ianLMS

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, i meant Lanarkshire models. I just ordered some more and different gauge wire to try out. Working on the body but will be slow progress due to life getting in the way lol!!!

This shop on ebay sells thin strips of brass of varying widths and thicknesses. I purchased 1, 1.5 and 2mm and arrived quickly. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114940302879?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=c3QB29bTQJW&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=h-I8RE2kQg-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY Ian

I would file the edge flush with the tank top, solder a length of 0.5mm square brass section and on top, overlay a strip of thin 0.7 wide brass strip to create the lip or use .45 or 0.3 wire soldered to the edge of the square and filed. I used round rod on my 4mm tender sides and have used Alan Gibson brass boiler bands for a top edge. Hooe you fully recover from Covid!!! Ian

Just returned home after a superb first time at the Missenden Modellers weekend. It was a great weekend at an lovely venue, top notch food, excellent tutors and very welcoming and friendly fellow modellers. I joined the 4mm loco construction group and Tony Gee was out tutor who was always on hand to help anybody with their question or challenge! My project was an Alan Gibson Long Firebox Jubilee. I managed to get most of the chassis complete, just the motion gear left to do and reverse the motor and gearbox as it wont fit in the boiler as i thought it would!! I cut out the space for the hornblocks, and much to our suprise, the Brassmasters slim hornblocks mated with the chassis perfectly without the need for any guides. Zero slop as well and a nice smooth flow. CSB is a bit of an experiment. I had some Lanarkshire Models (not MJT as previously mentioned) CSB mounts and wire and thought i would give it a try. We marked out the holes 1.5mm above the height of the hornblock and in the centre bettwen the axles and an equal distance beyond the end ones. I used shoulderless handrail knobs shortened and soldered onto the hornblocks and thread the CSB wires through. It seems to work but wont really know until i have the chassis fully working with the weight and body added. Will show more detail and update as i complete the build. Thank you to everyone at Missenden and if you havent been before, i highly recommend it!! Ian

I cant say thank you enough to the Missenden team who helped and guided us for the weekend. I was in the 4mm construction group and it was a great weekend. Excellent food, venue, expert tutors and attendees. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly and i hope to get the chance to go again!! Managed to construct most of a rolling chassis for an Alan Gibson Jubilee with a version of CSB thanks to Tony!!

Tony Wright also stars in the Right Track DVD series and one of them covers building loco kits. DVDs still out there on ebay now and again. Also look up loco building on You-tube. A couple of very good tutorials available. https://youtu.be/wvv_HZn6yvg is one series i found useful. Failing that, keep an eye out for the Missenden modelling weekends at Missenden Abbey. I am going to attend the one for 4mm loco kitbuilding tomorrow so can give an update on how i get on next week.

Agreed which is why a set of drawings is useful to check the parts against. Assuming the drawings are accurate as well though!! The pic below shows the difference between the drawing, the Mainline and Comet cyclinders.

I use Peco oil for my axles, bearings and motion gear. BTW - POL related - what grease is recommended for plastic and/or metal gears? I picked up a tub of clear "silicon" grease from a show years ago which is a little lighter than the consistency of Vicks nasal decongestant but im not sure if its the right type to use. Applied with a cocktail stick i'm not sure if it flungs off, thins down quick or does the job it should!! Thanks. Ian

I give mine a good scrub a steel/brass brush, then clean with Astonish kitchen spray and a toothbrush.l followed by a good rinse under a warm tap, then left to dry for a day. I used Halfords etching primer followed by a red primer if spraying Crimson, or straight on with a black top coat, usually via an airbrush. I now have Pheonix precision 2-part etching primer to try.

Just ordered a couple of MX623s from You Choose. Added to the 3 MX630s i bought I should have enough to keep me going for a little while.

Great news!! Will keep an eye out for equivelant MN decoders!

Cheers for that. Will take a look at Lenz and see what they offer and their availability. I am not interested in sound and certainly cant afford the MS ones!

I wonder if Zimo are focusing efforts on their new MS range leaving no production space for the non-sound MX decoders. You Choose imply that the MS range will eventually replace the MX range which makes sense why MXs arent in stock anywhere and no sign of replenishments. I just got 3 MX630s but i like MX623s for kits as they are slightly smaller. MS chips are more expensive so may have to start looking at alternative chips to Zimo. Any recommendations?

Providing adjoining sections of track have a power supply already, and you feed the switch with its own power, you dont need to join them. Just make sure the gap isnt too big and rails are lined up nicely before sticking down.

The Comet underframe might fit as a single peice within fhe aluminium floor if you trim off the etched solebars, and you have everything correctly positioned and just need to fold up the trusses. Look forward to seeing the build! Ian

The best reference is the Historic Carriage Drawings Vol 2 by David Jenkinson. I have added pics of the relevant pages. Instructions are basic at best. I used a Comet underframe attached to the floor of the BSL coach. Made it much easier to attach bogeys, underframe detail and the trusses are pre-made.

I use a 3-way terminal block as shown by Dagworth adjacent ti each point motor. For the black, one wire in, 2 out. The second black goes to the next point and so on. The other is twist the 5 wires together and into a terminal block with the one wire from the HM2000. Failing that, use a single bus wire from the controller, and feed it around the layout running near each point motor and take a feed wire off the bus and join it to the black wire for each motor. Another option is to solder all 6 black wires to a piece of copper or brass or use a tag/brass screw/brass washer. Alternatives: https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/news/connecting-multiple-wires.html

I have made a few of these and will take a couple of pics for you tomorrow. I may even have instructions. I asked the same question about the bogeys and i got plenty of help from RMWeb. I soldered the bogies using low melt solder, but the aluminium body was glued together with evo-stick instant followed by epoxy 2-part. I found it easier to prime and paint the sides and ends seperately before assembly, then add the windows which were microscope slide covers (but the clear plastic works ok as well). Add interior, then finish off with the roof, again, primed and painted before glueing. Phoenix (BSL) LMS coach builds

You send the black wire out to the first point motor from the power source. Then connect the other point motors in a chain. The reds and greens from each motor go back to your module.

I have a similar Yihua version and the hot air gun comes in handy for heatshrink, soldering low melt solder and desoldering kits, especially white metal. Also handy for melting epoxy glue to break apart cheap kit built locos off ebay!!

Tested the new DJH worm against the HL one and its definately smaller and works nicely with my Mashima motor i will pair it with.

One completed Mainline Jubilee. Lining are Fox for the loco and a poor job by hand using a bow pen on the tender. Numbering is Modelmaster decals on the loco and Fox letters on the tender. Much prefer the Fox ones as there is no film to worry about. Windows are microscope slide covers suitably cut and filed to shape with diamond files. I lost one of the original safety valves so had to use a pair of hex ones from my spares tub. All finished off with a spray of Alclad II matt varnish.

Thanks for the reply John. I got an email from DJH who found a worm drive and i duly paid the £15 they wanted for it. It arrived today so have yet to test it or compare it to a HL one. It does look very similar to the HL one though!

No pics yet but i have been lining and numbering the loco while i wait for the nameplate to arrive from Fox. I added in a small section of brass tube inside the cylinder casing which helps hold the cylinders in place with the screw.

I use the dcc concepts rolling road and they are excellent. I have a section of test track on the bench wired for both DCC and analogue and these are great for running in and testing.