Prometheus

Not according to the Etiquette and Standards sub-committee Phil. I had to work hard to prevent them from publicly censuring you. Shortbread was nice though, but even then i had to register it in the Book of Members' Interests. Please don't use the word 'bribe' again: too many people read these inanities! Tony

I may have cocked that one up! I think you are correct. there was someone missing though.... Ah well. It's an age thing.... Tony

I would think so, but you'll need to be dressed correctly mind you and bring your hat.... Tony

As always, thank you all for prompt and informed comment - it is genuinely appreciated. With regard to the length of the rake and the comparative scarcity of the product I suppose I am where I am really. I was able to acquire five cars and two additional front and rear bodies from a friendly trader for £50. The leading car runs well enough for something that hasn't seen power for many years but it does have a slight wobble however. All really do need some cosmetic attention though and it is a green set that, ideally, I'd like. The middle three cars [which are Trix but may also be inaccurate for a prototypical rake, I'm uncertain] also need rewheeling and reglazing, and glued-in passengers removed [or at least repositioned]. Is flush glaze available anywhere? Once again, thanks so much for your comments. Tony

I have recently acquired a blue and grey 124 set which requires restoration. I plan to repaint in green, but which green? Brunswick, or an approximate shade of? Thanks Tony

Only Cuckoo Lane and Eine Alpe were absent. Unfortunately, both for unavoidable reasons. Two smaller traders were absent, too. Scott [Earl Bathhurst] can comment further if he wishes, as Exhibition Manager, but for our first major paid-for event, we have learned quite a lot about running these things. Not everything - ever - goes entirely to plan but, as enthusiastic amateurs, I think we did pretty well for a debut event. It's good to be receptive to lessons learned and certainly, there are some things which will probably be done differently next year but, as Chair of the club, I am genuinely proud of the achievements of Scott and his team. Tony

Pleasingly filthy! And we look forward to seeing you with us. Tony

This is strange - I posted a reply to thank you for your various replies but it appears not to have come up. So, thanks very much, this information is appreciated! Regards Tony

On behalf of a friend, I have been asked to sell a rather nice Fleischman 2-6-2 Epoch 2 tank German engine. I know nothing about these and cannot be certain as to whether or not it is 2 or 3 rail, DC or AC [if 3 rail]. Does the existence of a round plunger-type button on the underneath, off set from the centre but positioned between the centre drivers necessarily mean that it is 3-rail? The model carries the running number 64 455 and is driven on the rear axle. The motor fills most of the cab. I have no serial number unfortunately. Thank you. Tony

Likewise! In fact, look forward to seeing you all there! Tony

Maybe, maybe. But think of the traders that you'll miss, never mind the excellent exhibitors.... Tony

I'm afraid that paying for entry is an absolute necessity: the hall hire is not cheap and we have to accommodate a large number of visiting exhibitors and meet their expenses. £5 a head is not so bad though. The costs entailed in running a largish show can be eye-watering..... We were sorry too about the West Wales O Gauge clash, it seems almost inevitable these days as there are just so many events being held across the country. Venue availability is a big driver, too. But remember, we are open over the whole weekend though. Brian, please accept my sincere apologies for the absence of your layout on our attendance list. I have no idea why that happened and will see that it is corrected on our website soon. Tony

From memory, the pedals were too distant to allow for any sort of heel and toe procedure. Besides, their shape would require the right foot to be bent at right-angles to the rest of the leg! Changing down with a crash box when travelling downhill was just a matter of careful timing: slow the bus with the woefully inadequate vacuum brakes and then drop down a cog. As long as you understood the timing of the box in question, and as long as the throttle blip was just sufficient [low speed:low revs], you'd be OK. That said, you really didn't want to miss a change. Freewheeling in neutral downhill in a loaded decker, relying on brakes which threatened to exhaust themselves, was not for the faint-hearted! I had brake fade on more than one occasion, but not as a result of missing a gear. What I did master was pulling away from a stop when travelling uphill without having to use the hand brake. This involved holding the bus on the foot brake and having already selected first [or second if the incline was gentle], keeping the other foot on the clutch. Careful timing on the release of the brake just as the clutch bit resulted in a really smooth take off. Shocking practice though [but nobody knew!]. Tony

With that technique, matching speed and revs, it was quite possible to drive a number of the Taff Ely crash-box Arabs, at least those with a slower change. Pulling away sans clutch was definitely not on however! Tony

If you've a spare 90 minutes or so.... Stanley Baker plays a moderately credible nasty and Anthony Steele and James Robertson Justice the other main stars. But ignore the plot, and the love interest, to watch the last 20-30 minutes of road racing across northern Italy in the '50s, Plenty of early Astons and Italian exotica [including, at one stage, an ancient and fabulous Lancia taxi], at least one 300 Gullwing, early TRs and so on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbpNV_R-R8c Tony

Spot-on John - and thank you so much again for the information. I've just measured the K's brake van and without wheels it scales out at the height it should have with wheels: a sliver over 11ft. 5ins! It's K's after all, so I could perhaps lose 1mm in body height before fitting the roof and fit slightly smaller wheels, but it's still going to tower a little. Alternatively, I could drill out new axle holes and cover the inner face of the W-irons with thin brass sheet. We'll see... Straightforward? Hah! Tony

Not the Brake Van John. Other 'straightforward' K's van and wagon builds have been fun but trying, so I'm sure this'll follow the traditional path. I have no drawings though: does it tower because it should [i didn't think so] or because, for example, the axle holes have been placed too low? I ordered a sheet of Pressfix earlier today David, having exhausted my supply of roundels. My Brake arrived unmade, happily, and the castings are in extremely good condition with little to no flash - possibly an early production, before the moulds started to wear ? I'd noticed too the fragility of the one piece sand-box/ends - the upright framing is quite thin and needs handling carefully. Tony

With steps, couplings, buffers, ladder, ice-box and rain strips now added, the model is more or less complete. Once the various washes have dried, I'll weather finally with some powders [the roof, particularly]. I must source some appropriate GWR roundels also. I had forgotten how fiddley card roofs and rain strips were, particularly the rain strips [i decided that one each side was quite enough!]. This was a hugely enjoyable build however, a real return to three or four decades ago and the end result, all things considered, is not too bad. Very little touching-up of the sides was necessary, for those few small scuff and mistings caused by super-glue, acrylic Burnt Sienna and Black mixed up to almost the same shade: it's not noticeable unless you know where to look. I do need something rather less taxing now however! A K's Southern Brake Van [the 25 tonner] has been sitting around for a while. That should be pretty straightforward.... Tony

With the chassis now complete it was time to assemble and attach the body. Up and until this point I felt that I always knew what I had to do and what would come next: however, with the body, I had no such certainty. The sides were cut from their sheet with a sharp scalpel and a steel rule. It was apparent that they were not wholly square and so had to be cut slightly smaller than required. They were then attached to the acetate shell with contact adhesive. Great care was required for this as only one chance per side was possible: a mistake and the grip of this adhesive is so fierce that adjustment is impossible. So far, so good. The roof was then cut from plastic card and shaped in the usual way using boiling water. A dry run followed, fitting the body and roof to the chassis and ends, but this immediately showed a significant mis-match: the roof dimensions were too small and the printed sides aligned differently on each side. This was a significant problem and something that I had feared. The only solution was drastic surgery. The body shell was cut into three pieces lengthways and the middle cut section cut again to make it narrower. The photographs explain this. The sides were then attached to the body individually, initially tacked with superglue and the joints then reinforced from inside with epoxy resin. Assembling the body in this way allowed for further adjustment and, importantly, invisibly securing the bottom of the sides from the inside. Held fast by epoxy glue, no further reinforcement was required. The thin centre section was then attached to support the top of the top when later fitted. The original plastic roof set aside, a dummy roof was next cut from paper, increasing by several mm. the measurement of the original and it was offered up to the body. The sides were cut back in stages until a satisfactory fit was obtained and it was then used as a template for the final heavy card roof. I tried using plastic card but, because of the profile, could not achieve the necessary fit. You’ll notice that the roof sides have to continue down the sides of the wagon for 1.5mm. This was cosmetically necessary to cover the tops of the printed overlays which, for reasons described above, had to be cut down very slightly. Once weathered, this will not detract from the model visually. A number of further small tasks will lead to completion: steps will be added to the solebars under the doors, buffers will be fitted, rain strips fabricated, a ladder and an ice box fitted and couplings devised. Some areas of black paintwork will then be tidied up and the roof and underframe weathered. Tony

Thank you Bob for filling in the gaps. I'll certainly visit the Scalelink website sometime soon. Best wishes Tony

I'm no fan of the down platform on Bristol Parkway when it's cold, dark, wet and windy. Tony

Then I very much hope that he is not offended by my comments about the instructions!! Tony

Thank you for posting that John, it's an interesting thread. If I have understood you correctly David there is certainly some conflict here between the photos. I've seen the one that you posted but see also this, from the box lid of the kit: The instruction for the kit [which I have largely ignored] show the same. At some stage the prototype changed? Anyway, it's all too well attached to risk moving now! Thanks for the comments. Tony

I've been trying to buy those LNWR coach kits for years. They seem to go for a fortune. Tony

The chassis is now complete and awaits weathering in due course [and some white paint on the brake handles]. Having attached the ends however, I found that the whole unit was 1mm over-length. That would have left a difficult-to-disguise gap between the body shell and a cast end piece and so snapping one end off was the only option. That done, and a sliver cut away from the floor with a fine fret saw, the end was reattached and all was as fine as it ever was going to be. I've still not worked out how I am going to fit couplings yet. All things considered, I think that the chassis now looks acceptable from the side. The brake pull has been rerouted and the replacement end Vee-hangers are an improvement too.The brakes and their hangers were cut away from their original one-piece mouldings and fitted, packed-out, so that the blocks were more in line with the wheel treads. The chassis runs quite nicely and coped with a Peco double slip without mis-behaving. I think that its weight probably has a lot to do with that: the end pieces and the centre support have added some considerable heft. Tony