airfix model had grown in proportion to my knowledge of the prototype. Then my interests moved to c. 1902.

 

But what's the thing with oversized splashers on RTR 0-6-0s? The Bachmann Midland 4F and 3F are guilty too, though not quite as grossly as the Airfix model; likewise their LMS Standard 3F 0-6-0T. I don't really buy the argument of overscale flanges; in 00 the flanges are behind where the frames would be on a dead scale model, and hence behind the splashers, unless those are extended back too far.

Edited May 18, 2021 by Compound2632

[Dunsignalling]

But, if they didn't extend the splashers inward for OO, we'd be able to see the flanges behind them. That would be far worse IMHO. Since Airfix made this model, flanges have become much shallower, and that is reflected in the much less exaggerated splashers on the Bachmann locos.

 

Ultimately, it's down to the thickness the plastic has to be in order to do the job, but I've always thought that knocking a millimetre or so off the wheel diameter would be far less obtrusive.

 

John

Edited May 18, 2021 by Dunsignalling

[Compound2632]

23 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

Since Airfix made this model, flanges have become much shallower, and that is reflected in the much less exaggerated splashers on the Bachmann locos.

 

Ultimately, it's down to the thickness the plastic has to be in order to do the job,

 

Valid points both.

 

24 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

but I've always thought that knocking a millimetre or so off the wheel diameter would be far less obtrusive.

 

The Triang solution was to raise the body by a scale six inches - buffer height above rail and all - which had other advantages such as room for bogie swing (in both planes). Whatever else may be dimensionally wrong with the old Triang LMS Standard 3F 0-6-0T, the splashers are much nearer scale appearance than those on the Hornby and Bachmann versions. I'm not advocating a return to that as a solution - it looks wrong on all other counts - but it's with us to this day in the re-issues of the GWR Achilles Class 4-2-2 and I never see anyone commenting on it as a defect!

[Barclay]

Brassmasters make a handy little etch of replacement splashers. They are beaded on one side so you can do either Midland or LMS versions.

[Compound2632]

27 minutes ago, Barclay said:

Brassmasters make a handy little etch of replacement splashers. They are beaded on one side so you can do either Midland or LMS versions.

 

Yes indeed. I have some that I was planning to use on my Oxford Dean Goods! But they looked wrong - still slightly too large, and the beading too wide. So I could yet use them on my Bachmann Midland engines...

[Roger Sunderland]

23 hours ago, Chuffer Davies said:

Try this link.   https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/64295-wright-writes/page/2219/#elControls_4299280_menu

Frank

 

Many thanks Frank . This does help but I was also interested in how Tony removes either part or all of the wheel spring, and whether the pickups are fitted before the brake gear. I’m sure there were photos of a recent black 5 build but I cannot find them.

[Tony Wright]

Apparently Hornby is delighted with my modifications/detailing/renumbering/renaming/weathering its locos. So much so that my images will be used by the firm...........

 

Here's a selection.................

 

 

Altered/detailed by me and a complete repaint by Ian Rathbone.

 

A pity about the slidebars being inclined in the wrong direction.

 

 

Just scale 'plates added, and weathered by me. 

 

I no longer own this A4.

 

 

Similarly with 60032, this one renumbered/renamed.

 

 

And 60017.

 

The new owners of 60018, 60032 and 60017 are very happy with them.

 

 

Detailed/renumbered/renamed by me, and weathered by Tom Foster. 

 

 

Detailed/altered by me, and weathered by Tom Wright. 

 

 

The subject of my article in the next BRM. 

 

 

 

 

Detailed/renumbered/renamed by me, and weathered by Tom Wright.

 

 

And a B1. Detailed/renumbered by me, and weathered by Tom Foster.

 

 

Finally an O1. Detailed/renumbered/weathered by me. 

 

 

I think what these images show is how (with just a bit of work) these Hornby RTR locos can make perfectly-acceptable 'layout locos', even though I hardly ever use them. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 18, 2021 by Tony Wright
to add something

[Tony Wright]

12 minutes ago, Roger Sunderland said:

Many thanks Frank . This does help but I was also interested in how Tony removes either part or all of the wheel spring, and whether the pickups are fitted before the brake gear. I’m sure there were photos of a recent black 5 build but I cannot find them.

Good afternoon Roger,

 

I just snip off whatever might get in the way of my pick-ups with tinsnips. 

 

The brake rigging is only fitted after I'm totally happy with the pick-ups. If the rigging is fitted first, installation of pick-ups is difficult.

 

I hope this helps. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony.