66C

Just to give you a comparison - the original round brick chimney at Tamdhu Distillery was 120 feet high, 12 feet diameter at the base and 6 feet diameter at the top. If you prefer a square brick chimney (easier to model!) there are some good pictures of the preserved distillery - Dallas Dhu - on the Internet. You would be able to work out the size by counting bricks. Regards.

Hi Sean If you are using the original threaded inserts in the roof, these are 6BA. Regards.

There is a selection of adjustable feet here: http://www.stationroadbaseboards.co.uk/cart_feet.htm I would advise against buying a version that does not have a lock nut or a nut next to the foot for making the height adjustment in situ - from experience! Regards.

Hi Simon The picture is fairly close to life size on a 96 ppi (pixel per inch) monitor - fairly standard for most. The main body dimensions are: length 70mm, breadth 23mm and depth 25mm. The motor comes with 2 fixing screws and two different thicknesses of spring wire for the operating wire that passes through the baseboard. One thing to be aware of is that the connecting wires are quite fine and need to be handled carefully. The diodes shown are as supplied - ready wired. They can be used with DC or DCC systems. My motors are not linked to the DCC system. Bear in mind that on the prototype turnouts and signals are not operated from traction power. I have a control panel with a row of switches (like the levers in a signal box) and these provide (with a lot of wires) electrical interlocking between signals (when I eventually install them) and the turnouts. If you are really stuck for space under an embankment I can offer two suggestions: Firstly use a crank with operating wire under the tie bar and link to a remote motor with wire in tube. Secondly have a look at Minx Microdrives - website here: http://minxmicrodrives.com/ Not cheap but very compact. Regards.

Hi Ernie As requested - first view is the underside. The operating wire that goes up through the baseboard is at the bottom of the picture - this is the heavier of the two spring wires supplied with the motor. The heavy brown and blue wires are the DCC bus. Yellow/green wire goes to the common crossing of the turnout. Black wire is the common return for all the turnout motors. Small blue wire is the feed wire for this motor. The two diodes from the motor are connected together as the AC supply is split - one side is the common return - the other is divided by two diodes to give half wave positive and negative. A two way toggle switch is used to switch the motor supply between positive and negative. This is the same as the "steering" diodes method described in Tortoise instructions. The second view is topside - looking down on the turnout switch. The operating wire from the motor is at the bottom end of the right hand tie-bar - this is very discreet - the layout is normally viewed from the top of the picture. The track is 32mm gauge, ply timbering, Exactoscale chairs and Ambis tie bars laid on a Templot plan.

Absolutely NOT! - the cheaper one at £3.99 is exactly the same! Have a look at: http://www.conrad-electronic.co.uk/ce/en/product/219998/br-br-br-Point-drivesbr-Size-Universalbr/1606490?ref=list They are very good value for money - but watch out for the carriage charge. I have used them for both OO and O gauge turnouts. The thicker of the two supplied spring wires is not quite stiff enough for Peco turnouts that still have their over-centre spring. It does hold over my hand-built O gauge turnouts without any problem. They are much faster at moving over than Fulgurex or Tortoise but do not have the violent thump of solenoids that can damage soldered tie-bars. They do not have to be wired according to the instructions. They can be operated from DC or by half-wave using "steering" diodes. Regards.

Hi again Rob I just remembered my current solution to the split pin problem for the coupling hook. I get a 6mm length of 0.7mm or 30thou brass wire. Put a right angle bend in the middle. Insert in place of the split pin. Let the spring come back against the wire so that the wire is held at the bend and points towards the back of the buffer beam like an arrow head. It does not fall out or foul anything. Simples! This method works very well if access to the coupling hook is cramped by the chassis framing. I will do a picture if the explanation does not make sense. Regards.

Hi Rob Don't give up on 7mm scale just yet. As with other scales there is a great variety of kits on the market and to judge a scale by one product is unfortunate. There is an ongoing debate amongst Gauge O Guild members about the quality of kits - not just the parts but also their accuracy and the "instructions" that often hinder rather than help! If you do not yet want to venture into etched brass or whitemetal kits, than may I suggest that you consider a Parkside wagon kit. They are probably not perfect but are certainly straightforward to assemble and include transfers as well. Just to give you something else to think about - not everyone uses the 3 link couplings that come with the kits. There is a variety of automatic couplings that can be used instead. Finally, there are many RMweb members who are very willing to offer support and encouragement - don't be reluctant to ask for advice or opinions before taking your next step in 7mm scale. Best wishes. P.S. Just had a look at your own website - your painting skills are certainly better than mine! - those figures look great.

Hi Rob Poppy's Wood Products does laser cut wagon inserts - details at: http://www.modelrailwaywagons.co.uk/Malbut.htm David Parkins - aka Modern Motive Power - does detailing kits for Slaters wagons including liners - details at: http://djparkins.com/acatalog/Wagons___Vehicles.html Alternatively use some 1/32 ply and scribe for planking. This will also give a bit more thickness to the wagon sides as many kits, especially etched brass, have sides that are under scale thickness. The metalwork should be easy - plasticard strip. Regards.

Hi Jeff By any chance are you soldering the rail? I would expect that the idea is to solder the joiners to the copper-clad paxolin but leave the rail "loose" in the joiners so that it can expand and contract. You would need to ensure that the rail is a slide fit in the joiners before starting to solder the joiners in place. This technique is also very useful when installing a checkrail on a tight curve as it allows for differential expansion of the running and check rails. Regards.

Have a look at the LNER Suburban Diagrams (a downloadable pdf file) on the Masterclass Models website here: http://www.masterclass-models.com/id1.html Look for the coach types that begin with a D - these may be the conversions you are looking for. Regards.

Have a look at this item from Maplin: http://www.maplin.co.uk/3.6v-cordless-lithium-ion-rotary-tool-622340 It is a very real bargain at the current price - the only problem is will the price go up when they get more stock? I use mine in preference to the Dremel that I purchased to replace an Aldi that died. Mechanically the Aldi was rather better engineered than the Dremel but the switch/speed control failed. I totally agree with the comments about the Dremel - it is a powerful but wicked beast that demands considerable care in use. The Maplin tool has the same collet thread as the Expo pin vice and chuck so easy to put the chuck on for some jobs. Regards.

Perhaps you are not aware of this website: http://www.paperbrick.co.uk/index.php?action=home Regards.

Hi Peter Some time ago drawings were posted to the RMweb galleries here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/42974-connel-ferry-bridge-4aa/ And a photo here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/43198-connel-ferry-joint-main/ A Google search for images may provide some more. Regards.

Hi Jeremiah The turnouts have a very finely cast nickel-silver common crossing (frog). You would need to solder wires to each of the rail sections and the casting. The casting would need to be connected through a switch operated in conjunction with the turnout operation - most point motors have auxiliary switches that will do this. There is lots of information and feedback from users on the FiNetrax Forum here: http://finetrax.proboards.com Regards.

Hi Seb There are lots of options for the garden - live steam, battery or even clockwork! For narrow gauge the best starting place is definitely the Association of 16mm Narrow Gauge Modellers. Lots of introductory information on their website at: http://www.16mm.org.uk/newsite/default.html There is also a lively and very helpful Yahoo group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/16mmngm/?yguid=157936198 If you would rather model standard gauge bear in mind that curves need to be larger radii for 7mm (0 gauge) or 10mm (Gauge1) scales. The Gauge 0 Guild publishes a booklet (online) as one of its benefits for members. I believe there is also a Gauge 1 association but you would need to research that yourself. Regards.

Hi Nev I think you have inadvertantly clicked on the link to pay by PayPal. After the normal card payment is completed there is a "Continue" button which does lead to creating a Paypal account but there is also a "No thanks" button if you do not wish to do so. I have made purchases very recently using card payment with no problems and no PayPal account. Regards.

Hi Barnaby I suppose I should start something - so watch out for Mordaunt Street. The layout will be making its first exhibition appearance as a work in progress at the Pollokshaws O Gauge exhibition in Glasgow on 8 and 9 June 2013. Brief details about the show on the Gauge O Guild website. Regards.

Hi Talisman You mean something like this? The building is based on the last remaining part of the old Hamilton Central Caledonian Railway station. Stairway is from Skytrex. Scale is 7mm. The minimum clearance above rail top is 15 feet - but if you are doing a stairway on to a platform you will need to take the height of the platform into account. The maximum platform height above rail top is 3 feet - dimensions from Gauge O Guild manual. Regards.

Hi Steve Beware of the Maplin panel mount unit - it has no short circuit protection. We (East Kilbride MRC) tried a couple of these a few years ago - they both failed after a few hours use and were returned for a full refund. Regards.

Hi Brian Have a look at Layouts4u: www.layouts4u.net They do a range of surface mount leds wired ready for 12 volts: for example - Prewired 12 volt DC SMD Chip LED - White - £1.00. They are small - about 2mm in diameter with no rectangular body as with lighthouse leds. They are also very bright - I tested mine with a 9 volt battery - and so you may need an additional resistor to bring them down to a more realistic brightness level. Regards.

Hi First of all - it looks as though you have one of the models with simulation/delay - these types had two switches - one for forward/reverse and the other for simulation/delay. Scalespeed is still in business - I think now run by the son of the founder. The controllers are no longer manufactured, nor are any specific parts such as the regulator handle available. Web site at: http://www.scalespeed.co.uk/ Regards.

Hi Rob Have a look at the DPM modular system - website here: http://woodlandsceni...gory/DPMHOScale You can download the planning pack FOR FREE from here: http://woodlandsceni...show/item/30191 The planning pack can be printed so that a mock-up of a proposed structure can be made in advance of purchasing the kits. Here is an example of what can be done - a shopping centre in low relief (it is about 3 feet long): The Walthers Cornerstone range is also worth looking at as the buildings are easily kitbashed - the Greatland Sugar Refinery makes a great late Victorian warehouse for example. Regards.

Hi Bill The thing I discovered - after fitting the said buffer stops of course - is that the sleeper spacing should be varied to accommodate the fittings. So cut the web joining the sleepers and slide the sleepers to suit. Regards. Bill Campbell.