Pete 75C

Is there a website that shows bus routes that pass a particular area/station in London, perhaps in the form of a map? At the moment, if I want to find out what buses passed (for example) Kings Cross station in the 1970s, a search on Google Images is all I can think of, but wouldn't give me a definitive list and the resullts would obviously be a bit hit and miss. I'm also assuming that routes have changed over the years, as have the operators? I'm purely thinking London buses pre-deregulation. Edit: ...the thought occurs to me that I may have placed this in the wrong section. "Prototype Questions" might have been more suitable?

I have a couple of credit cards and life/growing kids etc has meant that there has been a fair old balance on each one when the monthly payment is due. Not paying them off in full each month is far from desirable but has been a necessary evil recently. I'm now in a position to clear the balance on both of them and just keep them hidden in a dark wallet for a rainy day. Is there any advantage to keeping a small balance on them or is it best to clear them in full each month? There is some conflicting advice on money forums and I'm beginning to smell a rat. I'm starting to wonder if the advice to keep a small balance is nothing more than a myth and serves no purpose other than making the card issuer a little richer. Any thoughts?

I wasn't entirely sure if this belonged here or in Wheeltappers, but it is (loosely) related to card modelling so bear with me... Having printed off a fair few Scalescenes downloads recently, the yield of my standard HP 304 colour cartridge is rather pathetic. I'm going to bite the bullet and invest some more cash and try the XL cartridge next. I only ever purchase genuine cartridges having been less than impressed with remanufactured in the past. Tesco are quoting around £36 for a 304XL (it's in stock and I could walk down to my local Tesco and have it instantly). Being a touch on the frugal side when it comes to disposables like this, I usually buy cartridges online and a favourite ebay supplier is based in Jersey... I've used them before and have had no issues. Their price, including P&P for the same cartridge is £19. Delivery time is about 3 days which is fine. The world isn't going to end if I can't print out a sheet of industrial red brick by lunchtime. Is there any reason for the price difference? Is there any advantage to the seller being based in Jersey (as are several other ebay cartridge sellers)? Or is it just another classic example of it paying to shop around? Incidentally, I know my home printer is probably not the best or most ink-frugal (quality is fine though), but the all-in-one machine has proved itself reliable to date. I don't have the luxury or purchasing something far more advanced just for the odd Scalescenes download.

Well, the earth is certainly moving for someone (or something) this morning. As I type (just after 07:20) there are what sounds like big guns echoing to the west of Sheringham. Now, I'm used to farmers venting their anger on furry critters, but these are bigger bangs. We have the Muckleburgh military museum just a couple of miles away but I doubt they're doing any kind of firing demo at this time of the morning. Having lived in Leigh on Sea, the noise is reminiscent of the occasional ordnance explosion from nearby Shoeburyness. Living on the Norfolk coast, I shall have to assume that Denmark has invaded and will retire to the shed with a month's supply of bottled water and baked beans. INVASION! You heard it here first...

Can't find anything other than pictures of this item online. Does anyone know if this was based on a prototype, even loosely? I can imagine a pair of them suitably coloured and weathered (and with the horrible moulded lamp removed) looking quite at home in an urban terminus. I'm happy to freelance, but if Peco's moulding does have some provenance, that would be useful to know. Thanks. Edited for typo.

I'm rapidly approaching the stage where I need to lay around 6ft of flexi track (Peco's new bullhead) on a gradient of approx 1:50. My usual method is to run a bead of PVA along the base of each sleeper using a fine-tip applicator, and then weight the track with just about ever soup/baked bean/spaghetti tin that I can raid from the kitchen cupboards. Fine for flat and level tracklaying but not sure if it will work on a gradient... the gradient may be shallow enough and the friction great enough to keep the tins in place, but I foresee an avalanche of vegetable soup the second I turn my back... The PVA allows time to get the alignment absolutely spot on and I never use track pins as I detest the holes in the sleepers and the consequent filling and painting of said holes. I can't think of any other way to do this apart from with weights. Does anyone know of a method that hasn't occurred to me?

I have a 4ft vertical run of MDF, which defines the edge of a cutting and runs top-to-bottom between baseboard levels. This is an urban setting, so will eventually be clad in varieties of embossed plastic brickwork etc. I want to bond some thin styrene sheet to this MDF, purely to make it easier to then bond the brick sections as scenery progresses. To complicate matters, everything is on a very slight curve and as the MDF is vertical, rather than horizontal, using weights while glue dries is not an option. Clamps won't work either. Is there a proprietary glue with an instant "grab" that will bond styrene to MDF? The only other solution I can think of is double-sided tape. I have a roll of very thin tape and the adhesive works really well. I've used it in the past to bond styrene to MDF/ply horizontally (road surfaces etc) and it works so well, it proved almost impossible to remove when I had to go back and make some alterations. I know this same trick will work vertically, but just curious if anyone knows of any glues that would do the same thing?

Can anyone help this guy out? See link below... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/129795-help/&do=findComment&comment=3011986

Apologies if this is in the wrong section, as I guess the question crosses a fine line between handbuilt track and ready to lay. I need to add a very short length of check rail to Peco's new Code 75 bullhead flexi track and was wondering what would be the best (easiest?) way to do this. The solution that immediately occurs to me is as follows... Using a scalpel blade, remove the chairs from one side of the flexi track and then with the help of a gauge, glue Exactoscale check rail chairs in place for the required length. This in itself raises a couple of questions. If this is the easiest solution, what would be the best glue to use to bond the new chairs to the existing plastic sleepers? Also, bearing in mind that the curve will be in the region of 800mm radius, is there anything I need to be careful of with regard to setting the gauge? Also, if there is another way of doing this, I'd be delighted to know. For reference, the model will hope to recreate this... The check rail is visible for a very short distance before the tunnel mouth and the effect will need to continue for approx. 200-300mm inside the tunnel.

Living with it, not in it - I haven't been evicted... OK, as some of you may know, I'm quitting the UK early in 2019 for sunnier shores, and during 2018, a few return trips will need to be made in something like a MWB hi-roof Transit. Sadly "Rusty" my faithful SWB lo-roof Transit is too elderly and small to be up for the job and will be humanely put down in the New Year. I remember a thread on here a while back discussing the options for someone wanting to purchase a small van (think Berlingo/Doblo), but was wondering if any RMWebbers (perhaps in the course of their job or as motorhomers) have any experience of something a wee bit bigger? I'd be looking to purchase something perhaps 4-5 years old, using it for up to a year, and then selling it on. A friend recently offered me the use of a rather unusual vehicle, which I thought might fit the bill, but the loan can only be a one-off. It's a rather nice well-maintained hi-roof Sprinter that was recently decomissioned from an ANPR camera vehicle. Comes festooned with plug sockets and additional batteries (might make a decent camper conversion) but as I'm only borrowing it, I can't very well rip out the desk in the back which eats up loadspace. There's also no bulkhead, so the thought of being hit round the head by something stowed badly does not appeal... In short I'm thinking along the lines of... Mercedes Sprinter or VW Crafter (known for cosmetic corrosion, but mechanically bulletproof) Ford Transit (corrodes a bit and is probably mechanically indifferent) ...what I don't have any experience of are things like the larger Fiats etc. Any motorhome owners - I'd be interested to hear your views. Finally, with many hundreds of motorway-munching continental miles in prospect, something that sips diesel rather than gulps it would be better. If anyone has any thoughts, please chip in. Pete.

Hi all. I'm planning to do a couple of trips down to Spain next year with a semi-high roof Transit van. Having costed the fuel/tolls/accomodation to drive all the way, the Britanny Ferries route from Portsmouth - Bilbao on the mv Cap Finistère is looking rather cost effective. Sailing at about 22:30, there are 2 nights onboard and it arrives at about 07:30 - the morning arrival appeals to me, because the onwards journey across Spain to Alicante should be achievable by nighfall. Question is... has anyone done this route? I can imagine having a couple of beers once the ship sails and then hitting the sack (bunk), but what on earth do you do the whole of the next day??? Being a vehicle ferry, I'm not expecting cruise liner levels of entertainment. Suggestions as to the level of comfort/facilities would be welcome from anyone that's done this journey.

I need to construct a baseboard with a falling gradient built-in. Apart from this one gradient, everything else with be built "on the level", so I don't see the need for an open frame construction. The gradient is prototypically quite steep (around 1:50) so I'm planning to incorporate DCC Concepts Powerbase into it to give stock climbing the gradient a little helping hand if neccesary. I'm no stranger to baseboard construction, preferring a 9mm ply top, but I'm not used to incorporating gradients, so I'm after advice as to the best way to achieve this? I'm thinking of using a jigsaw to cut out the gradient from a single sheet of 1800mm x 600mm ply. This can then be gently bent into the gradient to give a transition from level to slope. The only way I can figure out how to do this is to use a sliding mitre saw with depth stop to "notch" the crossmembers, and then add risers to support the trackbed at intervals, see diagram below. The problem I have is that I'm convinced there must be an alternate approach... I just haven't figured out what it might be! If anyone has attempted something similar, thoughts and ideas would be much appreciated.

During a clearout, came across this hardback reference book published 1995 by BCA/Ian Allan, 256 pages, black & white images. To me, it's a "coffee table" book and once read, is unlikely to be read again, so with a pending house move, I see little point hanging onto it. It is a very good reference source for the lineside modeller, covering everything from buffer stops to signs and notices. Charity shop was one option, but someone on RMWeb may get some use from it. It's heavy at 1kg+, so if you're able to cover the postage using PayPal, that'd be great. From memory, £2.90 2nd Class or £3.90 2nd Class Signed For. Used condition but with no damage, pages perfect.

Does anyone know the gradient from Kings Cross York Road station platform down into the north portal of York Road tunnel? The picture (link below) is probably the best illustration of the gradient I've seen. In the picture, the gradient would appear to begin between the 1st and 2nd coaches, so as the platform went right up to the tunnel portal, a percentage of the platform must have been on the incline. http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/k/kings_cross_york_road/york(10.1975)road_old10.jpg Aside from disused-stations.org and the ubiquitous "Google Images" search, if anyone knows the url of any decent images, I'd be very grateful for a link. Edited to include suburban platforms.

Wanted: Heljan Class 33/1 33105 with white cab window surrounds. Heljan item number 3340. Prefer new/pristine. Long out of stock at all model shops. Maybe a collector has too many Cromptons and would like to reduce their collection by one? A long shot, but do let me know if you have one. Regards, Pete.

For those interested in modern history, just a heads-up about a new 10-part documentary series currently showing on BBC Four, "The Vietnam War". Shown on Monday nights, it's currently up to Episode 4/10, with the already-aired parts available on BBC iplayer. Extraordinarily thorough, it eclipses any documentary I've ever watched (imho) about the Vietnam war. The series shows the events in a timeline style without any noticeable bias to either side. Well worth a look. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b096k7q7

I've coveted one of these for some time, and used to regularly check ebay for a decent used example of the original LT. I discovered a while back that it has been resurrected as a limited edition, supplied with 8 sets of the DCC Concepts rollers as opposed to the original brass ones which could fail over time. http://www.gaugemaster.com/item_details.asp?code=GMC-LT&style=&strType=&Mcode=Gaugemaster+GMC-LT The price is a little eye-watering, but it can be bought at a discount if you shop around a little. I know the DCC Concepts rollers are a far more cost-effective way of owning a rolling road, and they can be positioned pretty much anywhere, but what appeals to me is the "stand-alone" workbench quality of the Gaugemaster unit. I had made plans to build something similar using a ventilated box made from hardwood strips, 400mm of OO gauge track, a Gaugemaster panel mount controller, transformer and volt-meter. Adding up the cost of these items (plus rollers), the GMC-LT's price doesn't look so bad... Not having a "roundie" layout, my usual method of running-in before fitting a decoder was to run the loco/unit in both directions around an oval of setrack loose-laid on a sheet of plasterboard. Effective, but impractical. Hence the appeal of the LT. One quick tech question for those of you that know more about electrics/electronics than I do (that'll be everyone, then)... Thinking ahead to long-term maintenance and testing, once a loco is chipped, would it do the Gaugemaster unit any harm to occasionally power the rollers from a DCC system? The power would be fed to the guides supporting the rollers using miniature crocodile clips. Obviously, the LT would be unpowered and switched off. Bearing in mind Gaugemaster's excellent warranty service, I wouldn't want to harm the unit in any way and invalidate the warranty.

Spotted this the other day. May be of interest to some. English-language link. https://www.thinkspain.com/news_index.asp#p:/news-spain/29474/extremadura-to-portugal-train-shut-since-2012-reopens Edit: I'd be interested to know what the unit is shown in the photo... I don't recall seeing that before?

Trouble in paradise, indeed. Had to go and collect my daughter and some of her friends early from Cromer last night. http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crime/pubs-close-in-cromer-as-police-manage-low-level-disorder-incidents-1-5155838?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social_Icon&utm_campaign=in_article_social_icons Came home and had a quick look on social media to see what the problem was. A bunch of "travellers" had moved onto the seafront car park in Cromer and reports of petty theft and disorder began to trickle in. Some of the comments on Twitter were outrageous though... you'd think the Apocalypse had arrived and headless horsemen were marauding along the coast between Cromer and Sheringham. As I drove home past the travellers' chosen overnight stop, I was struck by how modern some of their motorhomes were. It looked more like an outing by the Camping and Caravanning Club. I must confess that this made me chuckle though... Reports of the overnight demise of a seaside town have been grossly overexaggerated on Twitter and Facebook.

...or "Marbles. I've lost mine. If found, please return to..." etc etc etc. It's quite a nice morning here in Norf Norfolk. Sitting outside on an old builder's paint trestle (no fancy garden furniture for me) enjoying a mug of Twinings English Breakfast tea, I happened to glance up and noticed that one of the few white clouds in the sky bore more than a passing resemblance to Bob Marley. Glancing down, I then became transfixed by a pebble embedded in the old concrete patio. Barely a centimetre in size, it's a face. Definitely a face. See if you can spot it. I'm now wandering about the house seeing things everywhere. I should go out for a walk along the beach to clear my head while the weather's nice, but I'm terrified I'll spot a flying pig. Besides, if I go out, I may miss the men in white coats calling...

A recently upoaded photo of a forum member's (now classic) Jap sportsbike got me thinking... Pete75C is rapidly approaching 50 and has been battling a debilitating illness for quite some time. I'm not sure of the correct medical term, but colloquially I believe it's known as "Mid life crisis". The sufferer wakes during the night reliving all the mistakes he's made and wondering what would have happened if his life had taken a slightly different path... My daughter suggests a cure could be to get a piercing, but I'm not keen on account of being a wimp. Another tattoo crossed my mind, but my wife says she'd divorce me. Despite the obvious upsides to that, I'd really rather not lose the house and live in a box. And then, BINGO! Pete needs to get himself back on two wheels, if only for the occasional summer weekend ride-out. I passed my test back in 1993 and then went straight from a Yamaha RD125LC to the (then) new watercooled Suzuki GSXR750WN. A long love affair with all things "Suzuki" then blossomed. The gearchange in particular was a delight. "Hot knife through soft butter" doesn't even come close. Having put about 100,000 biking miles under my belt, the last machine was a Suzuki TL1000R. Leathers etc then went into a cupboard never to be seen again. Now, I know that a "chin down, @rse up" riding position would not be a sensible idea due to my advanced age, so that rules out anything modern and sporty. That, and the fact that I don't like the looks of anything modern and sporty. No disrespect to those that like Harleys/cruisers, but I just never have liked them, so that's a "no" too. Narrowing down my choices brings me back to Jap sportsbikes from an earlier era, and top of my list is Kawasaki's ground-breaking GPZ900R "Ninja" from 1984. I was 17 then, and remember wanting one so badly, it hurt. Money's not an issue here, I could stretch to a fully restored 1984 A1 model in showroom condition. What is an issue is the worry that I may have overlooked other bikes from a similar era. I know a lot of you have experience of Jap bikes from the 80s and 90s, so any recommendations for bikes I may not have thought of are more than welcome. Any tips from GPZ owners welcome too. To those that aren't familiar with the GPZ, here's one I drooled over earlier...

Some of you may know that our 6-bed Victorian pile is on the market at the moment. Regrettably (with hindsight) we chose a nationwide agent that seems to spend more time selling mortgages rather than houses. Although we're achieving viewings, a lack of feedback and seemingly a lack of interest from the agent has caused us to terminate the agreement and move to another agent, this time a local agent that specialises in period properties. So, to the question. The house is an end-of-terrace over three floors and has been completely renovated over the last few years. There are 2 double bedrooms, one with en-suite, and a single bedroom on the first floor. These bedrooms are in use and are dressed accordingly (beds, wardrobes, chests etc). On the second floor are a further two double bedrooms and a single. These bedrooms are unused and are currently empty of furniture. freshly decorated, carpeted etc etc, but totally empty. The original agent didn't have a problem with this as (and this makes sense to me) prospective purchasers would get a better idea of how large the rooms are and what they could do with them. The new agent, however, is adamant that in order to give the best impression and sell, a bedroom should be dressed as a bedroom. If so, we need to find three complete sets of bedroom furniture that when we move, we won't have any use for. We can obviously pick up some bits from say, Gumtree, such as bedside cabinets, bed frames etc but I'm wondering what RMWeb opinion is? Personally, I'd be quite happy leaving the rooms empty. The new agent has valued the property at the same price as the previous agent, so I'm not concerned that we're pricing it completely wrong. My main concern is that it's perhaps a bit of a niche property - it won't be of any interest to first-time-buyers or small families, it really needs a large family complete with Gran and Grandad, it could even offer B&B potential. Just curious as to what others think regarding dressing the unused rooms? The agent is basically assuming all potential buyers are a bit lacking in vision and will be confused by a room that isn't furnished. I just don't get that... Thanks, Pete.

I'm looking to populate a present-day street scene. Not with people, but with the mundane everyday objects that are often overlooked. The layout is European outline HO, but obviously these details could be relevant to OO as well. For bus shelters, litter bins etc etc, I've found Kibri and Auhagen to be well worth a look, but I have drawn a blank with the following... Overhead "gantry" style road signs and traffic light poles similar to those shown below. The traffic lights don't need to be working, as the aspects will face away from the viewer. If anyone knows of a source, please do let me know.

Anyone that knows me will know that I can wire a plug and that's about it, my knowledge of electrics/electronics is nil. I have a pair of NJ International US-style grade crossing barriers (below) each with 2 red LEDs that should be able to prototypically flash in sequence. I think the term is "wig wag"? Does anyone know of a simple little circuit board (12v DC or batttery powered) that will cause the LEDs on the model to flash in sequence? I know you can get dedicated level crossing flasher units but most seem geared for UK or European 3 light systems and some even come with a library of sounds = way more complicated than I need! It occurs to me that something suitable exists outside of the model railway world, but I haven't a clue what to look for or what it might be called. I remember having a belisha beacon flasher unit on a previous layout. This was a dead simple little board with a 9v battery attachment but the flash pattern was wrong, each lamp stayed lit for too long. If anyone knows of anything or could point me in the right direction, that would be a huge help.

It occurred to me the other day that RMWeb is awash with prototype photos... "Class 37 Photos", "Prototype for Everything", etc etc, not forgetting some excellent European images in Dave F's thread and the topics of other RMWeb members. Now, the "Railways of Spain" sub-forum is a relative newcomer to RMWeb, but as Spain is a popular holiday destination for us Brits at least, I can't help thinking there must be a wealth of Spanish railway imagery waiting to be tapped. It's fairly well knowN that I have a love for Spain, but only recently have I actually taken any photos and then only in one specific area. However, to get the ball rolling, here goes. The metre-gauge FGV stretches from Alicante up to Denia on the northern Costa Blanca. Seen above is one of the rebuilt diesel units entering Altea from the Calpe direction. October 2016. The line is electrified only between Alicante and Benidorm. Seen above is a tram/train shortly after arrival at Benidorm. Once free of street running in Alicante, these units can reach a decent speed, hence the term "tram/train". October 2016. More please. Anywhere in Spain, historic or modern.