6 hours ago, Bryn said:

David,

 

From your experience so far, have you found a preferable chuck rpm when taking these light cuts?

 

Bryn,

I didn't actually note the exact RPM, but I would say 'medium fast' because we're dealing with quite soft material. The emphasis should be on taking very, very light cuts (not more than 0,1mm) with freshly sharpened tools.

David

On 12/06/2019 at 16:00, 26power said:

Don’t know if of any use or too late in the day but there is a picture of a rake of three Prestwins at Burntisland in that thread.

The three Prestwins in the Burntisland photo are diagram 1/277 wagons like this nearly straight build of the Airfix kit.

David

On 11/06/2019 at 22:38, ThaneofFife said:

is it set up for dusk or evening working with lighting in the coaches or buildings etc?

Unfortunately not. That would have been nice but I would have needed to plan it like that from the start. The layout actually started off as something completely different and just sort of evolved into what it is now.

David

With all the excitement over the SLW Class 24, and speculation on the possibility of a future Class 25, this project might be now be regarded as a bit irrelevant. However, not all of us have the ready cash or the patience to wait for RTR models to appear on the market. Some of us also like a bit of a modelling challenge, which is why I have just been cutting up a reasonably decent model to, hopefully, make a better one.

I had already expended quite a bit of effort on the Bachmann model but, try as I might, I just could not ignore the flat curve of the cab roof. It was obvious that I would have to modify a Hornby 25 but I wasn’t keen on  loosing all my work, and what I still considered to be the ‘good bits’ of the Bachmann ’25.

This is the Bachmann model before I got out the piercing saw

After much comparison and measuring I decided to take drastic action, as you can see here.

Surprisingly, considering these models are from different eras and manufacturers, they fit together really well. Obviously a lot of care has to be taken to sand down the joints to fit but using truly square sanding blocks makes the job easier. 

So far I have done one end to prove to myself that it is possible and the second is going much quicker with the knowledge that everything will fit together. I’m probably not the first person to do this but I haven’t found any reference to anything similar on the web.

The Hornby cab has had the centre window enlarged downwards and the original marker lights drilled out and filled with Squadron White putty

Here the cab fronts are being extended downwards using 1.5mm wide Evergreen styrene strip

David

In the age old tradition of provoking manufacturers to produce models of particular loco types by first building one’s own, I have made a start on detailing a Hornby Class 29. I estimate that I will have it finished in about two months time, so if anyone at Dapol should be reading this, you have until mid-March to beat me …

In the meantime, I have been attacking blue polystyrene as if it were my worst enemy, although I won’t be throwing quite so much away as I have from my Class 25. One thing that does impress me is that the colour of the plastic is amazingly close to the paint colour. I am hoping that I will only need to patch paint any additions (and so keep the nice printed details) and disguise any variations with the weathering.

I have scraped off a fair bit from the valances in order to get a little closer to the correct angle, and the fairings at the fronts have been cut away and shaped.

Material has been removed from under the noses, up to the bottom seam, and replaced with strips of 2.5mm deep styrene.

The fan grill has been opened out and a ‘ledge’ of black styrene let in to support a piece of etched stainless steel grill. The two filler openings at No. 1 end have been hacked out, the moulded handrail chiseled off and filler cap details added.

There is still quite a bit to do and the ‘opposition’ has a head start, or so I’ve been told … 

David

I started this layout in 2008 and it was the subject of a blog for a time. After a while I got more involved with my 4mm modelling and gave up the blog. Now that I am regaining my interest in 2mm modelling I have decided to resume work on Kylestrome and show progress on this thread. The first few posts will contain some of the (edited) blog entries, by way of introduction, and then it will continue with recent work.

My only finished 2FS layout to date is called 'Chapel Wharf' and was built small enough to be carried in a small suitcase. The suitcase layout idea came about because I don't drive a car and so I rely on public transport to get me, and sometimes my layout, to my destination. Being within the size limits for airline hand baggage Chapel Wharf has been flown to exhibitions on three occasions now.

I started thinking about making another minimum space layout that would be easy to store and came up with the cardboard mockup you seen in the pictures. Kylestrome is basically the layout that I have been attempting to build for the last 24 years, and is my attempt to capture some of the atmosphere of Kyle of Lochalsh on the west coast of Scotland. I have built two versions of it already, both of which were scrapped before they reached the scenery stage, and I have designed countless variants of it on paper, all much larger than the current plan. This time I have ‘down-sized’ it a little in the hope of actually finishing it!

David

At Christmas I usually like to post some sort of layout update for postprandial entertainment. This year, not having much new to show, I thought I’d dig out my ancient 2mm layout for a quick photo session. For some this will be old news but there might be a few of you to who may not have seen this layout. I haven’t seen it myself since I last exhibited it at Rail Wells in 2004.

It was designed specifically to be transportable by public transport and is kept in a custom made case which conforms to airline carry-on dimensions. It has made the trip to Britain three times and each time it was a bit of an adventure getting it through airport security.

Happy Christmas,
David