Loconuts

The answer to that question is no not now, the stock and locos are too fragile and bits have a tendency to fall off in transit. I am taking the same view as you, a fixed layout and the stock goes on it and stays on it. Also a lot of British modelers use Peco track and the MMI Locos and San Juan stock will not go through the switches, hence the reason I did not join in with the SGC module group. We have a Canadian in the Bearwood group who is working to the same standard as myself but he lives in Somerset so is still a fair way to travel. As you are a 7mm modeler with an exhibition layout (Dock Green) you know all about standards and building to them. The same goes for the American layout. The NMRA publishes standards which can be downloaded, these cover wheel, track and coupling standards, well worth getting. There are two 0n30 standards, one covers what you are doing and the other covers the standard I am working to. But based on advise I have received by very experienced modelers on the other side of the pond is stick to one type of coupler and not mix or match. John

How can you get stuck down the pub, did you take some PVA with you and smeared it on the seat?

Hi Chaz It is the former, all mine are set to 0n3 height as my stock can run on 0n30 and 0n3 being mainly San Juan, AMS and MMI. I chose 0n30 as there are not too many 0n3 layouts in this country. John

Your telling me, I have converted all my stuff to Kaydee's. But I am using the 0n3 knuckle rather than the HO. John

Hi Chaz I have found in my experience that it is best to stick to one brand of coupler. The Baccy couplers are loose in the mounting box and tend to hang down. Also if you are going to manual uncoupling you do not need the tails as they are only useful for magnetic uncoupling. The coupling properties are dependant on the face of the coupler pulling the cars together when under tension. So if you mix the couplings the angle on the two faces may not match and will tend to uncouple. The AMS coupling is notorious for this. A little bit of graphite dust on the working parts of the knuckle works wonders, this needs to be done on a regular basis dependant on use. I would also get a Kaydee height gauge to check to coupling height as having them all at the right height helps with reliability. John

Is rule 1 the big bang theory? Because those ladies are heading for one.

Hi Leigh Just remember you will only be able to bring back £300 worth, not like the EU. Also remember your luggage weight of 20Kgs. But I still say lucky you for being able to go if Mr Trump lets you in!!!!!!! I wanted to go to Colorado later this year for the Railroads but the management thought replacing the windows and doors would better. John

Hi Leigh If Chaz does not wish to part with the Snow Plow it is available from PSC castings. It is the C&S version, I could dig out my PSC Catalogue and get the number. EDM Models stock PSC Castings and although may not have in stock could obtain it for you. Check with Paul Martin. John

Time for pub, it is Sunday Lunch.

All the pictures I have show FR with a belpaire firebox post WW1. There is a superb photo of her on Oxford shed in the early 1920's complete with half cab and coal scuttle bunker in the GWR Loco shed, London Division book by Wild Swan. She still had a polished brass dome and safety valve bonnet plus a copper cap chimney. When I worked for MOD there was an old chap who used to clean our offices by the name of Ted Jacobs and it was his job to clean FR when he started work on the GWR as a cleaner.

Another excuse to visit the ale house, honest guv it is only medicinal.

Chaz Did Sue get you the team of six mules to haul the cart? Making the wheels go round should be very easy as the wheels had a conical shaped hub on the outside, if you make some and glue/solder them to the axle leaving the wheels free to rotate. Visitors have gone leaving a day and a half of Depot building time before we trek of to Essex for a few days. John

I chose the same Tamiya paints for my Ophir Depot as they were a close match to the RGS and D&RGW building colours in the later period. Your Depot is coming on well, wish I could get some more modeling time in but I have been tied up with Christmas chores, rather have Christmas on my own with no visitors, "Bah Humbug" John

Constructive Criticism is considered a negative attitude by todays PC crowd, best to keep your thoughts to yourself if you are "old school".

Having seen Chaz's work in the flesh today I can say it is better than the photos and all I can say is that I am sorry it will not be appearing at a show near anyone. The only criticism is that the loft hatch is a bit tight. I think I need to diet.

Not the last time I looked at my shirt label, he buys ready to run which is not for my thing.

They are redundant now since a certain person was banned.

Was not trying poop on your parade, just trying to throw some facts into the going 'O' Scale British SG. One thing I did not mention which many of my life long 'O' Scale friends have is retirement. Many have sold up and gone 4mm scale due to down sizing their houses and the pensions they receive. Read Gerry Beales article on his decision to go back to 4mm scale which appeared in the MRJ a couple or three years back. His reasons are exactly the same as those I mention. You state you have ordered a 57xx, what is your next RTR GWR loco going to be. A Heljan 61xx? That is the next 'O' scale 7mm model coming out and that is a lot of loco for a tank loco. It is basic common sense, work out the logistics before you leap. Time to stop hijacking someone else's topic.

Be careful, British 'O' scale will not remain cheap with a container load costing double it did last year. Compared to US models what has been produced for the British market has been a drop in the ocean and the question is can it be sustained. One manufacturer is going to suffer due to the duplication of a 57xx a model that there has been a very good kit for. Not very clever. Of course the recent announcement of forth coming 'O' scale models has got a frenzy of modelers building 'O' scale models of the ECML to run their full scale length trains of Teaks with one or other Pacific. One big problem, hands up who have a very large room to build such a layout, we are talking about 50 foot by 15 foot at the minimum. I modeled 'O' scale for 30 years and ended up with a space of 33 Foot by 9 Foot which was only big enough for GWR branch terminus with fiddle yard. If I wanted bigger I had to venture into the garden and that costs a lot of money and a lot maintenance. Also at the moment only a few RTR models in 'O' scale have been announced but are not as yet available plus there is not enough stock available limiting what you can build. The only people who can build something at the moment are the diesel fanatics with offerings from Heljan and Dapol but that does not float everyone's boat. If you dive into 'O' scale be warned it is still very much a builders scale bordering in the model engineering and if you are not prepared to build then have plenty of wonger at your disposal. A couple of ready to run locos does not make an 'O' scale layout

Did not have you down as a toy boy

Chaz The Generator should just pull off, no need to cut it off. It does need a bit of wangling to get it off. Mount it just in front of the cab and do not forget to modify the steam supply pipe. The exhaust pipe should then be a straight pipe with a slight kink towards the cab and not the thing that Bachmann supply. It does look better with the head light bracket mounted on top of the boiler, headlights and brackets (C-16) are available from PSC which Paul supplies. Also do not forget the marker lights, again PSC castings. Further improvement is replace the chimney with a C-16 one, again PSC castings. John

There was some Loo paper that used have the same effect.

Chaz, I have two Baccy 2-8-0's which I want to get rid of. One is brand new and both have Digitrax sound decoders in. As usual they are both nice runners. E-mail me if you are interested. I did Bearwood this morning and then some more work on the Depot, a productive day. John

Cheaper than a gym. John

That sounds like self inflicted hard work. Checked out the foot print for the Ophir depot building on Verwood Creek and it fits a treat, no track modifications needed to give clearance. Still got to find how to hide the brick buttress that sticks out into the Depot, might look at doing a low relief warehouse with a feeder track. John