the-gog

Smashing. Does it pivot nicely around curves? RWJ

Something like this:

Here's another photo: http://ukrailwaypics.smugmug.com/UKRailRollingstock/K-Tops-codes/KUA-flask-carrier/i-9QVQvjD/XL

It might save you a whole heap of work to put the wagon body pivots in the same place as the inner bogie pivots, so that both share the same one, as opposed to using three pivots. It would also result in the wagon being able to traverse a slightly smaller radius curves than otherwise possible. Try to imagine it as all four bogies fitting around part of a circumference of a circle. The inner and outer bogies need lateral movement compared to each other. If, say, the outer bogies are fixed (but pivoted), the inner bogies need lateral movement as well as pivot movement. And ditto if the inner bogies are fixed (but pivoted), the outer bogies need lateral movement as well as pivot. The simplest modelling action is to fix the inner bogies laterally (but pivoted) and to share a common pivot with the bogie pivot, and put the outer bogies on a strip of metal, and pivoted off that, as per your option B. RWJ

It's put me off buying another blue one, sadly. I haven't screw-tested my D1000 yet, but that seems to be of minor significance compared to whether or not a new Dapol 52 won't have square wheels, nor that it might take - and cost me £20 - to get at *brand new model* fixed/bodged by DCC Supplies. Sorry Dapol, but you've lost trade. With everything else I have to deal with at present, I'm taking the easy option of not buying what's likely to be a "Friday Western" as I really don't want the hassle with what's supposed to be brand new and guaranteed. And it's not as if they're cheap, either. RWJ

My D1068 arrived this week from Kernow - very nice indeed - but even though three of the screws came out with no difficulty, one of them was so b*ggering tight that I almost stripped the crosshead on the screw. With some persistence I did manage to remove it without too much damage. Thankfully, it's a smooth runner. I need to take a look at my D1000 to see if that's similarly affected. Somebody posted a YouTube video of a friend's D1000, and the various maladies it had. He even videoed the poor soldering of the loco's electrics, the erratic electrical pickup, and the results of the back-to-back measurements on the wheelsets. He observes that for such a fine - and expensive loco - it's a pity that there's next to no QC in the factory. Here it is, and it makes for rather painful viewing: Apologies if it had already been posted on here. RWJ Ah, right. That explains it.

Is it my imagination or is the loco wobbling even as it moves over plain track?

If you call not being able to see the train for the vast majority of its length unsatisfactory, then yes, and my railway photography chums would concur with this. The prevailing conditions on the day worsened as the day went on, such that the only decent shots available were station shots, which bore me rigid, I'm afraid. Still, the sound of the Wizzo coming out of the gloom was quite something. I must do my yearly run down the CWL sometime soon to see what if any veg has been trimmed. It's a pity that it looks like the Sugar Loaf shot from the east for northbound trains is now pretty much ruined by that GSM-R mast. RWJ

Hmm, only if you can see the blasted thing. I followed this tour and snapped it at various places. I should say, attempted to snap it. The weather was full crud and the visibility at Cynghordy viaduct down to a few hundred yards. The problem with the Central Wales line is that it's pretty much vegged over for the vast majority of its length. It's quite depressing travelling on it to hear the constant scrape of the veg on the sides of the train, as it's vegged over to inside the railway loading gauge. RWJ

Reminds me, must get on with measuring the colour temperature of the LEDs. My Lee filters sample pack has arrived, so I'll see what results I'll get out of them. I'll start a new thread on another part of this forum. RWJ

A friend of mine managed to get on the reserve list at Steam, and has managed to buy Enterprise. He quite fell in love with it when he saw my model sat on a short length of track. A magnifying glass helps to look at all the fine detail. RWJ

Remember to thread all the eyes onto a length of copper wire before you cut them off the etch.

I had a feeling it would go down badly. I should learn not to be so intemperate so often, so apologies to everyone for that. Unusually for my ego, it isn't to do with just me, but to do with a project I'm involved in. Going back on-topic, I've just had an email from David Rogers to say that his Ultrascale wheelsets are now available for the Dapol Western. That's a big thumbs up from me. Richard

I wonder if the CFPS will announce a ltd edition 40135 from Bachmann. It could use the same tooling for 40141.

All, I've got round to building PDFs out of each archive set, and have created a web page for them: http://rwj.me/railways/maps.html RWJ

What I'll do is start a new topic to deal with this. I've ordered various warm white LEDs from Express Models, and I've a few brilliant blue-white ones here as well. I'll measure their colour temperatures, and then with various gels. I've got a box of both Roses and Quality Street to test the coloured wrappers in those (it's a hard job, but someone's got to do it!). Soon I should have a Lee Filters sample book, and again will test those gels. The "right" and the "wrong" lighting is hugely important. It never ceases to amaze me how modellers worry over the right shade of maroon or BR blue, or LMS Crimson Lake, or over the tiniest of details, yet go and ruin everything by using blu-white or yellow LEDs to represent tungsten. Arrrrggggghhh! RWJ

Looking at the headcode warm white LED light on my D1000, I think it could be improved on a little to make it look more like tungsten. Ditto with the cab lights. Lee filters do a range of gels (i.e. colour filters) to correct white LEDs to tungsten, but they don't do them in anything warmer than a 5000K blue-white LED. I'll order a swatch book soon and try out a variety of their yellow and orange gels. I'll first measure the colour temperature of the fitted LEDs (unless Dapol Dave has the spec to hand) using my colorimeter, and I'll also measure the values for different gels. Helpfully, Lee's LED to tungsten range has gels for high colour temperature, i.e. above 7000K, which are the blinding blue-white LED. I'll experiment and report back. This is also pertinent to the Heljan 128 DPU thread - I've noticed from the video posted that its LEDs could do with toning down and warming up quite a bit. Again, gels to the rescue. Then again, Quality Street wrappers may be suitable. I'll test those as well. RWJ

Evidently you missed the part where I said that that was all I had time to write as I was in a hurry. If you'd read the entire thread, you'd see that I *do* know what the issues are regarding the headcode panel, and I've proposed a couple of solutions. Do keep up at the back...

Here you go, then. It can be considered to so far be the definitive 4mm "Western". However, I have a few reservations. Firstly, the flat matt finish on the pristine finish locos, especially D1000. Ideally it should have been gloss, but that can easily be fixed. It sits a little too high off the bogies for my liking. It should be a fraction lower, but again, this can be fixed. The glazing frame is understandably as small as realistically possible for RTR manufacture, but it could be finer by replacing with etched components, should they be produced. The buffer shanks are too long, but again it's fixable. There shouldn't be a thick black line on the inside of the headcode glazing, and looks like it won't be printed on future models. It'll still mean that the rubber surround around the headcode glazing won't be represented, but might have to be drawn in with a steady hand or a template. Again, fixable. I particularly like the fact Dapol have chosen to use warm white LEDs in the model vice yellow or blue-white ones. That'll have to do as I'm in a hurry - the rugby starts in a few minutes. Criticise away. RWJ

Let's see what rob D2 helpfully quoted from the RM's review, shall we? Did it not cross their minds that this might be because the buffer shanks are a little too long, but can easily be rectified to scale length? No conjecture as far as I can see, nor from the trusted reviews elsewhere in the model railway press. So, what was it you were saying about ignorance? RWJ

Never mind the 40, just look at the AL1 on the right. E3009 which met its end at Hixon.

http://www.lordandbutler.com/lordandbutler.com/Western_Invader.html "Features 5 pole motor with flywheel /Directional lighting /Etched roof grills /DCC/DCC Sound ready/Fully detailed exterior brake gear and outstanding levels of detail/ Etched Name and Numberplates (supplied loose)."

Wouldn't it have been nice if these comments had been directed at some of the many CAD images DapolDave uploaded? RWJ

Which is why I've ordered some headcode labels from Precision Labels, the backlit variety. Eventually, I'll use the Cif technique to remove the black paint on the inside of the h/c apertures and stick in 1A70 and 1J19. It's currently sat taking pride of place on a shelf in the living room. A friend of mine came over on Sunday night to gawp at it, and had a good look over it with a magnifying glass. He's completely bowled over by it. He's a collector of "good" diesel models, so is likely to get one at some point, to go with his Class 37/4 and Bachy DP1 in his display cabinet. D600 class is on his shopping list. A very big thumbs up to Dapol from him.

I should've made it clearer. It's the fact that it's a Western propelling it that's noreworthy, not that the inspection saloon is getting propelled. I know they get propelled - I've snapped them often enough.