How involved would this be?

[JimF51]

I'm planning on building more of a diorama, than a actual layout, of a section of a small town or village. The railway will be a adjunct to it, a scene with rail elements, not a layout with scenery added. It will be on a shelf, and can be up to 10' long and 18" deep (3040mm x 457mm)

 

It will most likely be a single line, through a station area, with perhaps one loop and one goods siding.

 

I will have one or two Dapol Terriers, a few wagons, and a few small coaches.

 

Era will be pre-grouping or early Southern (mid 20's to mid 30's

 

Add to all that, I'm in the US, so items must all be ordered from the UK.

 

How difficult would it be to do that amount of track to 2mm standard?

 

How difficult to convert the Terriers?

 

I know wagon kits are available, and I assume coaches from Etched Pixals can be built to 2mm.

 

Each scale/gauge has it's compromises, for me, but one of the biggest, in both N and OO, is the 'narrow' gauge look of standard gauge RTR items (more so in OO)

 

Thanks.

 

Jim F

[Steve Sykes]

As far as track goes, with mostly plain bullhead track, Easitrack should be eminently suitable.  With a loop and a single siding, you need three turnouts; not a massive task to build with the 2mm Association components - either the Easitrck plastic system or the Versaline soldered system with etched baseplates and cosmetic chairs.  Adding chairs for three turnouts shouldn't be too brain-frying.  Alternatively, I believe Keith Armes continues to offer a turnout-building service - details in the Association Yearbook.  I don't know how hard the Terrier conversion would be, but it's certainly been done and written up in the 2mm Magazine.  With 10' by 18" of townscape to create, making the structures is likely to be the major task!

 

Steve

[JimF51]

Hi Steve. "making the structures is likely to be the major task!" That is what, over the years, has been my main enjoyment. Never really have been a rail fan, in the strictest sense In the 70's, I was mostly into military models, and a cousin asked me to assemble some plastic structure kits for him. That led on to a few cardstock ones, and then some super detailed craftsman kits. I did get into moel railroading, then, and worked in US N scale for years.

 

So, anyway, the structures and scenes are what I am planning on, mostly. But I do want the rail presence.

 

I've considered re-joining the 2mm Assoc., and if one could join online like with the N Society, I most like would have, as a spur of the moment thing. But since it's a bit more involved, and takes more time (mail slowness), I haven't pursued it. Perhaps they will come into this century in the not too distant future.

 

Jim F

[Steve Sykes]

Hi Jim,

 

If you want to go down the 2FS road, I think joining the association is pretty much a necessity to get access to the bits and pieces that are only available from them.  While not being to join online is a difficulty for a non-UK resident, you can now pay by credit card or paypal which wasn't always the case.  It mght be worth dropping the secretary an email at secretary@2mm.org.uk to see what the options are.

 

Steve

[JimF51]

I'll send a email, in the off chance that, having belonged in the past, I can just do a renewal, and accept my payment online via CC. But info on the Terriers will most likely be the clincher. If it is too much bother, I may forgo the 2mm idea. Hopefully someone will give me a good idea of what is involved (not a 'how' to').

 

I have hand laid N scale track, and built N scale turnouts, so have a pretty good idea that I could handle that aspect.

 

Jim

[2mm Andy]

Hi Jim,

 

It mght be worth dropping the secretary an email at secretary@2mm.org.uk to see what the options are.

 

Steve

 

No need - I'm here!

 

I doubt very much that we'd still have your membership records Jim - data protection rules dictate that we have to destroy everything after a couple of years. Payment for membership can be done using Paypal but not by credit card online - the bank's requirements for data security are very onerous for a small volunteer-run society such as ourselves (the 2mm SA is significantly smaller than the N Gauge Society).

 

As regards the Terriers, to be honest they're not the most straightforward locos to convert, but there are a couple of options. First is to remove the wheels and get them turned-down by the 2mm wheel turning service. But that will involve them crossing the Atlantic twice (in addition to the journey the loco will make to you!). The second is the method Steve mentioned, which was written up in a recent 2mm magazine by one of our members and which requires replacement loco wheels from the 2mm shop. I should have a pdf copy of the article somewhere if you're interested.

 

A third option is to go for finer N gauge track - see http://www.britishfinescale.com/ - no need to alter the locos then. You could still use 2mm components for the wagons and coaches but fit N wheels.

 

Hope the above helps.

 

Andy