JohnGi

Related thread on another forum https://forum.solidworks.com/thread/230270 One of the posters there suggested some alternatives to DraftSight For some of these free tools loading dwg files is a problem. LibreCad crashed when I tried to load some of my previous work Qcad looks like only the paid for version will load dwg - it is considerably less expensive than DraftSight though. The free (registration required) version of Nanocad did seem to load my previous work and it looks to be at least as good as Draftsight. I think I will switch to using that for 2D work, Rgds, John

Hi, Instead of Metcalfe you could consider scalescenes (print-your-own-kits) who tend to have editable signs in their kits. Here is a link to one of their products, they also have low relief ones. https://scalescenes.com/product/t022c-corner-shops/ I also just noticed this blog. and the new forum software has added a nice picture and link. (I just pasted the URL) Follow the link and there is a guide to making your own signs e.g. what fonts to use etc. Hope someone finds this interesting.

Hi, Resistance = (resistivity)*length/area The droppers will be much shorter than the rails themselves. You're picking brass wire similar to, or slightly less than the cross section of the rail. Therefore the majority of the resistance will be in the rails themselves. I'm sure this will be OK. John

Walter Lishman wrote a couple of articles [scalefour news issues 126 and 127] on panelled coach construction in card. After the shellac dried, methylated spirit was used as a solvent glue to attach the panelling overlays to the sides. I haven't tried this myself but it looks like a slower and less aggressive technique than attaching plastic card layers using solvent glues - more time for adjustment and less chance of leaving fingerprints. As the previous poster said you can sand the shellacked card. Mr Lishman also filed the window openings with a round file to form the corners - useful to be able to do this if you find accurately cutting on a curve problematic. John PS I have seen superglue mentioned as a alternative (to shellac) if you just need to harden card edges for filing.

4mm. See http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/74067-show-us-your-scratchbuilt-building/page-15?hl=millhouses#entry1287193

I like that on rmweb you can click "Thanks" or "Agree" or "Informative/Useful" or "Friendly/Supportive" plus a few others to show your appreciation of someone's contribution. This avoids cluttering up the flow of the thread with lots of +1s and so on which you see in other forums. On the whole rmweb is a very friendly and well designed forum.

Hi Grahame, I always follow your excellent work but don't post often. I expect if I glued plastic strips to a curved piece of balsa they would straighten out and pop off. Did you pre-curve the plastic strip, and what glue did you use? John

Hi, "The Engineer" for 8th July 1921 has an article, photos and detailed scale drawing for two Drewry railcars supplied in 1921. This has been digitised by Grace's Guide. http://www.gracesguide.co.uk. Registration is now required for download. Here are two low res previews. You can see some of what is available here https://gracesguide.co.uk/Drewry_Car_Co. There also seems to be a 1927 article about the preserved car which a previous poster supplied photos of. Grace's Guide now charge for downloads, I don't know how much as I had some free credits due to registering a while ago. Hope someone finds this helpful John PS This thread http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/5699-dampbcounty-donegal-drewry-railcar-interior-query for some info on other 2-4-2 railcars.

Sorry I model Irish 00n3 so I haven't followed what happened to the 009 kits. Maybe someone else does, or you could ask on NGRM. John

Their site works for me. (just checked, using Chrome browser). There's a thread on N-Drive Productions here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/135024-n-drive-productions. [EDIT This was posted recently on NGRM by Colin Rainsbury

Hi, If I may belatedly add to the above comment, people may be interested in this memoir by Albert Wright entitled "Wagon building in the 1930s" http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/annexe/wagon-shops.shtml. People may also be interested in the account of rebuilding a wooden wagon on the Settle station water tower blog https://settlestationwatertower.blogspot.com/2013/06/ I found the best way to read this account was to scroll down to the post dated 13th June 2013 and start reading from there.

Yes. The confusion which sometimes arises with model railways is because the pulse frequency of the first feedback controllers was quite low (mains frequency I think) which led to problems with coreless motors. Feedback/pwm control of coreless motors is possible at higher frequencies - that is how DCC decoders do it.

The new battledress, blouson instead of tunic and gaiters instead of puttees, came in in 1938 I believe. Not all branches abandoned the puttees in 1938 so you could probably find an excuse to mix both uniform styles in some early war settings. I saw this a while ago on figure sculptor Andrew Stadden's website, concerning his father's military service. RASC troops in puttees in 1942 https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ec935c_9370d36444b148fdae1982d5eb1c6bfe~mv2.jpg Link to Charles Stadden bio https://www.acstadden.co.uk/c-c-stadden

Not to be used in paint strippers sold to consumers following a number of reported deaths. Other uses e.g. degreaser still allowed. https://www.paintsquare.com/news/?fuseaction=view&id=7328 That looks like a useful and informative site but you may have to complete a declaration before purchase. They also have a separate page for dichloromethane (even though its the same chemical!). That page does mention a ban on DIY use.

Autodesk discontinued 123 a while ago I personally use Fusion 360 for 3D design, it is free for hobbyists and small businesses. I haven't used Tinkercad, it looks like its easy to get started and learn some principles of 3D modelling but when you want to model real pieces of engineering (locos, wheels etc) you may find fusion 360 is more satisfactory- it is designed and used for real mechanical engineering work. There is a dedicated thread here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/125135-the-great-fusion-360-thread/ and this guy has worked out a clever way of making loco wheels John

Hi Simon, Did you change the configuration to be between 1 and 99%? John

Try two opposed zeners in series, one will drop the zener voltage, the other will drop the normal diode forward voltage (approx 0.6V).

My last post seemed more negative than I intended. What I meant to convey was that electroplating directly onto the lead seemed to be discouraged for hobbyists, but there's no reason why you couldn't follow a process using an intermediate step as suggested by an earlier poster.

If you google for "electroplating copper onto lead" you get a lot of hits where people ask about copper plating lead bullets. The general consensus is that electroplating onto lead is not something which should be done by the hobbyist. e.g. More information here https://www.finishing.com/294/14.shtml

I was also going to ask where you got the final gears from! I found one of the sets you mention on ebay. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Plastic-Gears-Pulley-Belt-Worm-Rack-Kits-Crown-Gear-Set-0-5-Modulus-60-kinds/162509200917?hash=item25d64d9e15:g:~38AAOSwlY1ZETZj Containing 75 gears in total, with 11 crown gears identified thusly. Searching for "c152a plastic crown gear" which I guessed were the smallest ones I found these, 10 for £1-90 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10pcs-C152A-0-5-mold-15-teeth-Crown-gear-Plastic-gears-Aperture-1-95MM/152726691491?hash=item238f385ea3:g:xuQAAOSwYXVY0eGC You can also search ebay for the other types, e.g C203A seems to be 20 teeth, fitting a 3mm axle. Hope this is helpful to people.

They might be from Langley models range of building details. The amazon (US) link https://www.amazon.com/Langley-Models-Decorated-Corbels-UNPAINTED/dp/3598218575 has a picture. There's no picture on Langley's own website

Hi again, Trying out York Model Making's suggestion that mylar coach sides can be attached to rowmark by flooding with butanone. I have butanone and mylar, but no rowmark so I used ordinary plasticard (polystyrene). I had a piece of 0.15mm mylar in stock. I cut out a 10mm square of mylar, and another 10mm "window frame" with an 8mm opening, so the edges of the window frame were 1mm wide. I then painted enough butanone unto the polystyrene so that it was all wet, and set the mylar on top. After a while it appeared to be attached, but you could see a dark patch in the middle of the mylar square which I suspected to be unevaporated butanone. I left it for 24 hours and the dark patch had almost disappeared. I was then setting up to take a photograph when all the mylar fell off the plasticard! Perhaps I didn't use enough butanone. Looking back through the thread there have been a lot of other suggestions. Earlier poster had found acrylic down to 1mm, and observes that thinner sheets (below 3mm get more expensive). "Precision" acrylic sheet is available down to 0.3mm. Swiss manufacturer, trade name Hesaglass. One UK supplier is http://www.peerless-coatings.co.uk. Don't know about MOQ and prices. Also modulor in Germany http://www.modulor.de/en/precision-acrylic-glass-transparent-colourless.html, 5.60 euros for a 180x330x0.5 mm sheet. 0.3mm also available but more expensive. Acrylic laser cuts well and can be solvent glued by acetone. John

Hi, I recently came across your other thread and found it very interesting. According to http://yorkmodelrail.com/community/docs/Laser-Cutting-Information-sheet2014.pdf I have some mylar so I could try an experiment tomorrow.

Very interesting and informative thread. Where did you get your figures? According to Shapeways website.. Using their figures I calculated 19.7 mm for your finished wheel, pretty close to what you actually got.

Branchlines are still in business, under new ownership. I contacted them a couple of months ago and got a quick response by email. The email address is given on their site. http://branchlines.blogspot.co.uk