CF MRC

Tom's building finally cleared customs and arrived late this afternoon. I've taken a couple of snaps of the building in place, before loosing the light (some CF baseboards are currently resident in my conservatory - hence the triffid attack). The Christian Mission has internal lighting of the main hall BTW. Our homemade brick styrene shows up well if you zoom in on the photos. Also a picture of Matthew's sheds placed in the front yard of KX goods. Obviously they all need bedding in and suitable junk around them. All stuff to do at AP. Tim

Jim, equally puzzled, as they appear upright on my screen! Tim

More Copenhagen Fields structures from the Cornish hut emporium. The 1860s three compartment first wouldn't look out of place on a well wagon passing through Tucking Mill - with a suitably geriatric engine in front. One of the other sheds also now has a coal bunker. Matthew has found the prototype photo which would look the business on any layout. Tom's Paget building is literally travelling at 30000 feet over the Atlantic as I write this. Let's hope that UK Customs don't open out the bottom of it for stashed drugs, as happened to a previous building he sent over! Tim

Chris, there will be chance to see TM at Ally Pally plus some other 2mm layouts of moderate and maximal space! Tim

Mirek It is a privilege to see your Mountain taking shape and an education for everyone to see how an engine is constructed. You will certainly know how Chapelon designed his engine by the time it's finished! This ought to be written up for Model Railway Journal. Tim

They look upright on my screen, but photographed with an iDrone. Tim

Thanks Alastair. I think that with the Goods Yard looking more complete the layout will really 'come of age'. Just had some pictures from Matthew Wald of three of the many offices and huts: inspectors, mess, lamps etc, that will populate the goods yard. Tim

Kings Cross Goods Yard, Belle Isle South & Gasworks Tunnel: these are some late 1930 photos from the MRC archives of the bit we will be displaying of the new south end of the layout (south of the NLR viaduct) at Ally Pally (19-20th March). This will be under construction, along with a nice little nidus of other 2mm displays and layouts. We now have all of the point work completed for KX Goods Yard (made by Keith Armes) and there will be quite a bit of the track laid by the time of the show (currently run out of Easitrack). We have been working out how to 'end' the layout as it goes through the back scene, roughing out with silhouettes of card to represent buildings such as the 'Derby Shed' or Midland Roundhouse and maybe suggestions of Top Shed itself yet to be worked out. Hopefully, Tom Knapp's Paget Christian Mission building will have arrived from San Francisco in the next couple of weeks. Look forward to chatting to those of you that can make it to AP. Tim

Not yet, but the whistle will probably be made of gold. Tim

Maybe Hornby will produce one in 2mm scale, just as I finish mine! Tim

Well observed John, but the combination lever doesn't take much stress: this may be a function of the Baker valve gear that was fitted to this engine: it seems to be bigger with UK engines and Walshaerts valve gear. What was not visible in this picture was the size of the connecting and coupling rods which were truly huge, with massive bearing surfaces about 10" across. It was a Chicago Burlington & Quincy 4-8-4. Tim

We will be working on the KX goods yard and York Way. Lambourn will also be present. Tim

Is this also modelling? (1/3rd scale). First photo, at speed, on the South Bank in London. Tim

Not really on my workbench, because that is 4,665 miles away, but I visited the Colorado Railroad Museum today. The first photo shows how our American colleagues do valve gear and the second shows a group of early-stage P2s, en-masse, at the Buffalo Bill museum. Tim

Those are gorgeous wagons Jim, especially the second one. We have to be bit wary of etched wagons, because they come in a bit heavy in a long train, especially with the hilly nature of our layout. Tim

I can see your point Chris, but it would probably take me longer to draw it than make it - and I like the challenge. No pain, no gain as they say. Tim

The block of steel did indeed release the spirit of a union link. It was filed roughly to shape at one end and slotted with a piercing saw. After a bit more shaping the embryonic union link budded off the lump of steel and the other end was then slotted. The link could be held for filing by using pivot steel (or similar) through the holes and then mounted in the vice. As an aside, none of this work would be possible without a top quality Swiss watchmaker's vice and Swiss Vallorbe needle files. The link can be seen near to completion in the fourth photo. Unfortunately there was then a union dispute, but this was settled with silver (solder). Not quite as good as I would like, but it moves freely, stays more or less horizontal throughout it's movement and is good enough for government work. The copper wire visible in the assembled photos through the crosshead link is temporary: it will be replaced with a steel pin when appropriate. Tim

Too easy Jerry. You have a picture of me holding the bit that the semi circle came from, the N gauge driving wheel of the Johnson 7' 9" single - nearly forty years ago! Tim

"Within every block of wood and stone, there dwells a spirit, waiting to be released.” — Hap Hagood So this piece of steel is waiting for the spirit of two union links to be released.. Four holes have been drilled already. Tonight's competition is to identify what this bit of steel came from in my junk box. Tim

If you are making fully working Walschaerts valve gear then the valve spindle needs to function as a moving pivot for the radius rod, running in the valve spindle guide. The distance between the two sides of the guide is 0.6 mm on the engine so I needed a very narrow pivot for this component. The most space-economic way of achieving this was to wrap a length of steel strip 0.3 x 0.4 mm in section through the pivot hole and then close it round and soft solder where the two arms meet. The first photo shows the fire-stained combination lever with the steel strip on it's first bend. This was then annealed by heating again in the flame and the bend completed. The area to be soft soldered was cleaned up with a file to allow good penetration of flux and the soft solder. Second photo shows the finished article: the solder could not stick to the stainless steel combination lever, so keeping the pivot free. The lever can be seen in-situ in the side view. The union link (yet to be made) should be horizontal when the piston is in mid-stroke. In the top view the pivot and valve spindle is just visible in the valve guide and the joggle in the combination lever is also very obvious in this view. The union link will be filed up out of a small lump of steel In order to make the forked joints. Tim P.S. For Richard's piece of mind, no fingers were damaged in the making of these components.

Just as well you're not a surgeon, (or maybe you should have gone to Specsavers) as I'm not sure how that can be the right index finger. It's all part of the toughening up procedures for soldering. Tim

Making Lord President's combination levers has been a bit frustrating, with the first one going into deep space. This bit of valve gear needs to have holes for the valve spindle and radius rod at the top and union link at the bottom. I decided to make it out of stainless so that the forked joints won't solder up too readily. It can be toned down by heating in a flame. One way to make small components is to make them with a handle which is then cut off, when no longer needed. The second photo shows the combination link being tried in on the LH cylinder using the handle to steady it. The link will have a joggle in it so will come up shorter, when completed. Tim

That would be the ONLY way I would attach a boiler fitting. You need the time to check that they are upright. Tim

As promised, I modified the slightly obese connecting rod. Happier now. The next one will be better. Tim

About 0.5 mm at the thick end. I always start off thick and thin down where required. It gives a good appearance of mass in the bearings. Tim