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-missy-

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  1. -missy-
    Hello.
     
    As the title says really I am really trying to get motivated on the layout once again. Its just been sat around untouched for nearly a year now but now one board is unpacked and sat on my kitchen table.
     
    Stage 1 is to take some photos to remind myself why I am doing it...
     



     



     



     
    Missy
  2. -missy-

    Elvis is alive!

    By -missy-,

    Hello
     
    It seems like an age since I have last posted and I am scared to check to see when the last post was!
     
    I havent given up on things though. I was hoping to post some swanky piccies of all the many things I have finished but sadly not, so you will have to make do with these shockingly bad (taken on my phone) photos instead..
     

     

     
    Elvis is alive!
     
    Well, to be correct, Elvis now has wheels! It also has a working chassis (well it worked until I removed the temporary wires so I could paint the chassis. I did have to chop the body slightly to get the bogie sideframes to fit but its now sitting at the right height and the bogies seem to have some movement in them too so fingers crossed it will go around corners!
     

     
    Secondly, the crane is now complete. I have now fitted the hook bit and the chain (which was a pain to fit) then weathered it a little. Sorry the pictures dont really do it any justice but the peeps who have seen it said it looks good!
     
    Missy
  3. -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
  4. -missy-

    2012 - 2013

    By -missy-,

    Hello.
     
    Modelling wise 2012 has been a strange year for me. Throughout the year I have moved away from my layout Highclere and spent quite a bit of time 'playing' around with new technologies to me like etching and 3D printing. This has meant that over 2012 I havent really had that much to show for myself, my occasional blog entries have been a bit random and sometimes without meaning. Highclere has taken the hit and I havent really doe much work on it this year with the only notible progress being the fiddle yard which was completed just in time for the Abingdon Show in March of 2012. I will be honest now and say that enthusiasm for the layout has dropped over 2012.
     
    Fotunately my faith in modelling has been helped by the fact I am now Products Officer for the 2mm Scale Association and as a resuly I have been working on a few ideas for the Association.
     
    So, I now am looking towards 2013 and my mind is now thinking about where I am heading and what I want to achieve. Here are some of my thoughts...
     
    1. Carry on with Highclere and hope that my enthusiasm returns. I would love to see the layout finished but its becomming more obvious its a long term project, a much longer term project than I thought when I started it years back. In 2013 the layout currently has two outings in May and June.
     
    2. Continue with the experiments with etching and 3D printing. I enjoy this but I know that it almost always ends in unfinished projects and disjointed bits and pieces as my mind and thoughts jump from one thing to another. I still have alot of ideas and thoughts concerning these technologies that I woild like to try out.
     
    3. I could shelve Highclere for a year (or two) and have a go at a smaller layout, something that is a little more manageable and something that can be built in a much smaller timescale. This of course opens up the potential problem of having another unfinished layout, compounding the problem with Highclere.
     
    As you can see I am struggling a little with direction right now, the result in 2012 has been a lack of finishing any projects and loosing lots of confidence in my abilities. I would like more than anything in 2013 to change this but I really do need to get some direction and more importantly stick to it.
     
    2mm Scale on RMWeb continues to grow and now there are some VERY interesting threads and blogs from prople with some great 2mm content, fingers crossed that in 2013 I do not continue to let the side down...
     
    Your thoughts and ideas on my waffling about would be very gratefully recieved....
     
    Missy.
  5. -missy-

    Im still going.....Just!

    By -missy-,

    Hello
     
    As the blog post says I am still managing to get some modelling done although the enthusiasm isnt what it should be.
     
    Firstly I had a great time at the St Albans show, which is now I think my 4th year there. I thoroughly enjoy myself there and thanks goes to David and the CMRA for inviting me once again. It was a great opportunity to meet up with friends once again plus also meet and chat to others so thank you to all those that took the time to come and say hello.
     
    As usual I didnt get that much modelling done at the show (but I never do!). I took the opportunity this year to have a go at my MkII version of City of Truro..
     



     
    I managed to get a little bit done at the show but decided to try and do a little more today to check out a few more bits of the design. Unfortunately there are still a few errors and design improvements needed (it is my first ever engine!) so there will be a MkIII, the good thing though is that this time I got further than the MkI version!
     
    Secondly, those of you that saw me may of noticed my yard crane, the majority of it is built now...
     



     



     
    I now have to build the hook and pulley (as I lost the first one) and paint both of them. I will then assemble the whole thing together as I dont want to paint the chain I will be using. All I can say is thankfully I have two etches done!
     
    Missy
  6. -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
  7. -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
     
     
  8. -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
  9. -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
  10. -missy-

    More Virtual Stuff

    By -missy-,

    Hello
     
    Ever since the social gathering that was the RMWeb meet my modelling has once again turned to some more virtual modelling in a desperate attempt to get some projects finished off.
     
    Here are a few sneeky pictures of what I have been working on....
     

     

     

     
    More details (of course) at http://modelopolis.blogspot.co.uk/
     
    Missy
     
  11. -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/)
  12. -missy-
    Hello.
     
    A while ago now I was lucky enough to end up on a 4 day 3D drawing training course courtesy of work. Not wanting to waste my new skills I also managed to get a copy of the software here at home so I could chip away at some bits and pieces for various things and projects...
     

     

     

     
    Now I know my modelling is more than a bit disjointed and I apologise but I do seem to be getting easily distracted lately. I guess its something to do with a rather large amount of point rodding stools to solder together in the near future for Highclere! As per usual all this stuff is very much 'work in progress' eventually ending up on some 3D printer somewhere...
     
    Missy
  13. -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
  14. -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
  15. -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
  16. -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
  17. -missy-

    Fiddling About

    By -missy-,

    Hello.
     
    I like fiddleyards. I like the form and function of them, the way they are designed and built with no scenery in mind, just to do a job and nothing else. The way they are (usually) as simple as possible, just enough to do the job they have to do and nothing more.
     
    Well, thats my thoughts. I know that some fiddleyards are, in what I feel far too over complicated and why? As I mentioned above they are there to do a job, to hold trains ready for displaying on the scenic part of the layout.
     
    Progress on Highclere is still moving at a snails pace. The fact that my mind has been elsewhere recently hasnt really helped the situation, but spurred on by the impending Abingdon Exhibition (4th March, White Hourse Tennis and Leisure Centre, Abingdon) where Highclere will make its next appearance (along with Witney Euston), I am determined to get the fiddle yard ready in time.
     

     

     
    The solitary wagon has been pressed into service as a test vehicle for the trackwork on the rear cassette board. The aluminium angle in the foreground is used for the cassettes to slot into. I have added some Beryllium Copper contacts to each side to aid electrical contact which will be electrically fed directly from the bus bars underneath the layout (hence the eyelets but no wires yet!) I have had a bit of trouble getting all the track and cassette heights correct but with the help of some plasticard shims everything now slots together nicely.
     
    EDIT:
     
    Here is a plan of one end of the fiddleyard, the opposite end is identical (but just a mirror image)
     

     
    Missy
  18. -missy-

    Missys New Year Quiz

    By -missy-,

    Hello
     
    This post was meant to be published over the Christmas Break but with RMWeb taking a short break plus other things I have only just managed to get it done! I hope it was worth the wait!
     
    OK, just before Christmas I had some unexpected time off work so as I was stuck at home I decided to have another go at some trees so my good friend Gina and myself sat down and made a few more. Now one of my goals for Highclere is that the trees on the layout are reconisable, so to test this out I have created a little quiz / test to see if it works! Now I know what the trees are meant to be but can you folks reconise them from the photos below? Let me know what trees you think they are...(Trees 1 to 5)...
     
    1.

    2.

    3.

    4.

    5.

    (Thank you Andy for helping with this one!)
     
    The trees are made using the age old method of twisting wire together to form the shape, the only difference I do is to solder the wires together once formed to strengthen them a little. The tree is then sprayed with aersols ('cos i am lazy!), covered lightly in Woodland Scenics Polyfibre, then with Gaugemaster Leaves (thanks to Lee m22 on his layout thread Hares Run for the tip-off), all held together with copious amounts of hairspray! The leaves I feel give a wonderful effect as shown below...
     

     
    Finally I got a SR Brakevan etched kit for Christmas and I couldnt bear it ending up in my gloat box with all the other kits so I built it!
     

     
    Thank you Andy
     
    Missy
  19. -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
  20. -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
  21. -missy-

    Time for a recap...

    By -missy-,

    Hello
     
    This seems like an ideal time to look back at the progress on Highclere. Im sure everyone is familiar with the layout by now so I wont bore anyone with the reasons why, what it is, etc, etc.. Anyway here is where I am...
     

     
    The layout on the whole is comming together slowly. All the major bits and pieces are there and done and now its time to look at some of the fiddly detail bits (the bits I like) I still have the backscene to do which is scaring me right now plus another bit I really need to look at sometime soon is the rest of the boards for the fiddle yard and stuff.
     

     
    I have figured out how to do the grass type stuff. Its a mixture of static fibres applied with one of the 'fly-swat grass' machines. After a bit of tweaking with a paint brush I am happy with the results (plus it feels great too!) There is plenty more to stick down though which I am looking forward to
     


     
    The buildings are comming along well although as with everything else are taking a long time to do. I am happy with how they look so far and have figured out a way to do them with a handy laser cutter. I still have the goods shed, platform waiting shelter, cattle dock, and a little lineside hut to do.
     

     
    The electrics still need a bit of work. Its not one of my strong points and as yet nothing has actually worked on the layout! This is something I NEED to get sorted soon. Who knows, the whole thing might not ever work! Trying to make everything light up and work doesnt help either, it just adds to the wiring.
     


     
    Fiddly bits, these are the bits I enjoy doing. I really do like a challenge and luckily there are more to do. Now if I can just figure out how to do ground signals....
     


     
    Rolling stock is also comming along well. As this stuff cannot be bought from a shop I am not getting a huge collection of stuff. I have one or two more tank wagons to go to get a Fawley tank train (plus a 9F kit too!). I enjoy building this stuff, its what I did before Highclere came along.
     

     
    So there you have it! I think I have come a fair way in the past couple of years but I am more than aware that its not going to finished anytime soon but one thing for sure is I am really really enjoying making Highclere so watch out for more posts soon
     
    Missy
     
     
     
  22. -missy-
    Hello.
     
    Well as the title says I have been busy trying to resurrect my modelling mogo and I have found the solution at the moment with etching stuff. For years I had a mental barrier regarding etching and how to draw things for etching. This fortunately has recently been lifted with the help of talking to others and trying out various things in Acad and the first results have arrived back from the etchers today.
     
    I was racking my brains as to something which I could use as a trial to see if my theory about etching worked and it came in the form of a Nn3 V tipper wagon. The first 'prototype' chassis was drawn up and passed onto Pixie of RMWeb and 2mm fame who helped me out and came back a few weeks later. This to my surprise worked out fine and went together fine so my attention then turned to tweaking the first design (to make the chassis a little smaller) and then onto designing a V tipper to fit the chassis. This time I decided to go it alone and I then fitted several chassis and tipper bodies onto a sheet which was then sent off to the etchers. As I mentioned above these came back today...
     

     
    I couldnt resist putting one together, if anything to see if the wagon actually worked so with the help of Andy H (again of RMWeb and 2mm fame) one was soldered together, the results are shown below alongside my NN3 diesel for scale...
     

     

     
    It works! This is quite a milestone for me as its something I wanted to figure out for ages and was cause for a little mini celebration! Along with the wagon I had a little bit of room left on the sheet so I added a little gearbox which I have been working on for a future project...
     

     
    If this fits together well it should give me a final gear ratio of 138:1 and should easily be adaptable to fit several engines.
     
    There is loads more I am working on, hopefully each time tweaking my etching skills......As the saying goes, watch this space....
     
    Missy
  23. -missy-
    Hello
     
    OK, so its been ageess and aggeess since my last post and I apologise. It does seem to be normal now for me to stop modelling for a month or so around this time of the year and this year has been no real exception. I havent totally stopped but there hasnt really been anything worth posting recently. I know things will return to normal at some point though.
     
    One thing that hasnt helped is being without any broadband here at home. For some reason my original ISP decided to cut my broadband connection a couple of days after I asked for my MAC code! but now I have a shiny and new BT connection...
     
    Anyway, as I mentioned above there isnt really anything that warrants a post on its own in the way of modelling but there are a couple of things I will mention...
     
    Firstly I have done a little more on Elvis the railcar. I have been slowly working through the bogies for the railcar and have managed to rewheel it to 2mm standards by making my own axles with pinpoint ends to keep the original electrical pickups. I have now moved onto fitting the sideframes but I havent quite figured out how to do it yet! Its certianly making me think for sure...
     

     
    Secondly I have been dabbling once again with etching and thanks to Pixie I got a prototype narrow gauge chassis etched. I designed it to be soldered together from four layers to reproduce the 'I' beam section which also allows some pockets on each end for couplings. The wheels are held in place with 2mm SA pinpoint bearings and the whole thing went together really well without any problems. I have now tweaked the design a little to make the chassis as small as possible and I hopefully will be getting some more etched soon.
     

     
    Missy
  24. -missy-

    Dedication...

    By -missy-,

    Hello.
     
    Apologies if I havent posted anything for a bit. To be honest I havent really been concentrating on toy trains for a bit and my attention has been other things...
     
    Highclere is quite a big layout. Not very large compared to some other layouts around but for my little BMW it was too large and meant I had to make several trips if I ever wanted to take it anywhere. For about a year now I have had an idea in my head on getting something a little larger which I could fit the whole layout into and maybe even possibly sleeping in if I ever needed to. Today was a little milestone for me as I picked up this....
     

     
    The plan is to convert it into a mini camper but that will happen in time. For now the worst bit is over and finally I can carry the layout around without any trouble.
     
    Is this dedication to the hobby? I dont know...
     
    Missy
  25. -missy-
    Hello
     
    Its been while since my last post (and that wasnt even about railways!) so a post was due really. I always seem to end up having a modelling lull around this time of the year, after all its holiday season but even without any holidays on the horizon I still end up not doing alot! Anyway here is what I have been upto since my last post....
     

     
    Firstly I have been making a few bits, there isnt any fantastic progress to report but there has been some progress. After the toad brake van I moved onto making some more signals on Wednesday and Friday evenings at the MRC in Abingdon and the progress is shown above. On the left are the two fixed distant signals I need at each end of Highclere and the three to the right are the beginnings of more starter signals I also need.
     

     
    Secondly today I popped into Didcot Railway Centre to see the Railmotor (finally!). All I can say is that is amazing, the finest bits of engineering / restoration I have ever seen.
     
    Finally I couldnt really add a post on what I have been upto without mentioning the van. I have spent quite a bit of time working away on the interior to try and 'tidy it up a little'. Before and after photos below for those who are interested...
     

    BEFORE
     

    AFTER
     
    Missy
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