locomad2

M7 on a R1 chassis Needs a bogie but easy fit, Compare to E2 (Wills) awaiting repaint Doesn't look too bad. In early 80's one of the railway modelling mags did a feature on putting different bodies on other chassis and all types of engines they close too, think was Airfix?

Quite agree apart from the well made Kitmaster coaches, fortunately I've still some left unbuilt and some built 50 years ago most realistic and with the right wheels can be very free running. Add the 2/- peco cardboard interiors and easy match any coach plus modern ones Another excellent and simple feature the bogies can have both peco & tension lock coupling each end, trix did the same Somehow I don't think we have progressed much in 50 years

Quite agree there Trix coaches can't be left without something heavy to stop them moving. I've had a few accidents over the years by leaving a rake of Trix coaches say on a loop, and a passing train has actually (by suction) moved them along causing derailments and collisions

I've done similar mainly replacing triang bogies with HD on bogie bolsters etc. Traing pin point axles rust, oil helps but once rusted they don't run well. Airfix, & mainline etc also rust as well Best I've found over the test of time , are Trix pin point axles plus the bogies had graphite added which improved running. Peco are poor, the axles bend so do some Hornby dublo 2 rail plastic. Surprisingly Airfix kits can be repaired use a straw to strengthen the two part axle, I also use silicone grease in axle boxes which stops the squeak & squeal. Except on mineral wagons as I like the squeal just like "real thing"

I've been saying it for years, quite simply most of my purchases of post 2000 locomotives are now scrap, as a result I just don't waste good money on rubbish. Good example are the recent BG's (Beyer Garrett's) I've been asked to repair a few, I just say it's no longer worth it, buy a "neverwass" at £600 well worth the money. However there is a use for New "scrap" Hornby bodies they get put on something which works Still a lot to do, but who would have thought 60 years ago, new bodies put on old chassis!

Most powerful of my 8F's, Wrenn chassis/motor mid 80's, Hornby Dublo body tided up a bit, repainted Dublo tender. The coal gone yellow due to sulphur part of a lump taken from Welsh coal face early 70's. Quite capable of 40 HD wagons on the flat, motor and chassis in excellent condition regularly serviced and been in service over last 35 years.

Apparently they also sold unpainted fiqures in bags of about a 1000, did have opportunity recently to purchase a bag for about £25 unfortunately ran out of cash and non of the local cash machines had any in, shame at 2.5p each

Going back to 1:72-1:76 scale vechiles still see plenty available but you have to look out, Crapland, £1 shops, seaside resorts, amusement arcades car boots toy fairs etc all these purchased recently Left to right Matchbox American jeep, Chinese digger front loader, a matchbox fork lift truck on matchbox low loader, and modern tractor. The tractor came as a tractor trailer set, Chinese found in seaside/open market £1 shops for a £1 diecast it's quite good detail and about right for 1:76, apparently sold in bulk to retailers for about 27p per set

I've both Ringfield and 1/2 inch 2 rail locos both are excellent hauliers easier to pull 40 hd wagons on the flat and around 36" curves. I found the Ringfield (wrenn) has the slight edge, although slightly unbalanced too much weight at the back. Both have excellent pick ups and don't stall on points. Popular locomotives both given excellent service over 50 years

Generally agree with above, having a test rig modelled on "Model railway Constructor " mid 70's which published traction fiqures for locomotives available at the time, most Hornby dublo locos I've got roughly follow what was obtained then. However some locomotives are real pigs and others run beautifully, I've quite a few 2 rail 2-6-4 MT's some have excellent haulage capacity others just don't run right dispite trying to get them to all work the same. Experience has taught us over 50 years that constant use on several past layouts obtain the best results, those locomotives left for long periods in boxes tend not to run or haul as well. As my layouts have got generally larger its possible to run larger trains, 12 coaches the norm and 40 wagons for freight, as expected only Hornby Dublo, Wrenn and Triang Hornby X04 motor types are almost the only motive power left, only the early T/H 9F, now almost 50 years old, out performs the others in haulage capacity. One day I might just publish the actual haulage capacity of current stock prehaps a retirement project

Something I use a lot, put the 1:80-87 scale vehicles in the background and you get a sense of depth, I used this technique in military modeling using an excellent range of vehicles from Micromodels ? HO scale plastic models from Austria

Hongwell ? Ford Capri and Series Landy, really like this manufacturer, better detail, looks the part, compare Landy to all others and this is best for both quality and price

Agree not the old airfix quality nor the JB military quality which I found was the best, still for £1 not bad and they look the 30's part. Notice LMS type 2 coal hopper drawing got the badge for that now working on LMS type 2 ash plant made up from sectional steel

Thanks very interesting didn't realise that they were WW1 vintage

Don't forget the Matchbox range of kits 1:76, one of my favourites is the Diamond T and trailer here in civilian use towing a matchbox bulldozer Did see some rare pathe film coverage of building post war circa 1947, definitely a diamond T in American drab colours used on a building site Bit rarer but up to a few years ago loads about for a £1 these Japanese kits 1:72 Very late 1930's early 40's right hand drive, very British looking and painted in civilian colours not out of place on mid 40' layout, also idea source of trailers oil drums

Weekend market found these modern cars which look about 1:72, modern cars tend to be bigger, however still within loading gauge. They are remote control using 2.4 ghz and come with simple controller At about £5 good value won't be long before driving them around layout just need some driving practice

It can be a problem however I have a few centurion tanks from same range which I painted humbrol gloss green when I was about 10, the paint stayed on, later repainted with a Matt bronze green from the authentic range it still looks very good, I replaced the gun with a lolly pop stick and some tape for the muzzle brake. I also painted the complete Waterloo set of figures again with some gloss paint it's still on as long as you are careful handing it should not fall off, that applies more to the older humbrol not the c$!p modern stuff. Old unopened humbrol paints fetch good prices on car boots, toy fairs, more than modern stuff

Airfix did a range of 1:72 polyethylene miltary models years ago, great thing about them is they survived, plenty about, and cheap so I plan to have a go at super detailing this one soon, new wheels, windows, paint job etc

If you don't think of it as a "Scammell" the matchbox scammell makes a good garage pick up truck and looks like 1:76 rather than 1:100

Firm called "Kentoys"? made modern trucks 1:72 about 20 years ago sold for a £1, loads of them about still at markets, seaside shops, arcades etc. Picked up some at markets still in boxes recently. Don't know who makes them but locally north Wales loads of Ford transit Van's to 1:72 with advertised signs on sold as marketing promotions to local firms now ending up on car boots, "smelly" (charity) shops. Seems this year lots of plastic London busses about about 1:75 with stick on labels in the independent £1 shops, some fitted with speed wheels others more realistic wheels. Caught my eye but out of scale r/c cars about 1:64, sold in see though drink cans for £5, when I've got some cash as some shops don't do cards and cash machines in short supply I might buy a few and fit into airfix trucks and drive them round the layout

I wonder if it was somewhere in the "bible's " its mentioned it was designed to be cheap to make and sell cheap. The wagon chassis was planned to be standard throughout the range, the chassis for the 0-4-0 is not like any other, its tacky, cheap and poor quality. Quite often I discover them in car boots with sellers unsure of their origins it looks cheap and often confused with a playcraft. It came out too late for mass sales hence the rarely seen, however such examples don't fetch silly prices. The dinky dicast push-a-long came out 10 years later has a better looking body then the plastic, fitted with a 1980's 0-4-0 Hornby chassis makes a better loco

Personally use the old peco/ Hornby dublo coupling mainly cause you can fly and hump shunt something you can't do with tension lock, plus easy to manual uncouple and if train derails Yes issues with drop but once all stock checked very reliable metal ones been easier to adjust

This is mine part of my 21st century "Battle space" railway models, it's a small drone fitted with a camera both video and pic Not fully competent to fly it over the layout yet, but my 6 year old grandson part of the play station controller generation, does land it in areas where I just can't get access to for use as a camera Good value at £5, purchased new off a market without a playstation type controller you can use your phones wifi, and can use some playstation type wireless controller as well. Without the props used as a mobile CCTV camera, pictures on phone as yet not worked out how to transfer into gallery

Thanks Dave, perhaps should of "Google" it first quite a bit of information about them, seems first came out 1936, remained in production during and the after war. Very handy tools especially for plastic and repeated cutting operations plus has the hole punch at. Seems at the time a kind of make your own Meccano as found instructions on how to make tinplate "O" gauge signals, and wagons

Anyone got instructions, diagrams of a vintage "Juneero" bench press especially the extra attachments. My grandfather had one popular just after WW2, believe modelled on a ministry of work multi use bench press. It could bend small strips or rods of metal, punch, sheer, cut, bend 90deg, used to make parts for war production like instruments parts etc. I've seen a pathe news reel "Workers at home 1941" using them to make parts for Smith's aircraft instruments. Unfortunately my grandfather's one rusted away and was lost in a house clearance Fortunately I got one recently off a car boot, also found in the same stall was 100's of part assembled motor brushes for what looks like triang x04 motors and Hornby dublo brushes. Clearly the tool has been used in production for these by someone. Model Engineer circular 1946 shows them advertised with lots of attachments, jigs which are missing on this quite clean and working example