PaulR

Will the new handset be able to work with an Ace 2? I am thinking of the new handset's ability not to have to be "taken over" from the Ace 2 itself

Not sure! Why didn't you consult with the Cumbrian Railways Association? The Pochin drawing have long since been discredited. I have been a member of the CRA since 1983 and I can say the Pochin drawings are held in high regard. They are certainly not discredited. Where is PB's evidence for saying this?

LRM have been making their models for years and were not chatting about the difficulty of getting the correct dimensions for a chassis. I mentioned what I did as a possible method not the only one, precisely because I DID want a squared up chassis, it fitted and has the right dimensions ( to a mm anyway). I will now withdraw from the discussion and leave you to make your decisions

Sure, my knowledge of the Cambrian is very thin so I would not presume to put forward an opinion there but I have been modelling the Furness for years so express a view with some confidence. I remeasured the Pochin drawing as it does not have dimensions on it and confirm it is the same as all the others I have quoted. Anyway, I should stop worrying about it and if you feel you must make a chassis, do it to either dimension; no one will worry about one mil (in 4mm scale) and you need to sleep at night without all this torture!

Another source, IA LIndsay, in MRN for Des 1964, shows E1 No 58 as having 5' 6 " driving and 6' 6" between pony and leading driver. Why on earth would the Furness change any of this when rebuilding a loco less than 20 years old?wheels

Rather than keep counting the number of angels dancing on a pin, why not let the purchaser source their own chassis? I have a nickel silver model of the J1 built for me by a fellow EM member but I used the excellent London Road models LNWR 5' 6" 2-4-2T chassis

The Pochin drawing I have is from the HMRS magazine

Balance weights are easily made from a variety of materials. I would leave that to the purchaser, as they will not be put off by making their own; after all, this is not the rtr segment of the market.Back to the authorities: they come no better than W Hardin Osborne, Ross Pochin, and Rush all agreeing the dimensions in post93 and add in Gradon on the E1 wheel size as well.

May I add my six pennorth? The J1 was indeed a rebuild of the E1 tender locos, originally made by Sharp Stewart of Manchester. All my authorities state that that the driving wheels were 5' 6" and ponies 3'6 ". It was 7', 9" betrween drivers and 6'6" between drivers and ponies. The rear ponies were placed in a bolt-on addition to the mainframes. One of them, I think number 47, retained its trumpet shaped safety valve cover, while all the others got Ramsbottom safety valves.There is a lot of external rivettingon the tank and bunker sides, as there was on the Neddies. When I had the latter 3D printed, I also had some half etched cab sides done in nickel silver to simulate this but I expect there are other means to do it. Hope this is helpful, Paul R

Do the coupling rode come with the chassis of the FR K2 or do you have to purchse the brass ones?

Known by Furnes fans as a K1. I have the Dragon Models' version in 4mm scale Known by Furness fans as a K1. I have the Dragon Models' version in 4mm scale

I echo Siberian Snooper's advice. Coopercraft have not sent goods or refunds from their site for years. I have had to invoke the dispute system of my credit card to get a refund. Occasionally, he pops up at shows, so buy there

Forget about Coopercraft. There is a whole correspondence on them elsewhere on rmweb

I will aim to get the Phoenix superheater version. Will you be tweaking it soon?

I spray with Halford's Red Oxide Primer (for the Furness) and finish with Phoenix Precision. There is also a Halford's surface filling primer that might be good