Hey, that is wonderful!!

The bloke has spent a lot of time on that Loco, with the addition of operating LED lamps and firebox flicker, et al.

Just shows what can be done with skill and seemingly-unlimited time on your hands....

Hey texdon,

Thanks for the info on diecastdirect.

They sure have a great range of vehicles, (including a couple of "near enough" Willys Jeeps - a truck and a wagon - that I have been searching for - in 1:43) but I think I will have to save up my pennies first!!

Hi dmolavi

I purchased a couple of packets of those SL501 re-sleepering kits some time ago, with a view to using them to convert Peco HO crossings to On30 style, but after due consideration, I thought that it just wasn't worth the added effort.

I only had a couple of crossings on that layout, and decided to use them as is - in HO scale.

I added a bit more ballast in and around the sleepers than usual, and once it was all up and running, it wasn't even noticeable. 

That layout also called for an extra sharp-radius wye turnout, due to space limitations. As such an animal was not available on Peco 0-16.5 / On30 range, I was obliged to use a Peco Setrack wye, which I also OVER ballasted around the sleepers to hide them.

The result was exactly as I needed, and now the only way you can pick the Setrack turnout is by the extra wide flange-ways and the 'dead' frog.

But that is not a problem.....

Hey ebtnut,

I'll second that!

It's almost impossible to find anything (reasonably priced) in 1:48, and even more so, here in Australia.

I usually have to make do with 1:43 vehicles, which are as you say, over-scale.

(Makes me very sorry that I didn't retain all those wonderful Dinky and Corgi die cast toy vehicles that I destroyed or lost in my junior years......)

The likes of Solido and Matchbox are great looking models, but are usually so expensive to purchase, that it makes one think twice about attacking them with a saw or file in order to 'bash' them into something more useable.

Jerry, as to the figures that all purport to be "O Scale", I have always had a problem with them...........

Preiser stuff is exquisitely detailed, but every one is about seven scale feet tall, and the stuff is VERY expensive! Conversely, Woodlands Scenics and Model Power figures mostly seem to be on the short and stout side.

I reckon the best ones for our scale are the metal ones from The Model Company. True, they are 1:43 as well, but they detail up well, usually fit inside the cab of a Porter or a Shay, and as long as you don't stand them next to a Preiser counterpart, they suit me just fine. They are also reasonably priced - even by international air mail.



(Hey guys - I'm still searching for a 1948-1968 Willys Jeep Truck or Station Wagon in 1:43, 1:48 or 1:50 if anyone can assist.........)

Hey CSRR Man,

Thanks for the link.

Those Micro Structure ones look pretty good!

(But I can figure on doubling the listed prices by the time I add airmail postage to Australia.)

What a great bunch of blokes you all are!

Hey, thanks NM.

As usual, you seem to have a great suggestion. 

It's worth a try....

Hello all, 

A current modelling project of mine has me wondering how to simulate the 2-foot and 4-foot fluorescent strip lamps that have been installed into homes since the late 1950s.

Of course, they would have to operate....probably from a 12volt GOW globe source, but the poser is how to make them look prototypical....even, white illumination with no hot spots....

Anyone have any ideas? 

Thanks to all.

Hey, that's great!

Many thanks for the link....

Hi Linzthorn,

I'll give Hornby a try, as well as your Kiwi North Yard....

Thanks mate.

Thanks for the link, ABC....

Those appear to be solid (non-insulated) axles for 3-rail operation, and the specs sheet show them as 26mm.

I will keep searching.

Hello all,

I am currently working on the conversion of an old Peco 4-wheeled open wagon into a mini water tanker, for a special project.

I need a set of 12mm pin point disc wheels, with a width of 25mm. Most US and Bachmann On30 stuff is 26mm, and "ordinary" HO wheels seem to have diameters up to 10.5mm, with some 14mm available. Somehow, 12mm seems to be hard to find.

The original wheels on the wagon are 12mm x 25mm, but are spoked, not disc.

I know that they are available, as I found a brand new set in my junkbox.....alas, only one set, though!

Can anybody from UK or Europe or USA give me a clue as to where I may be able to source these things?

Many thanks to all.

Hello all,

I am currently working on the conversion of an old Peco 4-wheeled open wagon into a mini water tanker, for a special project.

I need a set of 12mm pin point disc wheels, with a width of 25mm. Most US and Bachmann On30 stuff is 26mm, and "ordinary" HO wheels seem to have diameters up to 10.5mm, with some 14mm available. Somehow, 12mm seems to be hard to find.

The original wheels on the wagon are 12mm x 25mm, but are spoked, not disc.

I know that they are available, as I found a brand new set in my junkbox.....alas, only one set, though!

Can anybody from UK or Europe or USA give me a clue as to where I may be able to source these things?

Many thanks to all.

Hello all,

It has been bugging me for some time now, that what a bloke REALLY needs in this wonderful hobby of ours would be a (very handy) set of vernier calipers that can be read out directly in scale feet and inches.....

The price of accurate digital types has fallen sharply over the past few years, and it should not be too difficult for some person with a bit of electronics nonce to re-program a pair of these so that they can read in different scales....like HO, O, S and so on. Maybe even switchable between scales, as the current types are switchable between Imperial and Metric.

Anyone have any thoughts on this, or is it just another of my pipe dreams?

Hi NM,

Yes, I agree. Imperial measurements ARE easy to convert....especially at our scale of 1:48, there really is no problem. This is the main reason I adopted the US 1/4" to the foot, rather than the more correct European 7mm to the foot.

In this country, we went "Metric" in 1974, and I still constantly find myself having to refer to a conversion scale when measuring objects in mms. It would be rather nice to be able to read scale feet and inches dimensions straight from my verniers.

Hey Jonathon,

I have installed a couple of the Atlas turntables over the years, and the noisy operation that you speak of seems to be inherent in the Geneva movement that is used to drive them. It works well for the indexing, but the sound level is distracting.

It can be dampened quite effectively though, by using a couple of tricks.

Firstly, I found that the gear mechanism 'chatters' quite unacceptably - more so in one direction that the other, so I set about discarding the mounting screws that are used to secure the drive unit to the base. Once I relieved the pressure there, the whole thing quietened down considerably. Just let it find its own position.

It is then a matter of attaching the drive unit to the base with your favourite adhesive......carefully though!! You don't want the stuff getting into the mechanism and gumming things up!

The next trick, is simply to run the drive unit from a 6 volt power supply. Certainly, this slows the thing down a bit, but it also reduces the noise level by about half. (Turntables don't normally spin around like a merry-go-round anyway...)

One of the 6 volt wall warts (never heard them called that before) will supply enough current, as long as it is rated at 500mA or over.

Lots of luck!