John Isherwood

Odd, I have no recollection of those bogie hoppers. However, perhaps not surprising - latterly, the sand train ran on the branch in the wee small hours. I recall being wakened by it on occasion, but was never motivated to get up and see it! CJI.

3D printing of metal components is now well established, and 3D printed resin does not have to be brittle. I have quite a few 3D printed resin wagons that were printed at home by a friend - and they are extremely robust. CJI.

Despite living within sight of the Fen Drayton branch, up to and beyond its lifting, I have to say that I do not recall bogie hoppers succeeding the four-wheeled ones. Do you have details of them? CJI.

I doubt whether the company accountant would think that to be an easy - or affordable - solution! CJI.

If you wish to sample a little-known reminder of the earliest days of railways in Cornwall, look up Treffrey's combined railway and aqueduct viaduct near Luxulyan. Hugely impressive and vertigo-inducing, where it crosses the present-day Newquay branch. A lovely walk along the trackbed, with quite a few track relics still in place, takes you to the subtantial remains of of a huge, waterwheel-driven, double-track incline with some remaining cable-rollers which guided the cable around the curve halfway down the incline. Plus - an excellent pub (The Kings Arms) in Luxulyan - some unusual dishes are to be found on the specials board. CJI.

I would assure you that a Unimat 3 is perfectly capable of turning chimneys and domes for 4mm. scale. If you use the 'average profile / anneal / force form' method, that is described above, no extra kit is required. CJI.

Years ago, during my narrow gauge period, I used to turn chimneys and domes from brass in the chuck of a power drill, using files; (not recommended, but do-able with care). I would turn the base to a profile midway between the front and side profiles. Then, I would anneal (soften) the brass by heating to red heat and allow it to cool naturally; (don't cool it quickly, it'll get harder). Once annealed, the chimney / dome was placed on a steel bar of the same diameter as the smokebox / boiler, and carefully tapped with a hammer until the front and back flares are formed. After that, the side flares can be formed by pressing against the smokebox / boiler with a round steel bar. Crude - but it works; just make sure that the item is upright during the forming process. CJI.

I offered them to my local steam railway - "No thanks". Then emailed the local MRS - no reply. I mentioned them here on RMweb - no response. Tried the local 'Free to a good home' website - no response. So to the local recycling centre they went - all 650 kg. of them! Continuous runs, some going back to the 1960s, of several titles. Shame - but they were hardly ever opened nowadays. CJI.

The old, pre-H&S, water-based Nitromors was very effective against Hornby Dublo's paintwork. I gather that the current stuff is about as effective as water! Years ago, I stripped a HD 8F body with Nitromors - to reveal cast rivet detail that would have done justice to the Bismark! CJI.

Further to my response earlier, my workshop database refers to MRJs 50, 52 & 79; (which I have). Other references are Model Railways 10/74 and 6,8/83; (which I had until earlier this week, when all my model railway mags., with the exception of a full set of MRJs, went for recycling! If you need further help, PM me. John Isherwood.

There is a way to do it - I read it in either MRJ or one of the Wild Swan loco building books. The simpler way is to turn the base, whilst mounted on a mandrel in the chuck, to the front view profile. Then the side view profile is achieved with files. I'll check my workshop reference database later. In passing, a fly-cutter is a very useful and inexpensive accessory - worth acquiring one. Regards, John Isherwood.

Be aware that the bogie centres need relocating in the chassis moulding. CJI.

Agreed - but I wouldn't expect to do my research within the contents of the box of a RTR model. CJI.

I have a Brassmasters kit for the Black 5, which came with a comprehensive breakdown of the prototype variations in the form of a substantial booklet. This was essential in order to select which variant was to be built from the many optional parts provided. I would NOT expect such comprehensive information to be provided with an RTR model. Future generations without our research resources will not be aware of, or care about the prototype variations. CJI.

For balance weights - 10 thou. plastic card, a brand new Olfa blade, and VERY light cuts. Repeat the cuts several times, then snap out the shape by bending. Works for me. CJI.

The problem with the internet is that so much is now available online that there is an expectation that it all should be reproduced in the box - to save the trouble of looking online. I have just been forced to take for recycling 650 kg. of model and prototype railway magazines, covering the last 60 years - many continuous runs - because NO-ONE wanted them. These had been my sources for model railway research throught my modelling life, and I have a digital index of every article / photo that could possibly be of future interest. Much / most of the information has subsequently been duplicated within my extensive library of railway books, so I decided that I would save my offspring what has proved to be a very physically onerous task of taking the magazine collection for recycling. It was something of a heart-rending task - almost like saying a last goodbye to an old and faithful friend! John Isherwood.

There was a time, not that long ago, when researching your prototype was all part of the fascinating process of adding a loco - or whatever - to your collection. Nowadays, a lot of people just want to open the box, fit the bits, and they get upset when someone points out an anomaly. CJI.

Because it is cheaper to supply a standard 'extras' baggie than to produce individual 'baggies' for each variant. CJI.

I guess that the attitude is "If they don't know, they won't care". CJI.

Sounds like a sender-backer to me! CJI.

Beware of this website - it is littered with misinformation; eg. ESSO tank wagon illustrated is a SADDLE MOUNTED tank, not an ANCHOR MOUNTED tank. CJI.

Probably because introducing changes at that stage would highlight his error to management. One has to wonder how many model production 'cock-ups' are down to ego! CJI.

Sorry - that attitude IS discriminatory in itself. You want people to discriminate against me, even though you have no idea which groups or persuasions I am prejudiced against, and even though I have said that I do not allow my prejudices to affect the way I interact with those groups. You are saying, in so many words, that I should be sanctioned for admitting that I am human, and do not like everyone in the world equally. Anyone that pretends to have no prejudices is a liar; you are, by your own admission, prejudiced against me. As I said, when we attempt to control or judge others' thoughts, we get into VERY dangerous territory! CJI.

Unless we wish to become a Big Brother 1984 society, anyone is entitled to THINK what they like about anything - there is no law against prejudicial THINKING. (Though there seem to be plenty of people who would like to make it illegal)! Prejudice only becomes a problem when THINKING is translated into ACTIONS that affect others adversely. I will openly admit to being prejudiced against certain groups / persuasions, but I avoid any actions that might offend those persons. I do not feel the slightest guilt about the opinions that I hold, and I am entitled to hold them, despite loudly voiced opinions to the contrary. We are coming dangerously close to criminalising THOUGHT, which is far more dangerous for civilisation than the loudly trumpeted 'abuse of rights' that we hear so often nowadays. CJI.

Trust the Colonials to lower the tone! CJI.