bluestag

Thanks, I'll go look. I favor etched fold up hornguides, who makes them in 7mm?

Well, trust me, there is a standard height above axle centerline that the cutouts should be in 4mm. All the etched hornguides will nestle up to that top in the frame cutout and give you good up and down movement of the axles. This kit, while good, is 30 years old and has milled frames, not etched. So there is obviously a center line where the axle bearings are supposed to be, but it is not marked. I was hoping there was a standard height for the cutouts in 7mm but apparently not.

Yes, I understand that the center line is determined by the prototype and the coupling rods. The frames have bearing holes bored thru, I suppose I can measure a hornguide and measure half the distance plus a bit for play. What I am really looking for is the height of the cutout. In 4mm it is standardized. I had assumed it would be in 7mm as well.

I'm getting ready to build a 7mm loco kit; it has milled frames for a rigid chassis. No indication of cutouts for hornguides. I intend to build it with a compensated chassis, but I don't know the standards for such cutouts. How high above axle height is the cutout supposed to be? How wide is the cutout supposed to be? Are there any etched hornguides on the market?

That special tank is rigid, is it not?

Please look at your pm.

I wish I had found this thread earlier. I am about done building a 7mm Ramsbottom 4' shunter. I was tripped up by the too short break standard. I am now torn by the idea of tearing it out and scratchbuilding a taller replacement. Lots of good reading otherwise! And I'm jealous that you found a special tank...

I'm in Los Angeles. I'll use a rolling paper then. Thanks.

High Level is 4mm, I'm in 7mm. My gear box has a steel worm and brass wheel. The body of the loco is a resin casting, which should not resonate at all. I need the fag paper solution. My particular gear box has the screws at 9 and 3... Packs of cigarettes in California are about 8 dollars, so I am not interested in buying 20 cigs to get one paper. But I do have some rolling papers, and they are quite thin. I bet the tissue paper that my etched kits come wrapped in would do the trick as well.

Hi, Just a week ago I got to drive my first 7mm loco for the first time, and it was a treat. My host installed my sound chip, and the LNWR 0-4-0ST was running on his layout. What is unfortunate is that the gear box from Roxey Mouldings is a noisy one. It growls. At the slower speeds of a shunter it is not too loud, but at full throttle it drowns out the sound system. Is this common with a worm and wheel gear? The box itself is pretty rigid, the motor is small and would not tolerate an inefficient gear box. The loco runs smoothly (until the wheels get dirty). Could it be that the gears are not properly meshed? There may be a bit of play in how the motor fits the gearbox.

Has anyone here built the Gladiator Models 7mm LNWR 0-4-0 saddle tank? I am having difficulty with the instructions and the cab. I'd dearly like to pick someone else's experienced brain on this. Kevin

Well, the coach is gone from my hands. I was approached by a reader who apparently has all the rest of the kits built and painted, and has been searching for just this kit to finish his rake of coaches. I made a few pounds on the transaction, but seeing as I probably would never collect the rest of the kits, I felt it better to send it to a good home. I'm still looking for a diner. That would be cool. If I could ever finish all the Ratio kits that I have, I'd have a nice rake of coaches. And if I ever finish all the locos that I have...

Thanks to everybody. What it boils down to is that I am unlikely to find second hand kits such that I could build the 2pm. Who knows? They may come back into production.

Who knows their way around the Modellers' World 12 wheel coaches? I have a D62 brake third, which I understand was part of the Glasgow section of the 2pm special. Am I right about this? What other 12 wheeled coaches dis Modellers' World produce? Any help appreciated.

Is that pressfix for the lining?

Jol, OK, possibly they are not over priced. But they are expensive. I'm in EM and Gibson wheels suit me. I'll dig out MRJ5 and give it a read.

I'm mystified by the whole Sharman thing. The few that are available are priced outrageously, yet they cannot cost remarkably more to produce than Gibson wheels. No point in wishing that whoever owns them would sell off the tooling to somebody who was prepared to make the whole range available again and at a sensible price.

Correct wheels are not currently available for this loco, to my knowledge. Gibson does H pattern wheels in the correct diameter but the drivers are a GW item and have too many spokes.

Kipford, I'd especially be interested in the 4' shunter. Considering how small the model would be, possibly the saddle could profitably be cast in W/M rather than resin, for weight.

A question that I have regarding Dinghams: While obviously the leading ramp of the hook needs to be raked back as dramatically as it is to ensure that the other vehicle's loop will readily pass over it, does the capture side of the hook need to be parallel to it? It does need SOME rake to ensure that the loop will not pop out while being pulled, but need it be as much as it is? If it were less, the looseness of the coupling would be reduced; the adjacent wagons would be closer together. I think possibly a millimeter could be gained. I am not in a position to test this theory out myself....

I like the Dinghams in general. I wonder if you find them coupling a little loose, even for loose coupled stock? Your photos of stock are very closely photographed, and it does look to me that the gap between buffers is a bit far apart. What is your opinion?

How far forward are the buffers extending?

Jol, Yes, I do have a Paasche air brush which I purchased decades ago. I have never mastered it. And I do not intend that these coach sides be the FIRST thing I spray with it!

Jol, While we are chatting, any suggestions as to who would have steel buffer heads and springs, assuming that I wanted to fire up the lathe?

Jol, It seems obvious to me that the sides are to be painted, lined, tranfers applied, and varnished before being built onto the rest of the body. I intend to make a fixture for the sides. A bit of good quality cabinet plywood, and four strips of bass wood or other hard wood, defining tightly the outline of the sides. Drill a few holes where the back of the sides would lie to allow you to push the sides out of this cradle. Then I have parallel lines to the top and bottom of the coach side, which would allow me to lay a small engineer's square over it to guide the ruling pen or the bow pen. I'm optimistic about spraying, and I am disinclined to use a rattlecan. I don't trust them. I have a basic air brush and a compressor. If the airbrush does not get it done, I will simply buy a better quality brush. I am pretty sure I have see the plum in gloss enamel that will get the job done. The bluish white is antother question.