Ian R. Weeks

Dear All, Could I trouble you all for some advice. Having gone into isolation on Xmas eve[ great timing!] I decided to have a look at some wagons put together nearly 40 years ago . Not bad nick and could be tarted up without resorting to the nitromors bath!. They are caledonian and highland protootypes from the long gone and to me much missed Model Wagon Company. Some have lost their brake handles. I have some wizard single brake shoe castings and their etched brake handles and loops. However it must be Covid brain fog but I cannot get on with the etch folding nor even get my head around the instructions. I am seeking a source of cast brake levers a la original MWC ones. Wizard do some but I cannot identify the correct ones as the illustrations look 'too angled'. Any advice would be appreciated. Regards Ian

Dear All, The postie delivered the embossed weathered slate roof paper from 'our man in thessalonika' today. I am very impressed. I am attaching a photo of the paper laid on the goods shed. As I said I am impressed. It has two draw backs. 1. There is a suggestion of colour difference showing the pattern repeat and, 2. it is printed portrait which means longer roofs will need a join. Other than this it looks the bees knees from 18 inches. On saturday the laser cut roof paper arrived from scale model scenery so just as the RAF had aircraft with the A&AEE Boscombe Down, I have this goods shed with which to experiment . I found lots of 3mm ply in the shed so maybe an interchangeable roof to judge the results Although at the rate I am modelling at present , this project will go on for many a year. Still thanks to Pop Up for the fun. Now to an admission of stupidity. In my first posting on the roof paper ,I had not cottoned on to the fact that Scale Model Scenery do two ranges and that searching their site for roof paper brings up there standard printed sheets. [prefix TX]. I found the laser cut roofing eventually[ Prefix LX] . Thak you Eddie for the advice and inspiration. Would any of you gentlemen like to advise me on your favorite adhesive for both the normal roof paper and the lasercut slate strips. Thanks again gentlemen for all the encouragement , advice and inspiration, Ian

Thanks got it now, Ian

Thanks for that Eddie. The roof looks great . Did you slice it and lay it in rows or is it indeed in 3D as the papers from The Greek chap are. (embossed) . I do find the use of the word textures in this context perplexing as it implies a tactile element to the printing whereas most sheets are 2d with artistic 3D . Ian

Hi Eddie, most impressed with your efforts! I am almost at the stage of roofing my shed and have been investigating roofing papers. I had intended to use York model making roofing paper but on mulling it over it seems a bit " bland". Following a fellow Highland society modellers comments about using Scale Model Scenery's roof downloads and printing in monochrome I though I would instead go down that root. Just yesterday I tried to order the said download but could not find it on their site. Contacting them I was told that they only did downloads via a Railway modellers club website and then only free to premium members at c. £60 per annum. Did you purchase pre printed sheets? They look very good. My other default go to is a Greek chap in Thessanolika on eBay whose textured sheets are superb but since Brexit his costs have gone way up. I was pointed in his direction by Ben Alder and am torn as to ordering his sheets or now using yours. As an aside has anyone used the eBay chaps slate roof sheets, it looks superb, but I am still dithering over a £25 punt that might not be what it appears.(My excuse is that in 9 years in Aberdeen I not only absorbed radiation from the granite but canniness as well!) All advice gratefully received. Ian

Dear All, Just a short post on the goods shed. Returned yesterday from a visit to my son, first in 8 months. Ostensibily to play with grandson but really to see son's 3d printer and pick up the windows I had drawn. My thanks go to, particularly, two members of this parish, Iain Ross for guidance and inspiration and Carl W for his tutorials in 3d drawing which prompted me to start learning 3d drawing. To be honest these efforts are not in the same league as putting a rover Mars but in terms of personal pride [ I know , "cometh before a fall" ] to me they are not far behind. The first window I drew to scale but followings Iain's advice redrew it slightly sturdier in case of printing failure. Both worked. It takes a little fettling to fit them and in honesty I will in future cut out the windows before "threading the sides, to make a neater job. The main difficulty I now have will be allocating my limited modelling time between drawing windows for the kits I have and making the kits!!

What a little beauty. Windows look good, Ian

Whoops should have typed "lockdown"

Oh boy, this could become addictive!! All this exciting news on top of my son sending me photos of the test shot 3d prints of windows for the goods shed I drew for him having been following Carl's fusion 360 tutorials. What fun in lock-out!!!! Ian

At the start of this lockdown, I decided to finish a Ratio Kit of the Thomas Muir son & Patton Coal merchants shed. I had purchased this, in, I think 1986. I found the transfers had aged and cracked and contacted Peco to see if I could purchase replacements if they were still available. I was told that my request would be passed on. Some three weeks later a full set of decals arrived , free of charge , from Peco. What superb customer service. This I feel deserves wider recognition. Ian

Indeed the windows are an improvement from our point of view as modellers but I wouuld not like to see the slot and tab construction go as we can deal with it fairly easily but the intended market of younger modellers would find this a boon. As I have said before I look forward to my grandson being a bit older and making these with him just as my Uncle did with ply wood and Merco papers when I was young, Ian Ps have found Roket card glue fine

Oh , as you say more temptation. Can not wait, Ian

Absolutely grand. Never has the serious modeller been so well catered for let alone the youngster just starting out , what an encouragement. Ian

Dear Carl, Just a quick post to thank you for your efforts. I am [I think ] progressing and thoroughly enjoying your tutorials. Thanks again Ian

Dear Carl, Whoop dee do I have completed tutorial one , thank you. I did come across one or two other problems. The hurdle which slowed me, was, when highlighting the hinge to extrude I had to really zoom in so as to be able to blue the small section. I then found that holding shift did not allow me to blue the other part of the hinge to select profile . I eventually did them seperatly. Also found that zooming necessitated moving the image around the screen in order to see both hinges at once at a size which allowed highlighting/ blueing of the segment and this led to mistakes. However the sense of achievement is great Thanks again. Ian P.S. Just wondering if this size limitation in order to highlight might be a mouse problem ?

Thanks Carl, I was trying the green arrowed line.If I understand properly I have to define the green arrowed line before both top and bottom lines are defined. I went around doing the top and bottom faces of the rectangles first and then thought i would do the verticals to 0.4 next. Will play tonight and read tutorial 2 . Thanks again ian

Dear carl have managed to re create the problem now. I am stuck in dimmensioning the verticals by the constraints show here . the red lock comes on and sometimes a message about overconstraining. I am afraid I could not take a screen shot so have taken them on my phone and attached. Thanks again Ian

Dear Carl, Thank you very much for the offer of help. I have some time later today and I will start at the beginning again and then when I hit the problem again will try and show you. Sorry for the delay in replying but my spare time is a bit constrained at present as I am out of retirement and back in the saddle vaccinating. Damned Covid getting in the way of modelling! Thanks again for your help Ian

I am still plodding on with my goods shed and enjoying every minute. I cannot say strongly enough how impressed I am with this kit. For it's intended market it is phenominal. I for one wished as a 10 year old it had been available and cannot wait for my grandson to be old enough to throw it together and play. For me it represents a great way forward and I am thoroughlly enjoying embellishing it to standards to which I aspire and which are probably beyond my talents. The ERG method of board and batten reproduction is so far proving successful and not to laborious. Unlike the replacement roof trusses which are proving a little difficult. I am trying these so as to suit the whip crane in it's prototype position with the approriate upper support. I hope we can perhaps persuade Iain and Andrew that a seperate sheet perhaps of trusses and internal framing might be made available but I realise this might not be a 'goer' as a business proposition. As an aside it has taken me back to the days when my uncle introduced me to modelling a la Rev Beal and I am nostalgically seeking a copy of his book from the 40's . Regards Ian

I hesitate to post a help request as I realise that you must be dreading these. However I am stuck on tutorial 1 and after 3 nights of searching for the answer to 'unstick' me ,I realise I am in a catch 22 situation . Basically I do not have the required understanding of the CAD technical language yet to comprehend the instructions on the internet on how to correct my problem. I am stuck on the tutorial at dimensioning the cabinet doors . I can do certain sides but am told that I am 'overconstraining' other dimensions. The constraint icons appear different to those on the tutorial screen . I assume my [new] download of Fusion is automatically placing these and I cannot find how to alter these to allow me to continue with the tutorial. I am sure this is covered in future tutorials but I am loath to follow my usual bad habit of skipping to the interesting bis. I am dtetermined to be disciplined and learn this properly . Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in anticipation, Ian

oh oh how nice ! looks like oo oo for birthday! Ian

Thanks very much. Task less daunting now.

Have spent some time today and yesterday on the Resin engine shed. The window trial blanks arrived from York modelmaking and proved almost spot on so can not wait for the finished items. As I hope to have the option of lighting in the future I have drilled the blank window in the presumbed toilet deeper and created a new window opening from the inside of the shed to act as a " light tunnel" . Slow drilling so as not to melt the resin. Now the real reason for this post. I am procedeing with the painting experiments and looks promising but will prove a long job! Is there any chance / precedent that these sheds were whitewashed inside to improve the light environment for the staff. I ask this more in hope than expectation . It would save a lot of work . Thanks Ian

Dear Richard ,Thank you for those pictures. That is exactly the details I wanted. I have been pouring over the photos Mark posted of Altnabreac. The details of the bracing around the inner tank are helpful. I have lowered the tank base by about 4mm and will try and incorporate that detail. As regards the engine shed, I had an email from Julie at York Model making last night and she has posted the trial blanks for the windows. I guess am getting to the stage of " screwing my courage to the sticking post " and excising the resin ones. Once again thanks. Ian

Oh ,excellent news. Had been planning a plockton style scratchbuild. With regards to the 4mm engine shed, I am awaitng replacement windows from York model making. I have also been in contact with Barnabas with regard to milling a slot in underneath of louvre roof and then chain drilling out louvres. All this to allow lighting. Still to pluck up courage and perseverence as will be a labourious chain drilling job! I have also wondered whether design could be adapted to come as seperate hollow printing to facilitate this but I know little of 3d printing limitations. Can I also echo your sentiments and thank Barnabas, Ben Alder &Iain for their much appreciated efforts. Regards Ian