Giles

I knew I was taking liberties with that one - but it's good to know the precise details - thank you Martyn! - extremely useful - fortunately that one is buried in all sorts of grot...... This one's a bit closer, bit still not quite right then.

I've been meaning to say that I think your trackwork is looking superb - those sleepers (with the staining you've done) make me want to rip up mine!!!

Regarding tie-bars, I make them from copper-pax, but use it on edge, and solder bits of tube to the side to take the pins. The copper-pax can then also be filed down to a profile more like the actual bars are, thus getting the best of all worlds. (The one shown has not been profiled yet)

This is a Locos 'n' Stuff Kerr Stuart Wren I'm putting together - though not as the standard kit. There are improvements to be made to make it more prototypical, so I'm doing them - it has involved reworking all the components of the cab, and making new angle support arches, which were rather more sculpted and formed, rather than simply bent, as the angle I used was so fine, and the correct radii were so tight. This is also completely silver-soldered - apart from the horn block guides (which are soft soldered). This was to make life easier and neater, and also to allow me to solder on all the bits and bobs on later without other things dropping off......

I'm amazed you can get E clips that small - I've never seen them..... Extraordinary. As you know, I got round that problem the other way, by glueing flanged bearings onto the stub axle, which then gave me a nice seat for the wheel on the bearing and its flange. But yours is extremely neat......! Very much looking forward to the next instalment!

You could always use angle facing out at corners..... Remember, that the people making things in the first place are faced with exactly the same problems..... (I've designed many rails in my job!) Two adjacent posts would certainly not be the thing....

...and when is this book expected out? It's in English, may we assume?

Here's a page showing a nice detail of a very similar escape to yours - the rails have cast stanchions (understandable, as there are cast support brackets) http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-england-manchester-cast-iron-fire-escape-on-old-mill-building-58289029.html

Martyn - this is another thread that has gone sour. Milo does NOT sell applicators - he just uses them and shares his opinion, as do I. Your advice on the other hand appears to vary on the theme of buy our machine and phone us/watch our videos. We've been through that before. You appear to be bent on rubbishing competitors machines, when there are equally good (or perhaps better ones) out there - and comparing a static grass machine to a weapon is melodramatic and counterproductive. We are all aware that WWS exists and sells this kit, and we know where to find the information on it. In the Small Suppliers Forum.

...... As as for value for money, (under £150) I think the best is the GreenScenes Flock-it at £85 or whatever, which give extremely good performance - especially so if you upgrade the voltage - boosting the power (so it does make a difference - because I've tried it!). I get an extremely dense coverage, and will easy cope with fibres 20mm long if required (No connection with GreenScenes other than as a customer) If I could afford it, I would certainly buy the one Milo recommends,

This is the coach - never got completely finished (25 years ago..) I lost the roof I made - I shall have to make another - and some of the glazing has gone missing, plus I never put any seats in. Still, on the right layout it would make a nice coach. I built it to 16.5, but recently just pushed the wheels in to 14mm

Thanks Gents... Andrew - you eagle-eyed what's-it, you.... No, actually, it's from a pair of San-Francisco cable car kits, chopped, and back-to-back. It shouldn't really be there...... It won't have a home on this layout - no passengers 'ere....

Thank you Paul! Ballasting (on the standard Gauge) has almost been completed on the first board. Some of it is industrial grot (but still ballasted) with the 'main line' in better order. In all cases, a mix of 3 types and sizes of ballast, with a little ash or whatever to add a little dirt, fixed down and then the industrial area had a significant amount of ash and soil worked into it as a second layer, then fixed. Greenery will of course follow. If anyone wanted a Sett embossing tool, I have some made up.

I want single colours, matt fibres (as Polak were - not the normal nylon type, which are glossy), and lengths 2 - 12mm.

Actually, you can make better grass tufts in situ by hand than you can with a machine, separately - I believe, as they blend in better and more convincingly. These ones are 6mm (with 4mm mixed in) and I think work reasonably well.I'm all for giving people machines for doing it separately as well - but it is absolutely NOT the only, or the best way of doing it. (Or indeed the quickest) elsewhere on this site I put some (rather poor) videos up on how to do this if people are sufficiently interested.

....right glues and the colours - and the lengths.....! Also to be fair, you can make very nice grass tufts with the fibres by hand without a static machine at all!

Sadly, I've always walked straight passed the WWS stand at shows (having had a quick look) simply because the grass IS blended. I really, really want to buy the straight colours, and want to mix the colours and lengths myself. Now if WWS started a range of plain colours......

In Fountain Road in Birmingham, when I was young in the early '70's, there were street lights of this pattern which were gas (long since) converted to electric. I dare say they're long gone now though... But they weren't unique then...... We used to climb them and hang from the cross-bars (which were there to lean the ladder on when lighting the gas)

A few sett tools in production. Silver soldered. They'll be £20 each plus p&p, and the first batch ready to go out this week end, for those who are still interested (and have expressed an interest - in order!) There won't be many of these, because I won't be spending my life assembling these things - I've done this because I thought it was a good and useful idea, rather than wanting to set myself up in a cottage industry. All the best Giles

The balance pipe is part of the lower boiler casting instead of being a separate pipe. If it's not possible to have it as a separate element - would it be possible to have it a bit more pronounced (in reality of course it has a bit of a gap behind it anyway) so it doesn't get 'lost'? This may not be possible due to keeping the price down I quite realise...... But if you don't ask - you don't get!!! Meanwhile - thanks for all this!

That's fine d600 - perhaps you can PM me with your contact details, it I'll generate a list! Meanwhile, I've finally got the look I'm after for Crane Road. This is done with ash brushed into all the cracks, and then the whole thing damped with dilute PVA with washing up liquid (and IPA for good measure) added. When almost dry, more ash was brushed in, and brushed off the surface. When dry, the surface was lightly buffed with my fingers until I got the surface finish I wanted.

Presumably the slide bars will be something a bit more solid than as shown on this EP (I'm sure you have it all under control anyway Chris!)

Nothing finished, but starting to look like it's supposed to...... the two retaining walls are cast, one being about two foot long, and the other four foot long. Cast from my latex mould using Hydrocal, about 12mm thick, and then sawn into strips with a cross-cut saw when completely dry.

Here's a made-up embossing tool. There are two problems - one, the very kind etchers haven't given me the bill yet, and second, the fabrication time to silver-solder these together is significant (I choose to silver solder as it's cleaner with less excess...). This will put the price above £20 for a built up tool. I'm perfectly happy to sell the etches if anyone wants them that way (just as soon as I get a confirmed price from the etchers, which should only be a few days away......

My wife saw this at Railex and said 'So is this your next Chistmas present, then?' I haven't told her I ordered one with sound as well......