Bernard Lamb

I would suggest a search on the forum for carnet.

Then come back with specific questions.

Bernard

1 hour ago, Tony Teague said:

Tony

Also seemed to me that there were differences in the focal lengths used in several of the shots; without knowing what he used it would be incredibly difficult to replicate things precisely. Nevertheless an interesting exercise and some different angles from those normally seen.

Tony

They do show up just how  small a radius curve is required to get the track layout into a reasonable space. Tony does a brilliant job in his photographs to conceal this.

Bernard

At a very early age I had a HD 80xxx. I thought that this was the dogs whatsits at the time. Partly because they were used on the local service to London. About ten years later I took it apart and rebuilt the valve gear nearer to scale, and converted it to 2 rail. Some years later, in my teenage years, I sold all my HD 3 rail. I often have an idea of getting hold of some more.

Modern stuff that will last? Much more difficult. Accurascle Deltic?

Nothing, from the main players in recent times. generates any emotional feelings for me

Bernard

Another good issue.

I have used various types of black paper origami corridor connectors. My current method is very similar to that used in The Bachmann Mk 1 article. However I make all the folds on mine the same height, the lower end fold to fit inside the existing moulding looks like a worthwhile improvement. Simple ideas are often the best.

Bernard

10 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

I used square brass tube for mine but they have actual track on them, not the aluminium angle. Two sizes of telescopic tube soldered to the sleeper ends (that's why I used square tube), big one at one side of the track, small one at the other side. We used these for years on Herculaneum Dock before i built the current fiddle yard for it, I still have e few in store somewhere for Cwmafon if it ever comes out of hibernation.

As above. But round tube works just as well, but needs to be held in place before soldering. I use the tubes for location and electrical connection, but I also use a tapered piece of wood as a guide to slide the cassette into rougly the right position and the use the tubes to line up the last gnats of misalignment.

Bernard

3 hours ago, CloggyDog said:

 

Chap in the British 1/87 society has been working on a 3D printed H0 47, alternately Lenny at Lincoln Locos can do his 3mm 47 upscaled to H0. 

 

 

On the wider topic, and as an active exhibitor of 'forn' toy trains (US H0, German H0, Czech TT) over some 20+ years, I've experienced both the utter distain and the keen interest from visitors and all points between. 

 

The former I just ignore (life's too short), the latter I'm very happy to engage with. Especially nice is when natives of the country modelled 'get it' straight away and share their knowledge or stories of travelling by train. I've noticed this especially with the Czech TT micro.

 

Presentation certainly helps, with Nové Město, a Czech flag forms part of the display, along with reference material, including a Czech modelling mag. A DDR flag is used for my East German layout. 

 

 

Looking around shows, either rushed as an exhibitor or more leisurely on the rare occasions as a punter, I particularly seek out the foreign layouts, I like that variety and difference. I am interested in how other countries' railway look and work. My DDR and Czech layouts were inspired by railway-related trips to those countries. 

 

All-UK outline shows I find rather lacking, but that's just me. 

 

When I organised my local club's show, I always tried to have at least 1 non-UK layout present. Conversely, for the 5 years I ran Globalrail for the German Railway Society, I turned things on it's head and always included a token British layout 😉

 

You need a flag and a nameplate.

Having come to regard the GDR as my second home for around the last 18 years of its existence I could hardly not be tempted to model the area. Given the interest in the narrow gauge lines in Eastern Europe I am surprised that there are not more exhibition layouts. I suppose a lack of RTR motive power, especially for the smaller locomotives contributes to this situation.

Bernard

On 08/02/2024 at 20:50, melmerby said:

White spirit and methylated spirit are two completely different not closely related chemicals.

 

https://www.jpennyltd.co.uk/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=450

 

 

 

Back in the day, around the early 1960s I would think, I used to buy it for use in testing varnished surfaces on coated paper. I had to have an  invoice on the firms headed paper and sign the register at the local chemists. Was that a legal requirement back then or just a chemist/company rule?

Bernard 

2 hours ago, The Great Bear said:

Some closed and diverted, some technology added/upgraded eg miniature stop lights,  others existing CCTV retained details here https://eastwestrail-production.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/public/Route-Update-Announcement/4c8cb5ea3b/Route-update-report.pdf

What bearing does that have on what I wrote Mr Bear?

Each one of them will be subject to due legal process.

It is very easy to draw up a proposal, but a very different kettle of fish to actually get it delivered.

As Nearholmer points out, different people on the same side view the situation very differently.

There may be trouble ahead, as the old song puts it.

Bernard

11 hours ago, Simon G said:

I have sold quite a few items via Facebook selling sites, without any problems or hassle.  The main advantage over ebay is that you dont pay 10% or whatever in charges.  I have used two sites, Model Railway Trading Group being the most suitable for your means.

 

In my opinion, most dealers will only offer rip-off values!

What would you consider to be a fair margin?

Bearing in mind they are doing it as a full time job?

With all the overheads and legal requirements that are involved in doing that.

Bernard

14 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

There’s the bizarre situation of parliamentary candidates from the same party, one in MK trumpeting an empty promise to get EWR completed to Cambridge, because that plays well to MK votes, and one in Bedford trumpeting opposition to it. Plus all the easily foreseeable outbursts in places in between, the latest flare-up being at Lidlington.

 

And, the nine level crossings only counts the roads, there are private crossings, footpaths, and bridleways aplenty too.

A quick rough and ready count on an OS map gives 23. There could well be more private crossings, but as these are not marked more work would be needed to get an accurate number. Any attempt to close that lot will take years, and a lot of cash.

Bernard

31 minutes ago, 5050 said:

I sold all my large collection of USA HO stock to Contikits last year.  I had no response from several other dealers about the  (long) list I e-mailes them.  Contikits were the only one who replied with anything like an acceptable price.  They came to the house to collect it all and paid in hard cash at the time.

 

No way was I going to go through all the messing about with e-bay with all I had.  Doing it this way was quite a relief and a weight off my mind - even if I didn't get as much as I might have done with e-bay.

I would agree. The people at Contikits are very good to deal with.

The other side of the coin is that their selling prices are just as realistic. You don't see items in their lists hanging around forever at silly prices.

Bernard

1 hour ago, Johann Marsbar said:

5th November 2005 might well have been Bonfire Night here in the UK, but it was also the day to head off to Bratislava on a Ryanair jaunt from Stansted.  At that time, you didn't have all the various "add ons" you get today and a day return could be had for something like £26, less than it would have cost for a day trip on the train to London!

 

A few shots at Bratislava Hl S. early in the day.  A lot of locos seemed to be going through paintshops at that stage as seen on this 362........

 

 

 

 

Adjacent to the main station was the Transport Museum, which seemed to have a mix of items on display, mainly road vehicles. It was housed in an old wooden goods shed and adjoining sidings and seems to have been developed rather a lot in the succeeding 19 years and the lighting has definitely been improved from photos seen on the internet.......

 

 

 

 

 

The steam lorry on the left is a Skoda-Sentinel......

 

 

Bratislava has an extensive trolleybus......

 

 

...and tram network.....

 

 

..but the length of daylight hours hindered us a bit on this particular trip.

 

More from Bratislava again in 2006, as I stayed there whilst having a Slovak railrover ticket.......

 

At one time Skoda built Sentinel steam lorries under a licence arrangement. I did come across an H0 model, no idea who made it, back in the late 198os. Unfortunately I did not by it as we were in a hurry to get somewhere. Keep up the good work.

Bernard 

It is quite straightforward, providing you do a dry run and identify all the parts. Otherwise you will end up with not enough of some of them and too many of others. If you do find yourself in that situation, it is fairly simple to make them from plastic sections. In fact it might be quicker to just built it, in the knowledge that you will have to scratch build a few items. It makes up into a nice kit. I found it to be rather too small and wish I had bought at least one more kit.

Bernard

Short yes, but it packs a heck of a lot of operational detail into that time.

Bernard

22 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

I am very familiar with the concept - but the OP is wishing to use a Pre-war setting, and I dispute they were at all common in them thar days. 

The St Albans examples are definately a modernish introduction.

I have seen photographs of grids in place on the Tollesbury line, dated from just beore closure, so very early 1950s. However pre war photographs of the line are rather rare. I have not come across any that show grids, although I have not see photographs of all the locations.

Bernard 

Thanks folks for the folow up comments. There is a video on ytube The full stoty of Flying Scotsman's trip to the USA, and it was 1969. Liverpool to Boston on the Saxonia. I was not aware of the details, nor that it was a political tour backed by Harold Wilson, nor to the extent of the stock that also made the journey.

Bernard

This turned up on my facebook page this morning. Seeing that this seems to be the place for information about the history of these machines I will post it here. No doubt more knowledgeable folk can provide chapter and verse on were it is going for its holidays. Apologies re lack of copyright information.

Bernard

2 hours ago, APOLLO said:

 

Who needs tanks, guns, artillery, aircraft carriers etc these days. ?

 

The Houthi rebels are causing havoc with home made missiles and drones costing a few thousand dollars. The yanks are downing these with 2 million dollar+ missiles.

 

War has changed, it's digital now and remote controlled.

 

We need to change our game, Quickly.

 

Brit15

 

 

That is expensive.

In Ukraine they are using toy drones that cost around £200. One will take out a group of enemy soldiers but they need to use two to destroy a tank. War has indeed changed. The Russsians seem to be unable to stop them using all the high tech resources at their disposal.

Bernard

4 hours ago, Forward! said:

Drawn and described in Railway Modeller November 1969.

I do not have this issue.

I would, however, view all RM drawings with a degree of caution.

Bernard

One little problem.

There are about ten times as many potential victims as ther are people to train them.

So where do we get all the new RSMs from?

Bernard 

The disgusting state of the shelving is a perfect example of why I will not buy any KR products.

A lack of sensitivity and care for the little things is, to me, an indication of a lack of care in general.

Sums them up in one photograph.

But then I worked in QA for Dexion, solving storage situations for household name companies, for most of my working life, so I am biased. But right.😃

Bernard  

6 hours ago, cctransuk said:

 

An inherent problem when manufacturers try to produce components exactly to scale.

 

The real drop-link is a sturdy lump of steel, attached to the crosshead via three equally sturdy steel screws.

 

The model is a tiny protrusion of mazak, projecting from a similarly tiny one-piece crosshead casting.

 

The end of the projection has had an etched component rivetted to it - an operation that will undoubtedly have stressed, or even cracked the mazak at the weak point where the projection joins the main casting.

 

Given that the item is seventy-six times smaller than the real thing, and is cast in mazak rather than steel, it is perhaps not surprising that it is prone to stress cracking / breaking.

 

If I were contemplating the purchase of this model, I would wish to examine it closely, and check the strength of this particular component.

 

CJI.

I think that is a good summary of the problems of making certain scale working parts.

The only, possibly economic, way that I can see it working, is to 3D print them in titanium. 

Then wait for the howls when the average punter sees the cost.

It all comes down to the engineering saying :- you cannot scale tolerances. There is a minimum size, below which things will simply not work. The load bearing parts of valve gear being a case in point.

I remember heated discussions at work, where a person would have a brilliant idea, and then we would go through the practicalities of making the article by the tens of thousands. Design for manufacture was what we called it.

Bernard