peterfgf

This is a good shop with wide range of good-condition secondhand stock which I visit whenever I'm in Southampton to meet my ex-colleagues. There are plenty of buses from central Southampton which stop more or less outside the door. Well worth a visit in my opinion. Peterfgf

I had the same thought about my order on the Kernow/Model Rail website. They had my order reference for the USA tank but no record of my credit card. Their on-line shop software apparently doesn't save the information. I suggest you contact them again. peterfgf I ordered a 30064 about four years ago, although I do not see my order on the Model Rail Offers website. Hmm, not to be whiney I am wondering if after all this time that the order has been lost. Which begs another question. Many of us probably provided credit card numbers with our preorders. With the passage of time, many of those credit cards have expired. Will we be contacted for updates? Cheers Malcolm Turner Calgary,Canada

Like the previous poster, at the risk of getting serious, the gauge should be measured with an internal micrometer which has a calibration traceable to national standards at the National Physical Laboratory. Vernier calipers are, at best, good comparators but are second best to calibrated micrometers - even the good ones from Mitutoyo and Radio Spares. The cheap ones available at some stalls in model railway shows are poor and may as well be used as G-clamps. Forget rulers for this sort of measurement. peterfg

phil-b259 Many thanks for your very informative answer. Much appreciated. Peterfgf

Interesting, but disappointing in that it appears that all down trains to Reading from the new platforms, 0, 1 and 2, will have to traverse the Reading down line to reach the Reading up line. This single lead was the cause of many delays in the past and it is disappointing to see that the opportunity has not being taken to remove this bottleneck. Hopefully the proposed layout shown will have been amended before track laying starts. Am I missing something? Peterfgf

You may not be too far off in sounds with using a Class 40. The Bullied locomotives had English Electric type 16SVT Diesel engines whilst the latter Class 40 locomotives had English Electric 16SVT Mk.2 engines. I would therefore expect them to sound similar BUT the devil is in the detail: the type of turbocharger fitted and the layout of the exhaust system/silencer would have a large effect on the perceived sound. The design of the exhaust system gives the Class 55 Deltics some of their distinctive sound. Peterfgf

In the past I've used a small length of insulation tape, applied circumferentially around the screw driver tip and the screw, to hold the screw in place. It works on most screws but it might be a bit fiddly on the smaller BA sizes. I once had a screwdriver with a sliding spring collar attachment which was intended to hold the screw in place but it's a long time gone. Peterfgf

I think the original version was about British Rail engineers at Derby carrying out initial research into the windscreen strength of the proposed HST-125 sets..... peterfgf

Yes, slipped up on that one. I should have read it more carefully. Peterfgf

Richard Ames is not the only director who appears to have little or no experience in the hobbies market. It is difficult to make out what experience or qualifications any of the directors bring to the company, see http://www.Hornby.plc.uk/director-information/ Peterfgf

I would have been more impressed if they were bringing out a Class 104 DMU. Some 300 units of these were built as against about 100 Class 117. The Class 104 also had a much wider geographical spread (I'm thinking about the North-West, especially about the Buxton line) and ought therefore to have larger number of prospective purchasers. Please think on it Bachmann.

The chap on the Bachmann stand at the model railway exhibition at Butterley Midland Railway centre at the weekend (15th August) assured me that the model had progressed to the CAD stage. So maybe not too long, but not holding my breath. Peter

Received my K1 today from Liverpool. No, or negligible sign of, distortion of running plate. Rather nice model altogether, although I have yet to run it. Best wishes to everybody on RMWeb for the New Year. Peterfgf.

A lovely surprise and well done Bachmann. I can imagine Buxton LNWR side with Super D's and Coal Tanks. At least one will be bought. Hopefully they will appear in a reasonable time (2016?).

Lovely cars - I owned a series of 1500/1850 Dolomites in the 70's and 80's. Your remark about the smell of petrol reminded me of a problem with one of them. The fuel tank was (is) inside the boot and the tank top formed the floor of the boot. Water had seeped into the cofferdam space between the underside of the tank and the car body. Pitting corrosion then occurred which allowed petrol to leak out of the tank into the space. I ignored this for quite some time before the smell became so strong that I had to investigate. Plastic padding may have been used as a repair. I also worked at Drax, but on the PF ash plant. Not entirely a happy experience, as someone circumvented the PTW system (broke off the padlocks on the motor switch panel) and started up one of the rotary mixers just as I was getting out of it after an internal inspection. Peter

I found the Southampton area somewhat better than suggested. Have you tried AC Models in Eastleigh High Street? Not too far from Southampton - well stocked and well worth visiting (in my opinion). Ron Lines in Shirley Road is also well stocked and has lots of second hand models.