richard i

Why not wait until it arrives to find out the number, it will not change by ringing up and people are unlikely to cancel if they are number 21 or 27. Ironically as so many are saying they cannot wait for it to appear, ringing up Sandra might slow the whole process of packing etc down and delay when people get their models. I have waited a year and a half so what is a few more days? I know locomotion will be doing their utmost to get orders out. Can we ask any more of them than that? I think not after all it is their job, but that is it, it is just their job. They have a right to a home life too as we all are. So I would say to them, pack for the eight hour working day, go home and enjoy your homes, come in the next day rinse and repeat. If it means my model arrives a little later so be it. It is after all not a matter of need, it is only a want....a fantastic want but a want never the less. Richard.

Forgive me I have sinned. No progress on signals as I built an n gauge layout for my boys. Five days to make. Double apologies it is modern American diesels I promise to be good from now on. Richard

Who be trask? Hay market shed foreman?

Thank you for your kind words. Before I finish it off and it all gets too complicated to retro paint, are all bits in the right colours? Platforms wood? Finials white? Lamps white? Ladders black? Any help gratefully received Richard

The blurb that came with the mse bits said the signals were white with a bauxite base section. That might match the Indian red, however, as nice as that change would be to show, it would make more sense for me to go white/ black as that then fits with running the lner and BR trains when I do let them stretch their legs. This is progress so far, just the hand rail and then I will paint it before doing all the wires and arms. I will hold off on the other as I am still undecided whether to do a bracket or two single posts, and even if I chose which I still have to decide where to site them. Richard

Thanks for the advice, I will look at photos again on the rain strip. I have admired all the work you have done converting and scratchbuilding . I think you advertised gresley's 2 8 2 p10 on e bay a few years back, which curcumstances meant I could not bid on it. I always see it as the one that got away. Richard

you are welcome to, most i hope would be around the tender and boiler height. Both of which in had reconciled myself to living with. I hope i had picked up the other obvious ones. If there are glaring errors let me know and it can re enter the works for alteration/ improvement. Richard

Show and tell time, hope you forgive the indulgence. My d10 just built. It is a GBL body with scratch built cab, on a Pdk chassis for the loco and the tender is a GBL body on a scratch built chassis. It might have been easier to build a kit straight from the box, but this way I got round the complicated ( to me) lining of the tender and splashers. In the background is a NRM d11 which has been worked on to bring it up to spec. Now to get around to building the carriages for it. Barnum's don't fall out of boxes. Richard

Thank you for all the signal advice, I considered and reviewed it whilst taking the kids to Legoland. I am still debating how to do the signals for the down roads. I shall think some more. On the other hand my d10 is finished. And with the d11 for comparison Next up signals or carriages, but as the weather is good I might try spraying more options for lner green to see if I get a match. Richard

There is a chap on here who has 3d printed some, and for tony he is at university so hope got the hobby still.

Thanks, the crossover is only a shunt so will be a ground signal. The rest I will feed in, it makes sense then to have the signal before the point, a outer distant lower down. Then two on the other post for the goods and the line leading off. Two questions how do I get two signals wired to fire off the same post? Just more cranks? Then what about the postion on the other line the right hand , can the signal be beyond the platform and so beyond the point it controls? Many thanks for the advice so far. Richard

Next question Signal sitting . Please look at the picture and offer advice. For the left hand track which splits off into a loop would the bracket signal be just in front of the points, set before them by a short way but within sight of the signal box, or beyond the bridge so it can be more easily be seen. For that matter would it be option two but very tall for sighting reasons? The right hand tracks come towards the camera the signals to allow the train to either leave the platform or the loop, would they be on the end of the platform by the point, nearer the camera but have an instruction to stop short of the signal to not foul the point, between the tracks before the point is reached or on the platform before the point is reached. Or any of the above as these all happened in real life. Any help gratefully received

Slow progress grinds on. It is just sitting parts on each other, it needs more packing between chassis and body. I need to pick up a piece from the Allentown show tomorrow . It will get there Richard

No when that happens I am found a job to do because it is important I am kept busy. Or so she believes.

Terry, I model, looks are everything. I know how shallow is that, performance of the real thing counts for nowt. Richard

No names you know the pack drill, to protect the innocent and the guilty.

I would sack your Japanese teacher and focus on learning gibberish Clive.

What you have typed is a mis translation Clive so 振る舞います. But see what i mean about the complex make up of the characters. A real art form, no wonder caligraphy was encouraged and prospered Richard

Terry Looking good, it is nice to see long trains running in landscape. British legion will look nicer am sure, but would not fury look better? Red, pipes, cutout smoke box. Richard

Now it turns out that the different depth to the back plate between brass and plastic shifts the wheels forward and they rub, so a section out of that has to go. We will get there Blame working out how to post with pictures off the I pad for this blow by blow venting of model annoyance. It is also because i need to be calmness itself at work so it has to come out somewhere. Richard

I think I have got away with cutting away more of the body. Now need to level the running plate at the correct height and hope the wheels do not rub on the splashers I am thinking it would be quicker to build the brass body work for the chassis and then have to worry about the lining. Paint job or engineering which is the greater headache? Richard

There would be satisfaction. If the gods of modeling are listening, I am quite happy to enjoy the surprise of it all going together first time, just once.........or is that like the perfect round of golf?

Most likely have to turn the motor round and run it off the front wheel set so it fits Stupid stupid stupid me. Knew I should not have got my hopes up that it was going so well. Richard

It works! First time! That does not usually happen Now to wire it up, fit to the chassis and we are away. Hooray for no valve gear. It certainly speeds the process up. Richard

In a sick I am not as badly off as the other bloke kind of way. This makes me feel slightly better. Admire any one who can work in 2mm. Have considered having a small 2mm layout as the flat is very small and that could allow me to run things in the round.