railtec-models

Hi Clive, doesn't have to be. What do you need?

Archers have ceased so I picked up the baton and introduced a range of ~120 packs: https://www.railtec-models.com/rivets/ Feedback from magazines and modellers of railway, aviation and military has been extremely encouraging, so they're here to stay. In fact I'm working on more.

As I had good detail shots of each wagon (and there are only 4 of them afaik) I decided to make the markings exactly as per each specific vehicle, incl the different shades of black patches and variations in ton/tare weights on the panels. One of those numerous topics that I originally thought may take a half hour based the original request for generic markings, but in reality ended up taking probably half a day to mimic the real things. At least it's done now and hopefully it may be of interest to others too. And is that an Emma Bridgewater plate? My wife's obsessed!

Life's too short! And it's 2023. As it happens this morning I'm also developing more of the Alphaline / Wales packs that you've asked for. That is, in between noshing French pastry (no, that's not a euphemism for anything else), taking delivery of random plywood and looking online for a 21" petrol mower with roller. Who says men can't multi task.

I don't disagree, but we also have to be realistic: there are only a handful of people mad enough to do what I do, the technology capable of achieving such finely intricate results and the "enthusiasm" to want to keep pushing boundaries (have we had a choice of 120+ homegrown packs of rivets readily available prior to a few weeks ago or even hexagonal bolts? Maybe the latter, I don't know). Would modellers rather have what could potentially be hours of resource taken up in perfecting something that isn't even visible to the naked eye, or that finite specialist resource spent on R&Ding topics where there are large gaps? Fruit Ds, complete loco packs for GWR, LMS & LNER steam locos, new packs for rafts of engeering wagons with realistic looking data panels and maintenance charts are just 3 very long outstanding topics off the top of me barnet. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy a challenge and I'm curious to give the above a test and I will, and who knows, it could turn out to be a quick win, but taking a broader view if the wider community were to decide how I spend half a day, I suspect I know what the answer would be.

Ah! Hm, honestly, even for some of the larger head diams in 4mm, whilst they would technically be there, I'm not sure they'd even be visible to the naked eye. Ditto some of the smaller head diams in 7mm, and without testing it's an unknown whether they'd even be noticeable in some of the larger head diams in 7mm. If you have an image which shows a good close-up of specifically what you have in mind then feel free to share.

Maybe I misunderstood. If you mean hexagonal shapes, then yes. I've recently successfully tested hexagonal examples although I haven't yet had the time to market them. There's no reason why I can't/won't duplicate the entire rivet catalog for hexagonal nuts, although you really would have to reach for the magnifying glass to see the difference when it comes to some of the very small head diameters. The bit I wasn't clear on in ICH's post was whether the request was for a rivet or nut arrangement such as: o o o o o o o (hopefully the formatting of the above has remained though to be fair the WYSIWYG editor seems to behave very well) i.e. with a single one out of alignment to the remainder, in which case see above.

Thought I'd just chime in whilst the tea is brewing - if you needed either of those symbols as vector, then Latin symbols I can do no problem (reading the likes of Virgil and Cicero at Latin A level didn't go to waste even if it was a perfect cure for insomnia), and the upsilon / horse shoe symbol is of high enough res here that I can convert it to vector in less time that it takes me to write this sentence. Just to put that out there lest it potentially prevent a project unfolding as you would like, at least where the dark arts of transfer making are concerned. Right, off to fish for that soggy tea bag.

If you're able to present the schematic over PM in the same way as Chris did with the previous one, it makes "can you do" type requests so much easier as a lot of the ground work is already done. It may not mean I get to it any quicker (depends if there are other similar topics on-the-go) but once I do, it will probably fly out pretty quickly.

If I've understood correctly and assuming that this would be a bespoke design to suit a very specific vehicle type and size, as opposed to a pattern that was common (and that many people would want), then whlist technically do-able, I'm not sure that it would be viable. BUT, if you just needed 1 rivet that was out of alignment in each corner of the wagon, then personally I would just cut off one rivet from the sheet and plonk it where it needed to be. The sheets give you that versatility: rows and rows of perfectly sized and spaced rivets, or the option to chop odd ones off and put them where you need to.

I've applied them to both painted and unpainted on multiple substrates (although I didn't bother with wood) without issue. Obviously though the smoother the surface the better the adhesion. I've sold quite a number of these now and haven't had anything but great feedback. And it certainly saves people the mind boggling hassle of trying to apply individual rivets!

They're applied in exactly the same way as waterslide transfers, and the concept there hasn't changed much in decades. Cut out the desired length, soak in tap water for not very long and slide onto the model. Because they're waterslide, you get ample wiggle room to manoeuvre them how you need on the model before they dry and set.

@airnimal I can make the rivets as small as you like. If none of the existing offerings hit the mark then PM me with required head diam and spacing between centres. https://www.railtec-transfers.com/rivets/

Yeah it seemed to be coughing up a fur ball for ~20 mins on/off although it seems zippy again now. Those errors you see are it trying to connect to the db. I think the guys bounced the server and it's all good. Almost in time for the footie having finished.

That's a belting result. As you say - just goes to show, with the right preparation, the results that can be achieved.

Hi Alistair, are these any help? https://www.railtec-transfers.com/rivets/ Obviously they're not on pre-determined backing plates as everyone's needs will differ in terms of the size of plate that's needed, but they're hugely versatile and can be applied to any size plate you like. What I haven't yet publicised is that I've since successfully tested 3d bolts, i.e. hexagonal, although to be honest unless you reached for a microscope it's not until you get to around 7mm scale ~1.5" head diameter before you can see much difference between a rounded rivet head and a hexagonal bolt head! These are super easy to make and made right here in the thriving metropolis of Ashbourne, Middle Earth. They normally get dispatched in < 24hrs, sometimes even same day.

Life's too short to be lining up individual numbers in an attempt to get them straight, evenly spaced (unless the original had otherwise distinctive spacing) and the end result looking right to the eye. If it's 4mm scale, then the link below should have what you need: https://www.railtec-models.com/catalog.php?type=5&gauge=4mm&theme=33 All those customisable offerings are made such that the loco number is a one piece transfer that can be applied in one easy hit. Particularly in the case of diesel locos then I have most of them on file now so the spacing is made as per the real things so that your models look real in that regard. The concept of waterslide transfers hasn't changed that much in decades, even if the technology behind them has. Essentially, loosely cut around the transfer, soak in water for a few seconds (I use plain Derbyshire tap water), and then slide it onto the model. You do get a spare too, just in case. Hope this helps, and once you've done one, you might get a taste for it and get the confidence to do several more. It can be a slippery slope!

Sorry Dave, only just seen this. Hm, those elongated cl 92 data panels (at least in RfD livery when they were plain black as opposed to black on white) aren't in any off-the-shelf pack at the minute. I do have the artwork on file though. Probably best way forward with this one is just a very small/easy custom run. I'll PM you.

Ah! My bad. No apology needed Neal. It's been a long week 😀

Eh?! If it helps, if you did need ready-made custom 3d number plates, they're already available here: https://www.railtec-transfers.com/showitem.php?id=4362 Here's a photo of one in action courtesy of James Wells: I say to allow up to 14 days turn-around (which I've been having to use the past few weeks due to a colossal house move and new office space, but I'm back on it now), but usually it's much quicker than that. Obviously that applies to existing customisable offerings that are already on the web site as opposed to "can you do" type requests. Also, just looking through recent contact and I turned around an order (Mar 2023) within 72 hours that contained 3 items that needed to be custom-made incl 3d rivets and bespoke toad van allocation names...? (Unless there could be another Andy Keane ordering 1930s GWR bits).

Hi Neal, I'm a little confused - as far as I can tell the last contact we had was 29 Apr 2022 where you kindly sent a mail to thank me for "excellent service" and to let me know that your order had arrived in Spain...? If I've missed something in the interm then I apologise, but I've written elsewhere only earlier today that trying to keep on top of comms across multiple platforms is a challenge in itself.

I largely don't disagree, and I do genuinely appreciate the insight. Having lived and breathed doing nothing but R&Ding decals for some considerable time and nurturing relations with others who supply to the model railway community in other fields, I think there are very few suppliers that burden not so much just the demand, but more importantly the absolute sheer enormity of variety of subject matter. It's absolutely no disrespect to other suppliers who for example, may specialise in making signals, or trees, or turntables - they're equally a vital part of our hobby and no doubt they have their own challenges, and when they're at neighbouring stands at Warley, I am in awe of their craftsmanship - but the scope of R&Ding intricate markings spanning pre-grouping to the ever-changing modern day is really quite a different beast, and hand on heart I don't think there are many others who truly understand what it's like to (voluntarily!) be the guy who stands up to be on the receiving end and says, "Yes, I can try to help you with your project, whatever it may be." I could have made the decision to point blank refuse to do anything on a custom basis, stick to let's say, nothing but the sub-sector period, and that itself would have probably been several years' work to research, design and test in each small scale every livery variant for every loco type, non/passenger vehicle, variations in wagon TOPS codes thru a brief period etc, but would folks rather have depth rather than breadth? Being rigid and sticking to a very specific period just didn't feel like the right thing to do. You're absolutely right that I probably do put a lot of pressure on myself - I can't help that - it's just in my nature. I've always been a perfectionist and it no doubt contributes to why I do what I do. But to be honest that pressure is dwarfed by the 24/7/365 inbound comms. That itself isn't a problem of course and it's flattering to have so many people want the product, but it does introduce what is without doubt the most stressful element. I openly admit that trying to keep on top of all the inbound comms across multiple platforms (email, FB, Instagram, RMWeb, WhatsApp, SMS, PMs on multiple different forums) is an ever-losing task, and it's a physical impossibility to be able to keep on top of them all and certainly respond in a timely manner, at least with anything meaningful. I have in the past taken someone on in that regard, as I was describing to Chris on PM, but such is the endless variety of "can you do" type questions (back to what I was saying about the sheer scope of decal making) that they ended up having to ask me how to respond to every single question, because only I would know how to respond, and that just added to the workload. I'm not even sure if AI could come to the rescue! There is however something to be said for having someone take over prepping the ever increasing number of orders that come in through the web, although that may save ~10% of resource. I don't believe there's any other element of what I do that could be delegated. Even setting up the print jobs - I basically hack the machine code, thanks to know-how from a previous career, depending on the job to bend the hardware to get the best possible output for the job at hand. I assimilate it to teaching somebody how to paint the Mona Lisa: which brush, what blends, how should each stroke be applied, in what order. In terms of promising ETAs, I wish that were realistically and consistently viable. Numerous unforeseen things can impact a schedule. Besides life events: - Some new designs can take an unexpected turn in terms of complexity, needing a lot more research or hacking of artwork to get looking right when printed at small scale. Maybe the shading of the LSWR lettering doesn't look quite right in 2mm although it might in 4mm, maybe the under carriage explosive warning labels on the new Colas HST power car could be tweaked a little further, I wonder if the customer realises this ScotRail 47 had curly 7s on one side from 1989 onwards and so which variant do they want - and everything in between. - It's not uncommon for FOCs/TOCs and govt organisations to ask for something bespoke last minute, e.g. as part of a retirement gift. These would be the same organisations who have kindly granted permission for me to reproduce their protected logos and Marks, so that we can all benefit. - As technology evolves, periodically the web site will need to be updated to be compatible with the latest version of the underlying software. Sometimes that can mean significant re-writes of not just the pages you can see, but back-end stuff too, for example parsing responses from PayPal to write orders to the database, send confirmation emails etc. And then you have to test the be-jesus out of it to ensure that everything remains compliant and secure. And so, in an attempt to try to protect my own sanity and keep me wanting to keep driving Railtec - I find myself frequently having to try to enlighten and help people understand that although this may only be small scale model railways, it's a mind boggling amount of dogged specialist work by one guy. I empathise in this day and age we're used to Amazon Prime and chat agents on demand, but all these small suppliers are typically run by one or two people and consequently there's limited resource to perform sometimes even the most basic things, and I don't think I'm alone. I wish things were different. Of course that isn't to say that there's a justification for a crappy "customer" experience, but equally we need to keep in mind that - as you say - these people are often fellow hobbiests perhaps with other things going on outside of model railways. Occasionally! And sometimes when we want something, that can be easy to forget. I created that page some years ago now to help illuminate this intricate landscape, and it was sadly necessary due to being on the end of a growing number of unreasonable demands ("you're a decal maker so make what I want else I'm going to slag you off on forums / I had to throw a model in the bin because Railtec refused to make what I wanted"), endless prods, nudges, repeated phone calls bordering on actual harassment, and more. And not just one or two instances of those. If its content deters the respectful modeller then of course that's absolutely not my intent. It would be great to think that everyone in the community is understanding and respectful, and the majority certainly are (and I'm absolutely not inferring that anyone here isn't), but sometimes, I do have to set the stall out and set expectations because otherwise one can easily end up becoming a virtual/verbal punch bag and quickly losing the spark and enthusiasm which ignited the venture in the first place. Meanwhile I did send Chris a PM with specific regard to your project. Ok, probably my longest post yet, but I felt it necessary to explain. I wonder if I could have got AI to write it for me... Sorry Phil. But hopefully the new 3d boards will compensate (got your email btw) and maybe Phil will treat us all to a few lovely shots of the finished masterpiece. How I dream of having a layout of my own!

Thanks for the info. I've never really paid too much attention to signal boxes even though they were always a favourite feature on our old layout when I was a nipper. Ok so I've just created a new customisable offering on the web site which lends itself to more than just signal box names. 4mm so far but other scales could be done easily. 4mm-9975 https://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=10735 Like it says on the tin! I decided to make them available in blocks of "2" so that folks who may only need 1 or 2 name boards don't have to buy a block of 4. Does this help? Any glaring "gotchas" that I may have missed and need to ex/include?

Hi Chris, I'll reply on here also rather than via PM. I'm sure I will have, but simply not had resource to get to it yet. To pre-empt Phil's thread (and any others where I might chime in to offer help) being hijacked with a monumental barrage of "did you get my email / SMS / WhatsApp / FB msg / forum tag etc", I'd ask folks to keep in mind that I'm one guy who decided to set up and help as many people as humanly possible with a (self-taught) hugely niche product and service, and despite best efforts it's simply a physical impossibility to keep on top of all the comms all the time. It just is. I do get to them eventually. And if I happen to chime in on a thread to offer help elsewhere then it's (a) usually because it's very low hanging fruit to quickly help someone, and (b) maybe I might just need a mental break once in a while from whatever new complicated design project I was working on. More on that here: https://www.railtec-transfers.com/have-you-done-it-yet.php And I was working on a new customisable offering for name boards, but now time's up and I need to get the day's orders prepped!

Actually, rookie question - did any boxes ever have more than 3 nameboards?