SRman

Sorry, Dodos were flightless!

There, there, Brian! Take two Valiums and call us in the morning.

Well, from the text message you just sent me, Doug, it looks like Melbourne is barer than Mother Hubbard's cupboard as far as Pecketts go!

You could have a look at the Precision Labels range at http://www.precisionlabels.com/

When you live overseas, you tend to get used to waiting longer for things in any case. I am quite content to wait and when my models turn up, they turn up!

Well, I have Bif's sound on a decoder just waiting for the one of two DJ 71s to arrive. I have tested it briefly with a small speaker, but am looking forward to sticking one of my bass reflex or bass enhanced speakers in to get the best out of it.

When I used the Humbrol #10, mine was an enamel (oil-based) version. I used a red-brown undercoat and thinned the Service Brown with turps to allow some of the underlying colour to show through. For the acrylic version, you can thin with water, but not too much or it will not adhere properly.

I'll definitely be in the market for a green one, seeing as how I wanted my Craftsman one to be green but couldn't figure out a way to get the red and white lining done. If I can stretch the budget far enough, I'll also buy a blue one with high level pipes, preferably with pre-TOPS numbering.

I'd say this was a fairly successful first showing, since no one has picked any major faults with the shape or details on it ... apart from me noticing the lack of see-through windows, which everyone else seems to have missed!!

For question 1, they are blackened brass, so technically, they are unpainted.

The only Dapol Western I own was a Kernow weathered edition, which, fortunately for me, had the lifting rings (as well as the name and number plates) pre-fitted. Nevertheless, one of those lifting rings has fallen out and gone missing, so I bought a spare fret from DCC Supplies some time ago. Like Rick (gwiwer), my modelling skills are reasonably good, but replacing the lifting ring defeated me for the same reasons he gave! I'll have to see if I can cadge a needle off SWMAABO* from her collection. * She Who Must Almost Always** Be Obeyed. ** Well, she would like to think so, anyway!

There are no tail lights on these models. I seem to recall that my 'Sherlock Holmes' also has the two wires going nowhere, although it is some time since I opened it up to fit the decoder. On my example, the little PCBs over the cab were assembled upside down, so the cab lights were on with the lower two marker lights, and the top marker light came on if the cab light function was selected! It was very easy to flip the boards over and clip them back in.

Ditto here! Edited to insert a photo, albeit a somewhat distant one, of my nearly finished Craftsman 07. It has been "nearly finished" for the last 10 or more years! I may just get it beyond the "nearly finished" state before the Heljan model comes out and puts my work to shame.

Wot? No windows????? Actually, that's looking promising. I like the high level pipes on that one. p.s. Is red the new BR blue?

Spur of the moment, Doug!

... and a few photos taken on DougN's layout. Not the best quality as they were snatched off on my phone camera as the train was moving.

I was at DougN's place yesterday afternoon, for his 11 year old's birthday. I took 30064 along to show off, and tried it out on his train of Bachmann Collectors' Club wagons (18 wagons plus a brake van) when he wasn't looking. It surprised us with the ease with which it hauled them even on the tricky uphill curve on Doug's figure-of-8 layout. Yet more praise for this lovely little model.

I wasn't going to buy any cattle wagons at all, but those photos Gareth posted show what superb models they are. I have a pending order on Hattons' site, and just added two of these Hornby wagons to the list!

Dapol do seem to have some difficulties with BR blue: too light on previous class 22s, way too dark/purple-tinted on class 73s. Since there is a well documented paint standard, it is hard to understand why they cannot match that.

Just like the real things weather in stages, you can build up the grime in thin layers too. Wait until the previous layer is dry, then add another. Like Peter, I use a multitude of techniques, including thin washes, dry brushing and powders. if you doubt your skills, try out some of these things on an old wagon first. If you don't like the result, repaint the wagon and try again. Peter, and several other RMwebbers have built up enviable reputations as great painters and weatherers, and are great inspirations to the rest of us.

CV29 is standard for all decoders. As per the usual way, read CV29, then add 1 to the value if it is an even number, subtract 1 if it is odd to reverse the direction of travel compared to what you previously had.

Yes: for the Power Cab, you need the USB interface. I have that for the Power Cab I use on the programming track, but most of my programming using JMRI software actually goes through my full Power Pro system, which has a rather old fashioned serial (RS232) interface, which uses a straight serial cable from the Power Pro box into the serial port on my train room computer. The class 24s use Zimo decoders, but for those I own with ESU LokSound decoders, I also have a LokProgrammer hooked up to the programming track, and linked through a USB cable to the computer. Each connection to my programming track is set through a 6-way rotary switch with two neutral (isolated) positions, so only one system is connected to the track at any one time. The right-hand 'Off' position in the photo is now labelled for 12V DC. While not recommended for a daily use computer, I have kept this old computer on Windows XP for reliable operation with the NCE/JMRI systems. It has access to the home network and Internet but is not normally connected unless I need updates - Windows XP is not very secure by current standards. If I download sound files or other software, I normally do that through other, more secure computers and copy the files across to the train room computer afterwards. If you have an old computer (desktop or laptop) in your household that is a bit past its "use by" date, grab it for use as a supplement for your train rooms! Sorry I have diverted the SLW thread a little off-topic.

I'm not actually sure of the CVs involved. I did the changes through JMRI Decoder Pro on a computer attached to the NCE system. That just requires the ticking of a few checkboxes, or selections from drop-down lists.

Hornby seem to have managed the very fine cream lining edging the grey lines on their BR mixed traffic steam liveries. Would that be much coarser than the black line on the DMU?

At the time I bought my 30064, I had a Bachmann 36-558 decoder installed. Control and smoothness weren't bad, but I felt that the smoothness in particular could be further improved. I bought a Lenz Silver mini+ decoder online from Rails, and that arrived in the post yesterday. Tonight, I swapped the decoders, and it more or less proved me right: the Lenz decoder is just that much smoother and more controlled, albeit, at twice the price of the Bachmann one. Still, I think it was a worthwhile expense, and I also think that the USA tank is now running at the fullest potential of the model. I'm sure I'll find a use for the Bachmann decoder in due course.