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When TT3 was the next Big Thing


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I still have my old Tri-ang TT yellow lapel badge as in your train sets.

 

Long time ago since I opened my Jinty +  2 suburban coach set - 1959 I think. Still have them but the box long gone. Nice to see them and good luck with the R.O.D. - looks a nice loco.

 

Brit15

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I still have my old Tri-ang TT yellow lapel badge as in your train sets.

 

Long time ago since I opened my Jinty + 2 suburban coach set - 1959 I think. Still have them but the box long gone. Nice to see them and good luck with the R.O.D. - looks a nice loco.

 

Brit15

Thanks, I lost my badge many, many years ago, possibly in the early 60's as a child. I never had a set with the Type B track but that itself will not be used. The sets are mainly for taking to shows. I don't know the age of these as I have no idea if Type B track sets had controllers in them but obviously 1959 onwards.

 

I need to get this layout finished before starting the larger Peco track one which I hope to have on the go later this year so stockwise will not be the priority. How many of us have the same problem of not enough time? I still have my 0 gauge I take to shows, then the larger 00/Dublo 3-rail one to finish and hopefully sell the N gauge one.

 

Garry

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I have just bought some original Hamblings/Merco wagon and coach papers.  I am not a fan of overlays etc but these will be in keeping with the layout design/era.  I have printed some off suitably scaled down but unfortunately my printer is very poor and the colours rarely work.  As you can see the SR open as seen here should be brown as in the scanned original. A decent printer should give some good copies but the next issue is that they are 9' wheelbase wagons but Tri-ang's wagon chassis's are 10'.  If I get good prints I will probably saw a chassis in half to shorten it.  In Edward Beal's book I think he lengthens them this way and even makes a 6 wheeler which will be of use as there is an Insulated LMS vehicle amongst them.

 

Garry

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Hi Garry,printing is a minefield.I use a colour calibrated screen using a Spyder calibration unit. A couple of things here.What paper are you using?.Ordinary laser paper will give you copies like this ,also,are you using original makers ink?.I also use Canon paper.I use either a Canon printer/scanner & an A3 Canon pro 9000 all with original manufacturers inks,expensive i know but i have tried non OEM inks in the past & have always been dissappointed with the colour change.Items like these should always be printed out on gloss photo paper.just one more thing,run a nozzle check to make sure all the ink colours are there.

 

 

                               Ray.

Edited by sagaguy
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Hi Garry,

 

It might be worth getting them professional printed. I'm struggling with mine to get some Italian station buildings to print properly. The originals are in TT scale (1:120) and I require 1:80 (for my Rivarossi trains).... I've found a useful Italian site specialising in TT scale, but it's in Italian of course.

 

Before taking a saw to the underframe, I'd try stretching the litho using photoshop or similar, as the prototype has a 10' underframe.

 

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pic2/wagons/37786.html

 

The Hamblings/Merco lithos were designed for their rather crude 9' underframe and shortened as necessary. Standard practice then and certain manufacturers are still guilty.

 

I can remember reading one of Mr. Beal's books as a boy (or perhaps it was one of Mr. Carter's?). (Our local Clifton library had several, which I had out on extended loan. ) It was suggested that the use of lithos could be avoided by painting them. (Beyond my artwork at the time!). My question was, "What's a litho?" Youthful ignorance which was not helped by the explanation.

 

Some relief can be added using a second copy of the litho, but then one is getting close to scatchbuilding....

 

David

Edited by Il Grifone
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Hi David,with the right printer & paper,it`s possible to get almost professional looking prints.Meccano is another of my hobbies,i`m a member of a Facebook Meccano forum & i posted this mainly because of nostalgia for a childhood that`s long gone.Using the equipment at home,i have printed & framed this print amongst other Meccano related artwork.Feel free to download it if you want to.It`s A3 size with a border to fit a frame.

 

 

                             Ray

 

 

 

 

                      post-4249-0-47874300-1519725116_thumb.jpg

Edited by sagaguy
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Ahh !! Meccano and cranes. Only thing I ever built was cranes - but never had anything like enough bits to make one of those. My dad also used to pinch bits to repair things - his old Mk 7 Jag had more Meccano in it than my set !!

 

Brit15

Edited by APOLLO
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Hi Ray/David,

 

Ray,  I did once try calibrating my monitor but gave it up as a bad job.  In the last 7 or 8 years I have had two Cannon printers, one Samsung colour laser (the worst of the lot) and an HP.  All the ink jets especially the HP continually have nozzle problems and I have done the recommended double clean countless times.  The inks are mainly manufacturers and the paper HP, Xerox, gloss photo paper.  My software will say no ink yet the container shows half full. My only successes are setting to black ink only for letters.

 

David, Due to the above is one reason why I am looking at a professional printing firm, especially as they should scan them in a better resolution. I have never used Photoshop but it would have to be done after the scans and I was hoping a printer business would do it all there and then.  I would like the scanned images saved for me for future use if they would do that.  The vans at the scale I print off have the ends exactly matching a Tri-ang one, the coaches though I have done slightly smaller to fit the length of a Tri-ang one to save scratchbuilding as I have not enough time (or the inclination) to do coaches that way.  Cost does come into all of this so I have to be careful as I will not be doing that many.  These sheets only cost a £1 for wagons and £1.25 for the coaches so at least they did not break the bank.  Here are some of the other sheets.

 

Garry

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HP were probably the worst of the lot,a Kings ransom for ink.The advantage of the Canon A3 printer is that the nozzles are in the cartridges so if it blocks(which hasn`t happened yet even after a few years)you replace the cartridge.

 

                                Ray.

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In reality I could just redraw everything in AutoCAD at the correct size but that is time consuming and then I still need to get them printed.  At the moment we have had that many printers and issues with them that any photos we want it is easier and cheaper to go to Tesco with the memory card and just use the printer for letters.

 

Garry

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In all the years i`ve been doing photography & Photoshop,i`ve only bought three printers.The first one was an Epson R300 which eventually nozzle clogged  & refused to feed paper.The second printer is a Canon MP499 printer scanner & of course, the Canon Pro 9000Mk2 which is superb but does use eight expensive cartridges but i do get what i pay for.

 

 

 

                                  Ray.

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Hi David,with the right printer & paper,it`s possible to get almost professional looking prints.Meccano is another of my hobbies,i`m a member of a Facebook Meccano forum & i posted this mainly because of nostalgia for a childhood that`s long gone.Using the equipment at home,i have printed & framed this print amongst other Meccano related artwork.Feel free to download it if you want to.It`s A3 size with a border to fit a frame.

 

 

                             Ray

 

 

 

 

                      attachicon.gifA3 print copy.jpg

 

I believe that even a number 10 outfit was insufficient to build that crane! I'm trying to reacquire sufficient bits for the number 6 I received for my third Xmas, but SWMBO is even less enthusiastic about Meccano than trains....

 

My current printer is an HP with their ink plan which costs a fixed amount each month for so many pages It's noticeable how much longer the ink lasts! A snag I've noticed a snag that the paper is required to negotiate so sharp a curve inside that photopaper tens to jam

 

I also have a Ricoh laser, but at present it is out of use as a toner cartridge costs nearly twice as much as I paid for the printer!

Edited by Il Grifone
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It is a part hungry model,103 3 hole girders for a start & then,the geared roller bearing.

 

 

                       Ray

 

There is apparently a MIB example of the latter going the rounds, which was purchased on impulse at the outbreak of WW II. A classic "It seemed like a good idea at the time!". It cost around the equivalent of £30 I gather.

Edited by Il Grifone
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Getting back to TT, here is the wagon with modified ends. I glued an extra piece of card on each end with the end papers the on one side I just glued the corner straps in situ, the other side I cut a side into 3 just inside the centre hinges using the outer pieces and gave it the appearance of a wider hinge.  This fits the chassis just nicely.  One of these should suffice depending on what the price will be.

 

Garry

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I've tended to stick with Epson. One of their earlish photo printers did for quite a few years before dying and being replaced by a superior R800 photo printer. When that eventually died, I managed on a cheapo photo printer for a bit before getting a recent Surecolor P400 A3 printer, which is superb. But I'm not sure how good it would be for printing wagon sides and the like; it's a pigment based printer.

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I have made a start on the upper level track wiring and here are some of the points. Baseboard has had one coat of "ballast" paint and should get another tomorrow.  Managed to put a Bilteezi signal box together, no window cutouts etc but in keeping with the layout era.  I am lucky I have been told I can leave it all in the kitchen due to the weather, snowing heavy outside at the moment.

 

Garry

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I've seen some really good stuff done using Bilteezi buildings. Mike Corp's Heybridge Wharf has nearly all Bilteezi, although generally super-detailed:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/143596669@N08/sets/72157669450108086

 

https://sites.google.com/site/3mmpublic/members-layouts/heybridge-wharf

Edited by NCB
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I've seen some really good stuff done using Bilteezi buildings. Mike Corp's Heybridge Wharf has nearly all Bilteezi, although generally super-detailed:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/143596669@N08/sets/72157669450108086

 

https://sites.google.com/site/3mmpublic/members-layouts/heybridge-wharf

I thought about cutting out the windows etc but it stops other things getting done, maybe one day although those days are earmarked for trains really. There are not many Bilteezi sheets left in TT scale and the main one I wanted was the loco shed but they have now all been sold. I do have a few Wordsworth ones which are very similar and make up into a nice model.

 

Garry

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How about a Scalescenes downloadable card kit.Download & resize.

 

Ray.

 

https://scalescenes.com/product/r022b-gable-roof-engine-shed/

Thanks Ray,

 

I have seen them and thought about it but being a tight Yorkshire man the price put me off as it comes back to the printing. Wordsworth are similar and free although not to the same standard.

 

Garry

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