Model Railway - What's your latest acquisition?

I remember the earlier ones. They bring back so many happy memories, I'm slowly increasing my stock of them for the new layout. Finding good ones is difficult at times, they go for silly money on ebay alas.   The brackets are also on the list as well, got to find quite a few and some "dollys" for an R.140 as well.

Sad to here your local retailer is retiring, I hope someone takes his business on or it's another little model shop gone.  I'm planning for my retirement as well. 15 good working years left but I shall probably carry on until I'm 70, just need to find a job now I'm no longer in the trade but it's proving somewhat difficult in the current economic climate, jobs for retail, business managers and CAD designers aren't about in my neck of the woods in any quantity. I've ruled out going back into IT as it changes too quickly and there's nothing locally in that field.

Two lovely locos today.

R2745 SR 4-4-0 Schools Class 'Wellington 902' now fitted with a DCC Concepts decoder (with stay alive provided still to be added)

and 31-715 LNER 4-6-0 B1 '1123' from the other mob with decoder fitted

 I am looking forward to the delivery of a Bluebox Billinton E4.  Hope the Hornby Class 700 are released soon (also the Crosti-9F's).

Just look at what I recently managed to fabricate from a small piece of one of my gold bars! I hope I've gauged it right.

I used this for the first time the other evening and it's great. It beats the old cold common steel ruler, being much quicker to use and saving eye strain. Its round edges tapering inwards make it extremely easy to work it into the inside of wheels and, for some reason, it is a real pleasure to use. You can gently ease wheels wider apart (which seems to be the more usual adjustment required) or, presumably, press any wheels which happen to be too wide apart onto it.

I find mine invaluable Graskie. I had to bevel the outer edges to help insert it in the gap as it came with square edges.

A tip for people new to using these handy tools - watch out you don't damage any pickup wipers on the backs of the wheels.

My latest acquisition has nothing to do with model railways, except it has diverted my attention from the layout. A boring pressure switch for the water pump on my roof - got to be fixed even in 27 Deg heat else I have no water in the house.

When I was in the UK the site where I have a lodge was selling off an old holiday caravan, about 40ft long by 10 ft wide for 200 quid. It would have made a great railway room, but the site owner said no way could I park it up behind the lodge and call it a garden shed even if I painted it brown - so its back to the drawing board on that project.

Just look at what I recently managed to fabricate from a small piece of one of my gold bars! I hope I've gauged it right.

I used this for the first time the other evening and it's great. It beats the old cold common steel ruler, being much quicker to use and saving eye strain. Its round edges tapering inwards make it extremely easy to work it into the inside of wheels and, for some reason, it is a real pleasure to use. You can gently ease wheels wider apart (which seems to be the more usual adjustment required) or, presumably, press any wheels which happen to be too wide apart onto it.

 

 I could do with one of those, but what's it called and where can I get one?
 

Its a back to back gauge Cooped and you can get them from several places including Gaugemaster. Some  have slots for gears and some not. They come in different widths to suit your scale e.g. N, 00, EM, etc.

Being usually solid brass they are not cheap - about 15 quid, so I wouldn't want to put a price on Graskie's gold one.

Gauges are about £5 here

http://www.markits.com

R-

Just got a solid brass Markits one from Peters Spares for a £5-84 +p & p. 

And I thought you were a steel ruler afficionado, WTD. Mine was really £6.56 plus p&p from the same place. No regrets, it's probably better than your cheaper version.