lincolnshiremodeller

Has anybody successfully ordered from Dorset Model Buses/Fleetmaster recently (i.e. in the last few weeks)? I ordered from them on Monday via email paying with Paypal. I have received no response or acknowledgement of the order via email. Today I phoned the landline number quoted on the website which was a duff number. Phoned the mobile number quoted on the website which went straight to voicemail. The last update to their website is 5th July this year. As this is the first time I've ordered from them I can't yet be sure whether their level of service is "lacking" and I'll get my order in time, or whether they are no longer trading. First impressions are not good and I'm leaning towards the latter. In the meantime does anyone know of a good source of NBC green which does not come with a hefty P&P charge? Thanks Simon

Still taking orders. Still taking payment via Paypal. Nothing on website to state anything is amiss. Totally unacceptable.

Looks like the sorry saga continues. Ordered online at the beginning of June, immediate payment taken by Paypal. No order confirmation, therefore no order number let alone tracking info. Emailed both addresses shown on web page. No response. No response to phone number.... Has anybody successfully ordered from Craftsman Models in the recent past? Sadly sounds like yet another nail in the coffin of the small cottage suppliers general reputation.... Regards Simon

Is that a Robinson design? ....Heath Robinson.

Nice Mermaid ballast wagons. Are they kit or RTR? Simon

Slow response ... just catching up with this thread. To confirm, this is indeed a class 114. One of the originals, note lack of speed whiskers, white roof dome, and lion-over-wheel emblems. The early ones were also delivered in a lighter SR shade of green (as opposed to the later darker shade of DMU green). DC kits do a pretty decent kit version... Simon

Roast a beef joint....eat with proper sized Yorkshires and mushy peas, leave roasting tray to cool down, and 'voila' there's your dripping on the bottom of the pan.

For the blue/grey era the second (sorry standard) class seats were blue as per the pics in the previous posting, but the first class seats were a beige/brown colour. You could add some vivid orange curtains to the first class windows too if you feel so inclined! Model coming along nicely. If I could add a suggestion it would be to reduce the height between bogie and bodies. The Lima model did sit quite high. Nice stuff Simon

Will we one day see the delights of the Derby Heavyweights working these East Lincs services on Peterborough North? Great pics Simon

That's cos they're Italian!! ;-)

Thanks for the comments. I never noticed that the door droplights were too high for the 114.It seems that the DC kits parts are almost "generic" in nature and no doubt are used to build up kits for a variety of other classes. The instructions also miss out some specific points as well, notably that there are window apertures missing from either side of the gangway on the brake vehicle, and that there is a headlamp missing from the top of the roof dome on the front. This is in addition to the flushglaze windows and seating packs lacking enough of each to complete as per instructions! Never mind, the joys of kit building I suppose is to have to finish it off with a bit of scratchbuilding!!!

Good to see you are progressing nicely. I mentioned in a post a while back about class 114 DMU's which were the iconic Lincolnshire DMU for over 30 years. I thought I would post a couple of pics of my completed model using DC Kits bodies married to a modified/stretched Bachmann class 108 chassis. It took a while to complete but I think is worth the effort. Whilst we now have every type of diesel loco from the major manufacturers, I doubt it will be the same with DMU's, and the 114 is probably not top of the majority of wish lists. Cheers Simon

I'm modelling a fictitious location called East Kirkstead roughly set in the region of Woodhall Jct on the Witham loop line between Lincoln and Boston. Set in late 1950's it features the majority of motive power that you will be planning to run (B1, K3, V2, J39, C12, J11, WD, 4MT, 31, and our DMU friends Derby Lightweight, Cravens 105, 114, and a 101 which will ultimately get converted into one of the non standard Metro Cammel twins...another DMU recognition issue for the uninitiated!!). Not online as yet but perhaps a project for the winter. Simon

Definitely agree with the last post, any layout of Lincolnshire (prototype or fiction) from the last 50+ years needs a Derby Heavyweight class 114. They are continually mis-identified as class 108's even by so called railway experts who should know better. The main difference is that the class 114's were longer (there's an extra window between saloon doors which is the easiest way to identify them), and they are more slab sided than their class 108 lightweight sisters. I'm currently building the DC kits 114 t the moment for my Lincs based layout. I'm using the Bachmann class 108 motor and chassis as a certain Liverpool based retailer was selling one for less than the cost of a Black Beetle motor and dummy bogie. The 108 bodies will get discarded to the spares box or sold on ebay. Of course the chassis' will need cut and lengthened to accommodate the longer 114 bodies. I'll post some pics when it's done. Good luck with the new layout....I'll raise a glass of XXXB to you ;-) Simon

Since my last post I've done some further adjustments. In a similar vein to previous posts I have found that isolating the ground connection of the servo via an on/off switch so that it can be powered up after the supply and control signals limits the amount of movement on power up. Interestingly applying supply/gnd without the control signal sends the servo wild with constant random movement at top speed. Presumeably this is because the servo has no reference point with which to position itself. I think as well my particular application of the servos amplifies the movement on power-up. I use each servo to open/close a level crossing gate, and due to the amount of movement required I use 1:1 gearing with the servo running at its slowest speed. This means that on power-up random movement at a high speed setting is much more noticeble and appears "violent". In an ideal world I would simply increase the speed and use further gearing, but this is not possible with the limited rotation of a servo. Perhaps for a semaphore signal the servo is moving at higher speed setting, so any random movement has less of a visual impact (though still has the ability to cause damage if pushing the signal mechanism the wrong way). Anyhow we live and learn..... SJ

Thanks Steve Judging by the last part of your post I'm assuming this is not something you have experienced before? I've contacted Heathcote re this issue but have yet to receive a reply. SJ

I recently bought 4x Servos and 2x Servo Motor Controllers from Heathcote to power a set of 4x level crossing gates. I have wired the servos and controllers up as suggested, and have successfully programmed them all so that they open and close to the correct positions. I am powering them from a 16V AC supply. Whilst this operation is as expected, I notice that when power is initially supplied to the servos, they all "kick" (i.e. they rotate randomly before returning to their start position - usually in the opposite direction to their programmed operation). Can you please explain how this can be removed, would adding a capacitor across the supply remove this unwanted travel on power-up? I do notice as well that occasionally there is an unexpected random movement. Have any members experienced this, and does anyone have a recommended method to overcome it? Thanks SJ