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 The J1 was indeed a rebuild of the E1 tender locos, originally made by Sharp Stewart of Manchester.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

Re the cheaper surface: I find that priming it before using emery board or tape helps even the surface and therefore means less preparatory work. Meanwhile, I want to say how impressed I am with your work and wish you every good fortune with future projects

I think you are right about the bogie wheels being 3' 6". The photos are undeniable and I have looked through my Furness ones. They also used the same size on the K3 and K4. Any chance of those being produced?

Seen the cost of a 7mm kit recently?

As far as I am concerned, a milimetre or so between friends is of no consequence. I would certainly buy your K2 if I did not already have one. As to wheel sizes, people are free to make their own minds up and use accordingly. Mention here of the splashers on the bogie: the Furness found them to be a nuisance on their permanent way and took them off; I have no knowledge of whether or not the Cambrian did the same. They also did this with the K1. Then of course they tried a phoenix superheater..... unsuccessfully

W H Osborne stated that the locos were designed with input from the Cambrian loco superintendent (Rly Modeller August 1966). As to the discrepancies, some drawings may state measurements and others may be drawings only and mistakes may have been made by those measuring them over the years. Incidentally, the tender wheelbase dimensions I have are 6' 6" + 6' 6" (Osborne and Rush). I am pretty sure the tender wheels were 3' 6". You have explored the options so thoroughly that no one can complain about your final decisions. At least everyone seems to agree the driving wheels are 6' 0"!

All of what you say above is perfectly true but Knuckles made the point that 3D printed models are much easier to put together, which is undeniable and of course they are easy to produce in other scales at the touch of a button

The differences are so miniscule as to be u ndetectable without a set of calipers. The exception is the bogie wheels. The Furness K2 definitely had 3' 0" ones but I am not a Cambrian expert and your measuring does indeed indicate bogie wheels of 3' 6". It wouldn#t be the first time an engine was built differently to the drawings

Another point has occurred to me: I used Impossible Creations for my 3D printed locos. They were way cheaper than Shapeways. Just a thought

Knuckles, I appreciate your difficulty. At some stage you have to make a decision. However, you have to ask yourself why would any major changes be made as between the Cambrian and FR locos? The Furness was a left hand drive line and apart from an almost indistinguishable change in the cab sidesheets, took the engines as designed, which had been done in consultation with the Cambrian Loco Supt. The Furness did not design any of their own engines until W F Pettigrew came to office in 1897. The K2s came out the year earlier

I quote from my copy of the GA drawings, obtained from Glasgow university library several years ago.W. Hardin Osborne also used original drawings. Rush is good on many things but is out on this one. The bogie wheels were 3' 0"