Izzy

Since the term first emerged I have always taken 'Modern Image' to represent the new/cut down post-Beeching railway era of diesel/electric/dmu/emu after the demise of steam, and specifically the start of the ' British Rail' blue times, which then where 'now'. Personally I feel like others that a simple description of place and date is best and most flexible, and as good as anything else. Izzy

Could I just double-check that I have the baseboard size correct. It is 120cm x 20cm (i.e. about 48" x 8") isn't it?. In which case, unless there are big storage problems to consider, could I suggest that you make it of just one single board, whatever material you use. Joints across boards in N are always more of a challenge than in the larger scales, and the fewer the better. Another point I would draw attention to is the joint between the board(s) and the fiddle yard. Having a joint right at the toe of a point might be another area that could prove a challenge, a few inches past the blades is advisable here as well as not having them under a bridge for ease of access. Our fingers are the same size whatever the scale used, and in N there is less room to poke them about! As you say baseboards in N need to be right, more accurate than in a larger scale, and time taken on their design and construction is never wasted. Izzy

If you are going to trim a peco point to produce the catch point then you might consider going a bit further and cutting the web in a few places and bend it a bit past the tie bar area. Just a small amount of curvature can produce a significant difference to track angle/direction. Izzy

I don't know if it's been mentioned - I might have missed it - but British Rail Fleet Survey No 7, Diesel Shunters ( ISBN 0 7110 1449 3 /1984) if you can locate a copy somewhere has several shots of these, both versions and all three cabs, although the diagram type line drawings of both types only show two cabs, and not the larger/extra window cab of the Heljan model. There is a shot of 05-001 on the IOW, but they are also of the early type around the GE area. The drawings do help illustrate the larger type cab on the later ones, both in height and length, and that the chassis was lengthened by 7" at the rear for this, giving a more balanced overhang front/rear. There are also details of the smaller (DY1) 0-4-0 type which seems just like a smaller version of the early 05's - only 3 were built, all tramway skirt fitted for the GE area. Izzy

Good idea to stick to the original simple point concept and ditch the slip. They may work okay in others scales, but my experiences of the code55 variety are that they have more gaps than rail and stock either bumps very badly through them - if your lucky - or gets stuck in the gaps. Like others I found I had to remove them and use simpler points to get useful running quality. Izzy

I don't know what make of ballast you have used, but using the woodland scenics extra fine variety I now just use their S191 senic glue (shake well before use) applied with the pipettes Revell sell (packs of 6). It runs like water and applying it along the outer edges of the ballast allows it to slowly absorb into it and spread without disturbing it. Once the ballast is wetted it stays in place and you can drop more on it without problem, so slowly moving along. As Stuart says, it's a slow process, but it pays not to rush it. One other aspect is that I have found you only really need minimal amounts of ballast, and I just sprinkle a bit on by hand before brushing into place. It's far too easy to lay too much which then hides the gap under the rail of the bullhead code 40. You can always add a bit more later if it's not enough but it's not easy to remove too much I discovered. With easitrac I now also remove the ties between the sleepers with a scalpel once the track base is glued down because these can show after ballasting otherwise, and also stop the gap being there. Have fun! Izzy

Interesting the bits on gear production and hobbing. Many years ago I made the tooling to convert my Hobbymat lathe into a hobbing machine when needed. Hobs were homemade in tool quality silver steel, and if you want to produce worm gearing, then they are just basically gashed tooth versions of the worm size to produce the correct tooth form and helix angle. The advantage is that spur gears with any number of teeth can be cut from the one tool, and with the correct hobbing tooling whether having helical or straight cut teeth The big dis-advantge of 'free' hobbing is that the hob tends to overcut since it is all that is driving the gear being cut, and while the tooth form can look clean often you can end up with less actual teeth on the gear........... pre-gashing the gear wheel doesn't always help either.......... It's all good fun though....... Izzy

Perhaps the first awkward task, if you're not familier with either machine, is sorting out the tooling and bits that are appropriate to each. Some will be easy, others perhaps not so. There does seem to be a wide selection of extras for the Unimat. As you say the Hobbymat is quite heavy. For those who don't know, the lathe is quoted as being 45Kg. The Mill head is slightly lighter at around 30Kg. Izzy

I believe the first Deltic shot is basically correct as regards depicted colours, there is no obvious colour cast cause by the film stock or lighting conditions, and the leading coaches teak/brown in tone. The second shot has a noticeable majenta cast, indicating that perhaps this was taken on Kodachrome, of which this was a feature. Remove this in a photo editor and the blue of the Deltic becomes the kind of faded blue often seen after a period of use and exposure to sunlight/weather, but the coaches are obviously maroon/crimson&cream. I would thus surmise the first was taken early in it's life, hence the mating with the Gresley's, the second much later. Izzy

I'm not sure what you are intending to do about the front carry wheels/axle, but might I advise against making it spring/rock/move if the front drivers are fixed. There is no point in having it rock alone if this is fixed, and if you spring it then unless you get the rate just right, which can be tricky (but not impossible), then the tendency can be for the loco to become a 'nodding donkey' and lifting the rear drivers. This is especially so in 7mm where in general more weight is involved than in the smaller scales and particularly so in this case where the overall wheelbase is short, and the distance between the front axle and carry axle is minimal. Personally I'd either leave it fixed solid, or use twin beam compensation allied to the front axle, as has already been illustrated. You don't have to use drilled axle beams though. Stiff beams resting on top of the axle bearings are quite good enough and all made simply from rod/tube. Izzy

For cutting the sleeper gaps in 2mm I just use a new/sharp scalpel. My standard 3 handle/11 blade combo. Easy to get into the smaller spaces as well. Use two cuts side by side and the copper between will come away. As the cuts aren't generally so deep, just the copper depth on average, it's easier to hide them. Often a coat of paint is enough. Izzy

Should mention my remarks concerned etched kits in the main. I rarely build whitemetal bodies and - forgive me - tend to glue them together (cryno) when I do. I also glue w/m amd brass Chimmnys and domes in place. Terrible I know....but I have never had an issue. If you want to solder then I tnink this is another case where a 25/40 watt with a small tip would be used. Izzy

Even with kits (especially with kits!?) I tend to try and do a dry run basic assembley of the chassis and body parts to ensure there are no nasty surprises waiting to catch me out, such as areas where things don't mate together well. It can occasionally happen with the best of kits and be overcome if you know about them beforehand, but be difficult if bits are already assembled. As far as soldering irons go, for 7mm I have always used a simple/crude Weller 75watt with fairly large tips - of 1/2" dia - since even thin brass in 7mm can become a bit of an heatsink and it's the resoviour of heat that you need as much as the actual temperature. Only with small detail parts are 25/40 watt irons with small tips of much use. Izzy

Great display and presentation. A wonderful advert for 2mm. You must be very pleased with what you have achieved, I know I would be. Izzy

Seeing as how you're fitting compensating beams to the driving axles, and I apologise if this has been covered somewhere and I've missed it, but have you considered going one step further and using split axle current collection on the bogie (and using it's outside frames as compensating beams)? I have always found that with 0-4-4T's it makes one heck of a difference to reliable running and goes hand-in-hand with compensation. Just a thought ....you know....... Izzy

I have to say I have found no noticeable advantage with regard to pick-up with DCC over DC. You still need clean wheels/track. The benefit as I see it, at some cost, as others have said, is the ability to tune each decoder to the motor used, since each one is of course a separate controller. The 9v DC battery controllers seem to give quite good control of all motor types from what I have seen. Keep meaning to get one myself for evaluation, ( I like the option for alternative power source), but I am not sure whether to try a DCC version instead/as well. Izzy

With regard to using foamboard for baseboards, I have been experimenting with a sandwiched construction of foamboard layered with artists mount board as a harder skin. This seems to work okay and as well as giving a bit of extra strength means small screws/pins can be driven into it. Although a single foam layer is fairly firm, two is much better - with a mount board layer between to maintain the sandwich construction. To protect the edges though, which can easily be bashed in, thin strips of mount board are also glued on. What I like about this is the lack of mess. Just a craft knife, cutting board, straight edge, and PVA. Izzy

In my experience Evostick is the only glue I have found to hold them long term, that can absorb the shocks when they bang against each other, since it's a bit rubbery when set. With other glues that set hard, cryno, epoxy, etc, the glue joint tends to fracture. If you solder them in place before painting just remember not to get paint anywhere near them. I just use Birchwood Casey blackening on them. Izzy

Even though I had one on order with Hattons I was unsure whether to get it, especially when the price rose (although Hattons kept to the pre-order price) and having had issues with the previous versions I bought. I am glad I did though. The improvements are substantial, but subtle in some areas. The new chassis, correct cab handrails, better fuel tank, more detail on the bogies, correct size wheels with the proper A1A configuration. The only area where I feel it is worse is the fan. The etched version isn't nearly as good as that on the old one, far too coarse and hiding what may be underneath - I can't see any detail below it at all. Izzy

With all the changes and modifications that are being carried out on these, as several said they might try it, has anyone attempted to correct the boiler handrails yet? Or is it considered a step too far, that it would look worse than leaving alone. Izzy

Hacking servos by removing the electronics and using them as simple stall motor devices has been done quite a lot. Look for the threads here. Although the current draw is high compared to a commercial stall type, at around the 1.5-3v mark it's workable and reliable if momentary power is used. I've done it with digital servos using centre-off switches and gear jamming to set the rotational arc limits. Izzy

Ah. I thought it was a footplate inspector in a hi-vis just making sure all the work was in order.........but of course such vests weren't around in those days, silly me..... Izzy

Probably got a few spare with all the pre-orders that have apparently been cancelled! Izzy

Sounds rather like my new Farish 4F................ Izzy

I'm afaid it is a joint line between the body and chassis. The basic design is very similar to the new Farish 4F I have just obtained, which has the same issue, and is very noticeable, well to me anyway. It rather spoils all the effort that goes into models like this with masses of detail when something basic such as this is so prominent. I am not sure what the answer is in regard to hiding it. Perhaps some soft filler like plasticscene which once painted/weathered won't show too much, but won't damage the body/chassis or prevent them being parted should it become neccesary at any time, and can be re-done fairly easily. Izzy