hayfield

But I don't quite understand why the final timber on the straight running line appears to be slightly skewed. Still a knife taken to the web will soon fix that.

It allows two crossings to mesh together, for some interlocking timbers would be a step too far, easy to rectify if it bothers you

Looks good to me too. I think my dabbling in EM is now over. 

Nearly as good but in my view not as good

Peco have posted a taster picture of a large radius point on their facebook page.

 

Apologies if you're not on facebook and can't see it.

 

https://www.facebook.com/RailwayModeller/?hc_ref=ARR1j1A-h9MYFkD5WF4FcU3B9nqvQHlBw8CfBRzKhUP6uEykbyBHg3zXpdhz1gbS-rQ&fref=nf

 

Cheers,

Mick

Good to see a decent check rail being used, rather than the smaller 3 timber version, depending on size though should it cover 5 timbers

Picked up a lot comprising of 009 coaches, vans and wagons, mostly built, many up painted, a few without wheels only a few had couplings

8 coaches, 2 being bogie, 6 vans and 27 wagons, half of the wagons being quarry size the others being larger, plus 1 diesel loco body

Just under £48 inc postage, think I can live with just over a £1

A recent lot of 15 items went for £76, OK all had wheels and couplings, but cant help wondering if more could have been got had the lot been split into smaller lots. With the one I bought the photos were awful, there were 2 batches of unpainted wagons one of 8 another of 6 which if head either decent photos and or sold as two lots would have commanded this price on their own

Still very pleased with it, 

Martin

Simply stunning

Luke

Looks very good, how does it look with a coach or two behind?

As for lead, most glues are fine or just get some sheet so you can glue one side to the body

Just pushed the boat out for a collection of about 40 wagons,vans and coaches. Sadly my new railway room is still cut in half (need a wall taking down) and in need of plastering. So starting the layout is still a couple of months away, though I might make a start on the boards in a couple of weeks.

 

Trying to visualise if I can have an elevated section on a separate loop or more likely an industrial branch line, keeping the fold together format along with a scenic section in the rear half , which folds back on itself for transportation. Could be over complicating things

Said items arrived today and very pleased with them. 8 coaches, 6 vans and 27 wagons and a RTR diesel loco body

Most are made both painted and un-painted, some needing wheels nearly all require couplings. A good selection of smaller quarry wagons and 4 wheel coaches and larger stock with 2 bogie coaches, I have bought 6 other narrow gauge items this month and have several bogie coaches and 4 locos, just need a layout and more flexi track

The selection of items which arrived have reinforced the idea of two different circuits, one for the smaller quarry based wagons and workers coaches, the other for the larger coaches, vans and trucks. Might be worthwhile buying some s/h set track curves just to play around with a few ideas 

It is a bit of a mine field for uninitiated.

So thank you all very much for your responses

It is appreciated,

Steve

In the old days it was simple 2, 3 or 4 foot radii. To be quite honest not too much has changed, as a rule of thumb for hand built track *though most will differ) smaller radii is an A5, medium A or B6, Large B7. having said this an A5 will be just over 4' radius in old money

Steve

Ask for the thin timbers to be exchanged for the thick timbers, better still as for them to be exchanged for the Exactoscale timbers as the thick flexi track is actually Exactoscale. In my opinion far superior to the C&L product.

C&L do do flat bottom products using the ST baseplates and code 82 rail, no pre-made common crossings, vees or switch rails

If working in 00 gauge buy a set of 00sf gauges, perfect for 00 gauge hand built track using the pre-made common crossings as supplied within these kits

Sorry to revive this thread but I am in a similar position of trying to rescue a 2nd hand white metal model that looks like it was assembled with an entire bottle of superglue.

 

I have ordered some acetone and I wondered if anyone could give me some tips on the best way to use it please? Do I have to soak the pieces in it? Can I wipe it on and the scrape off the softened glue? Will I need to scrub it with a toothbrush or will immersion dissolve it totally?

 

Any tips from the more experienced gratefully received.

Unless its a modern superglue, is it not affected by water, especially steam?

I think the whole idea is that it quickly folds up and I guess the trick is to keep everything as light as possible. On the other hand I am considering making each board 18" wide and a bit longer than the original. The trouble then is that each addition increases the weight, so the hunt is on for an ultra light weight but strong construction. In the end I guess a compromise of weight for strength will have to rule.

Just pushed the boat out for a collection of about 40 wagons,vans and coaches. Sadly my new railway room is still cut in half (need a wall taking down) and in need of plastering. So starting the layout is still a couple of months away, though I might make a start on the boards in a couple of weeks.

Trying to visualise if I can have an elevated section on a separate loop or more likely an industrial branch line, keeping the fold together format along with a scenic section in the rear half , which folds back on itself for transportation. Could be over complicating things

One of the appeals to me in marrow gauge modelling is that there are no hard and fast rules, I am new to 009 and only really collecting a small amount of stock for a fun layout. In general terms with 009 items are up scaled from N gauge, likewise 00 gauge to 0 16.5. I was lucky enough to buy a Beamo H0m loco, these are quite large items when put alongside 009 locos (being much nearer to standard gauge) and run on 12 mm gauge rather than 9 mm gauge

Down scaling from 00 gauge might be more in keeping with 3' gauge than 2' gauge running on TT gauge track, just an idea

Stock levels don't appear to be the problem, it's Phil remembering to pack everything and then knowing where it is on the stand. I really hope you do pass on the comments and he does learn from the feedback as he is loosing valuable custom with his current haphazard approach.

Bodmin North only once. Pencarrow on multiple occasions obviously...

Thanks for the comments, as I said Railex was the last show I attended and from memory it was only a couple 4mm scale components with issues, 7mm was fine. I have no idea what happened since and can only guess its getting the balance between running the day to day business and preparing for the show. What has happened (and will in the future) is certain items have a run on, and sell out, these items do vary and from experience levels of such items are increased

As I have said, I have no idea what happened at shows I have not attended, however your sweeping statement about stock and service standards over the past 2 years could not be further from the truth at the (larger SE) shows which I have attended during that period, especially with pre-paid sales.

Thanks again and I will have a chat with Phil later in the week

We have obviously continually had very different experiences then. Since Phil has taken over, even when there have been two on the stand, buying anything has been a very protracted experience.

 

Not having the pre-order ready wasn't a mistake, I got the impression that none of the pre-orders was put together. The chap after me had ordered well in advance and his wasn't done either.

 

I've no axe to grind, the products are great but in the last two years I have yet to experience quick service. I wish him well, and want the range to continue going from strength to strength, but customer service really needs tightening up.

Totally agree with you pre-orders must be made up prior to a show, this has been done in the past and was 100% achieved at the shows I attended. The past 2 years I have helped out at the larger shows in the SE, I do not recognise your observations. At these shows stock levels of both C&L & Exactoscale have been high, there have been minor periods when both of us have been busy but in the main folk were served quickly. I will add I have not been to any 7 mm shows, so if Phil has been on his own he may have struggled. Also since Railex I have not attended any shows, so your knowledge of these shows is far better than mine about the service

At Railex( which was during the closed down period) agreed the supplies were slightly down in a couple of areas, only at a few periods were there queues but no complaints. We were very busy on the Saturday but that was expected owing to the lack of mail order at that time, and as far as I am concerned no one went away without being served over the weekend. . Sadly this year I will not be at Expo hopefully Phil will be able to arrange assistance.

Please bear in mind this is period of a steep learning curve for Phil while he adjusts to both running the day to day business plus attend shows at weekends, in the past he only had to concentrate on preparing for the shows. Now is quite different and I am certain he will learn from his mistakes, I will have a chat with him and carefully relay the feedback, however there may well have been problems outside his control prior to the show which caused these issues. 

I'm sorry but this wasn't a customer issue. The customer had placed a pre-order for 11 items for collection at the show. The customer had paid in advance. All Phill should have had to do was had over the pre-order. Instead the order hadn't been put together and was put together whilst we all waited. Phil rummaging through his badly organised collection of boxes searching for one item at a time, loosing one's he'd already got out, realising he'd left stock at home and couldn't complete the order, disappearing off to find a till roll, not knowing the prices for anything. Everybody waiting, not just me, was getting exasperated. Phil totally oblivious.

 

I've observed the stall at many shows and it's always the same. Seldom have I observed the customer causing the issues. There are many other one man bands that carry large stocks of items and they don't seem to have problems serving people.

 

This wasn't the start of the day but lunchtime when the queue was the shortest I'd seen for a while. Two people in front of me really shouldn't result such a wait. It's down to much faffing around, not being prepared and being totally disorganised. Comments being made by others waiting certainly support this view.

 

All the other traders I dealt with in that day were able to chat and process multiple sales without issues.

OK a mistake had occurred, I was not there but I can imagine how this event has happened, and if he was operating single handed the effect will be magnified.

All I can say is that over the past 4 years with the exception of Railex this year (just before the hand over) the stand has been well stocked, pre orders done and reserve stock in boxes under the stand, sometimes it has taken a bit of searching to find the odd item. But when there are two on the stand one can deal with an extended sale whilst the other does the quick sales

With Phil now running the whole business it is a steep learning curve. Things like this will stick in the mind and hopefully will be avoided in future. Its a big learning curve for him and it will take him time to get both parts of the business working together. Larger shows do need two people on the stand and I guess something he will be thinking about. Normally I would say order in advance, but every now and then things will go wrong. That's life, and when something goes wrong it has a knock on effect. I would guess an hour later he was standing on his own waiting for the next customer

Do I need to direct the honourable gentleman to the photo of a Bulleid at Bodmin North?

 

That's enough of an excuse for me, and I do like them.

 

I wasn't going to get the wheels for the Bulleid until much later (definitely a long term project) but Slater's prices seem to be increasing and I can only see that situation getting worse as the exchange rate deteriorates and Brexit bites.

 

Certainly C&L's prices have definitely headed north in the last few years. If only the service at shows had increased by the same proportion. I had a 35 minute wait whilst the proprietor very slowly served the two folk in front of me. Painful to watch and a number of folk walked off not being bothered to wait. No point pre-ordering for collection at the show as the orders are put together at the show whilst you slowly age. Must be costing him a fortune in lost sales, which in turn probably increases prices. He really needs to get organised!

Phil probably is on his own and it sounds like the person he was serving needed assistance, the simple answer is go back when there is not a queue. I understand how frustrating it is when in a queue and the person is taking ages to be served (often being told the same info several times) but its up to the assistant to ensure the customer understands, and older folk take a bit longer to absorb info

I am afraid that sometimes a customer either needs a help (some pick up the information quicker than others) or wants a chat. There is a very fine line between trying to serve someone quickly and being rude. Also there are time wasters or perhaps the chap is lonely and shows are the only place he can have a chat about the subject he loves.

At shows just go off and do something else and go back at a quieter period

The sad thing is that I also have another chassis on the go and have made the same mistake of compensating that as well. This time it is the High Level kit for the Collett Goods, in all honesty I am not holding out much hope of it going right despite using the Avonside jig - think I'll just go back to ready to run 00, I'm wasting my time and money on EM.

As peter has said it might just be a case of opening a hole(s) a tad with a broach. How about making the chassis rigid ?

Tim

Check the chassis frames are straight, sometimes with the keyhole slots they were supplied bowed, owing to the slots being stamped out

Worth a go but you may end up with something too large for the loading gauge

Sorry to say, but yes a bit of stuff to put away, do not throw out, you may be able to use the pieces later on another project.

The best plan is to haunt Ebay and find other 18 mm wheels, you could strike lucky and get Ultrascale! Gibson push on wheels would do fine, or easiest a set of Markit/Romford, which bolt on.

The gearsets are not expensive, about £7.00, you can get them by mail order from Markits 3/32 for the motor/ 1/8th bore for the axle. Aim at 40:1. Scale Link do the metric sizes with 1.8th axles.

You can also use Ultrascale gear sets. but check with them about delivery, usually months for wheelsets, but they may carry the gears from stock.

 

We have not 100% found out what motor is in the kit, it should be the metal types, but it maybe the plastic type, moulded with a gearbox on the end or without.

 

These plastic motors are frankly junk, and replaceable with a Mitsumi can motor from ebay at about £2-3 ( sometimes for 4!) If you get a modern motor, the best plan, the worm from Markits/Scale Link must match the bore, and is usually 2mm diameter. Best to get the motor first and measure it. An advantage of the Mitsumi is it is double ended and you can add a flywheel, of which 2mm is a common size.

 

Even if the motor is the old metal type it is an old design and draws a lot of current creating a lot of heat. So I would go for the Ebay path of replacement. With 40:1 gears that is quite powerful, but the current is far lower with the Mitsumi. They are also quiet.

One thing you will have to make is a small brass cradle to hold the motor and the chassis may have to be altered to get the motor to bed down in the right position, but is normal home mechanic stuff to do.

 

Stephen

Rather than spend £7 (+ a motor mount) on a set of gears, much better to buy a gear box. I have used Highlevels which are either £14 or £16. If you have a metal gear wheel then the kit was designed for either a Mk 1 or 2 motor. You could put out a wanted request on this site for a motor and worm

I've built many Kays kits over the years and I have more to build, I've learnt to bin the wheels motor gears and axles and replace with

 Romfords & Markits running gear and a decent motor with gearbox so there is no issue with gear meshing you will get more pleasure

out of building these kits if they run well and with modern glues there's no need to solder the the bodies up.

 

Enjoy your kit.

There is a cheaper version of Markit wheels with plastic centres, either Southeastern Finecast and or Roxey mouldings sell them. Well worth as suggested look out on eBay for them second hand

I've got myself into a bit of a pickle and wonder if anybody could offer advice.

 

I sold a model to a chap in Italy who opened a case and requested a return as something became detached in transit. I accepted the return but in exchanging messages he just wanted £10 off the price to cover buying the replacement part and we both reached an amicable agreement easily and quickly. However because I accepted the return it now only lets me do a full refund and I cannot cancel it. And I can't see anything to help from EBay. The other chap is looking at if he can cancel his request but it seems to be the blind and the blind.

 

Has anybody else faced this problem and can they offer advice please? Thanks.

Phone the ebay help line

You have had some really excellent advice from the posters and I am certain the answers lie within. What surprises me is that when you look at the likes of Hornby locos there is so much slop but all runs OK but when a modeller tries this all locks up

I guess someone has already suggested this but I would use a parallel reamer on each set of bearings, then test the chassis without the motor to see that it is very free running. I then use a broach on the coupling rod holes to ensure the holes are round, fit one pair first to check for binding. If there is binding swap sides ( the coupling rods will be upside down) to see if this clears it. It might be that a very slight easing of the hole cures it. Swapping wheel sets may also cure it, or at least identify the problem.

If the first coupling rod works well, try the other coupling rod with the centre wheels. just a process of elimination to find where exactly the fault(s) lies

Good luck 

The question is whether it still manages to rise from ashes.

The kits are in the shops now, well in Chelmsford they are

Tim

It really depends on which version of k's kit you have, their motors do come up regularly on places like eBay, quite often with worm gears on them

The first and second generation kits had pre-quartered wheels and decent motors. The motors being long thin open frame type. The first type had the magnets screwed to the end blocks, the second generation (Mk 1) were glued. These were fine and you may find one of the Romford worms would work

The later kits had wheels with plastic spokes, axles having a D end and bolts screwed into then to retain the wheels. As Bertiedog has stated these wheels were not very good, often would wobble and the motors (HMP2) tended to be unreliable. 

If you have the later make as said much better to re-wheel, this can be expensive unless you keep your eyes open for donor parts. Quite often Jintys come up with 18mm Romfords which the collectors ignore and sell for nothing, likewise again the motors if put on sale without being named go for a few pounds. Or look for alternatives again sold as spares

Here is a photo of the early K's motors

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Keyser+mk+1+motor&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjAo-i69oHWAhVCLlAKHcmqAKoQsAQIJQ&biw=1366&bih=638#imgrc=uJNSKWstMPewYM:

The second on the left I think is for the motor bogie

Best of all would be a can motor with a proper gear box (Highlevel or similar) with Gibson or Markit wheels.

Good luck