ejstubbs

Given that it was basically a reprise of the same cameo from the pilot episode - and had been heavily telegraphed by the approaching car - I thought it was actually a bit clunky. But none the less welcome.

I use a guitar pick - the larger type like this: not the seemingly more popular, skinnier type. The larger type gives you more space to grip, and it's still got a fine enough tip to furtle between the roof edge and top of the carriage side without being hard enough to damage the plastic like a screwdriver or knife might. With a bit of gentle levering the retaining clips should pop apart without breaking. There seemed to be a lot of other products shown on, and purchasable through, their site when I looked recently, even the more obscure stuff eg here, here and here. Of the product pages I checked, only the carriages one was empty. Assembly of these coaches - both the kits, and when re-assembling the RTR ones - does require a bit of 'udging' of the components to fit properly. The glazing in particular needs to be set properly into the window openings for its whole length, otherwise (a) it looks wrong, and (b) some roof clips can easily end up out of position - too far in for the corresponding roof clips to engage (this can be particularly a problem on the brake vehicles, which have no seats to support the glazing for half their length). It can be something of a painstaking process, requiring patience and use of nothing more than fingertips to 'persuade' the glazing into place. Before starting it's definitely worth checking that there is no moulding flash or other unnecessary projections on both the glazing parts, and the coach interior, since they are quite a snug fit and anything sticking out where it shouldn't will lead to frustration and potentially damage if forced. Once the glazing is properly in place, the roof also needs gentle persuasion to fit properly. It's worth having a note/photo of where the tabs on the glazing are, so that you can apply judicious pressure in the right places.. I find that, even when the roof clips are engaged, it's worth gently squeezing the carriage sides inwards at each clip position, with the opposing finger(s) on the opposite edge of the roof, to get the glazing tabs fully seated in the roof clips. If this step isn't completed you can end up with no roof overhang in places, which looks pretty naff. I'm pretty sure they fixed that after a while. The first one I bought, seven years ago, was a "last one in the shop" job at a knockdown price and it did have the wrong roof, and the underframe fault. Not a problem at the time since I was only buying it for parts. I did manage to track down a brake third kit for sale online the other week and it had the correct roof and underframe when it arrived.

Beat me to it! I was about to edit my post to mention that point.

That's pretty straightforward with a Stratocaster (per the Hendrix reference earlier) which has independently adjustable saddles for all six strings on a bridge which sits perpendicular to the neck (as outlined by DIW in post #2). Trickier on something like a Les Paul on which, although it does have an adjustable saddle for each string, the saddles are mounted in an angled bridge. Maybe that's why Albert King just played his right-handed Flying V upside-down? (It's probably a fairly straightforward job for a luthier to switch the angle of the bridge on a solid bodied guitar with a separate tailpiece like the LP, but maybe a bit too much of a DIY task for someone who's more interested in just playing the thing and can manage perfectly well with the strings in the "wrong" place.)

I suspect it might be supported by National Grid ESO in some way, like their "flexibility service" which enabled Octopus to offer their "Saving Sessions" scheme earlier this winter. The new Octopus tariff is basically a way for the industry to "rent" storage capacity from domestic users to help achieve a balanced grid - the rental being paid for by the difference between the off peak import and high peak export rates.

They specifically forbade the use of Outgoing Octopus in conjunction with Octopus Go, I suspect because the was intended primarily intended for charging EVs. But have a look at their latest 'beta" tariff, Octopus Flux: https://octopus.energy/smart/flux/ That specifically allows you charge your battery at a cheap rate between 2am and 4am, and then sell the electricity back to them at a higher rate outside of that period - a much higher rate if you wait for the 4pm-7pm peak period to do it. I'm already with Octopus; as soon as we have our panels and battery up and running I'm going to apply to get on to that tariff. Interesting if true, given that AIUI roof-mounted solar panels on existing properties do not require planning consent unless the building is listed, or in a conservation area. It could even be regarded as being contrary to the sustainability requirement for new developments to meet the "presumption in favour" planning criteria as laid down in the National Planning Policy Framework. I'm pretty sure I've passed some new developments (of which there are huge numbers popping up round here) which had street-facing roof-mounted solar panels...

Given the off-the-scale nastiness of the people that Morse, Thursday, Strange and Bright are attempting to grapple with, we're running a small sweepstake here on which of Thursday and Bright don't make it to the end of the final episode - with side bets on the newly-reappeared DS Jakes (aka "Little Pete" - I wonder if any of the Premium Bonds that Morse gave him as a going-away present ever paid out?) I'm also wondering whether there is a body to be discovered in Box's office, given the gunshots and him subsequently fleeing to South Africa. But yes, it will feel like a bit of a loss when the series finally comes to an end, and it looks very like it's not going to end well for some of the regular characters that don't appear in Morse. BTW, did anyone pick up what I took to be references to other TV detective series in the last episode? The stolen car was a Triumph Stag - I suspect a reference to New Tricks - and someone, possibly Bright, did utter the phrase "line of duty" at one point. I'm sure there must have been others (a sneaky "between the lines" slipped in there somewhere maybe?) It's well known that Russell Lewis does like to include a few "easter eggs" in each series: https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/endeavours-morse-callbacks-and-colin-dexter-easter-eggs/

I've just found a table that I put together to try to understand how to wire up a double slip in another layout that was probably destined never to be built. It shows the different possible route combinations, and the combinations that would actually be used/usable, the points positions for each case, and where the track power would come from the slip in each case. Again, the idea was to use a four-pole three-way rotary switch: I find slips pretty confusing, so I almost always have to draw up tables like this when I'm thinking of using one. Unfortunately, again, I cannot locate the original track plan, but it's simpler in this case with just the slip and a single turnout.

I don't know it it will help, but below is a pic of the instructions on the back of the insert card for an SL-90 Insulfrog double slip. The first section is about wiring the stock rails for different different feeds, Although the instructions are for the Insulfrog slip, note the section headed DCC Use where it says "...the wiring modification detailed below...effectively wires the slip as though it were Electrofrog". The way the instructions are presented, it doesn't look as if there is any dependency between the two aspects of wiring the thing up i.e. if the OP's slip is already Electrofrog then the DCC section can be largely ignored/treated as being done anyway, with just the first section being relevant. I wired my slip through a four-pole three-way rotary switch, which set the desired route (activated by pressing the push button to fire the relevant point motors from the CDU) and switched the stock rail feeds accordingly. Circuit diagram below: Note that the power feeds and destinations are effectively reversed between the top half of the diagram and the bottom. The power to the point motors is from the CDU on the left, with the rotary switch routing the power to the correct point motors on the right (A and B are the two sets of points, with A being a crossover formed from an ordinary turnout and one 'half' of the slip, plus a turnout to a headshunt - hence three point motors - and B being another crossover with no trap point). Conversely, the track power comes in from the right, being taken from the relevant track sections adjacent to the slip, with the rotary switch selecting the correct source of track power to be sent to the slip on the left. (It would probably be easier to understand with an explanatory diagram or photo of the track layout but I can t lay my hands on such just now I'm afraid.) Bear in mind that the above is for a single slip, and specific to my track layout. It might need to be modified for a double slip and/or for a different layout of adjacent trackwork but the basic principles are generally, I think.

Those "Peco Shows You How" booklets have been available for years. Amazon seems to think they first came out in 2009 but I think there were versions of them around well before then. They're £1 on Peco's web site now - most of mine, bought in model shops around 10 years ago, have 50p stickers on them; that's inflation for you. It might be worth the OP getting in touch with Peco's Technical Advice Bureau https://peco-uk.com/pages/contact-us They've been helpful in the past when I've mislaid product information leaflets. They once sent me a PDF of the instructions for a Wills Craftsman kit, complete with cutting templates etc, that I'd removed from the box to pour over at my leisure in a comfy chair, and promptly lost 🙄 (I'd probably put it down too close to one of the hyperspace wormholes that seem infest this house and swallow up objects put to one side for just a minute or two...)

Thanks. I thought they'd started using some kind of optical ride height measurement equipment last year, as part of tightening up the ride height rules to try to reduce the porpoising. Or am I mis-remembering?

Could you explain that a bit more, or link to somewhere where it is explained? The way I read your comment, it sounded like it would be in breach of the ride height or movable aerodynamic structures regs, which can't be right...

As supplied, some of the hex screws holding the rollers in place were done up slightly too tight, meaning that the rollers didn't roll as easily as they should have done. Easy enough to fix with a small hex wrench. Not so much fettling as ongoing maintenance, but being rollers bearings I find that they benefit from a little judicious lubrication from time to time. Rocking and rolling might indicate that the "gauge" between the rollers isn't quite right - again, easy enough to adjust. I have mine set up so that the tails of the screws that hold the alloy frames to the insulated base are a snug fit between railheads. That also reduces the chances of the saddles themselves moving from side to side under the loco. Once that's been sorted, any continuing rocking & rolling would suggest to me that the wheels, back-to-backs or motion could do with being looked at. I've never had a loco fall of the RR in use, even at full chat.

I was looking for some a few weeks back and they seemed to have disappeared from the Dapol web site. I couldn't find anyone with stock online either. I get the impression that they've finally been discontinued. If anyone does know where I might be able to source a non-corridor brake third (LMS, not BR) I would be very grateful!

The baseboard I built for my running track ended up being used as a display table at one of the local charity shops! It was just a bit too big and awkward to tuck away neatly anywhere in the house (no room under the beds, no flat spaces available for propping up - and that was using 2nd radius curves; 4th radius would have required a larger board again). I do my running in now on a rolling road built from spare bits of SetTrack and saddles from Direct Train Spares of Burnley: http://www.directtrainspares-burnley.co.uk/page25.html (if you prefer, you can DIY something similar from 10mm roller bearings bought from eBay or the like). I cobbled together an arrangement similar to the Hornby RR out of offcuts of MDF: Much cheaper than the proprietary RRs, but the saddles did need a bit of fettling to roll smoothly (it also helps if the loco driving wheel back-to-backs are correct - who'd've thought...)

Available on iPlayer (i.e from the actual copyright holder, cough cough) in HD: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p012d0t5/tuesday-documentary-engines-must-not-enter-the-potato-siding

The HM2000 has two controlled DC outputs (for driving trains with) and two uncontrolled. What kevinlms advised would utilise one of the uncontrolled outputs (both terminals of it), leaving the two controlled outputs and one remaining uncontrolled output.

As I noted above, the crossover point is at £27.34 (sold price plus postage charged) - anything above that then the maximum £1 offer is better than the 80% off offer.

Resurrecting this moribund thread: for at least the last 12 months, my wife and I have been receiving reduced selling fee offers every few weeks, on the same weekends. She always gets the maximum £1 fee offer while I only ever get the 80% off fees offer. The breakpoint between the two is at around £27 the total of the selling price plus postage (fees are 12.8% plus 30p), which is OK for small items but less great for items in the upper double figure range like locos. In terms of eBay usage, I sell a fair amount more than she does, and more rgularly (though I've been "on strike" for several months now, waiting to see if they ever come back to me with the better offer). I also buy more off eBay than she does, which they must know earns them fees from the sellers. I have set up a second account which, when I get round to it, I will use to test the water by listing a few low cost items, and see if eBay starts offering maximum £1 selling fees on that account. (I have a not dissimilar issue with Amazon at the moment. For some reason they have taken to offering me regular free trials of Amazon Prime Student. I am not a student, and even if I was I would need to be registered with a .ac.uk e-mail address to qualify, which I'm not. Why they keep offering me something which a moment's glance at my account would show that I' not eligible for I have no idea. What's galling is that they no longer offer me occasional free trials of ordinary Amazon Prime. They seem to have got it into their head that I am a student for no reason at all, and I haven't a clue how to disabuse them of that idea.)

I did think that maybe judicious use of a soldering iron on a low temperature setting might be sufficient to persuade it to take a permanent set in the correct position. Good idea to use something to hold it in the right place - I had had visions of trying to delicately juggle coach, iron and brake rodding detail with just two hands and it all going horribly wrong 😧

I'm wondering if anyone can offer advice regarding a minor problem I have with one of my Genesis LMS six wheel coaches? The brake 3rd has had an annoying "click" from the get go, notable for only occurring when the coach is running with the brake compartment leading. After ignoring it for a while, I finally managed to track it down to the underframe brake detail. There are two longitudinal rods leading from a transverse rod attached to a 'crank' driven from the 'vacuum cylinder'. One rod is quite short, only going as far as the wheelset under the end of the coach below the passenger compartments. The other is much longer, and terminates between the wheels at the end of the coach under the brake compartment. It is this latter rod which is making the click: the rod does not run straight, but instead deviates slightly to one side, as can be seen in this photo: This puts the end of the rod right at the end of the axle, where there is a high spot on the axle (you can see something similar on the middle axle) which flicks the end of the rod as the axle rotates. When running passenger end first it makes no discernible noise, but when running in the other direction it catches against the end of the rod, creating an audible click. Now, I could just try smoothing down the high spot on the axle, or simply trimming the end of the rod fractionally shorter, but the fundamental issue seems to be that the rod doesn't run where it should. This photo shows the underside of my all brake, with the rod running straight and true, as it does on all my other Genesis coaches: I need if possible to persuade the errant rod to run straight, but being flexible plastic it doesn't want to take a bend Any suggestions as to how I might safely persuade it to lie where it should?

I don't use the #5 (or its height & length variants), preferring the #14x series. For screw fitting of the gear boxes I use the Kadee #246 tap & die set to make tapped holes in the vehicle chassis, with 2-56 screws as recommended by Kadee (I use black button head hex drive 2-56 screws, in various lengths, from modelfixings.co.uk - as ever, other suppliers may be available). I find screw fitting much more secure than gluing, especially when dealing with older stock where the construction materials are not certain though the Kadee gear boxes do seem to stick well to polystyrene kit chassis using ordinary poly cement/mek/limonene etc (though not so well to plasticard, for some reason). Someone mentioned using #15x series couplers: the coupler heads on these are 'true' HO scale, so a tad smaller than the coupler heads on the #14x series - which might actually make the #14x series better suited to 4mm scale. The #15x series are also only available with centerset coupler heads: that's probably appropriate if you are keen to get the most prototypical look possible on HO stock, but the height variations offered by the #14x series (underset & overset as well as centreset) do offer more options for the fitting of the gearbox to the chassis, while still getting the coupler head at the correct height. The short & narrow gear box options (#252 and #262) also offer a bit more flexibility in the gear box placement.

But at least it's not a genuine historic aircraft that gets trashed in bad weather. ('d hope that the genuine ones that get replaced by replicas go into museums, or at least into secure storage awaiting conservation.)

It's my understanding that many if not all of such gate guardian aircraft are glass fibre replicas nowadays (I think this was mentioned in the Airfix episode of James May's Toy Story). The original aircraft don't stand up well to being stuck up on a pole in all weathers, and can be vulnerable to vandalism and even theft (though I can't help thinking that you'd have to be pretty sneaky and/or foolhardy to try something like that outside a military facility).

There's a couple of T34s in Berlin sitting around not doing much, if that's any help?