Loconuts

Some of the tooling is in the hands of ABS Models so there is no chance of seeing them again.

True, I was disappointed when I saw 'Hursley' in the flesh having seen all those marvelous and realistic photos in the MRJ. As Andy York will testify you can do a lot with a photo and taking great care composing the shot makes it. If you take Mudmagnets excellent photo of his diesel depot one or two things let it down. One is the sheen on the cabs of the loco's and the other is the background in the top right of the picture. I have noticed that a lot of photos of model diesels have that plastic sheen on the roof area. As modelers many of us are not photographers and the thought of composing pictures does not come naturally, I am just the same with what few pictures I take ending up with photos I would not dare to publish here. But my son, who's hobby is photography and knows how to compose pictures, has done a photo using a Willys Jeep abandoned in a field of static grass. If he still has the photo I will get him to publish it here. His background was real trees taken in the New Forest and the whole lot was photo shopped together. Loconuts

Have a look at this for realism http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/27770

For how much longer for with all these anti drinking crowd coming up with these stop drinking campaigns which seem to happen every month. With lots of pubs going out of business every week they need support

That's more like it, I was getting cheesed off with all those ugly shaped box things, so common. Loconuts

You are all looking the wrong way, the old Triang Dean Single and Caley 123 would beat them all if you could get them to stay on the curves. Loconuts

It depends on what zone the layout is based in, there are some parts of the States that has a climate similar to the UK and many parts of Northern Europe but other parts are very different. Take the Southern States and the most common tree is the cotton wood, northern areas near the Canada border and mountainous areas we have conifers and aspens (Colorado). Desert it is a different story. The States has many climate zones and one needs to research the zone your layout is set in. Mara Harbour is right for its zone, east coast where they have sea fogs that bring moist air to the land and a temperate climate, very much like Cornwall UK. However similar conditions occur on the west coast but there they have conifers like the Redwood. Try this site http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/regional-guide-native-trees or http://www.treeremoval.com/us/guide-to-trees-of-the-united-states/#.V-Koh_ArJdi. There are a lot of sites that will give information to the flora of the States. Loconuts

You can turn a 57xx into a 27xx. I done one with a Vulcan 57xx. Loconuts

I have found you need belt and braces if the layout is going to shows, so everything gets a track feed, frogs and all. Do not need motorise point switches, the Blue manual ones work equally well. I only switch the power to the frogs with permanent power using link wires to the blades. I have also just discovered the servo motor switch machine produced by Gaugemaster (Cobalt Analog) which retails at £13 pounds, £3 pounds less than the usual Tortoise switch machine (£16). I get these Gaugemaster units from Track-Shack who provide a excellent next day service. There is also a cheaper version available. Loconuts

I think you guys are missing the point behind the Oxford Rail marketing strategy regarding their models. It is very obvious that they are aiming these models at the collectors market and not at the precision end of the market. they dropped several clangers with the Radial and now are going to do the same with the Dean goods. Oxford Rail are going to use these models as platforms to produce various liveries and the collectors will be happy to buy them, they do not care if the firebox is the wrong shape or if the smokebox door and the cab is wrong as long as the price is right and it comes in various liveries they are happy and yes if it looks roughly like a Dean goods or Radial. I am waiting to see if Oxford Rail are going to produce the Radial in Southern livery with two sets of safety valves on as they have shown in the announcement of the loco. Loconuts

Hi Chaz You should not keep going away on holidays. Loconuts

I started taking the RM in September 1959 and stopped taking it in the early 1970's because I had outgrown it. It was in those days a useful stepping stone for getting into the hobby but as your interest in the hobby grew the information in the RM ceased to have any interest, I progressed onto the MRC and then the MRN. So when those two magazines ceased publication there was a big hole left, this the MRJ filled when it came along. The present publications are all very much the same these days except for the MRJ and that is because the hobby has changed from those early days, your model railway now comes in a box and very few people build now so there are less construction articles in the magazines. Now we have the various forums on the internet plus magazines so a variety for all. I built my first scratch built 7mm scale loco using the words and music from a series of articles published in the MRN by John Harrison and my first items of rolling stock thanks to the excellent articles in the RM by Bob Essery. As to publishing the drawings of CJF, I would think would be a backward step as they had lots of errors and not enough detail to make a model. As I got more into my own research I soon realised the short comings of these drawings. Loconuts

​I have been working with styrene since the 1960's, a very useful material however it has some tenancy to curl when laminated particularly when different thickness are used. Can I suggest that the laminations are built up on a thin aluminium sheet especially if the doors are in the open position. I noticed that you used a thin sheet of styrene on the open doors with thicker laminate strips, these will warp with time. Also when using MEK or any other type of solvent weld on Styrene make sure the room is well ventilated or use a simple fume hood. I made one up out of thin ply with a fan mounted on the exit end and some cooker hood flexible ducting which I poke through a open window. The whole thing is clamped to a frame mounted on the rear of the bench. It is not pretty but it will save your life. I also use this hood when spray painting models not only for the removal of fumes but also to keep dust from the newly painted surfaces. i had a friend who died of liver cancer caused by use of solvents in a non-ventilated workshop so let there be a warning. Loconuts

You sure those tanks cars will not have rusted through by the time Warley comes around? Brilliant modelling Loconuts

Just give me my mallet and vernier and I will make it fit. Loconuts

A very good effort from Oxford Rail although the period of the model is in its final build it would not have sported the fully lined livery as shown. It is a superheated version as preserved and to do the fully lined version the smoke box needs to be the flush riveted with the ringed and dished smoke box door. Again cab cut-outs varied between the class. This final build did appear in several unlined liveries and may have received a lined livery in BR black, but to that I cannot be certain. We have the pre-1923 green, the post 1923 green, war time black and BR black. It cannot be made into an outside framed version as the wheel spacing is all wrong, without looking at a drawing of the outside framed version, I believe the wheel spacing is equal + equal. I know that the chassis under the old K's model was different to their inside framed version. But on the whole a very good effort which should keep the RTR boys happy. Loconuts

I have a contact who has the official GA of the Dia 555 brake tender and if they would like to PM me I will give them a contact email address. Clive Mortimore and Porcy Mane might find this is of use. My contact also has a GA of the Gresley standard 8'6" wheelbase bogie as used on Dia 555. Loconuts

In the photos shown on 728 (toboldlygo) the water scoop on the tender seems to be a bit low to a level that would cause a problem on points. If this is a push in item it would be worth checking to see if it has not come loose during transit. The scoops on GWR tenders are not that low and the one on the manufacturers photos do not show it that low. loconuts

Good to see the Irish getting in at last. However it looks as though the brake lever arm is in the on position in the Cad compared to the photo at the head of this topic. All the best with the project. Loconuts

The problem with the Back to Back could be the same as experienced with the Mainline models. The stub axle was pressed into a blind hole in a plastic muff which compresses the air in the hole. if there is no where for the air to escape it will provide a force on the stub axle forcing the axle out of the muff. To solve the problem requires drilling of a small cross hole through the muff to enable the air to escape. Loconuts

Good to see you back, have something to look forward to when I click on this site again. Loconuts

It is relevant, depends if it is a buyers or sellers market dictates the price. Mass produced RTR items will not fetch high prices say against a Beeson or a Chris Wesson 7mm model. It also depends on whether you are a collector or modeller, collectors will pay the higher price compared to the modeller. At a recent auction of a collection of 7mm scale models and Live Steam Locos the 7mm scale models were fetching more than the Live Steam Locos of which there were some very nice examples but the owner had some big named 7mm models and the 7mm buyers were at the auction and not the Live Steam fraternity. ​I say just enjoy your hobby while you can as you will not benefit or care after your time is up. Loconuts

Not being an expert on this matter I would like to say i built some four by two boards some 15 years ago, these are still in use on the new layout. The boards were made using quarter inch ply with 2 inch by 1 inch (PAR) around the edges, glued and screwed, a central cross brace with two diagonals in opposing directions. Not one has warped in the 15 years. they were all given a coat of varnish before work began on laying track. I would add that these boards have never been in a centrally heated environment, but have been housed in a garage or summer house. Also the framing timber is well seasoned, I tend to purchase my timber well in advanced and store it for a couple of years which allows it to dry out. Loconuts

I think the fine tipped bottle is one used by electronic cigarette users for filling their vape pipes. I have a couple here which I purchased from our local electronic cigarette shop in Boscombe. It is a squeezable plastic bottle with a very thin metal tube in the end for applying small amounts of glue, very useful. Loconuts

I am confused, when has the Lynton and Barnstable been on the East Coast of the USA and I know they had a Baldwin product but it was never a 2-8-0? (see previous posts from last year). Loconuts