37114

Aah, I get you. To be honest the easiest way would be to see if you can get some second hand noses of the type you need on ebay as you will need to replace the light clusters as well, they come up from time to time. I did have a quick look on the PHD site earlier as I am sure I saw some etches previously but the only ones I saw were 7mm version.

That would make a lovely diorama, quite a challenge but a rewarding one to model the inside...

Hi Chris, Thanks for sharing, do you have a pic of your model? I am confused as to what model you are starting with? Bachmann haven't done a 37/6 (the type with no headcode box) so the only other thought is you have an ex split box model?

There have been a few close calls for sure but generally in my experience as an exhibitor most layouts are ready to go and it tends to be glitches that manifest just minutes before the show that are the ones the public see. Also having been on the otherside of the table I generally have sympathy for someone struggling to get a layout to work and one layout not working wouldn't break the show for me. From personal experience, It is tough call to balance being at a show in good time and allowing time to fix any manner of issues vs leaving it close to the wire. I do mostly local shows so try and arrive as early as poss before the show opens, typically this gives 2 hours to unload and set up. Putting the layout up take 15 minutes and putting all stock on, coupling up etc takes 30 mins, so I have 1.25hours to test/deal with issues. Touchwood I have never had an issue to be ready for show opening but if a point failed or there was some electrical damage in transit then it would be close.

Hi Chris, When you say yellow and white dominoes do you mean the plated headcodes? If so they are available from PHDesigns but it might be helpful if you could post a pic of your model and the prototype loco you are looking to model please?

Nice modelling there Nidge and thanks for sharing the photos. You are dead right re the bufferbeam surrounds, I noticed after I posted that picture and have subsequently painted them black as they didn't look right in blue so I am glad I got it right in the end, next time I get some stock out I will take some photos of the finished Hymek! Thankfully I had to repaint the ends so I had a great incentive to bin the clips. D7017 having vinyl numbers was the deal clincher for me, I also did it in 4mm and would never have done it if it meant doing cast numerals.

There is an expression "You can't un-see what you have already seen" and that was definitely the case with the Wasp stripes on the cab of the Dapol class 08 which are too narrow. While I have done a few resprays over the years I have stayed away from Wasp stripes due to the need to get the angles 100% spot on. On @47606odin s Hither Green thread, Ian had kindly shared how he had fixed this quite effectively, by splitting the job in 2 parts by doing one side at a time and using the existing lines as a guide. Tamiya fine masking tape is the perfect width to leave enough yellow to widen the strip without a full repaint so I plucked up courage and made a start. I decided to remove the cab from the model which to be fair is simpler to do than I had read it to be. I pipped off the bonnet top to disconnect the wires for the lights from the circuit board. Then the 2 screws that secure the body were removed to reveal.2 screws to remove the cab. There are 2 lugs at the bonnet end of the cab that need to be pushed back and up and the cab slides off. I have purposely left the interior in the cab as the doors and the wires are prone to falling out. With the cab free I then removed the extra detail like lights, lamp irons and wipers to make the masking easier; Next step is to paint the gaps black, I will brush paint it to save masking the whole cab etc.

Is that a straightforward like for like replacement with a Peco point please Nick?

Van looks excellent, Andrew has made a nice job of that

Hi, correct re bogie pivots, it worked well and was much more stable than the Lima and Hornby set up. I am afraid I can't help on the NEM box conversion, from recollection it was tight behind the valances but probably not insurmountable.

Just remembered, there is a step by step explanation and plenty of pictures on page 4 of my Parsons Vale thread of the modifications (scroll down the page):

The Lima 31 is definitely one of their better models but as you say is let down by a bad mechanism. The good news is it sounds like you have the answer to your problems in you have a mazac damaged Hornby 31. I will dig out the photos but basically you can take the motor and bogies from the mazac affected chassis and install them in the Lima 31 with some cutting of the lima chassis at the non motor end and some plasticard.

The class 20 does look great Nick, you have definitely the knack for doing faded BR Blue

It was Monza where Mclaren failed to win their only race of the 1988 season.... Hoping Lightning strikes twice...

The IXO range is excellent, those Dodge were rare in UK but were seen and a few that didn't desolve completely can still be seen at classic truck shows. That model looks ideal respray material...

Sad loss to the modelling community, I met and chatted with George a number of times and was inspired by a number of his layouts over the years and he was a great guy.

One option maybe to do something with 1.43 scale car with suitable headlights, I have brought cheap damaged corgi cars for a few pounds for my scrapyard on my layout. There maybe a suitable donor for the headlights.

Some reasonable progress this weekend, most visibly with painting the internal part of the layout. The paint I had used for the main layout was discontinued but thankfully I had some left in the tin so the local B&Q paint mixing desk were able to work some magic and give me a new tin based on a sample from the old paint. A less noticeable addition is a small switch on the front of the layout: I decided that as the extension would be able to be put up as a self contained layout it made sense to include an isolating section at the end of each siding. The switch is a double pole, double throw switch so one switch controls both section, the logic being with the point isolating either of the sidings it doesn't matter if the isolating switch is on or off, anything in that siding is not moving. Underneath the board I have fitted a din plug wired to the track so it can be fed from the controller if operating as a single board or be fed from the track on the main layout. Like all of my previous layouts this one is set in 1977 and in addition to working on the layout I have also been working on a last nut and bolt rebuild of this 305mm to 1ft scale piece of 1977 history. It has been a long journey but nearly there, just a few snags before it hits the road. Adding a model of it to the layout is a medium term aim.

Thanks Nick v kind of you.

I reckon Heljan have an eye on the 150.. I could be wrong but aren't the bogies the same as a 153?

Hope Danny R has a speedy recovery. Will be really interesting if Lawson does well, more pressure on Perez and I guess Tsunoda will be getting nervous as well.

I did something similar a few years ago with an old Renault 21. The book value of an undamaged one was about £150 but the insurance co had a different book and valued it at £585 (it had done about 190k miles so he marked the price down from £685!) which was what they were going to give me. I asked how much to buy it off them and they said £80 so just witheld that amount from the payout, and said ongoing insurance was conditional on it being repaired/new MOT. I got a local garage to replace the dented wing, spray the new one and re MOT it which cost me £280 so I ended up where I was pre accident + £225 so was happy. The car was good for another 30k miles/ 2years before the gearbox played up so it ended up on a one way trip to Romania for spares.

Thanks for your comments, glad you enjoyed the read. Agree re the missing photos, I will have to fire up the old computer to see if I have some saved there to update, I managed to get 50 or so back earlier this year and reloaded.

Small progress today, I put the embankment in place, my favoured method being solid insulation board offcuts to provide a base and then a few layers of mod roc on top. I had hoped to make a start on the backscene paint but my paint tin is nearly empty so I don't have enough paint to do the layout. The tin has lasted all of my last 3 layouts but is sadly discontinued (It was a B&Q colours own brand) so I am hoping that the local store can mix up something similar. I have also started to think about the warehouse for the back siding but have so far not decided on the best option. Skytrex produce something of broadly the right shape and size but I have heard mixed reviews while there are a few laser cut options but I haven't found one that is 100% correct configuration for my needs.

Very kind comments, thank you. The Burnt out brake van was a nice project, I do like a nice rolling stock project. Hopefully will make some progress on the extension over the next few weeks, life has been a bit hectic recently.