Butler Henderson

Or simply Hornby and customer service are generally poles apart; any request I have made to them for a spare part recently gets a response of try Peters Spares. If others can nominally at least make every part available why cannot Hornby.

The normal issue of a faulty batch coming off the production line together and going in the same box which is then opened by the shop would explain Antics finding fault with a number.

and provide some spares.

Good point - how fragile is this loco because some of Hornbys production over recent years is likely no longer to be intact simply by breathing on it while they have a habit of using too brittle plastic on parts too easily caught/handled.

Bling is something Hornby like to the point that they have coloured some metal parts on Rocket in the wrong metal so its looked more bling.

A little bit of expansion in the descriptions would have benefited the latest edition; a number of wagons are described to some detail but that detail is exactly the same as a number of others leaving the reader no wiser to what the difference is between them. Also noted I presume that dispite what many think of the GWR they didn't actuallly have Open Gods Wagons (page 99)

The old style Bachmann wheel with the plastic centre are useful on wagons and individual coaches

Looking to how to store one without undoing the electrical connection I ended up with a DCC Concepts Motive Power Depot. had thought the 460mm one would be sufficient but then discovered Howes had a couple of 560mm ones second hand in very good condition which I snapped up saving a good few £ and it transpires the end padding does mean the 560mm is appropriate. The other one I have used for the Bachmann Ransomes & Rapier crane which I had put in a completely useful Peco clip together loco lift which is that flexible the thing had drailed in it and getting it out was complete pain with all the cross braces in the way. Would not want to store an EFE Pacer in one for fear of it stll overly streching the connection.

Not on some models - the Std 4 tank for example.

Most wagon NEM mounts can be eased downwards and packed above as an alternatiive. A offset Kadee can be made by chopping off the clipping in prongs and packing the shank to correct offset to a shank with proongs off a tension lock, all glued and pinned/small bolted together.

Hello on a Lais decoder (rebaged by Dapol) you need to set CV53 to 44 activate the dimmer on F3 and then play around with CV64 to set the actual brightness - suggets try 25 as a starting point and lower if too bright, increase if too dim. Worth trying the decoder again in the 4TC as saves on a better decoder for a loco.

Suggest contact Kernow and Bachmann and enquire of each if spares are availble giiven the model is now in the EFE Rail range. A split chassis arrangement is used I believe so any alternatve wheels are going to need appropriate axles which may be awkwatrd to source unless very lucky and the existing can be reused.

9 inch is about the limit = theres not a lot of play in the pony truck without carrying out some major surgery to the loco - goodbye guarantee,

Ths issue with Old Oak Common may be the need for onward connectivity but afterall most arriving at Euston, St Pancras, Kings Cross etc do not want to be there but elsewhere, so no major difference in that aspect.

So in terms of possible combinations ignoring oil v coal firing only Blanche as tender cab 0-4-0 still to announce.

Make sure you book an afternoon afterwards to clean all the wheels.

Couldn't you try top and tail ?

Two things sprung out of the Network North details that immediately are not newly funded projects at all - in fact one already exists in that trams in Nottingham have been running to Clifton South for a number of years while the "more electric buses for Harrogate" have already been arranged. Wonders just how much of it is existing schemes.

I sought of posted the solution in my earlier posting - remote control battery powered loco. Relatively easy to do with older diesels that had bags of space within the body http://www.micronradiocontrol.co.uk/rc_model_rail.html

There's a review in the latest Model Rail.

Tried and failed to remove the tension locks. Seem overly clipped in the mount and possibly needing the clip ends to be cut carefully. Opted to fit replacement NEM pockets. I had ordered a complete set of plates from Railtec and the thinner numbers of the smokebox numberplate compared to the printed ones have quite an impact on the "face" of the loco.

Possibly because it's blue and blue steam locos do sell well normally

Two ways of cutting down on the need for track cleaning are ensuring all wheels on all coaches and wagons have metal tyres and not using locos fitted with traction tyres.

Provided the layout is up, if something is playing up find a work round. I had a point fail on the station buffers end crossover. So instead of running round I had to make extra use of the station pilot or bring a new loco for the train off the depot.

I have a largely inaccessible tunnel, due to the layout originally having been built for exhibition use where the back would be accessible. Concerned that a loco could become stuck attempting to clean the track I have adopted a Heljan 26 chassis to remote control battery operation. Potentially it rescue a stuck loco if the need arises.