Caley Jim

If I recall from an earlier post, they haven't physically lost them, it's just that they are no longer readily accessible on line! Jim

Agreed. Apart from the 'c' being the wrong shape, the load is also wrong. These Dia 22 minerals were only rated at 8 Tons. Jim

Heading south, that is! Jim (running for cover)

Not in the middle of an exam, they can't! Jim

I suffered from the same affliction, which is why I dropped history in 3rd year and took geography. As a result my knowledge of late 19th/early 20th century political machinations is sadly lacking. My thanks to those of you who have expanded my knowledge on the subject. Having said that, i'm not sure I understand 21st century political machinations, but I'm content to leave that as a gap in my knowledge, so no more politics please! Jim

It seems to me counterintuitive for there to be an Austrian Navy, Austria being, like Switzerland, a landlocked country! :-? Jim

By 'The drier side of Britain', I assume they are referring to the weather and not the availability of 'refreshments'.? Jim

And trichloethylene (trilene) though that will also be hard to come by legitimately as it used to be used as a general anaesthetic! Jim

Yes, it was 0.8 which I used, but it was a long time ago, so I'd forgotten that! Jim

Could i suggest that you make the two slopes of the roof out of 1mm ply, with a couple of 'false gables' attached to it which slip inside the gables of the building. They will keep the two slopes of the roof at the correct pitch and allow it to be slid off and on. I did this with a goods shed roof on my first layout. The ply is sufficiently stable to remain flat for many years. Jim

That's why I do it with dry powder afterwards as you can vary the colour and blend different shades together. For coal loads, I put a generous layer of black 5 minute epoxy on the false base, sprinkle a generous layer of crushed coal over it and then gently press that down with a wad of tissue. Once the epoxy has set,the excess can be shaken of back into the tub. Jim

Bloody brilliant is all I can say! Jim

I would dust it over with dry powder colour, or, if you can't get hold of that, ground down pastels. The moisture in the air will be enough to eventually 'fix' it, alternatively, you could mist it over with water in one of the bosses empty domestic cleaning spray bottles. The colour will depend on what the local gravel was, or perhaps it might be ash? Jim

4mm gauge? That's even smaller than Z! You'll struggle to get decoders to fit in these locos! Mind you, the whole layout will probably fit in a box file! Jim

If the NER could knock a hole through the walls of York, then anything is plausible! Jim

That's why I say to keep both the screwdriver and the tweezers as close as possible to the axle, so that you're levering against the bearing and behind it, the muff. You have to be very gentle and ' feel ' for movement. Jim

I've seen a photo of the inside of Camden tranship shed with a CR open wagon in view. Edit to add that the S&DJR appropriated a dropside one as a ballast wagon! Jim

Thanks for the clarification Angus. I had a memory that the Edinburgh raid was at about the limit of their range. Jim

The HR Jones Goods is a particular case in point. The driving wheels are flangless and there is only an inch or so between them and the flange of the leading coupled wheels. Jim

Another way to try, which will not destroy the muff, is to I insert a small screwdriver between the wheel and frame on one side, as close to the axle as possible, and gently twist it to ease the wheel out. Once you have it out enough insert the tips of a pair of tweezers either side of the axle and continue levering gently. It depends how tight the axle is in the muff how easy this will be, but probably better to do it on the side away from the gear first. It's worked for me in the past. Jim

Lovely work, Valentin. Only complaint is that it's not on interlaced timbers! :-) Jim

Could Zeppelins have made it that far north? I know a couple got as far as Edinburgh, but IIRC they had to do a quick turn around and head back home before they ran out of fuel. Jim

Yes, refit the intermediate gear, but it's unlikely that it will then freewheel, but it should push along smoothly. What is the problem with the adapter? If it's just a bit loose, a spot of loctite or cyano will secure it. A simple clutch can be made by cutting a slot in the end of one shaft and filing the end of the other shaft to a 'screwdriver' shape which will engage in the slot. It doesn't need to go in terribly far, ½mm is enough. Jim

Whether or not the chassis freewheels is not a big issue in my view, it's how smoothly it runs under power. Fit the motor and apply power direct to it and see how it all turns. Maybe try it first without the rods on to check that the gear meshing is OK. As the saying goes, you can't test a system at rest. A bit of play is not a disaster. I have an 0-4-4T which is around 40 years old, has two loose crank pins and a fair bit of wear in the 20thou p/b frames (no bearing in those days!) and you can turn the non-driven set of wheels about 1/8th of a turn, but it still runs sweetly. To try it on the track, however, you will need to add some weight, something like a couple of chunks of lead stuck on top fore and aft somewhere with Blu-tack, ideally so that the weight is evenly distributed. A chassis on its own is far too light for effectively collecting current. Jim

Thanks, and you too Annie. The body is an old Graham Hughes white metal kit with new steps and cab roof on a scratchbuilt chassis. It was my first try at a compensated chassis,the aim being to improve current collection, which it did. It's over 40 years old and starting to show its age, but is now DCC fitted with a DXc75 chip sitting upright in the cab. Jim