Chris hndrsn

Chen,

That is excellent, thank you.

Chris

Surely you guys mean Spin Mo, he will put the spin on anything.

But more importantly, we now know where the Star Trek creators pinched the Klingons forehead makeup from!

Chris

Some TV show, can't remember which.

When I looked it up, what they failed to say was the next one that lasts as long as this one. They also failed to say that it won't be visible in Australia.

 

Yes, that was the one.

Yesterdays lunar eclipse was the longest one for this century at about 100 minutes. The next time it will be that long is 2123, that is what the media were trying to say.

Yeah for some reason after ww2 the British army decided to revert back to putties. But they weren't the same as the pre war ones, they made them shorter, about a third of the length, the same size as the ones the commonwealth forces where using. I'm not really sure why they did this but they where still in use into the 80's I believe.

Apologies for continuing to drag this thread of the ModelU topic. Short puttees were used in hot climes by the British Army pre WW2, probably arriving via the Indian Army. The Brit Army introduced them to the rest of the Commonwealth by insisting commonality of uniform as they did with short gaiters.

Now i am going back to ModelU products!

I'll see what I can do next time I'm with Jack Chris! One point, as I'd like to label the figures correctly - would Sappers be the best term to describe the RE men that worked the line?  

Alan,

Sapper is the RE rank equivalent of Private/Gunner/Trooper/Signaller/Rifleman/Guardsman of other Corps and Regiments. I imagine, if the RE is anything like the RAE, all RE Other Ranks (Sappers to Staff Sergeant and no doubt their Warrant Officers and many officers) would very proudly collectively call themselves Sappers.

I believe that positions like Station Master were held by Warrant Officers, whilst mainline broad gauge Drivers would generally be Corporals or Sergeants, with Sapper or Lance Corporal Fireman. On the light Railways I imagine most of the Drivers were Lance Corporals, Corporals and an occasional Sergeants, with again Sappers and Lance Corporal Fireman on the steam engines.

My father is a former Deputy Director of the RACT here in Australia, when he graduated from officer training to the RAE, he did initital specialist railway operations and management training with the NSW Railways and then served in our last army railway unit, I will have a chat to him about it.

Keep up the great work.

Cheers,

Chris

Alan,

I would like to include one of my great-grandfather's in a vignette on my layout. How do I get one of your reenactors (about 44 yrs old, RE Captain, slim, 5'10") to pose as though they have fallen of a motorbike at a dock at Houplines, France in 1917? I suspect the compound fracture of the thigh bone will dissuade most actors and I wouldn't be able to afford a commision with the motorbike, all the bone prosthetics, fake blood and torn uniform. Damn, I will have to cut up some of your other figures.

Cheers,

Chris

Adding 4mm to the bottom of the structure has sorted the clearance.  This original entrance was quite tight for modern locos (the one of the left was a new, possibly GWR addition).

 

Thankfully didn't take as much as I thought to rectify and it's made me give more thought to track height in the works.   A side effect is that the windows are a little higher from the ground now, though I can live with that.

 

The cross section below assumes 5mm C&L foam base to recess the structure into, 1mm C&L wooden sleeper depth, and 3mm plasticard in the works to bring the floor up level with the rail. 

 

Normal service resumed.JPG

I have a theory as to a possible cause for this discrepancy - the original brick/ground level could have been lower.  In the 70s/80s the out-buildings would have been demolished and the ground cleared and then in the recent renovation the area covered in tarmac and pavements put in.  Ground level must be at least 2-3 bricks higher taking into account the asphalt and paving, hence my height measurements being out.  That's the theory anyway

Alan,

In addition to the other quite valid pints about damp course work being added later and the laying of tarmac over existing ground, your problem would have arisen because you, undestandably, didn't include mortar lines between the bricks. Seven or eight mortar lines would equal a brick height.

Cheers,

Chris

The WW1 figures do look good

When the US Marines started doing rotations to Oz in the 80's to work with the Royal Australian Regiment, they were warned about "Drop Bears".

They were a little bit dubious until one night a pair of Brawling possums fell onto a tent some of them were sharing.

Now possums have pretty fierce claws and can shred tents along with most other things, In the dark the Yank's first thoughts turned to Drop Bears and of course no one thought to tell them the truth....

Of course on returning home they perpetuated the story and the next load of Yanks didn't even need to be fed the Drop Bear warnings, they were already stressed about them on arrival.

I was in Spt Coy 8/9 RAR when our battalion hosted the first USMC exchange company for exercise Kangaroo 81. The other dangerous animal we told them about was the hoop snake, far more dangerous that the Inland Taipan, the worlds most venomous snake, or the Eastern Brown snake, the third most venomous snake, as the hoop snake could coil itself and spring into the air holding itself into a circle and roll after you downhill.

I believe the visitors to Tracks To The Trenches this weekend will be spoilt with "WDLR" figures. The modelu3d website teases with WW1 tabs/dead links, to WDLR figures along with British Empire troops. I am looking forward to them being available online.

Here is my attempt.  It is in Arial in 28 point white on black for a printer which can't print white.  Obviously if I could get someone to print white transfers it would be a lot better.  I've used the letter l instread of the 1.  Looking at all the photos it would appear that the letters were different sizes on different locos but this size seems average. Lettrers and numbers could be cut out separately and placed to suit tender length.

 

This thread may interest you: https://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/forum/case/873760/

Jon,

G'day, I thought my post may find you. I will PM you.

Cheers,

Chris

G'day all,

I realise I have probably put this in the wrong spot, Mods feel free to move it to the best spot. I have just been reading the Miniature Armoured Fighting Vehicle Associations forum and one of the article mentions seeing a demo of a Silhouette Portrait plotter/vinyl cutter for making parts, including a WW1 railway howitzer, at the Stevenage Model Railway Show in January. I was hoping the gentleman doing the demonstration was on RMWeb, as I think we could help each other, as I have a copy of Armstrong's manual with scale drawings of the railway howitzers.

Cheers,

Chris Henderson

Australia

Chen,

Thank you, unfortunately, the diagram did not attach to your post.

Cheers,

Chris

MRC recently introduced a direct WiFi module, that allows you to use mobile phone throttle apps (iOS & Android).

 

There's a Gaugemaster rebadged version too ( DCC05 Prodigy WiFi ).

 

http://www.modelrectifier.com/product-p/0001530.htm

 

http://www.gaugemaster.com/news/NEW-DCC05-Prodigy-WiFi

 

 

 

.

I note that there is no mention of MRC's Loco Genie on the WiFi module page. I don't think that is unusual, as the heart of the Loco Genie module on the locomotive is still a DCC chip and when on a DCC layout, without the Loco Genie remote, it would be getting commands through the rail. The question is whether the Loco Genie modules include a Bluetooth receiver, like the BlueRail/Bachmann EX-App modules, or that MRC Loco Genies are an infra-red device like older TV remotes.

The MRC/Gaugemaster Prodigy Wifi module would also seem to put a big dent in the Fleischmann/Roco Z21 market.

What ever the case, the MRC Loco Genie seems good for getting kids into remotely controlling their trains and in the transition to DCC and computer control. Both the BlueRail and Loco Genie methods also are great for those who want to be able to quickly do some shunting independent of their DC power pack or DCC system/throttles/computer control.

Cheers,

Chris

There's also a wifi based system WifiTrax.

 

The MRC Loco Genie throttle looks totally naff, by the way.

Thanks for the heads up about WifiTrax. I must agree about the Loco Genie remote, which is why in my email yesterday to them, I asked whether they will be producing a mobile phone app. But in MRC's defence they do aim at kids and the lower end of the market.

I suspect that the Loco Genie is a Bluetooth device, reading through the WifiTrax literature it isn't and requires a router, like the Z-21 system (without the cost!).

Cheers,

Chris

Most 3D prints have a poor to indifferent surface finish but modelu figures have a nice smooth semi-gloss finish. Why is that?

It isbecause of the material used, the ModelU fighures are produced from a liquid resin, whilst others are produced from a powder which is fused together.

I am surprised that MRC's Loco Genie hasn't been mentioned in this thread. It also operates in the 2.4Ghz band, but I am not sure whether it is a Bluetooth device, I will know when MRC answer my email in the next few days.

Cheers,

Chris

G'day all,

I am trying to find drawings, diagrams and photo's of the SNCB Type 40, 50, 57 and 58 locomotives that were transferred to the Belgian State Railways in 1919. I intend using the information to either scratchbuild examples of each, or create 3D prints, for use with Bachmann US chassis, in their original livery of the ROD.

I realise Jocadis used to produce examples of the Type 57 and the Type 50, but the cost for me is a bit eye watering when they do pop-up on eBay. 

I would greatly appreciate any help RMWeb members can provide.

Cheers,

Chris

I recently purchased some large and small oil can as well as slide jacks. I am amazed at the fidelity and detail on such small scale objects, that DLP printing and ModelU produces, no evidence of stepping or errors,  well done Alan 

Could the administrator please update RMWeb to use the secured hypertext transfer protocol (HTTPS) to help prevent hackers compromising the website and members passwords and email addresses. 

Cheers,

Chris hndrsn

Alan,

My order of lamps and civilians arrived safely here in Australia today, they are, as previously, simply superb. The ladies will look good standing out front of a WW1 French laundry where they are washing Australian/British uniforms. I look forward to buying more figures and accessories from your future projects. A pity you don't do WW1 military figures, there are a couple of unique scenes and imagine vignettes I would like to recreate.

Cheers, and thank you,

Chris

This one is from The Engineer, Dec 12, 1919, pages 581 and 590 regarding the work of the Gorton and Dunkinfield Workshops of the Great Central Railway where 3267 10 ton wagons were converted for use overseas. The magazine states:

 

Clearly wandered away from my "not taken from UK railways" objective!
 

Cheers,

Chris

Alan,

They are magnificent new figures, I will now have to immediately go and buy some.

Cheers,

Chris

I finally found something with the tremendous help of the NRM's Search Engine volunteers.

The Nasmyth Wilson Four Wheel Petrol Electric locomotives serial numbers LR 2001-2100 (Nasmyth Wilson Loco numbers 1144-1243) were made in two batches, the first batch of six locomotives were powered by 45hp Tylor petrol engines, whilst the second batch of 94 were powered by 38hp Dorman engines. All were fitted with British Westinghouse generators and electric motors, Clayton and Shuttleworth radiators and 40 gallon petrol tanks. They were fitted with 2'8" wheels and had a wheelbase of 5'6", weighed 7 tons and 10 cwt's and could negotiate a 15 metre radius.

For those interested the information is available at the NRM, 

I hope this helps anyone trying to model one of these and adds to the general historical understanding.

Cheers,

Chris