John Isherwood

Without MUCH more information, it is presumptive to make any judgement. Do we know if there was any absence of / deficiency in the lineside fencing? Do we know how the bullock accessed the track? Was the animal under proper control at the time? If there was no failure by the railway company in these respects, what more could they have done? Clearly, changes to the requirements relating to braking and communication arose from this incident, and others. However, with the benefit of hindsight, we can easily make judgements that are unjustified by the circumstances and practices of the time in question. CJI.

Both of these scenarios can be easily reproduced with DC. CJI.

Tony, There is, IMHO, an undeserved reputation of MTK kits being unbuildable. True, by today's standards, they were quite crude - but there were few alternatives if you favoured D or E traction, rather than steam. What you produced was directly proportional to the effort that you put in! In particular, MTK DMU and EMU kits were, and still are, eminently buildable - especially with the availability of RTR chassis. The combination of an aluminium pressed and punched body / roof, together with cast whitemetal ends, frightened off many in pre-superglue days, but Araldite came to the rescue. There is an excellent thread elsewhere on RMweb, which amply demonstrates that MTK kits are still being built into fine models. I have one such kit for a Park Royal DMU which I anticipate building, with some relish. Please, don't encourge those who dismiss MTK, without having any personal experience of the product. CJI.

If TT120 is to become a mainstream scale, it needs every possible sale to every possible sector of the market. Dismissing, or 'bad-mouthing', (to use your own unpleasant term), a sector of that market that does not appeal to you will not contribute to the potential success of the scale. CJI.

From recent personal experience - you'll probably end up taking them to the local recycling centre. I had to laboriously post 650 kg. of magazines through the narrow slot of the paper container! CJI.

I take it that the '(style)' in the kit descriptions implies that the models are not actually scale reproductions of the prototypes. CJI.

For the brave only - apply waterslide transfers into wet Klear, but don't spend too much time fiddling around to get the positioning correct! No chance of air trapped behind the carrier film that way. CJI.

How do you know that? I'm pretty certain that it has been posted here that (some?) publishers do not supply Amazon etc. until a couple of months after the publication date. Can anyone in the trade authoritively confirm or deny this? CJI.

Obtainable in the UK from Hannants. CJI.

Probably too much solvent. I anchor one end with a tiny dot of superglue, then the other end. Once set, fix the rest with minimal solvent. CJI.

A tapered / pointed 1/8" rod can be very useful for the preliminary 'lining-up' of components. CJI.

I can supply SHELL transfers, but would need to know the overall height or width. John Isherwood, Cambridge Custom Transfers.

Ordering is one thing - receiving is another. The OP ordered from Amazon, but won't receive until September. I have personally experienced delayed delivery when ordering a discounted new publication. CJI.

Probably because they discount prices - so may not get stocks until the full price retail trade have had their bite of the cherry. You pays yer money, and yer takes yer choice . CJI.

As usual with magazine reviews - if you can't say anything nice, say nothing. CJI.

You'll find that the generic materials, sourced as in my linked post, is MUCH cheaper. CJI.

Micro Sol and Micro Set? CJI.

Were any of the F3s adapted as fire-fighting locos during WW2? I've a feeling that I've seen similar hatches on such adaptations. CJI.

Not so - it may appear thus from the plan, but some curves proved necessary in practice. CJI.

Seconded - and with a motor / gearbox giving 2 rpm or thereabouts, controlled off the track supply via a two pole ON / OFF / ON switch, does not require any form of indexing in my experience. CJI.

I think that all of the crossings, except the one at the Wenford dries, still have the rails in place. CJI.

With respect - that is just your point of view. If modellers like one-offs, they are at liberty to fill their sidings with whatever they choose. CJI.

If the transfers were OK after the Klear, and only crinkled when the matt varnish was added, it suggests that there is some incompatibility arising from the matt varnish. Could the formulation of the matt varnish have changed? When the replacement transfers arrive, I would test a sample transfer on a pre-prepared piece of plastic card that has had the same painting regime as the model. CJI. PS - Could it have been an over-heavy application of the matt varnish, that has softened the Klear?

Arthur, With help from AndyY, I have located my layout build topic - I would recommend reading the whole thread for context - the point control diagram is on page 3. Regards, John Isherwood.

Connection to tie-bar - remember now, it is a device fabricated from half a small brass hinge. Details when I return home. CJI.