SJS

Well I just noticed its been 6 mnths since I last logged on and that everyone has been very busy. I alas have made no progress on the modelling front. However, the room in which the Sutton Dock resides has been completley redecorated so I can finally get back to work on the 517 running problems and finishing off the track layout. So wish me luck!

I have been busy trying to solve the running problems on my 517. thanks to help on one of the forums I managed to get the thing rolling freely - so all seemed well. Until.....I realised I had manged to strip part of the idler gear in the gearbox which made it lurch as teeth engaged then didn't. Ah well - new gear on its way thanks to Chris at High-level kits. To compensate for the slow progress I made a few more card buildings. The more I do of these the more I enjoy them but at the same time see the problem with the last one.....ah well they are cheap and quick to build. Anyway here is another photo - sorry for the poor angle and lighting, I haven't really got the hang of taking photos yet!

Thanks everyone - I did introduce some more slack into the rods and things are moving much better now. I think I am somewhere between a finely-crafted model and an RTR in terms of the slack! Hopefully I will get it running in the next few days! Thanks again, S.

OK so I took everything apart and noticed a bent crankpin - so rebuilt it. Its now much better - in fact it runs fine if I loosen one of the locknuts so the coupling rod is out of the bush. This would suggest to me that I need to loosen off that coupling rod a little? Thoughts before I do this? Thanks, S.

thanks Spitfire - I took the rods off and it doesn't seem to curve although I must admit it perhaps doesn't roll as freely as it should....

Dear all - I am hoping someone can help me. I am attempting my first EM gauge loco using a High-level kits chassis and Gibson wheels. My first attempt was a disaster - lack of general skills I believe and although it looked good it didn't run at all. So I made a second go. Now it seems a lot better (doesn't look quite as nice though!) but the wheels bind when turned by hand (its a 0-4-2) so its only one set of rods. I believe they are quartered correctly but the binding continues. The odd thing is that it seems to change where it binds depending on how I try turning the wheels. I.e., if I turn the rear pair it binds somewhere different from turning the front. I have looked online but being a newbie at this kind of building I am not sure what to do and in what order. I don't want to make things worse so any thoughts? S.

Dear friends - those of you who keep track of my blog may have noticed a few (un)subtle difference recently. The most obvious of these is a change of username and the second is the way I have started to sign my comments. The reason for this is a personal one but briefly I have suffered for most of my life with severe depression caused by gender dysphoria. After many years of suffering in silence I have (finally) decided to take action. As a small step I am changing all my online accounts to my new name. I would really appreciate it if you use it. With thanks, Samantha

Hi Mike - will be interesting to see how you get on with the coach side. Samantha

Hi Mike - sorry if you have answered this elsewhere. How did you do the original drawings? I have contemplated getting a 3D printer but what has always concerned me is getting everything to scale.

Hej Mikkel, amazing! You are so fantastically creative. I am in awe!

All I can add to this is that we now have a (minority) Government here in Sweden - didn't really notice the difference from when we didn't have one. Things worked (well not the railways very well but that's another story), nobody panicked, people talked and somehow it all got sorted without resulting in anyone shouting at anyone else. Ah I miss the UK parliament.....

Hi - I am not sure if this is correct place to post this. But is there a way to change your username? Thanks.

Thanks its good to be here as myself.

Thanks again - I think I have already gained more from this forum that I could have imagined.

Thanks Katy. I think I was probably prejudace somewhat in thinking that the model railway community would not be welcoming for which I apologise to everyone. I learn new things each day.

Thank you, your support is most welcome. I have lost friends and gained some during my very slow transition (still ongoing!) so I suspect this will happen again. Generally good friends and family stay with you whatever happens in your life. I was kinda kidding about the "stunningly beautiful" - I will be pleased if I am generally ignored when out. But I will take any compliment.

Hi everyone - I just came across this topic and was overall pleasantly suprised by the reaction in this blog and was even more pleased to see some trangendered people as railway modellers! This may sound kind of strange but the reason that I am happy in reading this blog is that I am a Transgendered MtoF (oohh I think I have just come out to the railway fraternity). To many of my close friends and acquantances I am seen as female but I have always hidden it when going to model shows or online (here!) as it has always seemed a little overwhelmingly male and its daunting to be (or think you are) the only TG person around. I might change my profile to my real name now - and it's Samantha by the way...... So when you see a 6-2 woman who looks stunningly beautiful at your next railway show but is perhaps a little shy do say hello...it might be me

Hi Andy - just want to say thanks for the big effort put in to get this far. It is much appreciated! I am sure all the little glitches will be solved soon - of course after March 29th everything will work perfectly (sorry couldn't resist)

Great job - love the creamery photo and in particular how the backdrop merges in with the model.

Thanks Alan will take a look! Mark

HI Alan - love the look of the buildings. Can I ask how you built the staircase? I was looking for something like this on my layout but my first attempts weren't great. Thanks, Mark

Tack så mycket Mikkel.

Hi all - well its been 6 months almost since the last update and as usual progress has been glacial. I did finish off the 517 - at least I thought I had - but running problems meant I had to disassemble it and do some mods on the chassis. Its still awaiting testing. I did make some progress on the scenery All the buldings are scalscenes or cut and paste version of their kits. The buildings are only places at the moment so are not all "level", in addition the mirrors at the rear are only temporary and have film over them to protect them. So have a "gott nytt år" as they say in these parts and here is to a good modelling year in 2019.

I have to agree with Wenlock that i like it as it is. Not only does it block the view but I think that having the derelict arch allows for the imagination to take over rather than have everything "explained".

Umm as a "rocket scientist / rocket engineer" (honestly) - I don't see any parallels between space science and/or space engineering and railway modelling. Railway modelling is much, much harder.....at least to me....lol