jrg1

Superb as usual. For very small holes that need t be opened out, jeweller's broaches are indispensable.

Reading of the use of fire irons, I believe that The Great Bear's cab roof was cut back as someone managed to jam an iron between the he roof and firebox. First class weathering on the Panniers, by the way.

Regarding RSUs I find that the crucial factor is selecting the correct solder paint. I use Carr's 188 paint with a London Road RSU.

Can we get back to modelling?

Thanks for the information. What effect does it have on plastic-ie Is it detrimental when blackening brass/NS components fixed to plastic?

The pipework looks fine Doug-don't forget that it was continually being stripped, bent, relaid and otherwise badly treated in service.

I think the Brassmasters Easychas and detailing kit would be a good starting point for the Hornby A4

The images of carriage roofs allegedly showing ribs look very much like welded joint rusting to me.

They were used on the Isle of Axholme, so getting closer to LB.

I have built a Raven Pacific chassis, and used Hornby "Steamroller" (No Flange) wheels for the sprung pony truck, as the wheelbase is so long. After reading the posts regarding bogies, I have decided to modify the bogie by moving the bogie pin towards the rear. Will see how this performs. I read that the grinding noise of the bogie wheels on the frame when running into Newcastle Central was a feature of these engines.

Additionally, a decent pair Jeweller's tinsnips are ideal for the brass and N/S work that modellers do, plus a modeller's notching press is useful if you are doing lots of straight metal cutting-these avoid distortion.

I have enjoyed following this thread. Reminds me of calibrating a Jidenco Claughton. I assumed the designer started by doodling in a puddle of beer.

1. Does it 'near enough' look like the prototype? 2. Does it 'work' like the prototype? By that I mean will it pull prototype-length/weight trains, often at high speed, without derailment (around daft curves), stuttering or jerking? 3. Is it easy to maintain, adjust and dismantle if necessary (RTR manufacturers please note)? 4. Is it the simplest solution for achieving points 1, 2 and 3? 5. (subjective, I admit) Is it my work? Having just this minute finished dismantling and re-assembling a Heljan Class 15's bogies to fit Ultrascale P4 wheels, I can endorse point 3 unequivocally.

The two photographs I posted were both dated 1955 for the heavyweight DMUs. The first one should be credited to Roy Harrison, who photographed many interesting railway byways in Lincolnshire. I am unsure of the provenance of the second image, which was taken to mark the first visit of a modern DMU to Lincoln. (The Paxman conversion and GWR railcar preceded this). The class 114 were originally all allocated to Lincoln, and became just as much a part of the local scene as the C12's and J6's before them. The photograph was taken in 1987, part of a record of the depot buildings, before they were re-purposed as part of the university campus. The top right shows Class 114s stored and waiting to be moved for scrap. As with Clem, I would like an RTR model of the class, as any layout depicting Lincolnshire between the fifties and eighties would be bereft without them.

At least the Labour government rejected Beeching Mark 2, which would have seen whole areas of the UK denuded of lines. Beeching always said that the government did not go far enough.

Lincoln also had the original Derby Lightweight units. Wonderful news about Retford. when I visited Roy Jackson and Geoff Kent some years ago, Roy opined that the layout would have to be scrapped after he died. I think he was pulling my leg; anyway I said it should be somewhere like the Science Museum as an exhibit and teaching aid for what the steam railway was.

Just when it couldn't get better.....................Have you thought about sanding back and finishing off with either thin handkerchief cloth or tissue paper glued to the roof to simulate canvas?

I was working on the North Sea and some inane Radio 1 Jockey played "Imagine". He said "John Lennon Number 1 again-December (1980) has been a great month for him".

I was on a southbound train from Aberdeen shortly afterwards-it was rather unnerving to see the ground churned up all the way to a bungalow, and the side of the house gouged out.

Yes-the GCR girder bridge, a redundant asset scrapped and then a replacement needed for the tram network. Nottingham Midland was a fascinating place in steam days, and lost all it's charm and character with rationalisation.

Working on 16CSVTs is an experience I will never forget.

Coil springs can be unreliable. An article in MRJ by the builder of North Shields substituted medical rubber sheet discs for springs

Any information on the V2? It looks as though the boiler is on a wagon-possibly going for scrap.

I assume that 3D printing will continue to improve in quality and decline in price. So it would be an ideal medium to produce limited runs of a class such as the A2/2's with all the various differences-perhaps with the producer crowd funding proposed variations?

I had 3D printed walls produced. The wall sides and ends did not have chamfers to fit together, and I tried to mill them. The result was a mess. The material is extremely brittle, and I had to carefully use a suitable file to finish off the 45 degree angle.