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Perhaps a more understandable misconception for those who don't follow current affairs closely, given that there was an offer from the Chinese to build it in a much shorter timescale than planned which drew a lot of media attention. I don't recall the decision to reject this offer being so well publicised.

I know this sounds like a stupid question, but I have just had a very frustrating afternoon trying to build the prototype for a set of modular baseboards. This is the process that I followed: 1) Use a rectangular template lined up to the edges of a piece of wood to draw lines parallel to the long edge 2) Do the same on the short edge - This created a pattern with 9 sections - the top in the centre, the sides and ends adjacent to the top, and the corners to be discarded 3) Verify that all lines are the correct distance from the edges and parallel to them 4) Cut along the lines, ensuring that the same point on the saw blade follows the line The result, one would expect, would be two side and two end pieces of equal height, and yet while the two end pieces were identical and the two side pieces also identical, the height of the sides and the ends were different. In the past I have had similar issues with the casing for a controller, although in this case I had drawn the pieces as a net rather than using a template to ensure (in theory) that the dimensions were the same. Can anybody suggest what I might be doing wrong? While I feel like I have taken all variables into account, clearly this is not the case as I cannot acheive consistent results. Thanks in advance for any advice you may have.

I've been looking at XLRs and they seem to tick all of the boxes. I'll most likely go with those.

A good idea if I can get it to work. It may be harder to fit the socket to the layout than the controller and I guess that putting the wrong plug in would kill the controller, but it's certainly preferable to putting the mains supply into the track.

I am currently building a small 00 BLT which is operated on a one engine in steam basis and can be easily stored when out of use. The design of the baseboard and layout is complete however in order to store the layout I will need a way of disconnecting the controller. As the controller is self-assembled, I am able to use any sort of connection between the track and the controller, however it needs to meet certain criteria. 1) Durability - I will be connecting and disconnecting the supply frequently and need to be able to do this without breaking anything. 2) Cheap - and preferably available from non-specialist suppliers (supermarkets, pound shops, DIY stores, etc.) 3) Not a mains plug - I had considered this as it meets the above requirements until I realised that there is nothing to stop somebody accidentally plugging the layout directly into the mains and making the track live at 230V AC, which could easily dispatch any locomotives on the track, as well as the idiot that plugged it in. Thanks in adavance for any suggestions on what sort of connection may be appropriate.

Thank you all for the interesting replies. It seems that for both situations the answer falls into one of two broad categories: wearing away rough parts which interfere with running and overcoming problems caused by old/poor lubricants. Is that a fair summary?

It seems to be a commonly accepted fact that locomotives do not always work to their full potential straight out of the box and that a period of running in (often for around half an hour in each direction) can lead to an improvment in running qualities. I don't wish to challenge this idea as I don't have any evidence to support or contradict it, but what does running in actually do to the locomotive's mechanism in order to cause this improvement? On a related note, I have noticed that some of my locomotives do not work well from a cold start. The best example that I can give is my Lima class 47, which intitially has two speeds: 'off' and 'full speed'. Any attempt to run the loco at a lower (but still very high) speed will inevitably cause the motor to stall. However, following a few laps of the track at full speed it always runs far more smoothly and can get down to reasonable speeds (I would estimate around 10mph) with no risk of stalling - which isn't bad considering the age and costs of production of this particular model. Again, I would like to know what changes this 'warming up' process causes which can improve running (and fairly dramatically in some locos). Thanks in advance for your help here. I have tried a search but as every other thread contains the words 'running in' it brings up a lot of irrelevant content and not a lot of answers.

Thank you.

Seen today near Chippenham, I believe running from Didcot to Westbury (photo 3) and Reading Triangle to Westbury (photos 1 and 2). Thanks in advance for the help.

And it would also reduce issues caused by careless track weathering/ballasting getting the track dirty.

Won't the next one go for less simply because there is one less person competing for it?

No - they had to sell the shed to buy the loco!

If they're buying this with intent to make a profit then I hope they get what they deserve - several years staring at the mustard monstrosity until inflation makes the price seem reasonable.

Generally a pleasant read, but I think the last line is one of the most important in there - how many of the people who have picked up modelling over lockdown are going to stick with it? As an aside, is the photo deceptive or is the Hogwarts Express headlight really that bright?

It's a shame it didn't start at 99p with no reserve, otherwise I'd bid in just in case.

£64.39? Not on your Nellie! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-R455-0-4-0-Industrial-Tank-Locomotive-Working-OO-Gauge-Boxed/254626906463?hash=item3b48f2415f:g:3BAAAOSwNG5e6Kro

I've been following that thread for a while and its incredible how many designs have been created from such a small group of RTR locos. Its definitely one of the things that has pushed me into deciding to make considerable alterations to my own loco.

I have a Hornby 'Queen Mary' 0-4-0 which I would like to turn into... well, just about anything else to be honest. Bought in a joblot, the chassis is a relatively good specimen and more than capable of pulling the loads required on my small shunting layout. However I've never like the look of the body shape. As a result, I have considered having a go at scratchbuilding a new body for it but I quickly realised that I know very little about this. While I have been able to find reccomendations on brands of plasticard and adhesive, as well as general techniques for working with them, I have found it more difficult to find what thickness is reccomended for loco bodies. My other issue is the construction of the body and how to connect it to the chassis. I assume making use of the existing clips is the simplest approach but I have found that with most things in this hobby there important things to watch out for and pitfalls to avoid - I would be very grateful for any advice on common mistakes. To give you some more information which may be useful, the new body is likely to be a diesel (possibly BR class 02 based as I recall that the wheelbase was about right when measured). This should allow the use of flat rectangular parts in most places, which should be simpler to build. Thanks in advance for any advice that you can offer on this subject.

I think I could tell the difference when I was still watching Thomas every night. As an added bonus, looks at the photo and consider how much you would actually pay. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-BR-Flying-Scotsman-1950-60s/174375354419?hash=item289994c033:g:-kMAAOSwqCZfJl2C

Not ebay, but unless I'm missing something this is certainly madness.

Is there a list of supported CVs?

Thank you for the help, and I'm glad to see that the question provoked a wider discussion.

I'm trying to put together a basic timetable and need to know how long a suburban train (such as those on the London, Tilbury, and Southend line) would stop at a station for in the steam era (both small stations and larger interchanges). Although I don't need the information right now, I may later need to know how long inter-city trains stopped for at different types of station, namely an interchange on the scale of Reading and a smaller mainline station (perhaps something like Chippenham) so I would be grateful if anybody could provide this information too. Thanks in advance for any help!

Thanks for the info. I suspected Lima as it seemed to share a few features with my 47, but it didn't quite look the same (although I don't have the 47 available for a direct comparison. Looking at the trailing bogie (which has the frames fitted) it only reaches the buffer of the rolling stock I have compared it too (when aligned with the oposite edge) so the class 55/50 suggestion seems very plausible.

Please could somebody help to identify this ringfield motor? It came in a joblot with some spares for a Jinty (I also have the bodywork of the bogie and the trailing bogie if that would help). Thanks in advance.