Izzy

If all you want is better looking track, then sticking with N wheels and track standards and using Finetrax would seem to be the way to go, especially considering the savings made on time and cost converting stock to 2FS standards. However, if you want better and smoother running through pointwork, not stock jumping and bumping it's way through, which has been my experience and to my mind the biggest downfall of N gauge, then you do need to consider at least, whether the 2FS track standards would suit/satisfy you better in the longer term. Since the overall cost of the trackwork would I guess be roughly the same, Easitrac v Finetrax, and the time and effort involved in making it also comparable, perhaps you could consider making a couple of short test tracks each with a point, to both standards, invest in a few 2FS wheelsets for a couple of wagons and compare how they run through 2FS points compared to how they run through N points. Izzy

I'd tend to think that reducing the station to 4', the fiddle to 2', and the width to 10" would produce a good result in N as a reasonable compromise between leaving the size as is, (which would be nice if you had the space), and reducing it in half. Izzy

I have adopted the technique of making buildings from card in 2mm but am mixing it with details in plasticard where hard edges are needed and plain card/paper tends to feather. I am gluing the plasticard in place with liguid glue (Slaters mek-pak) since over time I have discovered that D/S tape dosen't seem to adhere too well to non-absorbent surfaces like plasticard long term. Izzy

I think the metal stamped loose heel switches are used for a variety of reasons. As Martin has said production costs, but also for strength and ease of use under a mixture of operating conditions. Machined blades need fixing to the tiebar somehow, while the metal stampings can have an extended leg that simply plugs into the tiebar. Quick, easy, robust. Loose heel means no resistance to movement in any direction and stays put where it is. Useful for manual operation with a weak spring to hold it in place, and not too strong to (usually) stop operation with various designs of point motors, (there are always exceptions of course). It really is a case of compromise to get the best design that suits as many users as possible. That it won't suit all is obvious, which is where making your own, as countless others have done over the years comes in........... Izzy

I have an old AMR which I still occasionally use, but I would never use it with more modern motors of any type. It isn't so much that it will fry the motors but that the feedback is just too severe for the more efficient motors that now exist compared with the past, whether they are coreless or not. All that usually happens is that a loco will jerk and spit it's way along the track as the bemf over-reacts. This is despite Len Rich trying to 'turn down' the feedback for me when coreless motors first became popular all those years ago. None of my current Farish or Dapol locos are happy running under it. As far as the Nigel Lawton motors go, the one I would suggest is the 8x16mm. This is quite powerful, with a rare earth magnet, and is fairly slow running. The main bearing is fine, probably half the motor length. But, in common with many coreless designs there is no end bearing in the end cap to take/absorb end thrust of the kind generated by putting a worm on the shaft. However, all you need to do is be careful when fitting a worm to ensure that excessive pressure isn't used to force the worm on, and ensure that endplay is minimal. This last requirement is to prevent the commutator finger brushes being crushed/distorted by any end thrust. This is how coreless motors usually get damaged/wrecked. Izzy

What an inspirational thread. A layout full of atmosphere that proves that scale and gauge don't really matter when it's done right. Rather reminds me of the work of other well known modellers who could use could use ordinary materials to produce outstanding models. Izzy

You know what I'm thinking at present, having just finally completed a 2mm Class 15 after a protracted construction period, and looking at the nice Cad drawings of the bogies in the Class 17 thread? (same bogie design). Firstly that I could have done with nice bogie mouldings like that, although in N they would have been the wrong scale, and then..... oh heck, will Dave be doing a 'Danish' and announcing a CL15 to follow the 17.... Izzy

I don't like the coupling mech on the newer Farish MK1's and have removed them and replaced them with couplings on the bogies. The idea is good in principle but falls down in use. The couplings won't couple up very well because of lack of 'headroom' for the coupling to rise high enough to clear another, but worse, the springs that are used to 'centre' the couplings also mean the bogies wants to resist turning due to the spring pressue, and I've had infrequent but continual deraliments on curves at times. Izzy

The chairs will stick to the ply quite okay in my experience. For a strong bond I find it best to flood the wood/chair joint with glue (I've always used Mek-Pak) so some of the plastic of the chair seeps into the wood grain. Despite this you can slide a scalpel blade between them should you want to lift the chair for any reason. Izzy p.s. re soldering near the chairs. Unlike the Easitrac, which melts if you just wave an iron anywhere near it - and smells terrible - you can solder right next to these ABS moulded chairs without problem, well I have anyway.

Turning between centres using say 1/8" brass would allow you to form the base nicely with a round nose tool ground to the right profile, as the bottom seems to be considerably larger in dia than the rest of the post. Izzy

Yes, I was thinking about the glue bond. I have found it can be weakend by too much heat, (you can of course lift the copper completely by applying enough heat!), yet still hold things together until sufficient forces arise that break it, thermal expansion/contraction, being caught/knocked etc. Having suffered in this way in the past, and found that generally c/c track with chairplates seems to be stronger and more resistant to these effects, I thought I'd mention it, as once the copper lifts than your a bit, you know........... which then brings you back to driving pins in etc. I'm currently reviewing baseboard joints in 2FS and how best to re-arrange them on an already built layout, with the thoughts that small home machined rivets fitted into the pcb (similar to ply/riveted) with cosmetic chairs might be a more easily repairable arrangement in the case of damage. Izzy

Hi Rabs, I know this is a bit late in the day, but could I suggest that for other PCB track baseboard joints you consider putting chair plate etches on top of the PCB? The reason is that it makes a stronger bond than soldering the rail straight to the PCB, and might help reduce/eliminate the chances of the copper lifting from the paxolin, as the plate absorbs/dissipates a lot of the heat generated from the soldering, reducing the risk of the glue bond rising to/above the levels at which it fails. This is more likely to occur as you have removed a lot of the copper surface which would normally help to do this. Izzy

Hi Julia, Re the number plates, part of the problem with small print reproduction is the material it's printed on as much as the printer resolution. Most home printers can have high enough resolution but using ordinary paper like say 90sgm inkjet gives high 'bleed' of the inks at small repro besides being quite thick and not ideal for 2mm purposes. You could try using say gloss photo paper at a fairly hi res, 1200ppi/dpi, and then taking the top layer off using a scalpel to get it thin enough. Izzy

That's looking good. Just changing the wheels (the etched inserts look very nice) makes a big difference even with the original valve gear and oversize crankpins. I take it the original wheels are stub axle castings with a larger diameter stub axle than 1.5mm. Pity they couldn't have used this size, it would have saved a lot of trouble and made conversion so much easier. Not quite diesel drop-in, but better than at present since retaining the heavier cast chassis seems preferable than an etched replacement given the light plastic bodies. As a North East Essex 60's diesel era modeller I keep telling myself I must resist the WD 2-8-0 (Vulcan was stationed at Cochester), and the Ivatt 2MT( also based there), but I'm finding my resolve weakening................ Izzy

The CAD looks as if current Dapol standards with regard to coach bogies and wheel size have been used. Undersized 6mm's but without the deeper solebars that Dapol have used on others to disguise the large gap between the bogies and solebars. I don't suppose they want to go to the extra trouble and expense of having 7mm wheels made since all their own stock continues to use 6mm's unlike Bachmann/Farish, and no doubt it would then push up the costs. Izzy

I do think, as a relative newcomer to DCC who continues to learn all the time, that the difference between programming in program mode on a program track and 'on the main' needs to be fully understood to appreciate not only the differences, but the dangers. Program mode has the benefit of working at minimal power output, so in case of any problems, the chances of damaging a decoder are greatly reduced. It at it's most useful for initial testing of a newly fitted loco where the wiring/connections needs checking/confirming, and of course reading CV's. I soon learnt that it is best to use a completely separate piece of track so that no danger exists of a loco breaching any joint between a track with program mode and the main DCC track output mode, because otherwise the command station program mode outputs will be blown, (guess how I discovered this?). For this reason I would not reccomend using any track in program mode where there is a possibility that this could occur, as even though a DCC system is put into program mode output, it does not always follow that the full mode outputs are switched off, as some systems have separate wiring outputs for each mode. Izzy

After asking for info re the 2MT on the Farish forum I checked out Bachmann's site and discovered the service diagrams in PDF for the WD. It would appear from these that the new steam chassis roughly mirrors that of the more recent diesel chassis except with regard to the split-axle wheel pick-up via axle bushes, but it's not clear how these parts (wheels/axles) actually fit together. I presume the 2MT and J39 loco chassis will be similar, although the latter is still tender drive. Are you using the original Farish WD loco chassis as the basis or a replacement etched one? Izzy

The newer Farish diesels, 24/37/20 etc, use correctly sized wheels rather than the 'standard' wheel sizes of the past. At present the only replacement sets appear to be the older standard size types, so I would tend to think contacting Bachmann might be required. I've obtained replacement wheel sets for both 04 and 08 diesels this way - complete sets with coupling rods etc. Izzy

Well, I'm no expert that's for sure, but I've just glazed a cab in a diesel loco I've built using some clear plastic cut from those clear plastic boxes products often come in these days. I'm not sure where it came from, (it may have been some Velleman electronics form Maplin) or indeed what it's actually made from (whether it's acrylic/acetate etc, just it's not the hard plastic like that of CD cases), but it does seem more scratch resistant than other forms of glazing I've used. Some does have a slightly blue-ish cast to it, but that which I used is totally clear. I simply stuck it in place with double-sided tape to stop any chance of any glue used creeping into the window section, although this was in 2mm and may not be sufficient for larger scales. Izzy

This might no longer be possible. As far as I'm aware the Walton/Thorpe-le-soken run is now mainly a shuttle service with just the occasional service going onwards either way at Thorpe as a local all-stations Cochester North via St Boltophs to Walton with the odd direct Walton/LS service at peak time. No split/join at either Colchester North or Thorpe for direct services any longer. Izzy

Wonderful thread for an Essex boy! Many thanks to all those who have posted images and thoughts and helped revive memories. Having lived by the coast since an early age I have fond memories of the 309's in particular, from there inception in the maroon livery up 'til withdrawal. It might just be nostalgia but I still believe they are one ot the most comfortable trains I've ridden on around the world. Trying to make sure you were in the right 'half' for the Clacton/Walton split at Thorpe-le-soken could sometimes be fun though........ A long term aim of mine is to make a set if I can, in 2mm scale. I've just completed a class 15 - so anything is possible! Probably be in the maroon, although I rode them most often in the '80's in the blue/grey. My fondest memory however is sitting in one going up to town to a railway exhibition on a bank holiday monday, the weekend of the (infamous) Weeley Pop Festival, and passing the fields of people, tents, etc at Weeley. I'd been there until just a few hours before.... but the lure of model trains was strong even then. Essex Express indeed! Izzy

Ah. Reviewing all the shots I could find I did rather come to the conclusion initially that it was a Eastern region variation, since I didn't find this practice of fixing the disc flaps upwards to exist in photos of diesels on regions other than this. However, what actually drew my attention to this was some black/white shots of class 15's in the original plain green livery on the website mentioned previously about these diesels. The supposed white dots really stand out in these and is what started this enquiry. The particular shots I was interested in showed these locos on the Walton branch among others, on local passenger trains to Thorpe-le-soken. Izzy

Thanks John, I had been looking at those particular galleries after posting, just realised what I was looking at - and edited my post just as you posted! Izzy

Thanks Mick, That would explain the total lack of information on this that I have been able to discover to date. Actually I have now discovered the cause of the apparent white dot. It's really quite simple, and shows how thick I can be at times! When the bottom half of the disc is fixed upwards then the hole in it to allow the light to shine through when the disc is fully open allows the white of the top half to show through this hole, and it looks just like a white dot. Izzy

Recently I have been building a BR class 15 diesel in 2mm, and in trying to finish off the detail bits like headcode discs I discovered in studying various photos, that the headcode discs were often fixed closed, hinged upwards rather than down, so the light was exposed, with a white dot on the disc rear showing. This is a variation on the normally stated positions of fully open or closed downwards which I have not noticed before, and which I now find is visible in shots of other types of diesel loco without headcode boxes. All three positions could be seen together, yet no headcodes seem to exist that I have been able to find, with no mention of this thrid position. Can anyone shed any light on this? Was it about train route rather than train type, and peculiar to the Eastern Region, or more widespread? Thanks Izzy