ianLMS

To be honest, the only real supply and demand issue I have seen is with High Level Kits and Markits struggling to get re-supplied. One of the most important attributes you need in the hobby is patience. So, waiting a few weeks or months for that gadget, part, latest rolling stock item or bit of scenery isn't really the end of the world. There are so many other jobs I can be getting on with to do with building kits, layout improvements, refreshing the scenery, cleaning the layout/track, etc that the delay caused by a waiting for a few components isnt that much of an issue. Retailers need us to spend money more than ever right now. They are struggling so much that many may not survive. I already buy a lot secondhand, but I also do visit my local model shop and spend a few quid as and when I can. I say we need to support them, order those items we want and be patient! The planets, moon and stars will all align one day and everything will come right again. Ian

Looks very good! Did you submerge the coupling rod or just paint on the liquid? Has it been buffed at all, or did you need to rub down the rod with an emery stick or glass fibre pencil at all before or after applying it? Ian

I have just purchased a few sheets of Slaters stone variety plasticard and the sheets seem no different the the ones i bought years ago so it may be isolated to a particular sheet type or batch.

Very nice buildings there John!! Very impressive and look way more realistic than mine!! I have just built the Lcut Lattice footbridge which i am quite pleased with. I have built quite a few Scalescenes kits and used their textures, but the next batch are at the front of the layout and i do like a bit of relief!!!

Not tried this before, so just an idea! maybe you could take the sheet of Wills and get one of those resin mould kits. I think you could press it into the latex to form the mould, and then pour in plaster/resin to a suitable thickness for strength. That could then provide an endless supply of matching castings?

For the station building, I ended up scratchbuilding one using Slaters plasticard over a card shell. Building previous Scalescenes kit really helped me understand how to construct one and his kits were invaluable in building up my confidence. It worked, but I am sure John would have come up with a much better kit design, with colour matched stonework etc. I am building a generic station master's house but using the Lock Keepers Cottage kit as a basis as its the only detached house Scalescenes do and it might just work. I am cladding it with Slaters plasticard to match the station. I still think there is potential in developing a range like this suitable for most modelers who model the S&C or Midland region. Likewise for GWR/LNER/Southern who all had their own designs.

My wish is for buildings and structures based on the Settle and Carlise. Midland type stations, platform buildings, station masters house, stone walls, signal boxes, engine and goods sheds etc. I know Hornby made the resin version and Metcalfe do versions but they are either expensive or not on the same level as Scalescenes kits. Drawings are readily available and most buildings/structures still survive so colour matching might not be so much of a challenge.

Options that i know of are Sharpie type marker pen, blackening liquid or painting. I use blackening liquid (Birchwood Casey Brass Black) "Birchwood Casey Brass Black 29057152258 | eBay" https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Birchwood-Casey-Brass-Black-/154428669564?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338268676&toolid=10044&customid=Cj0KCQjw8IaGBhCHARIsAGIRRYqHJ6AMz31oLae5tMFNHbYPG0cwmkaIpElXh70o6D7vx0FxOxCLOQAaAqGKEALw_wcB

For the valve gear, the fine brass "lace" pins I use come from the model ship building websites, 7mm or 10mm length. I think even Amazon sell them and they are definitely on Ebay. I also like the gold plated pins which DCC Concepts use with their point rodding kit. Perfect for the job. The paper washer method as used by Mr Wright on his video is exactly how I do it. I prefer High Level Gearboxes and their new Coreless motors are very good as well. I see used Portescap motors fetch upwards of £60 on Ebay now. I am looking at trying the DJH motor/Gearbox combo as recommended and used by Mr Wright in all his kit builds.

I either glue a block of lego between the frames to stop the motor dropping, and/or a short peice of brass rod across the frames adjacent to the gearbox to stop it going the other way.

Have you tried Wizard? Or SE Finecast? They may have something suitable.

Not sure if this will help, but here are a couple of photos of the Bachmann split chassis Jubilee i converted. I highly recommend the Peco booklet covering the fitting of DCC decoders. It really shows and explains what you need to do in order to isolate the motor from the chassis. I dont have it to hand but they are cheap to buy https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-Peco-Shows-You-How-DCC-Decoder-Installation-NO-20-/261546912508?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

Hi John. Will see what i can do later ref the pics. If you can, it would be best to remove a chunk off the front of the chassis block for the decoder, however, i didn't have the right tools to do that so in the end fed the wires back to the tender and fitted the chip in there. I now prefer to use Zimo decoders where possible. A bit larger but seem to work better in my kit builds.

I would say woodland scenic would be thicker and uses better quality fibres bit i havent seen it in the flesh so cant comment. The light colour was the original short fibres around 1-2mm long. The paper backing is quite thick so it doesnt form to sharp small contours without it creasing but good enough for a flattish surfaces as a starting point. With a few lumps underneath it will undulate quite nicely.

I used a Javis grass mat for the middle in-fill on my layout but i enhanced it by adding static grass and flock etc. I wanted to fill the access hole with something light and easily removable so i hinged one frame with the grass mat stretched over and a second lift out frame, again using the grass mat. Simple enough to fix down with a hot glue gun. You could airbrush different shades and add textures, or add static grass to patches.

Updated pics showing progress so far. Platform tops rubbed down, then added Woodland Scenics fine ballast. Looked a bit too coarse to topped off with some chinchilla sand from Amazon, glued down the same as ballast, then painted with watered down Wilko's Storm Cloud. Fencing is from Scale model scenery and definitely looks finer than the usual offering from Ratio.

DAS air drying clay is the stuff i used on my goods yard. It can be softened by water or pva to make it spread easier. I would use 3mm ply, hardboard etc to built up the gap between tracks so its level with the sleepers, then push das clay in between the gaps. Easily painted and weathered. Pva help stops the clay from cracking. I didnt clean the clay off the sleepers but its would be too difficult to wipe it off while its wet.

Hi Brian. Both parents grew up in Birmingham and my Dad was an avid steam train spotter. He's in his 80's now but helps out on a preserved line near where he lives now. No interest in modelling but his love of steam engines influenced my choice in hobby!

Although I may have been neglecting to update this page, I have however been busy updating part of my layout. A problem arose than few if any of my kit built loco's could navigate the tight radius curves through the station and into the tunnel to the fiddle yard. One fix was to remove all the flanges off the centre wheels or, extend the layout slightly and put in wider radius curves. I chose to re-build the end of the layout! Current status of re-build: Baseboard extended 24" (now 13' 6" x 8'), new track laid, ballasted and weathered, power feed connected, platforms built using 18mm ply, faced with plasticard stonework and styrene edging. Top of platform coated with Wilko's deep gap filler, Wilko's filler and PVA mix. Ready to rub down and weather accordingly. Gaps in the top coating are formed so I can bed in the station building salvaged from the previous location. New LMS lamps from Gaugemaster and LMS fencing from Scale Model Scenery are in the to-do box ready. This has also created space for more cottages/terraced housing as I am swapping the station building to the other platform (nearest camera)

Unfortunately, yes, I have committed myself to re-laying the track to create wider radius curves which will hopefully allow kit loco's to navigate a little easier. Current status of re-build: Baseboard extended 24", new track laid, ballasted and weathered, power feed connected, platforms build using 18mm ply, faces with plasticard stonework and styrene edging. Top of platform coated with Wilko's deep gap filler, Wilko's filler and PVA mix. Ready to rub down and weather accordingly. Gaps in the top coating are formed so I can bed in the station building salvaged from the previous location. New LMS lamps from Gaugemaster and fencing from Scale Model Scenery are in the to-do box ready. This has also created space for more cottages/terraced housing as I am swapping the station building to the other platform (nearest camera) Ian

I havent used Markits return cranks before but it appears they replace the crankpin on the drivers. You would need to ream out the hole on the couplin rods for a close fit. Use a 5 sided cutting broach and go very slowly. Too loose and it wont run properly. Too tight and it will bind. Looking on wiki, the Dreadnought had typical walschaerts valve gear. Several diagrams exist online to help show you how they go together. I personally recommend using Markits deluxe crankpins instead of the return crank and use Comet valve gear motion set possibly available from Wizard models.

I accidently purchased a set of P4 wheels for a 4F off Ebay. In the days when you could attend a show, I popped into the Alan Gibson stand and asked him if I could buy a set of OO gauge axles. He asked what for. Why do you need a set of axles?? I explained and he advised me that the P4 wheels are so fine that they simply would not be suitable for standard OO gauge track as the tolerances are too much and the wheels will drop all over the place when they negotiate the points etc. Good for him as I immediately purchased a set of OO gauge wheels there and then! Ian

Another area that can draw heat away is if you are using a metal "square" or block or surface to hold the items in place. They will suck the heat out and make it very difficult for the solder to flow. I put my iron on max (440 degrees), use 188 solder, 12% phosphoric acid flux, wooden block to hold it square and make sure i clean the brass well using a fibreglass brush first. For thick brass (0.8mm and above smoke box bands/boilers etc) i use my 80 watt iron with large chisel tip. For thinner brass such as wagon kits and fine etches i use my temp controlled iron.

Or leave the new rails isolated and apply a new power feed

Last months Railway Modeller has an article about constructing a waterfall using crystal clear sealant. I am sure u can get some which is UV resistant from a diy store. The article was by the lady from the Ch 5 model railway challenge show.