jwealleans

Not had any Kimbra?

We were last there in 2015, but didn't have a problem. My wife has travelled and lived in Italy quite a bit and so she's fairly savvy about that kind of thing. Naples was very much the dodgiest area we visited (we stayed in Sorrento) and the walk down to the railway museum at Pietrarsa did feel a bit unsettling, until we realised that the high wall to our left all the way was a large military compound. The walk was required because the line to Pietrarsa had been closed due to an unsafe building. I'm assuming that by now they've either fixed it or its fallen down and been swept up.

Better to take the Circumvesuviana, surely? It drops you more or less on the doorstep. Edit - the Man in Seat 61 has it all laid out for you.

@polybear I see Tony has answered your question, but this may be of interest. i have a similar problem to you with regard to springs on the B1 I'm building. Instead of my usual long springy n/s wire (much like Sir) I have used little coils of phosphor-bronze wire which sit outside the springs. Another option if you prefer long and springy would be to put the copperclad pads on the opposite side and have the wire running transversely to bear on the wheel edge.

Workbench progress will probably halt for a little while as I get my demo material ready. I've been concentrating on running in the B1 chassis and adding pickups. On the loco this is hampered by the springs, so I've gone for little curly ones rather than my usual long springy ones. I don't think I'd build a tender loco without tender pickups now and the Comet tender underframe allows room to put them on top of the wheels, nicely out of the way. The whole thing connected by my usual Peter's Spares plug arrangement which regular readers will be very familiar with. This bizarre looking ensemble ran up and down my layout two or three times this evening - enough of a test before it's dismantled for painting. I've added an unprototypical bar across the back of the brake rigging to hold the plug up clear of trackwork. I haven't neglected the wagons: 3 G1s and a C10 now painted and ready for lettering.

I use the Bill Bedford couplings on my corridor coaches on Grantham; we do reshuffle the sets constantly during shows, but I do get droop and breakages and most of the other operators don't like using them. They're not really intended for that kind of use, but I was extensively committed to them when we started on the layout. Roy Mears' coaches all have Kadees on the bodies and they work very reliably; where I have to attach/detach either front of scene or in the fiddle yard (we have a through coach to Lincoln which is detached in the station, for example), I've also gone for Kadees and they have been fine. There's not much room between buffer beam and bogie, so I use the whisker type in a 252 box and the same 8BA bolt and captive nut which otherwise would serve for the BB.

As we're only a week away, just a note to say I shall be demonstrating weathering at Thirsk Show next Sunday in the Town Hall. I'm told I've been moved out of the upstairs room (presumably at the request of the other demonstrators) and placed on the landing next to the tea urn. Details here. Always a quality show and in aid of a good cause.

Was There Anything I Could Do? - The Go-Betweens

That is correct - I was admiring Sandra's on Saturday. I'm sure Tony knows that as well. Sandra's would be the one attached/detached at Sheffield? I think it was E667E, but I'd have to check that.

Steve's got it with the shape of the ducket; my first reaction was an ex-GE 6 wheeler. The last ones didn't go until 1951, but they were on the Mid Suffolk by then. Does anyone know when they went from normal services?

Rich And Strange - Cud

Not the greatest picture, but the late Graham Varley built one which we ran on Thurston. It was a lovely thing (though we used to wind him up if anyone asked about it by loudly telling them it was a detailed Triang one). I believe he sold it on and have no idea where it might be now.

Run For Your Life - Gary Lewis and the Playboys

There have now been some comments: "I can't positively identify the marine diesel engine on the flatbed but it may be a Burmeister and Wain engine. This would put this picture at one the UK licensees: either Harland and Wolf, Belfast, or Kincaids in Greenock on the Clyde. A third possibility might be Clarke Kincaids on the Tyne." "The industrial loco is clearly an Andrew Barclay saddle tank. Possibly one of the Clydeside shipyards but perhaps one of the Sunderland shipyards too as Doxford Yard in Sunderland did make large marine engines similar to the one being moved by the locomotive." The clock tower has also been noted and it's suggested this might be John Browns.

The first set of Walschaerts valve gear I ever did and it still runs now: 61645, Comet frames under a Hornby body. At the time I used rivets and recall being a bit hesitant over how hard to hit them. Now I'd use lace pins as per Sir's preferred method and find that much easier. I have a set of B1 motion to erect very soon and I can't say I'm losing sleep over it, it's just a case of being careful and methodical.