Right Away

Like the use of soldered small roundhead screws for insulator pots, a far more robust and a good looking job as well. I’ve always used Peco insulators, they look great but can be a right PITA to install - then you have to try and unstick yer fingers afterwards!

Perfectly agree. My query was only raised because Vic - Stew Lane LE could have been accommodated by the Vic - Dover, via Orpington, Tonbridge and Ashford route disc code; likewise at the Kentish end of a boat train working to which the two engines were generally diagrammed. However, now that Steamport Southport has kindly confirmed the existence of the said lamp irons, I can get the 0.5mm drill out!

Never tried with 2mm scale but this is the procedure I use when renumbering Hornby and Bachmann locomotives. Remove existing numerals Apply masking tape very closely around cabside numerals to be removed. · Dip Tamiya Round Extra Small cotton swab in the enamel thinners and dab on cabside numerals, allow to soak for at least 5 minutes. · Reapply thinners and very lightly rub at numerals. Continue until numerals have been removed. · Wipe off any surplus thinners and remove masking tape. Apply Transfers · If using individual numerals, the first numeral transfer to apply should be the centre one. · Cut out the transfer and place in shallow dish of hot water (Fox recommendation) and allow to soak for a minute or so. · Remove transfer from dish with tweezers and place in approximate position on model. · With a small firm paintbrush, move the transfer into position. · If transfer becomes “sticky”, dip brush tip lightly into water and then dab on spare backing sheet to pick up a little residual adhesive. Dab transfer with this moist brush; this will allow transfer to be moved. · When positioned, very lightly dab to secure transfer and remove any remaining water. · Repeat with remaining numerals, working outward from the centre. · Allow all transfers to set overnight. Varnishing transfers: · Mask around entire cabside and very lightly spray once with “Railmatch” acrylic Satin Varnish, thinned with “Railmatch” waterborne acrylic thinners. Same with smokebox door. · Allow to dry completely and check result.

Not a hugely interesting topic but I would be grateful for any pointers to photographs which show the rear of the tenders of the two Britannias whilst allocated to Stewarts Lane. I’d like to ascertain when the foot-blocks were fitted to both 4 and 14. Also did these tenders carry the middle SR lamp irons. I rather suspect not as the two locomotives’ diagrams would generally only require tender first running between terminii and MPDs; it would be useful to see photographic evidence of the tenders if possible. Thanks

Not sure if anyone has hit on this but here goes….. Faced with a bad cement (glue) mark on a locomotive cab side light (window), I searched online for a remedy. It had to be a gentle approach as I didn’t want the glass to become dislodged so alcohol was out and polishing compounds were far too expensive. I then thought of “Pearl Drops” tooth polish, and so applied by gently rubbing with a Tamiya Triangular Extra Small Cotton Swab …… SUCCESS!. The tooth polish worked very well, I just wished I’d taken “before and after” photos for posting.

I’m not familiar with this model but as a long shot, does the tender move freely behind the engine? I ask this as I had a couple of Bullied Pacifics where the tender fall plate was making slight contact with the engine having the effect of keeping the engine running in a straight direction when turning out at points, completely overcoming any guiding effect of the engine’s bogie and leading drivers. After checking the back to back of all axles and noting nothing amiss, I spent quite some time, watching the engine’s behaviour at very slow speed, noting exactly where the flanges began to lift. before the reluctance of the engine to follow the curve became apparent. A slight tweak upwards with tweezers completely cured the problem.

For current interest, courtesy of Google Maps; the bridge south of Tunbridge Wells (West) where the Spa Valley Railway crosses the A26 road. IIRC, Southdown (NBC) had to ensure that Park Royal bodied AN68 Leyland Atlanteans were not diagrammed for Service 729 and that a Bristol VR was used because of the reduced headroom.

“Draughts anyone?” A little later date than the OP’s query, (double yellow lines intr1960 and the Mk3 Zodiac intr 1962), the parapet markings on this bridge at Fareham, Hampshire are quite striking …. ouch!

Thanks all. I hadn’t considered the increased frame length of the Bullied 64 footers or the Mk1s in comparison with the, in the main, shorter vehicles elsewhere

Another coach poser. I read somewhere of an instruction which restricted the use of Bullied coaches on through trains to other regions which was lifted in 1954. Can anyone shed some information as to the reason for the restriction on these vehicles and what was required to eventually ease it. Thanks

Thanks Mike. That must’ve taken some digging.

Thanks, Mike. The time frame would be between 1950 and 1964, quite a span! Services would be those between Exeter Central and Ilfracombe, Plymouth, Padstow and Bude.

Would anyone know of any BR official instruction regarding the usage/fitting of outer gangway doors to coaches? At a guess, I would assume it would depend on the diagram(s) worked and the amount of attaching/detaching involved. I would be particularly interested if the outer gangway doors were used on the 2 sets (Maunsell and Bullied) as operated in the West of England. I can only surmise this would be quite a rarity as these sets would often become part of a multi-portioned consist of a long distance service with catering facilities. Attached are a couple of scanned photos where the doors are absent; the top taken at Meldon Viaduct and the bottom at Honiton Tunnel.

A few years back, Hornby released some green Mk1s (with lighting) all with emblems, which brought a degree of criticism from discerning modellers. It had been expected that that release would not carry emblems as the fact that relatively few BR(SR) coaches were so adorned had been brought to H’s attention.

I was looking to reduce the distance between engine and tender of a Hornby Britannia (R3865).The factory fitted drawbar has two holes at the loco end, one for running and t’other realistically for static display as it brings the tender up really close to the cab. With Bullied Pacifics and other locomotives, where required, I make my own shorter drawbars from 0.4mm brass strip but the factory fitted drawbar of the Brit is apparently permanently located at the tender end, making removal most difficult without surgery. So, stuck with the infernal factory fitted drawbar, I looked at what could be done to permit the use of the closer fixing hole at the cab end. Perhaps not to everyone’s liking, the small tender buffers (loco end) were removed and the vertical plate beneath the cab floor was filed flush, however this modification is hardly discernible and the visual improvement of the closer coupled tender more than compensates. The closer fitting hole can now be used in the drawbar with sufficient freedom of movement to negotiate large radius turnouts with ease, but it should be noted that my curves are quite generous. Please see pic for result.

The firm I worked for had one of these in the ‘60s - Reg No WPM26. Sizeable rust holes appeared in the front wings (a mirror disappeared through one!) and I, as a passenger, would lean out and watch the front wheel in motion with a degree of fascination. Below is a photo of my own “Moggie” in the mid ‘70s in much better “nick”. (The O/S mirror is there but does not show up too well in this scanned image).

For shunting, my two Hattons P class 0-6-0T engines fitted with Zimo MX617N decoders are extremely reliable slow runners. My Hornby A1x “Terrier” 0-6-0T engines (the later, re-tooled releases) fitted with Zimo MX617F decoders are almost as good, however one of them requires its pick-up wipers to be re-tensioned occasionally. Easily done, whip off the base keeper plate and gently tweak the wipers inwards. The “Terrier’s” wipers would benefit from being a little “springier”, but the slow running is still excellent.

“Oi, look sharp, boy. That Packet’s about to move.“

I am wondering as to what factors dictate whether an X crossing or switched diamond crossing be installed. Are there constraints relating to speed over the crossing and more obviously the geometry (angle) of such? Thanks for any info.

The “Railways Archive” website is worth a trawl. https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk

Please don’t think you’re wasting anyone’s time. The vast majority of members will be only too pleased to help with what may appear to be “easy” or repetitive queries; the only silly question is the one not asked. As others have replied, you have placed the insulated rail joiners in the correct position to ensure there are no short-circuit issues. I am not familiar with your controller and its means of connectivity to the track and so my suggestion may not be the road you’d wish to go down, but here goes. Would you perhaps consider feeding maybe three or four (or more if you’d like) separate sections of the layout, each section isolated with IRJs and yet each having its own isolating switch. This would enable one train to be stationary (at a platform for example) whilst another is being operated. Yes, this means additional wiring to each section of track and to the switches, which could located near the controller, but careful positioning of the track feeds will ensure there are no unintentional “dead” sections.

Follow up from my reply yesterday at 15.03 - here’s a photo of the wire/rod produced by Albion Alloys, for reference. (The piano wire is used for semaphore signal arms). Also, a Hornby BSK with wire handrails and tank filler pipes in place of the moulded ones. Note also transverse roof ribs removed.

I use 0.45mm nickel silver (or brass) wire. Relatively easily bent to shape, I have used it to replace moulded water filler pipes as well as end hand rails with very good results. My local source is Sussex Model Centre in Worthing. Also required is 0.5mm drill bit and pin vice for holes. Fix wire with a minute dab of superglue gel applied to the hole with a spare piece of the same wire.

There are many older release 1:76 models of larger vehicles, whose appearance can be drastically improved by the addition of some very tiny adornments where not fitted - i.e. wing mirrors and windscreen wipers. Perhaps it’s me, having spent many of my earlier years driving HGVs, but the omission of wing mirrors alone makes a big vehicle virtually impossible to drive and it is this, albeit tiny, fact that I set about to remedy. Reference to preserved vehicles can be helpful, although in a few cases details are, by necessity, differing than those that I remember “ back in the day”. I cut some thin (1.5mm) strips of brass which will form the mirrors from etching offcuts and soldered these to some 0.45 nickel silver wire (brass wire can also be used) which will form the bracket. The “mirror” then is trimmed and filed to shape and the wire bent as appropriate and cut to length. A 0.5mm drill in a pin vice is used to make fixing holes in the model and the wire “bracket” is fixed with a minute dab of superglue gel on a pin. Screen wipers are again, just 0.45 wire. I do struggle with finer detail and therefore apologise if the results in the attached photos are left somewhat wanting; at “normal” viewing distances the visual improvement outweigh any downside. I’ve not attempted putting mirrors on 1:76 cars and other smaller vehicles as apart from the fact they were not mandatory for the period which I model, the smaller size would be almost too much for my eyes and fingers!

Strictly for info, the 6-CIT/6-PUL Pullman cars were composites.