Wright writes.....

[2mm Andy]

2 hours ago, Brinkly said:

Being an Ivybridge resident, I can confirm that is a very good resprentation of the viaduct.

 

My own observation: it needs a lot more trees as this runs though Long Timber Woods! But the structure isn't bad at all.

 

Regards,

 

Nick.

 

 

The layout is a work in progress - John Aldrick, the builder, has plans for lots more trees as well as some other scenic work (and probably some more coaches knowing John!)

 

Andy

[St Enodoc]

7 hours ago, 2mm Andy said:

 

The layout is a work in progress - John Aldrick, the builder, has plans for lots more trees as well as some other scenic work (and probably some more coaches knowing John!)

 

Andy

Ah yes. Doctor John is a fine modeller and his coaches are among the best.

[Tony Wright]

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Ah yes. Doctor John is a fine modeller and his coaches are among the best.

He is, and they are!

 

 

 

 

All the modelling I saw at the 2mm FS Association AGM was 'fine' and 'among the best'.

 

As a judge, how would 'you' choose between these below................

 

 

And this?

 

 

Both were in the same category. 

 

Jerry Clifford's buildings would grace any scale, and Laurie Adams' working shunting tractor was incredible. 

 

You'll have to find out who was the winner by getting hold of a copy of BRM. 

 

I really do take my hat off to the guys/girls who work in this scale. They're self-reliant, creative and are keeping the true craft of modelling alive. They're also all incredibly modest and self-effacing!

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

 

 

[Tony Wright]

Despite the fact that one friendly commentator recently opined the 'Prince of Wales' I got running again might be difficult to sell and there were far better models of the class, I'm delighted to report.......................

 

'Dear Tony

 

I'm delighted with the PoW. It's got a real charm to it and romped around my layout very happily.

 

I'd like to build a rake of Ratio LNWR coaches now, so it can have an occasional outing.'

 

Thanks Alastair, and particular thanks for adding a further £20.00 for CRUK.

 

I think this a lovely end to a story. An ancient (and quaint?) model, as received, no longer working, but happily now fixed and cherished in a new home.

 

[Dunsignalling]

On ‎02‎/‎09‎/‎2019 at 16:48, Clive Mortimore said:

Hello Tony

 

Me jest about such a serious subject like model railways, what ever next?

 

Now the layout stocked with all the nice RTR and read to plonk buildings is OK providing the person who is operating it is having fun. It isn't normally the type of layout for me as I like making things myself and I also like seeing layouts where others have made things themselves. Now I have fun making my own stuff, and hope others who also make their own models also have fun.

 

At an exhibition I like to see layouts where the builders have made most things themselves, but if they look miserable, then I slide off and am more than happy to watch an RTR layout with operators with smiling faces  who are having fun. Sadly there are too many layouts at shows where smiles are far and few.  I hope Jol doesn't tell he off again for saying model railways should be fun but if you are not enjoying what you do have a look at skydiving, stamp collecting, knitting or another past time.

Thanks for a good dollop of inspiration, Clive. The Buffet car in particular got my attention and will be mercilessly imitated.

 

More victims to trawl for at swap-meets.

 

I'm just finishing another "worked-over" pair of the lavatory non-corridors having seen that they appeared on the S&D much more commonly than I had thought, thanks to another thread on here. These are from Dapol kits, (to save dismantling and repainting!) have all the usual Comet bits added underneath and Keen CCU's with Roco couplers in between so the buffers touch on straight track. The Airfix/Dapol bogies run very nicely indeed with Bachmann metal wheels in place of the standard plastic ones. Wire handrails going on the ends next, then just flush glazing to follow.

 

I also picked up (at the SWAG do in Taunton) a pair of brass sides for an unusual 57' BG converted from a wartime Ambulance car that will overlay another Dapol shell once I've finished removing bits of it to clear the window openings in the etches. 

 

Incidentally, it's worth noting that the Dapol body-shells seem to be made from a softer plastic that's easier to cut...

 

John

 

PS. Any chance of a photo of the other side of the Buffet Car?

 

 

Edited September 9, 2019 by Dunsignalling

[queensquare]

Many thanks to Tony for coming along and judging at the 2mm AGM, I think he was impressed not only by the modelling on display but also the speed with which we rattled through the formal business so that we could get back to the important business of the day!

I was dashing between the AGM room upstairs and the main exhibition where I had Tucking Mill which is my excuse for not only leaving the wrong address for my Midland 2F but also forgetting to attach the battery for the gaslights in the shed.  I was also pulled up for my scrawled handwriting by teach - oh well

 

Anyway, I attach a shot of the shed interior with the lights on - more pictures and construction details on my Bath thread.

 

 

Ive also posted some pictures from the excellent Swindon show on my Tucking Mill thread here;

Jerry

[glo41f]

That 2mm stuff is awesome!  How do they see it let alone make it? Are calibrated eyes required?  In some respects the scale must be the apogee of modelling as the tolerances are so fine. I take my hat off to you gents of that ilk. 

 

Martin Long

[Tony Wright]

25 minutes ago, glo41f said:

That 2mm stuff is awesome!  How do they see it let alone make it? Are calibrated eyes required?  In some respects the scale must be the apogee of modelling as the tolerances are so fine. I take my hat off to you gents of that ilk. 

 

Martin Long

I couldn't agree more, Martin,

 

The prize-winning 9F built by Nick Mitchell even has the valve gear reversing. Yes, driven by a tiny motor, you can raise or drop the radius rod pivot dependent on which direction you want to go! 

 

I've never seen that modelled before in any scale. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Edited September 9, 2019 by Tony Wright
typo error

[Tony Wright]

50 minutes ago, queensquare said:

Many thanks to Tony for coming along and judging at the 2mm AGM, I think he was impressed not only by the modelling on display but also the speed with which we rattled through the formal business so that we could get back to the important business of the day!

I was dashing between the AGM room upstairs and the main exhibition where I had Tucking Mill which is my excuse for not only leaving the wrong address for my Midland 2F but also forgetting to attach the battery for the gaslights in the shed.  I was also pulled up for my scrawled handwriting by teach - oh well

 

Anyway, I attach a shot of the shed interior with the lights on - more pictures and construction details on my Bath thread.

 

 

Ive also posted some pictures from the excellent Swindon show on my Tucking Mill thread here;

Jerry

Thanks Jerry,

 

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I hope I was a good enough substitute for the 'real' judge.

 

I've never seen an AGM conducted with such efficiency. You don't seem to have any members who so much like the sound of their own dreary voices as they blather on forever on some obscure points of no consequence. 

 

I probably spoke more than anyone else (not drearily I hope!). At least nobody walked out (as did happen at one meeting I was speaking at, when I cracked a religious gag!). 

 

I've sent off all the pictures to Anthony this morning, so they should appear before long in the Journal. You'll all have to tolerate so many pictures of me (handing out the pots) I'm afraid.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[CF MRC]

My Finney A4 had working valve gear  back in ?1996.  That arose because my young son asked Martin at a show, when he saw the loco in development, how many motors it had.  Martin gave a rather grumpy reply of “one”.  A little while later a kit came my way for an MRJ article: I therefore thought I would put two motors in it...  It is so easy to do with DCC and servo motors these days.   I looked at doing it for Mons Meg, but it is impossible with that type of valve gear layout in 2mm scale.  

 

Tim

Edited September 9, 2019 by CF MRC

[queensquare]

3 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks Jerry,

 

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I hope I was a good enough substitute for the 'real' judge.

 

I've never seen an AGM conducted with such efficiency. You don't seem to have any members who so much like the sound of their own dreary voices as they blather on forever on some obscure points of no consequence. 

 

I probably spoke more than anyone else (not drearily I hope!). At least nobody walked out (as did happen at one meeting I was speaking at, when I cracked a religious gag!). 

 

I've sent off all the pictures to Anthony this morning, so they should appear before long in the Journal. You'll all have to tolerate so many pictures of me (handing out the pots) I'm afraid.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Thanks Tony, I shall look forward to seeing the rest of the pictures. As you said at the meeting, a near impossible job with the quality on display.

 

Jerry

[Barry Ten]

Here's "Andromeda", the Prince of Wales. I'm afraid I don't yet have any LNWR stock so Ithese GWR clerestories will have to do for now.  She's a lovely

runner and quite a bit quieter than the only other Portescap-powered loco I own.

 

I don't intend to do anything with her except add crew and lamps. As far as I'm concerned that patina, and the paint job under it. is part of the loco's 

history.

 

 

 

Al

[queensquare]

2 minutes ago, Barry Ten said:

Here's "Andromeda", the Prince of Wales. I'm afraid I don't yet have any LNWR stock so Ithese GWR clerestories will have to do for now.  She's a lovely

runner and quite a bit quieter than the only other Portescap-powered loco I own.

 

I don't intend to do anything with her except add crew and lamps. As far as I'm concerned that patina, and the paint job under it. is part of the loco's 

history.

 

 

Al

A lovely loco. You could put together a representative rake for the Manchester Diner, (Pines express after 1927). This could include both LNW and MR coaches representing the Liverpool and Manchester portions and, if north of Cheltenham even a single GWR coach from Birkenhead to Southampton. Prince of Wales were regular performers on the train north of Birmingham.

Jerry

[Barry Ten]

7 minutes ago, queensquare said:

A lovely loco. You could put together a representative rake for the Manchester Diner, (Pines express after 1927). This could include both LNW and MR coaches representing the Liverpool and Manchester portions and, if north of Cheltenham even a single GWR coach from Birkenhead to Southampton. Prince of Wales were regular performers on the train north of Birmingham.

Jerry

 

I do love a nice mixed rake!

[jamie92208]

2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

I couldn't agree more, Martin,

 

The prize-winning 9F built by Nick Mitchell even has the valve gear reversing. Yes, driven by a tiny motor, you can raise or drop the radius rod pivot dependent on which direction you want to go! 

 

I've never seen that modelled before in any scale. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Quite a few years ago a 7mm layout came to our show at Wakefield. It was Midlabd based and had one of the steam Railmotors. That had reversing gear that changed with the direction of travel.

 

Jamie

[Tony Wright]

3 hours ago, CF MRC said:

My Finney A4 had working valve gear  back in ?1996.  That arose because my young son asked Martin at a show, when he saw the loco in development, how many motors it had.  Martin gave a rather grumpy reply of “one”.  A little while later a kit came my way for an MRJ article: I therefore thought I would put two motors in it...  It is so easy to do with DCC and servo motors these days.   I looked at doing it for Mons Meg, but it is impossible with that type of valve gear layout in 2mm scale.  

 

Tim

I assume it's easier in 7mm, Tim? 

 

Fundamentally, the valve gear on MONS MEG and a 9F are the same. 

 

I'm not suggesting you try (thoughts of the analogy regarding building 2mm reversible valve gear as being tantamount to having sex, upright, in a hammock, on a ship, during a hurricane!), but Nick's 9F does have it. 

 

I struggle to make Walschaerts valve gear in 4mm, let alone having it reversible. But, at my age, 'sex' is what posh people have their coal delivered in! 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

3 hours ago, Barry Ten said:

Here's "Andromeda", the Prince of Wales. I'm afraid I don't yet have any LNWR stock so Ithese GWR clerestories will have to do for now.  She's a lovely

runner and quite a bit quieter than the only other Portescap-powered loco I own.

 

I don't intend to do anything with her except add crew and lamps. As far as I'm concerned that patina, and the paint job under it. is part of the loco's 

history.

 

 

 

Al

Thanks for posting this picture, Al,

 

I'm delighted ANDROMEDA has gone to such a wonderful home. I'll let the previous owner (who no longer can model because of disabilities) know. He'll be delighted. If there is an afterlife, then the builder/painter will be delighted as well! 

 

One thing I couldn't source from my spares box was a small, round-topped firebox backhead (a Peppercorn A1 backhead would not have been appropriate!), but Dave Ellis at SEF might well have something suitable in his range. 

 

I'm also delighted she works so well. The Portescap must be an old one, to be so quiet. 

 

On a different tack (and I've been called a grammar Nazi!), Mo and I had a lovely lunch in Stamford today, As usual, I read the daily papers, and I do despair. Knowing your prowess as a writer, I'm sure you will, too. 

 

One woman journalist wondered how space travel might 'effect' women of child-bearing age! And another (this time male) journalist quoted Lewis Hamilton as saying 'Charles came under immense pressure from Bottas and I' (have I spelled Bottas properly?) Now, Hamilton's command of English might not be as good as his (incredible) driving prowess, but surely a journalist should have corrected this. Another (cricketing) journalist said 'If I was a batsman' (ugh!), going on to compare at least six players as having 'nothing to choose between them'. 

 

But then, I've said enough about grammar down the years on this thread!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

[Bulwell Hall]

4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

I couldn't agree more, Martin,

 

The prize-winning 9F built by Nick Mitchell even has the valve gear reversing. Yes, driven by a tiny motor, you can raise or drop the radius rod pivot dependent on which direction you want to go! 

 

I've never seen that modelled before in any scale. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

In the depths of my increasingly dodgy memory I recall that there was an article in MRN way back in the '60s describing reversing valve gear.  It may also have been a 9F and may have been to S scale - I am sure I recall that it had two motors.

 

Gerry

[Chamby]

And now for something completely different...

 

I came across a fascinating website recently, www.what3words.com, that through the use of a unique combination of just three words can pinpoint a location globally to within a couple of square metres.  It is remarkably accurate, for example over 20 combinations cover the location of my house, and that’s just the structure, not the plot!

 

It is now being used by the emergency services to precisely pinpoint a location... they will ask, for example, an injured person out in ‘the middle of nowhere’ to download the app and tell them the three words that relate to their current location.  It strikes me that this system could also be very useful for railway historians, photographers and modellers for sharing locations precisely.

 

For example, a spot on my local beach, just three minutes walk from my home is butterfly.snores.pirate.   In the photograph below, the locomotive is at coffee.coffee.excuse and the water tower in the background can be found at galaxy.they.common. 

 

Download the app, or visit the website to find out exactly where they are.

 

 

I wonder how quickly it will catch on? 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2019 by Chamby
Clarification

[TrevorP1]

1 hour ago, Chamby said:

And now for something completely different...

 

I came across a fascinating website recently, www.what3words.com, that through the use of a unique combination of just three words can pinpoint a location globally to within a couple of square metres.  It is remarkably accurate, for example over 20 combinations cover the location of my house, and that’s just the structure, not the plot!

 

It is now being used by the emergency services to precisely pinpoint a location... they will ask, for example, an injured person out in ‘the middle of nowhere’ to download the app and tell them the three words that relate to their current location.  It strikes me that this system could also be very useful for railway historians, photographers and modellers for sharing locations precisely.

 

For example, a spot on my local beach, just three minutes walk from my home is butterfly.snores.pirate.   In the photograph below, the locomotive is at coffee.coffee.excuse and the water tower in the background can be found at galaxy.they.common. 

 

Download the app, or visit the website to find out exactly where they are.

 

 

I wonder how quickly it will catch on? 

 

 

 

 

 

I have it on my phone just in case.

 

It might be useful to find friends at shows or other functions etc. but then many of my friends often have their phone stuffed somewhere where it can't be heard - that's if it's turned on at all! 

 

 

 

[CF MRC]

4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

I assume it's easier in 7mm, Tim? 

 

Fundamentally, the valve gear on MONS MEG and a 9F are the same. 

 

I'm not suggesting you try (thoughts of the analogy regarding building 2mm reversible valve gear as being tantamount to having sex, upright, in a hammock, on a ship, during a hurricane!), but Nick's 9F does have it. 

 

I struggle to make Walschaerts valve gear in 4mm, let alone having it reversible. But, at my age, 'sex' is what posh people have their coal delivered in! 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

They are both Walschaerts of course Tony, but the P2 has the lifting link in front of the motion support bracket, behind the radius rod, whereas the 9F has it to the rear of the motion support bracket (similar to an A3).  It wouldn’t be too difficult to make it work on a 2mm A4, but not worth it in pre-war condition...

 

I think it was John Noble who made an S gauge engine with reversing valve gear. 

 

Tim

[96701]

1 hour ago, Chamby said:

And now for something completely different...

 

I came across a fascinating website recently, www.what3words.com, that through the use of a unique combination of just three words can pinpoint a location globally to within a couple of square metres.  It is remarkably accurate, for example over 20 combinations cover the location of my house, and that’s just the structure, not the plot!

 

It is now being used by the emergency services to precisely pinpoint a location... they will ask, for example, an injured person out in ‘the middle of nowhere’ to download the app and tell them the three words that relate to their current location.  It strikes me that this system could also be very useful for railway historians, photographers and modellers for sharing locations precisely.

 

For example, a spot on my local beach, just three minutes walk from my home is butterfly.snores.pirate.   In the photograph below, the locomotive is at coffee.coffee.excuse and the water tower in the background can be found at galaxy.they.common. 

 

Download the app, or visit the website to find out exactly where they are.

 

 

I wonder how quickly it will catch on? 

 

 

 

 

 I have the app. And you do live in a nice part of the world. Internal. eternally.bloodshot isn't all that far from our house, but is substantially more ostentatious.

 

[Bucoops]

I've heard of the app and had a quick play. Definitely a fun and useful thing. My phone apparently sends GPS co-ordinates when it is used to dial an emergency number so not sure it would benefit me?

[dibateg]

The 2mm work is exquisite and remarkable. I'm so impressed by the high standard of modelling. I don't know how they do it.

 

Excellent... now where did I put that big file....

 

Tony

[PMP]

6 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

 

One thing I couldn't source from my spares box was a small, round-topped firebox backhead (a Peppercorn A1 backhead would not have been appropriate!), but Dave Ellis at SEF might well have something suitable in his range. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

I imagine London Road Models would be a good bet to find an appropriate backhead, perhaps @Jol Wilkinson might be able to confirm next time he drops in?