John57sharp

Having struggled and so far failed with the etched axle boxes, having these available as 3d prints would certainly interest me. I looked on Shapeways for the LNWR ones but couldn’t find any. Are they publicly available? Cheers, and seasons greetings John

I’m wondering if there are any instructions available specific to 2-351 Wagon Chassis: Etched NS: 12' WB: 21' over Headstocks: Suits Parkside Kits/Farish Bodies? I’m using it under the Grampus kit. TIA John

Look good to me too. Well done John

Haha I was almost bidding against you! Hope it goes well for you. John

Nick, just wanted to say thanks again for posting all this, I’m learning so much and being inspired to keep on going when things don’t go right, good to see we all get it wrong occasionally, and perhaps more importantly, how to recover from mistakes. One big thing I have learned is to have the right tools, so many issues I have had in the past have been self inflicted through trying to get around a job without the right tools, so I have been learning from you there too. Thanks again and very much looking forward to the remaining parts in due course. Cheers John

I’m soon to have a large pile of these mags from the 80s going spare. Would need to be collected from Neston (Wirral) unless there is a mutualism convenient drop off. More details soon, but testing the water. There is a pile at least a foot high. John

<p>Still moving forward, just about. The quartering was done by eye and by gently fettling the rods until the whole assembly rotated freely. This took time and care, but we got there. I was emboldened to trim off the axle ends, clean then up and was admiring my work when I read a comment from Izzy warning not to do this until I had fitted the outer frames! I have checked though, and I think it will all fit as it is. I’ll be making spacers as per Mick Simpson’s article because my hamfisted early efforts have broken off the brackets. I also had a couple of the tiny etched parts delaminate from the rods during reaming. Next time I’ll do some of this before soldering. Thanks to those who have commented, any feedback welcome. Cheers John

Oh no! Just saw your comment, too late... I have such a lovely job of the trimming and quartering too. This is most bothersome indeed. I should have checked ahead, but it didn’t seem to be any different in the instructions and articles I have. Oh well, I’ll go and check.... thanks for the heads up though, I’ll update the blog in due course. John

Slowly getting there, confidence higher than usual at the moment. Cranks and pins and wheels are now mated up, rods laminated and cleaned up. More photos tomorrow. Quartering next.

I have finally progressed with my 08 Gronk One, and I am now looking to ass cranks and wheel weights. Looking at the photos I have, the counterweights seem to go opposite the cranks, is this generally correct? I can’t think why they should be any other way, but they don’t show up often in photos. Thanks John

Thanks Rich, I will try the layering method you describe, I don’t have an RSU, but I can use a wooden pointy thing to good effect. Pictures soon I hope. John

Having upgraded my workbench and treated myself to some new tools, I have finally managed to solder up the brake rigging to a standard that I am happy with. The next stage is to add cranks and quarter the wheels...

Thanks Nick, a request has just been sent in. Now about my having Benny Hill music stuck in my head ........ ;-) John

Really enjoying this series Nick, thanks for taking the time to do it. Can you spell out the name of the material you are using as a soldering pad and offer a source at all? Many thanks John

Looking for a copy of this book by Ian Sixsmith please? Not intending to pay the 4 figure sum currently on Amazon! Thanks John

The vans are progressing well, though I am struggling to keep the tiny multilayer axle boxes together while soldering to the underframes. I will try using different temperature solder. I’ve also started the Presflo wagon from the Association kit, who designed this, it’s a cracking build, very intricate but seems to go together well.

Oh that’s given me a little swoosh of enthusiasm to get on and finish mine, which doesn’t look as good as this one (yet, I’m working on it...) John

Pete I’ve just read this after several days of reading about fantastic 7mil builds over on WT, and i am sorely tempted, though I don’t think my budget can stand it, I should stick to 2FS(oh and 16mm and 7/8ths too...) but will follow with interest. Cheers John

Here’s a progress report in the Association BR van kits build. The first picture shows the peg clamp in use to hold things down while I reattach the overlay that hadn’t quite taken on the first attempt. The second shows that my soldering has improved a bit and the bodies in saddle brown for now. I have tinned, folded and sweated 8 axlebox etches, but the first 2 I tried to fix on delaminated, so I’m going to try again... Did drop one onto the patio, but it turned up the next morning. Phew!

Hailed in MRJ as one of the best etched kits ever, ok so that was maybe the 4mm version, but still, I needed one of these for my embryonic layout, so I just had to have one. I started building mine last summer, 2017, and my first learning experience was discovering the need to use solder paste for the very delicate overlays eg on the body ends. I also experimented with a gas soldering iron (disaster), better, new bits for the Antex, but as I work a lot in the garden or at our caravan, I have settled on a battery powered Antex which I really like and use for everything except where you need a lot of heat. This is a great kit and the parts fold up well and fit very nicely into place using the slots and holes provided. The resin roof fits like a glove too, what a splendid way to solve that perennial issue. My attempts to build it though have been, as usual, a steep learning curve. This was the first etched kit I’ve tackled in 2FS, and the first in any scale for some years, and in hindsight I’d have been better starting with something slightly smaller, but as you will see, it’s coming together. Yesterday I spent some time sat in the sun, which is by far the best lighting for me, and cleaned up my efforts ready for a coat of etch primer. This did reveal a few issues which I have tried to photograph below in the hope that showing that even my less than perfect workmanship can hopefully produce something halfway decent, in order to encourage other first timers to have a go. The underside of the chassis is shown before I started cleaning it up. A lengthy session with a fibreglass burnishing brush (I really hate these, the dust and shards of fibre get everywhere, is there a better option anywhere?) cleaned up a lot of the surface dirt and some excess solder, though I have clearly used too much of that. I had far too much trouble getting the captive nuts to stay on and should have done it earlier than I did. There is a buffer overlay half off, a few of the axle box overlays are missing or slipped, a step is missing and another in off course, and the brake rigging needs fettling. The body is better but still needs work, one end overlay was coming adrift, but this was resolved with a little solder paste and using the excellent peg clamp to brace it against while I applied heat (iron not shown, insufficient hands). I find the peg clamp a really useful tool for holding work down and it’s so easy to make and customise for various jobs. This is ongoing work, I’ve fixed many of these issues, but it has also given me the confidence to continue, and I’ve got a couple of BR vans under construction with Association underframes being soldered up nicely, even got the wheels spinning freely, so persevere and learn from your mistakes, I try to, and I hope that these “warts and all” articles will encourage those of us who are still striving to reach the dizzy standards seen in this forum. More soon...

It was Mick Simpsons article on building an 08 in MRJ 252 that finally did it, though the pressure had been building for some time. I've dabbled in the past with P4, 7mm and 16.5, 14mm, 009, but these days I'm more used to 16mm or 7/8ths scales, with a track around the garden that has similar civil engineering issues to the real thing! So why 2FS? I mean it's so small, watchlike, and there is a clue. I had thought for a long time that I'd like to make a clock from scratch, I already have a small lathe, and spent some time reading up and watching YouTube, where you can find all manner of fascinating horological processes taking place for the camera, but after careful consideration I came to the conclusion that it would cost me a small fortune in specialised tools that would only get a small amount of use, so, reluctantly, I was out. Then I had to travel to London for a meeting, bought MRJ for a read on the train, and there was this beautiful mechanism to sit under the rather tasty Farish 08 body. I read it keenly, read a few more MRJs and saw how the 2FS world was coming alive, read some wonderful and inspiring articles, convinced myself that I had to build a Chris Higgs etch, joined the Association and spent some cash. I got a CCT etch too. I'm not too sure where this we'll end up. There's no time or space (or appetite) to build an epic layout, but I have always wanted something to run an 08 on, and I almost fell for the new O Gauge one, but this little gem will allow me to do something that's attainable in a small space, possibly with a Victorian industrial type setting, plenty of urban decay and so on, but I'm planning on enjoying the journey. I soon achieved a milestone on the 08, managing to turn the worm drive and see the drive train turn with all but the final drive axle in place. The frames had been rather more abused than they deserve, but progress was being made, steady as we go. I've learnt a lot. Solder paste has proved to be a revolution, tweezers not pliers, and check for square, then check again. Holes, 0.3mm have proved to be a challenge, hoping that some tungsten carbide drill bits from Amazon will assist here. The brake shoes need to be drilled and folded, they are so tiny that I think I will invest in a magnifying lamp as soon as I can, but I've managed ok so far. I’m a slow worker but I enjoy sitting in the sun with a kit or two to build, so let’s see what happens.

Working on some 2mm Association kits for standard BR vans, there is a brake van etch in the box too. Having stood in front of the wonderful Canada Street for some time at the Liverpool MR show this weekend, I have a clearer idea about where I want to go with my modelling, and there will be wagons... I also have an 08 in the works, more of that in later posts.

Thanks Chris, I was being short sighted looking for info in the 2fs area, overlooked that RevolutioN have their own.....

I may be behind the curve here, but has anybody had a chance to look at whether the Revolution CLASS B 35T TANK WAGON will be easily converted to 2FS? Cheers John

Thanks Jim, all input welcomed. The line is only a scenic boundary, to fit into tthe DJLC dimensions, so the baseboard won’t be split there. Thanks for the advice though. Hope to get going with some actual building soon. Cheers John