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-missy-

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  1. -missy-

    Printed Wheels?

    By -missy-,

    Hello
     
    Today I have had a break from the point rodding and tried out some of my printed wheels instead.
     

     

     

     
    The next thing is to finish the chassis off and try it out. If this works it then opens lots of doors including possibly drop in 2mm wheels for RTR stuff...
     
    There is a step by step description on these wheels on my other blog if anyone is interested http://modelopolis.blogspot.co.uk/
     
    Missy
  2. -missy-
    Hello
     
    Ever since I posted in a past blog entry about a possible new gearbox I have been working on I have had quite a few people asking me about it as they are very interested which gave me the incentive to get it done. The idea I had was to get one together and take it to the St Albans show (which I really enjoyed btw) so people could see it finished. Unfortunately things didnt work out how I would have liked so I didnt get round to finishing it...UNTIL TODAY!
     
    OK, for those of you who dont know this is my first attempt at making a 'universal' gearbox that I could use on different engines, it came about as I was drawing up an engine for chassis for etching and I thought to myself "I could make this removeable and use it on other engines". It comprises of an etched frame, the new motor from the 2mmSA shop (3-257), and gears from my favorite gear supplier Mikroantriebe (https://www.shop.kkpmo.com/). Amazingly I have managed to get an impressive 128:1 ratio which would suit a shunting engine a treat! The drawing below shows the dimensions of the gearbox...
     

     
    It uses all plastic gears so it is a bit on the quiet side, and if put together well it runs very smoothly (and slowly!). The motor is double ended so there is also the possibility of fitting a flywheel if I wanted to(and if there is room!). Here are a couple of photos of my first attempt at building one...
     

     

     
    Of course there is a down side, because of the gears I used to get the ratio it unfortunately means the wheel axle can only be upto 1.5mm in diameter which therefore means I will have to use a solid wheel axle and insulate the wheels with a plastic bush but I feel thats a small price to pay for something like this.
     
    Its my first attempt so I would love to hear any thoughts or comments on this...
     
    Missy
  3. -missy-

    Gears - A useful tip...

    By -missy-,

    Hello
     
    Recently I have been working on a couple of bogies for Elvis. The chassis is based upon bits from a TOMIX chassis, unfortunately I have been having some problems getting them to run reliably after converting the wheels to 2mm finescale standards. Below are a couple of photos showing the conversion...
     

     

     
    The conversion consisted of two pieces of 0.5mm thick PCB glued to the sides of the TOMIX bogie with picups and the cosmetic sideframes soldered to them. Sadly though the slots I filed for the wheels and intermediate gears had too much play in them which caused them to bind when rotated in one direction. I then made the decision to rework the whole geartrain...
     
    How to Work Out What Gears Were Used...
     
    I needed to figure out what gears were used in the bogie, firstly so when I made a new set of sideframes I could get the gear meshing distances correct. Secondly I could them order some replacement gears to fit some new axles. The information I had for the gears were the Outside Diameter and the Number of Teeth. From this I found out the following...
     

     
    The wheel axle gears 1 and 5 where identical. The idler gears 2 and 4 were also identical. Therefore:
     
    1 & 5 Outside Diameter = 3.9mm, Number of Teeth = 11
    2 & 4 Outside Diameter = 4.2mm, Number of Teeth = 12
    3 Outside Diameter = 5.1mm, Number of Teeth = 15
     
    Firstly I needed to work out what the Diametrical Pitch (DP) of the gears were, this is basically the size of the teeth and could either be in MOD (metric) or DP (imperial). The equation I used based on the information I had was:
     
    DP = (Number of Teeth N +2) / Outside Diameter OD
     
    Therefore:
     
    DP (11t gear) = (11 + 2) / 3.9 = 3.33
    DP (12t gear) = (12 + 2) / 4.2 = 3.33
    DP (15t gear) = (15 + 2) / 5.1 = 3.33
     
    To convert this from Diametrical Pitch (DP) (imperial) to MOD (metric) I used another simple equation:
     
    MOD = Diametrical Pitch DP / Number of Teeth N
     
    Therefore:
     
    MOD (11t gear) = 3.33 / 11 = 0.3 MOD
    MOD (12t gear) = 3.33 / 12 = 0.28 MOD
    MOD (15t gear) = 3.33 / 15 = 0.22 MOD
    Taking the average of the three = 0.27 MOD
     
    As metric MOD gears come in standard sizes of 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, and 0.4 MOD I decided 0.3 MOD gears would be the best match for these bogies.
    Finally I needed to work out the Pitch Circle Diameter (PCD) of these gears so I could work out the meshing distances.
     

     
    Before I jump into yet another equation the PCD of a gear as shown above is basically the meshing diameter of a gear. Technically if you put two gears together so the PCDs touch the gears should be perfectly meshed. Of course in real life its sensible to add a little extra to the dimension to allow for tolerances and such (I usually add 0.1 to 0.2mm). So...
     
    Pitch Circle Diameter PCD = Number of Teeth N x MOD
     
    Therefore:
     
    PCD (11t gear) = 11 x 0.3 = 3.3mm
    PCD (12t gear) = 12 x 0.3 = 3.6mm
    PCD (15t gear) = 15 x 0.3 = 4.5mm
     
    At last! I had all the measurements I needed to rework the bogies. I then placed an order with Mikroantriebe for enough gears for two bogies and them opened my copy of AutoCAD and come up with this...
     

     
    I then used my compound table on my mill/drilling machine to accurately drill and machine some new sideframes out of 0.5mm thick PCB once again and now the bogie looks like this...
     

     

     
    And yes, it works fine (so far!) I hope this will be useful to others, especially if you need to get hold of a replacement gear for something...
     
    Julia
     
     
  4. -missy-
    Hello.
     
    In my previous post I had some photos of my newly created 3D model of a Peckett tank engine. For those who cannot remember it looked something like this...
     

     
    and this...
     

     
    I then duly uploaded it onto the Shapeways website and promptly placed an order for one in the classic FUD. A short while later the body turned up through the post and I excitedly opened up the package, unfortunately what I came across was rather disapointing to say the least...
     

     
    The finish of the model was very rough. You have to bear in mind that the photo was taken after I had a go at cleaning up the rough areas (3), scrubbing the body with a toothbrush and washing up liquid, and primered the whole thing in Grey primer so it would be easier to photograph it. Now I was expecting a small amount of cleaning up of marks like area (1) but to my surprise the saddle tank of the engine (3) looked very similar to the boiler (5) but the worst parts by far were the footplate (4), running plate, and boiler details (2) with a finish similar to course sandpaper.
     
    I sent an email to Shapeways complaining about the quality of the model and a complaint was raised. About a week later I hadnt heard anything so I send a quick email to ask what was happening and I got this reply..
     
    "I have received a feedback about your complaint in the mean time, but I am afraid we can't arrange a reprint for this model. Quality of these supported parts were bad because of the design"
     
    Now I am a bit peeved with this reply. Mainly because I know Shapeways can do better than what I was supplied but I feel like their reply is a bit of a 'cop-out' blaiming my design for the poor quality of the model. I know that they recommend getting bits printed separately but surely that wouldnt affect the finish that much? or is that just an excuse to charge me more for getting bits printed separately? Plus if there was a design fault with it then why was it printed? Who knows!
     
    Anyway, if that is the quality of 3D printing I should expect then I think its not the solution I have been looking for and I will wait a bit longer until the technology evolves a little! That or find an alternative company...
     
    Sorry its a bit of a whinge-fest but Im not a happy bunny..
     
    Missy
  5. -missy-

    Cattle Dock - Done?

    By -missy-,

    Hello
     
    I have spent this morning finishing off the cattle dock as I seem to be collecting unfinished projects!
     

     

     
    I have tried to make it as dirty and unloved as possible, please let me know if it looks right.
     
    Missy
     
    ADDITIONAL:
     
    Steve posted a comment that the cattle dock looked a little too clean so with thanks to Steves advice, below are a couple of photos with a little more mud added...
     

     

     
    M.
  6. -missy-
    Hello.
     
    One of the 'smart' ideas I had for Highclere was to add point rodding to the layout. Its something that you dont see that often on layouts, especially in 2mm Scale. Little did I know how much of a pain it would turn out to be!
     
    Now for a little background info for those who dont know what I am on about...
     
    The point rodding for the layout is based around two parts. The first is some 0.4mm square Nickel-Silver wire which I buy from Model Signal Engineering, it comes in a pack of 10 x 12" lengths. The second part are the 'stools' which I persuaded Ivan from Southwark Bridge Models to etch, reduced from his 4mm scale range. Trust me, it took some persuading as they are VERY small! Below is a picture on how they come.
     

     
    Using a collection of jigs I then solder the stools at 12mm intervals along the length of the square wire. For each point I have used 2 lengths of wire, one for switching the point and the second for locking it in place. This is the time consuming bit as each stool is individually soldered in place, for each 12" length of 2 point rods there are roughly 75 point rodding stools. The stools are then soldered onto a small section of PCB and then glued to a similar section of plastic to represent the concrete plinths they are mounted on in real life. The picture below shows you roughly what I mean.
     

     
    To me though, its worth the effort. Once its painted and on the layout it adds another little bit of detail that helps it come to life.
     

     
    The thing is though I have been working on this now for what seems an eternity! I am now concentrating on the area of the layout where the majority of points are so there is quite a bit of rodding to do. Considering that currently its taking around 3-4 hours to complete a 12" length of rodding its keeping me busy!
     
    I have tried about 5 different jigs now to assemble the rodding, the jig below I made out of cardboard which I made because as the point rodding gets closer to the signal box on the layout it gains more rodding as its passed more points.
     

     
    At the moment Im working on 4 rods in parallel as the picture below shows.
     

     
    The saying "practice makes perfect" is so true! I havent given up yet....
     
    Julia
     
    (More can be found on my new blog http://modelopolis.blogspot.co.uk/)
  7. -missy-

    All Change

    By -missy-,

    Hello
     
    After much consideration I have decided not to continue posting details of my modelling and stuff on RMWeb so this will be the last post you will see from me here. If there is anyone out there in RMWeb world that has even a slight interest in my modelling and things then join me on my other blog here...
     
    http://modelopolis.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/all-change.html
     
    I havent decided what I am going to do with my blog on here but I am considering deleting my RMWeb account in the near future.
     
    Thanks for all the support you guys have given me in the past and I hope to speak to some of you in the future.
     
    Julia
  8. -missy-

    Fiddling About

    By -missy-,

    Hello.
     
    Just an entry to blog my progress on things really, nothing special....
     
    I have been slowly working along the fiddleyard, to date I have track laid on one of the semi-circular end boards and I have now started on the rear board...
     

     
    The above picture shows the beginnings of the bit that the cassette slots into, just to the right of the cassette I have removed the cork and added a piece of plywood. As the Aluminium angle is going to be screwed to the boards here I wanted something a little firmer than cork to put the woodscrews through. BTW the cassettes are the same as the Oxford 2mm Groups so that way I can 'borrow' some when I need them!
     

     
    This photo shows an overall of the board, there is still plenty to do on this board but I have made a start today!
     
    Finally more Narrow Gauge Stuff, this time more V Tipper wagons! I have now run out of etches so if I would like anymore its going to cost me again! I have also made the descision this week to change to 4mm Gauge instead of 6.5mm. That way I should be able to make some decent NG steam engines without them looking all out of proportion.
     

     
    Missy
  9. -missy-
    Hello
     
    One thing that I have is tenacity. I find it very hard to give up on something, especially when that thing is a challenge. Sometimes it works against me so much that I end up getting very frustrated with it and I will admit, loosing my temper.
     
    My poor Peckett has been a victim of this, some of you know that the chassis has been rebuilt as a result of it bouncing off a door after a flight across my living room. Fortunately the chassis was salvageable afterwards and was rebuilt to working order. I use the word working order lightly as me being me I wasn't happy with the way it was working, some might be happy with the results but not me. The rear wheels were not concentric and the result was the engine had a slight wobble to it when it traveled along the track. This meant that I have now spent a full weekend on the chassis to try and correct it, the end result is what you see below...
     



     
    I have found that the problem lies with the 3D printed wheels. I dont know though, if its a result of the printing or the way I am assembling them but right now I have managed to get 2 wheels out of 6 I am happy with. As you can see from the photo there are a few which just did not survive the numerous assemblies and disassemblies which happened over the weekend but I am now looking to get some more wheels printed to try and get 4 that I am happy with.
     
    This does raise a few questions though...
     
    1. Is the fault with the way I am assembling them? If so then how can I change or things to solve that problem or tweak the design to aid assembly.
    2. Are the wheel rims workable with the printed rims?
    3. Is 3D printing in FUD upto the quality to print the wheel centers yet?
    4. Would it be better to print the wheels without a central hole and add one after fitting the rims?
     
    I do know though that it is possible to produce a working wheel using 3D printed centers, though its just not as reliable as I would have liked though right now. Having to scrap 4 to get 2 good wheels to me isnt really good enough. One thing for sure though is I am not giving up on this little engine but until I get some more FUD wheels from Shapeways through the post, its going to one side, something I would not normally do...
     
    Missy
  10. -missy-
    Hello.
     
    This is another one of those random blog entries that dont seem to fit into any scheme that I might have!
     
    I ordered a short while ago a little NN3 diesel engine body kit produced by the Z Scale club UK as in my big plan I would like to have a go at some narrow gauge stuff sometime in the future. The kit is designed to fit a Marklin Z Scale chassis which I am planning on making a replacement for sometime in the future (no doubt it will be another ramdom blog entry!) but I had a few ideas so I made a start on the body kit.
     
    The kit is whitemetal and is based on a european prototype, more details on what the kit is like and what it looks like assembled can be found on Mark Fielders handy Nn3 website but as some of you might know I cannot resist chopping something about a little and this is the result so far....
     

     

    If you compare my attempt with the original kit you will notice that I have reshaped the body by cutting the rear flush with the cab, lowered the roof line, and reshaped the front grille. Extras include a brass roof, handrails, an exhaust made from brass tubing, and a front grill made from some fine mesh. All of this is to try and loose the 'european look' of the engine and make it a bit more UK based.
     
    Normal service will resume shortly....
     
    ADDITIONAL:
     
    The photos below show the engine body in 'ex-works' condition plus with added lights (non-working!). I actually used acrylic paints this time with my airbrush and I am pleasantly surprised on how its come out! Normally the acrylic paint jams the airbrush up!
     

     

     
    Missy
  11. -missy-
    Hello
     
    Well, the Ally Pally show is over for another year. I really look forward to going along to the show every year as its one of my favorites. Not only is the show a good oppertunity to meet up with friends, but also there is a good selection of layouts to see and it all take place in a fantastic venue. Its about my 6th year now I have gone along and sat on the 2mmSA stand at the show and I hope its not the last time..
     
    This year way a bit different for me, for the first time I went along and spent the day on the stand with Noel, Brian, and Mark who I dont usually see that often plus I had to take the 2mmSA 'Roadshow' equipment along as it was passed onto me last weekend after the Nottingham show. I decided to take along my latest etches which I had done recently and have a go at building a few bits from it, this meant I could take a lot less stuff than I would nomally take. Thankfully I didnt have to haul it all up the hill this year either!
     
    So, this is the stuff I was working on...
     

     
    I made a start on the yard crane for Highclere. I had previously drawn the crane jib and had it etched to test if it actually worked! There were quite a few people interested in seeing how this came out and several said they would come back toward the end of the show to see how I had got on with it so I cut out the etched jib and soldered it together. Fortunately it went together ok so today I spent a little more time on the crane and got a bit more done.
     

     
    The plan was to keep this a bit quiet until I was confident it went together ok but its been one of those 'worst kept secret' things so here it is, The beginnings of my kit for a 2mm scale City of Truro. Unfortunately I have found several mistakes on the etches so far so I am unsure if to carry on with this particular model or wait, redesign the bits and get it etched again. It has dented my confidence a bit but in retrospect its only the second thing I have ever designed for etching! Luckily the faulty bits can be easily redrawn so its just a matter of time...
     
    It was nice to meet up and chat with people like Andy, Chris, and Tom (to name a few) once again and I am looking forward to next time.
     
    Missy
  12. -missy-
    Hello.
     
    As I am still having some minor problems with the servo controllers I took the oppertunity to make up a little etched kit I had purchased from N Brass Locos a while ago, mainly to go with the little diesel engine.
     

     
    The kit is not really that difficult to make with the hardest bit being the seats, my advice would be not to bother with the etched ones in the kit and make some out of plasticard. The only other modifications I did was to add pin-point bearings and fit some Z Gauge wheels (the kit is sold as a 'static' model) and add some lead to the chassis to help it along the track. The picture below shows the coach next to my newly (nearly) finished diesel, and I thought the diesel was small! I still cannot get my head straight with the different loading gauges of narrow gauge stock!
     

     

     
    Finally the above photo shows the beginning of the narrow gauge couplings I am going to use. Its based on an idea that Mark F (2mm Mark) uses on his Nn3 stock where the buffer plate of the coupling is shortened and the wire loop also acts as the height stop. I need to figure out how to fit the steel wire for the auto uncoupling now though, as you can hopefully see from the photo the coupling is mounted vertical so the steel wire cannot sit under the coupling anymore.
     
    Missy
  13. -missy-

    Peckett Progress

    By -missy-,

    Hello.
     
    I have decided to take a bit of a break from the layout. It was getting a bit frustrating and I wasnt doing as good a job with it as I could, that plus the fact I had to remind myself that its a hobby after all and it should be enjoyable!
     
    Refreshed with this in my head I have turned once again to my favorite side of the hobby which is designing and building engines. The latest one on my workbench right now is a little 0-4-0 Peckett saddle tank engine...
     

     
    After a very useful advice from someone with regards to Shapeways and the way to send files I resubmitted the body once again for printing and the finished body this time was much, much better with it needing only a little bit of cleaning up which I will move onto once the chassis is finished.
     
    There is still work to do on the chassis but the photos show my progress to date. The chassis is built by soldering each etched Nickel Silver sideframe onto some 0.3mm thick PCB and then filing out the shape through the etched bit to keep the profile. Both sideframe sandwiches are then soldered onto some solid 1/4" square Brass bar with gaps added for the gearbox, and then filed to suit the sideframes. The gearbox is one of my 138:1 ratio designs I did a while ago. This makes into a very rigid and strong chassis for its size, it also adds valuable weight too.
     

     
    The wheels are 6mm Driving wheels using 2mm Association turned wheel rims onto 3D printed centers. The rest of the bits come from an etch I designed.
     
    Its comming together quite well, its runs really quiet and slowly which has made me very happy! Dont forget too that the engine is just 40mm long bufferbeam to bufferbeam...
     
    Julia
  14. -missy-
    Hello.
     
    I had an enjoyable weekend, on Saturday I went along to the Narrow Gauge Show at Sparsholt College and enjoyed my time there. I chatted to a few poeple there and was equally inspired by some of the layouts and display. One of the people I spent some time talking to was Allen of Worsley Works fame and I left with a few goodies from him to try out.
     
    Allen has added some more items to his collection of 2mm Scale Narrow Gauge stock including some Irish Narrow Gauge engines and coaches. He kindly gave me an etch of one of these engines to build and see how it assembled...
     



     
    The prototype for this engine is a Kerr Stuart 4-6-2 which was based on the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway. An obscure prototype I know but an intersting engine netherless.
     
    This gets me onto the reason for this post. I am a strong believer in the idea that if something looks right then I am happy with it. As I have worked in 2mm Scale pretty much exclusively I feel I have a 'good eye' in getting things to look right and 'fit'. I really dont understand why there are people who have serious hang ups about getting everything exactly to scale, even when this means altering the dimensions by 0.2 or 0.3mm, to me this is a secondry priority and I dont mind making compromises to get things looking right.
     
    Of course sometimes I can struggle finding a sense of scale...
     



     
    The above picture is a good example of this. All these engines are to 2mm scale, at the rear is my standard gauge pannier tank, then its the Irish narrow gauge Kerr Stuart engine, followed by my attempt at the narrow gauge engine Prince. The difference in size is huge and to my eye at the moment they just done look right, but I am taking a leap of faith and carrying on with these as according to the drawings they are all correct. The thing is, is it really that important to get things right to one or two decimal places when things that are built to scale can be so different? I dont believe so and I will carry on building things my way....
     
    Missy
  15. -missy-
    Hello.
     
    Things havent stopped yet, I have made a bit more progress and have managed to get the second board ballasted now. Que a dodgy photo....
     



     
    Also I have a question, hopefully you guys remember these?
     



     
    I am not sure where I need to plant them, is there anyone that can help? I know I am bending the truth a little with the layout and period with the track plan, signals, and now the single line apparatus but I am thinking add them to the layout as disused but still there.
     



     
    They need to go in roughly the same area as the signal, any thoughts?
     
    Thanks.
     
    Julia
  16. -missy-

    Tanks a lot...

    By -missy-,

    Hello Again
     
    I have indulged myself a little over this weekend. I did plan to get some more point rodding completed but instead my test etches turned up in the post...
     



     
    Part of this etch was a long waited for Anchor mount tank wagon chassis, its something that has been on my to do list for a while now as they seemed to be the mainstay of oil traffic along the DNSR from fawley in the south. Sadly there isnt anything in 2mm that fitted the bill so armed with a scale drawing (which took some finding, thanks Andy) I drew up a chassis etch.
     
    Itching to give the etch a go I made a start. Now, one of the difficulties with the chassis was the fact you could see so much of it so I couldnt really use a 'standard' 2mm chassis etch as the base is very solid. Using an idea I got from one of Stephen H absolutely fantastic kits I came up with a solution to adding the cross members under the chassis...
     



     
    It made into a surprisingly strong chassis (I can now see why they did it in real life!)
     



     
    The tank itself was made from a piece of brass tube but for the next batch I am hoping to get the tank cast in resin. I have now given it a coat of black paint ready for transfers and weathering..
     



     



     



     



     
    To be honest I didnt expect the etch to go together as well as it did. There are some tweaks to do to the drawings but there wasnt anything that stopped me from building this one. I must be getting better at this etching lark! Only about another 29 to build now, along with CoT MkIV, Peckett MkII, and of course, more point rodding.....
     
    Missy
  17. -missy-
    Hello
     
    Today has been a weird day. Things havent quite gone according to plan really. Trying to get things done on around 3 hours of sleep havent helped but it would have been nice if things went a little smoother though...
     
    Firstly, I purchased an air eraser a short while ago and the plan today was to try it out on the built test etches I made for City of Truro with the aim to practice painting and lining ready for when I get the final version. The air eraser though hasnt been playing ball, when I connected it to my compressor and tried air through it, it worked fine, but when I added some grit to the eraser I couldnt get any air through it therefore it wouldnt work. I tried various different ideas but with the same result. Since then I have sent the supplier an email to ask if they have any idea but unfortunately no reply yet...
     
    Giving up on the air eraser I moved onto the airbrush and gave the CoT etches a rough covering of GWR Indian Red and then had a go at the lining...
     

     
    As you can see it didnt quite come out as good as I would have liked. Admittedly its the first time I have tried something like this since Atso very kindly showed me how to do it at the St Albans show but I was expecting a little better. I have been wondering what might be wrong or what I can improve...

    Maybe the bow pen isnt setup quite right? It seemed easier to draw the pen along the edges when Atso showed me with his pen so maybe mine needs a little TLC.
    The paint is identical (apart from the colour) to what Atso used so I cant see how that would be a problem.
    I didnt wait that long for the Red paint to dry so I think that didnt help.
    Maybe the finish of the Red paint had an effect? I didnt varnish it or anything, maybe a coat of matt varnish would help?

    Still, as the title says, practice should make perfect, its was my first attempt after all and I will strip the paint off and have another go in time. You have to remember too that the photo is much larger than the real thing, to the naked eye the lining on the front bogie looks alright, not brilliant but alright. If I can get the rest of the engine looking like that then I would be happy but I am sure there is room for an overall improvement.
     
    As always any help, advice would be gratefully received.
     
    M
  18. -missy-

    Back to the point (rodding)

    By -missy-,

    Hello again.
     
    My modelling mojo has returned once again. I think its down to a combination of things, shows, steam railways, and quiet weekends have all helped. Using this new apparent enthusiasm I have once again turned my attention to the never ending point rodding for the layout. Its been something that has slowed progress on the layout to an almost standstill. Below is the next installment in the long running saga of Highcleres point rodding, some of you might have already seen some of these elsewhere on RMWeb...
     



     
    I took another approach this time. A section of rodding roughly 2ft in length is 4 rods wide and I didnt really fancy the idea of individually soldering 5 rodding stools every scale 6ft or so. This meant a rethink to try and speed things up a little so above was the beginnings of a different approach, a 0.3mm thick length of Brass which has 0.5mm wide x 0.7mm deep slots with a 0.7mm pitch milled into it.
     



     
    This Brass 'comb' was them cut up into sections which could hold 4 rods, which in turn was soldered to a short length of 2mmSA PCB sleepering. For cosmetic purposes (is anyone really going to ever see them for real?) I then soldered 2 etched stools to each end.
     



     
    The point rodding (0.4mm square stuff from MSE) was then easily slotted into place and the whole thing was held together with a little solder. Care was taken not to hold the soldering iron in place for too long so to unsolder everything (it happened a couple of times which was a pain).
     



     



     
    Ok, so not the best quality photos (taken with my phone) but this is the impression the point rodding gives. This particular section still needs to be painted then stuck into place properly (its resting on top in the piccies). To me, this is a mini milestone as producing rodding using this method has made it so much easier, so much so that the rest of it doesnt look anywhere near as daunting to me. Sadly though I didnt produce enough of the bits so it will be back to the beginning soon to produce some more.
     
    I hope it looks alright and is worth all the effort?
     
    Missy
  19. -missy-
    Hello.
     
    Today Highclere reached another milestone. For a while I have been beavering away on the layout to get the rest of the track finished for the layout in the form of the fiddleyard and the curved end boards to change the layout into a complete circle (or roundy roundy). As I havent enough room at home to set the whole layout up an ideal oppertunity came to try things out in the shape of the 2012 Abingdon and District MRC annual show where I agreed to take the layout to so I could test everything out...
     
    When I got there Friday evening I was faced with the fact that only the sceninc boards had been previously tested (at the RMWeb show last year) so I was very nervous as I had a 50/50 chance the layout could work well or equally it could have been a total disaster.
     




    Setting up Friday night with the help of Andy (2mm Andy)


     
    At this point the layout was set up and all the electric tested but nothing had ran around the layout. I was a bit scared to try anything! I finally got my Warship out and let it run round with fortunately the only fault with the fiddleyard boards being a 6 inch length of track with no power as I missed a dropper wire to the power bus bar, this was quickly fixed and I managed to go home in the knowledge that the layout was all working well.
     
    Saturday came along with help in the shape of Andy (2mm Andy), Steve (Pixie), and Paul (Kempenfelt) which was a great relief, especially as Steve brough along his vast collection of wagons with Andy also helping out with his newly converted DMU which gave a sterling perfomance all day. Throughout the day my confidence with Highclere grew and grew with the only niggling faults being the lack of weight in the wagons causing them to derail too easily plus some couplings in dire need of some tweaking. Below are some photos I managed to take of the days activities...
     




    There was some interest in the layout but it proved quite difficult to take photos of it!


     




    Part of Steves impressive mineral wagon collection pulled by my Pannier Tank


     




    The 'Egg Train'


     




    The fiddleyard in full action with Paul doing a bit of 'fly shunting'


     




    My warship on a freight train



    (which is amazing as it didnt have any proper couplings!)


     




    Andy looking puzzled early on in the day.


     
    So, in retrospective did the layout achieve what I wanted it to? Yes, the aim was to test the new fiddleyard out and it surprised me on how well it worked with next to no adjustment needed. I can now relax, confident that I can set the whole layout up next time and things will line up and work. I can also turn my attention onto the more enjoyable scenic bits with just little tidying up needed to the fiddle yard. OK, so the layout was running an eclectic mix of rolling stock but in time I will get more things made that suit the model a little more.
     
    I would love to hear peoples comments and thoughts, especially as Highclere doesnt 'get out' much. I know there are some videos of some quite impressive length trains running so post them here or on the Abingdon show thread http://www.rmweb.co....48-abrail-2012/
     
    Finally thanks again to Andy, Steve, and Paul for all the effort helping me on the day, I wouldnt have been able to operate it without them. Thanks to Steve (smokey bacon) for the loan of the engine for the day and also a big thanks for all the positive comments I got from people. Its given me lots of encouragement to carry on...
     
    Missy
  20. -missy-

    Catching Up...

    By -missy-,

    Hello
     
    Its been a while, I think its time for an update...
     
    1. Single line token apparatus.
     
    Its been on my mind for a while now that I would like to see some form of single line apparatus on Highclere and thanks to Andy plus a visit to Didcot I managed to get enough info to make some. Armed with this I made a start at the recent Oxford show and finished them off today, ready for planting on the layout at sometime.
     



     
    Ok, so close up they look a little tatty but when you will see them on the layout they will look alright. Oh, and if anyone is interested on how I made the mesh, see below...
     



     
    2. John Grey Trestrol.
     
    This didnt go exactly to plan. I fancied doing a wagon kit and this one seemed like a good idea at the time. The problem is that the kit isnt exactly the best available and after an attempt to make it look slightly better I ended up with a wagon that was pretty much 19mm wide.
     



     
    Because of this, the kit has now gone into 'deep storage' and its been put down to experience.
     
    3. 2mmSA Lowmac.
     
    Following onto the Trestrol, plus the fact I had to find something to do at the recent Swindon show my attention turned to the 2mm Scale Association NE Lowmac wagon. The intention for this will ultimately be a wagon to display some of my narrow gauge stock so it will end up with a short piece of NG track.
     



     
    Its not the easiest kit to build, the main problem with it is the etched overlays for the sides do not have enough clearance added to clear the cross braces which makes soldering them in place a bit of a pain. This wagon has now been shot blasted and is awaiting painting.
     
    4. Foden Lorry.
     
    The first of my 'virtual' modelling goes to my Foden lorry. As some of you might be aware I have had problems getting this printed via Shapeways and now is with Rabs of this forum who is going to have a go at printing it for me.
     



     
    I am looking forward to seeing the results of this.
     
    5. Type L Container.
     
    This has come about from a discussion with some 2mm guys at the recent N gauge show where I found out the containers for N Brass' conflat wagon dont exist. Armed with this and a kit for myself I thought it would make sense to model the container for printing.
     



     
    This will be going for a test print with Shapeways soon and fingers crossed I can get something printed!
     
    6. Morris Type J Van.
     
    After being persuaded by a certain 2mm member at a car show earlier this year (where there was one) to try and make a 2mm version of this van. To start with I thought 'this should be relatively easy' but its proven to be anything but. The whole van is full of compound curves which has made modelling it a bit tricky.
     



     



     
    Currently the model has stalled until I figure out how to finish off a couple of bits on the body.
     
    7. Allchin Traction Engine.
     
    Finally this is a somewhat ambition project for myself, especially trying to work out how to do the fiddly bits on top keeping the detail yet making it 3D printing friendly. The bulk of the superstructure is done though...
     



     
    It originally started off as a means to produce some traction engine wheels but it has gone slightly beyond that now.
     
    I do have a few other projects on the go and Im sure to post about them in the future...
     
    Missy
  21. -missy-
    Hello again
     
    The holiday break hasnt been nothing but parties and stuff. I have managed to get a little done...
     
    I managed to get a few wagons built, they still needs couplings, weathering, and some need glazing too..
     



     



     



     
    Secondly this has been on my mind for a while and i seemed a good opportunity to scratch build one, no doubt when its finished it will find its way onto a wagon...
     



     



     
    Finally some bits I have actually manged to get Shapeways to print...!
     
    Some universal joints, so far so good but how long they will last is another question...
     



     
    ...and following on from the GW self contained wagon buffers, here are some GW square shank coach buffers...
     



     
    Sorry about the rubbish photos.
     
    Missy
     
    EDIT:
     
    Below is a screen grab of the universal joint...
     



  22. -missy-
    Hello
     
    I though it would be appropriate that I updated my blog to being all you good folk up to date with what I have been upto recently. The modelling mojo has remained and things are gradually moving forward...
     



     
    The main project recently has been the 14xx. It came about from a bit of desperation to build an engine and all my other 'current' projects floundering because of missing parts, incorrect drawings, etc. The chassis is one of Chris Higgs etched creations (I think it was a test version) and the body came from one of my Dapol 14xx engines I have. I have learnt a few lessons building this including opening out the muffs sightly so the wheels are not a very tight fit, adding 'simpson springs' to name but a couple and I am pleased with how its turned out. The engine runs alright too with its 80(ish):1 gear ratio and still managed to keep the cab clear plus adding the gap under the boiler. All thats remaining to add now are the numberplates (once I get hold of them),couplings, and a good dusting judging by that photo! Im not expecting it to pull a heavy freight or anything but it seems to manage a coach or two without any problems.
     



     
    The next in line is the 56xx which I picked up from Ebay. The origin of it is unknown but its becomming apparent that it could possibly be the langley whitemetal kit. If so, then its very well built. Plans for this include detailing of the body and chassis (similar to the 14xx) and I need to work out what to do with the boiler as it doesnt seem to be sitting right at the moment. I have made a start on it already though by shot blasting the body.
     



     
    This is a favour for a friend. Its a con-cor American steam engine of some description but it was passed onto me as a non-runner. As you can see the whole thing has been pulled apart and cleaned, as normal the gears and bearings were full of dirty grease which judging by the (shocking) wheel bearings / electrical pickup design might explain why it wasnt working.
     
    That brings you guys up to date, see you at the Abingdon show or maybe Ally Pally (on Sat)?
     
    Missy
     
    EDIT:
     



     
    Oh, and the lima siphon is now maroon...
  23. -missy-

    Storms Hit Highclere

    By -missy-,

    Hello.
     
    The October storms have been felt already at Highclere as one of the pines sadly has suffered to the high winds...
     



     
    Fortunately minimal damage occurred and no-one was injured as the tree was felled by the severe storm with gusts of wind estimated at around 70 m.p.h.
     
    Other news include the receipt of some more lovely 3D printed bits fresh from Rabs excellent printer...
     



     
    I cant wait to get my modelling tools around these bits! Thanks Rabs.
     
    Missy
  24. -missy-
    Hello
     
    Its strange how things work out, the original plan was to use my current modelling mojo and build a couple of 22xx Collett engines but as my last post showed, it didnt go according to plan so I was left with having to remake the chassis and order some new coupling rods. So, I thought, I will turn my attention to my Q1 which has been looking a little worse for wear sitting in my stock box, I thought I could get this working once again (it has never worked 100%). This didnt work out as I was short of some parts so it meant I couldnt do anything with that. I was starting to worry a little now as I wanted to build an engine but then I remembered I had enough parts to make another engine, a 14xx...
     



     
    As you can see from above progress is going reasonably well with the chassis nearly finished and my attention has now turned to the Dapol body. To date I have cut off all the moulded handrails and started fitting new metal ones, cut out the moulded coal and added some plasticard ready for the real stuff, and made a new cab roof out of metal. The biggest change I think has come from chopping away the it under the boiler and making the lower part of the boiler from a piece of plastic tube. I did something similar to the Farish pannier tank and it really makes the difference I think.
     



     
    I have tried a few new techniques (well, to me anyway!) on the chassis. The first was to shot blast and paint the chassis before assembly which does help, the second being to ream out the holes in the muffs using 1.51 and 1.52mm drills until the wheels are a 'hand fit' and not a 'press them in really hard' fit like they have been in the past. This has helped assembly lots so I will be using this in the future. (Everyday is a school day!) The gearing didnt work out quite according to plan and I ended up using what gears I had lying around, this has meant though that somehow I have managed to get a gear ratio of roughly 80:1 using standard 2mmSA imperial gears fitted! Anyway, there is still lots to do on the engine including trying to cram in as much weight as possible which will be interesting because there isnt exactly much room inside...
     
    Something else I have been 'experimenting' with are some 4mm NG driving wheels.
     



     
    Im not going to go into much detail though as its not exactly going to plan...
     
    Missy
  25. -missy-
    Hello.
     
    Easter this year in the Adams Household had been quite a quiet affair. For a change I didnt have anything planned so I took it as a oppertunity to relax, especially as April this year is quite a busy one. As a result, apart from numerous easter eggs being consumed I did a bit of modelling for Highclere...
     



     



     
    The best bit for me was the oppertunity to get a little more done on Highcleres yard crane. As some of you might remember from an earlier post I got the jib and a few extra bits etched recently and made a start building it at this years Ally Pally exhibition. Well the results above are the results of spending today tinkering away with it. I could have done it the sensible way and spent the time wisely drawing up the extra bits I needed ready to get etched but being a little impatient I decided to make them myself with my own fair hands and above is the result.
     
    The numerous covers and casings were made from a mixture of thin Nickel Silver sheet and 0.4mm square rod (from my point rodding), the pulleys were made from bits of brass tube and various brass washers, and the base from a bit of plasticard sheet and tube. There is still more to add to this, especially as I am still trying to decipher the works drawings (what do all those gears do!?!) but with the help of Mr Stationmaster and a couple of very useful pictures lead me to what you see above. Sadly though there are still some bits which need to be etched as they are a little too fiddly to carve out of solid, so I might have to wait a little longer until I can finish this off properly. It looks a little bit more like a yard crane now though.
     



     
    I have also been plodding on with the point rodding for the layout too. This weekend saw me finish off assembling another 2ft of rodding complete with stools as you see above. This is another one of those labourious tasks that have to get done and its a little scary to think that it took me around 2 days (on and off) to get 2ft done. Thinking about it each foot length has approximately 75 individual point rodding stools, each one individually soldered onto the bar! At least I have found that the resistance solder unit makes the job much easier as I dont have to pre-tin the rodding before soldering the stools to it. There is still plenty more to make but this weekends work now means I can finish off one board ready for ballasting..
     
    Missy
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