brian777999

Not exactly your everyday loco on a rural branch though.

Really ? Do you think it would look out of place on a Great Western branch line ?

Why are they making this a limited production run ? Is there some advantage to the manufacturer in doing this ? I would think that if it is popular then just keep making them ! Considering how fast the Bachmann LMS 3F sold out, I have a feeling there will not be enough LMS Garratts to go around.

How did you remove the pipe work from the smoke box and boiler ? Was it glued in or could you just ease it out gently with tweezers ?

That was very brave of you ! Any chance of a photo taken in the dark with the loco ''fired up'' ? Do the LED's flicker ?

I am surprised that more RTR locos do not have a glowing firebox factory-fitted. I know it would cost more but people are prepared to pay large sums of money for sound. Of course there has to be room in the loco. I doubt that you would get an LED inside a Dapol/Hornby Pug !

I have struck another problem......cranes are full of problems ! The winding drums have become stuck fast with paint. I cannot budge them with the plastic tool (it broke). I need to be able to turn these when it comes time to rig the crane and wind the cable around the drums. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Model ship builders use bees wax in a solid form, the cotton is drawn through it, Toolstation sell a 500g block http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p80732

 

Ian G

I have a tin of Dubbin which is use to clean my shoes. It is composed largely of beeswax and is clear so it should do the job.

I used a normal white cotton pulled between thumb and forefinger coated in a rusty brown Tamiya undiluted acrylic. It needs to be pulled through a couple of times to ensure its coated on sides. The acylic seems to slightly stiffen the cotton , seems to bind the fluffy threads together, such that with just the slightest weight of a small amount of lifting chain on the hook, it hangs realisticly, which fishing line would never do.

 

See http://www.rmweb.co....__fromsearch__1

I think it is amazing that you still have a kit that you built 50 years ago !

Would a type of fishing line or similar be better to avoid going fluffy after a while? I doubt you could make out the makeup of steel cable in 4mm for the one piece solid affair might work better.

That is the problem : Cotton would go fluffy like you said. There is polyester cotton but it is very thin and it does not look right. I have heard of people using fishing line but surely this is too stiff ? I can't see how it would ''hang'' properley but I do not know much about fishing line ! It is a pity that this type of crane did not use chain ; chain always looks great.

I have almost finished building and painting the Dapol OO gauge crane kit. What sort of thread would look best to rig this crane ? I have used chains on smaller cranes such as that made by Cambrian Models but the Dapol crane was fitted with steel cables. Most cotton is too thin and it would not hang properley. What have others used to get the right look ?

No the system should be similar, but I don't understand why people are splitting the signal. It's just the same as VHS recorder, you didn't split the signal then.

Keith

Yes, I did split the signal when I was using an old VHS recorder with a digital TV because it is easier to set up that way. The VHS recorder was picking up the old analogue signal which is still operating for a while and the TV was picking up the digital signal. I used a very cheap splitter connection too and noticed no loss of signal or detoriation in picture quality. You would only notice anything different if you had a poor signal to begin with.

My TV is one of the last of the old flat screens but with a back the size of a bungallow. In otherwords, it is not modern and does not have a built in digital docoder. Actually its quite a pallava but as we dont watch a lot of 'live' TV, only pre-recorded movies, it will have to do for the minute. Problem only arise becasue her indoors always watches Emmeriod and Corrie and I have to avoid recording any movies at those times.

Aha...now I see. I resisted the lure of digital for a long time too but they are going to turn the old analogue signal off in a few months so I had to make the change.

 

Unfortunately this won't work anyway because you've only got one digital tuner, which can only receive one mux.* at any one time. What might be possible is to watch a different channel in the same mux. as one you're recording. Virtually all PVRs and most decoder boxes have 'RF pass-thru' anyway, so you can feed the signal through one box to another without bothering to split it. Which channels are on which muxes are listed here:-

 

http://www.dtg.org.u...t_channels.html (although this is not always 100% accurate it should be pretty close)

 

 

*short for multiplex, a group of 'channels' transmitted on one nominal RF frequency

 

At least a separate decoder box is only 15 quid thes e days, or 35 quid for a HD one;OK it's not as convenient but cheaper than a new PVR.

Why won't this work ? I just did it ! I bought a twin tuner this morning and split the aerial into two : one to the digital tuner and the other to the TV. I probably did not have to set it up this way but I did and it works fine. The digital recorder can record two stations while I watch a third station.

Perhaps things are different in the UK ?

Thanks Brian. WSounds like a good idea. But I wont reduce the power of the signal by splitting it will I...?

Most people do not have a problem. If you were in an isolated area and had a weak signal to begin with (common problem in rural Australia) then you might notice a difference but usually the picture will still look the same.

The other tuner only allows one signal, therefore I cannot record a program AND watch a live program at the same time. I can only watch pre-recorded things at the same time as recording something. Buyer beware.

Do what I use to do with the old video recorder : split your antenna signal using a splitter . One cable goes to the input on your tuner/recorder and the other goes to the input on your TV. You connect the TV to the recorder using RCA plugs (yellow, red, white)

I called the manufacturer and it turns out that SOME single tuners can record one program while watching another pre-recorded program but it is difficult to find out which ones can and cannot, hence all the confusion. The manuals are not clear on this either so that does not help.

It will be much simpler but more expensive to buy a twin tuner.

NOTE : I live in Cairns, Australia.

I need to buy a digital recorder soon as they will be turning off the analogue TV signal in my area in a few months time and I will no longer be able to use my old video recorder when that happens.

I would like to be able to record a program while at the same time watching another pre-recorded program. Do I need a twin tuner to do that ? I thought I would but some people are telling me ''No, a single tuner will do that for you ''. The sales people in the shops are useless ! They do not have a clue ; one person will tell you one thing and then another person will tell you something else.

I know a twin tuner will record two programs at once.

What about engineering department brake vans ? Were they black ? Does anybody have any photos of such a van either as a model or the prototype so I can see the numbering and lettering ?

I am building the Dapol BR brake van at the moment and I am think of finishing it as an engineering department van if I can get the correct transfers.

If your car is fitted with pulleys for belts then surely you cannot fit a chain ?

I have just received advice today that when the Toyota Starlet was first released, the recommendation was to change the timing belt at 100,000 km. But over the years Toyota found that the belts lasted much longer so this was was changed to 150,000 km.

I am now trying to ascertain what the current situation is. If it is still 150,000 km then I will do nothing because my car has 118,000 km on it.

I will make a booking tomorrow to have it done . Thank you all for the advice.

Its about £100 for the belt kit and takes a good couple of hours to change so £400 is at the top end for price but still reasonable, have you shopped around at smaller garages?

No, not yet. I have only received quotes from the larger workshops. The Toyota kit is 260 pounds here and the after market kit is 150 poounds which is what I will be using. Everything is more expensive here in Australia. That is why all my model trains come from the UK !

 

A quick look on Autotrader shows only 35 Starlets for sale nationally, having a rare car doesn't help when it comes to shopping around for servicing; folks are asking around 700-800 quid for '98 ones. If the car is in very good nick and you're basically happy with it I'd spend 400 quid on it, but it is a tricky call.

 

EDIT...

 

Although the use of Km makes me wonder where the OP is located...

I live in Cairns, Australia. Toyota Starlets are not rare on the roads here. They are quite common but there are not many for sale because few people sell them. Most people hang on to them for years and years ; they just keep going.

£400 is a lot. It's an older car. The belt will probably last beyond the recommended replacement time. Maybe run it 'till it breaks and get a new car. Your choice...

The car cost 3,000 pounds. Toyota Starlets are not cheap in regional areas of Australia. I live in Cairns and the public transport is woeful here. I used public transport for ten years and I will NEVER go back to using it.

In a nutshell you risk totally wrecking your engine if the valves hit the pistons. If on your engine the valves don't hit the pistons then an abrupt stop might be the worse case. Are you sure that the belt has never been changed? The price quoted for replacement seems excessive but that depends where you live.

I am fairly certain that it has never been done. Some places actually quoted 600 pounds !

It has been ten years since I have last owned a car ; I had forgotten how expensive it can be to have mechanical work done. Of course, it is a huge rip-off but what else can you do but pay the money ?

I have a 1998 Toyota Starlet Life. The recommendation is to change the timing belt at 100,000 km although some sources put it at 130,000 km. The car has done 119,000 km. It is running well now. Do I risk damaging anything by not changing the timing belt ? What is the worst case scenario ?

Note : It is quite an expensive business to change the timing belt (about 400 pounds) which I why I don't wish to do it unless I have to.