johnarcher

Does anyone out there have expert knowledge to contribute on this matter?

My Canon MG2450 printer has started telling me the ink absorber is nearly full, and I have to over-ride this with the start button in order to print. Will it soon refuse to print at all. Canon just tell me to send it to the service centre, but carriage both ways would probably cost more than replacing the printer.

I had a Canon before that didn't do this, if I get another (which would mean I can use ink I have in stock) would the latest equivalent be likely to do the same again?

On 05/10/2020 at 14:19, big jim said:

Our latest fosters, arrived last week, a mother with 4 identical 5 week old boy kittens

 

 

 

 

 

so that’s 8 black cats with us ready for Halloween

 

We need an AAAAAAH button.

On 22/09/2020 at 16:07, The Johnster said:

If Bill Stickers is innocent, he will proven so by a jury of his peers, but he will be prosecuted nonetheless if the prosecution service think they can get a conviction against him.  I think I first heard this one when I was in primary school, the late 50s; it's good to give the old ones an airing now and then...

 

When a ship is in trouble, why do they always call for that Mandy woman, you know, Mandy Lifeboats.

 

What are occasional tables the rest of the time, are they part time traffic signals?  

We were looking at a house to buy, the agent pointed out the kitchen had a stable door. That was good I thought, you wouldn't want an unstable one.

32 minutes ago, Dagworth said:

Any individual who made their money out of the suffering of others, no matter how much of that money they then gave away to salve their conscience, does not deserve to be glorified with a statue to their memory.

 

Andi

I think the word 'glorified' makes a good point.

A statue is a bit different to being in a history book, or even in the National Portrait Gallery, statues are generally set up to people considered (at the time) admirable, so it does suggest that this person is to be looked up to (literally in the case of most statues!).

I have read that there has been a long campaign against this one, the authorities have blocked not only removing the statue but even adding a plaque explaining that, as well as building hospitals etc, this person made the money that enabled that by enslaving and killing many people.

Mind you it could go a bit far. I saw in the paper that someone has their eye on Nelson's Column because Nelson once said something critical of Wilberforce for his anti-slavery movement. Actual slave traders are one thing, but the expression of an opinion? After all more than 100 years ago almost everyone was racist by modern standards, even campaigners against slavery often did it from a superior, paternalistic position that many today would find objectionable.

45 minutes ago, Neil said:

 

Two thoughts (and apologies if we're in a granny and egg sucking situation here) is there a local community group organising help for vulnerable self-isolaters in your locality who could maybe collect shopping for you or failing that is there an independent shop who you could phone an order into so that they could have it ready in a box or bag for you to pick up and therefore minimise contact time.

 

Tomorrow I have to go to the chemists to pick up Jan's heart meds. They're unable to undertake new deliveries (we live in a retirement hotspot with many needing deliveries at the best of times) so we phoned up ahead to check that they will be ready (so I'm not hanging about) and I've been advised when it's at its quietest. Not perfect but the best we can do.

Thanks for the thoughts, I have enquired a bit about such things but there's not much around here, little shops don't seem keen to spend a lot of time assembling one's shopping.  I would probably seem not so desperate as I'm not alone, my wife's in better health, but we only have a small house (can't exactly live in separate wings) so if she goes out a lot and catches it I probably will too.

I did wonder about going to some 24hr supermarket in the middlle of the night when it's more unpopulated , but they don't seem to be staying open like that at the moment as people have said above.

13 hours ago, melmerby said:

Just made up my order, we need some of these foods next week

they were out of rice, pasta, cereals, tinned veg, oranges, kitchen roll, frozen veg. So only part of what we need was available.

So much for supermarkets claiming they had plenty of stuff but just couldn't get to the shelves quick enough. What a load of b*ollocks!

I was allowed to make up an order and complete it. Try to book a slot - none available, absolutely none. What a s*dding fiasco, why take on new customers if they can't serve them?

This is starting to look desperate.

 

Someone needs to do something about this as we will now have to go shopping next week when we should be self isolating. we are both in our 70s and there is no-one that can shop for us.

I'm currently spitting fire over this.

 

EDIT

Managed to scroll the dates on a bit and have now got one for two weeks saturday, so we still need to shop until that week

Agreed. I should be as isolated as possible (69, with emphysema), we have a Tesco delivery tomorrow (half of which is unavailable), after that they have no delivery slots for three weeks ahead (as far as you can book).

Sainsburys is the only other that will deliver here, they have no slots either. There aren't even any click and collect slots anywhere for a fortnight (which would at least avoid going around the store).

Look like I'll have to forget about isolating, and accept there's a good chance I'll get it, with the very serious consequences for someone in my state of health.

13 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Based on the entirely subjective criteria:

 

- I can remember seeing it;

 

- I remember things outside the railway fence-line rather than inside; and,

 

- it felt like being there,

 

then I would plump for:

 

- Chiltern Green;

 

- a 2mm/ft model of Ashburton that really felt like looking down across a valley;

 

- Pempoul village street; and,

 

- Copenhagen Fields.

 

Which, I think means, 3/4 are 2mm/ft (Chiltern Green is/was, isnt/wasn’t it?)

 

I’ve seen most of the others mentioned, but these really hit the spot for me.

 

Never in a million years would I attempt 2mm/ft, and I’m much more interested in operation/playing-trains these days than in creating scenery, but I do hope people continue to bring such delights before us.

 

 

I absolutely agree about the street on Pempoul. Which shows, I suppose, that a great piece of scenic setting need not be of Chiltern Green size.

I think I recall the Ashburton you mean (was it the one with a sort of ingenious semi-scenic fiddle yard?), and agree about that too.

Personally I'd set Petherick quite high, was it one of the first to show the Pendon-style railway in setting on an individual scale?

On 18/12/2019 at 16:29, F-UnitMad said:

It's the American way of putting fractions of an inch in decimal (e.g. "0.010 inch") I don't understand.

As in, I've never been taught it, so I don't understand it, not as in "why do they have to be different?" sort of thing.

 

My ideal scale would be 1:1, but I'm not rich enough, don't have the space, & live in the wrong Country  

For the purposes of this Thread, though, I'd model S Scale - if there was some R-T-R support for UK outline, & better R-T-R support for US outline. S is closest of all the scales to a truly accurate scale/gauge combination, without requiring alternative 'finescale' options such as Scale7, Proto48, P4, Proto 87, & whatever the 2mm equivalents are.

I agree about S, a nice size, not too big but easier to get motors into small prototypes than 4mm, easier 3 link couplings etc., though I'd like to see a few more etched locomotive (and coach) kits, just to give a start.

4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Mick,

 

'I remember a bit cold I was a mere baby then .'

 

I wasn't, I was 16, and, like many houses of the time (ours was Victorian) we had no central heating! The loco coal stacks at 6A had a railway policeman guarding them. 

 

The Dee froze over at Chester and folk were driving their cars across it to get to The Meadows! 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

I remember too (I was 13), I recall the ice inside the bedroom window (no central heating either), and also the best bit - the school bus froze and couldn't be moved at all.

I wholly agree about Ruyton Road, a favourite since I saw it in MRJ in 1994.  Marvellously rural feel in a tiny space. I'm glad it is still around.

4 hours ago, dibber25 said:

My late wife was a microbiologist. We couldn't watch any movie with a laboratory scene without, " That's wrong. You don't you one of those like that." or "that's the wrong machine. It wouldn't give you that result." (CJL)

My nom de forum reflects my main lifelong interest. So people get tired, when we see period archery in a film, of remarks like "he'd never hit anything with a release like that", "rear elbow's far too low", "the bracing height on that bow is much too high".

15 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

 

Baseball is played on a diamond. From the batter's viewpoint, there are two boundary lines leading away at a 90 deg angle. Should he hit the ball behind either boundary, i.e. not within the playing area, it is consider a 'foul ball'.

Behind the boundary lines are the crowds, those close to the batter can be hit with a fairly quick ball with no time to dodge. 

So you mean the batter is much closer to the crowd behind him than in other directions, or than a cricket batsman?

I see, thank you.

On 17/11/2019 at 18:30, Ozexpatriate said:

 

Broken bats are terrifying. Foul balls cause more injuries. There is an ongoing debate about extending the safety netting further along the base lines to protect more fans. Currently the safety netting only extends inside the dugouts at most major league stadiums. Opponents argue about the obstructed view and tradition.

I don't know what a foul ball is (but it sounds unpleasant), but can't someone in the crowd catch it, as is often done with cricket balls?

1 hour ago, Andy Reichert said:

A couple of the comments here and elsewhere (see Heckmondwike) that described the more fine scale layouts as "dull" make me wonder whether a lack of fast movement and frequency is genetically uninteresting to most non-engaged humans. The "take notice" fight or flee threat reaction is triggered by a sudden unexpected sight of movement. So we all pick up on that. e.g. "you made me jump"

 

Andy

That may be so in some (many?) cases, but I have had experience sometimes of 'non-engaged' (ie non-railway-keen) people at shows, and they are often much more engaged by model landscape or buildings than anything moving.

I remember the first such time, I talked my new wife into going to a show in London c1980, I wanted to see Tregarrick, but it was Axford she liked, where the railway was hardly obvious and while, it being Dave Rowe, some things did move they weren't the attraction.

(She was non-engaged, we had been engaged but were married by then!).

12 hours ago, Western Star said:

The S7G has a member who offers a re-profiling service for Slater's 0-FS wheels to the S7 tyre profile.

Thanks again. That is a crucial point for me, as the sort of prototypes I would be thinking of would mostly need drivers smaller than the 4' 7" that seems to be the smalles in the S7 list kindly provided above.

If I do muster the decisiveness to make this big change obviously my very first act will be to join the helpful S7 group.

2 hours ago, daifly said:

Just to be clear, Slater's Finescale wheels are just that. They are not intended to run on S7 trackwork irrespective of the length of the axles. Most Slater's loco wheels purchased from Slater's will need refining to meet S7 standards. However, as Graham stated above, specially manufactured S7 wheels for popular prototypes are available to members through the S7 Stores. Here is a link to the current list of available S7 wheels.

S7 Group Slater's Wheels

Dave 

S7 Group Webmaster

Thank you. A post above mentioned a re-profiling service, useful perhaps if one needs a wheel that is not made properly for S7 (like the Manning Wardle ones I mentioned), is that done via the S7 group or a member thereof?

I am asking as I am tempted by 7mm (partly for the usual reasons af ageing eyes etc), and having done P4 would prefer the finer standard, but I have no facilities to turn my own wheels.

52 minutes ago, Western Star said:

You are correct to say that Slaters sells S7 axles for loco driving and non-driving wheels and that the standard range of wheels for 0-FS do fit on those axles.  Although not sold by Slaters that company does manufacture a range of S7 driving and carrying wheels which are sold via the Scaleseven Group.

 

Please let me know what wheels you want and I can check to see if that part is in the S7G range.  Or, follow this link for a summary of the range...  sorry to say that the summary is not up-to-date as there is no mention of the recent release of S7 wheels for class 37 and class 47 diesels.

 

regards,

Graham Beare,

Trade Liaison Officer for S7G.

Thanks for the reply. You don't say they're OK so do I assume that the normal Slaters FS drivers are not compatible with S7 track, even on the S7 axles?

At the moment I was wondering about wheels for the Slaters class K Mannng Wardle kit (or maybe the S&D one), which I don't think are available in true S7 form?

A quick question that I have wondered about if I may. Slaters sell S7 length axles for their 7mm drivers, are the wheels of a fine enough profile to work properly with true S7 track when so set?

 16mm is spot on 5ft 4in in 3mm scale.  (5X3 = 15 plus 1mm, 4" in 3mm scale)?

3 hours ago, Ruston said:

Thanks, Robert. I've just looked on the motorbogies site and I don't understand what's going on there because they show a OO 16mm dia. wheel as being a scale 5ft. 4in.

http://motorbogies.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20&products_id=115 All the other wheel dimensions are also given with a similar oversize.

 

They also want £7.50 to post 4 wheels! I'm not paying that just for postage.

Even with the 00 ones the size is as for 3mm scale, and looking just at a couple the packet in the picture is marked as Romford and 3SMR (3mm scale model railways).

Odd that the are labelled as Romford, if they are not the same profile as old Romfords or RP25 Markits?

On 07/11/2019 at 20:11, Norm81 said:

 I've decided a chocolate orange is a fruit, as it's an orange, right? Same goes for chocolate raisins, another of my 5-a-day 

That's a good 2 of them, I take the other 3 as apples, actually apple juice, actually cider.

30 minutes ago, NCB said:

Personally haven't built the Churchward version, although I know it's been done successfully. I did build the Society's whitemetal one some time ago, which uses the Churchward chassis. Couldn't find pics I'd done of it so here's a quicky I've just done:

 

Looking at it may not have got the body quite level when posing it. It sits slightly high anyway due to thickness of the whitemetal footplate. In 14.2mm I needed to drift the cylinders out slightly so the crosshead stays clear of the crankpins; it's not noticeable because the footplate is slightly too wide by the same amount.

 

3mm/ft is fine so long as one likes building things; there's not much option!

 

Nigel

Thank you, fortunately I do like building things, I'm just a bit hesitant about the combination of a smaller scale and ageing eyes.

Oh, you didn't say, what are the couplings?

Re the gwr.org list, isn't there a society etched Metro kit?  (And is there the Brynkits 64xx?)

12 hours ago, NCB said:

 

Plenty! Re the engines in the list Miss Prism quoted

http://www.gwr.org.uk/kits3mmstock1.html

Current state of play is that the Brynkits locomotives have passed to the 3mm Society, The only ones which were actually issued were the 2251, 57XX, 8750, and also the 54XX/64XX/74XX which isn't on the list. I believe a lot of work had been done on the others and they may yet appear. The 2251 came with very nice resin castings for smokebox/boiler/firebox and tender tank; here's a pic:

All the kits have resin smokebox/boiler/firebox and otherwise etchings for the main bits; they come with very neat fold-up chassis. I wasn't too keen on the resin bits for the panniers, so in building the 8750 I used modified whitemetal castings for panniers and bunkers from the GEM kit, as in:

This has extra weight inside the whitemetal panniers, a Mashima 1224 motor driving a High Level 1:54 gearbox, and will pull a horse. I'll probably do the same with the 57XX and 74XX I have yet to build.

 

There is the old GEM 57XX whitemetal  kit which was a bit crude but has recently been remastered, as has the ex BEC 94XX, both being offered by 3SMR and can be had with modern Brynkits chasses. K's did a 97XX whitemetal kit which is best forgotten.

 

Three Martin Finney were reduced to 3mm/ft and are now obtainable from the 3mm Society , one being 1854/2721 pannier; I saw the one built from the test etch some years ago and it looks superb. The other Finney kits are the 41xx/51xx/61xx prairie and the Churchward 3000 gallon tender.

 

I like panniers; I have a dream of a layout filled with panniers scuttling too and fro!

 

Nigel

 

You're tempting me about the 3mm scale alternative (considering the bery limited space I have available). Have you a picture of the 3mm 45xx you colud post, I'd like to see it?

Do you mean the Brynkits ones (including 74xx) are available through the society stores now? They weren't in the catalogue last time I looked at the website (I've had vague thoughts of 3mm scale for some time).

One last question if I may, what couplings are you using, I can't see too clearly on these photos? Many types seem over-prominent on 3mm models, but yours seem quite discreet).

8 hours ago, Clem said:

Whilst I think this is true of passenger locomotives, certainly in my chosen location,  photos of the early to mid 1950s show the goods locomotives (well a good proportion of them, anyway) to be pretty dirty. - Soot, ash and limescale all feature, though not so much for rust compared to later years. It must be nice to model pre-grouping locomotives where the amount of weathering is very limited and subtle. I always have a little pang of regret when weathering a newly built locomotive, especially if  I've made a half decent job of the painting.

I see what you mean, but I have thought that subtle weathering can be harder to get right. in some ways I reckon it's easier if the effects (rust, dirt etc) are obvious, in my case it was with the last years of the Cavan and Leitrim rather than BR.

On the other hand I'd suspect that effects enough to tone down toy-like brightness to look used without over-doing it might be harder (though I've not done such a prototype myuself yet.)