Tim V

Plenty of Bench Marks (not trig points - my mistake!). Are you talking about this area? Picture dates from about 1971, shortly before these buildings were demolished. Don't ask me for any other pictures - I didn't take any others!

Thanks Richard.

Look at Oldmaps, you should be able to get spot heights from the OS maps. Also somewhere on the net is a list of trig points and heights, when you put in your grid references, it'll give you the nearest heights.

Works for me. Which motor is that please?

I can't see them either!

Finally able to check my data - yes, every decent picture I've looked at confirms your findings.

The trams ceased running in 1939, so most likely the rails were recovered shortly after.

Good observation. I'll have a look at my other pictures to see if there's a variation. There is/was a whitemetal casting of a sandbox lid, Alan Gibson did one some years ago, don't know if it's still available.

Superficially, doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the cleaning regime. Where is the paint flaking from? Is it on edges - the footplate? Paint regularly flakes from there. If so, you could blacken that pre painting. Rub it with a felt tip pen if it's already painted. As an aside, I have never had much luck with low volume produced aerosols (though others swear by them). I would personally suspect the paint. I get on very well with the Halfords acrylics, but in 2mm, they are a bit thick - the red seems to make a slightly thinner coat than the grey.

Thanks for the reply Richard

What was the source of your M0.3 cutter please?

Scrubbed with what? Rinsed with what? Thought about different paint? Or chemical blackening?

I saw all those 16Ts, must have been an epic session to build them all...

There are some, dated around March '78. Currently I'm working on digitising my black and white negative collection. I'm on sheet 30, but Warminster is on sheet 125, it was my first trip out with my Olympus OM1 - it's going to be a while. There are a couple of earlier ones from around 1975, I'll come across them whenever. I hadn't forgotten your request, but I thought Warminster was a long term project?

One tip picked up may years ago was to file a slot in the back of the rim, in line with a spoke, for the shorting strip to sit into. Make sure the strip is tinned before proceeding. As Bill says, use 145 solder, but a normal hot iron (270), get in quick. I've never had a problem. Of course, if available, you could try the brass centred wheels. They are very nice, I have one loco with them on.

Three spare lamp irons? Some had only two....

Mark Couldn't find how to post an image here, so I've put it in my gallery at http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/50571-pannier-at-didcot/ may be useful.

You are misreading the instructions for lamping, the code you quote is for a train on the main line at the junction about to go down the branch! You should be looking at a J or K code once on the branch. I've got a picture somewhere of the sandbox arrangements, I'll look it out if it's any use.

Hmmm, so you're thinking of modelling rotten keys? The answer to that one is, no , gangers would not let a key get into that state on the main line. Don't forget, you are looking at a siding, and oak keys are pretty scarce these days, I don't know if Didcot has the machine to make them. Try and get hold of "Track Topics" the GWR book, it'll tell you about the mechanisation at the track factory. Are you really sure you want to model to the degree of detail you are proposing? If so, 4mm would be way to small, consider going to G1, cobwebs become nearly visible. as a gauge, fine for individual models, but for capturing a slice of the railway - maybe not.

Mark Glad to see you're going to try split axles/frames, have a look on the EMGS sales stand, they do a very nice etching to short plastic wheels, better than fuse wire.

I think you've suggested that one before, so what's stopping you? Ready for the AGM?

Thanks for the link to the Albion Yard blog - some interesting reading there. As the Captain says, I did indeed do 8744, a Westbury engine, with riveted tanks. Quite crudely done it was, i used a suitable gear wheel with 5 thou plastic. Cut off the pipework, before putting back on with styrene rod. well worth it, makes a very different loco. I don't know whether 7714 on the Severn Valley still has riveted tanks - it certainly did when I saw it once, but they were missing when I saw it again. Worth a look for the experience.

Some bodies at Swindon circa '76. They were by some road improvements near the MSWJ crossing of the GW main line. Gone now of course.

I looked over today, but the concrete base still hasn't been broken up. Since they are both sides - the possibility is there.