Phil Brighton

Just noticed in a set of 6 20mm Romford wheels 2 are 18 spoke the rest 16. Anyone got 16 spoke ones? Can buy or even better if you want 18 spoke ones can swap! The 18 spoke ones are as new and insulated. Thanks

Ballast train from 3D files I drew up.

HI Nestor - didn't realise you were going German with your modelling! I don't know of any other information sorry. He said he didn't use online forums and I have no idea about the German modelling press. It's a shame because aside from the interesting explanations of how he built the models I didn't realise the complications of the period and place. For example when looking at works drawings from pre 1870 and unification he needs to check the units of measurement as every state and half the cities had different length feet and inches! Fascinating stuff.

I hope people don't mind me posting this here - just thought it nice to share as the main theme of this topic is making things. We just got back from visiting a friend who moved to near Frankfurt to marry a German girl. He mentioned his neighbour was into trains (my friend is a weirdo who for some reason isn't into trains) and that I should pop round and have chat with him. What a treat! His layout was good and the buildings very nice indeed but the loco's and rolling stock was exquisite. All pre 1870 in HO and all totally scratch built - even down to the wheels that he makes himself. They ran beautifully and were frankly real little works of art.

Mike sent them direct - we swapped some STLs

Will see what I can do. Do also want to get better at taking my own ones.

Thanks, that's very kind. Looks like current market means moving soon isn't likely so on the plus side unlike the plans in the article it isn't being dismantled yet.

Pleased to have made it into Railway Modeller this month.

Hornby D16/Mallard Models brass kit Royal Claud finished. Pretty pleased with this one in the end.

End of last week gave the Royal Claud a test run on the Cambridge Buffet Express. I like to do all the main parts with solder, prime to check for problems,to be filed or filled then use glue for the little details. It took quite a while to get the body ok as the primer showed up that I had not done a very good job of the firebox on one side. It was a thinner brass than the rest of the body and was on an etch with detailing parts like the valances designed to be attached to a thicker sheet of brass underneath. It was quite distorted I couldn't get the thing to a decent finish. After a lot of trying I gave up and cut one side of the firebox out between the boiler bands (are they called that on the firebox?), soldered some thicker scraps of brass together and made a new part of the same shape. Its not perfect (its the other side from this pic) but is far better. Many of the castings with the kit were not great or missing entirely so I have 3d printed some new parts and nicked others of the Hornby D16. More to do but it should be plain sailing until painting now.

Finally decided today to sit down and stop avoiding the annoying bit of my Royal Claud build. By annoying I mean getting the Hornby chassis to screw to the body and run without shorting while getting the plastic smokebox parts to all line up with the kit parts. Quite why I thought this was a better idea than just building the Mallard models kit I don't know but I have started so I will finish. Anyway the difficult bit is done so I can move onto the tidying up and detailing. Boiler fittings and cab roof just there to make it look nice, none of them fixed down.

These GNR open framed van bodies are from STLs created by Mike Trice. The chassis are from my own design.

Finally got round to finishing a few of my 3d printed wagons. These ones are all fitted examples to use in an express goods. All drawn in Tinkercad and printed on a Elegoo Mars. The only exception is the container with is RTR. Conflat Fitted LNER open LNER fridgevan - with home etched ladders on the ends. Couple of GNR vans with different door types and ends. Also a NER CCT I have a few of each and a couple of other designs I haven't finished yet.

Tried the idea Tried the idea of using the main track programmer (incidentally it doesn't allow me to edit CV8) to find the problem had solved itself and both locos running as normal. Weird but shouldn't complain! Thanks all for the responses

Yes Hattons Decoders. I have found them fine generally and the reset is CV 8.

Hi all I am pretty sure the answer here is 'yes the decoders have had it' but maybe there is someone out there who knows otherwise... I turned on my layout the other day, it's controlled by a Sprog Unit with mostly Hattons basic decoders. Something went wrong and the Sprog stopped working. I have got it working again and all but 2 locos are fine. The 2 locos that aren't run full speed backwards as soon as they are on the track. When I read the decoders every CV is 255 and I can't seem to write any changes including to CV8. It appears to write but then when you read back it's 255 again. Are the decoders fit only for the bin? Thanks Phil

I have done the full Kirk set in LNER days. One set of 4 was an unbuilt secondhand kit. The other had been built very badly and was totally covered in glue. Luckily none of the difficult replace parts were damaged beyond repair and i could replace other parts with plasticard. Used MJT trussing and made the foot boards from staples and brass on both sets.

Bit of a diversion. Have been continuing drawing up wagons and 3D printing them - will post up some pics soon. One of the wagons is a refrigerator van which needs ladders on the ends. I think 3d printing them would likely to break so I was going to solder them up from wire. However I decided to try something different tried etching my own. I am in no way saying this was the best way to do this but I wanted to see if I could and then maybe make other parts in the future. First up draw up the design. The crosses help line up paper. I then print onto paper that is the backing for sheets of stickers. I tried a bunch of paper glossy stuff from magazines etc but this worked best. Its double sided and is cut out, folded and taped to make a little pocket. The brass is popped into the pocket and then sprayed from an old perfume bottle (or something like that) with nail polish remover. Pressing down on the paper should (if you are lucky took a few goes) transfer the image to the brass. You can see it worked ok with some issues in one corner but I pressed on hoping some would work. I have made the etch tank from clear styrene and bathroom sealant with a fish tank air bubbler and a fish tank heater (both cheapo ebay) inside. The brass is dangled on thread into the tank. Ferric chloride is poured in and off it goes. These are the ladders. Its my first try and they are usable if a little uneven. I think I will try making other parts when I need them. The ladders are quite delicate more substantial parts might work better. A bit of an experiment anyway. None of these techniques are mine I nick them from all sorts of places.

A few things aside from the bogies and roof fittings etc I have done in Tinkercad. All at various stages of trying them out 3D printed and will pop up some photos when they are ready. A GNR open wagon. Buffers printed separately. GNR van. Chose one with a sliding door and 4 end posts to be different but will modify to create some variations with standard doors and 2 end posts. Both of these done from Tatlow book. Buffers and roof printed separately. Also a 6 wheel chassis to go underneath a Diagram 3D laser cut card kit of a fruit and milk van. This has needed a few prototypes on the way to get it right. It has some separate CAD for wheels and brakes etc.

Now am moving forward on some of the other coaches and using my own designed and printed fox bogies. This is the isinglass Milk brake sides sides on kirk ends and roof I also saw a nice photo of an earlier Howlden milk brake in an article I tracked down in a magazine about milk trains. The sides are from plasticard and the roof 3d printed. I tried making the beading from sticky back plastic rather than plasticard and it has come out much better. Easier to keep straight and will cut finer on the silhouette cutter.

Has been a while again. Finally gave up waiting for my mate to 3D print the parts I had designed and persuaded him to just lend me the printer. After a lot of faffing and getting bits wrong I got to the point where I could get usable results. Here is a bunch of smaller items - all made in Tinkercad. Mansell wheel inserts, lamps, GNR roof fittings and some underframe parts. The wheel inserts were the final parts needed for the D&S GNR 6 wheelers which are now weathered and complete.

Hi Colin, Sorry no pictures of the finished thing, as I haven't finished it! I have a mate with a 3D printer and I have done up a whole bunch of parts, vents, underframe, bogies on Tinkercad but he is taking his sweet time about getting round to printing them. It's on hold till then, I must give him a prod. Here is a picture of where I have got to. I am not a huge fan of card as a material but I think I will get a decent end result. I didn't spray the card with something to seal it and really should have done. Overall if you want the prototype they offer the main consideration is are you confident you can build the underframe etc. If so then give it a go I recon.

Its mixed media time when it comes to coaches here. First up the three D&S brass kits are very nearly ready for painting. Islinglass 3D printed milk brake sides have been bought to be stuck on a non-corridor plastic kirk kit. Finally another go at a Diagram3D kit - this time for a GNR Howlden coach. Laser cut card. Very thin but all loaded into the 'Smart frame'.

I have had a go at building the new PDK P1 kit. Not as ingenious as making one from bits of A1s and O2s and but I would recommend the kit if anyone was after one of these locos..

A few years ago I manged to pick up these GNR D&S kits off ebay for £20 each. Was pretty pleased with that - no one else bid. With a lot of talk of 6 wheel coaches about I thought I would give them a go. Have done the Luggage Brake and it's ready for painting. They really are very nice kits to build. Only the brake gear gave me any difficulties and I ending up fudging it a bit so you can still get the wheels out if needs be. Hopefully the 3rd and composite should be pretty straight forward as they as identical in construction methods. (The Luggage Brake isn't screwed to the chassis and the roof isn't glued down. Will be done after painting.)