tetsudofan

In case you are wondering why the soldering skills are needed look at the following picture: The way that the decoder socket has been orientated means that the wires on the sound decoder as supplied are not long enough to reach the space provided for the speaker.....one needs to splice in some more wire to get it sorted...and my soldering skills are rubbish. Compare this to what Dapol did for the LMS Twins: Decoder socket and space for loudspeaker close to each other. Simples. Similar on the Cl.22. Why not on the Western? Keith

Yep, it's a lovely looking model but not when you look at the underside and examine one of the bogies: Look at the middle axle. When placed on the track the loco ran well but as soon as the loco went through the first point the rear bogie jumped. Examination revealed that there is no lateral movement in the middle axle as well as the back-to-back measurements being a bit off. Made contact with DCC Supplies yesterday and arrangements being made to return the loco to them - hopefully it will be an easy replacement of the middle axle. In the same package, however, will be a headcode disc Cl.22 which does not run smoothly - it sort of surges faster-slower-faster etc. These two locos will join Western Sovereign which worked well at first but then expired...and is now waiting for a replacement chassis to be sourced. Three problem locos is more than I would like but, touch wood, no problems with Western Enterprise, another headcode disc Cl.22, three headcode box Cl.22s,the LMS twins, three Beattie Well Tanks and four Sentinels have materialised. 3 out of 17 locos purchased.......and with more Dapol locos on backorder I sincerely hope things do get better. Keith EDIT: removed duplicate posting of picture

Pictures taken of the same loco about 25 years apart on different sides of the world: Back in 1968/1969 I was living and working (in a bank when banks were banks.....not what they are today!!) in Saigon, Vietnam. One weekend flew up to Dalat in the Central Highlands and found at the back of the Air Vietnam town terminal (previously the town's railway station) the loco shed with one of the ex-Furka Oberalp rack locos #31-204 slowing rusting away. Fast forward 25 years or so and what did I find on the Furka Steam Railway - #31-204 repatriated and preserved as #DFB 9!!!! When I visited the DFB I took with me a copy of the pictures taken in Vietnam.....and was lucky to get similar shots on the DFB. Am well pleased with the results. Keith edit: to correct spelling and add missing word

High-Speed at Ashford International Keith

Limpopo and Zambezi at the Bredgar & Wormshill earlier this year Keith

Got a call from Lord & Butler yesterday advising that they've got Western Invader in stock. Mine's being fitted with sound decoder plus bass reflex speaker and the test run prior to despatch to ensure no wobbles etc. For a small extra charge all the fiddly bits are being added to the loco. Hopefully all will be done by Monday so expect arrival Tuesday or Wednesday. Now that I've got a decent size digital track looking forward to seeing how Invader performs. Keith

Looking forward to see how this problem gets solved Despatcher as I'll probably be in the same boat as you soon. I'm currently wiring my layout for dcc (having used it as an analogue test track for a couple of years) and am using a Roco MultiMouse but, sitting in the wings, is a Z21 system which I was planning to install once I've decided where to split the layout into power districts. Seeing that we are "local" separated by a short distance of the A259 it is comforting knowledge that there is somebody closeby with a Z21system. Keith

I'm in the process of extending my dcc track and have been addicted by the Peco Pl-80 Power Feed Joiners (which in conjunction with the Express Models DCC Power Bus Kit make installing the DCC bus a solder-free doddle) so placed a bulk website order with Kernow for some PL-80s plus some other Peco track items on Monday. Within minutes of placing the order got a call from Trevor at Kernow letting me know that they did not have sufficient PL-80s in stock to meet my order.....but that Chris had already been in contact with Peco to include some more PL-80s on their most recent order to Peco. Trevor advised that the Peco order was expected by the end of this week and was I ok with waiting until then for my order to be executed. No problem for me. On Wednesday, however, received an email from Kernow that all the items had been packed and ready for despatch. Yesterday lunchtime UK Mail delivered the package. That is service!!!!! Many thanks Kernow. Keith

Thanks for the post Dave, PM sent. Keith

A week has passed since my retailer in Kent was told that his Cl.22s were being sent out "as they speak" but, having spoken to him moments ago, he tells me that they still have not arrived. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. The manufacturing side of Dapol can produce some fantastic product but the sales admin people seem to have problems getting the product out to the retailers..... Keith

It's nice to see that disc-fitted versions of the Cl.22 have reached the antipodes via a UK dealer......but have still not reached the Garden of England yet...... I've been bugging my retailer (who confirms that his account with Dapol is in "good standing") for the last week or so but he is still waiting for his stock to arrive from Dapol. Last Thursday he was advised that "they were being sent out as they speak and should be with him soon although everything cannot leave together" but, nearly a week later they still have not arrived....but can get to the antipodes. Bizarre...... Keith

For those interested in Ep.III/IV freight wagons have noticed that The Hobby Shop at Faversham (http://www.hobb-e-mail.com) have some very nice looking (in my opinion!!) REE Modeles 2-axle Wagon UFR Mono-Porteur and 2-axle Tank Wagons both in a number of liveries on their website. No connection, other than a satisfied customer of what is my closest proper model shop, with The Hobby Shop EDIT to give full website address

When HS1 was built and they announced that domestic high-speed services will be provided into St. Pancras International my thought was that I would never use it as most of the places in London that I visited were within striking distance of Charing Cross. However, once it started running I gave it a try - from Folkestone West (within easy walking distance) there is an hourly service which takes 54 minutes to St. Pancras (as opposed to about 100 minutes on the classic train). I got converted the first time I used it....and have never again used a classic train to Charing Cross. Tomorrow, for instance, I'm visiting friends on the outskirts of Brixton. Will be leaving their place at 6.15pm, bus to Brixton tube station, Victoria Line to Kings Cross St. Pancras, pop into Starbucks for a frappachino, catch the 7.10pm High-Speed, arrive Folkestone West at 8.04pm, home by 8.15pm. Fantastic. Would be even better if the High-Speed ran at Eurostar speed - but maybe that would not give the train manager enough time to check tickets between St. Pancras and Ashford or vice versa!! For nearly 20 years I lived in Japan and was a regular traveller on the Shinkansen. When the first line was built in the mid-60s some of the stations, like Shin-Yokohama and Shin-Osaka ("shin" meaning "new" - so similar to "parkway" being proposed for HS2) were built out in the boondocks. Go back now and they are now part of the built-up city!! Having seen how high-speed works, think I'm classed as a supporter........

Interesting picture - the locos must be sitting close where the high-speed through lines are now situated..... Keith

Mid-50s to mid-60s my home was Mottingham in South London and in Mottingham Village there was Gay's Cycles who stocked trains as well as cycles. Next door was NT Gay, Newsagents (run, I think, by a brother of the guy who ran Gay's Cycles)from where I did my paper round getting ten bob (50p) a week. Most of that 50p and the Christmas tips went into my bicycle and model railway fund eventually allowing me to purchase a Raleigh bike and a Hornby 13xxx diesel shunter in black. These were the first two items that I bought with my own money. Great memories. The newsagent was also a sales outlet for London Coastal Coaches (or whatever it was called) and sold Red Rover bus tickets - bought many of those for my weekend trainspotting outings. Keith

Was speaking to Lord & Butler this morning and decided on "Thunderer" to join "Sovereign" and "Enterprise" - with "Invader" to join later. Keith

This has certainly been mentioned earlier in this thread. Have just been looking at the Dapol catalogue and on page 59 it states: "Dapol will model both JA and later type JB Class 73's from laser scans of actual locomotives" Keith

Hi there Tender, Thanks for your message. I know Olivia's have provided sound decoders to Kernow for after fit to some diesel locos that Kernow have sold but in the case of the Thumpers I was under the impression that, as these were Bachmann-produced products, the sound decoders for the sound-fitted Thumpers were provided by SW Digital. Before purchasing a Thumper decoder from Olivia's I would want to hear the recording first and ascertain where the recording came from. One thing that worries me is that when you click on the "205 DEMU" on the Olivia's website it takes you to the function listing for: - 1st Generation DMU 101-121 - 2nd generation DMU 142-170 - Cl.220-222 There is no reference to the Class 205. More digging around is required....... Keith

Just received the Spring (No.181) issue of Model Rail and whilst reading the very detailed and positive review of the Cl.205s noted that they've listed Kernow as doing a sound version 31-237ZDS Connex Thumper. Strange, I thought, as nothing such listed on the Kernow website. Called Kernow and they confirmed that, as I thought, they are not doing a sound-fitted Connex version. Pity, because if they had of done. I would have changed my order. Looks as though I'll have to wait until SW Digital or Howes produce a Thumper sound decoder. Keith

Having been well pleased with my weathered green sound-fitted Western Sovereign and seeing that the blue Western Venturer has arrived made another call to Lord & Butler today and confirmed that they had the blue ones in stock. A weathered sound-fitted Western Venturer will be arriving within a couple of weeks. Despite numerous phone calls and e:mails still waiting for D1000 to arrive....am told it should be with me next week. Fingers crossed. Keith