justin1985

Many thanks for pointing me to these @Nigelcliffe and @2mm Andy. I'll definitely fit the coreless, and thinking of mounting it on a spacer / bracket milled from solid brass for weight. Suspect I could fit a decoder one side, and some capacitors on the other. Will mock up in plasticard to try out the combinations, and decide whether to use the CT or Zimo. I'm also planning to re-make the loco boiler (originally ended up with holes for handrails etc much too big, and poorly lined up) by turning + milling from solid brass. So there shouldn't be any shortage of weight!

Really pleased to see an email from Rails of Sheffield just now announcing that they are releasing this model in N as an exclusive project! https://railsofsheffield.com/collections/n-gauge-pga-hopper-wagons?mc_cid=59622a205a&mc_eid=e588d775c4 Rails really seem to be making a niche for themselves acting as distributors for the smaller designers working in N (e.g. Sonic Models), which must be helping to bring these things to market when they might not have done so otherwise. The downside of course is no potential for discounts against RRP ... and at £89.95 for a three pack, that is a considerable whack ... (but let's not get into criticising prices - £30 per wagon is pretty much on a par with Farish RRPs these days, and frankly it clearly hadn't been viable to produce it at all without Rails stepping in to finance the run). Practical question - how long did the dark green stripe version of the Redland livery last? I can't find many photos of this type at all on Flickr, and only one with the stripe, which is dated 1981. Perhaps most appeared with the plainer version of the Redland livery? (which is the only one I recall ever seeing, before LaFarge) J

Many thanks for all of the replies! That seems pretty clear then - coreless it is! The coreless I've got here is one of a batch of four bought from eBay a good few years ago, and seems the best of the bunch. I get the impression the fear of running worms directly from the shaft of a coreless motor has subsided now? Bob's chassis is designed for that kind of arrangement rather than providing any other kind of mountings for a worm shaft. I guess if the coreless does die, they're at least dead cheap to replace now! Yes definitely planning to chip the loco. At least once it's detailed, painted, fettled and happy enough with running on DC. I've got a few small decoders waiting in a drawer, including one CT chip that's been waiting a good few years (DCX76z - don't know if this one of the ones easy to fit with StayAlive?); ZIMO 616 and 617s, and an ESU Lokpilot Nano. I guess the trick will be to make the speed curve REALLY shallow, to counteract the motor's apparently steep intrinsic speed curve? Thanks again! Justin

I'm building a second attempt at a chassis for a Bob Jones J72. My first attempt was my very first 2mm loco, and I never managed to it quartered properly and running smoothly. The frames got bent totally out of shape in one of several attempts to remove the wheels and re-quarter, so I put it to one side for several years, and got another etch from Bob to do a fresh chassis. (It turns out all of my 7mm PCB spacers were 7.3mm wide - I suspect I'd followed the cut out template instruction a little too literally! That would probably explain why I could never get the quartering and back to back both right at the same time). Anyway, I think I'm making pretty good progress with the replacement. But I need to decide whether to fit the hacked about franken-Mashima motor from the original kit, or substitute a modern small coreless? This is a genetic eBay coreless. It certainly saves an awful lot of space compared to the Mashima - which I guess would leave more room for both weight and DCC + StayAlive. However, the Mashima does seem to turn over much more slowly (if coggily) at the minimum voltage when it moves. With a bit of tape as a "flag", the Mashima has an impressively wide voltage range before the flag becomes a blur. This coreless (and equally others I have like Tramfabreik) only has a very small voltage range before the flag is a blur. Any thoughts on which would be a better trade off in an assembled (shunting) loco? Fast motor with more weight and StayAlive? Or slow motor? J

And Worsley Works does N etches for all of the DEMU Thumper types! Happy to help with 3D printed roofs, underframe equipment etc ... Presumably the wheelbase etc would still work with the Tomix chassis?

Love it - so many boxes ticked with this plan! The four roads with two platforms, but no loco releases seemed a bit odd in terms of 80s era - sounds like you've come up with a good alternative and justification though. The mixed era structures, and engineers yard access really add interest Presumably the yard is off scene, and trains accessing it just run in and run around to access it - that's it? I would have thought some significant Royal Mail infrastructure would also add a lot of interest - but probably either/or with the engineers yard - otherwise in danger of becoming "too much"? J

I've come to the conclusion I'm never going to get the chance to build any of the "modern" 2mm kits that I've picked up, so if anyone wants them, happy to arrange a swap or sale ... Stephen Harris Freightliner set - complete set of inners and outers. Absolutely beautiful etch, but I really can't see a use for it myself now. Instructions in an email I can forward. I've also got a full set of ATM moulded plastic Ridecontrol bogies to go with them, with the correct small (N gauge) wheels, no couplings - happy to sell together or separately. I've also got 2 each of Stephen Harris Catfish and Dogfish, if anyone wants them? Justin Edit - Catfish and Dogfish now spoken for!

Wow. Just .. wow ... Perhaps there should be a railway modelling equivalent to the Carbuncle Cup? This has got to be a candidate for worst mainstream model of the year! The early Bach-Farish First Great Western fag packet Mk2s definitely had some compromises around the "fading" stripes, but they were miles better than this. How do Dapol seem to get colours so consistently washed out looking, and far too matt? It's really disappointing, for a livery I'm really fond of, and would have definitely bought as "rule one" ...

Recently I've tended to use Games Workshop "Purity Seal" in a large spray can. Finish somewhere between matt and satin, and clearly intended for use over their acrylic paints. Never noticed any problems in reacting with paint, decals, or indeed water.

Thanks Ben. Really I'd like help choosing between Yeoman, revised Yeoman, ARC, and Mendip rail - i.e. the earlier liveries. I don't think they'd be a directly prototypical loco for any layout I'm likely to build, so its a "rule 1" purchase, but if there was one livery more likely to have appeared east of London in the mid 90s-mid 00s, that might help sway the decision Cheers Justin

I get the impression I'm not the only one here who is keen to pre-order a 59, but can't decide between the various livery options. I remember when RevolutioN introduced the TEA tankers, and also the 321s, there were some really neat diagrams of services operated and typical routes for the different liveries. I'd really appreciate something like that for the 59s. It look quite a lot of Google detective work to determine that (at least one) Yeoman loco was repainted into the revised livery in 1998. Some more info on dates that the liveries depicted appeared, as perhaps some characteristic routes, would be really helpful. I have fond memories of the Yeoman and ARC liveries mainly through the LIMA OO models I remember having a kid - although only the wagons - my parents never splashed on the "ugly" LIMA cl.59! I don't think the 59s made any regular appearances in East Anglia in the 80s-90s-early 00s era of those liveries - or did they? How about South London? Justin

That sounds unfortunately stubborn on the part of Dapol. I can't help but think it would be better to cut their losses. Don't they also have a OO 59 project, so at least the research wouldn't be wasted? Unless Dapol manage to pull something spectacular out of the bag (feels unlikely based on past performance), or RevolutioN score a spectacular own goal in design or running characteristics (also unlikely based on past performance), then I can only see this going the same way as previous Dapol duplications. I suspect there are still some Dapol B1s gracing bargain bins around the country ... Although I guess at least their 66 has been kept viable by their ability to turn around more new liveries much quicker (and more cheaply) than Farish - but that is not such a factor with the small fleet of 59s ...

I always used to use Fairy Power Spray to strip both factory and enamel/acrylic paint from plastic models. Sealed in a plastic baggie, with occasional attacks from an old toothbrush, it usually took most paint and decals off within an hour or two. Some stubborn colours perhaps needed an overnight bath in it. I recently used up the last of the bottle I had been using (might have been 5 or more years old) and started using a more recently purchased one, which is "New Citrus Scented!". However, after leaving a Märklin wagon in a bag with it for three hours, there was no sign of any paint moving at all. Hard scrubbing took off a tiny bit of one of the colours, but most refused to budge. I'm used to paint peeling off in large layers when left in this stuff. Is the new nice smelling formulation just no good for our purposes anymore? I resorted to Dettol, which did eventually work, but seemed to take a lot more elbow grease with the toothbrush, and left some sticky residue in some places that has been very hard to shift. (The Fairy Power Spray did at least work a bit better at shifting the Dettol stickiness!). Are there other recommendations for household products as paintstripper? I've heard Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner mentioned - is this really safe on plastic? Justin

Great announcement! I'll order one or two. Shunting locos were invariably black, but I can't help wonder whether any J50s ever appeared in green as a depot pet, station pilot etc? I don't claim to be particularly informed, but the photo of 8891 here: https://www.lner.info/locos/J/j50j51.php does seem to suggest a lighter colour? Or were all those Lima models in green that I coveted as a kid entirely fictitious?

Very true - but the Hornby models being accurate only for, I think, the original 1920s ECML sets, hasn't stopped them selling them by the bucketload to modellers focused on different eras and locations! I suspect the only sensible approach would be to tool a line-up that is accurate for one particular era or usage, however arbitrary, to satisfy purists, and guide what vehicle types in what proportions, but in the full knowledge that most buyers would use them in other ways. Whether that is an accurate VSOE set as running in 1982, or an LNER east coast set running in 1928, its a starting point for those wanting to be super accurate for another time or place. (e.g. if a new model was released of 1920s K-types in a few variations, you could split a Hornby-Arnold 5-BEL to add those style coaches - different roof ends - to yield an accurate VOSE set, if you really wanted ...) It seems pretty remarkable that N has lacked any model of probably the most iconic of all British coaches, since the days of Poole Farish! Someone has to do some steam era Pullmans some day ...

What happened to the Cavalex plans for Mk4 sets in N? Did it officially die with the OO project when Hornby gazumped them? If so, perhaps the baton has been passed? BUT - what I'd really love to see in terms of coaches is some pre-war Pullmans (K-type?). With Hornby making a high quality model in OO, it is hard to imagine Bach-Farish ever tackling them. And with the VSOE set such a widespread sight on the mainline network since the 80s, it would be very easy to sell some flat sided Pullmans to a really wide range of modellers. (obviously there would be endless debate on which of the endless variants, but I imagine a straightforward approach might be to tool the types represented in the modern VOSE set - even if several are former Brighton Belle cars with their distinctive roof ends)

Unless you're looking at concrete sleepered or very freshly laid track, there is seldom actually much difference in colour between the rail itself and the sleepers, when you actually look at photos of the prototype ... I just give the whole track an airbrushing with a dark brown "track dirt" type colour, then ballast, then just brush some dark rust weathering powder along the sides of the rails, and especially the chairs, to give then a slightly lighter tone (and seal with matt varnish spray)

Apologies if this has been covered already, but wondering if any of the larger German / other EU retailers are actually deducting their local VAT for exports to the UK in practice? (or even collecting UK VAT instead, as the new system is supposedly designed to do) I've tried adding items to the basket at Modelbahnshop-Lippe, Kramm, DMToys/ModellbahnUnion with the delivery address set to the UK, and/or logged in with my delivery and account address in the UK, but I haven't noticed any changes from the standard German 19% VAT. Have any model retailers implemented export prices for UK deliveries? Or will a purchase from the EU now inevitably involve paying both local and UK VAT in practice, even if it should in theory be possible to pay only the import VAT? (perhaps some have but it only happens at the final stage of the checkout or something?)

Nice to meet you at the Copenhagen Fields event over the weekend @DRoe96 These buildings are looking really impressive - the combination of laser cut/3D printed(?) windows and doors with careful plasticard work is looking great! It looks like it all started from some careful masterplanning of each building in CAD?

Great idea - thanks! Had forgotten that 9v batteries are packages of smaller cells, so quite easy to disassemble. I tried switching the bog standard Duracell 9v battery (not used before but in drawer for a while - multimeter still shows voltage above 9v) for a high capacity (230mAh) Ni-MH rechargeable 9v and got much better performance from the Flock-It. BUT even though more fibres were upright compared to the Flock-It with the Duracell 9v, there were a lot more still landing on their sides than I am used to from my 2 x AA powered Maplin flyswat / tea strainer contraption! I also like the fact I can go back over some freshly laid grass with the tea strainer to pull it more upright, and pull grass on embankments more "upright" from "perpendicular", which doesn't seem possible with a hopper type device. I'll experiment with a 9v battery connector wired to a 12v adapter before giving up on the Flock-It though. Is there any good explanation of how the "static power" of a static grass applicator works in terms of voltage and current? The above seems to suggest it might not be so much the voltage as the current rating that seemed to make the difference ...

Interesting! Did you just chop off the battery connector and fit a 2.1mm jack through the side of the handle? Or did you need to make other changes?

I 'inherited' a GreenScene Flock-it (original version, I think, as far as I can tell it doesn't have a socket for a wall wart, just a 9v battery) a little while back, and only recently got around to giving it a try. However, when I put in the grass (e.g. 4mm Mininatur or 2mm GreenScene) in roughly the quantity I need, basically nothing comes out - I seem to always end up with a big clump stuck to the sides of the cup, no way near the mesh. Am I going wrong by using too small an amount of grass? (seems wasteful/inconvenient to fill it up that much) Or do I have to shake it REALLY hard to get the grass onto the mesh? (it seems that the mesh is a really long way away from the bolt that presumably conducts the charge) I made a fly swat/tea strainer machine of my own years ago, and I guess I'm used to being able to use a small amount of grass directly by pushing it around the strainer part with my finger when I want to encourage more out, and as the mesh itself is "live", it seems to have a very visible effect in making the grass stand up underneath it. So far, it seems like I get better results with that than with the Flock-it ... Or might there be a fault / something I'm doing wrong with the Flock-it if the grass is clumping on the sides rather than ever reaching the mesh? Cheers Justin

Definitely frustrating for us, isn't it? But when you browse through the classification system (https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/sections ) - which is of course a WTO type thing, rather than being UK or EU specific - it does make sense in its own way. Within "other manufactured goods", part of the classification of the broader category of toys (95) is a category including "reduced size ('scale') models" (in full "Tricycles, scooters, pedal cars and similar wheeled toys; dolls' carriages; dolls; other toys; reduced-size ('scale') models and similar recreational models, working or not; puzzles of all kinds"). Within that are categories for model trains (and accessories) as well as dolls (reduced size models of humans) and animal toys (reduced size models of animals). When you think about it, while it is obvious to US as enthusiasts that there is a world of difference between our prized working scale models and children's toys, how could you actually word a consistent distinction between a child's doll, and a ModelU printed figure of a loco driver? They are both a reduced size representation of a human, made from the same materials - the difference is pretty subjective, as obvious as it might seem to us. Fascinating when you think about it! As much as it pains us to put it in these terms, we are fundamentally grown ups playing with toys ...

I think this is key, isn't it? CE mark requirements for toys, is one thing, and as the 1988 Directive David mentioned, and reiterated in the the updated directive 2009/48/EC ( https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32009L0048 ) excludes scale models very explicitly. A separate issue is that, for customs purposes, the code for scale models is part of the '95' group of toys. It looks like Royal Mail might, as a shorthand, say that everything in customs code 95 (toys and associated goods) need a CE mark because that is true for the vast majority of stuff in that code. But customs and the CE mark seem to be defined on a separate basis, so this advice can't be anything but a shorthand, it seems. If it were ever tested in court, I'd be very surprised if the "intended for adult collector over 14 years" qualification wasn't sufficient. In practice, I don't see any substantive change for models in terms of the CE marking/equivalent regulations. But perhaps some over-zealous advice, including from carriers who probably haven't even thought of this inconsistency between classifications when drawing up their advice/published rules?

Yup, very impressive Jim! I've not yet tried my hand at etch design, and as I have access to lasers (little Chinese diode laser cutter at home, and access to a proper Trotec CO2 laser at a MakerSpace) I'm keen to see how much I can do with that route. Not least for the instant results for revising/tweaking. If no luck though (0.3mm window bars are definitely pushing the tolerances) then I'll bite the bullet and go etched! Thanks David! I was mainly looking on eBay, which is usually good for these kinds of things, but I guess this might be a bit too specialised. What do you use to fit your windows using this kind of material? "Canopy glue" type stuff?