John Isherwood

Beware - drilling and tapping a motor case has the potential to do irreversible damage to the motor innards ! Regards, John Isherwood.

Mike, The model currently has the detail pack fitted, and Peco Simplex couplings fitted in the NEM pockets. I have brush-applied a coat of Klear; painted the details such as buffer heads, vacuum etc. pipes; and applied my own transfers to the outside of the route indicator boxes; (the latter are the 1962 codes for the up and down 'PINES EXPRESS') !! I will not, at this stage, be adding the weathering as I prefer to weather a batch of stock all at the same time. This saves time in setting up the airbrush, and gives a certain uniformity to the final effect. I will post a photo when I get chance to get the camera out. Regards, John Isherwood.

To be fair, my recollections of 'Westerns' were as-built at Birmingham Snow Hill - they positively gleamed then. We model what we remember, I suppose. The good thing about a single coat of Klear is that it reproduces very well the appearance of a locomotive that was ex-works, or had been well cleaned, but had been in service around a week. The shine is not a uniform gloss; it just allows highlights to be seen; and Klear greatly improves the transparency of the glazing. With diesel locos, all that is then required is a hint of road dirt on the running gear, and a touch of soot deposit around the exhausts. Regards, John Isherwood.

Now that is the single most useful posting to this thread !! Regards, John Isherwood.

Looking at your photos emphasises to me how the Dapol 'Western' is transformed by a coat of Klear - as supplied, the finish is dull and lifeless. Regards, John Isherwood.

Perhaps I should emphasise the point that I was trying to make? There is little point in those who can access the SEF site posting to that effect - it remains a fact that, until SEF update their site, a significant proportion of those wishing to use it will not be able to do so. It is in SEF's interest to do this. Regards, John Isherwood.

I think that it is fair to say that a significant number of potential users will be unable to access this website until SEF have it updated. This is bound to affect their turnover. Regards, John Isherwood.

All I am suggesting is that more moderate / respectful language can achieve the same end as the use of the quoted words / phrases. It's all about mutual respect; (though those who know me will confirm that we Lancastrians call a spade a shovel when provoked)! Regards, John Isherwood.

I am quite confident that the majority of the "gang of generally older geezers" would be more than content if those who find the "pompous and irrelevant guff"; "ramblings "; "crap"; etc. "irritating" could press the Ignore this topic button. Much of what is posted on the WW thread relates to respecting others and their views - clearly this does not interest the younger element here. If you don't have the courage to post your views on the thread in question, you won't be missed! Regards, John Isherwood.

Looks like a 4F to me. Regards, John Isherwood.

Mike, I realise that too - but I know my limits ! A-Levels commanded my attention around 1965, and I lost touch with what was happening after that. I could see the end of steam coming, and that was it for me. I produce transfers - for the period that interests me - for my own use, and I make them available to other modellers. I have no interest in, (or knowledge of), the subsequent years; and to gain that knowledge and extend the range period would require considerable research and design time. As things stand, supplying transfers to others is likely to mean that my much anticipated 'Evercreech Junction 1961' is unlikely to ever materialise - there aren't enough hours in the day. Other suppliers service the post 1965 period - if they aren't supplying what you need then I'm afraid that you'll have to pressure them; I will not be extending the period that I cover. Sorry, John Isherwood.

It was the demise of Woodhead Transfers - by far the best at that time - that prompted me to produce my own; hence https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm Regards, John Isherwood.

I have no doubt that there are less-then-scrupulous traders who may 'dump' faulty stock; the remedy is to only order from reputable traders. Buying from unknown sources in order to get a 'bargain', or an otherwise scarce model, will always carry an element of risk. My point was that the risk of transit damage will always be higher if the journey is half way round the planet, and involves multiple agencies. There had been a suggestion that the broken bufferbeam on the 'Scotsman' must have been evident before despatch; that is clearly not true. Regards, John Isherwood.

Precisely !! Overseas purchasers do, (or should do), so in the certain knowledge that their prized acquistions are going to be subject to far more 'robust' treatment in transit than a Royal Mail journey from the NW of England to, in my case, the SW of England. I have many times the number of locos, purchased in the UK, than I would care to admit to anyone taking a critical view of my expenditure - but NONE of them have arrived damaged, and they have been despatched by a fair cross-section of UK suppliers to my address in the UK. For all their critics, Royal Mail can apparently hold sway over the various couriers, air freighters and non-UK postal services that our overseas cousins have to contend with. Regards, John Isherwood.

I believe that this kind of damage can be clearly explained. Looking at the buffer in question, there is clear evidence that it has been carrying the weight of the front of the loco at the point where the black paint has worn away through friction. Whilst in the same position, the package has been subjected to shock loading - perhaps dropped - which has fractured the bufferbeam at the point which has been most stressed in transit. Regards, John Isherwood.

I used the really thin stuff - Vitalbond CA; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vitalbond-CA-Thin-20g-Super-Glue-10-Sec-Cure-Model-car-Plastics-Metal-Balsa-Wood/183328667152?epid=1141023457&hash=item2aaf3d7610:g:jFsAAOSwl9RaFHtR You don't use enough to craze anything - hold the ring in pin-point tweezers, dip the fixing lug in a little pool of glue in a tin-lid, fit the fixing lug in the roof slot - done. When dipping, the changing reflections in the glue pool indicate when the fixing lug has broken the surface tension of the glue - a TINY amount is all that is needed. If there is a danger of paint crazing, you're using way too much. Regards, John Isherwood.

Crikey - what size portions are served in the Restaurant car to justify a 20 Ton load limit?!? Distributed load markings were only applied to coaches with a brake compartment - but numbers were carried by all coaches. Regards, John Isherwood.

There are a few spares, to be fair. I have just fitted a set of the etched lifting rings, using fine pointed tweezers and superglue - fiddly, certainly, but it took no more than half an hour. Regards, John Isherwood.

Not brassy - etched in, I think, stainless steel; (or possibly nickel silver). Whatever, they look spot-on when fitted. Regards, John Isherwood.

Certainly not unique - I have one in my stocklist, and it can be made to scrub-up into quite a reasonable model. Regards, John Isherwood.

K's (Keyser) BR PALVAN. Regards, John Isherwood.

If you can replace the screw with a length of studding, it should be easy to uncouple the tender when putting it back in the box. Regards, John Isherwood

Surely something could be done so that firemen on this loco don't need to be pole-vault champions? (In fact - I know it can; it involves drilling a hole in the tender coupling bar). Regards, John Isherwood.

The factory's fault - the missing items arrived from Kernow this morning and have now been fitted. Full marks to Kernow! Regards, John Isherwood,

It doesn't have maroon window pillars. Correctly, it has silver-grey ones. Regards, John Isherwood.