SGP

I'm not sure what is going on here. I have stopped selling on eBay due to not understanding their new payments method. My monthly account was always paid automatically via Paypal but I am now getting statements each month from eBay showing -70p in red. Their interest rate is 1.5% compound each month but each time I try to pay the amount (it allows me to use Paypal), I get the message that I cannot overpay and payment is refused. So does this mean that they owe me 70p? How is that possible if I can't overpay? Trying to get in touch with eBay is impossible, going round and round on menus or typing to an assistant giving no help at all. Statement attached.

I used to model BR Blue era in N gauge but when repainting locos, I found that specific BR Blue paint never looked right. However, if I repainted them in LNER Garter Blue they did look right. Maybe it was the light or maybe my eyes ... or perhaps I had some dodgy paint. I might add that I was using Humbrol rail colour enamels not Railmatch. Is there such a thing as scale colour shade?

Hmm. A diode only works one way round so, as the lights are all diodes and by default should only work forwards OR backwards, it would seem that those errant front tail lights are getting a double feed somehow. I haven't tried fitting a diode inline myself, I just blanked it with duct tape. The red wire is a feed to both sets of front lamps so I would fit the diode to the black wire controlling the front tail lights. A lot of messing about sorting out which wire to cut and then which way round the diode needs to be fitted. You can bet that you won't get it right first time.

I was a bit too quick on the trigger but it was going south on the M1 like the clappers ... in lane two as well. Not sure where this EMU was going but it was in a hurry. (Leicester Forest East Services - Monday 29th March 2021).

Yes, diodes would work but how many times do you actually need tail lights? I blanked my tail lights with duct tape, unplugged the rear tail lights and snipped the cab lights permanently. There ought to be a DIP switch underneath to switch them off, most other manufacturers fit them.

There would not have been red cab lights. I need proof otherwise. Indeed any red tint would be light reflection from the red carpeting that was fitted inside the cab. If research has been so thorough as to turn up proof of red cab lights, how come the round rear buffers, seen on many photos was overlooked? It is rather annoying that those who put money upfront for the GT3 have bogie, handrail, rear buffers, white front tail light and circuit board issues, whilst those that sat on the fence and now want a second run are getting all the problems sorted out.

No train brakes were fitted to the Baldwin 10-12-D's from new. Ashover for instance only added vacuum brakes when they started a passenger service but once passenger services ceased, the equipment was removed.

The 009 coaches look like they are reboxed Liliput B4ipho/s so actually HOe. Not too much of a problem, 3.5 masquerading as 4.0 ... doesn't work so well the other way around.

My arms aren't long enough for those kind of jobs these days

Your red remarks make no sense.

I won't be selling any more on eBay until the greedy ~@*+%<? go back to Paypal. In the meantime, I will either try BidBay (free to list and only 5% selling fee .... plus a Paypal fee). Listings stay live until sold so if no sale, no costs. Not much footfall on there though but hopefully they will profit from eBay's mistake. To be honest, stuff I have surplus can go in the bin anyway for all I'm bothered or car boot it for peanuts. I'm not hard up and I'd sooner chuck stuff down the tip than let eBay grub a share.

Pulling out an old LGB catalogue of 1981 vintage, I notice it has a price sticker on the cover .... Stanton King of Oxford. Were they a model shop or just a general store? Their address, 100 St Aldgates, Oxford, OX1 1BT looks to be a tattoo parlour these days. 1981 was sixteen years before I set foot into G scale and my first ever LGB model was bought not far away from a small model railway outlet in the village of Charlebury.

You are only saving about £6 on box shifter prices anyway.

Yeah, cab steps far too chunky ... bottom kickplate too high making the cab door too short, in turn making the sandbox filler rectangular instead of square (which should not there anyway on early locos with the short rainstrip). Yellow front wraps too far around. There seems to be a Beclawat strip at the top of all cab windows. And on that comparison pic, I'm done.

Hmm. So while eBay say it will cost the seller no more (eBay taking Paypals old share), it will cost more due to having to pay Paypal fees on top anyway.

Thinking ..... eBay is insisting on sellers only accepting money with their own bank via Adyen BUT buyers can still use Paypal to pay. So who pays the Paypal fees then? Does the seller end up with extra fees or does the buyer now have to pay?

Regarding the wobbly walkplates on the sides, mine were perfect when delivered but they have since started to lift. I haven't done owt with them yet but wondering if double sided micro tape would do the job.

I'm looking for plans to build a GE90 in G scale. Are there scale plans available anywhere?

The single manning agreement for loco hauled turns didn't get passed until 1966.

An quick and easy fix is to punch out two plasticard discs with a paper punch and stick them onto the oval buffers.

In UK, there used to be Bid-Bay but were closed down by eBay as they had copied their logo. Presently there is Gumtree which seems a bit hit and miss to me and there is eBid. eBid is free to use and free to list and their final fee is only 5%. However, there isn't much on there for sale and there don't seem to be many bidders on what there is. They use Paypal and if you list (for free), it stays on there until it is sold if Buy-it-Now and apparently times down from the first bid on auctions .... not sure about that as although I have joined, I have yet to use it. You can also pay a one off subscription and with that you can shift your feedback score over from eBay. Sounds better than eBay but it needs more traffic.

I think the blue GT3 should be numbered GT4. That way you could run two and keep the history books clean. Roco have recently released a loco in a fictitious livery and given it an in depth fictitious history in their catalogue and advertising. A few years down the line, and history could get corrupted.

I still quite like the Hornby 86 myself. Any comparison pics regarding that one or is there a thread somewhere that I can't find?

I want one with a tilting headcode ...