Dave Hunt

As far as steam locomotive sound is concerned, I have yet to hear a model that sounds realistic. One of the main faults is that whereas a real steam locomotive doesn't 'chuff' when coasting all the DCC sound chips do, which is particularly annoying when an engine is running round its train, slowing down into a station etc. My locomotive stud dates from the 1980s to the 2000s and has all been made by me so yes, I'm well and truly stuffed! Dave

Amendment to my last post, the cost of making my current (work in progress) layout DCC would be an extra £1,000 or much more for sound. Dave

1. Already having all the DC control equipment needed for the layout. 2. Having an existing loco stud running on DC. 3. Already having all the switches and other electrical gear needed. Therefore, to incorporate DCC would have cost, at a conservative estimate, about £750 and many hours fitting DCC chips into locomotives, programming them etc. Enough? Dave

Had a thoroughly enjoyable day at the Warley Club today and decided to join the club as an 'out of town' member, as did Crimson Rambler. Apart from joining in club activities one of the benefits is free entry to the annual Warley show, although I wasn't aware of that before joining. I also was able to let my Compound stretch its legs and haul a train for the first time in about twenty years and was given a half finished model of a Kirtley tariff brake van that a late friend had bequeathed to me. Dave

About the demographic of your fan base HH........ Dave

Ah, it's an amphibian is it? Dave

I've said it before but it bears repeating: you jammy devil Neil. Dave

Having a free day tomorrow to go to the Warley Club open day. Main attractions are great bacon sarnies, an S7 layout on which to let some of my locos stretch their legs and some serious gum bashing with friends old and new. What's not to like? Dave

From all the posts recently it would appear that home 'improvements' are endemic among TNMers and that between us we could build, alter, extend or refurbish any property..... ....just leaving Polish Andy to paint it. Dave

Ozexpatriate - "Not to mention the Channel Islands (well, Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey) and the Isle of Man." I once overheard an American woman in Ireland explaining to her daughter that there were two parts of Ireland - Northern Ireland and Royal Ireland. Her husband chipped in with, "I don't think it's Royal Ireland honey," whereupon she retorted, "Then why does it have RoI all over, that's French for Royal." Luckily I had a handkerchief that I could stuff in my mouth. Dave

Our local pharmacy was an independent and was good but last year they were taken over by Peak Pharmacies and have gone downhill ever since. They don't seem able to keep staff as nearly every time I go in there it seems that there are none I recognise. Dave

The plumber came today and sorted the leaks out so Hunt Towers is now entering the last phase of the great kitchen debacle refurbishment, i.e., decorating. Starting tomorrow I'll be doing all the preparation, which will involve a lot of sanding down rough bits of wall where tiles have been removed, filling gaps and holes, fixing sections of skirting etc. I've got a day off on Sunday to go to the Warley Club's open day but will be back to it on Monday so that painting can commence and be finished a week today. I wonder if Polish Andy is available? Dave

And there are vast swathes of South American rain forest that are being slashed and burned daily to allow more cattle to be accommodated just so they can fart constantly and add to atmospheric pollution before being turned into burgers. Dave

I would imagine that the cow was farting both from fright and due to having a big strop under its belly but as I only saw it from a distance I couldn't be sure. Dave

I once saw a flying cow. Admittedly it was slung underneath a Chinook but it still counts. The reason it was slung under a Chinook was that some naughty pilot had passed a bit too close to the poor animal, which had then panicked and blindly galloped over the edge of a cliff but had only dropped about ten feet or so when it landed on a ledge where it was marooned. Since the RAF was to blame it was agreed that the farmer had a reasonable claim for assistance (the cow was miraculously unhurt by the fall) so the Chinook was despatched to effect the recovery. It was quite a complex process involving a vet and some members of a mountain rescue team as well but was ultimately successful. The pilot was deep in the stuff the cow had emitted in its panic. And no, it wasn't me. Dave

I confess to speed reading articles that are purely descriptive and/or historically based on prototypes that don't feature in my own modelling interests but if they contain how I modelled it/painted it/applied transfers/improved the running etc. information then I read them carefully. Even in articles concerned with scales and prototypes that don't on the face of it apply to my own modelling I have found sufficient instances of methods and tips that have proved beneficial to make careful reading worthwhile. You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks but where railway modelling is concerned I don't think that any one of us knows all the answers. Dave

It's actually because the lightning makes animals (and some people) sh!t scared and poo contains lots of fertiliser. Dave

Not forgetting the old adage, "If God had meant the army to fly he'd have painted the sky brown." Dave

I too resisted that move for some time but eventually gave in and like vampires those of us who have been bitten turn into biters. Remember, Stephen, never say never...... Dave

As the recently retired chairman of the Midland Railway Society I wholeheartedly concur. In a total of 25 years in the role (in two roughly equal stints) I have lost count of how many times I have asked for volunteers in newsletters etc. and although there have occasionally been responses they were few and far between. The majority of the truly successful recruits to the core committee jobs and other essential posts have been as a result of personal approaches. In that number there was a certain Mr. S. Lea I seem to remember.... Dave

After celebrating the end of the construction phase of the great kitchen cockup rebuild last night we were brought down to earth this morning by discovering two leaks so I had to grovel about under and behind units to find out where they were coming from. One is in a joint where the dishwasher drain joins the main waste pipe and despite trying to tighten it I was unable to fix it. After further examination I now think that there should be some sort of gasket/washer in the joint so it's been reported to the plumber. The other is from the main stop valve and although it's only a slight weep that too has been reported. I knew we never should have started.... There was, however, one small victory. The materials supplied for the job were more than required despite a detailed plan being drawn up list so I rang the suppliers and they have agreed to take some of it back along with refunding several Deltics. I haven't let on to the management yet about the refund so it may just find its way into the modelling token account. Dave

According to my old Mum, if you poke it it will never get better. Dave

Don't you usually launch boats in water? Dave

One of the things that I hate to see on exhibition layouts is trains that go from stationary to 60mph in a loco length and stop with the deceleration usually associated with hitting a wall. Dave

In my opinion that is an excellent and thought provoking post. All the arguments about what constitutes railway modelling and what scale, gauge and standards should be used really annoy me. Railway modelling is a hobby, not a competition, and as far as I am concerned the only real criterion for inclusion in the hobby is does it bring someone enjoyment? The fact that I like to scratchbuild in S7 doesn't mean I can't appreciate models of any other type, be they scratchbuilt, kitbuilt, RTR, modified RTR in plastic, metal, cardboard or stale bread. Some of the layouts I admire are in 00, EM, P4, 0F, S7 and a host of other scales, gauges or standards and I don't care what their provenance is. And while I have been involved with operating exhibition layouts my main enjoyment is in making things but I can quite understand someone whose interest is in operation, or even just running trains round and round (which is something I too enjoy occasionally with friends' layouts, particularly when accompanied by a glass of something tasty and a fine cigar). Yes, I do sometimes try to encourage 'hands on' modelling and explain to people who show an interest why I think that finescale modelling is for me but the zealots who insist that only those who scratchbuild in P4 or have layouts with electric locomotives taking power from working OLE or whatever get right up my nose. Rant? It didn't start out as such but I guess it developed that way. Dave