Mike 84C

I always struggle to get my head around extra vac; reservoirs, extra tanks full of ?? nothing!! yes I do understand the concept but still !!

I was there on Sunday and as is often the case Tony was very busy!! Good to see him promoting our hobby. The morning was busy but by early afternoon people seemed to be drifting away which made looking at layouts much easier. As always a good show and one I try to attend. The organizers deserve congratulations!

Just a word of caution to any of our group thinking of installing solar panels. Do your research into your system supplier very carefully. Although our system is working well and long may it continue to do so, our supplier ceased trading and we now find that the certifying body has cancelled their/our insurance against defective workmanship etc; because our supplier was not registered and used the certifying body's logos etc. We are just starting to formulate a plan so we can find out our options. I'll post if it gets on Watchdog!! but its rather wild west out there!

Our IHU worked brilliantly for about six months, now its little radar icon is flashing and its waiting for information. Its a very long wait! Octopus seem totally disinterested. Good job the ap says all is well and our credit is mounting!

I'm looking at a 0-4-0t wks No 748 called Nori and owned by Accrington Brick and Tile. Is there a kit or a printed body available for this loco? and what type/design is it please?

I wonder if Sheene will be able to re-write the series when the same thing happens at Scunthorpe? And just to keep a railway related thread going that's the plant that rolls railway track since the closure of Whitehaven.

I do agree with the comments "that its like the wild west" vis; solar panel/system fitting. I did explore the Solar Together option but it doe's/ is not available here in Lincolnshire and that was definately true a year ago when we kicked this ball into play. Our system has reduced our energy bills by at least half, I think an average of £20 pw is not bad for winter and that's gas and leccy. Our system cost approx; £12.5k but I think a payback of 8/10years is probable. Its the warranties, in case of problems that concern me.

Question chaps, have any of you had the experience of your Solar system supplier subcontracting your fitment to another company who is not a member of HIES consumer code. The first company ceases to trade, this is the one you have paid for your system, and then HIES who are the governing body for the industry contact you and tell you all your guarantees are null and void. This because neither company was a member of HEIS even though all the paperwork is headed as if they were. Discuss !! 😰 Although notwithstanding the above our system is working well!! long may it continue!

The lack of preventative maintainance is everywhere, I live in rural Lincolnshire , our village never used to flood, done it twice this winter. The drainage boards and the EVA only fire fight cleaning dykes when the water has overtopped. Most organizations that deal with these sort of problems are not fit for purpose. And I do understand about cutting budgets. There is no joined up thinking and only political short termism. An instance, there is a proposal for North Lincs to have a depositry for nuclear waste , who in their right mind would build such a thing on land which is only 30/40 ft and probably less, above sea level. Fill of materiel with a radioactive life of thousands of years. I 'm sure I read that if global warming melts the polar ice caps sea levels will rise about 40ft so what happens to all the monitoring of the radioactive stuff? Glad its not my problem but why should our grandchildren have to deal with this stuff when with planning and forethought the outcomes could be much better and I could go on about solar farms, digesters, energy crops and the third world roads we drive on around here. Rant over!

Thanks for your reply Mark. I wonder if prints are at the vagaries of Shapeways! I did think about asking the author if it could be printed in resin but the to do stack is just too large so maybe later. Please keep posting your progress as its a very unusual subject.

I and a group of us at our Sleaford (Lincs) club show our layout Bantry. It does not look very foreign but it does not get the interest that British layouts get, even though it runs well, engines chuff and diesels toot. The main interest comes from people who have visited Bantry and recognise some of the remaining railway features or did'nt know there had ever been a railway to Bantry! I'm always surprised by how many have been to the area.

Hello Mark, how was your Clayton body for striations and general "fuzziness"? One of the guys on Irish Railway Modellers built one and was not very happy with the overall finish. Niles of this parish has built quite a few printed bodies and they seem to need a lot of filling and rubbing down. Rather put me off! and I also like the look of the Claytons. Mick

At Bescot all the 350hp shunters were called Jocko's. Diesels were Type 1/2/4,EE/Brush/Cromptons +the Number. At Banbury an LMS engine was an ellofamess 5/8 or heaven forbid a 4f, WD's were Austerties + the Number. Western engines were 38's 49's,69's you get the picture!

Limescale "staining" is much more of a deposit than a stain which sets very hard! And is difficult to remove I have not tried it but maybe a dusting of talc would give the right "feel"?

Clean engine crew on a J11, must be a Monday, as Monday was always clean ovies day.