StuartM

Nice one, I dabbled with Picaxe's for a while and even made a start with a using one to control a sound chip loaded with diesel engine recordings as a cheap man version of dc sound, I'd be interested to know how you use the Ardunio as a dcc interface. And showing my ignorance, what's dcc++? And final question, what motor are you using in the 207

I was lucky enough to see this in the flesh today and its even better in real life, an absolutely stunning piece of modelling. Certainly something to aspire too.

The brickwork does look very effective. The 2mm in wills is so small as to be a waste of time, and the 4mm is oversize for our scale. Interesting to note that the window arches are just decals overlaid on top of the plain brick. I too look forward to seeing this in the skin at the weekend

That one impressive building, and I'd love to know the materials and techniques used

T That's easy to rectify, use blue ones especially the class 25, which is a stunning little model

Wot he said

IMHO I'd forget the shunter as the first loco conversion and perhaps try a class 20/24/25 as these are quite literally 'drop in' wheel conversions. These locos run super smooth and once converted to 2mm will run even smoother (on good track) If that goes well, then try converting the 04. I've done it, but like Nick, mine has an annoying click.

Cool, I'm hoping to to get to this one, so will come say hello

Is there a 2mm presence at Ali Pally this year

Not being able to complete a model to ones satisfaction always hurts

That had crossed my mind, as had Dundee and a hump shunting layout similar to Rangierbahnhof im Zeitraffer, then I gave myself a good slap and put the piece back in the draw and continue to not finish Greenwood cutting

I was having a clear out a short while ago when I came across this piece of half finished trackwork which I'd started not long after joining the association when I was into track building big time. I put it back in the draw and forgot all about it, until recently when I reached a low point with Greenwood cutting, so I thought a change is as good as a rest and decided to completed the exercise. As I recall, the idea was to build it using the Easitrack chairs, with brass chairs where required for strength and electrical connectivity. These days I tend to just solder rail directly to the sleepers as it saves so much time and still looks good. I've still got some cosmetic chairs to add and the isolation cuts to make, and then I have to think what to do with it? The last photo demonstrates how well my transparent test truck shows the wheel to rail interface, which comes in handy when fettling for smooth running

Ahh, the unfinished project, We all have them

I do hope the photo above with the mini drill was staged, as anything that can cut through metal can also cut through flesh and bone, and those drills are notoriously prone to flying off fore & arft if not clamped down. Probably teaching Granny to suck eggs, but I thought it worth mentioning for the younger viewers who may be watching

Is there a date for when the 08 kit is going to be available again? I presume the kit will comprise the updated components that you've listed above. Rgds, Stuart

Thanks, The layout you refer to is in one of the links below this post. I suggest starting with something small, just a couple of sidings or a depot perhaps, as I know to my cost anything larger can take an age to finish, and its easy to lose interest half way through. Class's 20, 24 & 25 are all easy to change the wheels on using the drop in wheels and are not out of place on a small yard or depot. The new easitrack turnouts are a good place to start, and you'd be surprised at how interesting a layout can be made from just 2 or 3 points. Expect to make mistakes and learn from them. Good luck Stuart

Hello Bri, Welcome to the 2mm assoc and Good luck with that question. This subject was recently discussed on the vag and it would seem there is no easy option, Mind you if the 08 had a chimney on it, then I'm sure a drop in solution would be available, However all developments in the 2mm assoc are created by members, usually for personal projects that then get shared with everyone else. There is a 2mm class 08 kit, but it has to be built from scratch and is currently out of stock. A 2mm version of the 08 is something I'd like myself, so I'm waiting for the kit, it is a pain, not least the building of the thing when it arrives, as £100 is a lot to spend practising your scratch building skills on, especially if like me you're not that good, but it is what it is. I'm sure others will have additional comments to make. Rgds, Stuart

I've been fiddling about with ballast this afternoon. I read in one of the MJR's an excellent article by a 7mm modeller who made all his track up in sections and then fitted the sleepers to the baseboard and then ballasted, then fixed the track to the sleepers. Admittedly this is much easier to do in 7mm rather than 2mm, but the results were stunning. So I tried the same thing on a small section of test track. I laid the sleepers, ballasted and then added the rail, as can be seen in the control section of track ballasted in the usual way (well for me anyway) the result is much cleaner and neater. The only downfall is it only works on small straight sections of track and not turnouts. Anyway I've posted the experiment here so others might find the results useful?

I've used it as well for an ngauge layout and its exactly like the new Easitrack turnouts that the 2mm association is now making available; and as someone who helped trial the associations Easitrack turnouts I can say the only difference is the gauging. 2mm looks nicer because of the closer gappings between rails and check rails, however the FiNetrack turnouts are so much nicer than peco code 55 turnouts. As to who wants to build them, well that would be fools like us. Moving on... I am very much looking forward to seeing your 1970's diesel layout, corporate blue rules imho

It's been a couple of years since I started this thread and asked Andy if it would be possible to create a separate section just for radio control/Battery power and I'm really pleased and impressed with all the people who have taken the idea much further than I have. Perhaps one the manufactures will cotton on the the idea, we live in hope. Please carry on posting your excellent models and ideas Stuart

A quick question re DCC Can you run a DCC converted loco using a CT chip on DC, primarily to test pick-up/wiper continuity ?

Oh yeah, so it is, thanks Nigel

Any chance of a link please Nigel

Very nice, and using plastic chairs as well Well done you

The afternoon sunlight makes for some interesting shadows on the tenement block at the rear of the photo and shows off the colours in the Brickwork. And the simple addition of a platform and some ballast adds to the scene. All buildings are made from Scalescenes textured sheets and as an exercise in what I could make with them, I think its been a success. Not only do the textured sheets look reasonably realistic, they also come pre painted and cut construction time to a minimum. unfortunately once again the 1meg upload limit does reduce the sharpness and clarity, but I thought it was worth sharing.