CWJ

Sounds like a rule made up by a paranoid lawyer rather than someone who actually understands the technology. A bit like people who are convinced their brains are being microwaved by nearby power lines. While it's not impossible for a mobile phone to interfere with communications between pump and cashier, the latter would have to be using a very unusual serial protocol that isn't compliant with well-established international standards... so not impossible, but the same could be said for drinking your tea through a hosepipe. Not sensible, and highly unlikely. It had never occurred to me that distraction could be a safety hazard either. The worst you could do is put the wrong fuel in your car, or maybe dribble a bit of fuel on the ground (which happens anyway and will be dealt with by the drainage system), neither of which are safety issues. Could they perhaps be thinking of simultaneous hazards, e.g. motorist forgets to put his fag out because he's on the phone? Well, we've really enjoyed the hilarious side of this sign now, haven't we? 🤣 Cheers, Will

Fridge Over the River Kwai. Ah feck it, feckin breeeeeeeeeeek! (Sorry, am catching up after a couple of days).

The KWVR does very well for film and TV work, including some using visiting locos and stock. https://kwvr.co.uk/tv-film/ I do enjoy seeing what these creative showbiz types can do with a familiar location. The recent remake of Swallows and Amazons superimposed footage of the Worth Valley's 4F over the GNR's nearby, but long-closed, Queensbury branch. The loco crew were later heard to boast that they were the first to take a train over Hewenden Viaduct since 1963. Cheers, Will

Hi Captain, I fashioned my own replacement brass gears by cutting down a similar type from China via Ebay. Others have purchased replacements from Ultrascale. I can't answer your specific question, but there's a good discussion here (containing a link to another discussion too) so the answer might be in there somewhere: Cheers, Will

"Which was nice".

I've always thought these, and the Austrian version, were nice-looking trains, and would like to ride them one day. Don't blame you in the slightest for letting it run on your Welsh layout! Cheers, Will

Is someone going to say it, or are we all just going to think it?

Here's the assembled pan, with plastic insulators clamped between the pan base and the roof, so no need for glue. Strictly speaking the supplied insulators are probably a bit lavish for 600V DC, but they look neat and hold the pan at the right height. Also, from the complete lack of clear photos online, I assume hardly anyone really knows what the real insulators actually look like. By the way, this method insulates the pantograph from the metal bodyshell so it would be suitable for current collection; you'd just need to attach a wire to the screw head inside the tram. It looks much more like the real thing with a pantograph on it, so that was a satisfying job. Blackening the metal also means I don't have to worry about the moving parts getting clogged with paint. Cheers, Will

What follows could be useful to anyone fitting a Corgi Balloon tram with a Sommerfeldt pantograph. The tramcar roof comes with a hole which is larger than the fixing screw that comes with the pan. I decided to use the base of Corgi's plastic pantograph as a kind of spacer, but fitted from the inside. This is what it looks like: On the inside of the roof, I had to cut down the diecast boss below the pan. This and some other parts of the moulding were crudely attacked with a large drill bit, taking great care not to go through the roof! I couldn't get a file in to tidy these up, so they'll remain a mess for ever more, but out of view so I don't care. Poking the plastic pan base through from below, and trimming the round part a little, the screw is now in exactly the right place to fix the pan down.

All the blackened parts ready for reassembly... ...and after the three-dimensional puzzle of putting it back together. It needs weathering, but it looks better for not being bright red!

Just to finish off yesterday's update, the destination boxes are now glued together and the joints have been filled and sanded. This is important because on the real thing the box seems to be one pressing from sheet metal (or maybe a GRP moulding, but either way it's a one-piece item with no joins on the front). I'll come back to those when I've built up the motivation to solder some more surface-mount LEDs. For a more satisfying diversion, I decided to work on the pantograph. As supplied, this model is painted bright red, so I partly-disassembled it and gave it a bath in acetone (nail varnish remover): After bring stripped and cleaned, here are the bits alongside an untreated pan: I was then going to paint the parts a dirty black colour, but the blackened pan head gave me an idea. According to the internet, steel can be blackened by heating it until dark red and then quenching in motor oil, so that's what I did. No dramatic photos of me wielding the blowtorch, but hopefully you can see the difference: It's a bit blotchy but I wanted the pan to look weathered anyway so that's fine. One of the springs got damaged by the heat, I should really have been more careful or just left the springs unblackened. Then, almost inevitably, I lost the other spring. Thankfully I had a spare one from a different type of pantograph. To be continued...

These were really awkward to hold and the file went deep into my thumb on at least one occasion! A more intelligent modeller would have made some sort of jig to hold the piece still, or maybe glued it to the tram before filing. Unfortunately one box broke when I was drilling the starting-hole for filing. This die-casting metal is fairly flimsy, especially when a ham-fisted Yorkshireman is taking his cordless drill to it. But it will all be glued to the tramcar and covered in filler anyway, so it's not the end of the world. Viewed from behind, the hole in the box is slightly larger than the hole in the brass, which I hope will allow me to glaze it neatly. ...and from the front: Finally, I rubbed the parts down ready for glueing and filling: These bits have now been glued together with 2-part epoxy for maximum strength, but the glue is taking a long time to 'go off' so I hope I mixed it correctly. In the next thrilling update I'll be attaching the pantograph and illuminating the destination blinds. Cheers, Will

As I slowly work my way up the tram (excluding the bogies - they're in the too-difficult pile for now!), it's now the turn of the top deck. I started by cutting away some seat bases to make room for the rectifier and voltage regulator beneath. I then removed Corgi's incorrect bannister panels and replaced them with my own etches which actually allow the little folk to climb the stairs. These will also conveniently make the capacitor virtually invisible. It's the only physically large piece of electrickery that I couldn't hide anywhere but the stairwell. The etched panel is fitted with some 0.5mm brass wire handrails which will also conduct said electrickery up to the ceiling for the top deck's lighting. The upstairs interior being pretty much ready for painting, I moved on to the exterior. The destination blinds are a bit 2-dimensional, so I'd like to have a go at glazing and illuminating them. I started by marking out; the two existing holes are for positioning pegs on the destination box: Then a rectangular hole was drilled and filed. This is just to let the light through from the LEDs, it won't be visible later: This area will be covered by the destination boxes, and they will need a somewhat neater hole in the front, so I included them in my etch: To be continued...

I got this lamp/magnifier from Hobbycraft and am very happy with it. Seems well made, and the light is bright and well-dispersed. https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/the-daylight-company-mag-lamp-s/6378721000.html For context, I have good eyesight and don't wear glasses, but returning to modelling at the age of 40 after a 10-year break I found myself struggling with really tiny details. Cheers, Will

I was about to be a clever clogs and assert that the brake pipes ARE duplicated on the power cars, but I must have been thinking of the trailers. The camera never lies; no bonus points for me. Cheers, Will