shortliner

Hi Chris, and thanks for your reply - a great idea and worthy of further exploration (and exploitation!) It fits in very well with minimum space mini-/micro-layouts, and Carl (Arendt) would have loved it

Thanks very much , Guys - these are all very helpful suggestions - your posts are much appreciated.

When I was in the RAF, here in the Highlands we used to celebrate both of the August Bank Holidays - great idea!

I'm not sure how to ask this without offending someone, which is most definitely not my intention. Basically, I'm trying to paint some switchmen for my US locos/stock/layouts and I would very much like to paint at least one of the crew as being of Afro-Caribbean origin. Can anyone advise which acrylic paint shade would be suitable in the Vallejo, or Tamiya ranges for an appropriate skin-tone? - any help would be appreciated Thanks Jack

Department of lateral thinking thoughts on this - the "extension track" is attached to a piece of material the same thickness as the baseboard top, suitably sized to fit inside the drawer - the drawer is pulled out completely and the "extension" removed, the drawer is turned over and put back into its space in the "pulled out" position, and the track on its base placed on what is now the top. Track is now at the same height as the track on the baseboard and can have a couple of rail connectors on one end for power

With Autumn heaving rapidly over the horizon and into view, this is something to savour on a wet afternoon when you have no honey-do's, things waiting your attention on the workbench, and nothing better to do - I came across it today (looking for something else) having saved it some time ago. A rather interesting concept - and there is a huge supply of links on the right-hand side. Enjoy! https://princestreet.wordpress.com/2018/06/10/back-to-the-matchbox/

This whole concept just gets better and better!

Was so impressed with the figure that I have just ordered 2 more "shunters" which look suitable for paint modification!

TBH, on try 3 the guy at the other end was very helpful and sent it via email while I was on the phone with him - the previous 2 were only (allegedly) capable of sending it by mail in 5 -10 days!!! - and nothing showed up from either of them - except one letter saying that my insurance would no longer be valid beyond a certain date - which was true because it ran out on that date anyway - but absolutely nothing about the NCB from either of them

Horse - if you aren't in a tremendous hurry - this may be of interest - https://www.banggood.com/search/air-horns.html - TBH I have no complaints about quality or supply of goods from this site

I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one - More than> shoved mine up by £120.00 for no good reason after being with them for 20 years+ and having maximum NCB - I got a quote from Kia Insurance and MT> offered to try to reduce mine - they got told that if I was to stay with them they would need to halve their quote - needless to say that was not possible and they got told (rather severely) that they, and I, would be parting company however it took three phone calls to get them to give me my copy of the No claims confirmation - they have an enormous spiel that you have to listen to wittering at you before they will let you talk to anybody - a right shower of sharks, and I won't be using them for anything else! The name is obviously because they charge MoreThan> anyone else!

Coming along nicely - I do like this!

Been there, done that! I still have memories of trying to remove my right hand/arm, in one piece, from being jammed around a mini UJ , having replaced it with a roller bearing version with the car on axle-stands in a deserted RAF motor club one Sunday evening - - simple to do when you have someone to turn the road-wheel - but when you can't reach it with your left hand......... fortunately somebody turned up about an hour later....

The figure, #1462-087, which I ordered to try out has now been painted, but is still attached to its base - I've attempted to "Americanize" it into tee-shirt and jeans as a brakeman - I'm very pleased considering that the paints used haven't been opened in about three years, that I have familial tremor in my right hand so it is wobbly,and that the figure in HO scale is slightly short of 2 cms high!

I remember that the RAF used Vanguards - I have a memory of my father driving one and us sitting on the top of a hedge near Royston, after it blew a front tire - but I don't remember if they had the estate version

Yes - the one that caused my post is similar, but slightly different. - I need brakemen with tee-shirt and jeans and a baseball cap on backwards . This was a "snip" of the suggestions I sent to Alan - if anyone else has ideas - please feel free to add them "Can I offer some other possibilities to you ( all American figures) 1. A "flagman" in jeans and jacket/shirt/windbreaker/tee-shirt (any or all) holding a flag to stop traffic while the train crosses a road (possibly with a reversed "baseball cap") 2. A similar item to the figure I ordered, Loco crew sku1462-087, but as a brakeman, similarly dressed as above with a base-ball cap either reversed or right way round 3. Another brakeman riding on the ladder of a car whilst switching, dressed as above 4. A switchman bending over throwing a "switch" again dressed in suitable attire 5. A switchman with remote control "beltpack, standing/walking on the ground - again attire as above" Any of the above could also be wearing a safety vest, and would also be popular as both African-American and as Anglo figures"

Alan - I sent you an email yesterday suggesting some figure poses for us USA modellers - any chance of some American style crews/figures in HO? Please! Pretty Please!!

I wondered why there were no birds on the feeders!

Many,many years ago I worked in a lab at CIBA-Geigy at Duxford where they made Araldite, Aerodux, and Aeroweb, and similar epoxy-resin glues. They had big, (make that HUGE), tanks to de-grease ally sheet and honeycomb for gluing up aircraft wing panels - in carbon-tet vapour - the thought that someone might have fallen in gives me the heebie-jeebies !

Love the spider-web on the radiator!

I couldn't decide whether to put this on here or in "Things that make you smile" - eventually here won out The light turned yellow as the driver approached the traffic lights. He did the right thing and stopped at the zebra crossing, even though he might have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating woman behind him was furious and blew her horn at him, screaming in frustration, calling him for everything to which she could lay her tongue as she missed her chance to get through the intersection. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer, who ordered her to exit the car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, the watch-house keeper went to her cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects. He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, giving the bloke in front of you the fork and cursing him. Then I noticed the ‘What Would Jesus Do’ bumper sticker, the ‘Choose Life’ registration plate holder, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday-School’ sticker on the rear windscreen, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the boot lid, so naturally......I assumed you had stolen the car...."

Where is that "GROAN!" button

Is it worth looking into some proper Araldite epoxy glue? I doubt you can get Aerodux any more but that was used to hold aircraft wings together!

Not too sure how I'd feel about sailing/cruising in this one ! It has been cut in half, and then stretched 99 feet - I just hope it doesn't turn out to be the maritime version of the Genoa bridge! https://www.liveleak.com/ll_embed?f=4627a8984ac8

So, I said (back on the 9th), I'd do some updated pictures with a new "stormy skies" background, and a different warehouse. Sorry it has taken a week, but here they are, along with some new (different) locos - hope you like them