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Hello Brian, I have used this on Brass. Just make sure it is perfectly clean first.

Hi Iain, I'm not sure what livery you will be painting these rather nice looking coaches, but if it involves panel lining, you may find it easier to leave the door vents off until after painting and lining, as they can get in the way of the bow pen. Regards, Geoff

There is also a manual crossing on the ECML on the road between Etton and Marholm. It is very often a long wait though.

22.86 pages per month, or 39.2 pages per week

It is a D1719 semi open first. It is pre Stanier. The coach was built and painted by Brian Flanagan, then passed to me for lining, and then passed back to Brian for varnishing and finishing. Brian has made an excellent job of this, and in particular, the interior, with tables laid ready for dinner.

You are correct, the 0-6-0s are Craftsman, and the 4-4-0 is London Road Models. This is the only kit still available. They were all built by John James.

I am not sure what kits the 4-4-0 and the 0-6-0s originate from, I will ask the owners and let you know. I delivered all four this morning down to the south coast.

Hi Jesse, Glad you are happy with the loco. From memory, I think I gave it a very light blow over with a toning weathering mix (similar to the mix I put on the other A2, but a much lighter blow over), but as you know it is far easier to add more than take it back off! However, it seems quite a long time ago now, or should I say a lot of paint has flowed through the airbrush since then!

Been there, done that. (Racing on the Isle of Man, not driving to Preston)

For the rods, try a mix of Humbrol Metalcote Polished Steel, and no 9 Gloss Tan. Brush it on, then at least 24 hours later, polish it up with a cotton bud. It really brings it to life. For wheels, I tend to give a light spray over with a similar mix of what I have used on the body, specifically a mid brown and matt black, mixed 1:2, and plenty of thinners.

I would confirm this is in the down direction, and I also agree with the area being between Romford and Gidea Park. The fast lines are on the south side after the flyover between Manor Park and Ilford take the slow lines from the south side to the north. Also, after Romford, there is quite a long straight run.

Hi David, I could not see if you had received a reply on this yet, so I thought I would offer my view points: I would suggest removing the solder that has crept through before painting, otherwise it will result in a lumpy finish. I use a scraper, especially for this process, and this gets into the corners nicely. I would suggest the instructions are referring to the part of the roof below the gutter that locates inside the coach body, in each corner. You only need to remove about 1mm on each corner, and it just helps to clear any solder obstructions in the corner joints of the body. If you want the roof permanently fixed, which would add to the strength of the body assembly, then glue is the only option. I would probably use rapid araldite. However, my preference is to make the roof bolt on, but this is more work, and requires additional tools and materials. I attach a photo of my cleaning tools (one of Tony's photos taken for the book). The scraper is on the left. I think I got this from Eileen's Emporium.

It has been very interesting reading the various comments started by Tony talking about when the hobby becomes the day job. I have been full time at this for five years now, and like Tony, I came from the classroom. I started with a view to providing a complete service, ie building, painting and lining, but I have reached the stage where the lead time for a build is longer than I would like, so I am now receiving more painting and lining jobs. A number of the clients for whom I build often give me another kit or two, each time I pass them a completed project. Whilst I therefore have a rather full work load, I do enjoy the way of life. I can start as early as I like, without the need to travel to and from a place of work, or I can go for a cycle ride first. I also like to bake, so occasionally I will get something in the oven between tasks in the workshop. There are some very entertaining programmes to listen to on BBC sounds, and I get through a number of jazz programmes during the week. It has to be music whilst spraying, but it can be a drama or a comedy whilst lining or building. I also quite often have the phone on hands free. When friends or clients call, they are generally concerned about taking up time and stopping me from working. Unless I am spraying, for the most part, it is easy to chat whilst working. Handing over the finished models is normally a very rewarding part of the process, which I try to do face to face, as I like to see the client's reaction. I am fortunate to have a number of clients, and they are virtually all very patient. I will not rush something, and will redo something until I am happy with it. One thing that caused me stress whilst teaching was not getting enough time to do some modelling. By making it the day job, that issue was instantly solved! It is fair to say that I have a number of my own kits that are partly built, or yet to be started, and will not be touched in the immediate future, but I am happy working on other peoples projects. As such, I have encountered a variety of liveries and models that I would not otherwise have encountered.

Nice job Tom. You should be able to get much of the way round the cab front with the bow pen, leaving just the end parts to do with the brush.

At one stage I was borrowing a CD from my brother to see if I could get into it. It did rather sound like a record that had got stuck. I will have to ask what it actually was.