Mr Simon's N and 2mm Workbench - pg29> N V1 2-6-2, 2mm L&Y class 23, assorted wagons and stuff

[DavidMcKenzie]

6 hours ago, MrSimon said:

Hello everybody!

 

A few more things done this week, bits of finishing off and some more transfers.

 

These have been hanging around on the desk for a while, they’re weighted ones for the front of the rake and stayed on the track well when tested earlier (of course, they’ll need to run well on Gresby)

 

Rake of 24 complete wagons, I’ve got the door ends for 4 more containers so we’ll have to see about more wagons - I don’t know if it’d run well with the extra...

 

Customary lockdown Saturday video:

 

Today there were freightliner hoppers (if I’d planned ahead I would have picked the spares out of the cupboard and swapped it for the one that doesn’t like to run), test running the finished class 47 (it needs some work on the pickups to be more reliable on corners), the first time I ran my sturgeon, and a confirmation run of the Blue & Grey 108... and more!

 

Some more things have made it onto the workbench to keep my busy this week.

 

Lots to do

 

Simon

 

 

Great video Simon. I like the orange RMC hoppers, it looks like you have two different types mixed in. I am pretty sure type is the Farish model, is the other a kit? 

 

All the best

Dave

[MrSimon]

Hi Dave,

 

The train is mostly the N Gauge Society kit with a few of the Farish ones mixed in - it’s a good kit if you can get hold of it!

 

Cheers

Simon

[DavidMcKenzie]

24 minutes ago, MrSimon said:

Hi Dave,

 

The train is mostly the N Gauge Society kit with a few of the Farish ones mixed in - it’s a good kit if you can get hold of it!

 

Cheers

Simon

The end result looks great. They are really impressive and even look better than the Farish model in my opinion. I have struggled with N Gauge Society kits. I was a member last year but in that time there wasn't a single kit I was interested in stock and I just never found time to read the magazine, I've only opened three of them and even those I haven't read. It's a shame I like the idea, but unfortunately I just don't have time or money for everything in life. 

 

I hope you are keeping safe during this funny time. 

 

All the best,

Dave

[Hoover 40]

On 30/01/2020 at 22:01, MrSimon said:

Hello everybody!

 

Not much done over the last few weeks, but I got a few minutes to fit some transfers:

 

I’m not sure if I’m impressed with how they turned out (just the porterbrook letters/numbers) - they seem to have gone yellow! Normally i ignore the yellow but as this is on stark white it’s pretty noticeable - is there a way of getting rid?

 

Thanks 

Simon

 

I've had the same problem with yellowing transfers, with the ones that are on loco's i currently have one sat on the window sill to see if the same applies . I will let you know if it has the same affect.

 

 

 

 

[MrSimon]

Hi Dave,

 

Yep the kits thing has been a pain - there are a few kits I’ve been looking for for a few years and nothing’s turned up yet.  I flick through the journal, but prefer the 2mm!

 

Hi Hoover, interested to see how it turns out!  I painted round the main transfer with white paint, but I got a new template for the number from Railtec.  I don’t have a window-sill that has any sunlight, but I’ve given taping the transfers to the glass a go and it worked.

 

 

Hello everybody!

 

Had a nice morning sitting in the sun at my desk; I started on the bits that are on the desk:

 

 

 

 

I made a start in the on the bolsters (but nothing photogenic yet), and then this afternoon I made a start on the GUV.

 

(I’d lost the instruction sheet so had to find the first GUV I did to copy from - so if I got the first one wrong at least they’ll all match!)

 

Ready for painting!  
 

Definitely managing to keep sane in the flat, work is keeping me busy during the week but working from home let’s me get bits done between calls

 

Cheers

Simon

[MrSimon]

Hello everybody!

 

It’s been a lovely sunny bank holiday here for a change, so I sat inside on call... luckily no one needed me so I could be busy at my desk most of the day.

 

The morning had a transfer session, the three British Steel wagons were finished off, and I did the two bolsters.  Pics later when they’re a bit more finished.  
 

Earlier this week I painted the underframe of the GUV, today I attacked the sides, ends and roof with weathering powders, and after sealing the weathering I gave the chassis another coat of matt varnish as some bits of dirty paint had dried glossy

 

 

I didn’t go too dirty on this one:

 

 

 

I’ve got two GUVs left to go, one needs to wait for Etched Pixels to open back up, and I need to find some better bogies for it too.  I’m liking this turning projects round quickly thing, I’ve been bogged down in a few long builds which have been hard to keep enthusiastic about... 

 

Obviously, as soon as I’d put all the transfer stuff away I realised I hadn’t put the new numbers on the Portabrook 47. 
 

Everything was drying so I started these:

 

 

A few more 16Ts in 2mm.  I’m thinking of an on call soldering day, so I’ll see if I can get these built, and finish off the J94 to go with them!

 

Lots to do

Simon

 

[MrSimon]

It’s a terrible lockdown tradition... but here’s this weeks instalment of me playing trains on the bedroom floor:

 

This week: loco hauled transpennine expresses, coal, the tipplers running slightly more painted than last time, and some DMUs

 

These sessions always identify loads of bits to do... 

 

Cheers

Simon

[DavidMcKenzie]

4 hours ago, MrSimon said:

It’s a terrible lockdown tradition... but here’s this weeks instalment of me playing trains on the bedroom floor:

 

This week: loco hauled transpennine expresses, coal, the tipplers running slightly more painted than last time, and some DMUs

 

These sessions always identify loads of bits to do... 

 

Cheers

Simon

It's not a terrible tradition at all! The coal train and the loco hauled transpennine are my favorites from this week's instalment. Thanks for sharing, very slightly made up for not finding modeling time myself today, despite the lockdown.

 

All the best,

Dave

Edited April 11, 2020 by DavidMcKenzie

[Les1952]

On 04/04/2020 at 22:21, MrSimon said:

Hello everybody!

 

A few more things done this week, bits of finishing off and some more transfers.

 

These have been hanging around on the desk for a while, they’re weighted ones for the front of the rake and stayed on the track well when tested earlier (of course, they’ll need to run well on Gresby)

 

Rake of 24 complete wagons, I’ve got the door ends for 4 more containers so we’ll have to see about more wagons - I don’t know if it’d run well with the extra...

 

Customary lockdown Saturday video:

 

Today there were freightliner hoppers (if I’d planned ahead I would have picked the spares out of the cupboard and swapped it for the one that doesn’t like to run), test running the finished class 47 (it needs some work on the pickups to be more reliable on corners), the first time I ran my sturgeon, and a confirmation run of the Blue & Grey 108... and more!

 

Some more things have made it onto the workbench to keep my busy this week.

 

Lots to do

 

Simon

 

 

You can see the difference between the Kato track removed from the board that eventually became Furtwangen Ost and the newer stuff....

[MrSimon]

20 hours ago, DavidMcKenzie said:

It's not a terrible tradition at all! The coal train and the loco hauled transpennine are my favorites from this week's instalment. Thanks for sharing, very slightly made up for not finding modeling time myself today, despite the lockdown.

 

All the best,

Dave

Maybe terrible’s the wrong word - it feels pretty terrible after an hour on the floor though!  I’m enjoying having a different track plan each week - part of me wants to get some viaduct bits or double track but it seems a bit grand for an extended test circle.

 

The transpennine is one of my favourites too, I’m not sure if it would be used on Gresby but it’s good to give it a run.  There are two coaches left to detail on the train and I need to repaint the loco (to be less Scottish) - it would be good to have a Peak as an alternate engine, they seem quite rare and need a lot of work so it’s not looking likely!

 

This morning I finished fitting the load straps on the two bolsters. Both were varnished but the EWS one needs brake levers and some more paint work, so here’s the completed Loadhaul one:

 

 

Once the EWS one is done there are four more to load/transfer/finish and one to build from scratch and then the Trello shows that’s that whole train complete!

 

I should probably concentrate on finishing it off, but I think we all know I won’t... Lots to do!

Simon

 

Edited April 12, 2020 by MrSimon
Can’t type too well with hot cross bun on my fingers...

[MrSimon]

Hello everybody

 

Today was nice enough to have the door open but not nice enough to wish I was outside, so I soldered some 2mm:

 

 

Here we have 2x 16T mineral wagon chassis and 1x BR 10’ fitted chassis ready to be primed at painted.  Not bad for a day at the desk...!

What does everyone else use as a surface to solder on, mine is getting a bit charred

 

Lots to do

Simon

[Atso]

Great stuff Simon, lovely work on the brake gear!

 

I use a 20cm by 20cm Tufnol block from Eileen's Emporium for my soldering. It'll still suffer some damage but lasts a lot longer than woods.

[millerhillboy]

These will look super, much much finer than the usual 16tonners

[MrSimon]

Thanks MHB, they make really tasty little models - especially when you compare them against the old Peco ones

 

I think there’s two or three body variations and I think 4 different underframe permutations, so there’s plenty of variety even in the 20 I’ve built (so far).  I’ve got a small 2mm layout planned but it’s staying as a plan until I’ve got an engine working!

 

On 14/04/2020 at 00:41, Atso said:

Great stuff Simon, lovely work on the brake gear!

 

I use a 20cm by 20cm Tufnol block from Eileen's Emporium for my soldering. It'll still suffer some damage but lasts a lot longer than woods.

 

Thanks Steve!  I’ll get a block on my next order; scraping off charred wood takes up quite a lot of my modelling time at the moment!!

 

Today a conference call was cancelled so I gave this a final spray:

 

 

I found some spare brake levers the other night - strictly speaking they should be opposite eachother but it’s the 12th wagon in the train with a high load (so I’m ignoring it).

 

Lots to do!

Simon

[Hoover 40]

Hi Simon 

 

A quick update to my post about yellowing transfers, I have had my model on the window for the last 5 days ( yes we have had sun up north for that long)  and it seems to be working . I guess the longer I leave it the more it will improve 

 

Keep up the good work stay safe everyone 

 

Mark  

[65179]

1 hour ago, MrSimon said:

Thanks MHB, they make really tasty little models - especially when you compare them against the old Peco ones

 

I think there’s two or three body variations and I think 4 different underframe permutations, so there’s plenty of variety even in the 20 I’ve built (so far).  I’ve got a small 2mm layout planned but it’s staying as a plan until I’ve got an engine working!

 

The 16 tonners are looking good Simon. They'd look even better if you put the kink into the handbrake ratchet support so that it fits against the W-iron (axleguard). Fiddly to do, but you get handy with a set of narrow-nosed pliers if you build enough of these chassis!

 

 

[MrSimon]

Is that what it is? Haha I thought it was a random step! I’ll get that sorted, thanks!!
 

Also, just as I’d finished the last of three chassis’s I realised there was also a bracket that hangs the brake lever off the top of the chassis - lesson learned for the next batch!

 

Thanks again

Simon

[millerhillboy]

3 hours ago, MrSimon said:

Thanks MHB, they make really tasty little models - especially when you compare them against the old Peco ones

 

I think there’s two or three body variations and I think 4 different underframe permutations, so there’s plenty of variety even in the 20 I’ve built (so far).  I’ve got a small 2mm layout planned but it’s staying as a plan until I’ve got an engine working!

 

 

Definitely a lot better than the peco ones, I should know I've just re-weathered a rake of them. How does the 2mm version stack up against the farish one?

 

Ah right, I thought that somehow you would have wheeled them to N standard rather than 2mm. Would that be possible? I know some of the 2mm kits can be done that way, like catfish etc?

 

[MrSimon]

The 2mm Scale Assoc. do N gauge profile wheels on the 12.25mm axels used for standard kits, they’re something like £2-£2.50 an axel. I don’t have a mineral wagon to compare against, but I think they’re similar in detail but everything’s finer from being etched metal rather than moulded plastic. I’m not sure if an association kit would stand out in a train of new Farish ones?

 

The advantages of rewheeling a Farish one is you get the axel boxes straight, which I’ve never managed to do!  
 

The 2mm is very much a side project for me, I wouldn’t want to convert all my Gresby stock, but I’d use the skills I’ve learned doing 2mm to build finer track for Gresby’s replacement.  
 

I’ve got a J94 3/4 the way finished and some more loco conversions/kits in the drawer, so a plank is definitely on the cards but nothing big.

 

Definitely give a kit a try though - it’s a slippery slope!

 

Cheers

Simon

 

 

[BernardTPM]

There are two Peco kits for 16t minerals, the older 1-piece body and 10' w.b. chassis, which is too long, and the later multi piece body which is to scale, but 1:148 rather than 1:152. The chassis for the latter is also multi part 9ft w.b. Photo shows the newer, accurate Peco kit middle and new Farish RTR to right. Left is an 'old school Brigenshaw' conversion (Peco/Lima, both cut down).

 

Edited April 17, 2020 by BernardTPM

[millerhillboy]

yes the peco one is fundamentally flawed in terms of length but I think you can get away with that if you run them in a peco only rake.

Plus I believe they are based on a slightly rare variant, certainly the end doors are different.

[MrSimon]

I quite like the original Peco one and you can do as much or as little as you want with them. I never made any of the 9’ ones, but I made quite a lot of the Ore hopper version - they’re good models.  
 

It wouldn’t be a Saturday without a video from my bedroom floor:

 

This week we have some of my favourite freight: the cement and pipe trains, also we revisit Project Rio with the Midland Mainline and run some containers.  When I bought the EWS class 37 I thought it would be a simple repaint, but I’m going to have to get to the bottom of what that noise is...

 

On 16/04/2020 at 20:52, Hoover 40 said:

Hi Simon 

 

A quick update to my post about yellowing transfers, I have had my model on the window for the last 5 days ( yes we have had sun up north for that long)  and it seems to be working . I guess the longer I leave it the more it will improve 

 

Keep up the good work stay safe everyone 

 

Mark  

 

Hi Mark,

Glad to hear its working - are these varnished down transfers? 

 

Cheers

Simon

[Hoover 40]

13 hours ago, MrSimon said:

I quite like the original Peco one and you can do as much or as little as you want with them. I never made any of the 9’ ones, but I made quite a lot of the Ore hopper version - they’re good models.  
 

It wouldn’t be a Saturday without a video from my bedroom floor:

 

This week we have some of my favourite freight: the cement and pipe trains, also we revisit Project Rio with the Midland Mainline and run some containers.  When I bought the EWS class 37 I thought it would be a simple repaint, but I’m going to have to get to the bottom of what that noise is...

 

 

Hi Mark,

Glad to hear its working - are these varnished down transfers? 

 

Cheers

Simon

 

Hi Simon, 

 

Yeah the transfers are varnished in the traditional way gloss/transfer/ satin varnish. I used fox transfers and rail-match aerosols on it on a white background .

 

regards Mark

 

[MrSimon]

Hello everybody!

 

I had high hopes for today, and then I took a long nap and spent two hours making a lasagne. TWO HOURS! It’s dinner for two more nights though so I guess that’s time I’ll get back later... 

 

After the issue I had with the shock open body I built up the van body that came in the kit.  I just need to stick the buffers and the spring thing and then it’ll be ready for painting.

 

I’ve stripper this down ready to start. This one will have end handwheels so I took the one remaining handwheel off it.  First I’ll drill the holes in the deck and then I’ll paint the solebars EWS red.

 

When I was testing/playing yesterday I found a class 66 with a split gear, and I also found my designated ‘Christmas Tree’, so I got the other split gear 66 out and fixed them both.  I was going to quickly test them but had my nap instead...

 

10 hours ago, Hoover 40 said:

 

Hi Simon, 

 

Yeah the transfers are varnished in the traditional way gloss/transfer/ satin varnish. I used fox transfers and rail-match aerosols on it on a white background .

 

regards Mark

 

 

Sounds promising, when we’re allowed to travel again I’ll take some bits up to sit in the sun at my parents!

 

On 16/04/2020 at 22:15, 65179 said:

 

The 16 tonners are looking good Simon. They'd look even better if you put the kink into the handbrake ratchet support so that it fits against the W-iron (axleguard). Fiddly to do, but you get handy with a set of narrow-nosed pliers if you build enough of these chassis!

 

 

 

That wasn’t as tricky as I thought it would be - good thing I’ve got quite a few to alter, but I’ll be able to do all the following ones right first time!  Thanks again for telling me

 

Lots to do!

 

Simon

[Jim Martin]

On 05/04/2020 at 14:33, MrSimon said:

Hi Dave,

 

The train is mostly the N Gauge Society kit with a few of the Farish ones mixed in - it’s a good kit if you can get hold of it!

 

Cheers

Simon

 

Ben Ando had an article about scratch building yet another type in Model Rail a few (maybe a bit more than a few, thinking about it) years back. Unfortunately it didn't have any drawings, as far as I remember, so it wasn't a "here's how you could do this project for yourself" article; but clearly it can be done, because Ben did it.

 

Lots of interesting things on your workbench! Keep it up!

 

Jim