Right Away

By and large, the colours and finish of RTR coaching stock of recent years has generally been quite acceptable. However, I pondered that it would be nice to have a rake of coaches, or maybe just an individual having "newly repainted/revarnished paintwork"; in other words, a highly reflective, glossy finish. Would any member have a recommendation as which varnish might achieve this. My existing acrylic gloss varnish leaves a somewhat speckled appearance which refracts light andI would look awful on a railway coach. Ideally a clear gloss varnish which can be airbrushed over the entire side, windows. and all.

Have a look at Tiny Signs. Maybe shouldn't say this but you can also scan and print 'em on photo paper for duplicates.

Hi Kevin. It can be really useful to stand back and study the colours of various brickwork "in the flesh" as it were. The most prominent colour on many walls can be quite deceptive. Atmospheric polution, smoke, rain and algae etc all have a profound effect on the overall appearance and what might initially be considered RED becomes a kaleidescope of hues. Lay down a base colour for sure but then graduate weathering tones of greys, browns and greens to effect. Practice on some spare plastic or card in order to see how far to go, less can definitely be more in this instance - and make sure to keep the effect random.

Will this do? (Not a good copy taken with a tablet phone). There's a DMU poking its nose out if you look carefully.

For the handrail, take a look at Nairnshire Modelling Supplies (no association. - only customer) they sell nickel silver wire rod and brass rod. Easily formed into shape and fixed with superglue, I have used the 0.45mm size in place of a missing end handrail on a Hornby Maunsell Van B. Your diesel's handrail may be slightly thicker in which case a larger size may be necessary; however, a coat of white paint could very well give the rod the illusion of being fatter!

All my MAS signals, platform lighting, street lighting and building interior LEDs run off an old discarded power adaptor (transformer plug) which has a DC output of 12v. A cheap and cheerful "temporary" supply, now in its 5th year! A "bank" of resistors allows every LED to have its own one (not strictly necessary if cumulative values are worked out, but useful for tracing faults should any arise.) There are spare resistors for future growth. As has been mentioned, LEDs appear to function on an AC supply but the continuous "off and on" can have a detrimental effect on their longevity.

Well, finally got around to dropping the driving wheels of 6988. The driving axles on this loco (31-780) have no brass collars. They run in plain grooves in the chassis, held in place by the bottom; plate. All appears well in this area. I have noticed that the left hand leading coupling rod is a somewhat tighter fit on the crank pin (big end-end) than the other side and will need to be taken down for inspection/rectification. Not wanting to strip a thread, would any member know if the left hand crank pin threads on these models are "handed" to avoid loosening on rotation? Thanks for any confirmation.

I like the stocking and hoover combination. Meanwhile I cover my railway as mentioned in a previous posting, see link.

Looking at photographs of lineside equipment I came upon this one at Dainton, Devon and pondered over the large mirror affixed to a post opposite Dainton Signal Box. As the 'box is comparatively unelevated and the signalman's viewpoint correspondingly low, I came to the conclusion it was for sighting tail lamps on the rear of Up trains whist a passing Down train obscured the view. Being at the summit, the speed of trains in both directions in earlier days would have been quite slow and a Down train could conceal the last vehicle of a train on the opposite line. Can any member clarify this? If so, there must have been other locations where such mirrors were installed.

Perusing some of the requests for assistance the other day, I couldn't help but ponder: "How much poorer we would all be without the available knowledge and assistance that is so generously given by all." Regardless of how long we have modelled and/or had a sincere interest in railways, there will always be much to learn to fuel such an absorbing subject. Remember that day when, during an operating session THE PROBLEM decides to make its presence known. It might be wiring, mechanical or a combination of other scenarios; it might even have been a paint issue. Try as we may, with all our experience the problem still persists and the inevitable must eventually happen - we seek online guidance. Enter the RMWeb and thankfully too. For people new to the hobby and with local model railway shops being somewhat "thin on the ground" in many areas, assistance face to face is not always forthcoming. These people might well benefit from the retailer bringing to their attention the RMWeb as a very useful source of information at the time of their purchases, be it direct or online.

I would be interested to know the dates of withdrawal of the individual Brighton 6 car express units (except 3032). That is, whilst in service as 6PUL/6PAN units and before any reforming into 6COR(N), 4PUL etc. My last recollection of travelling in one of these units was in the summer of either '65 or '66 on a delayed 16.00 Victoria to Brighton non-stop with No 3029. (How do I remember this? I was an electrical apprentice at that time and 3/.029 was an imperial size of cable,) The PAN was the rear unit of a 10 car formation with a 4COR leading; the motorman was my father. He admitted afterwards of being faintly amused as waiting passengers "took cover" on some station platforms, doubtlessly perturbed by the rapidly oscillating front gangway connection of the Nelson as the ensemble passed through at speed. Travelling in the rear motor coach of the pantry unit, I can confirm the ride was right up to expectations - exhilarating! Any help with the dates is greatly appreciated.

The Pullmans of the 6PUL units were composites.

Acrylic paints can be more acceptable by other household members as there is much less odour apart from the thinners and cleaning agent. Most can be thinned either with H2O or water based thinners. As Rosspop says, they will clog the airbrush nozzle quicker as their drying time is much shorter, coupled with the fact that compressed air imparts heat. This faster drying can be beneficial when weathering, especially when blending one pigment into another, being able to create an effect where a change from one tint of colour to another is almost indiscernible. On the other hand the slower drying time of enamels allows a good degree of flexibility for manipulation after application and is the choice of many people who are not affected by the fumes. Spraying booths with extractors can help greatly in this respect. Lifecolor's Burned Black, Roof Dirt and Frame Dirt acrylics are a pretty good starting choice for basic weathering of locos and stock. The pigments complement each other very well and varying degrees of mixes are easily attained. Practice on spare pieces of plastic; eg plastic card and cylindrical shapes will give a "feel" to how you operate the airbrush. A good tip is to spray onto some spare offcuts of Plastikard or similar every time you fill the paint cup and before applying to the model. This enables you to check paint consistency, air pressure setting and any tendency to splatter. A strict airbrush cleansing routine is paramount; don't be tempted to head off for a cuppa without at least thoroughly cleaning the cup, nozzle and needle, otherwise you'll spend the rest of the day using up your vocabulary of expletives! After every session, strip the 'brush down to its component parts and clean all in a 50:50 mix of IPA (not Greene King!) and waterborne thinners if using acryics. Lubricate the needle and button/trigger mechanism with airbrush lubricant before reassembly. Afterwards, spray clean water through to check all is well. Ensuring all is dry, store the airbrush ready for immediate use next time. Practice to see the various results. You'll find the time spent actually spraying is minimal compared to the preparation, masking and final cleaning but the rewards are many. Good luck.

Eastleigh took charge of a few in 1953 to be used on the Fawley oil trains.

Not wishing to intrude on the milk theme, Kevin, but I was wondering; did the Merrydown cider premises at Horam utilise rail haulage to any degree?

Depending on your timeline, you might consider a "once was" scenario whereby a loco shed had fallen into disrepair (as did many) leaving perhaps one outer wall remaining. A low relief feature taking up little space at the rear of your railway might fit the bill. Eastbourne loco, although probably larger than you propose, in its final days would be an example and give a general idea.

Meldon viaduct/quarry?

Could some sad minded individual bestow Mr Grayling's monika on some unfortunate locomotive?

As a "non sound" DCC operator, any release so fitted has to personally be a no-no. This is really a shame as 30850, just DCC Ready could well have been a definite acquisition but at present I cannot justify the purchase of something with features for which I have no use. There must be many customers out there who are entirely satisfied with this particular model as produced. However, one wonders if sales figures reflect positively to what might be considered a somewhat restrictive form of marketing of an individual model.

My stock, albeit 00 gauge is stored in simple "cassettes" which can be lifted and placed on shelving. Coaches and freight wagons use a 36" length of track on a wooden 9mm timber with Pasticard sides. (a bit Heath Robinson but it functions well; there are many other ways to construct these) Locomotives reside on 12" lengths using the same principle with the addition of an LED indicator and bare 2.5mm copper wire pick-ups on each cassette. To use the cassette, it is placed at the end of the running lines on the lowered section of baseboard which my traverser runs across. The loco cassettes receive power via the pick up wires making contact with brass slotted head bolts set in the lowered section of baseboard. In the absence of a turntable, the cassettes are also useful for turning engines. Just be aware to keep the cassette level and support locomotives when raising as any tendency for the loco to move may put strain on the gearing.

Modern technology has brought many benefits but on watching that footage, there's a tremendous helping of nostalgia which for some inexplicable reason tends to have a very calming effect; and it's not just the trains!

I agree, a very attractive little loco indeed. Classes that never made it in service beyond the 1930's and 1940's tend to be disregarded by RTR manufactures. This is, to some extent understandable; Bachmann, Hornby etc may feel sales would be insufficient to warrant production. This is a real shame as the Victorian and Edwardian eras do have a strong following. The fact that 19th and early 20th century locomotives (Terriers, Brighton Atlantics and Dean Goods, to name just a few) which survived into Nationalisation, and consequently spanning many livery changes offer the best returns.

As your railway is DC, unless you envisage going to DCC in the near future I would be inclined to remove the decoder and fit a blanking plug. If you're determined never to go down the digital route, then it might be prudent to remove the DCC socket, rejoin the pick-up to motor connections which would alleviate potential (no pun) bad connections in this area.

Thanks for this interesting information. So, after 1938 for this very tight curve in 4mm/ft scale, we're talking of a radius a smidge over 5' 2" ; a comparison that might give some of us pause for thought over our faster model curves?

Thank you everyone. Hadn't realised much had been discussed previously. Much appreciated.