SRman

If you are removing the class 15's cab to paint the interior, lop a millimetre or so off the bottom edges of the cab so that it sits with the roof flush with the short hood top. I filed around the locating spigots when I did mine. The class 16 looks good - I have not yet received mine but it cannot be too far away now.

I have been buying quite a few items from Hattons in recent months. I just had a surprise phone call from them ... I am in Australia and they (in the UK) have a bank holiday today! The gentleman from Hattons wanted to inform me that my NRM 2 BIL had tested fine (I always request that they test locomotives before despatch) but that a plastic part was loose and may drop off again. He asked if that was acceptable to me and I said that was fine and that I am quite capable of clipping, or even gluing, any small parts back on. He and I had quite a pleasant chat about that and other things, at their expense. I am very impressed with this level of service and the effort they went to. Top marks, to Hattons and their dedicated owners/employees!

Toothpaste is mildly abrasive. I have used it to clean resin kits and also my glasses on occasions, although now I have plastic lenses I'm a little more wary of using toothpaste as a cleaner.

Hi pheaton. Nice vids but can you tell us a little more about the models, please, particularly with reference to whose sounds are fitted? Thanks for posting them anyway.

They would have been in tandem, as opposed to being in multiple: class 15 had the blue star multple working code while class 16 had red circle, which means that operationally, the multiple controls were incompatible so each locomotive would need a crew.

I actually prefer the squared-off shape (especially when compared to the BTH class 15s) but the livery application was extremely drab. If they had ever made it into BR blue the effect would have been just as dull (IMHO). Imagine if they had got as far as Railfreight red stripe livery!

I have an original Dapol one in BR black, later fitted with a TCS Z2 decoder. It has always been a smooth runner but, as you say, noisy ... it sounds like an angry hornet at any sort of speed! I think the new Hornby one may actually be a little quieter. I always wanted one in the full LBSC 'improved engine green' livery, although I think Hornby's rendition tends to be a little on the brown side rather than a yellow ochre. I was originally very impressed with the Dapol one's ability to stay in contact with the track even when I deliberately tested it with a piece of track bent up at approximately 30 degrees from the horizontal; the locomotive sailed over the abrupt change of gradient and up the slope with no hesitations at all, thanks in part to the sprung centre axle with pickups. I have a TCS Z2 decoder on order for the LBSC model now. I doubt it will be here in time to fit it for the AMRA exhibition on Saturday. I'll be at Caulfield on the BRMA stand if anyone wishes to come up and say hello.

I think Hatttons make sure they fill the pre-orders before posting them up.

For the pre-grouping enthusiasts and modellers: My latest arrival, although not technically new (it was bought as near-new off eBay), is the Hornby LBSCR Terrier 0-6-0T, posed here with previously purchased locos, an LSWR M7 0-4-4T from Hornby and an SECR liveried C 0-6-0 from Bachmann. All are in out-of-the-box condition. I also experimented with changing the photos to grey scales and with sepia tones. The soft-focus was actually accidental (must clean the camera lens on my phone!!).

I love the Hawkesbury for a variety of reasons: plenty of trains, many variations on those trains, beautiful scenery, and great oysters! The riverboat postman is also a lovely trip to do (if it is still around).

Some really excellent footage there, 69843.

The railway link is in the destination on RTW31!!

I might have to shop around to get the Markits valves - Markits themselves are difficult to buy from, from over here in Australia. The first stage of my Z arrived today in the shape of a Hornby LMS 8F bought off eBay for a reasonable price. It has been quickly tested and runs fine; the tender pickups don't seem to be working but that's not really a problem in what will be an 0-8-0T!!

Stuart, could you tell me what safety valves you are using and where you got them, please?

Thanks, David, for that QR video. The 1620 class weren't common around Brisbane but 1645 was a regular around Corinda, Tennyson and Yeerongpilly (and the Moolabin yard, of course). It was even rarer to find them on passenger work so this Ekka shuttle working will be a treat.

Forgot ... I bought a couple of class 20s for the same reasons too!!

You may need to connect wires between the pickups and the brushes, as this would be done through the DCC socket in Hornby's normal installation.

And for all of those reasons, I have ordered one. I bought a class 15 for those same reasons too. There are lots of photos around of those cross-London freights with various non-Southern locos, including the aforementioned classes 15 and 16. I have been able to 'justify' buying classes 24, 25, 31, 35, 37 and 52 (just off the top of my head!) because of those wonderfully varied workings onto SR metals from other regions.

D1007 in maroon syp - one of the first four liveries released and has the dreaded brass wheels. I still haven't re-wheeled mine yet.

Surely by the late 1960s, the real BILs had more than a few dips in their panels, Colin. You are too hard on yourself.

When Colin refers to imperfections, we 'normal' folk need a microscope to see what he's talking about!!

Definitely try reducing the volume a bit, first. If that doesn't work, then I would try different speakers, even another of the same type. Speakers are relatively inexpensive and can vary a bit in quality and behaviour.

Another one from me. This is my Heljan class 33/1, 33 108, with legomanbiffo sound (bought from DC Kits). It uses an ESU LokSound v4 and the standard 23mm round 4 ohm speaker mounted in the underfloor tanks. I have not played all of the functions here but I used several different driving techniques to demonstrate the acceleration, spool down, and idle/coasting behaviours. The horns are playable, using functions F2 and F3. I did experiment with different speakers and combinations when I was installing the system but I settled on the single standard speaker as producing the best result for this particular sound project. Also running around is a Bachmann class 350/1 converted to a SouthWest Trains class 450 using Electra Railway Graphics vinyl overlays. This will eventually receive legomanbiffo's appropriate sounds as well but is currently using a Lenz Silver+ decoder.

You are correct about the contacts to the lighting strips in the roofs, Nigel, but the Desiros don't actually require the body to be removed to fit a decoder. In their case, there is a small 'box' under the motorised coach retained by one screw. The decoder (and any speaker for sound fitting) fit into the area covered by this box.

There are a few projects ahead of this one but I will post pictures of progress on my workbench blog and in this thread too if you don't mind me hijacking it a bit.