Heacham

Ian If memory serves me right I think these were shot down from Jedenco 4mm kits so you are doing well even getting it together this far. They are notoriously difficult to build and are full of dimensional errors they were designed in the 70s and 80s before CAD and I don't think they went through a test etch build up before being released . One of my friends had a Hopper waggon kit in 4 mm that the hopper was supposed to fold up but it was so far out the only option was to scratch build a new hopper. Good luck with the build. Simon

Hi Good idea for the bogie but will it have enough traction with only one axle being driven on the loco. do they do similar motors with double ended shafts. I'm a great believer in jigs for things I often get completely sidetracked making jigs to help build stuff and never finish the original builds. this is a jig I built to experiment with building wagon chassis using society W irons. Regards Simon

How can a scale be old and outdated 1/120 is actually older than 3mm My father started to build in 1/10 of an inch to the foot scale in the 50s but then Triang came along with TT3 so he switched. There is also S scale is that an obsolete scale too there are still modellers out their working in the scale with the certain knowledge a RTR model will not come out just as they finish a long scratch or kit build like has just happened to me in 7mm with the announcement of the Accurascale DS88. As for Hornbys new enterprise it is early days yet while initial take seemed good there has been quite a bit bit put up for sale second hand quite quickly Gary buy up a lot of it to chop up into new different items. I think this may be due to modellers realising all they can model is an East Coast mainline it will take a few years for a decent range of stock to become available. I have only seen a few people actually go into building their own locos Gary being the most prolific but he has had the usual issues of finding suitable wheels to use and of course there are many 3D prints out there of varying quality to add to the range. The track has been a great help for TT3 modellers I think it is easier to get hold of and modify than the continental brands which as you say have been around for years. On a selfish note I hope the 3mm society keeps going for at least another 10 years or so by that time I will probably be beyond caring about any models. Simon

Hi What solder are you using as a friend of mine uses a 50W Antex to build 7mm stuff he does also have a small blowtorch sold for doing things like creme brulee in the kitchen for stuff with a large area of brass. I use a Weller 50W TCP iron with a number 7 or 8 bit which being American is 700F and 800F or 370C and 430C to us in the rest of us who follow the International temperature system. I use mainly use resin cored 60/40 electronics solder which has a melting point of about 190C mainly due to the fact I worked in the electronics industry and so did my dad so have a couple of old reels. Many will say you shouldn't use cored solder but i've never had any problems I use 22 SWG although I also have some 18SWG and 24 SWG which disappears as soon as the iron gets anywhere near it. The thing to steer clear of like the plague is Lead Free solder as that has a higher melting point of about 230C and in my experience doesn't seem to flow so well. Simon

Is it the new one that is mains but has a display and screwdriver adjustment in the handle? I was wondering how these would be for modelling as the are about half the price of the full temp controlled station. The bits are coated so never file them as that removes the coating just tin it and keep it clean with the damp sponge. Simon

I have found some pictures dad took. Quality isn't brilliant but they were taken with an old 127 format camera and developed in the kitchen nearly 60 years ago.

I may be wrong with the location then I just assumed as it was filled with the Abbey photos. I have since found that the Roses plant was in Grosvenor Road that is next to the MR station and there is a close called Lime Tree Place of it which could be where the plant was. Simon

My Dad worked in St Albans in the 60s and took some pictures of the Abbey Station one of the things that amused us was that there was a tank wagon in the yard in Cinzano livery the only answer we could come up with that it came in bulk and was bottled at the Roses drinks bottling plant. I will try and find the pictures and scan them. Simon

There are a couple on building etched coaches articles on the 3mm society website in the How I section One by Tony Seal who was the winner most times of of the society award ford coaching stock at the AGM. Also if you look carefully on google you will find building coaches the comet way it used to be a free download from Comet or £1 from exhibitions for a printed one. Issinglass did print some Gresleys and showed them on their exhibition stand but I don't think he ended up doing them for sale. Roofs are the main reason I have about 15 Bill Bedford kits lying in a box waiting for me to pluck up courage to start them. Simon

I fully agree that the Gutzold products are worth the money but very few modellers I know would pay that for a TT loco. As for the size issue I have often seen comments moaning about N gauge locos being as much or more than ordinary 00 ones and anybody that has modelled in 7mm for a while knows it cost a lot more than £600 to build a decent mainline diesel. Simon

Being European they are probably based on Holsteins which are bigger than the old British Friesians many of todays milking herds are now Friesian crossed with Holstein.

Beautiful Locos but will enthusiasts in the UK pay between £400 and £700 pounds for a TT loco.

I would say 60+ only because I am 65 and started with Tri-ang TT-3 as a child.

The reason could be that TT3 Model Train Fans (418 members) many consists of Triang TT Collectors. 3mm and Triang TT (783 followers) does have a few post that aren't Triang based. Tri-ang Railways TT Gauge (621 followers) is what it says on the tin but I see very few posts. Although there are members of these groups that I know are fine scale modellers they do not tend to post things as they are probably happy sharing their modelling on the 3mm i.o. group. I must admit my modelling has very little Tri-ang apart from the occasional cut and shut 16T mineral on a parkside chassis and a couple of Brush type 2s. I have not done any real modelling for the past 3 years due for various reasons but I do like seeing what others are up to especially your videos and your expertly modelled locos with their hitech etched chassis. Simon

If we called it the actual gauge it would frighten even more off as in reality it is 14.125 but by using gauges means you don't actually have to measure anything to three decimal places. At one stage there were some standards published called P3. Simon