robmanchester

Hi Steaurt , No, I can't do either. the pic I posted was on a website years ago and I saved a copy of it. I never purchased one ( as my post maybe suggested ). The details on the pic don't generate any hits these days. It wouldn't be too difficult to make one yourself. As others have pointed out you do need a flat surface somewhere on the wagon to use as a reference for the clamping. TBH I have assembled a few wagons recently and just eyeballed the joints. Luckily they were vans as I often find issues with open wagons as the sides tend to bow inwards 6 months after I make them. Not to bad on a wagon that will be loaded but not good if you want to run it empty..... Rob

Sorry to hear of John's passing. Really nice kits - luckily I have a number of the structures tucked away for future projects. The wooden caboose kits were really nice too. Rob

Thanks to all. The motor in the loco turned out to be faulty so a refund has been received from the supplier. Not that this would have any bearing on the lighting though. Rob

Can anybody help me concerning the directional lighting on a 'Slim body' Heljan class 33. It is running on DC without a decoder and when placed on the track I see a red glow behing the headcode box when moving forward and no light at the tail end. I removed the body from the chassis and there is two bulbs mounted on each end of the chassis. When you run it with the body removed the upper bulb lights at the forward end and the lower one lights at the rear end - when the direction is changed the bulbs swap over so the upper one is lit at the forward end etc. There is a light tube that runs across the inside of the body at boths ends with a cut out where the lower bulb is located on the chassis which I thought would send some light to the lenses mounted on the bodyshell - but you can see nothing from the lower lenses. I assumed that the lights would be white at the front and red at the rear and they would change colour according to the direction of travel like many other locos. Am I missing something ? The model is one of those without the extra headlight that is mentioned in the instructions as being also available. Thanks. Rob

If somebody gets a faulty part from Brassmasters ( or another supplier ) that needs to be returned then they will have to provide an address in order that it can be sent back for replacement. Brassmasters state that they are a part-time hobby business which is fine and applies to quite a lot of our wonderful specialist suppliers. It isn't unreasonable to have a contact address when you may be spending hunders or even thousands of pounds with them though. Suppliers that take credit cards as payment but don't accept Paypal sometimes worry me a bit - I understand the reason cited is that Paypal charge more in fees than CC companies. That isn't a dig at Brassmasters who have a large presence in the Hobby ( they only take Paypal for non-UK transactions ) but I know many people who don't like putting credit and debit card numbers directly into suppliers web-sites. A well known supplier told me a few years ago that he didn't take Paypal because the (Paypal)refund policy was so biased towards the buyer that he would get people cancelling orders if items went out of stock or special orders were not delivered by the quoted date. Lack of response from "small" suppliers can be annoying when you send an email to ask questions. Some of them are holding down full time jobs and supplying us with the parts we desire so it is difficult to be too critical. Rob

Do you have a picture of the track pin method in use on a 4mm scale wagon ? I can't see the pictures in the older posts on here. I am also going to try the 2mm scale version to see if that is any better visually. Many thanks Rob

Yes, I will try ringing him and ask if the 2008 price lists are still current 😀 . Seriously though the first question to him should be is he alright. I will post again with any update. Rob

I tried contacting Brian at Branchlines on the this "new" email but no reply as yet. Has anybody managed to contact him this way ? Rob

Thank you, yes I have a copy of the book. I met John once, such a nice guy and such a shame he died so early Rob

I often junk kit floors. By the time you have made changes to the wagon spec such as sprung or compensated w-irons that involve having a flat floor it is often easier to cut a rectangle of 0.040" plastikard than file the kit floor down. If the wagon is going to run empty I use an Olafa cutter to scribe the planks ( fingers crossed it doesn't have bottom doors....... ) The vinyl cutter sounds nice. Maybe I can get the wife interested as she does cardmaking and such like 😁 How long do the blades last when cutting styrene ? Rob

Yes, very good points, thank you. I have a wagon stock of Coopercraft, Slaters, Ratio etc and the top of the sides and ends is usually flat and 'upgrades' such as capping strips, decent metal end door bars and such like would usually be added after the basic body shell is assembled. You are of course right about covered vans and round ended wagons and not being able to use the base of a jig as a flat reference. I must admit to often building a wagon by asembling the sides/ends without the floor in place but just using the floor ( assuming it is a decent moulding and the correct size ) helps a lot in getting things pretty near square. Judging by the number of pictures including wagons with sheets I have seen I don't think either a round end or a sheet bar did much to prevent a build up of water ! I bet a lot of staff got wet when unloading.... Thanks for your thoughts. Rob

This was the wagon clamp I was originally thinking of - just found this pic I have had for years. The company doesn't seem to exist anymore. Rob

Thanks to all for the replies. I think the 1-2-3 blocks or the Lego sound options to explore. Rob

Hello, Can anybody tell me if there are any clamps or jigs available these days to be used when assembling the sides/ends of wagon kits. They would also be good for any other glue-ups that required holding at 90 degrees. I thought I had seen some advertised but can't seem to locate them now. I did find some clamps by Micromark which were $40.00 each and out of stock... Thanks Rob

Yes, spot on. EM-SF is a very sensible option rather than P4 if you want fine scale looking track but there is more flexibilty for buying used models and running stock from other layouts. Just watch the flange width - no RTR type wheels! Rob