Kylestrome

The missing link: 😉 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rackrobotics/powercore-cut-through-solid-metal-with-edm?ref=discovery_category

I'd like to know if it was ever proved that Bill Posters is innocent?

Why am I reminded of Trigger's broom? 🤔😁 It's great to see that this classic layout is in good hands and will get a new lease of life. Happy modelling, David

Is the latest MRJ on the shelves yet? Oh sorry, wrong thread.

Or swedes* for that matter. *But I'm OK with the Scandinavian ones

German sleepers are generally only planed top & bottom, leaving the sides rough, which these also appear to be.

I believe the 'correct grumpy old man' response is "none of your bl**dy business, young man!" 😄

Well done and many thanks for doing this. The PaperBrick website is a sorely missed resource and was the only place I know of that could produce truely random brick textures without the usual step-and-repeat patterns. David

It looks like the simple compressors like yours have moved on a bit since I had mine. Yours has 'auto stop & start', so presumably you must also have a long air line to allow that to work, and also heat protection. Happy spraying! David

The question of which type of compressor is suitable will depend on how much you use it and for how long. A compressor without a tank will be banging away constantly, in order to maintain pressure, and will run very hot during a long session of spraying. When I started my career as an airbrush artist, many years ago, I could only afford a simple compressor. After a couple of years of heavy use it finally broke its con-rod when it seized up, so I bought a 'proper' one with a tank as replacement. The biggest advantage of having a tank, apart from the guaranteed smooth airflow and lack of condensation, is that it gives the compressor a rest and the chance to cool down in the intervals when it's not working. David

AI = Absolute Idiocy

I find the Bill Bedford one perfectly useable. Make the first bend and put the bent end in the required hole. Pull the wire tight towards the edge of the tool and hold wire & jig firmly together with parallel pliers. Make second bend. If you follow the same procedure for every similar handrail they will all come out the same size. David

By now, the OP has probably given up any idea of taking his layout to the EU because it's just too much bother, and I wouldn't blame him. The first time I brought a micro layout to the UK, as handbaggage by air, was when we still had the EEC. I remember that returning to Germany was particularly fraught because I came up against an extremely suspicious Customs officer. I had the devil of a job convincing her, in my then barely adequate German, that I was the original owner, had built everything myself and that I hadn't bought everything in Britain! I eventually got waved through but she was pretty reluctant to let me go. Needless to say, on subsequent visits with the layout, when we were all in the EU, the only slight difficulty was the security check. These discussions and uncertainties make me quite sure that I'll not be bringing any modelling efforts over again*. The ability to exhibit in the UK is something I might miss but, from my point of view, it's not exactly a necessity. David *Does that make me an ex-hibitor?

For the question "How much time do you spend on RMweb?" there is no 'Too much' button ... 😉

I’m finally getting on with some more 2mm mischief. This past week I’ve been turning down all my eighty or so N gauge wheels to 2FS standards. The axles with pinpoints are relatively straightforward (see post #1), but when it comes to Farish diesel wheel sets there is no obvious way to support the axle when it comes to filing down the flange to the correct depth. I had the idea to drill a small dimple in the axle end, with a 0.5mm centre drill, so that I could use a live centre for support. I was favourably impressed by the quality of the Dapol and Farish wheels. There were only a couple with a slight wobble, and nearly all were concentric, which is a massive improvement over what was available when I started in 2mm scale in the 80s. Now that all my locos and coaching stock are ‘finescaled’ I have no more excuses for not finishing the layout for which they’re intended. David

I was glad that I used water soluble PVA when glueing down my ply sleepers as it made it very easy to make a couple of trackwork alterations weeks later. There was absolutely no problem with them lifting during ballasting. David

Well done. That had me totally confused for a moment! 🤪 David

Of course, it also depends on what season you want to portray and how much rain has been falling recently (not an uncommon event in the highlands 😉). As usual, personal experience and/or good photos are helpful. David

Having watched the video I don‘t think your lighting is too bright at all. You are still at quite an early stage with the scenic work and you probably should start introducing some darker shades of green, as you say. So far, I think you‘ve done a brilliant job! David

I'm intrigued by the HM7000's ability to read/write CVs in such a simple and intuitive manner. I wonder if it will be possible to read and write some of the more basic CVs on other makes of DCC decoders via the bluetooth dongle? David

Sorry to disappoint, but highly unlikely. David

I do indeed still have it. Because it lives in a sealed, purpose-made case it remains unfaded and dust free. I plan to give it a slight 'make over' and a couple of new locos, which may well result in some new photos. David

For hotels, I can recommend Motel One. There are four in Hamburg and the one in Alster is pretty central and not far from MW. There are others in all the major German cities. I find the price/standard very good for a central city hotel especially the earlier you book. You will find German inner city transport systems are good but DB has developed into something akin to BR in the 70s. The only good thing is that if your train is delayed by more than 60 minutes you can get 25% refund, and for more than 120 minutes it's 50%, but you have to get a note from the train staff as proof of your Verspätung. 🙄 David

I can remember the photo session, but they must have left it an awful long time before putting it in the magazine. The Chapel Wharf article didn’t appear until Christmas 1992 in issue 59. 🤔 David

And by the time you've weathered it all to match the photos, you'll be wondering why you made such a great effort to get the colour 'just right'* in the first place! 😉 David *Unless you want the building to appear brand new?