queensquare

Hi Chris, I rarely buy Model Rail but got the S&D issue and thoroughly enjoyed it, a cracking read. As for Midford, it would make a fascinating model. Rather than moving to the 1963-66 period to make the trains more manageable why not go back to the 1920's. The 'Pines' or its predeccessor 'The Manchester Diner' was a six coach set on weekdays rising to about eight on summer saturdays - Midland red coaches with one or two Prussian blue locos at the head - tempted? To really do Midford justice would take up a lot of room. As some may know I am very slowly building Bath c.mid 1920's in 2FS in my workshop and had long had thoughts of putting Midford down the other side of the room. However, I couldn't come up with a plan that satisfied and finally settled on the southern portal of Combe Down tunnel, Tucking Mill viaduct and a short freelance section that will incorporate Highbury before entering the fiddle yard. I would love to see somebody realy do Midford justice - it would make a stunning model particularly in 2mm/N. It would be nice to move away from the shelf idea and really give it some depth and take full advantage of the trains in the landscape approach - given the time and the space I would do it myself. As a side issue, Bath was known locally as the Midland station until renamed Green Park in the early 50's. As far as I know only Bradshaws used the name Queensquare - although thats the name I like hence my avatar! regards Jerry

I have three locos running with Nigel Lawton motors and find them fine, if a little high revving. I've not had any issues with lack of power, adhesive weight is usualy the limiting factor. That said, the reports I have had about the new motor the Association is stocking are very promising and I shall certainly be giving it a go. If you can shoe horn one of these into that little LNW tank I would give it a try. Jerry

Hi Julia, even more cheesed off I couldn't make it to the members day now, Highclere looked fantastic. I suspect that with Pixie and Bryn around Elvis wasn't the only diesel running on the layout during happy hour! Look forward to seeing more pictures. cheers Jerry

Just returned after best part of two weeks working at Glastonbury Festival - cream crackered!! As many of you will know Highbury was built as a test bed for techniques and a test track for stock built for my big layout, Bath Queensquare (renamed Green Park by BR in the early 50's) as it would have looked in the 1920's with lots of lovely red and blue engines. The two unfinished locos featured in this installment are both destined for Bath and will both be in MR red as running in the early 1920's. The 1P 0-4-4T will work local trains to Bristol whilst the 800 class 2-4-0 will pilot a 483 4-4-0 on the northern leg of the Pines. Coaches to form these trains are well advanced although my worries over how I'm going to do the lining stubornly refuse to subside! Jerry

Wow, the Hymek looks fantastic! Did you do anything else? On mine the axles seem ridiculously sloppy between the bogie sideframes, did you limit the sideplay? Cheers, Alex Thanks Alex. There is a lot of slop between the bogie sideframes although some of this is tightened up when it is converted to finescale due to the wider BTB. The more annoying one for me is the fore and aft slop which results in the bogies pulling away momentarily before the body. Next time I take the loco apart I will investigate packing this out. Jerry

Hi Gary, good to meet at Aylesbury and welcome to the dark side, you've let yourself in for a lot of fun hopefully. The loco is the same one and is about thirty years old now. It was originaly built in N for running on Chiltern Green before being converted to finescale. Jerry

As I sadly won't be able to make the 2mm expo at Keighley (see http://www.2mm.org.uk/events.html ) coming up this weekend I thought I would post a picture of arguably Highbury's most glamorous visitor, Tim Watson's Midland Spinner which I borrowed to shunt the yard for a couple of hours at last years 2mm expo in Oxford. The loco looked stunning and performed beutifully although, I suspect much like the prototype, it struggled to take anything more than a light load up the bank at the front. Jerry

Looks great Julia. When are we going to see Highcleare out on the circuit - I think its going to be a show stopper. Jerry

Thats very kind thanks although I can take no credit for the film or the music. They are the work of Ian Morgan of this parish. The little shunter is Kimberly in her unfinished state. Please fire away with your questions. I'll help all I can although there are far better qualified on here to answer them. I have built and detailed a few locos commercially but principally its buildings and complete layouts I make. Jerry

Thanks for your kind words Julia. The wheels are some the late Mike Bryant produced years ago specifically for the Ibertron chassis - wish I had bought a couple of sets at the time. Hi Pete, diesels are making increasingly regular appearances on the colliery although Kim is still not keen on the idea. Jerry

Kris asked What did you do to lower the Hymek? I took out the circuit board on top of the block (I'm not interested in the lights) and scraped some plastic away inside the roof to allow the body to sit lower over the motor. I also very carefully paired some plastic away on the bottom of the nose where it sits on the bufferbeam. Overall I managed to get it down by about .75mm - not much but I think it improves the look above the bogies. Mark added Very pleased to see you've finished the saddle tank. I almost wish I'd kept but realistically, it would still be sitting in it's gloatbox. Many thanks Mark I'm really pleased with the end result - and so is Kim! I'm on the lookout for one of the Peco Pecketts to do something similar. The castings are a bit bloated to fit the old Arnold chassis but they are very clean and add invaluable weight just where its needed. With some surgery to slim them down they can make a nice little loco, as you have shown with your Peckett. Jerry

I thought I would start a topic showcasing some of the locos that appear on Highbury, both residents and visitors. I will start with the resident colliery shunter and a time traveller. 'Kimberly', is a real hybrid. The saddle tank and smokebox are are a savagely butchered set of Peco castings donated to the cause by Mark Fielder (2mm Mark), grafted onto a scratchbuilt cab, footplate etc. The chassis is an Ibertron cuckoo block with scratchbuilt cylinders and motion, a Mashima motor and Mike Bryant wheels. The result is a very steady and reliable little loco. The Hymek, which the observant amongst you will notice dosen't quite fit my c.1920's period http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/rolleyes.gif , is the very nice Dapol model. The wheels have been turned down to finescale standards, the body lowered, the ends detailed then the whole lot weathered. The loco runs beautifully although the slop in the bogies is a bit annoying as they set off momentarily before the body although I am hoping that a bit of judicious packing will cure this. As anyone who has helped me out at exhibitions will know I actively encourage visiting locos, the more inapropriate the better, to run on the colliery during 'happy hour' - not everyones cup of tea I know. One poster on another thread recently refered to it as 'silly hour' suggesting the practice short changed the exhibition goer. Oh well, thankfully the hobby is a broad church. I have a number of shots of exotic, and often very beautiful guests on the colliery which I will add over time but if anyone has snapped any guests on the layout please post them. Enjoy.

Hi Chris, the point looks great. I also prefer soldered points finding them much quicker and easier to make. Was good to meet you at Aylesbury at the weekend although would have been nice to have a bit more time for more of a chat - always the way at shows. The picture you had of the shunting horses was a real gem. The 1F looks very nice. I have one part built which I must get finished sometime. regards Jerry

All I can suggest is putting it on some descent track - has Pixie not persuaded you to come over to the dark side yet A superb job, beautifully observed. Jerry

Bryn and I will be hiding behind Highbury Colliery... Come and say Hi!B) Pix No hiding on Highbury I'm afraid - we operate (and chat) from the front Jerry

Its even nicer in the flesh - and is definately 2FS! Simon brought the loco to the members day in Taunton recently and it was quickly given a test run on the colliery. As others have said a realy beautiful piece of work. Jerry

The reason you are getting derailments is because of the common crossing on the point. The knuckles do not line up, they must be exactly opposite each other. Also, it looks as though the wingrail gaps are differnt each side of the common crossing (frog) - they should be 20thou - I use a couple of slips of alluminium to set these. The area around the common crossing is the most crucial part of the point and it is essential that it is spot on or it will always cause problems. Don't be afraid to scrap points if they don't work they will only be a constant source of frustration - I know because I ditched a fair few in my early track building days. That said, keep at it, 2FS is worth it in the end cheers Jerry

I have a guilty secret. For the last couple of years, at least since I became closer to fifty than forty, I have been diverting some of my modelling time and funds away from my first love of pre-group SDJR in 2FS and going back to my youth in the early 70's. I have been collecting blue diesels with the idea of building something to remind me of those far off spotty spotting days. Our favourite haunt was Westbury where we would go to the 'triangle' and watch trains going up the bank to Warminster, stopping trains on the mainline or expesses thundering around the avoiding line on the third side. A model of Westbury in this period would be fascinating but huge and hopelessly ambitious so I have decided to start researching for a model of my home town of Warminster where, from about 1973 through to about 79 I could found, along with my mates, hanging around the station on our pushbikes (home assembled, frame and wheels from the dump, cow horns etc) most weekday evenings, taking numbers and generally annoying the station staff. When I look back it was a great time to be a spotter. We had the last few years of the Hymeks and in particular the Westerns (I was just too young to remember the Warships well) along with a host of other classes, the occasional 25, 31's, 33's, 37's, 46's, 47's, and a host of DMU's. I can remember the annoyance of some of the big kids (they were probably 12 or 13!)who moaned about the fact they were 'changing all the b***** numbers', whichdates it to 1973. Sadly I didn't have a camera back then and, although much of the station remains in tact, things like the goods shed, signal box, semophore signalling and the old Geest bannana factory have long since been swept away. Did any RMWebber take any pictures in or around Warminster in this period or can point me in the right direction? If anyone can help with this blue diesel fuelled mid life crisis I would be most grateful. regards Jerry http://www.jerrycliffordmodels.co.uk/

Ever the bodger, I used an idea which came from, I think, Kieth Armes (definately not a bodger) whereby I went along the centreline of a tracksetta with a large centre punch and a hefty hammer. That was enogh to spread it by about .4mm. Jerry

Hi Kris, I don't use an extra sleeper, I simply use the one nearest the tip of the blades. See http://2mmcalemodels.fotopic.net/c1405332.html not the clearest picture, taken about four years ago at the AGM. Jerry

Afraid Steve proved to be such a good operator at Calne that he now has an open invite to come play trains with Highbury whenever we are out exhibiting - hope it won't slow progress too much regards Jerry

Nice job Chris. Its tiny compaired to the N gauge society vans because they are horribly stretched in just about every direction.