Jol Wilkinson

If you fix the chassis to the body rigidly at one end and leave the other end "slack" it overcomes the problem with the body distorting the chassis. There are several ways of doing this, a bolt through a top hat style bush with built in clearance being one. Another way, which I have built into several kit designs is for the front coupling hook to pass through the buffer beam and two aligned slots in the front frame spacer. That retains the body but doesn't clamp it tightly. I found chassis distortion a problem when I were nobbut a lad and built OO locos with rigid chassis. An otherwise well running chassis would fail to run properly when fixed to the body. Since I started building compensated/sprung chassis I have had no problems, probably because a small amount of twist doesn't lock things up. While as many pickups as possible is a good thing, I have one compensated chassis 4-4-2T with pickups on the driving wheels only. It will run over an exhibition weekend without any problems.

John, the Modellers World kits haven't been manufactured for many years. I bought the D9 that I converted to a D10 over thirty years ago while the MW shop in Coventry was still open. They turn up occasionally on eBay but I got my new D9 and the D63 (that should probably be W63) through the S4 Society and RMWeb respectively. As I said, I read somewhere - but can't remember where - that these kits may be reintroduced. They are listed in the LNWR modellers reference page on 4mm carriage kits as also been available from 247 Developments. When Gary took over 247 I think they were still available (but not since 247 passed into Brain Mosby's ownership). I believe the previous owner, Errol Surman, kept the rights to them (although I don't think he owned the 12 wheelers at the time), allowing Gary to supply them when he ran 247. I think Mr Surman may however be somehow involved if/when the 12 wheelers are reintroduced. The history of 4mm etched LNWR carriage kits and components from the "Midlands Modellers" as I think of them is somewhat confusing. Ralph Jackson supplied etched sides/ends, Brian Badger produced kits that appeared to use the same etched sides (these kits now available from Stephenson Carriages but are not refined by current kit standards). Others, including Dave Gillot and possibly Pete Waterman, were involved. These were mainly 50ft and 57ft corridor stock, IIRC. Jol

No progress to report on locos and rolling stock for London Road as I have been concentrating on the layout and items domestique have been taking up too much time as well. I have also been revising LRM's four year old printed price list (guess why?) and designing some LRM motor mounts for a new coreless motor. Despite not actually making any new stock, I have however been acquiring the odd kit in the optimistic belief I will actually get around to building them. They include a couple of Slaters MR vans and a David Geen GWR Mink, so that the wagon fleet is a bit more varied. I would like some more "odd" wagons to go with them. On the coaching front I now have a Modellers World D9 12 wheel Dining Carriage and a D63 12 wheel Brake Third. Whether these will actually get built (the D63 really needs the other handed D64 or D62 Bk/3rd and the D23/D22 Composites to go with it and I already have a D10 converted from a D9) remains to be seen. I think I read somewhere - but can-t remember where - that these kits may be reintroduced.

A progress update. The track and wiring at the south end are finished. I extended one head shunt and one siding a bit so the next job at that end will be buffer stops, etc. However that will wait until the track at the other (north) end is complete. This is the wiring under the RH section of the access bridge. This is the completed section. The baseboard propped up against the "library" is the Steam Shed (LNWR parlance for loco shed) section for the other end. Today I have started laying out the location of the underlay, then I can start on making lots of plain track. I used C&L Flexitrack in the storage sidings but found it under gauge so didn't want to risk that on the curves.

When I started building compensated chassis I tried AG and MJT. I bought some of the early Exactoscale (and another similar type) but those fitted directly into the frame slot without the ability to fit them to match the coupling rods, so I have never used them. I had issues with the fold up etch type, mainly with solder in places I didn't want and which needed cleaning off. When the London Road Models cast hornguide version came out I started using those and, with the exception of the HL version which came with a particular kit, have done so since. The LRM ones are perhaps a bit bulky compared to HL, but the edges of the mounting face can be filed back if required.

We need to consider period and location when choosing how to correctly populate a layout. If you chose to model my local station today there would probably be no people of colour. If you modelled stations where there are large populations of "ethnic" peoples, then it would be a totally different picture. Nationally, the percentage of Afro Caribbean people in 2021 was 4%, Asian 9.3% (Government census figures) . I haven't readily found any information back to the 1960s but those percentages have roughly doubled since 1991 (Wikipedia).

Perhaps what this topic shows is that many modellers often have imagination, but not the power of observation. At a recent large exhibition I found that the "less is more" approach created the most interesting layouts, whereas those crammed to the gunwales with whatever the builders could lay their hands on were, frankly, boring.

Markits produce their own range of gears and gearboxes, so it would be logical if the slot matched their brass final drive gear. I have measured an example of a new Markits gear. The gear retaining screw in the boss is 2.85mm offset from the centreline of the machined teeth. Does the slot match that, presuming that the gear teeth should should be in the centre of the axle?

Do you mean Chelmondiston in Suffolk?

Mike, I have sent you a PM about where to get a wand. For rolling coach roofs a George Watts 10" roller is the only one I know of that will do longer roofs. The 6" one is okay for six wheel coaches and vans but nothing bigger. Bon vacances! Jol

Prompted by this discussion and wondering if I have been missing out, I have just done a search on eBay for things model railway LNWR. I saw nothing in several pages of results that I would want to buy but was appalled by the condition of some items for sale, the inaccuracy of some descriptions and amazed by some prices asked. Five badly built LNWR carriages from PC kits, nearly £200, a poorly built MR 2-4-0 described as a LNWR Precedent, plus quite a few other examples of a devious or ignorant seller.

Interesting what China is doing, such as rooftop solar panels. Here in Felixstowe 3500 new build houses have been dumped on the town (but not on the trendy tourist locations further up the coast) and very few have solar PVs, presumably because they are an optional extra. On the other hand large areas of agricultural land have /will have PVs.

I have found that good/smooth running on DC can be readily achieved if the loco mechanisms are well designed and built, there are good electrical connections between rails, wheels and pickups and decent controllers are used. Track is often not as flat and level as the layout builder believes, rigid chassis actually have few wheels touching the rails and, as Andy Y recently questioned in a topic, modellers often don't invest in "good" controllers. In his exhibition loco clinics, Tony Wright often finds that simply cleaning wheels, cleaning and adjusting pickups and doing simple maintenance turns a poor running loco into a good one. Good DC controllers? I was fortunate to buy some Pentrollers while they were still available and also have a couple of Modelex controllers that are also very good. However for many DCC is seen as the cure all for poor running, with stay alive , etc. However, it negate getting the basics right.

Large and expensive boxes are used to imply quality. I bought a Swiss watch some years ago for which the box was a work of art and could have held about ten watches.

I understand Phoenix's conditions for attending the show were that they wouldn't be there on Monday unlike all the other traders, which presumably and understandably wasn't acceptable to the organisers. When I used to regularly assist London Road Models at the York show, I felt that the visitor demographic was very weather dependant. If it was good, the families generally went to outside events and locations including the seaside. If the weather was poor and wet, they went to the York MRS. Unfortunately this year I wasn't able to get to York to help out John at LRM. This has been unfortunate as he was so busy yesterday he wasn't able to cope with all the customers who turned up.

My LNWR carriage lining has always been done with a bow pen and Rotring pens. That is because I never cottoned on to the idea of using mixed white and yellow inks to increase the opacity that yellow alone lacks, so did the yellow with Humbrol enamel and the black usually with the Rotring. Latterly I had started to use the bowpen for the straight sections with PPP LNWR coach lake enamel and a tubular pen for the corner infills. The result Mike gets are really great and the tools probably more readily available. You need to have a good bowpen, Kern being highly regarded but only available S/H. Besides a collection of Kerns I also have an Ecobra and a Haff, which is what Ian Rathbone uses in his video. Ian shows how to "tune" a bowpen which I have done with a couple of cheap ones but without much success. AFAIK none of these high quality bowpens are still manufactured, but are available S/H. As Chas says practising helps considerably. I use some black plasticard as the surface is more like the paint finish I get with airbrush applied cellulose paint.

As you point out we are all entitled to enjoy a hobby in whatever way we wish (provided it is legal). What social media and forums like this have done, is to give everyone an easy opportunity to be a critic. In some cases, long held beliefs across the modelling community have come to the fore. Some like to belong to a tribe and often don't understand/like what those not in their gang do and enjoy.

Etched kits replacing white metal ones.

Income inflation should also be considered. Apparently £1000 was considered a good salary in 1967. The average salary on 2021 was £29,600. So todays models can probably be considered more affordable. The posts in new product announcement topics would indicate that people are buying plenty of the new improved models each year.

I have found the ex George Norton tender kits straightforward if you follow the instructions but bending the inner and outer tank sides need care. I like the idea of a former, but I don't think my woodwork skills would be good enough to make one. For P4 I found it necessary to leave out the etched brass axlebox/spring supports to give enough clearance for the wheels. I don't know if that may be required for EM.

Your last sentence is valid, but it depends on what you want to achieve. Even in OO, Little Bytham might not yet be finished if it was the work of only one person. For some, myself included, the journey is as important as reaching the destination. Some want the layout of their dreams, others are serial layout builders where the end result has to be achieved within a short time span and therefore take whatever steps are needed to achieve that. Some take a middle path, balancing what the use of readily available products with building those items that they need to achieve a more "realistic" result. Personally I prefer to see a small to medium size layout that is well observed and created, rather than a large one that has aspects that detract from the overall image. OO and N products can provide the "shortcuts" that most modellers want, sometimes at the loss of a more realistic appearance. The difference between the Norman Solomon's track and the PECO points in the LB storage sidings shows that clearly. One of the biggest giveaways of RTL OO track is not just sleeper spacing and check/wing rail gaps but the gap between the switch blade and stock rail. To quote a guest, who creates handmade watches, on Radio4's Start the Week "Mastering a new Skill" programme on 3rd April , "it is about minimising the imperfections".

To add to Chuffers and Polybears post C&L also list brass slide and crossing nose chairs. I suggest using them would be very expensive at £1:00 each. I think the downsides to which PMP refers are totally outweighed by the look of good trackwork with flowing curves and more realistic checkrail gaps. I model in P4 and find building track to a Templot design straightforward and very satisfying. I build points using ply/rivet for the more important locations like the crossing vee nose, check rail positions, etc. with Exactoscale plastic chairs everywhere else. Okay, so it takes more time but it depends where your preferences lie. This is P4 but shows what trackwork can be like without too much effort. You could achieve something like this in OO but I don't know if the standard OO and EM kits would provide it. Many etched kits are designed for all three 4mm gauges so aren't a problem to build. Your post indicates the NER may by your main interest, for which there are plenty of loco kits. There aren't many NER RTR locos available. so converting them isn't going to be a major challenge. Joining the EMGs is a great idea if you are not already a member. They have about twenty Area Groups, your nearest being Sheffield based.

Judge, prosecutor and jury all in one?

These have Been available for years from one of the hobbies etched kit suppliers at five for £1:00. Another useful clip is the small wooden clothes peg.

IIRC, John Redrup at LRM used to occasionally have one of these Walsworth J52 kits on sale at shows, many years ago. I They were "flat backed" so may not have included the castings, etc. which would fit with a price of £40.00 for only the etches.