queensquare

The MR 3F etches Nick Tilson had were significantly over scale but the Cauliflower and Jumbo etches I got from him are spot on for 2mm - I have a picture of a Jumbo at Bath on an inspection saloon in 1930 in case anyone is wondering! I dug mine out this morning. The quickest way to check is the coupled wheelbase. Anyone got one of the L&Y 0-6-0 etches they could check. One of these spent a spell on the S&D in the mid 1920s presumably as a temporary replacement for some of the elderly S&D 0-6-0s that were being withdrawn in this period. Jerry

Great stuff Nick. I have one of these etches squirrelled away - Colonel Stephens had a number of ex LNWR locos on his books. If you could work out and document all the tricky bits of building a loco from these etches that would be very useful …..! 😊 Jerry

Brilliant Bob, great results from a single 470 tantalum. Very encouraging re. retro fitting some of my smallest locos with a stay alive. Jerry

Congratulations on the reprint. By coincidence I bought a Bob Mortimer book today, The Satsuma Complex, though mine came from my favourite charity emporium! 😊 Jerry

Christmas followed by Covid over new year means I’m again playing catch up with both personal and work projects. On Saturday we had another little 2mm get together. I had hoped to have ballasted the new Windsor Hill section and at least got a basic backscene in place but neither happened though I did get the track cleaned after the scenic work which meant that we were able to run the first train through the tunnels. The honour went to one of the J11s that Simon Grand has been building and, whilst it is totally inappropriate for the S&D I’m pleased to say it ran beautifully. John, ‘Doncaster Green’ brought a 4F and Jinty which he has recently converted and chipped. Both went for a trip through the tunnels and, the Jinty in particular, was silky smooth. Will ,tapdieuk’ brought some Midland wagons and NPCS which I failed to photograph. Suitably fuelled with a bowl of gruel and the obligatory cake I took advantage of having a spare pair of hands available to temporarily clamp the up Foxcote sector plate (now surplus since retiring the layout) in place to see if it would be suitable for the Midland storage area. It’s a little shorter than I would ideally have gone for but the six coach ‘Diner’ rake will fit, (just), and I can get a reasonable freight in as well. I can get a pair of additional kick back storage sidings under the twin tunnels and it doesn’t encroach on that end of the room too much. I will make a low lid for it, painted a suitable neutral colour, so it won’t impinge on the view of the viaduct. It will also save loads of time by not having to build another! Next job will be laying the Midland mainline up to Bath junction though before I do that I need to catch up with myself. Jerry

Fair points Ben. Having watched the second report just before nine I was perhaps a little harsh. Jerry

…… and we will be doing it again this year as well - Saturday July 13th - details to follow. Jerry

So why not point the camera at something else - the club room was full of layouts! Jerry

Well I’ve just rewatched the piece on BBC breakfast and it seemed to me the focus was on naff puns and the fact that Market Deeping suffered from dreadful vandalism a few years ago. Twice the reporter eulogised about the Dawlish layout with its cliffs, waves etc yet all you ever actually got to see was the fiddle yard! The club chairman came across very well but otherwise a pretty shallow bit of reporting. Jerry

They look excellent Will. Jerry

…. not overly complex at all - Bath is just a two platform branch terminus!🤔 Jerry

Another really useful post Bob, many thanks. I’ve got some of these 470uf tantalum’s on their way to me so I’ll be interested in how you find the performance with just the one. The three locos I’ve so far fitted with stay alive have two of these plus a Youchoos circuit as I had the room. The difference in running quality is like night and day. I’d love to retrofit some of my older, smaller locos with stay alive and a single 470uf plus home brewed circuit might just fit. Jerry

Hi Alex, Larkrail is booked for Saturday 13 July by which time it will have stopped raining and the sun will be out! We will be starting a new thread soon, Jerry

Great work Bob. I’d be interested in how you make your whistles, I always have trouble with these - I get close then they ping off, never to be seen again! Jerry

don’t know what part of the country you are in but the 2mm Roadshow and a demo will be at Southampton 26/27 Jan. I’m taking WilliamSmith’s Wharf which at 2’ long and with just two points is perfect for those that fancy dipping their toes into 2mm waters to see if they like it. Latest generation N gauge wagons and vans look excellent with replacement wheels though the biggest improvement is getting rid of the awful N gauge coupling and the great big box it sits in. Jerry

Brilliant, I’ve been known to do something similar at the other end of the line! Jerry

…. and a very merry Christmas to you as well Jim. Im one of the lucky ones who has taken up some of your time this year, the windows you did for Bath S&D shed are superb although Kim said the shed is too big for me to work on over Christmas at my little card table bench in the front room so it will have to wait until the new year! Jerry

Thanks for the link Nick. I’ve only put stay alive in two locos so far but both have used 2 x 470uF tantalum’s and the transformation in running is like night and day - even though both already ran well. It’s the eradication of the occasional slight hesitation that is so satisfying. it will be planned into all new builds and I will also be retro fitting where possible. Jerry

Windsor Hill Tunnels high on the Mendip ridge to Combe Down on the southern edge of the Cotswolds - all in less than half a scale mile! The basic Windsor Hill extension is now pretty much roughed out. I will add the new backscene and ballast the track before moving on but won’t work up the scenery until I’m ready to go all the way to Bath junction so that I can get some sort of consistency of colour and texture. Next job will be the Midland mainline up to Bath junction then on toward the station - lots of point mechanisms and wiring to come in the spring - my favourite!! Jerry

I'm inclined to agree with you John although the new Windsor Hill extension is meant to be several miles south of the colliery. Jerry

Anyway, in full festive mode, I’ve been down the workshop playing trains with my top team - great fun!! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

With you now Rich. Still mulling over what to do with it - if anything! Jerry

?? The entrance is at the far end, I purposely didn’t put one anywhere else because of the way they are perched above the lane. Jerry

Where’s the groan button!😊 Jerry

His Bobness. You can go off people you know! 😊 Jerry