Garden Railway Forum

maxi-model - Yes I'm a member of the 16mm assoc. I haven't got along to any local groups yet, but I will! I was budgeting up to £600 so I'd have to stretch even for the kit Katie. I'm also budgeting for a line extension, so I need to decide on my priorities! Quick trawl of the reputable dealers - B...

What's your budget ? Are you being realistic in your ambitions ? 1st thing, if not already done, join the 16 mm NGM and get along to one of your local area group's meetings. Plenty of advise/experience and you will see a fair range of kit running to get some ideas of what is achievable. Build a kit,...

Having nearly been hit head on by an impatient driver about 6 years ago, trying to overtake a 40 mph limited truck on a 50 mph limit road, I reasoned driving with side lights or dipped head lights in anything other than perfect conditions might be a good option from then on. There are certain colour...

Impressive.  Poster didn't get the "gold" service hence the lack of vista dome access ?

Not quite so long but a garden railway "long train" One in front, one in the middle and one at the back.  Still the "Rockies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-Yv2rQqxWY
Max

It never ceases to surprise me how deficiant some dealers and even the manufacturers can be when supplying information on steam oil grades to be used or marking the containers with such information. Did that with my Accucraft 3 cyl Shay when new. But then the manual did not even tell you about the a...

I think for maximum flexibility of trackage and operation ; live steam/battery/DC/DCC, availability of prototypes and scale ; 7/78th/16 mm/15 mm/1:22,5/1:29 etc', then code 332 45 mm gauge is the way to go. Accucraft UK locos and stock and Roundhouse locos are generally readily re-gaugable for visit...

A good scrub in soapy water and rinse and they will be sprayed and reassembled. A mistake lots of people make when prepping for painting. Use washing soda crystals (not the caustic stuff), rinse off with plain clean water and dry with lint free clean cloth to clean up the surface before painting. O...

Sodium Hydroxide is the active ingredient in older types of oven cleaner and potions like Modelstrip and the Phoenix product. Modelstrip is a paste that you apply to a painted surface and then wrap with clingfilm to stop it drying out and becoming inactive, so better for larger items. The Phoenix pr...

Are we talking about the same Sabre Tony ? I seem to remember a couple of long and acrimonious threads on another forum regarding this "makes" later incarnations following David Cooper's demise. The original products were by all accounts good. It was those produced after his death under th...

Earth. hardcore. Leave a bit at the top for a weed membrane and a 2-3 inch layer of granite chippings ( for ballast). Don't forget somewhere for the water to exit, seep out. Max.

LGB track cleaning locos don't like don't like damp conditions on overhung shaded track they are not much use. Track cleaning pad on a stick (Vic !) and one of those LGB springy leg things on a 4 wheel wagon mixed in a consist do it foe me. Max.

I'm assuming with it being DCC it will need to be pretty clean for reliable operation so I'd be giving it a clean before every running session. Although I don't run DCC myself I understand the opposite may be true of what you say. I think you are going to be in for an easier life than you think. Po...

The other odd thing with reference to the IP Engineering carriage ebay offering is that the seller has some 24745 individual sales from the year 2000! that is about 4.5 items a day,every day! They all seem to be odd and random bits of model railway and toy soldier stuff, I cant work out how you wou...

Supply and demand........Usually determines a price one is willing to pay. That and holes burnt in pockets and a dollop of wishful thinking. Max.

The current edition, #154, of the 16 mm NGM's quarterly "SMT" has a full colour  build and review of the re-bodied Funkey that Yatton makes. A good reason to join perhaps if you are not a member already ?  Has got me very tempted. Looks like it comes complete with R/C , sound card and batt...

Have you tried asking Accucraft for a colour reference. Roundhouse use standard colours that can be mixed up as a rattle can by any auto paint specialist. Possibly Accucraft do the same.

I was wondering with Accucraft now making/having made 4 of the W&L fleet - Earl/Countess, Joan and Hunslet #14 (how long till the troublesome Romanian Resita is featured ?) if there is any millage in someone doing correct, 16 mm/1:19, stock for them to haul outside of the Pickerings. I've even s...

Peco is a code 250 (rail height in thou) track system not code 332 like all the other easily cross compatible 45 mm types - Piko/LGB/Accucraft/Aristocraft/Trainline/Bachmann. Yes, Tenmille, another make, is Code 332 but is a different rail profile and needs adaptors. You can incorporate Peco with th...

Swift Sixteen couplers look very nice and seem to overcome some of the Accucraft's noted limitations. But........er....not cheap at £10 each when you can get Accucrafts at £4.50....a pair. That's less than a 1/4 of the price. And you have to assemble an paint them too. A lot of cost difference with ...

I use Accucraft on all my UK outline NG stock and locos. Cheap and plentiful. Work fine but if you have uneven track, that may cause jolts, or poorly matched coupling heights you may experience the random un-coupling events described above. A safety chain is a good "fail safe" but you will...