Jon Fitness

A link to my usual overlong Youtube videos! This one shows my method of fitting servos to the signals I build... More soon JF

Lovely simple power bogie. Very nice JF

I've produced an etch for the LMS ground signal. I have always struggled with the available cast whitemetal version and this one was designed with buildability, operation and illumination in mind. The open "Lid" at the top will be folded down and soldered once an LED is fitted and working. The test build went rather well, so the production version will be available to buy in about 6 weeks JF

Ah, nice to hear from you! The live steam sounds fun! JF

Now these are a blast from the past! 9 years ago, I started this thread with the intention of building 4 of these Alan Gibson LBSCR coaches. I built and finished 2 of them...... Sooo, its about time I got stuck into the other 2 I suppose The chassis' are complete for all four so "all" I have to do is complete the bodies. As supplied, nothing is provided in the kit to represent the guttering so some lengths of 1.5mm x 1.5mm brass angle were used for this job. Door bumpers were added from 0.8mm brass were. Next to be added were al

I'll keep my eye on this one Rod as I have one of his point kits to try. I've never built any form of track before but the kit looks well designed and comes with all sorts of gauges and guides. JF

This is the Parkend signal all done and weathered. All my own etches with Modelu Lamps and Scale Signal Supply Lamp cases. The photos are a bit dull but the weather seems to be unremittingly gloomy down here at the moment... More soon JF

Next up on the bench is an LMS Upper quadrant stop signal. Quite a tall beastie at 35 feet, it features a running line to loop signal bracket and a bonus stop arm for the opposite direction of travel. It will be servo operated and LED lit and uses a lot of my own etchings. The original was at Parkend and fortunately I've been supplied with some useful photographs to assist in the build. Luckily I'd already built the bracket as a demo for instructions and as it's designed to be built as a separate assembly I could just slide it down the main post to its correct position before trappin

Certainly sounds like a well designed and engineered chassis, except for the slight alteration to the rear pony truck.

From my largest signal, down to my smallest recent construction. A GWR double ground signal. This is more or less a straight build of the all cast brass SSS kit. I have added micro servos and a couple of SMD LEDs for illumination. Seems to work fine! More soon JF

About 300 yards away. If it's still there. It's closed at the moment for an upgrade and there was a gang removing old rail yesterday but I think a 5 doll gantry would make a great improvement over the single line at the foot crossing...

Thanks Steve. I'll sort that today. I've done the clips, they just need editing..

Many thanks for that! I had a photo sent to me by John Robinson of 47165 withdrawn at Horwich with what looks like another in front of it and a rebuilt Barton Wright saddle tank behind it which I used as a reference for weathering. Always nice to hear peoples memories of locos in service and I can imagine they did rather waddle about with that short wheelbase and outside cylinders! Cheers JF

Here's the Lockdown Loco with a bit of paint and weathering splashed on. It represents the loco when at Bolton in about 1965. I may have actually seen it when I was taken down to the shed as a 3 year old by my brother whenever he got lumbered with looking after me! It's still a bit of a noisy runner so the motor gearbox will be swapped for a better one when funds permit, but I think it looks the part now. I printed a home made front number and shed plate which will have to do for now. Once I've mastered the etched signal parts production, I'll have to learn how to do numbers and works pla

After much soldering, swearing, burnt fingers and nearly running out of black spray paint, the NER Iron signal bridge is finally ready for sending to its new home. All LED lit and and servo'd up, tests are complete and it actually works! I've lightly weathered it with a thin wash of neutral shades to tone down the brightness. The staging was was painted from a palette of about 6 colours as it's brass rather than natural wood. I'll do a youtube video of it working if anyone is interested. Lastly, there's another GWR stop signal with scratchbuilt sightbo

It's a lovely pint, quite rich and treacly but not too sweet. Perfect for this time of year. I've tried the market porter and that ones a bit sweeter. It's probably even nicer at the right temperature but the only place I can store it is in the garage. I have to decant a jug and let it warm up in the house for half an hour Trouble is, I can't invite anyone round to assist with it and 72 pints may take a while to consume with just me and Ruth supping it. Just hoping I finish it before it turns

Thanks Steve. The nearest I can get to a pub is the cask of beer I have in my garage at the moment. Which I purchased from the pub when it closed for the lockdown. It's ok but the low temperatures aren't doing it any favours

Happier New Year Dear reader... If I still have any!! Further progress on the "Lockdown Loco" or "Tier 4 Tank" as it later became... Once the chassis was assembled and proved I moved on to the upper works. The footplate is quite something, made from the same thickness Nickel Silver with a further brass overlay over almost all of it. As I think I was missing a page or 3 from the destructions, I was sort of on my own with quite a few bits of this but I battered it together using a mixture of solder, assorted photos, luck and imagination.. The cab fron

Well! Happier New Year to all our readers! The final project that I started last year was something a bit different. Well, for me anyway. After a diet of mainly GW and SR signals left me wanting something to tickle my fancy so this beasty is going to be an NER gantry, complete with slotted signal arms. It will be LED lit and servo operated. The main gantry part is made from much altered MSE GNR gantry parts.. The dolls are also MSE but the main sized arms are Scale Signal Supply. The rest of the arms are MSE but not quite the right ones as those are not

Possibly better with a piece of 3/4" ply cut to specifically fit the area. That way it touches the entire area to be supported. You could then fasten it at each end after jacking it in position to take out the dip. JF

I decided to dip into my stash of kits to do a "Lockdown Loco" between all the signal projects This turned out to be a Mercian Fowler Dock Tank 0-6-0T. My last loco was an ex L&Y one and although this one has more Midland influences, they were built at Horwich. This is to be my first loco with Walshaert's valve gear so hopefully it'll be reliable and won't start shedding wibbly bits all over the layout when it's finished. After reading through the instructions I decided to start by modifying a few bits almost straight away. The coupling rods as supplied ar

I recently had the pleasure of test running one of the pre production engineering samples of the Ellis Clark presflo wagon on my garden railway. It has coil sprung axleboxes and ran superbly within a mixed rake of other wagons. Looking forward to these being available next year! JF

Thanks Mike, looks like the fold over flanged edges have done their stuff. I'm trying to "improve the breed" so to speak.

Still Busy at the signal bench! Due to the sad demise of the model layout at Saltney, I had to retrieve some of my older signals. I plan to refurbish them and either use them myself on some layout or sell the better ones on. The first re-furb was an LMS co-acting arm signal that had the old cast whitemetal arms on. Both had broken off so I used it as a test for my new etched LMS upper quadrant arms. A new LED was needed in the top lamp too. Next up is another SR lattice post signal. Once again I'm using my own etched arm, disc face, backblind and weightbar assembly