AyJay

Even though the battery, the black & gold brand, was straight out of the pack, I have no idea how long it has been on the shelf. Neither do I know how quickly the applicator will drain it. Would it be safe to connect the battery terminals to a power supply? I have an old Gaugemaster power unit knocking about that I sometimes use for non-DCC locomotives.

Thank you for that Nick. The applicator is as close as I can get without ploughing, so yes close enough. It does not seem to make a difference how much grass it is loaded with; I have tried lots, I have tried a little . Should I be able to check continuity between the earth terminal and the battery terminals?

Today I did some static grass application and it was not satisfactory; I don't think that it has ever been good. The applicator I use is by Greenscene and the 'grass' is the short static grass either from Greenscene or from A.N.Other supplier. Now I don't know why it's going wrong. The PP9 Battery is fresh, checked with multimeter. The earthing wire is connected to a pin that is bedded into where the adhesive is brushed. The adhesive is also Greenscene, Static grass cement. Sometimes it is PVA. The light lights. The anode can be heard to 'crackle'. So it should all work. I apply the grass by giving a vigorous shaking at the wrist, as demonstrated. So why is it that instead of sticking up as it should, the grass lays flat?

P.S. I also note that the instruction manuals indicate that the CV for quick set volume level in each case is specified as being set to 0 to 8. However, upon reading, this CV is set to 255. Strange?

Thank you for that information. I have now gone through all my TTS locos and gone into the CV's to turn down the whistles and running sounds. All except my 6006 King George I. For some unknown reason, the decoder cannot be 'read'. Also I notice that this loco does not appear to be in the Hornby catalogue as being issued with a sound chip, so I suspect that this decoder is from someone else.

I have the NCE powercab and, sorry to say, never got my head around cv's. Four of my locomotives, all Hornby's, have sound chips fitted; either manufacturer fitted or dealer fitted. What I would like to know is, is there any way that I can turn down the volume? Their sounds are all too loud. Thank you, Alan

All sorted now. I visited Hobbycraft and came back with 6 rolls, a scalpel and another pack of das clay. Plus a big bag of loose earl grey and another of French earl grey from T2. Plus an Easter egg from hotel chocolate. Got to keep The Wife happy.

So mid-project, I discover that I’m on my last roll of modroc and I have a big area of insulation foam still to cover. The nearest available source is Hobbycraft, but with the price of fuel I cannot justify a drive just for that. Also I have no desire to add to the wealth of any internet shopping billionaires, space faring or otherwise. So, what have I got that I could improvise with? I could raid the first aid kit for a crepe bandage and coat it in Filler (pollyfilla). Has anyone tried this?

“Your call is important to us” “A game of two halves”

With the original, there is a complete curtain wall from the gatehouse towards the corner. Also the remnant of a wall starting from the nearest corner of the residence, but the rest is long gone. Think I’ll leave the visitor centre out though.

Well here’s the progress so far on my 4th corner. I wanted a ruined castle and what a beauty did I find. Well I only intended to build the gatehouse… But then I liked it so much, that I just kept going and built the residence as well. Now that I look at it I just have to wonder, did I go too far? It’s gradually growing on me, but I still look and wonder, is it too crowded? Just ignore the yellow sheet, I still have to landscape it. The original also has a smaller tower, which sits where the far corner is, but I think I’ll leave that alone.

Short of a clean room with HEPA filtration and environmental suits, not a lot you can do really. Just make sure that a vacuum cleaner and a soft brush are your best friends, communicate with them every day.

Cannot speak for this business, but generally the lifecycle of a product is big upfront costs that are recouped over the selling life of that product. It reaches a point where there is little more profit to be had from it, fashion changes, more up to date alternatives etc. The only option is for the company to try and tart it up a bit and call it ‘special edition’ to scrape the last few sales before withdrawing it. I have seen this with motor cars, jazzed up upholstery, an eye catching name on the boot, dashboard toys and it’s ‘Special edition’.

I have just been preparing my shopping list for the long awaited visit to Alexandra Palace this Saturday. When I got to a quantity of OO gauge wagons that have their original plastic wheels, this caused a bit of a problem. There are a number of Graham Farish coal trucks, their wheels are 12mm dia, and looking on the Alan Gibson website (yes, i know it has changed ownership), I see that 12mm spoked wheels are listed. However, the problem is with my Mainline trucks, their wheels are all 12.8 to 12.9mm. Should I replace them with 12mm, or do I choose the next size, 14mm?

I have taken an idea that I heard and added a thought of my own. I didn’t have a join on the corner, instead, the first sheet wraps around the corner and the second sheet overlaps it slightly. Also, instead of cutting, I tore the edge of the overlapping sheet, so as to not have a straight edge and then coloured the edge before gluing in place.

Also: The bank offering me the incentive of a special offer with an online wine retailer, when I’d rather have an offer at diy, hardware, bookshops and model shops.

Just by way of helping to keep this discussion thread ‘on track’; anyone who opens a conversation with “how are you”; I have been known to give an honest answer to this one.

The inability for (predominantly young) people to say anything without adding “like” in like every other word like.

I had heard something quite awful concerning a certain popular donation Website. I have read that not only is their commission on your contribution high, but also, if you tick the box so that tax relief may be reclaimed and added to your contribution, so that they are just taking even more of your money.

I think that there is a staircase behind that opening. What I really need is a good quality aerial shot so I can see what the top of the walls look like.

I have done an internet search and there is no shortage of pictures. Unfortunately, many of them are repeats and all positioned for artistic effect and not what I want. Any suggestions on the best way to disguise the flatness?

Good evening all. With my last card modelling project, the church at Goring, I set a very high benchmark for myself and achieved a good likeness of the original. With my current project, I wonder if I have chosen something so difficult that I was just bound to be dissatisfied with the results? So let's look at it. The original is the gatehouse of Etal Castle in Northumberland. Which being at the other end of the country, I could only view via google earth. Already, several issues have become glaringly apparent. I have attached various pictures. Firstly, let's look at the tower on the real castle. You will see that the surrounding around the high level window is very distressed and broken. This was not apparent at first; you will see that the tower on my model is nothing like it. All the surfaces are smooth. All I can think of doing here is to attack this area with a knife and then fill with DAS Clay. I have just bought a pack and am experimenting with it. I have however, made an attempt at layering. If you compare the image of the wall above the entrance as seen from inside the gatehouse, with my model; I have been using different patterns of brickpaper of card that is offset. Is this a good enough representation? Fortunately, when complete, the inside will not be easily visible. Then moving onto looking at an intact wall. Well the surface is not level, but I am not sure how to reproduce this? I am considering a test piece of roughly smearing a thin layer of DAS over a scrap bit of card, and then gluing the paper onto it when dry. I am also considering overlaying the paper with small pieces stuck onto card to represent stones jutting out? Someone did suggest that I do the whole thing out of DAS and then carve the stones individually. If I did it this way, I think my boredom threshold would have protested. The paper has a glossy sheen to it. Well that's easily solved, I have a tin of Games Workshop matt varnish somewhere that I have never used. Lastly, how do I reproduce the carved stone window frames? Fortunately, this model will not be front centre. It will be giving a purpose to one corner. There is another building at this site which I am considering doing in the same way if I am satisfied with the result. Incidentally. If anyone reading this lives up in the Northumberland area near this castle; I would really like to know what is inside the distressed doorway on the ground floor to the rear? The English Heritage website suggests in their artists representation of what the castle used to look like, that behind this opening was a staircase. This is not clear in the available images. Is anyone able to confirm what it looks like? Thank you

I did find a picture showing a panda with a gun. But I have not mastered how to attach pictures into posts using my phone??? So I’ll just have to say “Eats, shoots and leaves”

Admin.... In light of the traffic on this subject, would it be a good idea if all discussion on the Ukraine situation be drawn out into its own thread? That way, the Early Risers can have their lighter chat back.

So let me just get this right... The UN cannot condemn the actions of Russia, because Russia has veto-ed the UN resolution!!! That's like the burglar telling the home owner that they have no right to call the Police. When this is over, I do so hope that Vladimir Putin and his cronies are declared War Criminals Vodka and caviar state ballet and russian watches are banned in this house. Good thing i'm not a football fan. The IT security on my PC stopped being Kasperski several years back