hayfield

Here is a listing on eBay for a SEF P class chassis http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/South-Eastern-Finecast-FC167-SR-SECR-P-Class-0-6-0-Chassis-Kit-Etched-N-Silver-/311980849850?hash=item48a381faba:g:dKgAAOSwAj5Z3JsU As you can see has P4 spacers, has half etched cut out for compensation if required, good set of photos for a change

I have just bought a book Bluebell Railway Locomotives As they were, only cost me £2.50 and I see there is one on Amazon for the same price. I am more into building locos and most of the locos I have kits for. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Bluebell+Railway+Locomotives+As+they+were I will be building a layout based on Bodmin General in preservation era, but with SR and GWR stock in various liveries. Plan to adjust the track layout slightly and stock of my own preference

Agree with all these places, plus sometimes the smaller shows have good value traders, then of course there is the club stand. Not been to any swap meets for years, are they still going ?

It makes no matter if you build your own turnouts or just plug and play, poor electrical connections or short circuits will cause issues whoever you are With this system, some (not all) may encounter either poor electrical conductivity and or the possibility of short circuits. For me it seems good advice for a simple warning of what may occur. If it helps one person only then its been worthwhile. There are many who excel in this hobby who always recommend additional power feeds rather than rely on push fit rail joiners or better quality switches rather than simple wipers to change polarity. Its advice which you can chose to ignore, but given the range of 00 wheel specifications are and have been available in the 00 gauge RTR market, might just be good advice

David I bought a SEF P class loco from eBay, it not only had a Branchlines chassis but also a detailing set, which includes etched footplate, cab front, floor and back, buffer beams and steps, also cast back head and brake lever. All of these parts are in whitemetal in the SEF kit, looking at the instructions the SEF chassis may be more detailed with inside cylinders, but not too certain if it comes with EM/P4 spacers and cylinder comparability. Have a word with Dave Ellis at SEF Edit The branchlines kits come with 2 sizes of spacer 00 and EM/P4 so the SEF may be the same

Ian I built a turnout using code 100 flatbottom rail to a similar size to a Peco small turnout, as the rail is so stiff and the blades too short to get any flex I used a Peco plastic rail joiner as a hinge. It works very well, Code 75 can be built this way using N gauge rail joiners. However using the cast metal fishplates work a treat with bullhead rail

Martin When I first built SMP turnouts they had a method of the central piece of metal on the tiebar (being connected to the common crossing by wire) touching one of 2 pieces of wire soldered to the sleeper behind it. And if memory serves me well Marcway insulate the stock rails from the switch rails and common crossing, so the polarity is changed when the tip of the switch rails touch a stock rail. Not saying either is desirable, or have no issues regarding operation etc

eBay would be equally liable, and would be in court several times a day.

The vast majority of sellers on eBay are honest traders or modellers. Looking at the adds plus feedback you can quickly assess whether the traders/sellers are genuine. If someone is new or the item is not described well, just take extra care. I cannot see anyone getting a police caution from buying an item off ebay providing there is no collusion between seller and buyer, and you have recourse from both eBay and Paypal (if used) Word of warning when buying from any auction site, just check the item as its listed and look at the photos. If its not as described/damaged in transit/not arrived and the seller is not playing by the rules just go through the eBay dispute process. If buying from a trader you have distance trading rules where you can reject the item As someone who prefers making models eBay is a fantastic resource, I have recently bought a Southeastern Finecast M7 which has been well built but missing a motor for £33 and a well built Nucast Adams Radial tank for £39. £4 will buy me 4 EM gauge axles and I have a spare motor and Gearbox fr the M7.

Just bought another Southern Branch Line book off Amazon £1 + £2.80 postage. As cheap as a railway magazine and for the cost of a couple of photos from eBay another reference book

Have you read this thread about the uni frog? http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/121872-unifrog/page-3&do=findComment&comment=2886795 One of the latest entries has a photo of the ubderside of the common crossing (uni frog)

Simon I am certain 3D printing is the thing of the future, initially ordering parts from a business at competitive/affordable prices. Eventually home printing will be of acceptable quality and affordable to all

Seem to be getting good buys on books lately, earlier bought 3 books from Bodmin General shop for £7.50 Today a copy of the Historical Wagon Drawings book by F C Roche arrived with 36 plans (4 x locos, 26 x wagons & 6 coaches) Some blueprints, some plans printed on thin card. the wagon blueprints have 4 wagons per page, 2 of the coach plans are from BSL LNER kits. An A3 size plan of a LNER A1/A3 which I may frame. Anyway £6.71 inc postage, with the cheapest copy on Amazon at £7.29 + £2.80 postage well pleased. Most of the wagon and coach plans will be put on eBay in sets for a nominal fee. May not be the best plan book but will add to my collection Last night I won a copy of the Bradford and Barton Bodmin to Wadebridge Branch line Special for 99p + £1.22 postage Amazon want £19.95 + £2.80, though on eBay one on auction at £2.50 + £2.80. link below http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SOUTHERN-BRANCH-LINE-SPECIAL-NO1-BODMIN-WADEBRIDGE-railways-/292285298386?hash=item440d8fb6d2:g:sS0AAOSw8btZhbWJ Anyway it will add to my collection of SR west country branch line books and is a branch line I am interested in, and only 21p dearer than a sister book I bought at Bodmin. Perhapps I should look for more books on ebay

George This is the part I have been waiting for, and seems well worth the wait

Making a slip in Templot has just become very easy as it has been automated, as for the build using the Exactoscale chair components especially their Common crossing (E4CH 502A) and Slip chairs (E4CH 504A) not only look good but do assist with the build process, and depending of the gauge chosen the Check rail chairs (E4CH403A) One tip for double slips cut the switch rail in to 3 sections using the metal fishplates as the hinge, this frees up the switching dramatically

Ron I changed to Exactoscale chairs two to three years ago for this reason, the moulds are newer and crisper and now no price differential

Just give Phil a call, yes it may be a bit irritating, but if there are some issues with the website he may not be aware of your orders

The Peco geometry is a well tried formula which has stood the test of time and has proved to work in creating turnout and crossing formations. As said from many, space is always a consideration. Yes its a compromise but a compromise which is welcomed by those who use the system. The majority of those wanting this development were asking for a better looking product in 4 mm scale, whilst being able to keep the compatibility with the current system. Peco must be congratulated for this step forward which is aimed at their existing customer base, those wanting something bigger and or to scale will have to either build or have built bespoke items especially when it comes to formations of turnouts and crossings. Putting it simply if they produced an A5 turnout, if the modeller wanted a crossover they would have to splice the two A5's together, not really the plug and use instillation of their existing systems.

Demand for a discontinued kit may not translate into a reintroduction/new kit for a model. Some may be trying to buy it just in case they might need one, or the fact that two or three modellers are willing to pay over the odds to get it The reintroduction of the Southern coach kits will be a good test to see if there is still a demand for reintroducing discontinued items

But as I eluded for something like a glossy book cover, the buyer should expect to be able to remove the label without damaging the cover. Had it been a plain cardboard box then its difference

I looked at the link especially as I am interested in both track building and narrow gauge modelling. I decided it was best not to comment. There are a few things if building a standard gauge turnout that may cause a few problems, with narrow gauge you could say the builder has captured the rustic style of modelling, but full marks for effort in making modellers aware of the ease of building your own track I sense a bit of friction with your reply, here is a link which if you are truly interested in the subject might help, though I think you may well be aware of this area, but the link could assist others http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/forum/160-handbuilt-track-templot/

Could be the quality of the plans(templates) or the fact that communication with other track builders and or the information within Templot Club has enabled the modeller to improve his knowledge and skills base I for one not being in the railway industry had no real idea about trackwork, naively assuming the Peco points were (like locos) scale models of the real thing. Plus many modellers who are willing to both give advice or assist a fellow modeller. Just like this forum

Theft is a big problem with retailing most commodities, with regard to our hobby thankfully it is no where near as bad as other areas. We do have the odd bad apple, but in the main all attending shows are honest.

I am not having a go at Charlie with this reply but the retail trade in general Having being in retail for years in my humble opinion the retailer if selling an item they should take into consideration if sticking a label on an item wold cause a problem if it damaged it, quite simply use the correct type of sticker There are two types of sticker, one which for security reasons is tamper proof and low tack ones designed to be removed without damaging the item its stuck on. Whilst book dust covers original were designed to protect the book, like LP covers those who enjoy or collect such items prefer to have the covers in tip top condition. If its an item where the packaging is thrown away and or needs a security label then use one As for this modern idea of risk managing everything is ludicrous. Its a label on a book, not some hazardous substance.