richbrummitt

I've not seen anything to disagree that painting of brake handles white commenced around the time of WWI, although some were still not painted such. I had assumed that grab handles/handrails and other such items followed the same development around the same time.

Now considering the trip to Nottingham. It is a bit of a jolly though.

I don't think that's what I meant. There is a lump (like the those along the roof) on the upper panel of the ducket. Unless this is the 'ventilator' for the lamp? In which case it probably is what I meant. If you understand?

I don't think tarpaulins were covered until the recent new edition. They are certainly not in the older edition I have with a green coloured cover and the entwined monogram.

I've never noticed the lamp on the ducket in photographs before. There is an arguement that the bolections and droplights were mahogany and even when painted to look like mahogony they would be much darker than the red colour that is often depicted. I read that the red colour is a fallacy from models that has been perpetuated. Don't ask me where I read this because I cannot remember. To be helpful: The bogie is the 'american' style and is available from the shop (I presume you know this already). The iron mink appears as though it may have quite modern brake gear, but it is difficult to be certain with the platform in the way. I'm also not convinced by the position of the brake levers on the fruit van. On pictures of Micas the brake handle (even the DC ones) are nearer the middle, although Micas don't have the footboards that would probably be prohibitive to such location for a short lever. Benches like this are available from Shire Scenes (and also the earlier wooden style). The 'short' brake standard available from N brass locomotives is pretty much the right size for toads. That is what I have used in mine (and will be using for the remainder). I would also like some 0-6-0 tender engines, however I require a belpaire firebox and have so far failed to produce anything satisfactory.

What about Saunders?

I solder them along the non-upright portion of the hanger if that makes sense. There should be enough material before they bend out around the solebar to sweat them on with flat surface contact. Hope that makes sense. The time consuming parts of 3 link coupling manufacture are cursing profusely as they ping out of the tweezers during assembly, second only to cutting them into individual pieces from the wound wire. One day when I have learnt how to accurately fix and adjust them I will probably use AJs. I came to the same conclusion with the association hybar kit: that it doesn't closely resemble our prototype. Maybe I am mistaken? (Readers please note that it does not claim to resemble our prototype). See here for how I made my wagon tarpaulins. Somewhere I should have the file I used, which will be perfect for your first one. You'll have to figure out a way to change the numbers for any subsequent ones. (and share the secret. ;-) ) There is all the information I think you would need in the recent edition of GWW on wagon tarpaulin styles and dates, if you don't have the info already.

The 'chuff chuff' tender is very tempting but I'm not sure that I want a model that falls apart when I pick it up.

David, The brake levers are so fragile once opened up I tend to break them before I fit them over the wire. I've given up trying and now chop the hole off. The remaining lever is soldered to the hanger bracket in the right place and the wire cut flush. You really don't notice this short cut. Strictly speaking my 'screw link' coupling representations only have two links ;-D I'm still working on how to make an instanter link. Feel free to add some thickness of brass/plasticard under the chassis to mount DGs or any other type. I have nothing against them, but they are not for me.

Neither is wrong. Both are right. Perhaps mock it up and see whether you like it on the layout. If it doesn't add anything then leave it off.

It might be interesting to hear this anyway, regardless of whether Pete needs to make any...

Your lamps will probably build, but thin sticky out bits, if they build, are incredibly fragile and the looped handles will probably not survive as far as your door if they are as thin as they look. I made pilot holes on my experiments and they all disappeared, presumably filled in. I made them 0.2mm diameter iirc. Looking forward to your delivery.

I read your link and some of the wording seemed quite similar to a listing I have been pondering - is this the same person? Very similar shop name too.

What Will said about the menu. I categorised my blog shortly before I saw the thread, but a bespoke menu is cleaner. It looks like the building will be a nice view block to the end of the layout too. Out of interest what grade/quality of paper do you use for the buildings? I'm thinking of using printed paper buildings for Littlemore.

Me likey. I'm very pleased to see you making something again, even if it is mostly 'virtual'.

Thank you all. It helps to get people to shout in sometimes to get ideas forming and the brain re-thinking. Sometimes you are so close to a problem there is no wood, or trees. Pete, I have wire in tube to toggle switches. I couldn't find a 4PDT slide switch (hindsight knows I could have paired up DPDT in this one instance) and needed one for the end of the loop to meet the electrical wiring criteria. Jan, Thank you. I like the idea of a 'rivet' in an inconspicuous tie bar. This would still allow me to feed the switch rails by the fixing medium, and with the rivet under the stock rails the rail height would be maintained. It would actually (for me) work better than the bent wire in tube that others have suggested.

Work is ongoing on the station platform. The construction method comprising a 5mm foam board core edged with PECO brick platform mouldings seems to be working well. The ramps have been made with some creative slotting and mitres from the straight pieces to produce the desired angle for the length of slope. I have also taken some time re-organising the mess in my area of the hobby room. The milling machine has been set up and tried out, although running and cutting at 20,000rpm is quite noisy. What is taking considerable time without tangible results is devising a revised TOU (turnout operating unit). The Easitrac TOU is a very clever design, but did not fit with my chosen track bed of 20mm of plywood and the design I implemented, whilst working at present, is non-adjustable and will be imopssible to maintain. I need a new solution before I can progress much further scenically because there is little point in continuing without a solid basis for a model railway in the trackwork. With the track laid the options are more limited. I need something that works with the loose heel switches and that can be installed from above and/or from the sides. It would be preferable to fit within the channels already routed at 2.5mm deep, 2mm below the base of the sleepering (although I could open up the area between the sleepers to produce a 4.5mm deep trench directly under the track. I also want for any tie bar to appear like the real thing. Quite a tall ask, I know. I keep coming back to the idea of an angled plate shaped like the operating rod in the vertical and soldered to a moving sleeper below the baseboard. I haven't solved how this can reliably link to the loose heels because I need to allow for rotation in the joint the switch rails whilst restraining them in the longitudinal direction. Unfortunatly, until I have a complete solution, anything I do further is building on inadequate foundations.

Pete is the reason I joined. He talked me into it over about 2 hours at the Barnsley exhibition in 2003. I'm really glad that he did.

Very useful, but especially so if you would like another distraction from making something I considered buying my mill with what I think is this conversion fitted but at nearly £1000 plus the controller on top it was beyond my means. I'm also excited about seeing the results. *warning - possible thread hi-jack* whilst we're on the subject of mills (and yes I am aware this is a layout topic) has anyone looked into the possibility of pattern milling using the engraving attachment for the MF70?

To avoid possible duplication if I decide to get my finger out, which diagram(s) would it cover.

Looking back to this blog post http://www.rmweb.co....-meet-the-bird/ where you included a picture of the road I would say that the colour is not far wrong for the worn bits, but there are some less worn bits between where tyres have made the most contact. The variation in colours only need be very slightly darker. I'm sorry I can't help with a method.

Despite being out of period for what I would like to portray I have succumbed to the offer of a 2251 bodyshell. Those that did likewise will also need a tender. I have whitemetal tenders from Langley, P&D Marsh and GEM kits but none of them posses the fidelity that an etched one could/should/would have. It might be a plausible proposition for one of the greats in 4mm to reduce one of their kits, or a stand alone kit in 2.06mm, if there is enough demand.

Plan books used to say this in them (at least the C J Freezer one that I read until it fell to bits as a youth did) as a note about reducing the OO plans. OO has 3.5mm track so somewhere between 2/3 to 3/4 is realistic. A full size plan will help a great deal. It was the first thing I did when planning. I expect that you have already born in mind that the fiddle yard would be quite thin and possibly squeezed up in an area between the two boxes when stored?