Horsetan

Pity there wasn't the use of colour film for those

Not anymore it's not!

Unfortunately that works both ways. A couple of years ago, I picked up a part-built Backwoods Miniatures kit for the Industrial Garratt. Whoever had built it (to OO) had used Araldite throughout - body, both chassis, cylinders, the lot. It took at least a month to carve and scrape the dried Araldite off and separate all the parts for proper solder re-assembly; the stuff was everywhere and had set very hard. A proper nightmare. Dunno why people do it that way.

...ironically, that's why FREMO works, because it's an exhibition in itself.

There have been a small number of useful layouts meeting these requirements, including: Borchester Market (OO) Ambergate (originally EM, but now P4) and from time to time magazines such as the now defunct Great Western Railway Journal would publish articles on operations at real locations such as Penzance, accompanied by a track diagram. I still think a FREMO network would give everyone the best chance of operating to a common standard, with trains visibly going from place to place and covering quite a distance in the process.

It certainly feels like that even for P4. I attend three shows a year: ExpoEM Bracknell, RailEx Stoke Mandeville, and Scaleforum - and that's mostly for kit and parts buying direct from the traders, rather than online ordering and waiting for the post.

RS in particular were the only source of subminiature square LEDs (1.5mm x 1.5mm) in 1983. I loved going through their massive catalogue which was at least as thick as the contemporary mail order shopping catalogues from Littlewoods, Kay's, Great Universal Stores, etc.

In my school days, the school had accounts with both RS and Farnell, so this was an ideal way to acquire LEDs, semiconductors, etc. - our CDT Technology and Physics teachers encouraged it so that we could experiment for ourselves. All our individual orders were added onto the fees bill each term, so it was either our parents or the Government (some of us benefitted from the Government Assisted Places Scheme) who paid! I still have loads of RS equipment - LEDs, CMOS-logic chips, a big tub of red resin gel flux (works well on electrics, brass and nickel-silver, and isn't as corrosive as phosphoric acid-based fluxes) - that I dip into, 36 years after leaving school....

Witek was never particularly well-organised. He did have small waves of newish Bachmann stock (such as ex-SDJR 7Fs) coming in which invariably got placed on top of older items.... I always wondered how he was able to unearth anything for customers. God only knows what happened to it all after he closed down.

One in Watford. Grand.

That's the end of that, so. It'll probably become another Turkish barbers / vape shop / mini-mart

There still is, I think, a model shop in Northfields, along the way from the Tube station. It's at 217 Northfield Avenue. I visited a few times when I worked in Ealing. Run by a Polish fella - Witek is his name - and very chaotic - models and boxes all over the place. He only has limited opening hours, as he's actually a teacher/college lecturer.

Sounds like Aston Clinton, in which case that would have been Transport Treasures. That's also gone now. No model railway shops worth the name in London, not since The Engine Shed in Leytonstone shut down following the sudden death of its owner many years ago.

Complete madness. I'd better get on with 21mm'ing that 071 to make it less saleable.

I'm surprised there aren't more Padarn-gauge layouts

....and this type of thing is why I've stuck to plain DC.

Copydex doesn't dry clear, if I remember correctly, but cures into a soft beige gum rubbery substance. Microsol "Krystal Kleer" or similar will set clear. I've used it mostly for signal spectacle glass.

Listening, or tuning out?

Update: Rapido have been quick to reply to say that they will not sell spare parts (they only keep those for warranty claims), so there goes that idea. To be fair, I was expecting this, so it looks like the existing wheelsets will have to be sacrificed for any new tyres.

@Rob R may be able to print some for you....

In order not to ruin the model prematurely, I have sent an enquiry to Rapido to ask if they have any spare wheelsets, bushes and axles available to buy. I think it may be easier to work with these away from the model first. In the event of Rapido's wheels being available, there is a possibility I can have these sent to Ultrascale to have the OO tyres turned off, and the centres pressed into Ultrascale's own bespoke P4 tyres (19mm would be the outer diameter, with a preferred overall width of 1.9mm), and then commission longer shouldered axles.

I'll pass. I've probably devalued mine by converting to 21mm gauge.... Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.

Yes, they are. I haven't pulled the wheelsets out, but I would hope that the springs behind them can be extended.

I'm after opening up the chassis to have a look, and can confirm the following: Driving axles: 2mm diameter - all axles have a serrated central section intended for gear wheels, but only the rear driven axle makes use of this. All axles are supported by sintered square bearings, similar to those seen on the Hornby 08 shunter. Overall wheel width: 2.8mm. There is scope to skim off the rear, which would thin the flanges, but I suspect this will only get you to 2.3mm wide at best - good for EM, but no better. I wonder what the spares situation is? Would it be possible to buy direct from Rapido a set of 8 new drivers and insulating bushes, turn off the tyres on a lathe, and then press the bare wheel centres into new P4 tyres?

Buster had a quite unique, frenetic style of dancing. I can only describe it as a sweating tremble on the spot with much gurning thrown in. At his peak, Buster tipped the scales at around 25 stone. I wonder if his doctor had a word with him about his life expectancy, as he suddenly slimmed considerably down to about 13 and looked much the better for it.