RedRich

Fran Dapol were supposed to be releasing a Freightliner HXA wagon, well at least they announced that they were. If they produce the type with the SCT Ber 24.5 bogie they might release the bogies as a spare and that would be one less change to make. They look great BTW and well done Retailers for bringing another fine model of the current scene to the market . Rich, Rich,

I wonder did Steve ever get around to building that 21mm layout Jim, as it looked promising. Rich,

John I think it's fair to say that you are the Daddy of 21mm on this forum. I had no idea that P4 Track Co produced axles in 28mm to order, I will have to investigate further. Their pin point axles are a work of art and their wheels are steel which is a bonus as I am using steel bullhead and flat bottom rail from the same company. Thanks for the northyard link John it looks very interesting. Rich,

Are we talking about something along the lines of the bogies that Bill Bedford produces Des, where it is a sprung bogie as opposed to a compensated bogie as produced by MJT. Something designed and produced definitively for MM Cravens and MK11's would be a God send. Rich,

Apologies for not mentioning them in my post Des. I have seen them in operation and they produce flawless running. Rich,

What a bass player Fran, I have some of his solo work, I was only listening to Take me to God the other day. I was watching P.I.L. live the other night on Sky Arts from last year I think. Much better seeing John in his natural environment instead of advertising butter. Rich,

Just checked them out mate I love it. Everyone has a talent but it also takes hard work, dedication, trial and error to get to that level and you have to put in the hours to keep raising the bar. You set yourself a very high standard Anto and you deserve all the plaudits you get for your work . Rich,

Anto take a few shots of the models out in natural daylight and you will really have people looking twice to see if it is real or a model. Rich,

Also picked up Pil's new album last week, still have to have a proper listen though. Fran did Jah Wobble ever return to the line up after the earlier years. Rich,

The obsessive part comes into play when the track just doesn't look right, and you keep trying until you think it is. Then you decide to model the point rodding pulley's and stools for the rodding. You know what I mean Des, because you won't leave the lathe until the master is 100% right, or the cad for that matter. Rich,

Don't forget the Anatov. Rich,

Pink Floyd The Wall Live, Track, Run Like Hell. Rich,

That's really fine work Eamonn and I mean that most sincerely. It's a great advert for how good Des's kit really is, I love it . Rich,

Delighted you sorted the problem Stephen. How many great inventions and plans first saw the light of day over a cup of Rosie. The Cobalts are my preferred option for operating points and signals when I get building on the layout. I downloaded the manual and had a good read (90 + pages) and they really are amazing. Rich,

I love it Anto great work . It's a fantastic model out of the box and definitely one of Bachmanns best. Rich,

Hi Luc, if you are going to model 21mm you have 2 choices, do you want to work to S4 standards where the wheels and track are an exact scale, or a less severe standard of 21mm akin to Em gauge where you can use more tolerable wheels with a more generous flange thickness. I would recommend compensating all wagons, coaches, and steam locomotives. Diesel locos don't need to be compensated but that doesn't mean that some modellers have not done it. Carriage Compensation Units CCU's are available from Dart Castings under the MJT range and they can also be used for bogie wagon stock as well as coaches as they come in different wheelbases. 2 and 3 axle vehicles would require etched W irons or inside bearings. You will need 28mm pin point axles for the wider gauge, Keen Maygib and Alan Gibson produce wheels that would suit all vehicles. Branclines produce wheelsets with 28mm pin point axles. The Scalefour Stores seem to be out of stock on Alan Gibson 28mm pin point axles at the moment. Ultrascale will provide wheels and 28mm pin point axles on request but there would be a waiting period for these. Track and Back to back gauges can be purchased from the Scalefour stores and you have to be a member to use this service. I have measured sleepers on the area of the network that I am modelling and they tend to measure 8ft 6 inch's to 8ft 8 inch's on wooden sleepers. Concrete sleepers can be bought from C&L Finescale and Peco produce some concrete panels also. Peco produce packs of pandrol clips for flat bottom rail but they are a bit overscale. I am using P4 Track Co concrete sleeper panels stretched for the correct gauge as they are manufactured for 18.83mm modellers. The P4 Track Co and C&L Finescale produce all the materials you would need for building track except correct gauges for 21mm. If you want to avail of track and rail filing jigs as well as all the other gauges you would need to join the Scalefour Society. Please feel free Luc to ask any questions as there are a few of us that are modelling 21mm and we will always be glad to answer any questions. Rich,

Sex and drugs and rock and roll is also a great tune. Anyone see the movie of his life with Andy Serkis. Rich,

Stephen if they are giving problems on points then I would say that there is a problem with the back to back settings on the wheels. Rich,

Des a couple of my mates went to see Queen at Slane in 86 and were nearly squashed to death when the Bangles came on as everyone wanted to get up close to check out the totty. They said due to the conditions (a mud bath) and poor sound through the mixing desk it was s**t gig. Live Aid made U2's career and saved Queens. I remember some reports at the time saying that Springsteen wouldn't play the London show due to Queen being on the bill, as they had played a gig the previous year in South Africa. Springsteen was hugely involved with Amnesty International at the time, and he was in Europe at that time touring Born in the USA. I remember that Self Aid gig in the RDS in 86 and Chris Rea was fantastic on that day also. Rich,

Stephen check the flange thickness on the wheels. If you are using code 75 track it could well be that the wheels are fouling the chairs on the track. If that is the case you should invest in some RP25 wheelsets. Another way to guarantee better running over the lifetime of the wagons would be to use a sub frame and attach the sideframes to it cosmetically. There is obviously something awry with the build of the bogies if it is not the wheels themselves as the track looks to have been laid flawlessly. Rich,

152 187 134 086 220 I won't name any kettles as they are something that I would never have seen everyday, in everyday use. Rich,

The Boss is constantly striving to make the site as user friendly as it can be, and keeping it fresh for everyone of the members. Rich,

Stephen do you have a back to back gauge. It could also be that the wheels are out of gauge on the axle. I was always of the opinion that MIR used metal wheelsets, all of the kits I have ever built have had metal wheelsets provided, a lot of them are incorrectly provided with 3 hole disc wheelsets and I used to always swap them for Alan Gibson disc wheelsets. A back to back gauge is an essential part of any modellers tool box and it is well worth investing in one. The wagons look to be weathered check and see if there is any paint on the wheel threads. A bit of oil in the bearings always make for a smoother running bogie too. Failing all that Stephen go with the other advice and by some Bachmann disc wheelsets of the correct radius and you should be alright. Rich,

I was having a look at what we have had released so far in 2012 and looking at what is to come later in the year. So far we have had, MM201's SSM 30 Ton Brake Van Silver Fox PP car and coaches, and MK111 Gen Van Glendergs buildings Future releases include, SSM Sulzer Maybe more MM 201's and MK11's MM 071-111 Commissioned by the retailers Autoballasters Dave and Marks DD Vehicles Jim Poots Bus models If there is anything that I have forgotten or was not aware of, please feel free to add it in you're own post. I can't ever remember so many new models being released in one calender year before. It is good to see that the hobby is doing so well and 2012 is the definitely the definitive year for Irish Modelling. Rich,

I was having a look at Dave and Marks excellent pre production model of the DD DVT and I was thinking how refreshing it is to see the manufacturers and retailers posting and displaying pre production models for us prospective buyers. We have had early pre and production viewing of the SSM loco and brake van, the DD DVT and coaches from Dave and Mark, the fully painted samples of the autoballasters from the retailers, the pre production pics and displaying of the MM 071-111 locos, Mayners Luggage Vans, and Glendergs amazing buildings. I would like to say thanks and fair play to all the above mentioned for a great show of faith in their products and caring enough about their customers by keeping us informed and up to date with news regarding future releases . Rich,