AyJay

Hello. Some years back I purchased via Ebay, second hand, Hornby locomotive, R1048 Castle Class 7028 ‘Cadbury Castle’. The locomotive runs fine and looks good but..... It was soon apparent that the previous owner had trouble with it because the locomotive chassis was only secured to the top via the front screw under the pony truck; The rear screw under the cab had seized with the threaded ferrule that fixes into the body and the ferrule had pulled away with the screw. There was evidence that attempt had been made to glue it back. This was something that was not much of an issue for me up to the point that I went all DCC. Now the tender is permanently attached to the loco by three wires, making for a very tight access. I have written to Hornby, asking if they can replace the screw fixing and fit an in-line electrical connector, so that I can disconnect the tender from the loco. Hornby has just replied saying that they cannot take this model. I have also looked on the Peters Spares website, nothing doing. So over to you folks, any suggestions please, for a replacement screw fixing and where I can source a small in-line connector, preferably without having to do any 'buchering' of the tender ? Thank you.

My layout is composed of 11 sections that join together, including one that raises (drawbridge fashion). This is the method that I employed: 1. All sections aligned with close fitting brass dowels. 2. Copper-clad sleepers glued and pinned either side of the joins, for soldering the track to. Note, if the sleepers are clad on both sides, strip the copper off the underside before securing. 3. Ensure that the track makes contact with the sleepers without causing it to rise up at that position causing rolling stock to bump over a ridge. 4. Then I laid the track across the join, secured in place, soldered the rails onto the copper-clad sleepers and finally used a razor saw to cut through the rails across the join. 5. With a sharp blade, strip back segment of copper between the rails to maintain electrical isolation. BUT!!! This is absolutely fine when the track crosses the join at right angles. What I discovered to my cost is that when the track crosses at an angle, and doubly so if it is a curve, cutting along the join of the boards means that the cut is not perpendicular across each rail. Meaning that there is an sharp edge which can catch the flange of a wheel and cause a derailment. If you have track crossing at an angle, I would recommend cutting each rail separately, possibly using a powered cutting disk, to ensure that the cut is perpendicular across the rail. If you are concerned that the thickness of the cutting disk will leave an unacceptably wide cut, then you could compensate for this by clamping a very thin spacer between the boards before laying the track. But do it with care because it affects how track aligns afterwards.

Hello all, This thread touches on something that has been on my mind recently. During the construction of my model railway, I have been keeping a photograph diary of its development and this has included a section on several card buildings that I have recently made. I have been thinking of putting these photographs together (just the card buildings, that is), possibly as a slideshow with an audio commentary. Well putting the slides together was the easy bit, I now have to think about a script for a commentary. The 'story' I have is: Look to the real thing (photographs & google street). Tools and materials used. Prepare a mock-up first (check that it fits). Construct the model. Lessons learned & references. I suppose the big question is 'why?' To which I would answer, to showcase what I have done and share a technique with those that don't know where to start. I realise that there is no such thing as a definitive 'right' way to do something, we each develop a technique and others may disagree with mine. So I want to ask, is this something that is likely to be well received, or would I be wasting my time? Also, if I do this, what would be the appropriate platform, Youtube, or this forum (and if so, which section)? I'd like to hear peoples thoughts on this. Thanks.

I once heard someone say, with regards television, "the programs are interrupting the advertising" It seems as though the same process is happening on all forms of social media, including this forum; I appreciate that there has to be some revenue generation BUT, can someone from BRM please explain why when I come onto this forum, I am constantly bombarded with advertising pop-ups? I could understand if they were modelling related, but no! Here's the latest..... But then, of course, we are all on this site to soak up all the advertising, and whatever we post is just a distraction from that. Rant over, I'll now go and place a bulk order of horseshoes for my layout...

Hello Mr Tea, It's not the same as what you are after, but I have been hanging onto the 'Village Shop & Cafe' PO254, unopened, and I'm never going to make it. So it's yours if you want it. Gratis! You will have to come and collect though. I live about half hours drive from Reading.

Thanks for that stubby, but I think that you have misunderstood my question. From Google street I have counted rows of bricks on the property that is in the photograph. The 2nd floor windows are the same height as those on the 1st floor, 5ft. I also have the total height of the building. What I need is photographs of a 3-storey building that would be in the same style as what I have already modelled. The big question is, what does the back look like? So far, my search has returned nothing.

Hello. I need to ask for some help again please. As some of you may have seen from other recent postings of mine, I am working on populating a corner of my layout with a townscene of Victorian style properties. So far I have houses from the excellent range from Freestone Model Accessories, plus a scratch built pub. Well now I need a row of shops in the same style and the design is causing me a problem. They are going to be completely scratch built, but I want to adapt the design of my Freestone / Metcalfe houses. After much looking on the internet at shop fronts, I have produced a front view drawing of what I want, see attached, The selected shops are what I feel would look right, I have also chosen real shop fronts that I found. For me, the most important one is the bike shop, because I used to frequent the shop of Mr Morris and a friend has challenged me to even reproduce the photo of him standing outside with the tandem. A challenge that I'm up for. However.... Looking on Google street, I now find that his terrace looks nothing like what I have in mind. I don't mind having a third floor, but I don't like the square end and flat roof. https://www.instantstreetview.com/@51.582588,-0.012666,270.44h,7.61p,1z Also, the view shows something really ugly and block like at the back. I have searched high and low on the internet for images of Victorian houses in the style I want, but can find nothing that's 3-stories high, and certainly no rear views. All I found was Georgian style and something that would not be out of place on the Addams Family! So, can anyone please help me with examples of a 3-storey equivalent of what I already have (see attached picture)? I particularly need to know what the roof and rear view would look like? My fall-back position is to just build them as 2-storey and I don't think that would be right. Thank you.

Hi George, sorry you missed the main course, but you're still in time for coffee & liqueurs :-) Further detailing of The prince Albert is on hold for the present, however, I have been actively progressing the other buildings, see https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/153140-how-to-handle-the-edge-of-the-world/&tab=comments#comment-3921085 So, I have just written up notes on how I constructed my latest building, it would not be difficult to embellish it with photos and turn it into a blog for this forum. Is that something that people would be interested in?

Jukebox. Wow! that is fantastic. I particularly like the effect of the shallow relief buildings at the back and the stormy looking sky.

I have the answer to the problem, thank you teaky, harlequin and everyone else for your suggestions. I made a quick mock-up, cut to follow the line of the edge of the board. When put in place and with a sheet of townscene behind it, it looks absolutely fine. Because of the shape of the roof, you cannot see the missing section behind the ridge line. I might experiment with curling the townscene sheet around the window frame and cutting/pasting some additional images in front, with a small space between them, to give an impression of depth. The second picture shows my mock-up alongside the model that it will connect to. From above, you can see the shape of the rear and how it is cropped. Problem solved :-) Thanks all. I'll post a picture when it is all finished.

Yes, I said edge, not end. I am constructing a street of houses to populate a corner of my layout. The houses have been discussed elsewhere on this site. However, a different issue has popped up and it's something that others here have had to deal with. Having played around with positioning, I have settled on the position in the attached photo. There is just room for one more building in the space to the right of the one that I'm currently working on, I want to secure them together to make a terrace. However, I am on the edge of the baseboard and the wall is 3cm beyond that. The layout is OO gauge by the way. The edge would run from the rear left corner of my proposed extra kit, to the front right corner, so I would have all of the front, reducing to a point as I go back. Up to this point, I really have not thought about blending into the background, I have bought some sheets of townscene, which I might stick onto the wall behind. There is a lot of work (and many hours) involved in making one of these kits, so I don't want to go ahead if it is all wrong. Do I just go ahead and make half a building, trusting that after a while I just won't notice? I would be interested in hearing how others have handled this problem? Thank you.

I appreciate that this forum is not the place for political comments, so I'll try to avoid that, but a lot of people will be waking up today with a sense of uncertainty... I am no fan of Piers Morgan, his manner irritates me; but this morning on GMTV he made a lot of sense on this subject. It is 'suggested' that we socially isolate, yet without a unambiguous mandate from No 10, that leaves the businesses in a state of limbo, for there are bound to be insurance implications and I see this as the death knell for countless businesses. I love this hobby, I really do! I can think of no other that brings together such a breadth of dissimilar skills and interests. As I child I would look forward to my Sunday afternoons, when I would get the train set out and be in a fantasy world for hours. Now at the start of my senior years, I find myself looking at the world and asking 'why is it done that way? How can I model it?' Yes it is a great shame that this exhibition is cancelled and I hope that it, and all the others, can happen next year. I have my shopping list and I'll probably contact a couple of traders directly. I really don't care about the price of my ticket and whether or not I get the money back, it's the price of a couple of coffees and something sticky & unhealthy. That's life! What is more important to me is that I can continue in this hobby knowing that I can still go to exhibitions and buy the bits I want from my 'local' model shop in the years to come. Thank you BRM, for being courageous in taking this difficult decision. Although I do not feel frightened by Covid-19, my Wife has a condition which would put her at risk, as does a good friend, so we have to remember what's important. See you all in 2021 :-)

Hello all. Has anyone any suggestion on a suitable style/technique for making a road through a street of terrace houses? I have previously used Sandtex black paint on card. This will be a minor residential road that is a turning off a main road at a T-junction. The layout is OO gauge, UK (non-specific town), BR steam (so would be 50's to early 60's). The buildings on either side will be Victorian style terrace houses. (I have another thread on the buildings, but don't know how to make a link) My base surface is a sheet of foamboard that the buildings are set into and I have the excellent pavement sets from Metcalf that I have used elsewhere. When complete, this sub-assembly will be secured onto my layout. I would like to lay the surface of my road (whatever that will be?) and then add the pavements down each side to butt up to the buildings on each side. I need to build up the pavement by 1-2mm, to ensure that any exposed foundations on the buildings are suitably buried. I vaguely recall that the roads to my Grandmothers house in North London were tarmac, and some picture of my own childhood home show that roads were narrower than where I live now (there were no 'Chelsea tractors' then). I know that stone setts and cobbles were still used in some places and I have a couple of sheets, but I'd like to save them for private areas. So really my question distils down to 'How do I make a convincing road surface in tarmac?' Would there have been a camber? I could lay a narrow strip of card down the centre of the road under the top surface for this. How do I set kerbside drains into the surface? Thanks all.

Del Boy! Humm, now there's an idea. I was wondering about having Dirty Den giving Angie her 'Christmas present'. A valuable source of reference for me has been 'Making Model Railway Buildings', by Andy McMillan, Crowwood press. ISBN 978-1-84797-340-5. It has been particularly helpful in showing me ideas on how to improve my models. What was also insightful was that Andy tackles the question of 'How far do I take it?' He likens the model to a painting. Seen from close up, it is not as accurate as a detailed technical drawing. But seen from a distance, it conveys just the right impression and looks much more real than a technical drawing. He presents two ideas: 1. Only model what can be seen. It is better to make four three-sided buildings, than to make three four-sided buildings that you will never see the backs of. 2. Only take the model to as much detail as it needs. It's no good trying to build the perfect model that never gets finished. I think I'll stop this model here. Oh I want to buy lamps to hang outside, along with a hanging sign, possibly flower baskets also. I'd also like to put seats + tables inside. But more importantly, I have been shut away for 4-months making this and the terrace of houses. Now that spring is finally here (?) I want to get it installed in it's new home. I also have two more Victorian house kits to build, which will probably wait. When I'm satisfied with the result, I think I'll submit a write-up to BRM. So keep your eyes open. :-) Thanks for the input everyone, it has been helpful and entertaining.

Gosh, I like your windows Grahame! and the jib is an interesting feature too, and in N gauge too (seriously impressed). I can imagine this being sited in London's docklands. Yes branding! That really fixes the location and I have resisted stating a location for my layout; just a fictitious UK town. I suppose I could go for a fictitious brewery e.g. the 'Newton & Ridley' that is the 'Rovers Return'. If it's London suburbs/home counties, I can think of: Watneys. That would be simple, just buy a barrel and paint it red. Fullers, not sure what theirs is. McMullens, think that's a deer? Charringtons. Coming closer to home, it would be Arkells or Brakespears, theirs is a bee. I'm now going to fabricate some upholstered bench seats and put white plastic rods on the bar, to represent 'beer engines'. I have a few tables & chairs. Can anyone recommend what I can do for a Till and some customers? I also notice that one of the brass frets, see earlier link, has decorative pub signs, so I'll have to have one of them!

I have just been told, that it has been announced that the Government is banning all events where there would be more than 5,000 people. Didn't hear it myself, so cannot comment on this. Does the London festival fall within this ban and if so, will there be a refund on tickets sold? Personally I would still attend, don't plan on kissing anyone or shaking hands :-) However, the friend that I am coming with does have a serious condition, so he may choose not to attend.

Well here is my completed pub exterior, alongside the terrace of houses that it is going to live with. I still have the interior to finish, the 'carpet' and 'wallpaper' are cut outs of rugs from a book on oriental carpets. I am also attaching a rear view of my terrace, particularly proud of this. The handle on the privvy door is a staple. The drain pipes are a length of plastic covered wire that I got from my model shop. The gutter is plasticard that I carved.

Well I looked on the link above. I have decided to dismiss the idea of letters, Trying to get the alignment correct for 3mm lettering would be too difficult, a letter only has to be slightly out to show up. So I am sticking with my gold on black printing. However.... What a treasure trove of brass frets this website is! If only I had seen it before starting this project, cos I could have used a set of ornate window frames. My wish list has now got 'door furniture', 'clocks & weather vanes' and 'manhole & drain covers' added to it. Well last night I took the plunge and after a practise run, added the gold lining. It's not perfect when looked at closely, but from a normal viewing distance, well I think it's pretty impressive. That just leaves drain pipes, nameplates & sign, chimney pots and finishing the interior. Photos to follow.

I like the style of The Queen Vic, it reminds me of a Pub that my Father and I used to walk past when going to visit my Grandmothers, I still remember that distinctive smell of Stout combined with cigarettes... Besides, it looks good when next to the terrace of houses that I have built from Howard Scenics (much better than the offering from Metcalfe). Regarding the background colour, in Microsoft Word. When I right click on the background and select Text Highlight Colour, it only gives me fifteen colour options, but black looks good. A friend has just loaned me a mapping pen and a gold paint pen to play with, so I'll have fun experimenting this evening :-) I'm also pleased with finding a big book on Oriental Carpets in my local Oxfam shop. It's photos will give me enough carpets and wallpaper for many buildings. There may be more photo's presently.

A thousand bars. Hic! Thanks for the suggestions, I particularly like the Gaugemaster lights. A good friend of mine, who is into calligraphy, has suggested that I use a liner pen and practise putting paint lines onto scrap card. If that fails, then its off to WHSmith for these pens, Grahame. Another issue that I have is the name, I have generated it in a Word file and printed it out; but I am very limited in available colours, the nearest colour available is wrong (too purple)! See below. Having seen the picture of The Anchor (above), thanks Melmerby, I am now wondering if I could get away with having a black background instead? Think I'll do a trial print and offer it up to see what it looks like (looks impressive on the screen). I now realise that my photograph shows up all the imperfections that I had otherwise not noticed. e.g. colours too dull, door handles are scruffy with glue, paint mark on brick paper, gaping join on corner, scruffy door steps, door glazing smudged with glue. and so on. However, I think my chosen portrait is impressive, just need to put a frame round it.

Hello, I am in the middle of constructing a 4mm (OO gauge) victorian Pub for a town scene. Because I could not find a kit that I liked, I decided to go down the scratch built path and I am making it out of card. Having spent ages looking at countless photos of real pubs, I kept coming back to one particular Pub, The Queen Vic. Now I know that this is not a real Pub and I had decided not to try to make an exact replica. So here it is and I am calling it The Prince Albert. It's not finished! There is going to be a portrait of Prince Albert on the wall above the corner door and I have prints of the name to stick on the black trim above the bar windows. I'm also working on an interior. The model will slot into a recess on which there will be a roadway with footpath, hence the foundation. However, the frontage is a bit, well, plain... My skill with a paint brush would not go as far as doing justice to the gold trim that is the lining on the prototype, also the edging has depth to it. I would also like to have ornate lights on the outside, as well as flower baskets, but would not know where to source, or make, them. Can anyone with experience in modelling buildings, please advise me as to how I can improve the frontage? Thank you.

Well continuing on with this thread and it becomes all the more perplexing.... I sent the loco back to Hornby and they just returned it to me with nothing done. They cannot help me because they do not have the finescale wheels. Indeed, it looks like they never did and that when this model was released, that's how it went out !!! I have contacted Alan Gibson. They can provide wheels of the correct size, but not mounted on axles. The suggestion was "do you know anyone with a lathe?" Also no joy from Peters Spares. I am now considering securing the wheelset by one axle end in a small electric drill and wrapping a piece of emery cloth around the wheel rims. This is so annoying. Hornby release a locomotive with finescale compatible wheels on the locomotive, but not on the tender! Grrrr

I finally found out what the problem was..... and it was not what I expected! The tender wheels are not suitable for finescale track. the flanges are too large. This would explain the 'apparent' appearance of the problem, as I had only previously run the loco on code 100 track, This was it's first time on my current layout. Unfortunately, Hornby do not have the correct replacement wheels, so it's coming with me on my next outing, to see a 'trader of wheels'.

My platform is on a curve and I found building the platform to be a nightmare! Even after careful use of marker pen, I found I was running all of my carriage and locomotive stock forwards and backwards, whilst marking any tight points with a pencil and then 'resculpting' the offending edge with a scalpel. At one point, I even had to lift the platform sidewall and move it back a few mm's. When building the platform, I would have placed the sidewall a bit further away from the track and allow for the surface of the platform to overhang a little bit.