john new

That's good news, thank you. Coaches that may be inaccurate but look the part.

That no tax paid on exports was what I was told re the Canadian Atholl I mentioned above, but gets charged if you bring it back, luckily I'd asked the question before buying.

It got knocked off again and is probably now lost being so small. Although none of my industrial books show it the on-site mod as above is going to be done on mine; factory example livery or not.Thanks for the link.

You open the smoke box door on the B1 to fit in the batteries!

I see from Simon Kohler's interview in Rly Mod that the clerestories will be the more recent flat-siders. Is that also the case for the Railroad option? If yes disappointing as the older style looked good in teak (I have two) and was hoping they might get re-released sometime too?, It's the accuracy -v- atmosphere debate again as, personal opinion, the 3D relief (even though overscale) added to the GWR versions too; the newer never look quite right as to my eyes they look like lined out steel stock not a wood panelled and beaded item.

Having already knocked the whistle off my Hornby Peckett (glued back) and almost the same on the safety valve rods I was wondering if in the real world users also had the same problem of vulnerability to these parts being clouted by swinging crane arms, from working under loading hoppers and the like and added locally fitted extra rails, guard sheets etc. Any photos of real world examples, even if on other industrial types, welcomed as my model needs them if I am going to run it regularly as it has to be stored off the layout and the layout put away between running sessions.

One obvious unless using settrack. If you spray before flexing the flexing would disturb the paint and if doing build it yourself track a paint layer would hinder either gluing or soldering. As an aside most people seem to use a PVA/water mix which then gets onto the rail. That makes a primer for using water based paints so possibly a cheap option for track grubying albeit any form of brushwork takes longer than spray. Just some thoughts, the track one I haven't done but have weathered stock using a pva/water base. Has been long lasting although some now needs redoing after about 20 years!

That makes sense with my memory, it was an export Canadian livery Atholl I was after at the time but didn't buy. At the time I could have afforded the loco but (from memory) the importation taxes and carriage would have roughly doubled the cost. Sadly I never did get one of them. A fair while back now so the rules may well have changed. An unrelated problem with ex-USA imported 2nd hand goods, a rare book described as in good condition by vendor which arrived with the both the leather covers ripped off, has soured me from such dealings. I suspect the covers possibly went during customs checks but the repairs cost me roughly what I'd bought it for to have it professionally rebound! Problem with rarities is that when you've spent a year or two tracking a copy down you don't send it back.

A general observation on HD Imports. There may still be a weird tax added here by U.K. customs on HD imports from overseas as tax wasn't paid domestically when they were exported originally. Has stopped me buying locos in the past for re-import but obviously will be only be a small £ value on track even if HMRC spot what it is.

I think when I was using my HD regularly all I did was slightly open up the standard PECO code 100 ones using a small flat blade screwdriver, then force them on with open nose pliers. The other rail then becomes a force fit too. Missing fishplates was never an issue I had a problem overcoming. Nickel silver is soft and the size difference minimal.

Comparing the sheet in the link (thank you for that BH) it appears the red and black are correctly attached to both power bogies but then diverted away from the suppressor/brushes connection into the DCC controller card and spliced into/connected to the red and black controller card leads instead. Grey and orange then connect back from the card to the suppressor and brushes. On the DCC card to plug lead the four corresponding wires have been cut - red, black, grey and orange. Seems a right bodge, and even as a non-DCC modeller, I can't see why anyone would cut the wires like that, having presumably at some point DCC fitted it, rather than just taking out the controller card if not carrying on using a DCC chip. My plan is to remove the DCC controller connections completely and put the black & red leads back to the supressor and brushes with black and red reset as per the wiring diagram. Job now done. Thanks for the help. As an aside, my other Hornby Cl 25 is the head code light fitted version. When were the headcode boxes changed from alpha/numeric to a plate with the two white lights? The plate/lights header option is more versatile than having what would be a wrong 4 digit headcode up.

Have you tried the RCTS? Their Observer Journal may have items of relevance, ours is more on the technical side than theirs. Horses for courses.

Like the industrials, steam and diesel. Disappointed they've introduce the big ex-Lima Cl 66 but not the ex-Lima Cl 20 although, as one is coming from someone else, albeit not at Railroad prices that is understandable. Most of the rest, good models but either won't fit a small layout or I've already got one of the one's I would buy.

One of my daughters now lives in a house on what was the Market Weighton station site.

Before I disconnect anything I will be trying to find a service diagram.

I bought a settrack LH point at Warley. It has had to be be well bodged to get the blade contacts reliable. Basically. It is now a plastic frogged live frog point with just about everything cross bonded. One thing I note is the little tabs on the blade ends are missing and the joint from moving to fixed blade is very thin compared to my earlier purchases. Is this just a bad build or has the spec’ changed? If changed may buy Hornby in futture instead. This one was hopeless, no consistent electrical through connection without forcing the blade to connect.

I have always found that the thud is an extremely useful audible confirmation the point has thrown.

My philosophy is if it looks to me like a representation of what it is supposed to be I don't give a tinkers cuss if it's a few mill out. The key is looking ok from normal viewing distance. Your layout Clive has that atmosphere, like the old Sherwood Section had, because even without the scenery you are filling in the blanks, it isn't a random DMU it is a service to wherever. Atmosphere is what matters and, as looking back at old magazines shows, that is as much down to operations as scenics and scale fidelity. It is why my annual calendar is always one of railway posters, and why the train picture on my wall is a repro' Cuneo not a photo. Others take a different view and MRJ proves there are Modellers who can do it in cruel close up, that said there are a some beautifully modelled, very accurate, totally boring layouts on the exhibition circuit - build quality first class - draw power as an overall spectacle poor as total persuit of scale fidelity has somehow ignored the overall picture. The individual parts don't make a successful whole. It takes a modeller with an eye for atmosphere, plus top quality skills, to get it right on both counts. Gordon Gravett is one of those, I know I am not.

I am currently doing the same, i.e making a layout out of the bits and bobs lying around, although I will need to buy point motors. Was planning to just use the 15v AC output from my Gaugemaster Combi as there are only four points on the layout and all are singles, changed one at a time. (No route setting with multiples) Thanks for the tips above giving confirmation of needing a CDU as I wasn't sure I needed one with single points. Will have to see what is still inside the control panel box from the last layout (Now scrapped) before buying one as I haven't stripped that out yet.

I think Gaugemaster have lifetime guarantees, although I have never needed to activate a claim on it. May be a case of send them the duff one and get a replacement back.

Now back home from Christmas break so can give the book/page reference for a prototype. Burntisland British Aluminim yard. Class 24 in the yard alongside a Peckett. Framing of the shot suggests the part of the yard photographed resembles a mini-layout. See p137, Industrial Steam Album by M J Fox and G D King. Ian Allan 1970. Can't post scan of the actual photo as not my copyright.

Thanks guys. Will probably remove the 'extras' as suggested and run it as a simple. Not anti-computers in any way as use them extensively for other tasks but DCC seems far more complicated to set up than analogue and as I don't want sound not worth the investment and learning curve.

As you can see it has a sort of electronics processor (DCC controller? decoder) plus an 8 pin plug which I assume is what the loco specific chip would go on if it was DCC chipped goes into a socket on a DCC ready loco. (Blanking plug needed for DC/analogue running) This section updated due to more knowledge on 17th March. The visible side of the motor is red connected as is the pick up on the bogie wheel this side. Black is connected to the motor frame. The suppressor(?) has the orange and grey wires coming off it and a number 104. Hope this helps. (Edit - Photo now loading)

Thanks guys, a home made bodged in DCC set up does look plausible. Will post a photo shortly to help.

The links from the Pinterest feed are worth looking at as, for just one example, there is a rare photo of the outside of Easton Station. Most published photos are of the platform side.