BoD

So which member of the team needs the wicker chair stored under Shap? Answers on a postcard to …

Could you use the Arduino to trigger two relays. Probably not the most elegant solution but fairly easy to achieve.

It certainly looks the part in those photographs.

Strange you should say that but I was just thinking that I hoped that my coastline turns out as good as yours has!! I have laid the base for one end of the quay and the stream. It looks a mess at the moment but hopefully when I get to work with sculptamold, smaller rocks and pebbles, and green stuff it will look better. That won't be for a while yet though as I want to continue with the chickenwire and modroc to complete all the contour work asap. That must have been a very high tide.

I assume you mean MSE - Model Signal Engineering/Wizard Models - so yes, they are. They do a fine collection of signal kits but also the individual components necessary to do most any signal and these were made from individual parts I'd bought and acquired over the years. If you are going to build your own and haven't done so before you could do worse than read the Booklaw Publications 'Constructing and Operating Semaphore Signals'. Having a go at one of their step by step simpler signals gave me the confidence to go onto more complicated ones. There's loads of help on this interwebby thing too.

… a man of impeccable taste.

And so to push on now that I've decided to continue and make the best of it. This morning has been a chicken wire and modroc sort of morning The purpose of this is two fold. Firstly to create a scenic break between the main station to the left and the branch station/quayside to the right, and secondly to eventually frame the entry into the station (from the south) in a similar way to that at Crianlarich.

I have just come across this. What a fantastic model What great modelling.

It’s OO code 100 too rather than EM or P4

What do you call a pig with three eyes. A piiig

It was probably just two bored gentlemen sitting in the design office saying “I know, let’s have a bit fun and give all those daft bu$$ers in the future, with their advanced telegraph machines, something to argue about.”.

I’m sure that if you thought long and hard about it you would somehow be able to fit Grantham in too.

… I think he might just have been making a Charlie of himself.

It was 37026 Loch Awe I was comparing, so yes, the Accurascale model is better in many ways. And Loch Awe is much, much better than the original 37/4s For the sake of my wallet though, I will live with the Bachmann ones.

I have had a chance to look at Loch Eil compared to Bachman’s Loch Awe and you are correct Rob, it is a step up mostly with additional details and an overall finer moulding. Funnily enough though there are some aspects of the Bachmann model I prefer and I agree with you and Andy that it stands up well and the Bachmann models most certainly deserve their place on the layout. It may be just me but I got the overall impression that the Accurascale model was smaller and less bulky in many respects than the Bachmann version. Without knowing the actual measurements of the real things it will be impossible to say if that is the case or just an illusion due to the finer moulding.

That is good news Andy, fingers crossed that it is a 'permanent' fix. Hopefully your re-soldering has sorted your short out too. However, if it does return I wonder if it might be something to do with the temperature in the attic causing something to expand and touch something it shouldn't. The usual suspect in such cases are the gaps between rails particularly at the frogs where they need to be insulated. As I said, with a bit of luck your re-soldering has sorted it, but if does return intermittently that may be something to look at.

Do all the droppers from all of your left hand rails go to one bus wire - say red- and all the droppers from the right hand rails to a separate- say black - bus wire. Is it possible that one dropper goes to the wrong bus.

Yes, warm water with washing up detergent is ok. Cotton wool bud soaked in isopropyl alcohol is better. As to the short it is difficult to advise from afar other than the obvious be methodical. I’m assuming you have a multimeter or some way of testing continuity. Can you disconnect sections and test those individually helping you narrow down the location of the short? Once you have located a general area can you then break that into smaller sections disconnected from everything else until you have narrowed it right down to the fault. It’s a pain I know (don’t ask me how I know). But is more likely to lead to success than just random guessing.

I was making the statement about replacing the whole fleet with my tongue slightly in my cheek. I agree the later iterations of the Bachmann 37s are quite good enough for me and my, now deteriorating eyesight, I’ve had cataracts removed from both eyes, have had a detached retina and suffer from glaucoma. I hope I’m modelling for a few years yet but I consider this a bonus. I’ve never had sufficient knowledge to pick out all the faults on models in the way that some people can. It’s a case of ignorance is bliss I suppose. Tomorrow I will dig out 37026 Loch Awe and compare it with Loch Eil - purely out of interest. The moths that live in my wallet need not be worried. Look after your eyes people - they are most precious.

I use an Antex 18w iron and it does all the electronic/electrical soldering that I need. However, there is a caveat, I don’t solder directly to rail. I am using hand built trackwork so I can solder wires to the copperclad sleepers, which I’m sure must be easier than soldering directly to rail. Soldering iron aside there are other good practices that increase chances of a good solder joint. Forgive me if you are already aware of these. I use a flux paste even if the solder itself has a flux core. It ensures that the area to be soldered is clean and receptive. Lightly coat the component before tinning. It needs a thorough clean afterwards though. I always ‘tin’ both items to be soldered i.e. give them both a light coat of solder separately. With tinned components and a very small blob of solder on the tip of the iron a joint can often be achieved without any additional solder. Make sure that the joint is well heated - the solder should turn silver and liquid. Remove the soldering iron once this occurs to avoid overheating. Hold the joint still until the solder solidifies - and then for a few seconds more. If you do need to apply extra solder make sure the tip of the iron is clean and tinned - ie has a light coating of solder - it should look silver not dull copper. Heat the work then apply the solder (obviously using your third hand to do this, lol). In and out as quickly as you can whilst getting hot enough for the solder to melt and flow on the joint. Practice away from the layout until you are confident. Incidentally I also use the copperclad sleepers when soldering to lengths of flexitrack with plastic sleepers. I replace one of the plastic sleepers with a copperclad one. It makes getting a good joint to the rail so much easier. I have some spare copperclad strip. If you want to give it a try PM me and I will pop some in the post.

Ooooh, look what landed yesterday ... Ignoring the fact that the platform isn't in place ... ... and only half the ballasting is done ... and there are no trees or shrubs ... and there is no fine detail or miscellaneous crap lying about ... you can still get some idea of where I am heading.

As you already have some DAS clay, let a chunk of it dry then create your own powders simply by filing it. Different grades of file give different grades of texture. Use an old stiffish brush*, pick up your paint, dab it in the now powdered DAS and stipple it on. The DAS clay takes up the colour of the paint. * cheap brushes from the likes of ‘The Works’ work best.

For some that’s a decent baseboard.

Like you, my mojo comes and goes too. Other interests take precedence at times as well, nothing wrong with that at all. Just enjoy it all. I’m sure your modelling mojo will return - and anyone who can produce superb concrete and as good a slipway and coast as you have should be able to get to grips with the buildings when you are ready. … and yes, bay windows can be a bit of a bu$$er.

... but Lemon Drizzle Cake is.