knitpick

Interesting comment at the end of the Editorial:- "The class 11 perfectly complements our J70, USA and Sentinel, plus forthcoming 16xx and E1 [my emphasis - what E1?]". Plus "But we're not done yet - Watch this space!". Is life about to get expensive?

As noted above, this is a back to back issue. Confirmed by your description - lurches over points but (presumably) runs OK on plain track. I've replaced wheels on some of my old Hornby locos with Romfords / Markits wheels. This has the great advantage that the Hornby valve gear and coupling rod screws are a straight fit into the Romford (and thus Markit) wheels. Also the square axles ensure easy quartering. The pony & bogie wheels are a press fit onto the Romford / Markit axles and fit well too. As the Romford design has insulation at the wheel rim whereas Hornby's was at the wheel centre, you may need to tweak the pick-ups for some conversions. The only issue is the tender drive. As suggested above, the easy route is to use a washer on the non-cog side to increase back to back. Otherwise, if I remember correctly, there was a company that did replacement tender drive wheels with better back to back - but that was last century and I don't recall the name (so not much help there - sorry).

I would seriously recommend avoiding the use of WD40 and similar oils on model railway equipment. WD40 is a penetrating oil. One feature of this is that it can penetrate plastic and mazac causing them to crack. If you must use a penetrating oil then you must wash it off afterwards to protect you models. And yes, I've had plastic wheels crack after someone used WD40 to clean dirty track!

I had a similar problem testing for my son some N gauge locos with 6 pin DCC chips. Didn't work on plain DC which is all I have (although he said that they should). So I "borrowed" a six pin blanking plate from a Hattons P class and swapped that for the DCC chip. Worked fine with bodies off. After successful testing, I replaced chips in the N gauge locos and the blanking plate in the P. Might be worth contacting a local club to see if any of the members there can help you test to make sure the chassis works OK under DC before trying to get a blanking plate? Note that other small 00 locos also use a 6 pin chip / blanking plate; the P seemed the easiest to take apart to get at the blanking plate.

Der - what DVD? Picked my copy of the Jan Hornby mag up at WH Smiths Friday with "Free DVD" text displayed on front cover. Checked the various copies on display and none had a DVD attached. And I couldn't find any instructions in the mag on how to get my free DVD. Just a brief reference to the DVD contents on the contents page. So how do I get this "free DVD" - working or otherwise. I guess a non-working DVD would make a good coaster for my coffee mug?

Interesting - mine wouldn't - but then I was using N gauge 9" radius Peco set-track rather than 009 set-track. [009 set-track wasn't available back then.] I didn't expect there to be any difference. Then again, it may depend on the actual Heljan model one bought?

A quick word of warning. You mention L&B 2-6-2T locos; the Heljan offering has a specified minimum radius of 12". However, if you are using the Stenning kit and relevant commercial chassis then 9" radius is fine. Other items including Egger, Joueff and Minitarins will generally manage 6" radius. Not sure why Heljan went for such a large minimum radius - especially as the Peco stock is quit happy on 9" radius.

Sorry to upset you but - as noted above, the GWR push-pull system was mechanical, using rodding between the loco and the driving coach. The SR (Pull-push) and I believe the LMS versions were both air operated. Hence the Westinghouse type air pump on the SR Pull-Push locos and the odd juggle in the Ivatt push-pull 2MT steam pipes. I also note that the modified Jinty pictured by Brossard seems to have an air pump attached. So if (OK big if) I am right about the LMS system, then you wouldn't be able to use a GWR autocoach with a Jinty other than as an ordinary towed coach. Further assuming I am correct that the LMS version was air powered. does anyone know if the SR and LMS versions were interchangeable? On another aspect, why does none of the manufacturers make an LMS push-pull set?

I've used a double ended Expo hand drill. This has 4 different size 4-jaw chucks which you access by undoing the relevant collet and turning the chuck over. That along with a box of assorted Expo drill bits. I find that power drills can wander if you're not careful - especially if they are single speed!

Whilst these ran mainly in sets of 5, there were also some 3 wagon sets. For the outers, I adopted a simplistic approach; a piece of ~40 thou plasticard painted black with (I think) Craftsman whitemetal OLEO buffers. I also replaced the wheelsets with Romfords. Please note that I didn't do much research and whilst looking better than nothing, this is not an accurate conversion.

The AirFix RAF Recovery Kit is still available from time to time. The original Mnitrains bogie bolster only second hand - other flat wagons are available. AirFix kit around £5 new; flat wagons ~ £20 depending on make. I believe it's called inflation? PS - Other parts from the AirFix kit were put on Peco N Gauge chassis with a 40thou (or 60 thou?) floor to make additional wagons of uncertain prototype accuracy - but then it is MY railway ;~)

As noted above, Peco point motors do come with the extension pin included. The only problem I've had with the Peco extension pins is when cutting them to length. They are a very hard wire and tend to chew a hole in the jaws of most side cutters. You really need cutters that are specifically designed to cut hardened wire - not the default side cutters.

For what it's worth - years ago (and I do mean years) I put an Airfix crane from the RAF Recovery Kit onto an original Minitrains bogie bolster - remove two sets of bolsters and drill a hole for the crane's peg. Also add metal chain to the crane jib. This is a much more substantial crane than the current Minitrains offering. Other bits from the kit were also used to cobble up some odd 009 wagons. Those were the days - Airfix RAF Recovery set three bob [15p to those who don't understand "real money" ;~) ]. Sigh - showing my age again!

Thanks for that Stewart. Must admit, I've not tried re-gauging my old models. I've always thought that the flange width (not depth) would be the main problem with modern track. And they do quite happily go through Peco track from the 1980s era without adjustment; it's just more modern Peco points that have finer tolerances and give problems with my old models. As for kits on Tri-Ang Jinty chassis, I've replaced the old wheels with Romfords / Markits wheels - and fully flanged. Also replaced wheels on a Tri-Ang L1.

As you note - there is no problem with MODERN RTR stock. But these "myths" - well reality actually - come from less knowledgeable / newbies buying stuff "cheap" via the likes of eBay and actually getting old stuff. The OP doesn't state the age of his class 31. If the current Hornby model then it will be OK with finescale track. I have an original Hornby Class 31 with Tri-Ang style wheels; gears in the centre of the wheelset, and the middle "wheel set" part of the bogie moulding sans flange. That loco as bought will NEVER run through modern Peco pointwork, let alone finescale stuff without wheel replacement. There are also issues with Lima locos and code 70 track; the over deep flanges run on the sleepers. Again code 70 being a finer profile is often used for finescale track. These are facts, they are not myth.

For what it's worth, my order for Rheneas arrived from 009 society yesterday - having been posted Thursday. Now to look at the conversion job; and it's looking more complex than Tal-y-Llyn was. Bah Humbug!

Basically two questions - platform and train lengths. On platforms: I've travelled on 8 carriage + 2 power car HSTs from Paddington to Gloucester. It stops at one station (I think it was Stonehouse) whose platforms were only long enough for 2 of the coaches to fit; the rest of the doors were locked out. Also travelled into Kings Cross on one of the "Cross Country" Eurostars (2 coaches shorter than the London to Paris / Brussels ones) - about the back third of the train was off the platform. Also Charing Cross gets a lot of 12 car (64 foot carriage) trains into platforms 4 (holds 10 coaches before extension onto Hungerford Bridge - now holds 11 coaches); Platform 5 (holds 10 and a half coaches) and platform 6 (holds 11 coaches). Also down here in the South East there is a lot of stations that have platforms shorter than the trains. I can't recall the number of times that I've got out of slam door stock onto the platform ramp - albeit near the top of the ramp - rather than try to get one carriage further forward before the train moves off again. Trains longer than platforms was also true of the Underground with doors switched out but nowadays LT seem to prefer to run shorter trains that will fit the platforms. On trains, as noted above, the 75 ft coaches (Mk3 and Mk4) scale down to about 12 inches; 64 ft (blue Pullman) to about 11 inches. The HST power cars and the IC225 Loco and DVT are of the order of 9 ~ 10 inches each when scaled down. So the platform should be of a length to fit the space available and original expected traffic levels - bearing in mind the cost / benefit of extending the platforms to meet increased train lengths.

Odd that Norton warned you against the site. It could be that one of the links on the site is corrupted either accidentally - or deliberately. In the latter case it could take you to a site designed to download software onto your computer. Software that could steal credit card numbers and / or passwords. As a precaution, you can hover the mouse pointer over a link and check if it looks "right" - e.g. starts http://www.hattons.co.uk/ of if one of the letters is "iffy" - e.g. http://www.haltons.co.uk/ or http://www.hattons.com/. [Actually the latter .com site seems to belong to an industrial / building company - and I am NOT suggesting that it is compromised.] When paying, you should get an https connection and a padlock; you can click over the padlock to check who the encryption certificate has been issued to - and again check it looks right. As an aside, I believe that some computer companies regularly scan Internet web sites checking for dubious links. For example, a Google search can give a web site a green tick if Google considers the site safe. Nonetheless, such scans are relatively superficial to avoid infringing the Computer Misuse Act.

Duncan? Duke?? Oh no - that's 2 more models where my kits have been overtaken by RTR [GEM Douglas & Prince for the uninitiated]. And I thought it was only 00 standard gauge where that was a risk. Ho hum.

I did take the body off to repaint - so the face was pushed off from inside. It is an interference fit. With care, it may be possible to prise off. But there is the risk of damage to the smokebox front.

​You ask abut stripping the red paint. For what it's worth, I used Humbrol BR Green enamel directly on top of the existing red. I didn't strip off the old paint nor prime. Also, as a 009 society member I was able to purchase a 3D printed smokebox door to replace the face. Worst bit was delicate silver paint job for smokebox door hinges and the "clock" handles to open the smokebox door - all brush painted.

Can I suggest that you measure the distance from the front of the NEM pocket to level with the buffers? Test measuring No17s the distance from the front of the NEM mount to the buffing part of the knuckle is around 7mm - quoted as 7.1mm on the packet. Thus if the distance you measure on the shunter is around 7mm use No17s. Much bigger (say above 7.5mm) use No 18s quoted as 8.63mm up to around 9mm. No 19s are quoted as 10.61mm and should suffice for up to 11mm. Finally there are No 20s. Yes OK with these dimensions the buffers won't touch - nor will you get buffer lock.

Actually the suggestion of using a Mk1 may not be so far off the wall. Hugh Longworth's book British Railways First Generation DMUs notes that 3 Hawksworth CKs were converted for use as Blue Square DMU centre cars. Apparently they were initially used to strengthen class 119 Cross Country units. He notes that they were also used in Class 117 suburban units. Further to this, redundant 4CEP TSOs were adapted and used to strengthen some 2H units making them 3 car corridor units. The 4CEP TSO, body wise, is a Mk1 SO albeit they had hopper style windows by then. Due to width variation, these (now 3H) units acquired the nickname slugs. So applying a bit of time warp, modellers licence, and changing build details, you could argue a case for placing a Mk1 in a DMU as a "might have been" scenario.

As cctransuk says - contact Kernow. Otherwise your order will be delayed as the card company will reject the payment. And Kernow will need to contact you for your new card details. For what it's worth, whenever my card has expired, I have contacted Kernow with the new card details. This has meant that when preorders have arrived at Kernow, payment can be taken and they can be despatched to me. Slightly off topic but those Warships have been a long time coming and I'm now on my second re-issue of that card.

Like a few others. I too have moved the power unit from the centre car to an end one. Before responding, I had a quick look at what I had done. The motorised chassis has a squared off end - which goes at the corridor end of the driver, plus an end with a taper (slightly pointy as Baldrick might say). I found that the cab shape prevented the tapered end from fitting well - so I have sawn off a couple of millimeters either side of the taper so that it starts earlier and the "flat end" is marginally narrower. This is probably removing more than required but works. The bogie sides are clip fitted (clips front and rear) and so can be swopped over to transfer the bogie with coupling to the now unpowered centre coach. You will need to unsolder the light cables and resolder to the motorised chassis if you want the head and rear LED lights to work. Otherwise they can be disconnected as they have a plug & socket to ease removal of the body from its dummy chassis. Finally you will need to remove the dummy BSI connector and fit to the motorised chassis. OK I didn't as I've fitted Kaydees instead - but that's another story As an addendum; when Bachmann announced the Class 166, they also announced the class 165. There was some story about "significant dimensional differences" and the Class 165s never materialised.