Izzy

I am sure this is an old class I, and due mainly to the fluted safety valve alongside the square rivetted tank. Indeed I believe the image is SMJ related, I am sure it featured in the Oakwood press booklet on the SMJ. Izzy

Just a heads up to say Hattons are now selling these at, currently, £84. Gaugemaster are listing these as DCC05 @ £99.95. Whatever the price, for anyone with a tablet/phone this is quite considerably cheaper than a 'proper' PA2 wi-fi set-up - whether using the dedicated or converted base station (I have the latter). From the brief info given I gather it can't perform everything a normal handest can, but it still seems well worth having. Izzy

I made this little tool to alter Dapol and Farish wheels with stub axles. The brass threaded shaft is bored out at the end so it only presses on the outer edges of the axle coning and doesn't thus damage the very end of the pin-point axle. This needs cleaning up/replacing every so often as the pressure on it distorts the bored end as I 'turn' it to apply pressure and shift the axle/motor shafts using a pair of pliers, but brass BA bolts are cheap/easy to obtain, and it does the jobs required quite well. I am sure available suitable gear pullers could be made/adapted to do the same job. regards Izzy

That's sad news. Always found them pleasant to deal with whatever I bought. Izzy

Having played about making my own transfers using these printable transfer sheets, and as most printers can't do lighter shades without printing onto a white background, (why the alps printers are so valued as they can print white), I would suggest you use the white sheets rather than the clear ones. If you do choose an inkjet printer, then Epson certainly have always had the best and most versatile software, streets ahead of anyone else, and provided with all printers from the most basic up. Izzy

Paul, glad you got them sorted, and many thanks for confirming the difference removing the boards actually makes. Having read many times it won't/shouldn't make any difference at all I have often wondered if I was living in an another reality! cheers, Izzy

Yes Paul, they are just soldered onto the end of the motor via the motor brush tags. So a quick touch with an iron on each tag gets them off. Izzy

If you haven't removed the boards I am sure you will find that is the key, whatever decoder type you fit. Some can cope better than others but my experience has been, with any locos that aren't fitted with lights and irrespective of whether they are DCC ready or not i.e. the Farish Jinty and 4F http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82934-farish-jinty-2fs-dcc-jinty-update-4f-2fsdcc-conversion/ as well as all the small diesel shunters, 03/04/08 etc, that removal of the boards is essential to get decent running under DCC whatever decoder make/type. Others don't seem to have these problems it seems, so it might just be me. I am I must admit rather pedantic when it comes to running qualities in terms of control and reliability. CT decoders seem to have the edge over Zimo in respect of absolute running quality/motor control when it comes to 2mm/N, and are certainly smaller, but in recent times have become harder to obtain. Due to issues with them it seems Coastal DCC - my usual supplier - have stopped selling them. I believe Digitrains still has them, but Youchoos is another who no longer seems to deal in them. Rather a pity, but there you go, such is life. Izzy

Thank you for your kind words. If you are talking about the class 31, then it was probably spare etch from 2mm Scale Association kits. This is actually the main scale I model in these days, and most 2mm SA kits/parts are 10thou N/S etches. I always save useful sized scap etch bits, never know when they might 'come in handy' as my dear old Dad used to say. Izzy

Yes, thanks. Following your post I have obtained some bits from Maplin before they close down, just over £3.00 for enough parts for 10 stay-alives, and have tried one using a 16v/2200uf cap (they didn't have any 25v) in a Bachmann 08. This is a test bed and uses a Mashima 1833 motor plus spare class 31 TTS chip - don't laugh, I'm hoping the Hornby 08 chip will arrive as a separate item at some stage and I can do a swop - along with Zimo 3D speaker. I had to fit the cap in the cab, but the loco will run nicely now. About 1/4 turn of the wheels without sound, less so with, when power is lost. Pleased to learn you have solved the wheel issue. Izzy

I have a Gaugemaster PA2 and use lots/mostly CT decoders with my 2mm locos including converted Farish 08's. At the default cv settings CT's come with these locos should run fine 'out of the box', they have a small normal can motor and not the newer coreless type. Just remove the circuit board as I have recommended on another forum and hardwire directly to the motor terminals. If you have altered the cv's re-set the decoder. Mine run no differently/better on my Sprog2/JMRI than on the PA2. I do set Acc/Dec to between 30-50 to smooth out the jumps between steps that can sometimes occur but this is all I do, except set the address. Because the CT's give such excellent slow speed running I usually use 28 speed steps as this gives as good/better control than most other decoder makes - save perhaps Zimo - can produce on 128SS. If you are not getting the best control out of them using the PA perhaps it needs looking at by Gaugemaster. I belive older versions can be given firmware updates should that be an issue. Izzy

I have a feeling that neither of the wire tools shown are designed or able to cope with straightening flat wire over it's longer side. This needs something that prevents the wire twisting as the curvature is unwound, which doesn't usually happen with round wire or when done with the shorter length side where twisting doesn't often result. Izzy

Are the wheels 7mm? - just a thought - as all the Dapol coaches I've handled still seem to use 6mm, and plain disc 6mm/14.8's are available from shop 2. Izzy

I would guess it's the former Modelzone stock which has now been released given that there seems to be exclusive Modelzone stuff in the mix from what I read of some of the descriptions. Izzy

A PL10 is about 4.5mm, I think the Seep is similar - haven't got any of these to measure I'm afraid, so probably not enough for what you need. Have you considered using servos? I used hacked ones to lift 1/4"/6mm magnets for the same reasons (they rose/fell in 1/4" ID K&S brass tube) and I can't see why the basic movement wouldn't work horizontally. Here's a few of shots of the arrangement. Very crudely done as usual, but worked well and was able to lift multiple linked magnets with one servo. hope it's of interest Izzy

It's an I class and was the forerunner of the later K/L classes. As such it has an early riveted tank and a smaller unequal wheelbase. I originally choose to make it in preference to the later K/L's just so it was a bit different. Now that Minerva are doing a K I am glad I did, especially as it took around 18 months to make. Mind you this was over 25 years ago As mentioned in my original post there was a lot about the MW's in articles by Don Townsley in various early MRJ's and the first compendium, drawings etc. IIRC that is where I obtained all the info necessary to build it. Izzy

Make sure you use other than a collet chuck. Most drill collets are not cut fine enough in the small sizes to hold small diameter drills properly - none of them do with any size really, (don’t confuse these with proper precision lathe collets which are totally different), but usually the ordinary three jaw chuck type can. Most drills/mini drills have these or they are available as spares. Izzy

I know these had through pipes to allow running in passenger trains, but would the brakes have been upgraded to both sides in later years, or did they just remain very basic one-sided affairs for when stationary? Smashing modelling whatever, really shows what can be achieved with basic materials and a bit (!) of work. With regard to w-irons I have just recently fiddled about with a pair of Hornby TTE coaches to get some BR 4-wheel CCT's on the cheap. Not brilliant, but usable. As the wheels and w-irons on these are all wrong in respect of size I did a cut-and-shut job on the w-irons and made some inside bearing w-irons from K&S brass sheet since I didn't think it would be possible to get them to take pin-point bearings and hold the wheels securely in the correct position once I had cut them about. The wheels (P4) run quite well enough for my needs and the vertical movement of the axles provides all the basic compensation needed. Might be an idea to consider if the plasticard w-irons/axleboxes give problems at any stage in later times. kind regards Izzy

The sales figures do make interesting reading, and I do wonder how much of the decline is due to the now changed circumstances of the web based forums such as this, or if other factors are also involved. I don’t know whether individual sales would grow much if there were fewer mags around, I rather suspect not by much, but could be wrong. Izzy

Although the latest Farish stuff is very good in all respects, wagons, locos, coaches, putting etched chassis under the wagons still makes a big difference to my mind. Do one and you’ll want the same for the rest I have found. Not always possible with all wagon types, which are usually those with awkward/non-standard axle lengths as well! Izzy

Really good comparison shot so clearly showing what a complete mess Bachmann made of the cab front let alone the roof details. What I can't work out, looking at available scale drawings, is how they managed it. Still, the Sutton 24 wouldn't probably have existed if they had done a decent job. Izzy

You may like to look here at post #32 which gives good info on adding stay-alive to TTS. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/124592-some-rtr-rolling-stock-for-all-saints-east/page-2&do=findComment&comment=3053277 I have just tried it out with a spare TTS decoder in a Bachmann 08 - much modified which I have yet to write about - and it works well. Izzy

I think that perhaps the issue of the height of the bufferbeams in relation to the solebars and body relates to the differences between wooden and steel chassis wagons. With most of the former, of whatever type and builder, the wooden bufferbeams are taller than the solebars, generally the height of the solebars plus the floor, so the body sides seem to sit down between the beams. Not by much, just the thickness of the floor, but it is enough to show clearly, and especially with the thick wooden bufferbeams. By comparison, steel chassis wagon bodies are just really sat down on top of the (mostly separate) chassis, the solebars and beams being the same height. Some 2mmSA chassis are able to be built with either steel or wooden solebars and bufferbeams, and this is also where it can get confusing over deciding which bits to use. It often foxes me and I wonder if I have got the right mix of bits! In the complete opposite to others I always fold up a basic wagon etch (after cutting all the bits out) before adding anything else, using a simple folding jig of two steel plates held together with 8ba bolts. Then I fit the bearings and add the overlays and other bits. I do it this way to ensure the solebars reach to the top of the chassis floor when adding the solebar overlays, so there isn't a gap between the solebars and body when fitted together. I used to get this when I first tried putting all the bits on and folding up the chassis last, which I didn't find half so easy. I'm sure you will enjoy 2mm. Izzy

As has been said two piece coupling rods not jointed as one can cause running problems when there is too much slop in the centre joints. Ideally you should join the two rods using a pivot point as per the prototype so the overall coupling rod distances stay constant. This is often a problem with RTR coupling rods that are made as two pieces joined together because the pivot is loose/sloppy and the distances constantly vary. So long as the coupling rod centres match the wheelbase, opening up the rods so they are an easy fit on the crankpins isn't an issue, to allow up/down axle movement, but it does become one when pivoting rods which rotate individually around the centre crankpin are involved. Izzy

Always a pleasure to see shots of Foxcote pit, one of those inspirational layouts that you never tire seeing photos of, well I don’t anyway. I admire the way you have managed to fit it into the main layout so it looks as if it was always so with that lovely sweeping main line, yet still able to be used as a stand-alone when desired. Not surprised by your experience with the cassettes, I think their usefulness tends to vary depending on the layout design and particular needs, but pleased to learn Utrecht went okay after recent times. Kind regards, Izzy