spikey

Without knowing the detail of the prototype it wouldn't surprise me if a BD was within its capability a couple of similar cranes just about squeeze into frames on this thread, a crane that can't lift the 'traffic of the district' isn't really much use!

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/64948-traditional-container-traffic-photos-from-the-nrm/page-1 

 

Jon

Thanks for posting that, Jon.  The crane in the second photo in post 10 of that thread does indeed look very much like Mike's Models' Midland Heavy Yard Crane, which is good because that's what I ordered half an hour ago.  I love the way they've had to use the shortest chains possible on the container and wind it up hard against the jib to get a foot or so clearance over the wagon ...

Thank you, gentlemen.  I do believe I'm now sorted )

Thank you for that!  Hmmm.  I'm really after a steam-era yard crane in 00 which would look plausible when threatening to lift a BD container.  Anybody know if there is such a thing?

Can anybody please tell me what the effective radius of operation is i.e. the distance from the base of the upright to a vertical down from the hook?

And what sort of a safe working load would the prototype of that crane have had?

I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone at Hattons for being so open and helpful with information on both this and the Barclay 0-4-0. It's refreshing to see all these questions and concerns being answered so openly and gives me lots of confidence in the finished product. Long may it continue!

What Skinnylinny said. 

AFAIC the "P" looks the biz, given the spec I can think of no reason why it shouldn't run well, and to my way of thinking the price isn't excessive for this level of detail, therefore I have one on order.  End of. 

It's a no-no for several reasons, Andy.  But I haven't given up so much as realised that for what I want to be getting on with over the next few months, the best way forward for me is model enamels.  The acrylics just turned out to be false economy.

Let them dry however they like, then use matt varnish?

That's all I could think of, but spraying is a no-no.  Far better to just put these acrylics down to experience, use them for weathering washes or whatever, and fork out for model enamels.

I have found that without first spraying the track with primer, you will need more than one coat with most types of paint to get full coverage on track sleepers due to the type of plastic they are made from.

 

I have successfully used artists acrylics the way you are trying to for many years for many types of modelling including plastic kits, you just have to prime first on some surfaces.

 

I also use them through my airbrush.

OK, point taken about primer - but how do you get the acrylics to dry matt?  

(BTW, I'd prefer to airbrush, but unfortunately it's not possible)

Preferabley covered in flith!

A fine word, is that.  But I think I prefer the middle-class spelling "phlith".

You could try spraying the track with an aerosol primer (Halfords?) so as to give a paler starting point perhaps

 

 

Emma

Neat idea, Emma, but tbh I've fallen out with these acrylics bigtime and have consigned them to the "might come in handy one day" box.  I'm now waiting for pension day to see if I can afford to get what I should have bought in the first place ...

Further to my above post, I've now had a bit more of a play and there's no way I can get acceptable covering power without very noticeable brushmarks. 

So much for the idea that I'd save money by mixing artists' acrylics to make the colours I need rather than forking out £3 a time for 15ml pots of proper model paint ...

I've a feeling that Xylene is also a part of cellulose, if so would that be OK to use on a plastic body?

I don't know how to embed a video here, but this might answer your question ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR2wKgy5EYU

Make sure you post your findings/thoughts on here.

Glad to.  So far all I've had chance to do is mix up two colours I'm happy with, in the sense that the colours are about right when wet.  I have a sleeper colour and a rusty rail colour.

However, two things have become apparent, which are rather disappointing.  One is that the paint I'm using, Daler Rowney System 3, dries to what I'd call a satin finish rather than the matt I need.  And the other is that it looks like I'm going to end up with the sleepers having to be darker than I wanted, on account of anything lighter doesn't really cover the black that Peco mould their sleepers in.

Anybody know a way of matting artist's acrylics?

Yeah!!!!!!

Indeed! But now I'm having a brainfart, so would anybody care to remind me what the thingy's called that the bald dude holds in his mouth ...?

Last two were "Sketches of China" (Paul Kantner & Grace Slick) and "Long Lankin" (Steeleye Span), currently "Adoro te" (Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Saint-Maurice & Saint-Maur, Clervaux).

Isn't "shuffle songs" wonderful

Hmmm ... so maybe I ought to start thinking of the "P" as my Easter present to myself

I've just noticed that Hatton's are now listing this as due January.  Funny, I could have sworn that when I put in my pre-order, they were saying "before Christmas" ...

Thanks, Dutch_Master.  Handbrake did the job

Cheers chaps.  The problem with the free stuff I've looked at so far is that it's all way too complex for either my understanding or my very limited need.  VLC is one of the best, but even when I carefully follow the very clear instructions, it still doesn't work for me.  I suspect that something very silly is stopping it performing properly, but I have no idea what ...

Mrs Spikey is doing an advanced German course, and needs to keep referring to a DVD which came with the course book.  It would make her happy if I could copy the DVD to her laptop so she doesn't have to keep loading and unloading it, but alas this is beyond me.

Her laptop runs Windows 10, and it has Windows Media Player on it, but I was advised to download VLC Media Player in order to do the copying.  This plays the DVD just fine, but when I follow the instructions at https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/rip-dvd-vlc to copy it, I end up with a correctly-named MP4 in the correct location but ... it's just 40 bytes!

Unfortunately I don't have a grandchild handy to sort this out for me, so can any kind soul please help with words of wisdom for the technologically-challenged?

The best acrylic paints I find are those made by Vallejo.  Very fine pigment and good coverage.

No doubt - but as I originally made clear, I'm on a very tight budget here and have no need of "authentic" colours, so Daler-Rowney System 3 at one third the price of Vallejo will do me nicely

Just by way of an update, I ordered a few tubes of Daler System 3 acrylic as recommended by Brian and they seem to be just the job.  FWIW I didn't get them from the linked supplier on account of several reviews mentioning erratic delivery times, but from artdiscount.co.uk.  Brilliant service at a very good price

Thank you, gentlemen.  That's me sorted.

Can anybody please tell me what type of plaster I need for casting in Linka-type moulds?  I have need of rather a lot of retaining wall, and casting it seems to be the most cost-effective solution - but not if I have to buy expensive plaster!

... That building looks more suitable for keeping timber needing to be stored under cover but with a good air flow.

Timber/builders' merchant is exactly what I thought.  I can see both the little platform and the doors working for that.  But for coal ... ???????

Apart from the two sidings I mentioned, the other coal sidings I can recall were all devoid of cover.  I well remember my old granny giving the coalman a hard time about wet coal, and him asking her how she thought he felt about lumping 112lb of wet coal in a wet sack on his back in the rain from his cart to her coal bin.  We kids always used to hang around his cart in the hope that the old horse would oblige by farting, thereby giving us the giggles bigtime ...