brian777999

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.

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 !

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.

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.

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.

Did you use the Dapol transfers that came with the kit ? Did you use brass bearings or let the wheels run on the plastic bearings ? I see that you used three link couplers so I assume that the buffer height is correct on this model ?

I just want a decent DC controller to work with old and new locos. I think DCC is too complex and not really worth the effort. I have sold those Hornby Dean Singles to somebody who is willing to take a chance with them and get them working properley. I will be sticking with Bachmann from now on !

So that Bachmann model has an inbuilt transformer ?

I looked at the Hornby ''HM'' too but I prefer centre-off controls rather than a reversing switch which is one of the reasons I am considering the Hammant and Morgan. Unfortunately, most manufacturers use a reversing switch now so I am not giving myself much choice.

I was going to buy a second hand Hammant and Morgan controller because I had heard that they gave superb slow speed control. I then read this review of various controllers and it was not very complimentary of the H and M. Do you agree with his opinion ? http://www.scottpages.net/ReviewOfControllers.html

Are there any photographs of the inside ?

Why don't the big manufacturers make something like this ? I would love a controller that could do that but what most of them make will not give anywhere near that level of control. Not everybody wants DCC !

I am using the LMS clerestory coaches R 384 and R 385. East Kent Models supply bogies : either the original Margate style bogies with the raised pivot platform or the Chinese made bogies with the flush pivot platform. I am using the latter because they sit closer to the coach floor and hence lower the buffer height so that I can use three link couplers. They look so much better. I will try removing the plastic cylinders tomorrow.

I have a couple of Triang/Hornby short clerestory roof coaches and I need to replace/remove the underframe piece in the middle. This is the black part with the gas cylinders. I have removed the large screw which passes through the floor and holds the roof on. The roof has been removed and I can see two tabs from the piece in question passing through the floor of the coach. But the tabs do not seem to move or bend. Has this piece been glued on ? If it has, then it is going to be tricky to remove.

Any chance of some photos and a wiring diagram for this controller ? I have often thought about building my own controller.

Why would this be when some locomotives don't seem to care too much if the track is dirty ? Are some motors more sensitive than others to slight fluctuations in current ?

Are there any of the BR (early crest) Sentinels left ? How do you go about buying one at this point ?

I thought that I would be able to answer this question by doing a google search but I have had no luck. Which livery was used on brake vans during the BR early crest period ? Was this the grey colour ? (I realise that many brake vans during this period would still be carrying the LMS, GWR, LNER and Southern markings.) Which livery was used during the BR later crest period ? Was this the bauxite colour or did grey and bauxite have nothing to do with time periods ?

Is the Hornby version exactly the same as the Dapol version ? I see that the older Dapol pugs have the axle gear exposed underneath the loco. Have Hornby fitted an enclosure to cover this and stop dirt getting into the gears ?

I am surprised that there is room in there for a DCC chip ! But that is good news. Thank you for the information. I have been watching them on ebay recently and they are not exactly cheap anymore.