Time to build a railway...but where?

[philipy]

Ouch!

[ge_rik]

I'd have hoped the usb sockets would be protected with fuses, but you can never tell these days

Rik

[-steves-]

I do have an update on the battery situation after all this time. Component Shop are still showing 'no stock' of many of their battery products but have supplied me with individual tagged AAA low self discharge batteries which are now made into a single eight pack, (4 square + 4 square) which fit into the narrow boiler of my loco. Unfortunately I am unable to show the finished model as I have made another technical error with my laptop and camera..... I'm just rubbish at technology!!!
In my defence I have to say 'no one told me', and it seemed to be the logical thing to do at the time, so I plugged a rechargeable torch into the SD ports and managed to blow some circuitry, rendering the use of both camera and laptop impossible. I'm awaiting the return of the camera from the 'vets' and hope the laptop can be repaired too, otherwise it means replacement I guess?

If you ever need battery packs making up and are struggling to get what you need, I do have a battery welder and I am happy to weld up what ever you need, they do not need to be tagged batteries as it spot welds a strip across them. I am also happy to solder on a JST connector too, assuming that's what you use.

As for the laptop, what connection was on the torch for it to fit into an SD memory slot? Or do you mean a USB port? Do you have some pictures of the male and female connectors on the torch and laptop. If it's blown the laptop board it is often possible to buy a second hand motherboard from Ebay and replace it, rather than replace the entire laptop. Depends how common the laptop is. I used to replace these frequently in one of my previous IT jobs, that and screens!

[drewzero1]

Really depends on the manufacturer... Some (USB?) have a shutoff for self-preservation but others will just blow unfortunately. I had to replace my work laptop over Christmas because of a bad charging port and I'm still trying to get used to the new one, so I feel your pain! Hopefully it's something that can be repaired without replacing the whole logic board, or at least a logic board that can be replaced cheaper than a whole new laptop. Depending on the model you might be able to find a repair guide on iFixit (https://www.ifixit.com/Guide) which can be helpful for sourcing parts even if you're not fixing it yourself. Like Steves I do that kind of thing a lot at work, so I'm happy to help if you need anything!

Edit for clarity: logic board = motherboard.

[Peter Butler]

Thanks guys, you are all stars! Apologies for my incorrect identification of the port, I know nothing of these things! This afternoon I managed to take my laptop to a repair shop in town as he has done jobs for me previously. He immediately discovered the problem and reset the chip (?) which should have fixed the problem, we hope. I still haven't had my camera returned so can't test it or provide pictures of the port in question. Hopefully we will be back to normal by the end of the week.
Also, many thanks for the kind offer to help out with batteries, I'm really grateful for your support and might need to take up your offer if Component Shop continue to have supply problems.

[Peter Butler]

Phew!!! camera returned and tested, everything seems to be back in order.
So, now for something different:
A friend mentioned a new(ish) model railway magazine he had recently purchased and that I was included in it. The title is, 'Let's Go Railway Modelling' and is a Peco publication dated 2023. Not a regular monthly edition, but a one-off (I guess). Naturally it is promotional material for all things Peco, but covers lots of interesting articles in all scales and shows how modellers have used them in their own personal ways.

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There is a dedicated chapter on garden railways, including '00', '0', 'SM32', 'G' etc. also steam and electric options and RC control systems. A fair range of subjects are covered.
I was delighted to see Peco had chosen to include a couple of images of B.U.R.P.S, taken by their own photographer, when my railway was included in the August edition of Railway Modeller, 2019. One shows me sitting, overlooking my railway, which they liken to Bekonscot and Babbacombe (nice!), and another demonstrating my RC Trains handset. ('RC Trains' name clearly visible). Peco must have a vast collection of pictures which could have been used so I feel honoured to have been chosen for this edition.

[philipy]

Congrats, Peter, well done.

[ge_rik]

another demonstrating my RC Trains handset. ('RC Trains' name clearly visible). Peco must have a vast collection of pictures which could have been used so I feel honoured to have been chosen for this edition.

That's good to hear

Rik

[FWLR]

The master in print again....

[-steves-]

Well done Peter, something else to be proud of

[Old Man Aaron]

Good going.

[Phil.P]

I will have to look out for a copy..
Happy to ride on your coat-tails, Peter!


Phil.P

[Phil.P]

Having been an Independent Newspaper Roundsman, I have looked it up:
It appears to be a quarterly publication, £9.95.

Came out in October, and goes off-sale in March..

Phil.P

[Peter Butler]

For various reasons (excuses) I have been unable to give you the final images of the Kerr Stuart built, Hunslet overhauled loco, which now runs as Edward Thomas on the Talyllyn Railway. The Boot Lane Works kit enables the builder to choose which version to make as parts are included for both.
As previously described, the only problem encountered was to get a smooth surface on some of the flat areas of print, common to the method so hardly unexpected. Other than that it is a well produced kit of parts which all fit very well. The long awaited AAA rechargeable battery pack fits comfortably inside the boiler and is easily accessible by removing one screw from underneath the smoke box, releasing both boiler and smokebox together.
Plenty of space for the RC Trains receiver inside the saddle tank, which is also removable.

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Additional weight was necessary on the trailing pony truck, even after fitting solid steel wheels to replace the printed ones supplied, also in the smoke box.

[ge_rik]

Looks great, Peter. Love the colour scheme and, of course, the name.
Looks like a well designed kit. Always a pleasure to see space between the boiler and chassis.

Rik

[-steves-]

I am not sure I would have the guts to line a loco so well and then cover it with weathering, that takes some doing Looks lovely

[FWLR]

Very nice that Peter. Love the colour and your weathering is brilliant as always.

[Andrew]

I do love those locos - and yours is a beauty. The lining looks great...

[Peter Butler]

Constantly thinking about what to do next my eyes gazed upon an item which I have shown in the past. This is something I decided not to modify, but time has a habit of changing things and so I set about it as my latest project....

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It is the VW camper van, which I have seen real-life photographs of, having been converted and even extended to run on standard gauge line....

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So I thought I might give it a try....

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It is a nice model, well detailed die-cast body with opening doors, sliding sunroof, detailed interior etc.
Way back in about 2014 I did convert it to RH drive but had no plans to cut it up at the time. Once separated it looked possible, although tricky, as the plastic chassis appeared to be anything but keen on the idea. However, there seemed to be room within the body to accept the flanged wheels of the same diameter as the road wheels, so out with the razor saw and off we go!

[FWLR]

This is going to be interesting to see Peter, but all your builds are interesting to watch it develop into something that truly inspires me and I guess other members too.