Robert Shrives

Brilliant move and bound to sell well - I will place an order once that is in place. It will good to see the real loco in the future. And no doubt it be kept a lot cleaner than some locos in the past . Robert

Mike , They look brilliant and will ensure rtr models advertised shortly ! About an hour ago I added the etched frames to my MV / C class found in a box with a engine shed full of other part built resin, cast whitemetal offerings - I have 2 silver Fox A class and a white metal one. couple of Hunslet diesels - one now maroon. a resin 121 now in orange and a MIR 111 with broken handrails ... your efforts put mine to shame you have finished a two locos and the Sulzer B is coming on well- but looks like a lot of glazing to fit. Robert

Railtec now do lovely set of bodyside transfers which saves spraying the blue - stripes with or without white stripes as well. This a no number version but others available. Robert

Well mine landed today, great work by all involved . I look forward to future models - even if my account might not be so keen. I recall seeing comments on keg and pallets as an accessory pack will this be soonish? Also what chance packs of bogies ? Thanks Robert

Yes , sorry , must try harder ! Hopefully in a few years a class 80 might rub shoulders with the 205 .. Robert

A real rolling advert for IRM, just missing a ballast or three! Thanks for showing. Robert

Good to see these looks so well , my two packs seem caught in a postal time warp/ black hole having now had three differing emails from PO, and getting delivery to my local PO for today nothing came except another no- reply email saying at Sorting office - which is only doing redelivery and saying I can pick it up !! go figure . Hopefully tomorrow... Robert

At least one UK signalling centre is built into an equally uninspiring block house but is in a blast proof windowless bunker room within . Yet New st station concrete block of a signal box is now a grade 2 listed building to celebrate brutalist design, this new suggested horror for Dublin might match the rest of the redeveloped city so in 50 years time when most has been rebuilt again this will be seen as a gem... or an eyesore to remind others of the stupidity of "designers" of the era. To me it has neither form or function in good light and if like Derby ROC a dead head white elephant as a carbuncle by an old friend but time will tell. Hope funds allow an out of city emergency control centre with ability to function when this is a target. Such blatant target information is a risk to all who there and the network and thus the country as a whole. Robert

Big joke would seem to be staff parking on picture if it is 5 floors . Recent developments in slashing public transport have shown the issue of getting staff to work - most live so far away from work that cars is the go to safe easy alternative. I am sure that there are measures in place but putting all eggs in one basket in such a over seen place strikes me as fool hardy. York ROC came within inches of flooding after it was built on the flood plain in York, the river kindly showed the supidity... if lost nothing Doncaster - Durham signalling wise and no comms Kings Cross - Berwick on Tweed, So no ECML... I recall 3 mile island ... It is just cost efficient when it works well but degraded and incident operation falls over and network becomes a laughing stock. I am sorry to see Ireland will see network suffer at what to some seems a great leap forward - at believing their own press releases! Robert

Thanks, I will slide back under my rock !! I now have 6 N bubbles with pipe work glued on just to fit tail to the large outlet pipe on platform. With heavy weathering no need for decals ! The 111 now is 49 356 Fantasy loco. Robert

Hi Did the Lima N have any connection with Rivarossi in the first instance ? My tiny mind is trying to tell me it did but you will know better than me ! Robert

Yes Lima N has origins with Wrenn N and this was merrily overscale to allow motors to fit but had under length trainset coaches , some wagon mouldings were very good in details but oversize. The UK class 31 diesel could with care, razor saw and a little prayer be converted to a near scale model. Albeit needing a brand new chassis . The Deltic was a laugh being too short but way to wide and high with tiny bogies. It also ran poorly. There was a german V60 given the UK class 17 makeover and a dock shunter that was based on a USA Plymouth switcher IIRC. The 3F was like the Deltic in many ways. All worth collecting to show how times and tech has changed but for anything else well each to their own. Wheels were great for cutting food ! Track was code 80 and utter rubbish. Robert

Now you have said that I guess in short order somebody will try! Lovely photos thanks for showing Robert

Hi Some of the shapeways designs showing age but in latest materials possible better , I got an 071 but lines on bonnet sides to hard to sand , it has ended up as a class 49 BR large blue fantasy livery. The 6 cement bubbles I got at same time are on parkside dundas N soc chassis kits and added etched details cobbled from leftovers and some signal ladders and plastic rod for pipeworks - all still works in progress and getting there slowly. N gauge Mk3s can be repainted from dapol but doors wrong of course and Adam Warr did some vinyls as well. Mk2s from same artwork source but on your own for steam genbrakes . A dutch steam van on Shapeways. Also 201 IIRC for a dapol 66 as easiest to cut about having plastic chassis parts. Given gauge at 9mm is narrow to better 10.5 its all impressionist art really. Robert

Lovely work and as said clean soldering does improve - as does regular cleaning. The thought processes in making up bits and trying before final fixing is really necessary .On one job I did we worked out as much coffee drunk as gallons of diesel purchased - we pointed out coffee was cheaper than diesel - it is all in the planning that money can be saved ! FWIW DCC supplies have stocks of Archers rivets and currently dispatch twice a week ( Mon and Thurs) https://www.dccsupplies.com/cat-583/rivets-and-fixings.htm Will get in the right part of the website. Robert

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/155370-nir-bogie-hoppers/ Good thread of a wagon build Robert

A friends dad had his job change at Westinghouse when on a Friday an order for castings dating back 40 odd years came in for a level crossing pedestal (IIRC) he could have left it to Monday but went to the stores to discover the pattern going into a skip - he stopped it and then complained to the suits now in charge. I think the Level crossing had been involved in an incident in NI. in the late 1970s - but that might wide of the mark so many years later. As suits had decreed any pattern not used in x years was scrap it was to go as an asset strip accountancy exercise. He kindly noted that items for LT underground had castings as a basis from the 1930s - standardisation at its best and throwing patterns away would cost the business contracts and thus profits if the supply was to fail. he ended up been the pattern keeper archivist and go to guy as a result. All as the result of diligence. Bang went the Industry , I believe now only offices in Chippenham such is the state of the signalling industry. Funnily said suit in chief was my General manager on the Ffestiniog Railway in the late 1980s. Not a person person it has to be said but adept at getting the best out of the accounts- "difficult decisions" as noted above costing friends their jobs.

Adam at Electra Graphics is to produce overlays and templates to convert MK3s to a suitable base for overlays to go with the Lads Class 89 project with Rails of Sheffield. I have asked if IR versions possible.. time will tell. https://www.facebook.com/Electra-Rail-108205092546125/ Robert

Thanks for updates good to see perfection improves ! Robert

Hi Steve as a one man band is busy- I think he pulls 27 hour shifts most days !! made worse by the viral event . JHB try his "contact us" page - it worked for me the other day . His site contact email link I recall was OOS during an upgrade a short while ago. Steve does when time allow look over at these pages. I think a while back he had stopped on some very esoteric suggestions - trade off on time V money back in the tin . A slight revision on newer packs works better hence his complete loco pack idea - you order and he will respond PDQ to get number required. Like my 3mm class 40 106/ D200 pack it then goes on general release as it is easy to push the go button. Older packs may well be on older version softwear and Steve tries to convert to latest version - sometimes being the perfectionist this is a total redraw as a slight improvement on perfection is possible ! As a hobby were are so very lucky to be supported by such sole traders . The 201 pack was a surprise but possibly it was commissioned by a fellow on this forum - if it was you thanks ! Robert

Hi New transfers from Steve , £9.50 a pop looking the deal with V.6 printed plates 3D printed on trasfers, folk will be printing cream teas next ! Stay safe and keep well . Robert

I have just got my N version for the older sprung as the NEM version sold out twice already. I think they win on things like emus or fixed rake stock as they are easy to point and couple under corridor connections which you can do with other couplers but heights etc make for unreliability. I have fitted corridor connections to a 4 CIG emu so that I can make a 3CIG if wanted so a little thought on coupler orientation and corridor ends to fit. It does mean that it is possible to only couple in the correct formation, which will be a boon at shows when others roped in to rail stock. I think they make the interwagon space look sparce and odd having two dustbin lids rather than a "delicate" looking link and a brake pipe. Tension locks ,kaydees and others mentioned above give the fussy look in between which my eyes make right to what the grey cells know what should be there. N couplers unless using some DGs or similar etched affairs looked after carefully have to be functional but robust to take the rough and tumble of stock in the "wild world" outside the factory gate. As a result are visually battering rams! Happy modelling Robert

Nicely Ex Works! Neat construction and a good add to the roster. Hopefully when newness wears off some weathering where crew have battered it a bit and the soft rain has fallen and started the gentle decomposing of the tin! Thanks for showing and glad to know almost all ok and life grinds on ! Modelling hopefully gives a get-away period for you. Robert

Hi got several part built looked to making a comet style kit with a brass end vice the overlay road as it means less chopping about with ends available as parts and better bogies available than the lima offerings. Robert

I was lucky enough to have a look in the cab at Stoke where it was converted, bits of 141 cab were on the floor waiting to be inserted - these had been awaited, I offered to tidy up but told only just enough had been supplied . The cab was a bit of a mess and it is possible it was never finished in Stoke. good project I used some cast parts and a Airfix brake for mine, like you hacking into a locomotive priced coach was somewhere I did not want to go at the time , so good luck and enjoy the journey ! Robert