37501

I wonder if any modifications have been made to the axles and axle boxes of this new batch.... John

I have the Scaletrains SD40-3 and Hattons 66 in front of me now. The SD has long extended axles and the axle boxes have a deep hole which fits over the axle extension. A good clearance is provided on the side frames to allow the rotating axle box freedom of movement. Also, a packet of six spare axle boxes came with the loco. Difficult to get a photo which shows the axle extensions as they disappear into the side frames. Altogether a much superior arrangement. John

I have a Scaletrains SD40-3 ( rebuilt SD40-2 for CSX with upgraded electronics and a square cab) I will compare the rotating axle boxes on this with my Hattons 66 tonight. Again a six axle locomotive so the same issues with the centre axles. John

That’s good. Many thanks. John

Hi Cav and Alex, Is there any update on the arrival of the BBAs please? Really looking forward to these. John

I had a cab ride on 37262 at Kyle of Lochalsh when running round the stock of an SRPS railtour. Large Logo blue with small headlights. Must have been 1987. Happy days indeed. Large Logo would be my choice... John

Hi Simon and Baz, Many thanks for your information. I am beginning to think that the tape I have is too narrow. Will try some thin plasticard or cardboard. Best wishes John

Would anyone happen to know the dimensions of steel coils as carried on BAA type wagons please? I am interested in the smaller ones of which 4 are normally carried on each wagon. i have some very thin steel tape which would be ideal for making into OO scale coils. It is 14mm wide which equates to 3 foot 6 or just over a metre. I wasn’t sure if this was too small. Based on a ratio of width to maximum diameter, which I found on line, these could be up to 5 feet in diameter (20mm in OO) I am keen to load my Bachmann BAA wagons with 4 smaller coils, rather than the three large ones supplied. Many thanks John

Thank you for your update. Best wishes John

Good afternoon Cav and Alex, is there any word on when the BBAs will arrive please? Many thanks John

Very keenly awaiting the arrival of a rake of BBAs. Currently working on 37511 to add to my Thornaby fleet. Keeo safe and keep modelling. John

Hi Richard, Yes this is from DC Kits. I cannot remember what size the speaker is but it was a tight fit in the replacement fuel tank. John

Good evening modellers, I fitted the fuel tank speaker to a Heljan Class 27 and did not notice the replacement tank being any bigger. I did, however fit a protective cover of 0.4mm plastic card drilled out. The sound is very clear and loud. I would recommend this arrangement. John

Good morning, I have weathered my Q1 with a Matt slightly dusty appearance. This was a combination of washes, dry brushing and airbrush all using standard Humbrol enamel paint. Since weathering it about 4 months ago, grease from the gearing has given the chassis an oily sheen. The tender has real coal and a rusty top around the water filler. Footplate crew are white metal figures of unknown origin purchased on eBay. John

I really like the photo of Dumfries. Growing up there in the 1970s and early 1980s I remember that there was a raised single track for discharging a stone wagon on the opposite side of the main line from the goods yard. There was a single PGA wagon there on several occasions, ARC I think. I never found out which working dropped it off and picked up the empty. John

I would like to see another batch of the ICI Methanol TTA tanks. The first lot disappeared quickly and I haven’t seen any on eBay for a while. John

With regards to fitting a decent sized speaker, I recently fitted sound to one of the new batch of Class 27s. A well known supplier of very good sound decoders does a replacement fuel tank which contains the speaker. Easy to fit and the sound quality and volume are excellent. Might be worth checking if such a thing is available for a Class 33. John

I worked as a fitter at OOC HST depot for a few months in 1991 and was a regular traveller on the worker bus to and from Paddington. Always good when this was replaced by a Class 47 or on one Friday night, 56001. The passengers on a due to depart charter thought that this was their loco... On the early shift I and several others took the Greenford service which was a bubble car which stopped adjacent to the depot and the guard would allow us to climb down onto the ballast and dart across. Wouldn’t get away with doing that these days. John

I remove the wheels and brush on Humbrol enamel primer. Allow to dry overnight before brushing on a suitable colour, normally a mix of Matt Black and Matt Leather. Using a small brush ensures that the wheel tread remains clear of paint. I have made up an aluminium jig which allows them to dry with the wheel face horizontal. Best to wait until one wheel is dry before painting the other one on the same axle. I guess everyone has their favourite technique which works for them. Loco wheels can be done without removing from the bogie assembly as the wheels can be rotated by turning the motor flywheel by hand. John

I have a vague recollection of an early episode of the Bill which has a scene on the bank or road above Old Oak Common. There is a Large Logo Class 50 (50015 possibly) on the turntable. John

My 66756 looks and sounds great. It had shed an axle box (pun intended) but this was in the box so will be glued on in due course. Looking forward to giving it a light weathering but somewhat in awe of the fine details which will require a greater level of care with the paint brush. Something to keep me busy indoors at the present time. John

Thanks Chris, I will have a look for a J36 one. Best wishes John

Good morning to all, Could anyone suggest which TTS sound decoder would be the closest sound for a Southern Q1 loco please. Many thanks John

Wow, now you are talking... LL and BR blue for me please.

Good afternoon, Scrap can be made using any old plastic items from your scrap or spares box. Old pens, plastic packaging etc. Held in place with glue, painted with a brown colour enamel and dusted with rust coloured weathering powder. Paint selected items different colours to add a bit of contrast. Took a while to fill and paint 10 MBA wagons.... John