Barclay

Part of me wants you to try it ! I would be more inclined to curl that gearbox round as Mike says - maybe drive the back axle and put the motor under the short bonnet? Traditional compensation, at least how I do it, is made much more tricky by the split axles, but maybe CSBs are the answer in this instance? Disclaimer - I've never used them and don't intend to, but the people who like them really like them! I think you would have to joint the rods though to allow flexibility. Looking forward to developments.

And built in Britain? Or is that just too radical?

At the moment we seem to have the worst of both worlds - if a service loses money they don't fancy keeping it so the Govt. has to take it over to keep it running. If it makes money, then it's straight into those pockets, so, to me, surely better to have the lot and let the profit-making lines subsidise the others?

I'm finding Dettol to be a good and plastic-friendly paint stripper. It can take 24 hours though. If you don't strip then definitely take heed of the comments regarding removal of the original transfers - I have found they can leave a 'ghost' even when I thought I had rubbed them down thoroughly.

Somewhere on the Pugbash thread is an outside cylinder 0-6-0 version, and it looks superb.

Modelmaster may have been discontinued but Creative Models still have a fair few in stock. I recently stocked up on Insignia Blue for my Santa Fe Loco's but they were out of Blue Angels Yellow already. Hopefully these enamel paints, unopened, will last as well as Humbrol - I've opened some of these after 40 years or so and found the paint was good to go!

Interesting - I don't remember mine looking that rough, but it was an old kit, in a plastic bag with the orange header card. Perhaps the mould became damaged at some point?

The only one I have is this 1/43 Moskvitch 426, a genuine Soviet model - the paint quality is appalling! Worth 25p at an exhibition though.

The High Level Kits website has downloadable profiles of all their gearboxes so you can hold them against a model or drawing and see what will fit. Remember to allow for the thickness of the material though. Given the distance involved I'd be inclined to make a small card mock up of your chosen motor/gearbox combination to make doubly sure it fits inside the body.

The numbering, in line with the company's other diesel, was completed with gold LMS block style letters, shaded red. The bonnet was fixed down, the crew added, quite prominent as they hide the motor. Then weathering with an overall spray of very dilute 'dirt' to tone the colours together, then assorted powders, and some AK 'shafts and bearing grease' on the oily bits. The size comparison with some other stock is amusing - the Kerr, Stuart is a small loco: "Can we shift these?" (Answer - NO !) I appreciate some will wonder why I built a loco with such little utility, but it was how they were built in the 80's when this kit came out, and I liked the idea of using all the bits that came with the kit. I am very happy with the slow smooth running though, and it is great fun to let this little loco potter along the layout at its scale maximum of 9mph! Looking at the pictures now I realise I forgot the sandpipes. Luckily it's an easy fix.

Out and about on the rail system, I always love findings relics of the 'old' railway - you know, when it was interesting! Buffer stops seem to catch my eye. I know that different railways used different styles, but I don't know much about them, so I thought it might be fun to start a thread where we can post pictures of the things and those who know a little more about them can maybe enlighten us as to their origins. There must still be some pre-group gems out there. I'll start with a couple from a bay platform at Preston, one of which looks pretty standard and the other appears to have been 'customised' with some wagon buffers? Comments please..

Ha ha - I just meant a more standing back kind of shot to give an impression of the whole, if you know what I mean?

I'm enjoying catching up on this thread, as I've recently started doing some restorations of old 'toy' cars - it's quite addictive. In your first post you mention glazing for the Dinky Pontiac - I've recently ordered some parts from model-supplies.co.uk and they do list this part. Can't recommend them yet, as I've only just placed my first order. If you want any detail shots for the A60 do ask as I have a real one!

I recently built this very old K's Great Eastern Railway loco sand wagon. I say very old because the wheels supplied with it weren't on pin-point axles. It has Prickly Pear etched W-irons and springing, and runs very nicely, but, Hell, it's heavy! Lettered as an internal user.

It is possible to add a kind of knurling to a steel shaft by rolling it back and forth under a fine rat tail file, and this can be enough to turn a slightly loose fit into an interference fit. Motor shafts can be very hard though so I'm not sure how effective it would be in this case.

Hi I use Loctite 603 retaining compound for tasks like this. Expands slightly in the presence of metal and locks it in place, but, as described above, can be released with the application of heat.

I really admire your patience in the way you are getting all the groundwork out of the way before even thinking about laying track. Any chance of a panoramic shot to show the overall effect?

Somewhere or other Iain Rice gave information on how to age these old Romford motors based on their serial number, but I can't remember where! This old scratchbuilt Kitson Saddle tank I picked up some years ago has a similar motor, albeit without a number, and I, too, would love to know more about it.

These excellent shots really do show that there is simply no need to mess about with focus stacking to make an image look good. Even the f22 on my old Nikon D200 will give very good depth of field, on my admittedly rather smaller layout, which is likely to be better than anything I could have taken if I'd really been there in the 1940's. Some of the photo's in the magazines do look rather over-processed and over-coloured, and I prefer the more natural look I have to say!

That's the painting pretty much completed, and the grille glued in place. I now need to add a running number, and fix the bonnet down onto the running plate. After that it will be time for weathering and crew - getting close!

Magnificent loco. Is it me though or is the tender a different colour ?

I have the Expo tools pack that includes an airbrush and compressor, and it's been very good, for both colour coats and weathering. I clean it by blasting through with white spirit then cellulose thinner, then a final go with white spirit to wash away the cellulose. Very occasionally it has needed taking apart and cleaning properly. Only used for enamel paint. I accept in general that you get what you pay for but must admit there's nothing I need this to do that it doesn't.

Curses - time to stock up !

Hi I have found the Model Master enamel paints to be good for US use, and available over here too. The attached link, if I've made it work, is from the Microscale decal site and gives their interpretation of the best substitutes for the old and much missed Floquil range. I too use Halfords primers, they give a great finish. If you are using Microscale decals they are superb but do need a glossy finish to work at their best. https://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/Floquil Color Chart.pdf

I really should build mine - it is definitely the longest serving inhabitant of the cupboard of shame, having been bought at The Engine Shed, Leytonstone High Road, in 1988!