Hal Nail

You've lost me - I was responding to someone else suggesting a class action. Ive just bought two of the metal double gears which are the ones which seem to cause the problems. That will do one bogie as a compromise fix I hope. Reluctant to throw too much money after bad especially now there is a new version out (class 33) so the odd ones are probably less appealing if you were to sell on. I'm not defending the position, just being realistic that we probably cant do much?

There is a book on GWR horses but I cant for the life of me think where my copy is. I don't recall that area featuring in it but that's not to say it definitely doesn't. Edit: found it - The Long Haul. It actually covers all railways horses but only two shots of them shunting as opposed to railway related carts/barges etc. Although there is a section on the slate mines, nothing about the Valleys.

Another diversion in the form of a Kerr Stuart pannier picked up from the DCC outlet store. It is a Grade 1 and the ash pan is loose but apart from that I cant find anything wrong cosmetically, so a bargain. Will become 7709 or 7715. I'll probably buy a spare top feed to keep my options open but quite like the variety from 8702 with flush tanks and a top feed.

At risk of being pedantic, isnt it the more liquid form that is renowned for its slippery nature whereas the dried variety clings like the proverbial 86 to a display shelf?

To be honest its difficult to pick one or two and guarantee they will look right in any given loco and sods law you often think if you'd bought them orientated the other way, they would have fitted better in another loco. The more you have , the easier it is to find the right home for them (invoice in the post Alan!). Seating them in a bit makes a big difference - eg if they are leaning on an arm, sand a bit off so the contact point is a tight fit - in real life the weight is all in that part (that is, afterall, the general idea behind leaning on something!) I look for the most natural positions though - the renditions are only as good as the person posing! Joking aside, no connection, just a satisfied customer.

I'm not sure I want my locos careering off the end of the track under fuĺl power. Have we not all seen Titfield Thunderbolt?!

Turn over one page for 4569!

There were also a handful of unlined green locos earlier on in BR days - which you would have little hope of identifying in black and white! I found a lined green mogul paired with a plain black tender the other day as well.

Both are more easily fixed than a visible join along the boiler. Wouldn't it be nice if we could pick and chose the best bits of each!

Might be easier to judge after a waft of primer? Different colours often makes things stand out.

Wasn't entirely clear what the question was but in terms of whether particular locos carried green at all, rail online, colour rail and the transport library are all good sources of photos, albeit many in black and white which makes it hard to tell if the loco is grubby and you cant see any lining.

Slightly being held up waiting for bits at present - I've had a run of being sent the wrong parts which happens sometimes. Probably as well I don't attempt to spray in snow though. Are there any options for decent etched smokebox number plates other than Severn Mill? Narrow Planet plates are excellent value but their smokebox numbers at 3.5 x 10mm just look really small to me - all my locos with pre printed ones are nearer 4 x 12. Severn Mill are excellent but pricey, especially if its only the smokebox plate I need from each set.

There are more spares being produced, according to Ben elsewhere on here. I'm not defending the situation but making a batch of anything is dependent on getting a production slot. To be honest, even though I am irritated by this as I have one of the models and am similarly affected, i'm surprised after 10 years or so they are actually making any more spares now.

Perhaps in assessing if something captures the key characteristics, most people don't focus on a tiny part of the roof (or the cab doors)?

Just read in the 7mm modelling thread Improving Heljan Mogul slow running, Simon D mentioned pressing a piece of paper down to test stay alive and run it over that. If it gets most of the way across it's working!

Given it is rare (at least in my experience) to connect so well that one lusty blow is sufficient, perhaps a better analogy here would be to point out that hammering away unnecessarily risks damaging the surrounding surface... Based on this recent photo and the earlier head on shot, I'd be interested to see the improvement in the face from filing a bit off the bottom of the cab which would make it look a bit less long and thin. This would open up the gap above the buffers which is fine as there is scope for that. I think you might be able to get away with only moving the lamp irons up and the rest of the detail would still work.

I'd normally use tissue - the thinking behind card was to purely to overcome the kinks in the brass you mentioned.

Just a thought on the roof, as they were covered in material, I think, could a solution be to trim the brass to be a tight fitting support and cover with a false card overlay?

Tower state 200 of each livery.

This is on Towers home page. Dapol Class 122 DMU update Latest news from Dapol in regard to the long awaited Class 122 is that they have now been completed and are ready for despatch. Dapol hope to arrange shipping from China before the beginning of Chinese New Year on the 12th of February. So long as they can get them off before Chinese New Year they should become available around the end of March if everything goes to plan.

https://images.app.goo.gl/q9qr6qYtpXHFLQD98

Well you cant see its lhd in the box

Ah but that would be cheating! IPA repeatedly wiped on with a cotton bud and wire wool once the paint softened did the trick

https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/threads/adding-sound-to-Heljan-class-20s.6731/ This any help? Googling "sound fitting a Heljan 20" comes up with quite a bit.