itsthegman

Welcome to Junction my small micro layout just for fun. I've been making points in 2mm fine scale for a while now and decided it was time to try them out. I mean if they don't work and the stock falls off i have a problem. I have looked at the 2mm society for some time and admired the work they do and things they produce and as i had just started to need reading glasses perhaps it was time to have a go. I took the plunge joined up and ordered some bits - for me and my budget easitrac is nice but a little expensive and i enjoy more the soldered track work. I did a couple of standard 1 in 6 points and then decided i would like a roundy roundy layout to let the stock run i then moved onto minimum radius questions. I printed out some peco set track curved points stuck the sleepers down and tried to make them. It went well enough so i made a couple more trying to get them better. Unfortunately about this time we ran out of the long sleepers for point work but an appeal here and at one of the society stands gifted me a few more (thank you gents you're stars). I like the look of the set track y point so i printed this out and here we are. I tend to make the straight track heron bone fashion one side then lay it down (doubles sided thin tape at the moment) and add the other rail with gauges. I'm still not good and joining rails over a sleeper (i know i should stick down a templot plan do it in one go but i still have the Peco mentality). When i came to run a loco through it (last night) i needed to ease the gauge a little between the root of the blades and the outside rail on one side (i'm still getting the knack of building these things). I must say teaming up with the group at the Southampton club third Thursday of the month has been worth it's weight in gold, being able to say have a look at this what am i doing wrong how do i do such and such is pure gold priceless. I guess i went old school and have a moving sleeper tie bar i have worries about how long the solder will last but that's experience to be gained. I decided this will be my tester my try it out see what happens i will wire it with a little slide switch paint the track (airbrush hopefully) ballast it with some very fine (grey sand anyone?) and then add some scenery. I hope to make a little surround plinth to mount it and then play trains it's a test bed for my 2mmfs adventures. I did say at the very beginning when i joined that i would make one layout in 2mm fine scale and move on P4 seems to be the way in the future mainly because someone in our club Romsey already does this. I have the farish 33 that you can see new non split gears and replacement society drop in axles child's play well you need a child's eye sight. I have another 33 a 31 almost ready for DCC (did i mention that i'm a DCC man) an Austerity but it needs the wheels turning (if anyone can tell me i know who i know how just not sure how much) a Dapol 73 and 73 which i had to put a new motor in and finally and old farish dmu in green but i really prefer blue. That's it for now more when i get there. Enjoy.

I did something similar with a farish 33 took ages got it back on the track it ran in one direction only with a slight clicking sound would not go in the other. After some head scratching and another strip down realised the pickup strip on one bogie was touching a gear fine in one direction with that click but stopped the gear turning the other way. Bit of a bend and away it went without the click. Just my experience. Good luck. G.

Some other photo's of the progress it's been a bit slow now and again. The original intention was to have two coaches with enough space for a BO-BO diesel to run around Class 33 or 73. I've moved on to a small steam loco and two green coaches an autocoach of a railcar. Some more construction images trying to fit in a suitable exit has taken a little thought but i went for inspiration with a cross of Ventor meets Haylind Island. The rocks are made using the woodland scenics mould and plaster with some added foam and plaster bandage from hobbycraft. The foam base has just had a coat of green paint from the woodland range and it's just transformed it from a big open piece of white foam board to something that is starting to look a lot like a railway. I may have said before that we made two of these 1200mm x 450mm boards (4ft x 1.5ft in old money) and we have a turntable fiddle yard between the two. The layout now had a name "Wye Town" due to use of Y points here and there on reflection i should have used a three way point and maybe gained myself an extra inch of two. Were running DCC between us two controllers and we can run a train from my side through the turntable yard and over to the other side or just do our own things sort of two layouts in one for exhibitors. Lessons learned quite a few don't use any solvents with the jablite foam (i thinks that what they call it in B&Q) it can be a bit tricky to get points flat with the soft nature of the foam and lastly when using a round cookie cutter to cut holes for the point motors clean it or throw it away before the wife catches you !. For our next layout i have learned a few lessons and implemented them although this one still has lots to do i'm making a platform mounted signal box as there isn't the space for a full one that would face the right way. I also have the coal dock kit from ratio made up in a similar fashion to Hayling and have a small mixed goods that delivers a coal wagon on the front sidings to top up. Water is also on the cards maybe a tower somewhere with a crane at the end of the platform. That's it for now any questions ask away and i will see if i have anymore photos to show.

Hi, Thanks I've seen all the single shaft ones this I got from BEC tram kits. I'd just like to source them a bit cheaper if I can to enable the use of a flywheel. If anyone comes across the double shaft ones please let me know. Hopefully yours. G.

Hello, I'm trying to find some more of these motors hopefully at a cheap price as i use them quite a lot. I believe it's a type 7 but with a double shaft it might even be 030-RA. I've used one to replace the motor in a Dapol 73 and like to replace the standard type 7 and stick a flywheel on the end. Anyone know of a good source?. Yours hopefully. G.

Help needed. Shop 1 is out of stock of 1-025 PCB turnout sleeper strip (50mm long) - i've used all of mine and now stopped in my point making tracks. They have been out since before Christmas. Is there anywhere is i can get them?. I need at least two packs. I've looked at C&L but could see any of that size. Yours hopefully. G.

I have decided to have a go see where it takes me. Peco track diagram laid out and copped sleeps glued down.

Hello Everyone, I've been soldering some 2mmfs points for a while now and having seen some roundy roundy layouts in the micro's and boxfile section i wanted to make a round test layout maybe with a bit of scenery so the stock can just go round and round. I have used templot to make a curved point plan but i'm not sure about the radius aspect and what is a minimum ( i have three farish 33's and a 31 at the moment with replacement society wheels). I just been looking at the peco N gauge setrack curved points ST 44 and 45 i fancy printing the templates and trying to build them in 2mmfs. Reading the web the setrack curved points are 9" radius is that going to be too much for the farish diesels?. I think i did the templot point to 18" but if i have two boards 3ft x 18" back to back that's going to be a tight circle. Thoughts anyone remembering it's that time of year good will to all men and idiots (like me) like. Merry Crimbo everyone. G.

Just a question about 2mmfs wheels for my Austerity. I believe it's Graham Farish. What do i need to do - does the society shop have replacement wheels? Or do i need to send them to the man to have them machined. Yours Hopefully. G.

Some more pics of my progress. Trying out the track plan jiggle things around to get what i want but still a compromise. Wiring to the underside of foam is sort of easy use a cookie cutter to cut point holes - sort of a working idea in progress. Foam is 50mm thick so a little deep to play with. I followed someone elses example and sprayed the track with an aerosol oil points and add a little tape to the blades then spray mud brown all over - looks ok not sure how it affects the running with painted inner rail side. Well there you go more to do need to add some green and lay a platform. Enjoy. G.

A couple of updates and some pictures too. The platform edging is in place ready for some tops, that might be fun going to try paper laid on top marked at the edges of the platform and then trimmed. Once I'm happy I can transfer and commit to plasticard hopefully. Will add some more photos when I have edited them to size to upload.

Hi Newbie Question, When i order replacement axles from the 2mmFS society for my wagon stock is it a case of taking out the old measuring the length overall and ordering that size?. Thanks,

My first attempts with AnyRail and Peco point stock gives me this. I need to have more of a think and a fiddle with point positions and sidings.

Time for another project. I built a 4x1ft inglenook shunting puzzle last year had lots of fun with that used the card system and everything. Now i feel the need to take it one step further hopefully with a run round loop. I've take some inspiration from Yorkford PA as if you can get a loop in 4x1 with american locos english 0-6-0s must be easy. Contruction. I'm not getting any younger so lighter the better. Having seen some of the modules of the Bearwood HO group Bournemouth i've taken the foam boards idea a step furher the inglenook was the prototype now we have added a few improvement. Basically the sub-frame is 2"x1" with 1"x1" cross pieces the whole thing then has a 6mm ply surround. The foam fits in just the like a loco box and is glued in place with something like no more nails. The foam makes it like the wood fram makes it strong. We made two complete boards at the time one left handed if you like and one right handed so we can put a fiddle yard in the middle and run the two together or just operate one on its own. All done in an afternoon Chris Gilbert might be impressed. The back section and right hand side give your intergral backscences. The track is glued straight to the foam after a coat of paint dark earth or some such then the head scratching and track laying can begin. That's it for now.

While sorting out stuff to sell on the bay and things to keep when i move i found that i have more than two AHM SNCF locos that look a lot like Alco RS-3s so i decided the strip them down see whats what. They are identical all wheel drive sided pickups so i stripped the gearboxes cleaned and lightly greased once more and cleaned the wheels. They run ok but the motors are not the best. I've been using Modelstrip on a few models and it works really well so a liberal coating on each loco body bagged over night before a good wash off removed all the sncf blue leaving me with one black and one blue moulded shell (?). Next job was a good clean and a coast of humbrol enamel primer for each. Just started to sand the odd mould line for a better finsh. Not sure what colours to re-do them in as i'm not an artist and only have rattle cans too choose from but maybe base colour black with Southern lettering and a white strip or Rio Grande orange using microscale decals. Double checked all the gearboxes as the running at low speed in not that good but i think the motors are going to be replaced with some Horby ones X6122 i think will need to make some nice brass flywheels. Then the headache is handrails they are huge and ugle and very brittle so they will have to go, can i get suitable replacement handrails as a spare for Atlas i wonder. I think the next job is to modelstrip the chassis see what they looks like. G.