jcredfer

Oh my goodness - gracious me!! ......... .......... let me guess now ............ ah yes, there it is ........... you still uncouple trucks with one of those things for removing hooves from stoned horses!! J

Oh ..... lummy!!! .......................... He's got enough ideas, without anything like that one!!

Father was next to a Hussar Tank Depot, in Egypt during the war. They had some Big-wig come along for an inspection / visit. When the visitor's car hove into view down the road, the lookout yelled at the RSM, who was by the Guardroom door. After a quick couple of snap orders, the guys standing Gate-guard ran back into the Guardroom and disappeared. Simultaneously two other guys ran out of the GR with brooms and brushed the loose sand off the road, away from the Guard Post. They were followed, at a rather more sedate pace by two groups of men, each group with three men carrying a pristine armed Gate Guard, who was placed very gently at the recently cleaned Guard Post. Two more men appeared, behind the carrying group and when they had placed their Guard, the two set to work, armed with soft bristle art brushes - to remove any tiny spec of sand which might have had the audacity to ignore the RSM's instruction to be vanquished from any part of the uniforms of the Gate Guards. The whole process was, apparently, assisted by a congregation of RTR, who had gathered to learn how to obtain perfection view the proceedings. In the event, the VIP car didn't even slow at the gate and swept into camp, covering the pristine aforesaid Guards in a cloud of dust ..................... of course the assembled observers were quick to express their "appropriate sympathy" for the dust covered sparklers ..... Goodness knows how much paint their tanks carried!!

You found bolt heads??.......... There were very few on the Landrovers we got ............ maybe being a Snowdrop didn't really help there?? ...... Queen's Birthday parade, in Berlin, early 80s, one [brand new] Landrover got 4 repaints before the BSM was content with the finish. [berlin parade was similar to Horse Guards - but with the Horseguards replaced by Landrovers.]

Looking forward to seeing how much difference the extra 1/2" makes ........ ................................ at last - a positive Gov't statement on that extra size ....

I notice H&S have been to visit and the Orange Suits are now decorated with matching life jackets. J

Looks like they are digging where someone else dug a long while ago. Thanks for the pictures David J

Nothing like being confronted by a pair of 37s out in the sunshine!! J

.................. I was just thinking about those big grey stones, nicely painted yellow, so people don't walk into them in poor viz ............. ......................... but now I look closer, you are so right and very nice too. J

All those puddles might take longer than tomorrow to dry out, but your enthusiasm is really creditable - particularly given the weather forecast for the next few days. Ok ... looking forward to the green stuff growing, too. Nice one Marcus. J

WHAT!!! .....................!! .................. On a LAYOUT??? ..................!! ................. I thought they were destined for prime place on his Mantlepiece..... .... Ok, I'm looking forward to seeing it fitted too. J

I returned to my origins in N Staffordshire a couple of years back. During a few days visiting various places, it was very obvious that it was no longer totally occupied by black buildings, which, with pot-banks, pits and lots of coke plants, it had been in my youth. What also occurred, quite rapidly, was that very few had been sandblasted. Given a much reduced sooty atmosphere, nature was simply recovering all on it's own. Oddly, as the process was still under-way, it had the looks of the first application of black weathering on a model, before the remainder of the process had taken place - quite odd. J

Would that be the equivalent of "pistols at dawn" in UK time? J PS - good luck!! Shouldn't be too bad - after all, you are only trying to make a muck of the job!! ....... [Ok, now I do need the coat, hat and a convenient door.]

Now you just be calmer now ............... and don't go trying to hold your breath, for too long .......

Given the amount of grit, stones, sand and other debris they normally work in, is it likely that the salt will have a vast additional effect? J

Perhaps they are going to cement in some of the rocks, a bit like laying and glueing track ballast on a layout. J

BLIMEY!!! .......... two of Uum!! ...................... ......................... Fr... ........................... Fridge??? J

WHAT??? ...... call yourself some sort of a modeller ............. putting creature comforts before materiels for the layout ..... Whatever next - what a total disgrace to these posts ...... go and stand in the corner, until you can come and apologise properly ..... :jester: Apart from that - it seems to be coming along very nicely. :sungum: J

Plug in ........ switch on ....... Vrroom! ....... Va Va Voom!!

This is the sort of colour I saw. Not absolutely accurate, but the morning light isn't too bad. It was sort of cross between straw and a pale gold. DSC_0850 by Julian Redfern, on Flickr This one doesn't show much of the wagon, but gives a better look at the colour, in sun and also in shadow on the side. DSC_0852 crop by Julian Redfern, on Flickr Looking at the colour of the rocks/soil [very widespread for hundreds of miles, where we travelled], gives an idea of the dust which it seems they were collecting. J

I have a feeling that I may not be able to use the "new, replacement stock" excuse for very long. The ones I saw, in the US were quite new stock, so had a sort of gold{is} hue. It might be interesting to see if that is achievable. A gentle go with an air gun might get there. I want to do the coal, on PIR, with different shape piles and that might come along first. J Edit - wee = see ..........

Well ... 'ain't it a busy time .... Postie Knocks arrived at lunchtime today. Box of 5 and a single ... didn't think smokies could be bought like that any more. Box of 5 and a single. by Julian Redfern, on Flickr All individual numbers and straight from the manufacturer, hence the pristine look. Obviously their first coal load. I quite like the inner construction, which makes it easier to add foam and real coal loads. Box of 5 smoking materiel by Julian Redfern, on Flickr Interior by Julian Redfern, on Flickr Out with an SD70ACe for a rumble round Mountbagel. :sungum: Round Mountbagel by Julian Redfern, on Flickr J Edit - thing = think ... [should have done that when I was typing.]

Well, I was going to show you this. [it is video, but needs to be clicked to get it to work.] J94 Austerity by Julian Redfern, on Flickr However, I was running it in and noticed it was running with a front wheel dangling outside the outer rail ... hummm! Silly me, I thought and stopped Major General Errol, to tuck the offending wheels back on track and a slap on the wrist for being so clumsy. Having set the old fella for a jogg again, I noticed, shortly that he was hanging the front boots over the side again. A series of checks revealed where the old chap was slipping the boots over the side. [This is video too.] Boots off by Julian Redfern, on Flickr An examination of the rails revealed this ... Track join by Julian Redfern, on Flickr Anyone seen the fault yet? Well done, indeed. Of course ... it's the Fish Plate on the inside rail. Well fancy that now, assembled with more of the Fish Plate on the one rail [left hand one] than on the other. Unfortunately [depending on how you look at it] Bachmann put a spot-weld on their Fish Plates, so it wouldn't slide back to it's correct position. I know, I know, just what does that matter anyway, it isn't sticking up onto the wheel rim. ............ However ........... a look from the side revealed all. The rise at the end of the rail by Julian Redfern, on Flickr That's not much of a rise, "Bake-off" would be giggling and pointing in derision. The Fish Plate had displaced far enough to be over sleeper instead of the gap provided, Surprisingly it raised the rail join 0.4mm above the normal level, even when pressure was applied to the top of the rail. A quick Calliper on the old gent's rims, showed the welt on the boots to be only 0.5mm. Problem solved and the rail went back to the shop for the next visit of the Bachmann Rep's attention. I suspect they may have a quality control issue, as a number of these curved rails had their Fish Plates in the same position. J

Where's the "YEA!" icon?

...... Shun! ...... At the Double ... March! ......... lt - rt - lt - rt - lt - rt ..... ........... Alt! ........ Abooouuut Tan! ........ At the Double ... March! ........... lt - rt - lt - rt - ......................... Alt! ....... Abooouuut Tan! ....... At the Double ... March! ............... lt - rt - lt - rt - lt - rt ........... ............... ................. ................................ ................ and when they were only halfway up ................... ............. they stopped and had lunch ....... :sungum: