Suffolk Dave

You have my every sympathy! Even after all these years home computing still feels as reliable as a 1970's Austin Allegro built on a Friday afternoon...

Lovely scenics and nice placement Buddleia. Where did you get them from?

Hi Nick I tried everything short of bribery and blackmail! In the end I've gone for one of the other recommended options: installing Crossover. This has a cost implication but it does allow a 14 day free trial beforehand. So far I've had Templot running but at least once it has stalled and had to be 'force quit'. As I'm a Templot newbie I suppose I've got a couple of weeks to make my mind up about the whole adventure. Dave

So, I followed the advice seen here and on Templot about loading Templot on to my Mac. I downloaded Winebottler and then downloaded Templot (or what seems to be start up .exe file for Templot) However, I can't seem to move any further forward. The downloaded Templot file won't open when I right-click on it and try to use Wine (the default option). When attempting via Winebottler the only option seems to be to use the 'advanced' paged but this only creates an error message when I try it. I know it said some technical knowledge was necessary but the 'advanced' option in Winebottler may as well be written in Mandarin for what I can make of it! Is there anyone out there who help - please... pretty please...

Well, I took Ian's advice and bought the Nikkor 55mm f2.8. I got the lens from the popular auction site we all know well and I'm rather impressed with it - the lens that is not the auction site! It works well on my Nikon DSLR. Here is an example taken with it and, for good measure, it's also my first 'focus stacked' image curtesy of Photoshop. It's taken on my work in progress shunting plank; an inglenook shunting puzzle inspired by 1930's LNER in Hull PC 1276 Small discovers some crucial evidence towards the investigation of a spate of bicycle thefts on his beat.

That is very interesting. Looks like many folk may have to revisit the weathering of their cattle vans!

Perhaps the mortar could do with a darkening wash added to it, otherwise it looks quite sound. While I'm no expert on 1930's cattle docks (and lets face it, there'll be few people around who can remember them!) I imagine they would have been washed down after use, after all, cattle van interiors were cleaned with a lime wash so, there must have been some sort of commitment to cleanliness. Even if they weren't cleaned down, whatever was left behind would have ended up on the stationmaster's roses!

No probs! We’ve all been there at some point

No, not one of the lesser known Dutch drainage engineers but some recent work with added photo, however, DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE! I built these two 51L NER fish vans donkey’s years ago (15+ years if memory serves me well). They were given a coat of red oxide and stored in a box. Attempts to start a layout came and went in the intervening years and so, they remained tucked away in their box. With retirement I’m building a shunting puzzle, an apprentice piece I call it, something to polish up some old skills and learn some new ones. Of course, I need rolling stock and so out these two vans came. OMG! They were crap! Roofs peeling off, glue everywhere, their only redeeming feature being that all four wheels touched the rails. And for one of them that was only achieved after a heathy twist. Should I bin them or introduce them to Nitromors? I kept pondering this for a few weeks and finally decided to give them a second chance by adding transfers and some weathering. Overall, I like the results but deep down they are rough! Thankfully, I could build them better today but I still need to learn the art of placing running numbers in a straight line. Any advice offered on that would be appreciated.

This sounds an interesting option and right up my siding as I quite like shooting in manual

While I'm not new to using a camera, I am a novice when it comes to photographing layouts and models. So far my attempts have been with a compact camera and the results have been mixed. My preference would be to use my Nikon DSLR and I'd like to attempt focus stacking - something else I've not tried before. However, I am puzzling over what type of macro lens I'd need for my full frame Nikon. The majority seem to be of a focal length around 100mm but they do vary. Any help or advice in selecting an appropriate lens would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Yup, that’s just how I remembered them! Great to see one again. Perhaps a light misting with an airbrush would be less brutal than a session through the coach wash.

Just found your threat and as a former Hull lad I'm loving it! I particularly like your architectural work. I recall seeing class 03's at Botanic in the late 70's/early 80's and they were well weathered: blue almost bleached white. Quite why I'm not sure but I'd assumed they spent many an hour taking passenger stock through the coach wash. But then again, may be not as the coaches looked filthy back in the day!

It's looking good!

Thanks. What you're saying is rather encouraging and making me think that a leap into EM might not be as daunting as I imagined it would be!

Your question is rather timely! After consulting the helpful folk here I went off to find a supplier of LEDS. I found and contacted Kyteslights and after and a telephone call secured what I needed - usual caveat, no connection other than a customer. The chap at Kytelights told me that if I ran 3v LEDs from a 3v transformer then I wouldn't need to include a resistor in the circuit; the logic being that resistors are required when running at a higher voltage than the LEDs are rated at. So, I ordered some 3v lights and 3v system that includes the power unit and a board to distribute a goodly number of LEDs - more than I'm likely to need on my shunting plank. They arrived the following day (not bad service, eh?) and I found the lights also included resistors to use if required. Here's some work in progress photos...

So, you didn't need to replace the axels? Would you say that applies to most modern RTR locos?

WF I’m loving this thread and finding your work quite inspirational and I’d like to ask a question about your re-gauging of the Oxford ‘J27’? The idea of doing something in EM or P4 is appealing but I’ve not taken the plunge. Please excuse my ignorance on such matters but did the re-gauging require new wheels and a new chassis or can it be done with replacement axels? Many thanks

That would make for some interesting lineside scenery: “…I fashioned them out of air-drying clay and over a couple of nights me and the wife rolled out about 27,000 bananas”

One method I've used is to start by painting on the fairly thick mortar coloured acrylic. Leave this for about 5 minutes then gently wipe off the excess paint from the brick surface with a piece of damp kitchen roll. You won't remove 100% of it but that's ok because the next step is to dry brush your chosen brick colour over the surface, leaving the moral lines untouched. This can them be further enhanced by picking out individual bricks with a couple of complementary shades of brick colour. It's not a method I invented but picked it up from somewhere; the wonderful Martyn Welch, probably...

Thanks for the replies everyone. You've given me quite an insight into running LEDs and clearly I have several options ahead of me.

I've never used LEDs before but I'm keen to try them out on my developing Inglenook layout. With it being small I won't need 100's but I would like to illuminate the single box and the few other buildings it will have. Apart from them being new to me, the issue I have is that I don't want them all to blaze away like arc lights! I appreciate each LED has to have a resistor fitted to its wiring but can any other members of this parish offer advice on how LEDs can be dimmed to replicate low wattage bulbs or gas/oil lamps? Many thanks.

I didn't realise new borns came with instructions

On the Scalefour forum a chap says he received an order from Brassmasters two days ago. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that they haven’t fallen by the wayside. However, it would be useful if someone, who can reach them by means other than email, can tell them about the comms problem.

I emailed Brassmasters about 3 weeks ago and haven’t received a reply. Perhaps they’re having technical issues with emails so, if someone could give them the nod that folk out there are trying to contact them it would be great.