Jimbo1707820979

Thanks, Jimy. The white thing is a "bureau"- a souvenir of my dear parents. I have found a temporary place for my Grand Suspension Bridge on my (latest)no.2 layout. Not ideal but putting my thinking cap on. What great progress you are making. Yes, a third loop would be very worth having, you will find.

Thanks, BB. This clears the fog. So really the colours on the Hornby models are not for the "ultra-purists". Nevertheless, a fine looking loco. Though personally, I would find the difference in colours irritating. For me the black background emblem is much nicer.

The blue Canadian Pacific stem loco appears to have different coloured emblems on either side. Red background on LH, black on RH. Could anyone please confirm this is correct. And which is the "early emblem" and which the "late" ? Thanks for your expert advice.

Pardon my hijacking this thread. Much has been said about "the easiest way to strip gears is by changing direction without stopping the loco". But has anyone had actual experience of this ? Or is it another urban myth ? Moderator’s Note: Jimbo your highjack question is totally unrelated to this topic, so I suggest you raise the question as a new post in the General Section, before anyone answers it, then can you please delete this post yourself using the three vertical dots context menu at the right hand side. Thank you.

Thanks Jimy. re the background -- there actually IS a village named Plush. In Dorset. As to the Crab, there have been complaints about the poor running of some examples due to the expansion of the inner Mazak weights expanding and causing friction. So if you buy one, please make sure first that it is a good runner. That's what I did and am happy with this fine-looking loco.

@jj Many attractive Lima steam locos. Here are some of mine.

Thanks for your input, Gents. This confirms my own opinion. I asked the seller to send a photo of the loco side-by-side with a 00 loco but he sent a view of the bottoms only which told me little. So I called the deal off. @jj you are missing out on some great models at reasonable prices - not £199 +.!!! Some of my best runners are Lima.

I was interested in a Lima SNCF loco which the seller claimed to be 00 gauge. Did Lima ever make any 00 gauge models of foreign locos ?

@BM Wise move. Meanwhile you could take some readings in your loft with a small thermometer to judge what you are up against. Very awkward to have work done on your boarding/insulation if you already have a nice layout installed. Also the question of lighting.

Very important you get your roof insulated, preferably between roof tiles and boarding (if any). Otherwise you will hate being up there. I live in Bournmouth and my loft gets torrid or freezing even though insulated underfoot. So no layout up there. Don't fancy being Santa Klaus. As to baseboard underframing, 2x1 timber quite adequate if supported every 15inches- or 18 inches if harder 'softwood'. Screwed and wood-glued. Preferably countersink the screw heads. (JJ please note. ha-ha)

Maybe you would have been better for you (around) £12 buying the old Hornby R905 which puts out 1.5amps and has nice paddles to reverse or another to control wave. I have 2 and am very pleased with them.

Interesting idea, Jimy, about the backscene. I have also bought the Victorian Suspension bridge and am wondering how to place it. Re your blown-up photo, don't forget to have it "matte" or it might look unreal --a hazy backscene would be even better if you could get the printer to do that. Thanks for the clickable link to YT. There are so many items on YT now that is is sometimes hard to find what you want..

Some lovely ideas. My mind is racing at the thought of viaducts and a Buddhist temple. Great photos, Potterton. Removing wheelie bins, modern cars and road markings would be even better. Perhaps adjusting the light on an editing program might aslo be a good move.

Well done, Jimy for buying a Dremel or similar. So useful for many jobs, esp. cutting or grinding flexirails to the exact length needed. But, please, NEVER use the tool for even the smallest task without eye protection in addition to spectacles if worn. The very high revs of these tools must be treated with great care. Best wishes, Jimbo.

I rather like tanks. Though an earlier model than this if you want Pre-WW2. Also I love those steam-powered lorries of the early 30's though models may be hard to find.

Rob, the brushes come out fairly easily with a few judicious pokes from a small screwdriver or scissors. Also, don't forget to clean up the brass brush-holder backs while they are accessible. Fine emery cloth or similar. As to traction tyres, I agree not good friends. But taking it easy may not hurt them too much. Another reason to avoid locos with traction tyres if you can.

I have been using the Gaugemaster GM-60 for the past 5 years and am very satisfied with it as a quick and effective wheel cleaner, Recent results not so good though. Cause = dirty brushes. So I removed the. and soaked in IPA, then brushed the brushes. Back to 'like new' now. What do you think ?

A great explanation, LC. Thankyou for all your time in framing it. Best wishes, Jimbo.

Thanks so much Howbi. That was the problem. Now running strongly (though at typical Radial slow pace) on DCC. On Analogue a very poor performer. The loco bought new so no "optimistic" eBay description though I very much agree with those other comments. Myself, I have been very lucky with eBay purchases. Only about 2% disappointing.

Watching Sam's Trains on YT it seems that the poor running of this loco was due to congealing of the lubricant inserted at manufacture. My own model runs poorly but before taking it apart and maybe turning it form "poor runner" to "non-runner" I would like to ask if anyone else has experience on this ?

As a temporary insulation a piece of Blue Tack is quite convenient (But don't forget it !)

Good tip from Rog. Also, different colours of heat-shrink can be useful for identification.

Jimy, I believe either Hornby or Peco offer the correct screws, in packets, for your purposes. Have a look on their websites or eBay. Save you a lot of messing around with hardware suppliers and maybe getting the wrong stuff. Near the sensitive places I would drill the rails every second rail to be quite sure of rigidity -- maybe for a foot or so.

In the ads these look good. But are they really worth buying ? Some experiences would be welcomed.

Hello rman. Those are very expensive locos to have as non-runners. Have you inspected them very closely for such things as tiny objects stuck to the underside, dirty wheels etc.? Sorry if this is just stating the obvious. As your other locos are running Ok it would seem the problem lies in that direction.