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Stephen Rainsbury

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Posts posted by Stephen Rainsbury

  1. On 08/03/2020 at 15:53, TangoOscarMike said:

    Firstly, I acknowledge that these are, to my eye, rather nice models. So I would like to hear from anyone who thinks that these are an important part of model railway heritage that belong in a museum, not in my Frankenworkshop.

     

    I feel the same, so only buy stuff that looks a bit scruffy and there seem to be loads of them on eBay.

     

    On 08/03/2020 at 15:53, TangoOscarMike said:
    • I will make a simple start by turning a truck into a coach. I think I will buy a Peco 4-wheel coach (or maybe a Parkside kit) just to give me an idea of dimensions, then scratchbuild a coach body.

     

    Dundas (formerly Parkside Dundas) are great but it took me a bit of time to get used to the level of skill being required is much higher than kits from Revell and Airfix, often relying on teh builder gluing things together by eye.

     

    On 08/03/2020 at 15:53, TangoOscarMike said:
    • I like the couplings, which as I understand it are a fairly standard N type. I think I will stick with them for the time being.
    • When I get to the locomotive I will probably scratchbuild a body. But if anyone can recommend a body (metal kit, resin, 3D printed, whatever....) for this chassis, then I'm open to suggestions.
    • There's a reasonable amount of track. So although I know that there is OO9 track to be had, I'm thinking about using this stuff. Maybe I could use it unmodified (Rule 1!) or maybe I could butcher it by removing alternate sleepers.......

     

    The Pizza track I built for my wife is based on N Gauge track with alternative sleepers removed. It works well, but that doesn't work very well with points, where you have to eave more sleepers, so I use Peco Setrack points which look better but have the legendary "dead fog" which means my small locos running at slow sped can stall on them.  I havn't ballasted it yet, but plan to give it a really overgrown look so hopefully it won;'t be too obvious.

    • Thanks 1
  2. 3 hours ago, Darren Hedges said:

    Personally, I prefer the wheel cleaner sold by Minitrix, Arnold, Noch, Gaugemaster, etc...

     

    https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/magento/gaugemaster-gm59.html

     

    I have one of those but find it a bit fiddly to use on my track, so I end up putting it in my bench vice and using some crocodile leads on the brush to get power to the wheels.  I think I would actually prefer something that holds the loco up side down and allows me to use cotton buds soaked in IPA.

  3. 6 hours ago, Chris Williamson said:

    I've got a supply of Wills down pipes ready to be made up, painted and fitted once the stonework is satisfactorily finished. Heating gently to form the swan-neck sounds like a good plan to me as does drilling a small hole in the gutter. I'm currently working on a small Ratio kit signal box at the moment (while still contemplating how best to paint the stonework) and, indeed, the gutters are supplied with holes to secure the top of the preformed down pipes. 

    I have some from a nondescript packet but they are a bit short so I like the idea of bending plastic, however I am going to glue mine under the guttering so you won't be able to see if there is a hole of not. I just need to make some brackets to support it now :(

  4. On 26/01/2020 at 18:32, Chris Williamson said:

    Comments, constructive criticism, thoughts and suggestions are now eagerly sought before I move on.  Please don't be shy!

    You have one thing in common my new engine shed where it was pointed out that I didn't have down pipes from the gutters. ^_^

    I am not sure about tackling that one yet, I need to work out how to bend plastic pipe nicely 

     

  5. On 30/01/2020 at 16:18, Nile said:

    No, that should work as well. I just happen to have a lot of tiny magnets.

    Thanks, did you buy them recently? My last lot were from eBay but that seller doesn't appear anymore.:huh:

    Stephen

  6. On 26/01/2020 at 14:19, Nile said:

    Today's instalment is about securing the roof in place using tiny magnets, the Neodymium N52 type bought cheaply off ebay. I used two sizes : 2x1mm and 2x3mm. Here they are conveniently stuck to a steel rule.

    Thanks, that's a good way of doing it, and I have just saved it :-)

    I was planning on doing something similar but using a s square of steel on the roof rather than a magnet, as it will be cheaper, so i am I missing something? 

    Stephen

     

     

  7. 5 hours ago, Torper said:

    In my view it would have made much more sense and still have achieved parity and a very good income had they reduced the mens' pay rather than increasing the womens'.

    I thought that recent studies showed that if yo compared career experience there wasn't that much of a gap. 

    It comes back to the old argument, if a man and woman start at the same job, at the same age, at the same time, but she takes a year off for maternity, should she expect to come back on eh same salary as her male equivalent or what she left on? 

    How does performance related pay increments come into this?

    If the bloke got a promotion during that time, because he was there, should she be able to apply for the same job and expect it to be kept open until the end of her maternity period?

  8. 4 hours ago, melmerby said:

    Simon Mayo: you may not like him but he built a large following on the BBC radio shows was paid a reasonably high salary for it, but left the Beeb, when his salary was revealed and went to Scala where no doubt his audience is miniscule in comparison but his salary isn't public knowledge.

    He and Jo Whiley were sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. 

    I used to look forward to listening to him on teh way home from work, but when he was forced to take Joe Whiley(?) on board the programme seemed to scripted and forced so I stopped listening and just play music from my phone. Having said that I stopped listening to Chris Evans almost immediately. I really didn't care what his kids said the previous night or what his wife was doing, and I especially didn't like the way he spoke down to his assistants.

    There was an item about something and his sidekick gave him some stats which I seem to remember sounded about right. Evans comment was "Do we really know that? We want t find out, so if you know send us the details.." how must the bloke sitting there who had just told him have felt? That and his pathetic jingles every morning at the same time. I really don't like him and laughed my self silly when he failed dismally on Top gear. 

    • Agree 2
  9. 41 minutes ago, KeithMacdonald said:

    All this in the face of massive competition (for readers, listeners and viewers) that hardly existed ten years ago. As people switch channels and allegiancies, Al Beeb's ratings have slipped to an all-time low . Both in terms of their percentage of viewers and the confidence people have in the trustworthiness of the BBC.

    Perhaps they will stop sending "roving reporters" to stand outside what ever they are talking about. We really don't need to see the political editor standing in the Palace of Westminster, or the royal correspondent at the end of the Mall, it isn't as if he is going to pop across and get a quick quote from her Maj. And I bet the emergency services just love having a film crew watching them and getting in the way.

     

    • Agree 6
  10. 2 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

    Yes it is just 20cm, that was purely because of the space I had at home, it grew a bit in concept. 
    I can draw round an end to get the smoothed profile but G&H created it from my drawing and smoothed the transitions so I don’t have anything exact as a drawing. 

     

    Thanks, I will convert that to the file format our machine uses and ask the bloke who runs it to make a couple for me. How thick was the original plywood please?

     

    I hadn't noticed until just now but my modules, which are based on fitting into a Christmas Wrapping paper really useful box, are exactly 20cm wide.. spooky :-)

     

    49416982323_5d6fc6fb57_w.jpg

     

    Thanks again, I will let you know how I get on

     

    Stephen

    • Like 1
  11. I haven't done this one but have done several other Eggerbahn locos and for something that old I think they were very well made.  The only generic problem I have found is that the pickups tend to be worn and I haven't found a good source or replacements. Noise normally seems to come from the armature, if you can get it out and give it a good clean with Iso-propyl alcohol and a soft baby toothbrush then re lubricate it with a synthetic oil it should go quite a bit quieter. 

    The problem you might find is that it is probably 40 years old now and if it has been well used the bearings might be slightly scored and that is going to be difficult to fix.

    Another issue is the brushes might be worn and loser in their holders, so free to vibrate more and get a bit noisier. Unfortunately short of replacing them I can't think of a solution for that. :-(

    Grot in the armature can make them noisey, try a bit of alcohol on a cotton but to shift that, or very VERY carefully clear the grooves out with a pin.

     

    Good luck, I am on the look out for a good one one of those too.

     

    Stephen

     

    Edit: Just a though, I have seen one of those with a Transfabriek motor upgrade and it was incredibly smooth, I can't remember what it sounded like but they are normally very quiet. https://tramfabriek.nl/motors.html

    The owner is very helpful and will offer very good advice if yo ask. It should cost around £30 but will run like a dream afterwards.

     

  12. 11 hours ago, Nile said:

    Hi Stephen, the bend in the track pin doesn't have to be very close to the coupling loop. It can be a few mm away and still work, sideways movement will be limited by the tabs on the loop and hinge. I use some small fine nosed pliers that leave about a 1mm gap.

    If I can't find the track pin I use some brass rod bent over at both ends, works just as well as long as it fits through the holes.

    I fix the couplings in place with superglue gel.

    Thanks. I have tried using some flat nosed tweezers but found that if I wasn't careful I could twist the coupling as I bent the pin. I just read that somebody else cuts the pin almost flush and holds it in place with a drop of humbrol matt black paint all around pin head, then another drop over the far end. I might give that ago too :;)

    I have been using superglue gel too, but the nozzle always seems to jam up however I store it so it works out quite expensive :( 

  13. On 06/01/2020 at 22:36, Nile said:

    195.JPG.4bb3ecdffb056faff3fd857f97f82cba.JPG

     

    Hi, I am hoping that you can help

     

    I am new to 009 and have been having issues with the pivot on Greenwich couplings. Do you use a bent track pin as supplied? If so how are you bending them so tight to the coupling?  I can't get even my snipe nosed pliers that close. I have tried cutting the pin close and then using a tiny dot superglue to hold it in place but every now and again it bleeds through and jambs the whole hing up tight.

    And is that Araldite that you are using to fix them in place?

    Thanks.

    Stephen

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