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imt

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Posts posted by imt

  1. I just love your layout and HATE those coal bins - I would suggest they are misplaced. See the attached which is filched from:

    https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/143092-coal-yard-coal-bins-and-such/&tab=comments#comment-3497256

     

    I don't think that/have never personally seen coal bins up against a line for unloading - most unloading was done from wagon to lorry direct, and only stock between deliveries was kept to one side in bins.  Basically renting line space and wagons was more expensive that a bit of real estate in a goods yard.  Otherwise the coal was bagged for delivery and delivered.

     

     

    SmallCoalMerchants-2.pdf

    • Thanks 1
  2. Sorry to be a bore but that track diagram simply won't work.  The curve for the lower part of the run round loop is impossible, and possibly likewise the upper one.  Whilst I accept that what I am looking at is track width including sleepers, there is something seriously wrong with the geometry.  Stock will not be able to pass on the upper lines. I assume you are using a track layout designer - it looks like the one my friend uses on his iMac - but there is something screwy with the point/switch templates here. The crossover bottom right gives some idea as to how far the lines have to be apart for passing stock, though again 41mm centres will work in confined spaces - you don't have to have the Peco Settrack 55mm or the 45mm (IIRC) centres Streamline - but you DO need to ensure clearances AND you need to have your curve checker switched on - most planning software will tell you when the curves are wrong.

    • Agree 1
  3. 34 minutes ago, 37505bstp said:

    I have considered dropping a line to Trading Standards to see what they think in general as the way this is progressing......

     

     

    I think you need to be very clear about what you signed up to if you are to take this course.  You need to document what you were told, what promises were made (express or implied), what milestones were agreed (published), what the reporting process was to be, how it was to be accounted for and what the actual performance has been.

     

    Before you use any accusatory words you do need to be clear what it was that the money was agreed to be spent on and how it was intended to be disbursed and accounted for.  There seem to be suggestions of travel expenses and advertising to name but 2 items which I would perhaps question.  I note the VAT implication - but you would need sound tax advice on what the payment could be seen to have been intended for (professional services? it wasn't for a physical item) and when any tax liability would have/should have arisen.

     

    Certainly the fact that it has been spent (all or in part) does I believe require more detailed explanation than "leaves a very large problem in the fact that your crowdfunded monies have been spent on the models development in line with the crowdfunding principal [sic]".

  4. 9 minutes ago, 37505bstp said:

    One poster suggested a formal recorded letter, I doubt that even this would elicit a professional response.

     

    Well surely that will answer all your questions?  Since you don't know - ask. This is a quite reasonable approach.  He should be able to formally answer you.  If he does not or does not satisfy you with his explanations then you have real cause to be concerned and can consider your options (which may of course be few).

     

    Please can I also stress that email is useless for this purpose, unless you have special technical arrangements, you can neither prove you sent it nor that he received it.

     

    This is a serious matter and needs to be traceable if you ever wish to take it further at law.

    • Agree 3
    • Informative/Useful 1
  5. 2 minutes ago, GWR-fan said:

    I am wondering if Dave has a misunderstanding as to the ownership of "his" tooling. 

     

    Your wondering is quite alright by me, but if you don't have a financial interest in the matter why bother?  If you do - then ASK HIM to explain.  There is nothing in any of the above material that has any real basis in fact - it's all opinion and much of that ill informed.

     

    Please can I repeat - and beg everybody to listen - if you have money invested then write and ask what he is about.  Write formally to him as director of DJ Models and require an answer.  You are entitled to know.

     

    Write to his registered business address.

    • Like 2
    • Agree 3
    • Informative/Useful 1
  6. 2 minutes ago, 66738 said:

    What gets me is how poorly the announcement was worded. This wasn’t just a off the cuff drunken tirade on a Saturday night. It was planned well in advance. How did he get it so wrong that he had to do a follow up to clarify. After a few reads I sort of understood it but for some, and I can see how it came across, it spelled out disaster for the Hobby. 

    The clarification made it clear to all today, but It was too late. The damage was done, and that will be costly for Dave, just when he could Ill afford it not to be. He would have been better saying nowt at all.

    66738

     

    Yes indeed.  And why his letterbox (NOT email inbox) should be stuffed full by his concerned customers asking (quite reasonably in my view) for progress statements and forward plans.  The amount of speculation and general hot air which is around at the moment is merely obscuring the fact that many customers have been dilatory in holding DJ Models to their forecasts and somehow thinking that all will be right on the night.

     

    These unfortunate "press releases" have stirred up a hornets nest. It seems that DJ Models have been remiss (or cavalier) in keeping their "investors" informed.  The ONLY way this can be clarified is for DJ Models to get a grip of the situation and make clear statements on all the projects they have under way which are "crowd funded" or they have accepted pre-orders for. 

    • Like 5
  7. 2 minutes ago, Markwj said:

    I got my apt deposit back by raising a case with PayPal as I didn't get a refund from Dave. Unsure if this process is time limited but I got the refund back a few hours later.

     

    There is a PayPal dispute procedure:

     

    "You can open a dispute in the Resolution Centre of your PayPal account within 180 days of payment if:

    You don’t receive the item

    You receive an item but it’s significantly different than the description on eBay or on the seller’s website

    By opening a dispute, you can communicate directly with your seller to work out a problem transaction.

    If you reach an agreement with the seller you can close the dispute. If you're still not happy with the result, you can escalate the dispute to a claim. We'll review the claim and decide on reimbursement.

    To open a dispute:

    Go to the Resolution Centre.

    Click Dispute a Transaction.

    Select the button beside the transaction you want to dispute, then click Continue.

    Select ‘Item dispute’, click Continue and follow the on-screen instructions.

    Note:

    Generally buyers must wait at least 7 days from the date of payment to escalate a dispute for an item not received

    Where an item has not been received, please ensure you have given the seller enough time before opening a dispute"

     

    Since the order was not for a physical thing, they may or may not accept the dispute.  It's an odd situation.  It doesn't seem like a PayPal line of business to me.

  8. 1 minute ago, ruggedpeak said:

    Which is why his next update in the next few hours should be a detailed update on progress on all outstanding projects with details of their financial position and how to obtain a refund if required to reassure existing customers that things are under control.

     

    Yes of course it should be - what's your confidence level on that?  As I say, those affected should be writing formally to DJ Models to find out what the situation is.  Absent that information the rest is speculation.  Absent any reply to the letter then everybody knows where they are - out of pocket.  Hopefully all this speculation will be answered formally by DJ Models.

    • Like 1
  9. 4 minutes ago, Roy Langridge said:

    I do intend to write an email, I am just getting myself sorted to make sure I write it as it needs to be.

     

    Please do not.  Please write a formal letter and direct it to the Managing Director of DJ Models at their company address, and ask for a written reply  - within 14 days?

     

    Keeping a copy and getting proof of postage as well - sorry that is so knee jerk for me I forgot it!

    • Agree 5
  10. 1 minute ago, ruggedpeak said:

    As a general rule the terms that apply will be those prevailing at the time. Subsequent amendments won't apply. And a vendor would need to provide a court with clear records of what was said when and what alterations were made to webpages etc.  This catches businesses out as they don't think to keep a copy of every iteration of every webpage. No clear records put them in a very weak position in court.

     

    All of which is very true.  However it doesn't help those suffering apprehension about their potentially lost money.  There is little point spending money pursuing a lost cause.  Please will one of those affected do the sensible and write and ask what the situation is.  It may be that all DJ has done is raise unnecessary (mis)apprehensions. 

    • Like 1
  11. 3 minutes ago, Roy Langridge said:

    I think you will find that those lines were only added later but don't now show as edits after the old site was migrated to the new. Perhaps Andy Y can confirm?

     

    Edit: Linked to that, an internet archive search shows that this was advertised in December 2017 as a DToS Crowdfunded project.

     

    Roy,

     

    I am sympathetic, but there is little I can say or do to help.  You asked what you should do and I gave some advice (just as your solicitor would do) as to what you could possibly do about the situation.  You (everybody) need(s) clarification.  What you say only makes me clearer than ever in my own mind that this project announced in December 2017 has died - but the "owner" (whomsoever that may be) has failed to fairly communicate that to you, or to explain why your money has vanished.

     

    I still think a polite letter is worth it.  If the answer is what I fear it might be - then you will simply have to write it off and be thankful that it wasn't worse.  There is no economic way (for you alone) of pursuing this matter.

     

    It is easy for me to say - especially with 20/20 hindsight (all lawyers have it) - but I wouldn't have paid ANYTHING on that prospectus full of "we hopes".

     

    Iain

    • Agree 3
  12. 4 minutes ago, Roy Langridge said:

    It seems to me that as time progressed DToS took a back seat and I am not sure that they are really involved at all now. I have £250 invested and am really unsure what my next course of action is.

     

    To write politely, referring to his "press release" if you like, saying that you would like to know what the current status is, what the timescale is, what key stages there are ahead and when you will be informed of progress.

     

    I would however refer you to the last 2 lines of the initial Announcement you have referred to - it said..............

     

    "Please note this is a DJM crowdfunding project and DJM will be invoicing, designing, and finally supplying the finished model and is therefore totally responsible for your investment. [my italics].

    Also: Please Note: Any 'pure' crowdfunding venture is an investment with no guarantee of return, and your invested capital (deposit payments) are at risk. Please consider carefully whether you wish to partake in this venture before ordering."

  13. 10 minutes ago, GWRtrainman said:

    The REAL people who are suffering are those who paid big deposits for products that have not arrived (and may or may not arrive in future).

     

    I do quite understand that.  Unfortunately nobody seems to know what the situation is with all this pre-ordered stuff, and until there is some kind of formal announcement this may all be wasted angst.

     

    Maybe somebody ought to be writing to DJ politely to ask for details of progress, expected milestones and finish dates such that those who are in danger of "losing" money know whether they have or not.

     

    At the moment all this diatribe is doing is upsetting people who may have no cause to be upset.  I agree DJ started it - and I would have hoped that he would by now have done something about stopping the speculation.

    • Like 2
    • Agree 1
    • Friendly/supportive 1
  14. 8 minutes ago, royaloak said:

    So this is possibly a daft question, but as an APT crowd-funder who has paid the first £250 installment can I legitimately ask for a refund? I'm assuming not given that no terms and conditions were or have subsequently been made available as far as I am aware - and I knew I was taking a financial risk at the time - but it would be good to know if its worth a shot (i.e. whether there is any legal obligation to refund)?

     

    8 minutes ago, royaloak said:

    You can try, but as some of the money was used for the 3D scanning and CADs (including mine as I didnt get a refund) I would doubt there is any money to refund, then there is the time it would all take, probably much easier, not better just easier, to write it off as a bad experience and move on. Okay principles say to do the right thing and go to Court etc but the monetary gain wouldnt come close to paying for the time taken to get to Court etc.

     

    I really think that this is the whole nub of the matter.  Somebody who was known to be a good "producer" of models (I'm not sure whether that was design of product or knowing how and having contacts) was trusted by a lot of people to do something for them all.  It may have been over enthusiasm, or naivete but much was expected.  This was going to change the way new models were produced.

     

    I haven't seen any documentation for all this "crowd funding" (and I'm retired and don't want to) but it all sounds horribly woolly to me.  If there is no legal agreement of what was to be done by whom and when, you can of course toddle up to the courts (if you can get a slot) and the dear old judge or arbitrator will construct a contract from what can be inferred by recorded or reported speech (properly substantiated of course!).  This is NOT a recommended course of action.

     

    Now it may well be that the realisation that so many people have been let down, misled or harsher words if you prefer, is having an awful effect on DJ personally.  Now I can understand the desire to "get one's own back" but even if it makes everybody feel better, the ultimate fall out in how DJ is affected may not be what (in our more sober and less vengeful moments) we would like to see happen.

    • Like 3
    • Agree 1
  15. 16 minutes ago, antrobuscp said:

    I can't help but feel that the law most likely to be applicable to this situation is that relating to "unintended consequences".

     

    Oh so true!  Apparently declaring war on the rest of the industry, and upset many of his potential customers, was never going to be a wise move.

     

    Please can we soon give up and let him slink away to lick his self-inflicted wounds?

    • Like 1
    • Agree 3
  16. 5 minutes ago, 90rob said:

    Oh dear. I might be in the minority but I am actually quite concerned for DJ – he must be in a pretty bad place right now,

     

    I agree with you.  Not only does he need to take a rest (if he can) he also desperately needs some calm, clear advice on a whole range of issues from business management, through PR and the true effect of registering a design (which I can assure him is definitely NOT what he thinks it is - and I am qualified to know). It is so very sad to see what started with such promise and so much goodwill descend into this dangerous farce - dangerous to his health and wellbeing and that of his business.  I do hope he recovers his equanimity and his business.

    • Like 5
    • Agree 8
    • Friendly/supportive 4
  17. 10 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

     

    With traditional track planning software, yes... :wink_mini:

     

    That would the same software that lines track up parallel to the baseboard and outputs dull grey images with horribly pixelated edges... :wink_mini:

     

     

    Phil,

     

    That is a little unfair for a couple of reasons.  Those of us not as skilled and capable in design as you are use the track planning software that way because we cannot think of how to do it better.  Your influence and brilliant plans have already made my use of such packages much better.  I no longer plonk a straight bit of track down - parallel to the baseboard edge - and try to produce a Michaelangelo from that.  We need encouragement.

     

    Also, many of us would love to use a design package such as you use so effectively.  Perhaps you could persuade your bosses to drop the price a little from £400?

  18. 3 hours ago, ianLMS said:

    Update. 

    Double slip has now been replaced with a single slip and i have finished installing the point rodding. Pic to follow.

    I assume i no longer need the junction signal before 2, just a "starter" signal at the end of the platform?

     

    I also looked at fitting the double slip in near 22, but there isnt enough room without completely rearranging the whole good siding. Therefore i may make do with a representational catch point made from spare parts. 

     

    Agree about signal.  Perhaps I was misunderstood (or said it wrong) my suggestion was to REPLACE the point at 23 with the double slip and then have the stub line from there round parallel to the main lines for a bit to provide a (small?) head shunt - as per Embsay point 18?  It would need some of the edge your embankment removing as far as I can see from the photos.

  19. 58 minutes ago, Titanius Anglesmith said:

    I don’t see the lack of a headshunt as a big problem; many yards never had one.

     

    I would agree for Berrow Station - the problem is the main line Berrow to Fiddle Yard would be obstructed by any shunting in East Brent.  I'd aim to overcome that one if possible. 

    • Thanks 1
  20. 1 hour ago, Flying Pig said:

    The issue isn't recreating Berrow (which is pretty conventional in its actual trackwork)

     

    I saw Berrow in its heyday, and very interesting it was too to a teenager with very little space (or money!).  Since then I have learned a bit more and there are many things I would think of changing now.  Like:

     

    1) difficult to access Fiddle Yard (though it was plenty good enough for the timetable)

    2) no head shunt for East Brent which would close the main line for any access to the goods facilities

     

    I think if I were having a go at "recreating" it I would probably move the turntable to the left of the main line, swing the main line wider, move the point to East Brent right (longer FY and maybe space for a small headshunt using a slip?) and place Berrow station at an angle bottom left to top right giving some more platform length.

     

    There is something similar here (Deneside - a layout in a small shed) which is good fun 

      Awful signalling but the rest is good.

     

    I do have access to Anyrail so I may have a go.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  21. 24 minutes ago, ianLMS said:

    Thanks for that. Something else i need to look at and see if there is room. 

     

    It's by no means essential - but it would then look exactly like Embsay.  There might be room if you are prepared to sacrifice some of your nicely made embankment.  Some shunting room would be good if you could manage it - otherwise you will always be obstructing your blue main line.  Mind you many country stations did that - since of course most goods services were early or late and/or away from main passenger workings.

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