SRman

Yes, I noted that some of the wagon kits used Dapol underframes. I would have thought they might be a little too modern for the wagons represented by the kits but I'm no expert in these matters (as my previous comment illustrates all too well!!). All of the brake van kits I chose use the bespoke resin chassis supplied with the kits, which I found to be extremely complex, multi-layered works of art with very good depth of detail. There is a fair amount of flash but I found it was easily cleaned up in less than 10 minutes per chassis. My only other reservation was the axle bearings; none are provided and the axles just run in the bare resin. The wheels run freely so I figured that if they do eventually wear, I can drill them out and fit top-hat bearings anyway. It wouldn't be that difficult a job to do.

From looking at the photos in the Mike King book, they look right to me. I cannot vouch for them dimensionally as I haven't seen any plans for them. To be honest, I don't really care if they are wrong, as long as they capture the right look and atmosphere. Let's face it, records from that far back are not exactly thick on the ground and may be wrong anyway. Wooden vehicles were notoriously difficult to produce uniformly. Many bus body builders used wooden frames well into the 1960s and, as the preservationists have found out, nothing was entirely interchangeable between bodies from the same stable. Jeff.

I have just started on some more pre-grouping brake vans, this time from Smallbrook Studios (http://www.smallbrookstudio.co.uk/). These are all resin kits and come complete with Dapol OO wheels, white metal buffers, NEM coupling pockets on self-centering mounts with (changeable) tension lock couplings, and all the handrail wire, microstrip, styrene and other bits and pieces to makea complete model, except for paint and transfers. The instructions seem reasonably clear and a re backed up with diagrams. The resin parts are all packed individually in separate resealable plastic bags, all contained within a larger resealable bag. I purchased four of these kits from Smallbrook and their Michael Rayner was extremely courteous and helpful, even when I asked question s that were already actually answered on his website (the scrolling wasn't working using Google Chrome so I didn't realise the info was there!). I have taken a couple of quick snapshots, showing two of the kits partially assembled but unpainted and a third one in its component pieces. From left to right: LSWR 18 ton road van to D. 1542; 20 ton LSWR goods brake to D. 1549; and the almost identical Metropolitan Railway 20 ton van (in pieces). The latter comes with optional duckets as they were removed in later life. Not shown is the LSWR 10 ton goods brake to D. 1541 that I also bought. I don't envisage these kits taking long to finish properly but at the same time, I won't be racing through them as I did with the SR Z class locomotive - I was on school holidays then!

So it may be a tiny fraction out ... what's a 'tad' between friends?? Whether or not it is absolutely accurate, Colin, your work is superb and admired by a good many of us here.

You need to put new batteries in your abacus, Sean!

The open door on 169 is a nice touch. Both look superb, Peter.

Come to think of it, it may have been your original mod that prompted me to do mine!

I did the same to the cab side windows with my early Bachmann 20s - it makes a vast improvement to the appearance.

While I haven't done all that much to the layout itself recently, I have (mostly!) decided on the name of Newton Broadway, following several helpful suggestions from members of RM web and elsewhere. I showed off the LT roundel station signs I printed a few posts back but here they are installed on the station itself.

I agree with you regarding Peco code 00 track, Rick. When people are silly enough to ask for my advice I always recommend that and nothing else, from experience in the past with other brands in Queensland and Victorian conditions. I have some track (in sidings) that date from earlier layouts but I always use new track for the main lines on a new layout. I have been fortunate in that my layouts have always been indoors - no aircon though - but I know a few modellers with layouts either outdoors or in uninsulated sheds. One guy known to you and me had track buckling problems when the temperature went over 40 degrees C outdoors (over 50 degrees in his tin shed!) and ended up with nearly 3mm gap in mid-Winter but no gap in Summer for one long straight stretch of double track.

Always a sense of achievement when you can get that last bit of track linked and powered and that first train runs!

50 years down, Chris. Now you have to start the countdown for another 50!! Congratulations on such a long and illustrious career. I certainly remember some of your earlier contributions and also some of your white metal bits and pieces.

Yes, the 3T units were blue initially then blue and grey, neither of which is currently available from Kernow and only the blue is projected at this stage. The problem also would exist if you were swapping bodies, chassis and/or bogies that any coaches within the units (3H, 3T or 4 EPB) all require the couplings with through contacts if the lighting is to work from the one decoder. It's starting to get messy!!

I like that suggestion but you would still need two DMBS vehicles (one powered, the other better unpowered, which means getting two 2 EPBs. Still, with some adaptation, one could then contemplate a class 204 (3T) unit from the 2 EPB DTS and 2H unit combination.

Yes, I can see customers "mopping up" existing stocks of 2H units if they can buy a centre coach at the same time. You can certainly include me in category 1!

Steel axles, Wayne? I have seen this happen on other layouts where steel axles were fitted to wagons - the nearest axle gets attracted towards the magnet and if it is free-running, the whole wagon tends to follow!!

Thanks for that, George. Just to show it all works, here is a video I took on my mobile phone, edited a little. It also includes my pre-grouping goods train with the Bachmann SECR 'C' 0-6-0 hauling it.

I don't know if it is an illusion caused by the wide angle lens but please don't tell me they have gone to 3' 6" gauge.

Getting very close to being finished now! I have added the safety valves (Markits) and whistle (a Bulleid one from Markits - the only type I have to hand right now!) plus a representation of the pipework leading to the whistle area. This is only representative as some of the pipes were a bit too fine for me to cope with. I need to dig out the copper paint for the clack valve pipes and those whistle ones. I added a partition of plasticard inside the back of the cab to separate the lower bunker from the cab area - visible from some angles looking into the cab. Coal has been added to the bunker (some of it is still loose in the photos as I haven't shaken it out again) - an underlayer of IKEA coal followed by a layer of real coal.

Last night I added the crests and numbers, then this morning I added glazing to the cab and ground away a couple of spots inside to allow the body to sit slightly lower on the chassis. It still looks a little high but is better than it was. The main tasks left to do involve the whistle and attached pipework and the safety valves, plus a little painting of details and some weathering.

Peter, the 'slave' I used was another Power Cab set to cab address 3 (yours is set to 2 by default). NCE also have Pro Cabs, which look and feel the same as the Power Cab but don't have the built-in command station (and, therefore, must be used as a 'slave' unit on the Power Cab system). Other, simpler cabs include their Cab 04, Cab 05 and Cab 06 units. Cabs 04 and 06 also come with two flavours: one type with potentiometers (suffixed with a 'p') which means the knob traverses a fixed arc, like your old DC controllers, or the other with an encoder wheel (suffixed with an 'e'), that acts the same way as the Power Cab in that there are no stops or fixed points. The Cab 05 has push buttons like the alternative controls on the Power Cab. I like to have two Power Cabs at exhibitions to cover against any (unlikely!) failures.

The locomotive has now been sanded back lightly and resprayed, followed by a quick going over with Humbrol #85 coal black satin on footplate, smokebox and tanks/bunkers, then the buffer beams and buffer shanks were painted red. I have also filed the cylinders down just a little. At this rate, I'll be able to hand the thread back to Norwenglish very soon! The GAP G16 4-8-0T can be seen in both photos as well.

Thanks Peter. I turned Peter's (PCM's) siding into a preservation line up! Nice photo too. Progress report for the Z follow: the first coat of undercoat grey (photo 1), handrails added over the front steps (no photo), second coat of primer grey (no photo), followed by two shots with the first coat of black (photos 2 and 3, front and back). The black needs a light sanding down to eliminate a few lumps and blemishes before a second coat then some brush painting to pick out buffer beams (in red, of course!) and other details. There are still a couple of wire pipes to add around the whistle area, with the whistle and safety valves to be added last in unpainted brass.

Yes, the cylinders and that support bracket will have to be dealt with ... eventually. At the moment I'm happy to have something that runs nicely.That means I can take my time to work out what I want to do. If at all possible, I would also like to alter the slide bar and crosshead arrangement to better represent the single slide bar configuration of the real Z. The Z is currently in the spray booth and has now received a coat of black, after adding the missing hand rails at the front and giving it another coat of grey primer last night.

I forgot to bring a camera too! I must say that the new bits looked very impressive and add to the overall impression very favourably. It was good to see you and Llanbourne again, together with some old friends, one of whom we hadn't seen for a very long time. Thanks for having us over.