SR71

So I may have gotten distracted from building the shed... but I have been working on an interior. As mentioned previously with the tiny size of industrial engines compaired to mainline ones I can fit in some workshop machinery down one side. So this weekend I've spent an inordinate amount of time making a forge. I'm not sure why I decided the shed should have one but I did and now it does. It's based loosly on the ones in the National Slate Museum and would have been used for making tools, wagon repairs and heating parts during general maintenance for the quarry. The drill and lathe are from the Wills kit now marketed by Peco. Final positions tbc, at the moment the hood is just tacked in place.

For me it's once the ratio of runners to parts donors goes too far the wrong way. You can have as many of an item as you like but if they are all scrappers then it's hording. If anyone has seen Barn Find Hunters on YouTube then those with fields of rotting cars are hoarders but the few with fields of rotting cars *and* barns full of cars maintained/restored using the parts cars outside are collectors. With trains it's a harder line to find. Those that want mint in box are collectors. Those that perhaps update models to keep them runnable are collectors? Some O gauge tinplate seems to hold its value even when fitted with modern motors and gearboxes because the originals have disintegrated or are presumably too fragile to use. Are they vintage collectors still?

I think values go up when the children who wanted them, or had them, get to a point where they have some spare income and nostalgia. I remember when the club I was associated with at the time was almost contemplating giving away complimentary Hornby HST's to visitors just to get them out of the club shop. These days I see they are going for reasonable money on eBay. I have also noticed that the prices for tinplate have shown some divergence recently presumably as the number of collectors has reduced? Mint and rare items still hold a premium but items that are in a more played with condition (even those that would be simple to put right) seem to have lost most of their former value in a lot of cases. Perhaps a lot of items will go through a period of collectability rather than becoming precious artifacts in perpetuity?

The last week or so I've been thinking about the roof for a loco shed I'm building at the moment so had this tab open which might help; https://www.pasquill.co.uk/the-different-types-of-roof-trusses-and-their-uses/ I figure while it may not be prototypical if I follow one of those at least it will be functional.

I don't want to pass comment on your case but I will highlight my situation where Gaugemaster were helpful to their own detriment but shows how stretched they have been. In lock down 1 I placed an order for 6 or 7 items to get into the free delivery bracket. Parcel arrived about a week later with only 3 items in it. I called to see what was up and they explained (like everyone else) their deliveries had gone haywire and they didn't know what was coming in when so they had sent what they had. They noted on the phone one item had come in that morning and they would get it out that day. I said not to rush and wait until the rest had been delivered but they insisted as the picking system they use had allocated etc. and holding stock aside would be more problematic. Over the next few months, as things got going again, I received a succession of 3-4 parcels until the order was filled. Given these were mostly items that can't be sent by regular carrier my order must have ultimately cost them money but they kept going rather than cancel the outstanding items with an apology as would have been quite reasonable.

When getting this on loose lay layouts at shows (usually suddenly at 09:57 right as the doors are about to open) the tried and tested method is to get a long length of wire (ideally with a crocodile clip on at least one end). Clip one end to a 'good' section of track or power feed and, while running a loco, work your way towards the 'bad' section touching the rail as you go and watching for a change in performance. If it picks up you have a voltage drop across a joint(s) or just due to distance and need an extra feed. (If nothing switch side and try the other rail) Odd to be across so many lines and more normal with old steel track but possible with modern stuff I guess.

Black and contoured is still the best for most layouts I have seen. I don't have the skills to do it but has anyone done similar with clear plastic and painted the strata on the inside to make it look like the earth has been sectioned?

Surprised this hasn't been sorted out yet by manufacturers. Haven't used rtr curved points since the 90's but can remember having to do exactly this with plasticard on the check rails to stop trains derailing on leading points.

Before work starts again a bit more progress. At the risk of being accused of gilding the lilly I've prepared one side using fretcetera window etches. Currently the side is only resting on them as I won't fix them until the building has been painted. The right hand window does line up but my phone camera has significant parallax error. The other side is to be done but I need to be careful to block the view straight through off the board.

I completely agree with this and it also further reduces the opportunity for junior drivers to get experience. If the teams, the cars, and the drivers are already at the track what benefit is there to having them sat twiddling their thumbs for an extra hour? The support race schedules seem to be quite sparse at most Grand Prix anyway so what are they making time for? Bored spectators to go buy overpriced food and souvenirs? Take the hour and make it only available to young drivers (not Alonso).

The above was enough to confirm what I wanted to do with the shed so i have made a start on adapting it to give the smaller entrance; This is the normally blank end with the new opening cut in. As it may have noticed in the previous post the shed has spawned a sibling while in storage. This means I don't have to use the regular open end with the excessive (for industrials) opening.

Cleared enough space on the bench to dig out the airfix shed again and since the last posts I've picked up a Y point for paper aided thinking out loud this afternoon; Most critical will be the depth of the backscene so when it stops raining I think I need to rough out the board structure.

I've been finishing off the Barclay over the last few days. As ever close ups do it no favours as does my phone's 'intelligent' photo taking. In trying to make sense of the weathering it skews the colour balance such that it can't be recovered. I need to finish the crew but for that I need more paint so for now it will go on the shelf. I may weather it more when it comes apart again to fit them. I wanted to pop the glazing out the rear cab sheet but it seems to be well stuck, again something for when the crew go in.

I'm surprised more hasn't been made of the kitmaster/airfix/Dapol/kitmaster range, other than including the booking office. Most in the hobby will have come into contact with these kits in one way or another and they are remarkably still in production as they were originally intended. I'd have to pick the L&Y pug just because it's so synonymous with being made into other things over the years when there weren't rtr offerings for smaller engines. The BR std tender was, until relatively recently, one of the best representations or, for sheer ubiquity, the 16t mineral wagon. Every exhibition £1 box has at least one 16t... or more likely bits of one in it and @Ruston excellent thread has shown in recent months the kits can still be updated to produce rolling stock that fits completely with current rtr locos which have themselves have been detailed. I change my vote! Airfix 16t kit.

Found this topic while doing some reseach myself. As it comes quite high up google when searching the Lancing Belle I thought I would add for anyone else looking that there there is a picture of a Stroudley 4 wheeler in use (and a Billington heading out of shot) on the Belle on page 48 of "Brighton Line Album" by R.C.Riley. Below that is a shot of LSWR bogie carriages forming a later version of the Belle being pulled by two E4's.

Interesting video talking about media restrictions this year and some good photos from the Mercedes embedded photographer.

Re: team mates being out performed by the dominant driver I've thought for a while it's not helped by the lack of testing. Teams have limited time to set up over a race weekend so it makes sense to follow the faster drivers set up as a baseline. Then all weekend the second driver is being told first has more rake, add more rake and you'll go faster etc... From the reading I've done in the old days Albon would have spent a day or two at Hethel, Fiorano, etc. mid season. They'd start with a neutral set up then build their own base set up rather than the driver having to battle a car that doesn't match them all season.

J40 peddle cars go for so much now because they are eligible for Goodwood Revival; https://www.goodwood.com/grr/event-coverage/goodwood-revival/2019/9/video-the-worlds-tiniest-race--the-settrington-cup/ Apparently they have had to get tough on scrutineering in recent years after people were found to be using modern bearings etc.

That one should go in the real railways looking like a model thread. It's begging to be a diorama so much I almost want to switch from current projects.

Initially I thought it was sound but then realised, as you point out, it was film. Being born analogue but spent most of my adult life digital maybe a better question would be why is it?

I nearly posted this in bargain hunters but I don't know if it's a bargain... In fact I'm not sure completely what it is. https://onlineshop.oxfam.org.uk/shop/product/arrow-standard-8-action-movie-scene-train-leaving-station-hd_200207588 Seems like something from a Goon show... Maybe someone here can offer it a home? (They seem to have two of them).

I would agree with this but the pedant in me made me go look it up. I can't get the maths to work based on the drivers standings (I think the fastest lap points or something may be skewing it?) but has Hamilton really scored enough constructors points this year for Mercedes to have convincingly won the title entering just the one car?!

I try to post regularly - I find it helps me with my motivation even if no one is reading it - but the last few weeks I haven't felt I produced anything postable. Tonight I determined to post something! I've painted the Barclay bunker and now need to weather it and the rest of the engine before I attach it permanently. I will be going for late 60's well used condition. I saw (but now can't find) pictures where the idea of safety was coming in so painting key parts yellow but they hadn't arrived at wasp stripes yet and that's the inspiration. I've also been working on the 0-4-0 Hudswell contractor. If it works out the excellent photo on the link below should give a pretty substantial clue of what I'm going for. The left right are Mk2 finished (hopefully) centre is Mk1 in progress. https://imageleicestershire.org.uk/index.php?a=ViewItem&i=8456&WINID=1606936797808#.X8gI2rPgphF

Hi All, I couldn't find anything like this listed so I've started a new post. Apologies if this has come up before but I wanted to ask for opinions; I've bought an item on eBay a few weeks ago, paid for it, and waited. Day it's due to be delivered I get a refund notification email from a different name. Checking my PayPal (via browser not email link) it's noted as pending and the details do include the eBay seller name in there all be it different from the receipt I got when paying. No message to go with it that I can see. On eBay the item still shows as bought but not dispatched. The seller had 4 items and is down to 1 but that is still live 'buy it now'. This feels like a scam but I can't put my finger on it and whether, having waited 24hrs, I should open a dispute in eBay to get it logged as having not been delivered.

I've had similar where PayPal were verifying the seller and that the sale was genuine. Took a couple of days I think, I don't know what the seller has to do to clear this. I did some googling at the time and it seems to be something PayPal do randomly.