the stub axle has a small ridge soldered to the end to stop the star centre moving toward the wheel (picture), but having now tested it, I don't think it will. There's a little bit of play in the bearings but the master rod only has the bearing one end so there's much less and it seems to just find its own centre and stay there. if I did away with that ridge there's no need for the collet, the stub axle could be just soldered to the brass strip, nothing to fit inside the paddle box - and plenty of room 
So I'll try making one tomorrow and see how it goes...
By the way, by just holding a bit of rod in the star centre with the assembled wheel fitted on the ship (to see what the best position would be for it) I found the feathering works perfectly, soon as I get something rigged up I'll take a video of it rotating

I just made one without the collet, the stub axle is just inserted into the star centre as the belting is screwed onto the side. Seems to work ok 
http://s185.photobucket.com/albums/x66/mjt60a/new%20project/?action=view&current=PICT0031.flv

a great video and such a simple idea. 

I've now attached the belting to the brass strip (with araldite, after roughening both surfaces) and drilled and filed the ends. Also fixed wooden blocks with threaded brass inserts from old light switch boxes, under the sponsons to screw the brass strip into....

while waiting for the adhesive to dry I also added the bridge fittings and started trying to make a binnacle...

this weekend has been a bit busy for me so not so much progress but I did manage to drill twelve holes in the hull, just above the waterline (  ) and twelve more in the frames of the sponson decks, then bent some pieces of wire from the front of an old halogen heater to fit into and between these pairs of holes. These will be epoxied in place then painted - along with the whole underside of the sponson decks...

I've now painted the underside of the sponsons, painted the binnacle after fitting the balls, and just now glued in it the wheelhouse, started painting a couple of crewmen to put there before fitting the roof.
Looking through one of the spares boxes, I found I have a bag of passengers and staff for 50th scale model rail that I must've bought about 20 years ago at a show, knowing I'd need them one day, they're not as good as preiser ones (still have some of the used ones I bought) but after a bit of cleaning up and painting they should be OK. Also bought some new preiser figures, some seated and the 'statesmen' set - mainly to get the uniformed man to go on the bridge wing, and some chairs - as I can't see me being able to build my own - which looked a bit small to me but they do fit the seated figures...

Hi Mick ,
I really like the single chairs - do you have any more info on the supplier?

My Dad's Atalanta is covered in Slater's people some have had plastercine added to change their appearance .. a lot of extra work but makes them a little different.
Regards,
Kim

They're these - http://www.modelshop.co.uk/product/1%3A50_basic_chair_4_leg_Pk10_MU20500 - don't know what postage would be as I just go there and see what they have on the shelf.
Seems they come from this supplier - http://www.schulcz.de/international/web/za/home-za.html - but I don't have much success using their site - there's no pictures!

Quote from: Talisman on April 25, 2010, 08:58:19 PM...My Dad's Atalanta is covered in Slater's people some have had plastercine added to change their appearance ...

I've done that myself before but using milliput or humbrol model filler - and in 25th scale, don't know how it would look if I tried on these figures!
...still, I may give it a go, some of the used ones were stuck on a station so are a bit damaged anyway...

Quote from: mjt60a on April 25, 2010, 08:47:14 PM....started painting a couple of crewmen ....

...and here they are, one on the left is the preiser and on the right is one from the set I bought about 20 years ago and don't remember the manufacturer

Just one question Mick, why is the guy on the right holding a chicken drumstick?

Regards
Eddy

That's a good question! I have no idea what that is but it must've been intended to be painted a different colour, I didn't notice it until I started (or I'd have sanded it away) but as it's between the wheel and the helmsmans body I just painted over it - it won't show 
Incidentally, he was holding up a short stick with a flag on it in his right hand, maybe it's supposed to be another one all wrapped around the stick

Hi Mick,
I really like the effect on your telegraphs with the translucent yellow glass paint, I'm assuming it is available from good art stores, is there a certain make you use?
regards
Clark

Hello Mick. The mystery figures are Slaters Miniatures O gauge railway figures (about 1/43 to 1/48th scale and are still available quite cheeply in UK. With the flash cleaned up and painted they are quite reasonable. They do two sets, standing and seated passengers and a railway workers set which for some reason are slightly taller and in overalls with various tools in their hands which can be cut off. They are moulded in hard styrene plastic so they can be cut up and repositioned to give a wider variety of poses. regards, walter.