Using the easy-assembly Finetrax pointwork kits in 00 and EM (and in P4 from the S4 Society)

[Brinkly]

Fab news, Wayne. Well done. I will certainly purchase a few P4 point kits!

 

All the best,

Nick.

[whart57]

3mm scale B7 points and crossing kits will hopefully be on sale at the Society AGM in May.

[Wayne Kinney]

Hi Guys, how are you all?

 

I will soon be offering printed templates for all my Finetrax kits, £2.49 each. This is especially useful for the larger 4mm scales where the templates are in A3 format, and you don't have access to an A3 printer. It's still possible to print 2 pages in A4, but it does require cutting and taping together.

 

My pre printed templates remove that need, and you can be confident that they are printed to scale.

 

Should see these on the website in the next 2 weeks.

[Enterprisingwestern]

2 hours ago, Wayne Kinney said:

Hi Guys, how are you all?

 

I will soon be offering printed templates for all my Finetrax kits, £2.49 each. This is especially useful for the larger 4mm scales where the templates are in A3 format, and you don't have access to an A3 printer. It's still possible to print 2 pages in A4, but it does require cutting and taping together.

 

My pre printed templates remove that need, and you can be confident that they are printed to scale.

 

Should see these on the website in the next 2 weeks.

 

That will be useful, I haven't figured out how to print at anything other than about TT gauge-ish off the website, not a lot of use for EM!

 

Mike.

[billywhizz]

3 hours ago, Wayne Kinney said:

Hi Guys, how are you all?

 

I will soon be offering printed templates for all my Finetrax kits, £2.49 each. This is especially useful for the larger 4mm scales where the templates are in A3 format, and you don't have access to an A3 printer. It's still possible to print 2 pages in A4, but it does require cutting and taping together.

 

My pre printed templates remove that need, and you can be confident that they are printed to scale.

 

Should see these on the website in the next 2 weeks.

Thanks great Wayne. Will be very helpful and save a trip to the local copy & print shop. Any word on when the B7 crossover might be available?

Regards. 
Bill. 

[Wayne Kinney]

10 hours ago, billywhizz said:

Any word on when the B7 crossover might be available?

Regards. 
Bill. 

 

 

The CAD for the 00 Gauge version is basically done, just need to add the wood texture to it, build one up and takes some pics for the website.

Edited April 28, 2023 by Wayne Kinney

[billywhizz]

Thanks @Wayne Kinney will get one ordered as soon as they are available. Will a printed template be available for the crossover?

Is there any progress with developing ‘C’ switches? 
Kind regards. 
Bill. 

[Wayne Kinney]

There will be, yes.

 

No C switches just yet, I need to first make some more diamonds and slips to match the other turnouts I've already released.

[billywhizz]

26 minutes ago, Wayne Kinney said:

There will be, yes.

 

No C switches just yet, I need to first make some more diamonds and slips to match the other turnouts I've already released.

Thanks for the info Wayne. I will continue layout planning using B7’s 

[simonmcp]

Hi @Wayne Kinney, do you plan to do any Trap)/Catch points in OO?

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, simonmcp said:

 Trap/Catch points in OO?

 

I'm not falling into that trap again; I know there's a catch! (@martin_wynne)

[Jack P]

I've been working on a relatively simple crossover using the all rail B7 kits in EM.

 

A little bit nerve wracking as I had to perform some surgery to the actual turnout ends in order to make them fit together at the correct distance.

The lesser of two weevils appears to be cutting the sleepers away down the middle - with the other option being cutting them right between the chairs (likely too close) - and I didn't want to risk any breakages in this area. 

I then had to double down on this nail biting surgery and cut most of the webbing away on a few sleepers in order to get them to gently conform to the curve of the trackplan.

 

The results are below, i've tried to get a low enough angle to show the curvature (I've just noticed I completely forgot the checkrails on one of the turnouts).

 

 

The all rail kits are probably even easier than the original 'cast V' variants, the only part that required a little more forward thinking was cutting the point blades - as they're on a curve. Not a huge amount of extra effort, but not something I wanted to get wrong. 

 

Thanks again to Wayne for developing and then bringing them to market!

Edited June 20, 2023 by Jack P

[The Fatadder]

Second show for Wheal Imogen under its belt, and even with the heat the point kit performed faultlessly.  Will certainly be using these on the Wheal Imogen extension and on future layouts.  Just wish there was an A6 in the range.

[Wayne Kinney]

On 19/06/2023 at 23:51, Jack P said:

I've been working on a relatively simple crossover using the all rail B7 kits in EM.

 

A little bit nerve wracking as I had to perform some surgery to the actual turnout ends in order to make them fit together at the correct distance.

The lesser of two weevils appears to be cutting the sleepers away down the middle - with the other option being cutting them right between the chairs (likely too close) - and I didn't want to risk any breakages in this area. 

I then had to double down on this nail biting surgery and cut most of the webbing away on a few sleepers in order to get them to gently conform to the curve of the trackplan.

 

The results are below, i've tried to get a low enough angle to show the curvature (I've just noticed I completely forgot the checkrails on one of the turnouts).

 

 

The all rail kits are probably even easier than the original 'cast V' variants, the only part that required a little more forward thinking was cutting the point blades - as they're on a curve. Not a huge amount of extra effort, but not something I wanted to get wrong. 

 

Thanks again to Wayne for developing and then bringing them to market!

A fine job indeed, sir!

[Blandford1969]

Is there any news on the FS OO diamond crossing please?

[hayfield]

 

 

Using the easy-assembly Finetrax pointwork kits in 00 and EM (and possibly P4)

 

Have I missed something ( possibly P4 ) or just not read the initial title carefully enough ?

[martin_wynne]

2 hours ago, hayfield said:

 

Using the easy-assembly Finetrax pointwork kits in 00 and EM (and possibly P4)

 

Have I missed something ( possibly P4 ) or just not read the initial title carefully enough ?

 

Hi John,

 

The P4 kits are being made for the Scalefour Society. Their info says occasional things such as "design agreed" and "stock expected", but as far as I know there has not yet been an announcement of actual availability. It's likely online supplies will be to members only, and to others at Scaleforum exhibitions. Wayne?

 

cheers,

 

Martin.

[jbg]

John/Martin,

 

It is not a secret that the Scalefour Society have been working with Wayne to develop P4 versions of the turnout kits.

 

The Society's AGM is this coming weekend and details of the initial range and its availability will be confirmed.  I will update this Forum with the information once that announcement has been made.

 

Only a few days to wait....

 

Jeremy

[jbg]

Following my earlier teaser about an announcement, I can now repeat the announcement that I made at the Scalefour Society AGM on Saturday.

Over the last 12 months or so the Scalefour Society have been liaising with Wayne Kinney at British Finescale about the possibility of the production of turnout kits to P4 standards. I am pleased to be able to confirm that the first fruits of this discussion will be available to purchase in early July.

The initial release will be a B7 turnout kit and this will be available to purchase via the Scalefour Stores or direct from British Finescale. The price will be around £23 per kit.

The kits follow the now established format of the British Finescale range. They incorporate a 3D printed sleeper base incorporating printed chairs and locators for the nose of the turnout, the wing rails and switch rails. The rails forming the nose of the crossing are machined and slide into the base to set the location and the switch rails are similarly machined. The kits utilize nickel silver bullhead rail which has to be cut to suit before sliding into the chairs. A printed tie-bar and operating pins are also included. The kits require little soldering except for electrical connectivity and gaps are provided in the printed base to facilitate this.

We hope that the kits will prove popular amongst our members and others modelling to P4 standards and that they will also give the opportunity for newcomers to P4 standards to try it out before committing to those finer standards.  We have also discussed with Wayne the possibility of providing some alternative configurations of turnout and crossings in due course but these will be largely dependent on whether or not the initial offerings sell well.

We expect the Stores to have these in stock soon and they will also be added to Wayne's website in coming days. 

We hope that this development proves useful and hopefully inspires a few more P4 layouts to be built.

Jeremy

Edited June 27, 2023 by jbg

[Jeff Smith]

This is indeed good news and presumably will match with existing P4 RTL plain track.

[martin_wynne]

Some pictures of the P4 kits have been posted on the Scalefour forum:

 

 https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=98393#p98393

 

It seems these are a standard Finetrax product from Wayne, and availability via the Scalefour Society is not relevant for non-members.

 

Martin.

Edited June 28, 2023 by martin_wynne
typo

[jbg]

Martin,

 

The P4 turnout kits are indeed a standard British Finescale product but to P4 standards that the Scalefour Society have been working with Wayne to deliver. 

 

As confirmed previously, they will be available directly from Wayne as well as, to members, through the Scalefour Stores which also carries a wide range of other products supporting those modelling to P4 standards.

 

Jeremy

[dasatcopthorne]

Hi Guys.

 

I have just received my first order of British Finescale  points. A couple of A5 which I hope to curve more into Ys to suit a crossover on a S bend.

 

They look rather good. However I would like to suggest a small change or addition to the kits.

 

Many of us will be building track on portable baseboards and a point on a joint is always best avoided if possible. This often results in a point needing to be very close to a baseboard joint but just far enough away to fit some sort of motor underneath(and be able to get to it for adjustments).

 

I am suggesting that the stock rails could be supplied 2 or 3 inches longer. This would, in many cases, avoid silly very short piece of track from the heal to the baseboard edge.

They could be offered as 'Extended Turnouts' with a small extra charge.

 

I'm OK as I still have code 75 BH left over from my 16.2mm days. Just a suggestion as a know a friend has ordered 2' and 3' Tim Horn boards to avoid this problem.

 

Anyway. Wayne. Thanks a ton for producing these kits.

 

Dave.

 

[BWsTrains]

8 hours ago, dasatcopthorne said:

I'm OK as I still have code 75 BH left over from my 16.2mm days.

 

Be careful with using other rail stock. I've previously reported that PECO Bullhead 75 is slightly oversize to fit into the BF chairs. Try and force it and chairs pop off as they are more brittle than on the commercial rail bases.

 

It is a good point nonetheless and one for Wayne to consider finding some viable solution. The rail stock will not be cheap so supplying excess in every kit would be wasteful / erode the profit margin of the products.  During all my kit builds (B7s) I found the lengths supplied back then were more than adequate to deal with what you need to deal with extension issues.

 

On the other hand offering an "extended option" doubles up on SKUs with is also costly or timing consuming if instead they are packed off as "specials"

 

Colin

 

 

[Dominion]

I have sometimes put a join in the middle of the stock rail in about the place Templot says would have been present on the real turnout, to get the rail length I want at the toe end.

 

I prebend both bits of rail to be about right and the.Ln they line up nicely with no kink. You can also use a Peco bullhead joiner in the stock rail at the join and it looks good. They work well on the rail section Wayne uses.