John Isherwood

Just zoom the image - WEST EALING/ FOR ENGINEERS/USE ONLY CJI.

Exactly!! I have never worried about the odd spoke here or there! Obviously, if the correct wheel is easily available, use it - but if not, no worries! CJI.

Frankly, unless the model is going to spend its life in a showcase, why bother? On a working loco, viewed from a normal operating distance, the Markits securing nuts are not noticeable when painted black. CJI.

Not if you have no interest in Deltics, it shouldn't!!! Balance of coverage is essential in order to retain a broad readership. CJI.

Read the Rails blurb - it's a what-if livery. CJI.

Just guessing - but the tubular item is probably just clipped between the two ends - the joints are clearly visible. Try prising the ends away from the cylinder - which may then pop out. CJI.

Any artists' supplies shop - just buy the most expensive watercolour brushes that you can afford. CJI.

If the coupling rod on the other side also remained in place, it might explain why the driving wheels have remained in sync. Perhaps just a quick experiment to see if the principle was mechanically viable? CJI.

That was, until recently, the case in Greece. The loophole has now been closed, with the result that towns look someone tidier than hitherto! CJI.

My considerable fleet of Mk.1s is almost entirely composed of Tri-ang Hornby, Lima, Replica and the cheapo magazine Bachmann clones. With a little work, these can all be brought up to an excellent standard. I have drawn a line at fitting flush glazing but, due to uniformity within the fleet, this is not noticeable. The best bit, though, is that you can have a full rake for the price of a couple of coaches at today's prices! John Isherwood.

...... and for those wishing to go a little further - the solebars benefit from being moved inwards. CJI.

So John Smith, CEO of GB Railfreight, refers to their new Class 99 locomotive as a "train"?!? CJI.

In which case, perhaps a note in your thread title that critical comments will be ignored might save the time of the minority. CJI.

Scratchbuilding! Obtain some brass shim the same thickness as the etch; (Google will help); and trace round the etched wrapper. Then add the extra width in the areas that you have identified as too narrow; and mark out the correct rivet positions. Punch through the rivets - you can pre-drill part way through the shim if necessary. Then cut out the new, correct component, being careful not to damage the rivets. You are now a scratchbuilder! John Isherwood.

Not really surprising - the number of alternatives needed to cover the geographical range of model locations would be wholly prohibitive! CJI.

I cannot help but wonder why Darius43 posts his builds here - unless he expects nothing but unsullied praise! One can come to no other conclusion, given that he admits to becoming "belligerent when being told what I should and shouldn’t do in what is supposed to be fun". No-one here tells others what to do - they offer their personal perspective on what is displayed; it is for the OP to decide whether to take notice. I suspect that the majority of members will continue to make honest comment - praise or criticism - concerning any model images posted here. If Darius43 objects to the latter, it might be better not to post in the first place? CJI.

I have to say that I agree with the advice not to model a model. There really is no need when there is such a wealth of prototypical information available nowadays. No one is saying that every model should be 100% accurate, or complete in every detail, but knowing what the prototype looked like can only result in a better model. CJI.

Exactly - I was struggling to recall that name. CJI.

As I recall, there was a higher roof variant of the same prototype vehicle; used for theatrical scenery. I am sure that I modelled it years ago - I'll see if I can find it. CJI.

I am happy to be corrected on this point - cement does seem to have been amongst the products carried in L-containers. I think that there has been a fairly widespread belief that they were used solely for cement traffic, which was certainly NOT the case. I think that Tunstead had a regular traffic in L-containers, which presumably carried limestone in one form or another? CJI.

I'm not sure that L containers were ever used for cement; I think of them being used in limestone traffic. I'm guessing here but, as limestone was used as a catalyst in steel-making, it may well be that the containers were craned directly to, and discharged into, the furnace. The fact that containers were used may well be due to the limestone having been specially prepared; eg. ground / dried to a powder? This would explain the need for smaller capacity containers; limestone in larger quantities was usually transported in hopper wagons. CJI.

Nice work - but I would be wary of the unpredictable results of partial inhebriation! When I used the pen and ink method, I found it essential to copy prototypical images in order to ensure variety in writing styles. When it came to designing transfer markings, I found the huge number of different fonts available a boon in varying styles. John Isherwood.

Surely 1.0mm x 0.5mm implies 1.0mm OD with 0.5mm ID? I'd expect 2.0mm x 1.0mm to indicate 2.0mm OD with 1.0mm ID. CJI.

Looks like they've forgotten to renew their domain subscription. CJI.

The lining was, I believe, pale green; I suspect that this was Ruston's standard finish, over which the BR crest and cabside lettering were applied. Regards. John Isherwood.