Doncaster Green

I am just in the process of preparing my first set of Mk 6 wheels and I noticed that the crankpins are a much easier fit than the Mk 5 - little need for any real persuasion for them to slide in! At the moment I have retained them using Loctite 603, is this strong enough or should I be looking at using some form of cyano. John

Absolutely gorgeous, Jim John

Thanks Jerry, I will carry on masking. I may well take up your offer re UJs. I’ve ordered some slide fit tubes in various sizes (I probably have some somewhere, but the somewhere could take weeks to find) and I know I have some solid bar, hopefully in suitable sizes. John

Hi Jerry I’ve been looking back through this topic to see how you made the drive shaft for ‘Nancy’ to seek ideas for my J39 conversion. Although I haven’t got a lathe, with a little bit of careful work I think I can fabricate something similar. Your pictures have certainly helped. However, while following it through I noticed something that has prompted what may be a silly question. When you spray wheels, as you were doing while spraying ‘Nancy’, do you mask off the rims and flanges or do you spray as is and run them in a mini drill or lathe with some wet or dry to clean off the rims? In the past I have used Maskol but it can be a pain to remove and they still need a spin with IPA to get rid of residue. John

I have had a little bit of a play today and decided that the capacity of the J94 is more than sufficient for what I will be asking it to do. I weighted the three coaches to the equivalent of five and it romped away with it, no sign of hesitation or strain. This is probably equal to at least 12 assorted wagons which is more than I am likely to task it with. I've also decided that, while a chip can be found a home, to fit a stayalive would require a new way of securing the rear of the chassis (the bunker is full of a metal plate with a 12 BA nut soldered to it) and I've only just managed to make that short free! I have always intended to do two, to represent the last two in service on the C&HPR, and, to that end, have another body to modify. When, or if, the conversion chassis etch returns to stock I will revise the rear mounting so that a stayalive can be included. Which reminds me; I must get that order for oval headed buffers into NBrass before it is too late! John, the problem with the cab roof is my error. The material I used to glaze the front spectacle is slightly thicker than the body casting and thus the roof needs a little bit of trimming on the underside so that it sits down properly. Added to which, the glazing is standing a little proud at the top and needs filing back. Not a big job, but one of those 'roundtoits'. Hopefully in the next week or so and then I can get the transfers on and finish the painting. The other momentous decision made today is the motive power for the J39. I will be fitting an Association 7x16mm, partly because I've already got one and partly because there will be enough wiggle room in the tender to not only fit the chip but also provide for a straight and level drive shaft to the loco. John

Haulage capacity is something that, until recently, I have been unable to test - my test track was only about 2ft long. Since acquiring the layout I have tried it with 3 kit built coaches (albeit only 5 bogies - two coaches are a twin) and it seemed to handle those OK. I must get around to fitting couplings to more of the stock! I don’t know what the prototypical capacity would be, although I’ve rarely seen pictures of J94s with more than about a dozen 4 wheelers in tow except in preservation where their Austerity cousins seem to be regularly tasked with 5 or 6 BR Mk 1 s. John

Hi Bob/Jim Am I, perhaps, guilty of going back to my 4mm roots - cram in the biggest Mashima + gearbox or Portescap that would fit in the body? The J94 has one of the Association 7x16's in it with a two stage drive and seems to be very good at polishing rails if progress is impeded, something I'd put down to lack of mass to stall the motor! The J39 will be using the Association conversion chassis, again with the two stage drive, using 30:1 worm/worm wheel and 14/22 tooth to follow. My maths are not up to it these days but I would guess that the final ratio is around 40ish :1. Looking critically at the J39 body I can see where it may be possible to pack in some weight in the loco. The tender (the donor loco is originally a tender drive) has a large Mazak (?) casting glued in to provide mass. Not really needed if the drive is in the loco and removing all or part of it will provide a cavern in which to mount capacitors and a chip. John

Agree. Shouldn't be pushed for space in a Group Standard tender, although the intention is to cram in the biggest motor I can! John

I’ve been following that, Simon, and never cease to be awed by what other people produce. I’m also looking back in his thread to glean as much as I can on his J15; there may be things I can apply to the J39. John

Hi Jim and Jerry The intention with the 4f, J39 and 2 MT is to make use of the pcb’s already there, which allow for a six pin, plug ‘n play chip. I am confident any necessary soldering is within my capabilities, having already done it on the first 4f, the advantage being the chip is nowhere near an iron in a shaking hand! The J94 is a different kettle of fish! It will have to be a direct wired chip, and, given its very short wheelbase, would probably benefit from stay alive. I have a fear that, while a wired chip will probably not be an issue with regard space, due to the way I have arranged the chassis mounting, fitting stay alive may be problematic! Something we could look at next time Jerry? In the meantime I will talk to John at Youchoos regarding a suitable set up. The offer of a tutorial on UJs will be gratefully accepted Jerry. Also, anyone any ideas on removing the worm from a big Farish can motor so it can be reused; it seems a shame to bin it. John

What I should have mentioned in the previous post was that the J39 is started! Whilst sitting idly with one eye on the moving wallpaper, the loco in one hand and a screwdriver in the other, I have, inadvertently, ended up with a kit of parts for a J39! I am not absolutely sure I could put it back together again, a bit like Humpty Dumpty! John

As we are now six weeks into 2024, I think it is about time to lay out my hopes and aspirations, 2mmFS wise, for the rest of the year. I think I have said before that I don't do resolutions as I can never keep them and we are now sufficiently far away from the bravado and alcohol fuelled atmosphere of New Year for any temptation to make any to have faded into the past! Firstly, where are we with current projects that need completion? The second Jinty has had a chip fitted and, when given the chance of a run out over the Mendips, proved to be a very sweet little runner. All that remains to do is fit some DGs without upsetting anything! I have, thus far, managed to keep the chimney well away from any form of cutting or slicing implement. I know the Farish effort is a little on the weedy side and I do have an NBrass replacement, what is lacking is the confidence to actually change it! The 4f has also been chipped and, when given a similar opportunity, proved to be a little lacking in smoothness. This has been addressed and, hopefully, has been improved. Finishing touches are needed to the tender, coal rails, etc., from the goody bag, and, perhaps, a little lick of light weathering. The J94 is almost there. I am still procrastinating over the cab front/roof join, but a few strokes of a file should fix it!???! Putting a chip in is not on the agenda at the moment. I am happy to utilise existing wiring and sockets as per the Jinty and 4f, but it would have to be hard-wired for the J94. I know this is simple and straight forward for a basic chip, but I have visions of £30+ worth of chip going up in smoke at the approach of my soldering iron! Coach production has not progressed well. Only three have reached the fully decorated stage and two of those lack interiors! Another three have paint, although one still needs the ends finishing, and lack lettering and interiors. The rest are all still in bare metal waiting for the paint shop. These will be slowly moved along in between other jobs. So, what of the coming year, well, 46 weeks? Thanks to the usual, very efficient service from the Association shopkeepers, all the necessary bits are to hand for three more locos: A second 4f, this one with a Johnson tender. Having done one I know what to expect! A Farish J39. This will be a complete chassis and tender underframe replacement; a little out of my comfort zone in that it will be loco drive with the motor in the tender so I will have to think about drive shafts and universal joints. It will also entail my first bit of outside motion - the lubricator drive on the right hand side. A Farish 2MT using the Nigel Hunt etch. This will be well outside my comfort zone, requiring not only a replacement pony truck but also a complete set of outside motion. I will report progress on these as and when there is any! Thoughts of a small layout based on the C&HPR have gone on the back burner for the time being as I have recently become the custodian of a part built layout. All the track is in situ on two 4ft boards with a 3 road sector plate hanging off one end. There are a couple of alterations I will make to the trackplan but most of it I will use as is - I feel it can be developed into a nice depiction of an impecunious light railway in the late 1950s/early 60s with connection to the grown-ups! Whether that connection will be Midland Region or Eastern Region will depend on loco stock. At the moment it's looking like Midland! I envisage an amalgam of various light and secondary railway protypes for the buildings; a station building based on Elvington on the Derwent Valley, the timber goods shed from Watlington, the ground frame hut from Watlington and so forth. So far, I have spent some time understanding the electrics, sorting a couple of reluctant points and repairing some track damage and have successfully run locos the full length of all running lines. Again, I will report progress. With a layout at least now achievable, I will be needing wagons. Something I have avoided until now. The only workaday wagon I have built is the 16 tonner from the 2mm Association taster pack! I have some wheels to convert Farish and Dapol wagons but I think it is about time I made the acquaintance of the Shop 2 Shopkeeper. Quite a busy year in prospect! As always the watchword will be progress towards completion rather than completion per se! Excuse me while I go and warm up the soldering iron. John

The schoolboy error on the 4F has been fixed - repeat 100 times 'I must not look at things upside down!' One issue has been identified - the rods were catching on a bent brake block. It is still a little bit hesitant so I'm wondering if the quartering is very slightly off. It's more noticeable forwards then backwards - with drive to the rear axle reverse is pulling the other two axles while forwards is pushing them. I will provide a little more TLC and a critical eye! John

It is now exactly a year since I started this topic after the Great RMWeb Melt Down lost all my pictures in the old topic and I discovered that I had also failed to save a lot of them! A year ago I gave you a picture of 'Ole No 7', Sir Nigel Gresley taken by me at Bath Spa. This year, just to show no company bias, I give you Nunney Castle in the iconic view in Bath's Sydney Gardens that, I believe, is no longer possible following the aborted electrification works and the intervention of the 'elf and softy' squad. As I understand it this view is only now available on the Park Keepers' lovely 4mm rendition of the same spot! It has been a funny old year. I actually achieved more than I expected but nowhere near as much as I had hoped. With the very limited time at my disposal, the emphasis has been on getting together some motive power to pull all the carriages that are, slowly, working their way through the paint shop. Some of this has already been detailed in previous posts: the first Jinty conversion - an old cast body Farish with an Association replacement chassis. This is now a very sweet little runner. the second JInty conversion - this time a later model converted using replacement bearings, wheels and rods. This was the three legged camel with arthritis of previous posts, but careful re-addressing of the quartering has led to a quite sweet runner. The advantage of this later Farish chassis is the ease of fitting a decoder should I wish. a Class 25 diesel, another Farish offering that has had drop in replacement wheels fitted and has been fitted with a decoder. It has had a run out on Bath Queensquare and proved a nice, smooth, controllable beast. In addition, a 4f conversion has just been completed: I won't show you it with the tender body off due to the horrible wiring (I promise to do the next one more neatly - I have a Johnson tender version lined up to do). Suffice to say it appears to run quite well but needs a bit of running in and a few detail bits added to the tender. The other on-going project is the J94. This is being procrastinated over at the moment. I am not totally happy with cab front or with the join between the cab front and roof: When I am happy with the cab, the transfers are to hand so the painting and lettering can be done. I will lay out my hopes for the coming year in my next post. Meanwhile, in the words of Noddy (Holder, not the one with the funny car and aurally challenged mate), MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! John

The plaster cottage, to me, is more Cotswolds than Mendips! I imagine it surrounded by rose arbours, colourful borders and a vegetable garden in a grove of ancient oaks and beech. So very Miss Marple. And definitely not that close to a pit head, think what it could do to the fresh, starched, white linen on the washing line. Only my view, others may be available. Best wishes to you and Kim for Christmas and the New Year. John