Royal42

Thanks Mark, but where is the best value (cheapest) outlet for those Finetrax?

Mike

15 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

 Scalescenes is a downloadable thing isn't it?

Yes, downloadable which is advantageous to me with my shaky hands and watery eyes.   If I buy a card kit then I get one kit.  If I ruin it whilst cutting, glueing or painting, then I don't have a kit.  With the downloadables, if I ruin the build then I just print another one.  Similarly, I want a row of bridges, stanchions or shops etc., I just keep printing them off. 

Works for me.

Mike the septuagenarian

2 hours ago, Nick Holliday said:

........... I would suggest trying a free programme called BrickArch

Do you have a link for this software?  I did a google but came up with and actual brick building company.

Mike

Thanks Nick and Darius, that's very helpful and informative.  I shall give the stretching a try, plus have a look at BrickArch.

cheers,
Mike

Hello Andy,

please disregard the journals in my request please.  I have chatted with Damian via PM and explained to him that I am a complete newbie to model railways.  As such, I am not even certain any of the books will have any references to what I would be looking for; therefore, Damian should get the journals as he is more likely to know what is in the contents.

I am building my very first simple baseboard of a small section of Birmingham New Street station; hence my request for Midland Railway stuff and basic layout pamphlets etc.

cheers,
Mike

Hi Andy,

as Damo has also asked for the Model Railway Journal, could you replace my requested list with the Midland Railway Society's newsletters?

cheers,
Mike

Hello again Andy,

I don't know what has happened in my post to you but I seem to have picked up your latest images.  I don't want those, only the ones in my list please.  I don't know what happened there.

cheers,
Mike

Hello Andy,

I would appreciate getting the Midlands stuff please:

- Midland Steam

- Midland rail extension

- Midland line

- West Midlands

- Midland Album

- The London and Birmingham

plus the following please

- Civil Engineering

- Laying the tracks

- Building the baseboard

cheers,

Mike

Hi Phil,

Most people are still answering my original request, which has now been resolved by obtaining Inkjet Fixative.  It is a varnish that secures the ink from running or fading etc.

As to a fixative for sticking your printed sheets to a backing surface, I find that a general glue stick; such as Pritt Glue Stick, works fine.  I've used Pritt to glue the Scalescene sheets to paper, card, balsa wood and plastic; and its convenient to use.

cheers,
Mike

Hi Don,

I am finding your information useful also, thanks.  I plan to invest in some of these jigs for may future project, which will probably be all 2mm components.

In the interim, whilst I am working on my basic layout, I am going to need more track and the 'shapeable' tracks appear to be the easiest and, hopefully, cheapest for my current needs. 

Question for all:  where does one go to get the best value in purchasing flexible type track pieces?

cheers,
Mike

I have three tunnels to build for my 2mm/N Gauge diorama and one of them is proving difficult to identify what type to construct. 

This view shows a large iron bridge tunnel on the left, a single track, with turnout, arched tunnel in the centre and a girder bridge on the right.  I am struggling to identify the design of the arched tunnel in the centre.  I am not even sure whether it is a single or two road tunnel.

The track is single but splits on entering the arched tunnel.   I don't think the tunnel facade crosses the tracks at right angles; also, I'm not sure how to define it for building.

The small platform, above and left of the tunnel entrance, plus the signals, are complicating my view and I could do with help on any clues or advice please.

I have been buying Scalescenes card models for my diorama but this shape doesn't seem to match anything available.

cheers,

Mike

Anycubic stock is sent to distribution centres from China.  The centre for the UK is based in Germany and it will depend if they have all the items in stock.  It sounds like they were out of stock on your last item; therefore, waiting resupply from China.  This happened to me when I bought mine, yours will arrive eventually.

Mike

12 hours ago, Donw said:

........ I was looking at the walls alongside the pavements where  the danger would be a road vehicle crashing through and should it be a passenger train there would be concerns about the risks to passengers. They may be thicker if say there was a platform right underneath. Note too the one Andy shows has no piers therefore needs to be thicker, the ones I was looking at in your post had lots of piers which are used to strengthen walls. If you can see the caping on the walls 9inch walls would usually have a 12 inch wide caping and 18 inch wall would have a 21inch or 2ft caping.  Note two in a lot of cases there is a wider bit at the top of a wall  to add extra strength so a 9inch wall might have two top courses of 13.5 inches (that allows the thicker section to overhang by half a brick) there may be a thicker number of courses at the base too. Sometimes with the piers and the thicker courses top and bottom the 9inch bit looks like an inset panel.

Don

Although a much earlier photo, taken before Finlay's tobacco kiosk was built immediately to the right of the criss-cross hoarding, this angle gives a better view of the parapets.

This close in view gives the impression that there are two thicknesses of parapets?

Those three tunnels are going to be a real challenge.  The right tunnel appears to have girder over, then wall above and topped with a parapet wall.

This 1938 view shows the tobacco kiosk in position next to the criss-cross hoarding.  The large pier, under the hoarding, looks to be too piers that become joined.  The main part supporting the girder bridge to the right and the other supporting the brick tunnel.  

I think I read somewhere that the iron bridge on the left was one of the longest on the railway.

I'm gonna need a bigger supply of plasticard!

cheers,

Mike

Looks like most of the plastic aircraft and ship kits have gone and the new owners have shifted back to full rail modelling stock.

Mike

Hi Andy,

now I'm in a quandary as Don has quoted 9 inches?

Yes, I saw Jim's P4 setup but, as you say, it is after the rebuild and a lot had changed by then.  Platforms and roads were dug up and rebuilt in different locations, plus the bridges were widened, raised and/or rebuilt so not much to match the setting that I am doing. 

cheers,
Mike

1 hour ago, Donw said:

Brick walls tend to be 9 inch thick with piers twice that.

Hello Don,

thanks for this.  9 inches works out to about 1.5mm so now I have something to work to when cutting the pieces.  I'm still googling like crazy, about all the naming conventions for railway stuff, and found out that a road wall over a retaining wall is actually called a parapet.  Getting there.........  slowly!

Mike

4 minutes ago, Klaus ojo said:

Mike,

your project really does impress me.

As you have ordered a Black 5 kit  as well: Are you sure you do not want to build it working, at least a part of it?

1 or 2 rails through? Appetite is growing with eating...

 

You certainly already have watched various tutorial videos for building turnouts, havent you?

Being a newbie I found this helpful: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ1I9wWJ3c8

It´s for soldering and many things won´t apply to you using Easitrac and you do not need it functional. 

Interesting is the approach to begin at one edge and adding one piece after the other , filing, fitting, soldering until the track gauge fits and the bogie runs (So possibly build a long bogie as well. When the bogie will run, the track hopefully looks good as well)

For the parts where the Easitrac does not fit: glue or solder to PCB cosmetically?

Thanks to all the others for their advice, it will help me as well...

 

Please further share some photos!

cheers

Klaus 

 

Hello Klaus,

I fear that I have opened up a hatchway and entered into a pathway which has no end.  I started out just wanting to do a little diorama of the station I used to go train spotting; however, after reading lots of stuff on N gauge and 2mm, I now have a desire to make a working layout.    

I still don't really know what I am talking about but members on here are so helpful that I feel I need to go with the flow.  I shall continue with my little diorama for a couple of reasons:  first, it will hopefully help me through my learning curve and; secondly, allow time for me to build up funds for real, working track and items to run on them.   I have joined the 2mm Association, although perhaps I shouldn't have; seeing all those lovely items they have for sale!

cheers,
Mike

Hello Crepello,

I am just starting out on model railways and am looking for some locos and coaches etc.   Your offer of loco bodies and other items would be really useful for me and I would be grateful to obtain those pieces please.  I shall be making an N gauge/2mm setup.  I have sent a pm.

cheers,
Mike

Hello all,

I have another query, this time about road walls over and adjoining railways.  This photo shows fairly thick walls that sit on retaining walls of the railway and I suspect that it might be approx. 18 inches thick.  My query is how thick are these road walls generally?  I am about to build this section and knowing the dimensions would be of great use.

note the wall appears to be built  in sections and the tops are stepped as they proceed down the incline of the road.

Here is a view from the other side, showing the retaining wall and the road wall over. The bus is in the same postion in both views.

Also, I have found descriptive notes on retaining walls and buttresses etc., but nothing on the road walls built upon them.  Is there a go to site for articles on such structures?

cheers,
Mike

Thanks Adrian,

I bought some Inkjet Fixative, as mentioned by Traction Ian, and it seems to work quite well.

cheers,
Mike

1 hour ago, Donw said:

........... I would suggest ths shopping list

1-006  Code 40 Bullhead NS rail

1-025  PCB timber strip

1-160 or 1-161  Easitrac  Sleepers 8ft6in bullhead rail

1-208 planning jig 1:8 crossing

1-213  assembly jib 1:8 crossing

1-250  2 off   track gauge

1-313  1:8 turnout plan   

For pegged chair kits I would try 1-409 or 1-410

Hi Don,

that looks to be a fair listing and I shall give that serious consideration.  I say that because, having now realised that I haven't learned much from the "Track - how it works book", I have decided to hold off my order until I have read and absorbed more from this book.  As such, instead I have ordered  the etch set for a Black 5 body and chassis kit and will need to wait until next month to purchase the track.

Whilst I am waiting for that etch to arrive, I shall start assembling some Scalescenes models for my diorama.  These consist of retaining walls, low relief arches and inspection pits.

1 hour ago, Armchair Modeller said:

....I would imagine that very little of the standard 2mm turnout kits could be used, to be honest. Most of it looks very non-standard with slips, 3-way interlaced  turnouts, curved diamond crossings and curved turnouts to a variety of sizes. Getting someone to draw it in Templot would probably be the only way to get a realistic idea of what you actually need IMHO.

Ha ha!  you might as well be talking a foreign language with those names and I shall have to dig out a glossary.  I am subscribed to Old-maps.co.uk and use them regularly for other projects.  Coincidentally, I started my model with that very plan

but someone stated that it was missing essential detail and salient points and, so, I changed to the map in my earlier post.

I always tend to trust OS maps, probably from my military days, I was persuaded this time to go by their advice.

cheers,
Mike

I bought that book recently; however, it is still rocket science to me.  I know that some members on here can look at a map, such as the one I posted, and say "Ah!  that left turnout is an xx, and the middle one is a yy" or something like that.

I will get to grips with the subject of turnouts over time but I could do with buying some items now, to practice with, just not the wrong items.

cheers,
Mike

Hello Don and Ian,

With regards to my working knowledge on railway modelling, out of a scale up to 10, I would put myself between -1 and +1 but I am enthusiastic to learn and apply any information I glean from members.  My diorama is a non-working scratchbuild of the western end of New Street Station, the enclosed area with the turntable.  I normally like to scratchbuild aircraft and ship models; however, if I am successful with this small 2ft 6in x 1ft 8in diorama then I might move on to building the whole station which would be approx 8ft wide.  Lots, and lots, to learn about railways before then though.

thank you for the explanations, they have helped a lot.  Just one point, I was looking for information pre-1964 and not that year itself.  My diorama period will be 1950 to 1963, after that the station was virtually rebuilt, with some platforms and roads being demolished and new ones laid re-routed etc.

The info about the wheels being generic suits me fine, I am scratchbuilding the layout plus as much of the loco's and rolling stock as I can.  The prices for N gauge locomotives are way beyond my pension and so I shall have to scratchbuild them.  I have a 3D UV resin printer and can make some basic bodies; however, the wheels would be a problem hence wanting to buy ready made.

Thanks for the advice on the sleepers, it would appear that I need 8ft 6in Bullhead sleepers.  I shall order those.   The turnout arcs/types still baffle me and that is a major cause of concern.  I don't want to buy a set of points/turnout only to find it doesn't fit and ends up on a shelf.

Thanks again,

Mike

Hello all, I am in need of advice please.  I am about to order a turnout set, plus some bullhead sleepers and loco wheels, for my Birmingham New Street diorama.  My problem is that I do not understand how to identify the components of what I need.  Can anyone help with these queries?

a.   there appears to be two sizes of sleepers, 8ft 6in and 9ft 0in, which size would I need for the ex-LMS/LNWR up to 1964?

b.  Looking at the available locomotive wheels available, Mk.4 and Mk.5 etc., how can I identify what locos they would fit?

c.  how can I identify and work out what radius turnout I need?  The turnouts on my layout appear to be fairly gentle but that isn't a recognised term when ordering these.  Any advice here please?

The items I want to buy will be my first test/taster to building the rest of this layout and so would like to order the correct bits.

cheers,

Mike

Thanks all,  I checked out the Scalescenes inspection pit and found that it is currently a free download, therefore I have printed it and will see how it fits on the layout.

Here is how the setup looks at the moment.  It is non-working so it won't be a problem that the tracks are old and some broken.

I am just making up the sides with paper and balsa sheet in order to match the scale heights of the surrounding roads and junctions.

cheers,
Mike