John Isherwood

The profile was certainly dire, but the axles could be assembled dead straight by using a sleeve of aluminium tube - handily available in the metals rack in the model shop. I certainly managed to run Airfix kit wheels on Hornby Dublo 3-rail track. In my more impecunious days, I developed a batch process whereby plastic Ratio kit wheels were cut from their axles, reprofiled and drilled, and mounted on new pinpoint axles obtained cheaply from Alan Gibson. They ran extremely well, except for attracting rail muck. Regards, John Isherwood.

Me neither - six of Diagram 501, and two of diagram 507 - but all B&W. Regards, John Isherwood.

I now know that the triangular box under the RH cab front window denotes a 'Red Triangle' (control code), Diagram 501 / 507, very early (first?) variant of the Derby Lightweights. Yep - I've been doing my homework !! Regards, John Isherwood.

Thanks both. My mouse, desk and chair usually suit me fine - it was a definite over-indulgence in mouse / keyboard work that caused the problem, which has responded to anti-inflamatory medication. Regards, John Isherwood.

Pretty much my attitude, too, Tony - until the last few days. The recent weather, combined with the absence of certain essential modelling components, prompted me to tidy up my digital railway photo collection. The big 'don't go there' section was the DMUs; nearly all images were labelled UNIDENTIFIED_xxx.jpg !!! So I decided to try and identify as many images as possible; relying largely on https://www.railcar.co.uk/ . As, to my mind, the TOPS designations are inappropriate for the first generation DMUs that predated that system, I used the official BR Diagram numbers to classify the images. I was astonished to find the variety of types which existed; the Derby Lightweights, for instance, comprised an entire family; rather than the small number of largely identical vehicles that I'd hitherto imagined. It is true that certain variants take a lot of close inspection to differentiate between, and I had to reject quite a few front-profile and platform-side views. (If you think that the B1s are a diverse subject, try DMUs). Nonetheless, I am suceeding in bringing some order to the previous chaos, and I have learned an immense amount about a fascinating subject. ...... oh, and I have the distinct beginnings of RSI in my right shoulder, as a consequence of excessive mouse usage. Regards, John Isherwood.

Looking at other photos of the same motor - the brushes are not carbon-tipped; just metal strips which would not have a long life IMHO. Regards, John Isherwood,

Alan, I am not going to represent myself as any form of expert on assessing model loco speeds; just an average modeller who can tell if a loco performs as I would wish. All I can say is that my locos are intended to run on a model of Evercreech Junction (S&DJR) set in 1961. To be acceptable, they will have to be capable of running in a prototypical manner when hauling long trains. It is clearly essential to select the appropriate gearbox ratio for the intended application and, as I use High Level gearboxes exclusively, I always consult their on-line speed calculator before ordering. Combined with the Mitsumi performance sheet, it is easy to get the right combination for any application. Suffice to say that unbuilt several loco projects, for which I have had Mashima motors in stock for some time, have recently had Mitsumi motors substituted. Regards, John Isherwood.

One of the characteristics of the Mitsumi motor is that it runs significantly slower than the equivalent Mashima motor. I find this useful, as a lower reduction gear ratio is required, and / or smooth and slow running is improved. Regards, John Isherwood.

ABS plastic, the same as the original Plastruct - use Plastic Weld solvent. Regards, John Isherwood.

It is true that there are plenty of solders for different applications, and I probably have the majority of them. Nonetheless, I find that 90% of the soldering that I do uses good old electrician's resin cored solder. Not because that is the 'correct' solder to use, but because it is nearest to hand and works. I even use it for soldering whitemetal if I am in a lazy and optimistic mood !! Regards, John Isherwood.

It is worth mentioning that the Mitsumi motor has conventional carbon brushes. They are not easily replaceable but the life expectancy would be very considerable, and the price of the motor itself renders brush replacement pointless. M15N-3 spec sheet.pdf Regards, John Isherwood.

Yes, I was aware of them; MOY were based at Colchester - fairly local to Southwold. PEATE had some on the Welshpool and Llanfair; but, again, a local trader. Regards, John Isherwood.

Tony, I'm afraid that I cannot agree - I spent many hours on Birmingham Snow Hill station at the time that the 'Westerns' were being introduced. The ex-works maroon locos were an exact match for a clean maroon coach, though the mass of unlined maroon could fool the eye into thinking that the loco was a richer shade than the lined coach. Close up, though, it was evident that the same paint had been used; moreover, the contemporary railway press confirmed that the intention was for the loco to match its train. Regards, John Isherwood.

It does strike me as odd that certain people seem to think that the difference between my bulk purchase price of motors and the selling price is pure profit - especially when the postage alone costs more than the motor! On that basis, the likes of Tesco, Asda etc. should be operating as selfless, munificent foundations, and charging a fraction of their current prices - yeah right !! Regards, John Isherwood.

Thank you - you are in good company. Regards, John Isherwood.

No harm whatsoever - so long as future generations are not mislead by present-day RTR. Regards, John Isherwood.

.... and that way you, my customers and I are all happy. Your original post was an unnecessary snipe and, ultimately, to no purpose as far as those who choose to buy from a source which they trust. Each to their own, as you so correctly point out. Regards, John Isherwood,

How else would most people read "The motors are the same as anyone can buy direct from China for under a pound. So that's £7 for a couple of screws and a diagram"? I have offered a complete breakdown of my costs, and still you say "in my opinion, your price gives poor value for money". If your analysis of my offer of these motors was a fair one, I would now be sitting on the best part of the original 100 Mitsumi motors. As it is, the buyers of well in excess of 1000 motors disagree with you. I rest my case. Regards, John Isherwood.

Completely true - IF you are able to order 1000+ motors (or more in many cases). Regards, John Isherwood.

All very picturesque, but hardly representative of the British narrow gauge prototype. Which national trader was going to pay for their own PO wagons, or to have their livery painted on a tiny company goods wagon, carrying a tiny proportion of their total goods sales? ..... and yes, I am aware of those very few POs who did so; (notably NOT national brands, but local traders). Regards, John Isherwood.

No-one is forcing anyone to buy Bachmann's products. You have chosen to boycott them - but I can't see that worrying Bachmann; nor can I see your action, or that of Hattons, materially affecting Bachmann's overall sales. In fact, there may well be a consequential surge in business for smaller retailers - which has to be good for the survival of UK model railway outlets. Regards, John Isherwood.

Ruston (sorry to address you so, not knowing your real name), Having re-read your e-mail and detected, as I'm sure most other readers will have, a note of contemptuous dismissal, and an implication that my actions are somehow underhanded, deceptive or otherwise dishonest, I feel compelled to respond to you in more detail. Some four or more years ago, at the time that I was commencing the build of an MPD kit for an LMS 3F 0-6-0, I became aware that the demise of Mashima motors was not far off. I therefore searched the internet for alternatives and chanced upon an overseas trader offering the Mitsumi Japanese motor. The specification being similar to the Mashima motor, I decided to purchase a couple to try; one to go into the MPD 3F. I had not used the internet for overseas purchases before, and was not confident that I would receive the goods ordered. Nonetheless, the motors duly appeared and seemed ideal for the 3F project. I was writing a thread, here on RMweb, concerning the MPD 3F build, and I mentioned the alternative Mitsumi motor that I was trialling in place of the usual Mashima. Performance was excellent, and I reported this in my build thread. I was immediately contacted by list members asking if I could supply the Mitsumi motor for them to try. The motors were, at that time, being offered by only a couple of sources, which also indicated that availability of supply was limited and unlikely to be long-term. Since I foresaw a considerable personal need for these motors, and in view of the demand from other modellers, I ordered a job lot of 100 motors. The motors came fitted with brass worms, which required removal before the motors could be used with High Level, etc. gearboxes. The fixing holes on the Mitsumi motors were arranged differently to those on Mashima motors, and fixing screws were not supplied. So, I removed the worms from 100 motors; (not a five minute task I can assure you); devised, drew up and printed an installation diagram for third party users, and sourced a bulk supply of fixing screws, which were not available in single digit quantities. I added the Mitsumi motors to my transfer website, pricing them at the same unit price as a standard transfer sheet, which includes UK P&P. Orders came in at a rate way in excess of that which I had anticipated - though perhaps not surprisingly, given that the price is around half of that of the equivalent Mashima motor. I quickly found myself having to seek alternative suppliers for the motors, (the original sources quickly drying-up); and on-line availability has subsequently become more widespread. Demand has moderated over time - no doubt due to more modellers deciding to self-source - but I continue to receive a steady flow of orders. The attraction for customers seems to be that I am an easily identifiable, UK source of the Mitsumi motor, with a good service reputation, offering by-return delivery of single or multiple numbers of motors complete with fixing screws and installation information, and who can be easily contacted in the unlikely case of problems. As to the price that I charge - currently £8.00 - from this must be deducted my costs as follows :- i] cost of motor; ii] cost of fixing screws, printing fixing diagram, poly bag, padded envelope and postage - the latter alone being currently £1.06 due to the thickness of the motor dictating large letter rate; I provide first class by-return postage as a standard part of my service; iii] cost of driving to the Royal Mail letter office to post the package, (due to their ludicrously early letterbox last collection times). Once these costs are deducted, the balance is nowhere near a reasonable hourly rate for the time taken. In conclusion, Ruston, would you offer such a service for less than I charge? ..... and if so, why don't you? Regards, John Isherwood.

That is perfectly true, and I have made no secret of the fact. Nonetheless, a very considerable number of customers have indicated their reluctance to purchase from unknown suppliers overseas and have ordered, on average, five motors each. I provide a UK, accountable source for Mitsumi motors, together with fixing screws and installation details. Many modellers clearly find this service more valuable than yourself, but that is their choice; I still have plenty of motors in stock. Regards, John Isherwood.

With or without the www. it doesn't work for me. However, I have just received the following message that may explain the problem :- Secure Connection Failed An error occurred during a connection to www.sefinecast.co.uk. Cannot communicate securely with peer: no common encryption algorithm(s). Error code: SSL_ERROR_NO_CYPHER_OVERLAP The page you are trying to view cannot be shown because the authenticity of the received data could not be verified. Please contact the web site owners to inform them of this problem. It would certainly appear that the problem will persist until SEF update their website. Regards, John Isherwood.

The Mitsumi motor comes with tapped mounting holes - just not in the same position as those on the Mashima motors or the High Level gearboxes. Bought from me, Mitsumi motors come with a pair of mounting screws and a diagram showing where to drill your gearbox etch to suit the motor fixing points; https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm Regards, John Isherwood.