Jol Wilkinson

It isn't just AI, it's the ignorance of those selling things, who actually don't know what they have got or can't be bothered to find out. With some exceptions it seems that a number of eBay sellers are acquiring the property of Estates that include items they aren't familiar with, hence stupid descriptions and pricing.

Hi John, I am looking forward to seeing these built and painted.What are the Diagram numbers? I am particularly intrigued by the etches for the two narrow vestibule carriages, I can't work out what these are from the Worsley Works website. Jol

Hi Martin, good progress on the tank loco. Electrical solder isn't a good choice in my view. It tends/is designed to form a relatively large joint and doesn't flow well, often leaving a large fillet of solder that has to be cleaned off. A specific modelling lead based solder such as Carrs 188 will flow better but still enable you to add other parts without fear of unsoldering existing joints. Having said that I use LRM 145 solder almost exclusively for kit building only occasionally using 188deg on brass or n/s, or 100 deg on white metal. I only use pre-fluxed electrical solder for assembling components onto pcbs or layout wiring where a large solder joint is an advantage. Jol

We should also remember that Phil at Hobby Holidays has also been supplying the same materials and tools as John Flack, as well as EE did under Eileen and Jim Pitchforth and then Roger Sawyer. https://www.hobbyholidays.co.uk/categories.php?cat=7 Sadly, in the later years EE seemed to discontinue stocking some items while also looking for other lines to sell, which were also normally readily available elsewhere.

Because too many modellers/collectors are readily seduced by gimmicks.

As requested, photo of my GW wheel press. The plastic "overlays are .5mm thick which suited the AG wheels I have been using. They are marked R and L to make sure I always use them in the same orientation,

I have used mine on on all my loco builds since I bought it. I also modified both parts by gluing a piece of plasticard to each wheel contact face. This is the thickness of the protrusion of the hub on AG and Sharman wheels and has a keyhole cut out to clear the wheel centre and crankpin boss. When the wheels are pushed on, both the centre boss and tyre are in contact with the press to give uniform pressure round the wheel.

"LOOK - RARE" high density solder paste. May require minor repair, a major addition to your exclusive collection.

You are only saying that Keith because you haven't been a good boy this year and know he won't be calling at your house. Jol

I am most likely to miss my target of having the wiring completed by the year end but the alterations to the main control board are fairly well underway. In the meanwhile I would like to wish those brave few who have followed this and my Loco and rolling stock thread a very Happy Christmas and a healthy, wealthy and productive New Year.

The NER G/G1's-LNER D23 had an interesting number of frame variations, firstly as 2-4-0 s and then with three different 4-4-0 frame designs over time. The first 4-4-0 frames, as used with the saturated boiler. The other two types, low with a convex front profile and the deeper frames were both used with the superheated boilers. (I regret I cannot attribute these photos).

The Christmas display over the GER station building entrance in Felixstowe. I am sue that the GER aficionados will be able to comment on its accuracy. Happy Christmas.

Yet we have no problem with "Bus Station" where people go to catch a bus. Likewise we go to a petrol station to buy petrol (or diesel, or groceries, etc.). Is it because a Railway Station is a Station on a railway?

One RMweb member has produced an etched for the 700 Class, so you could build your own rather than waiting for he RTR manufacturers to produce one. With so many pre-group prototypes to choose from, there is no guarantee that it would ever be produced RTR.

Dave Ellis teamed up with Brian at Branchlines in 2015 to create NuCast Partners to produce and market the NUcast/Ks kits. Dave later sold the SE Finecast business to Squires of Bognor, but Nucast Partners continues as a separate business. A search for Nucast Partners in RMweb,s Small Suppliers section will provide all thje history.

In the early 80's, a colleague at the regional office of the French motor manufacturer I worked for brought in a neighbours invoice for the first service on the Honda he owned. His neighbour was horrified by the cost and asked for our views on it. What was apparent was that the service schedule called for the replacement of a lot of parts that most companies did not in my experience (I had also worked for Ford and Opel).However, they were the sort of parts which, had they failed would would have probably damaged the owners view of the reliability of his Honda. As I recall they included the fan belt, wiper blades and radiator cap. So Honda's image for reliability was partly being paid for by the owners service bill.

"I make model railways not models of railways" sums it up completely. I prefer to make a model of a railway, even though it might be a fictitious location and set in a variable time span (within limits). I can enjoy research, design, model building, etc. replicating as well as I can a little bit of transport and social history. That's different to enjoying a model railway which can be a total invention of your own imagination, limited only by the money and time you have available to spend on it.

It would make commercial sense if people weren't so besotted with buying the latest highly detailed, gimmick laden, pretty liveried locomotive instead of appropriate stock to run with what they have already bought. When you read of peoples intentions to buy several different iterations of a model when they are announced on topics such as these, it reinforces the view that this is a very loco centric hobby for many collector/modellers. I have been assisting one supplier with developing a set of pre-group carriages, starting nearly two years ago. Despite enthusiasm from those involved with the project, it is continually overtaken by other products - usually locomotives - that are considered more commercially viable. So the carriages project remains on the back burner.

Dylan, perhaps worth asking on the S4 Society Forum, as you have previously posted there. Jol

Is OO plagued by a lack of agreed standards, consistently applied? It would appear so. When I modelled in 16.5mm gauge - many years ago - building locos, stock and track, I often had issues. I put that down to two things, a relative lack of experience and knowledge, coupled with a lack of any OO standards at the time (other than track gauge). When I moved to P4 with its established standards and readily available jigs, etc. I rarely had problems (except for a recent purchase of some P4 Flexitrack which was under gauge). What I learned was that track/wheel standards and compatibility were important. On one occassion I had a six wheel tender that wouldn't run through established and proven pointwork. It turned out I had been supplied with and fitted a set of OO/EM wheels (which I had set to the correct B2B). It seems here that while it is possible to apply a set of OO track standards (although there seems to be a variety), you can't know what the RTR manufacturers are doing with their wheels standards.

Isn't it time this threads title was changes to "eBay lies, deceit, ignorance and stupidity"?

I have had a UNI-T model UT50C digital multimeter for some years and have been very satisfied with it. I believe that model is no longer available but the UT58D looks to have similar facilities. Not cheap but then decent tools never are. Things I would look for include a diode/continuity tester with buzzer, a display Hold button, a built in stand (props the meter up when needed for better viewing) and a sleep function to save the battery. I also find a decent set of silicon covered (and therefore more flexible) leads, including some with various clip connectors, very useful.

Despite the improvements you have made, I have been trying to work out what didn't seem quite right with this representation of an LNWR Full Brake. Then the pfennig dropped. AFAIK, the LNWR didn't build four or six wheel full brakes with the doors and duckets at the end of the carriage. They also, on the six wheelers had luggage and guards doors, breaking up the run of plain panels. The attaches shows a six wheel Full Brake with those typical features. End brake/luggage compartment didn't appear until bogie stock was introduced and even then, centre brake compartments were common.

There are plenty of simple kits for pre-group, grouping and BR wagons. You could soon put together a selection of wagons to suit your needs. Otherwise you are restricted to whatever the RTR manufacturers choose to produce and when.

Grainge and Hodder turntable fiddle yard? I'll be interested to see how you get on with it. We may need a couple or their traverser version for a group project but the ones I have seen look a bit lightweight for an exhibition layout.