davknigh

I placed an order for a class K last night, will this have any effect on delivery? If there are to be upgrades I can wait. Cheers, David

As one who also purchases from over the seas and far away I find the rule usually goes like this; the pound will drop in value relative to your local currency AFTER you have made your purchase. Cheers David

Michael, Just a thought, but since the wheels are already to a pretty fine standard could you not pull them out on the muffs to get them to 16.5 btb? Sorry, did not have brain engaged before I started to type. But, I went down and had a look at my redundant Sentinel wheels and determined that the wheel can be shifted on the stub axle so it is possible to move the b-t-b out to 16.5 but is a little more involved than just pulling the wheels out on the muff. That said , the job might still be faster than getting Ultrascales unless they have some in stock. Cheers, David

Back to the wheels for a minute. For those who are prepared to mess about a bit there is a more accurate tyre available from Gibson (usual disclaimer) that can be had from the Class 42 diesel. It scales out at 3'2" or 12.6 mm. This will still involve access to a lathe to turn down the Hornby wheel but the tricky bit of forming the P4 flange and tread is done for you. Food for thought anyway.... Cheers, David

If you peer hard enough the livery is actually quite attractive. The lining is well beyond what you might expect for a cement plant engine. I'd love to see her scrubbed up and with a lick of polish. Cheers, David

Really? I did not criticise or speak down to you, I merely made what I hoped would be some helpful suggestions. The number of modellers who can 'do it all' is very thin on the ground and I would not list myself among their numbers which is why I will probably resort to what some might regard as a bodge in order to get a working model in the gauge of my choice. If you find that offensive then please accept my apologies and I'll trouble you no more. David

Fair enough. That said, if you are modelling in P4 there are area groups all over and within the groups there are members who could either do the job for you or teach you how. There are wheels in the Gibson catalogue that are close enough, I'm looking at the Black Hawthorn one as a possible replacement but will wait until I've got my Pecketts before getting placing the order. Yes they are a tad undersized by about 0.75mm (?) in diameter but I'm not fussed about that as we're talking about an industrial engine, not an mainline express. Nil desperandum! Cheers, David

Agreed, this is an engine that everyone would have space for. I am particularly impressed by the way Hornby have done the Salter safety valves, hopefully this will make it through to the production phase. In the meantime I have to wonder what the pre-order numbers are like and what the folks at Bachmann are thinking? Cheers, David

Judging by the amount of metal showing in the sample there will be no shortage of weight. I should have liked to have seen some slow running but that's just me being fussy. Looking good Hornby, I think I'll pre-order a second one Cheers, David

I'm going on the expectation that Chris Gibbon is going to be doing a bespoke chassis/frame/gearbox as mine will end up running on P4 track. Cheers, David

Having had a squint at the AGW catalogue it would appear that the 3'0", 10 spoke Black Hawthorn with a 9" throw is probably near enough for most. The cast in weight can be covered by a cosmetic counterweight and the diameter is near enough for an industrial engine. At "normal viewing distances" the vast majority of people wouldn't know and if someone raises objections there are a wide variety of responses available. Cheers, David

Idealistic? Perhaps, but while I won't dispute your assertion that the bottom line has always been the guiding light for commerce there are still a few of us that like to be treated like human beings either as employees or customers. A company that deals in an humane fashion with dealers, customers and suppliers will always get my business above one that treats all of the above like a cashpoint. True, we live in an age where mindless consumerism seems to be the way of things but there are signs that there are limits to what people will endure and it will be the companies that can make a personal contact who will be more likely to survive. Cheers, David

Once upon a time there was such a thing as loyalty, to a company, to staff, to customers and from customers. Today's business model does not seem to factor loyalty into any equation and as a result the only 'loyalty' seems to be to the lowest price/maximum profit. IMHO we're all the poorer for it. Cheers, David

True, but I'm thinking ahead to the conversion chassis that Chris Gibbon mentioned earlier on in this thread which will probably use 1/8" bearings. That said AGW has also done 2.5 mm and 3mm id for RTR conversions in the past so many things are possible. My main point was that the rims exist, now all we need are centres with the right spoke pattern. Cheers, David

There may be a way forward on the replacement wheel front. While strictly speaking not correct the 12mm size of wheel available from Alan Gibson would represent a worn sample. If someone could 3D print a suitable centre for a Peckett we're in with a chance. The catch may be to find a material that will accept a pressed axle without splitting. Cheers, David

Ah, then we have a problem (or an opportunity) because the closest Gibson comes to that is a 3' 3.5", ten spoke with an 11" throw. Ultrascale has nothing close and Sharman no longer exists. Any ideas? Cheers, David

Just out of curiosity, what diameter were the drivers on the prototype and what was the throw? I suspect anyone who fancied doing a conversion to EM or P4 (me) would like to find out so as to either stock up on drivers or get some commissioned. Cheers, David

It might be worth checking to see if all four wheels are in the same plane by placing the wagon on a truly flat surface (or as near as you can get). If the wheels are not all making contact that will probably be the source of your problem. I know some Dapol wagons have their underframe secured by a single screw. If this is over tight or the bottom of the wagon is not flat this might also be the cause of your derailment. HTH David

A wee dab of beeswax or better yet fly tying wax on the tip of your screw driver will usually do the trick. Cheers, David

Very convincing. Just out of curiosity, is that a new layout a-building underneath the engine or an addition to Quai 87? Cheers, David

Sigh, fresh snow on the ground and more on the way, 5-15 cm depending on how bad we've been. Cheers, David

When it comes time to let employees go things usually happen in reverse of common sense. The high brass who made all the mistakes get to stay or get golden parachutes and the maintenance staff and the tea ladies get the push. I know that a couple of high heid yins got the chop at Hornby but I suspect their compensation packages would have kept a fair few workers employed for a couple of years. Cheers, David

Access to model shops is a problem all over not just in the UK. In southern Ontario the number of bricks and mortar shops has plummeted and those that do exist are banished to the far reaches of the suburbs where rents are more reasonable. The only place many dealers can afford to sell is on line or at train shows so for those who like to touch before buying things are getting worse. Cheers, David

So that's a good thing for the Peckett? Cheers, David

The Rapido model allows you to order through your local dealer if you have one as explained here "Rapido Trains Inc. products can be ordered from any hobby retailer or directly from us. All prices shown are MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price). Dealer may sell for less. With the exception of some accessory items, all Rapido Trains Inc. products are produced strictly to reservations placed before the appropriate order deadlines. Avoid missing out by reserving in advance with your dealer. To make sure that you do not miss a deadline sign up for our newsletters." Rapido has long realized that they can't go it alone in this game and wants dealers on side. Cheers, David PS, usual disclaimer applies, lest anyone think otherwise, I'm just a happy punter.