KymN

I have received my 'Save for Victory' version. Unfortunately the wheel flanges rub on the underside of the floor, so the wagon is inoperable. A quick scan of these pages didn't show anyone else with this problem. Maybe it is the overscale Dapol wheels or perhaps it is just mine. It is fixable, and I like the wagon, but this just adds to the price point discussion.

My Pilchard is OK thanks to what seems to be the redesign by Oxford (the catch that I mentioned), despite the short tail etc. All my older Oxford wagons and the GE van have the play. Height is OK.

If that is what you want I would suggest that you use the three links supplied. But I find that the reverse with Kadees leads to buffer-locking and derailment. Not very correct.

Oxford wagons have pockets that resemble NEM but they are non-standard. The pockets and the fishtails are short. Hence, although you can fit Kadees (or any NEM coupler), they will slop longitudinally; ie. your train will stretch when starting. I can see no reason that Oxford does this, and it compromises what is otherwise a good product. Having said that, the Pilchards seem to have a catch in the mount that addresses the short tail problem in their case - but not with the GE van that arrived at the same time! .

It shows them in design. I certainly am looking forward to the (GER) W&U coach.

That's exactly what I want, without having to have a TOAD with it. I already have a plague of TOADs.

Heather at Rails sorted my concerns quickly, as she has done before. Many thanks Heather. Rails' records of my pre-orders are correct, but are not visible to customers (or at least to me) during transactions. I deleted the random additions to the basket and placed the pre-order for the item I wanted. How earlier pre-orders come to be added randomly to the pre-order basket is still a mystery to me. I do not like having to contact Rails unnecessarily - it is a waste of my time and theirs. Unfortunately it appears that there are still bugs in the software that mean I cannot be assured that I am ordering what I intend to.

Is it only me who has problems with the Rails Web site? I tried to place a pre-order for the new D1, and it showed me a pre-order basket that also included the Autocar that I had pre-ordered many months ago and, and it asked for a deposit on both. I had already paid the Autocar deposit, and the pre-order listing was correct a few days ago. My Autocar sound package and Accurascale Manor have disappeared from where-ever I look. The only consistent item is a single entry for a few small items where the order has been fulfilled.

Just starting to move the layout along again after my 'TIBMINS*' period. I did a little ballasting of the link line. A bit rough, but it's a start. I also resurrected the local control for the wharf yard. Now to figure out how to resurrect the wiring. This panel is at least 15 years old. The holes are the remnants of a homemade CDU. I still have the capacitor, but I'll replace it with a Peco one that will be neater. The switch machines are solenoids, except for one leading to what will be the clay dries. That's a tortoise (with the blue switch). I then bravely checked out the wiring underneath Fal Vale Yard. I haven't a clue what I did then, but there are lot of wires. I even found a temporary control panel that I had totally forgotten. I think that it was to change to polarity of the frogs pending fitting switches connecting with the planned wire-in-tube connections to the Modratec interlocking. * TIBMINS = Thumb in Bum, Mind in Neutral. An expression I learned from a Cambridge-educated colleague.

The latest issue of Australian Model Railway Magazine (February 2022) has an article on using foam (boards and cans) to make scenery. It's a bit all over the place but it does highlight some errors that can be made. The author seems to prefer knives to hot wire tools. There is also a good article by Gavin Thrum on customising the Peco turntable. Gavin is a BRMA member and a superb modeller in both British and South Australian spaces.

I don't want to be negative, but my interest is in the quaint and curious, I had hoped to see some progress in the 009 range for example. Bachmann has done well with the fairly modern image. But it seems that they need the likes of Rails and Locomotion to produce older stuff.

At least we have caught up on that. I had my third jab a couple of weeks ago, as have others close to me. Thank you for your kind, and wise, words.

The local Hills paper's explanation: Yes Sir! I got a similar message from Rodney of South Abminga fame. He has even volunteered to fix the Fal Vale Yard track damaged in the move!

It's confession time. I seem to have dropped the ball on Fal Vale this year. I'm not sure why, but the world, or South Australia at least, has stopped. We have opened up our borders, but there are fewer people venturing out. The streets are empty. Meetings of British Railway Modellers are not happening, and that is true of my local group too. I have shifted my modelling focus to the scenery, but all I have done is to carve some polystyrene foam. It is all the worse because I have not seen any British magazines for weeks. I did get a delivery of a LSWR T9 through Amazon. It arrived in just 8 days after placing the order. I had been equivocating on this for months, but bought it on price - $AUD 250 compared to $350 from the major retailers. In the meantime I have yet to see the Improved Precedent that Rails delayed to give preference to domestic orders for Christmas. Bah Humbug.

Not so long ago I would only consider SR/LSWR locomotives for my 'Cornish' layout, all RTR. Now this has expanded to other SR constituents. First it was LBSC locos (the Atlantics), then SECR coaches (the Birdcages). Now, thanks to Rapido, I've begun to order SECR wagons. So much for discipline. But I now have my first locomotive kit on my workbench. Ironically it is a Hardy's Hobbies offering!

Rowland Emett OBE, as only he could, understood the implications of these trains. Probably published in Punch.

Rails has said that both diesel and petrol sounds are included.

I ran my green Overland Cars on the magnificent South Adminga Railway earlier this week. They ran behind a lovely model of a South Australian Railways 520 class. The 520s were a 4-8-4 addition to the 500 class of 20 years before. It is said that the SAR CME, Frank Harrison, saw a picture of a Pennsy T1 in a trade magazine and asked his senior draftsman to 'draw me one of those'. So the SAR built 12 streamliners at its Islington shops during WWII, capable of 126 km/h yet able to run on track with 60lb rail. This is the train that we ran: One minor development back at Fal Vale as the arrival of a set of Accurascale steel coil wagons. They are impressive models, with great detail (some separately fitted), sprung buffers and obvious quality that I hope that will be seen in their Manor, due soon. This carries to the interiors... ...and to the underside.

I missed that, but I have now seen that work is 'well underway to produce alternative parts for both vehicle, as seen in both their service life, film role and in preservation'. Evidently there will be more in the next Rapido Newsletter, which for some reason I am no longer getting. I need to fix that!

I nearly forgot. A happy and safe New Year to everyone. I had a quiet one. I had to think about what to wear to my living room and then I wondered whether to bother going. Take care, Kym.

Some modest progress. There is now a backscene along the wall. I had some help in putting it up from one of our group, which was great. I suspect that I may want to modify it a little eventually but this will do for the time being. I also managed to download a movie of my Bachmann Double Fairlie to my hard drive, but it is too big/wrong format to post here. Here is a photo to be going on with. The wagon is new, by Bachmann. The brake van is 50 years or so older, by Lilliput. They haven't improved the couplers in all that time. Unfortunately the glue that used to hold the weight in the van has perished, so it can be a bit unstable.

Is that the GER/LNER W&U coach or the Titfield Buffet Coach? I have the Buffet Coach pack on pre-order, but I really want the as it ran GER version. I promise to buy the GER one if that is released, and another in Tollesbury livery.

I contacted Rails. Yes the sound upgrade is coming, but 'this is not available to add to orders just yet'.

As an international Rails customer my Precedent has been deferred until after Christmas. I'll take as karma that Australia is now 2-0 against England in the current Ashes series.

I had a rush of blood to the head some years ago, and I own a King as a result. This was despite believing that they were too heavy for Cornwall. So I googled 6026. Now I know that 6026 King Leo is a Lego Knights' Kingdom set released in 2000. It contains 21 pieces and King Leo on his white horse, Richard the Strong, and a small, dark grey and light grey castle tower, along with a few weapons.