doilum

These days there a very few things that cause me to ponder the meaning of the tenth commandment. Finney kits are one of them.

One of my best resources is a timber scrap box. The time spent knocking up a simple jig is always rewarded. I would add to.my list good quality engineers set squares and rulers and an A4 sized piece of plate glass. And lollipop sticks. Great at saving burnt fingers.

1/16= roughly 3.5 inch gauge. Google for suppliers to this scale. If you can make the York show, there are usually one or two traders/demonstrators with finescale models in the larger gauges.

Kit building requires far less than scratch building. Some of the ancient kits demand some of the scratch builders tools and skills. Basic tools would start with Fibreglass brush / pencil / stick without which you will struggle to do any decent soldering. Small drills and a set of pinvices. Make sure the baby one is small enough for for the sub millimetre drills. Needle files. You can buy good ones, but lookout for cheap disposable sets. Small clamps and tweezers Assuming you have a suitable soldering iron ans flux, and the usual basic DIY tools, you should be able to tackle loco kits from the likes of Mercian, Judith Edge and Jim McGowan. Not sure about your preferred scale but hopefully this helps.

Have just stumbled upon a U Tube clip. Try Google for "coal and the war" a Pathe film. Note mixture of PO wagons

It would be very rare for coal wagons to find a return load. Most/all had clear return instructions painted on the side. presumably the colliery or merchant would be charged for this empty trip. A win win for the railway.

One or two of our larger local collieries had an incline to the landsale drops. Trains were restricted to two or three hopper wagons and the drops had as many cells each capable of taking a 10T lorry. By necessity, these were close to the main road and easily observed.

Coal was by far the biggest part of their revenue. Vested interest? I think Peter Tatlow explains it in his first book on LNER wagons.

A budget laminate works well. Easy to sweep each time you lose a 12ba nut or similar. Not so valuable that you cry over spilt flux or thinners. Mine has not fared too well at the castors of my ex computer chair now stool. But could easily be replaced. Might need a sound deadening underlay?

Just having some media lessons

In that case, look out for London Road Models and see if they have a demonstration RSU .

I have recently received a new 60W iron. This has a relatively small bit which heats up quickly but lacks the heat mass needed for larger jobs. Back to an old 80W Weller with a thumb sized bit.This is where the RSU scores. A massive on / off heat hit just where it is needed.

Each to their own methods. I err on the side of caution and will do the final fettelling with a needle file. I am blessed with a bespoke workshop. If I had to work on the kitchen table needle files would be first choice. The final trimming of the crank pins will be done with a piercing saw and fine file.

Spent most of this afternoon mounting the remains of an anglepoise lamp on the wall above the vice. First step to better photographs. Then finished tapping out the crankpin bushes to 10ba. I did 8 as my plan for the centre axle is to use two on each pin. The bushes need to be reduced in length. My solution is to mount the tapped bush on its screw in the pinvice. The coupling rod is held in the vice and the bush placed in its hole. The bush is reduced in length with the dremel until it is just showing proud. The bush will need a run through with the tap before use. Next are the wheels. First remove the slaters 12ba and run the 10ba from the rear. The tap is held in the pinvice and the wheel placed on a scrap noggin of 3x2 with a 6mm hole drilled in the centre. This helps to keep the tap vertical as it runs through. The steel screws have a tiny hexagonal head which require countersinking. I prefer to hold the drill in my fingers as the pain helps to prevent over enthusiasm. The steel screws will be trimmed once assembled and tested.

Fascinating read especially about the coal trade from the market destination perspective. As always a good photograph is priceless. My guess is that by 1945, the pool system would have redistributed the PO wagons making a train of faded singleton wagons the norm. This grants full modelers licence. To be accurate, the original livery needs to be on the correct wagon with regards to builder and design. Whilst you search for the Hudson collection, make a coffee and peruse the POWSIDES website for inspiration.

Since no one else has mentioned it. Have you considered an RSU. You still need a cheap iron to tin your work, but with a little practice cleaning up is a thing of the past. Not cheap at 200 quid, but divide that by the next twenty years......

In a world full of entrepreneurs looking for their next project, and dedicated enthusiasts often willing to subsidize a model to meet their needs, the fact that noone has launched a new plastic loco kit in decades explains itself. Now we are back on track, can I repeat my original question, which prototype would you like,, or think might sell in numbers.

PM? Personal Message?Pardon my technical ignorance, but how do I access?

Can confirm the tapping of slaters crankpins. For those new to this, I chose to mount the tap in the vice and grip the bush in a pinvice. The trick is to gently rotate clockwise until you feel it biting and then back off. This 2 twist forward and one twist back is repeated a couple of times. Then unwind completely and clean the swarf from the tap. Now replace the bush and repeat until you break through. A drop of light oil or washing up liquid helps. Once done check your work by carefully threading onto a 10ba bolt, or to be engineering pedantic, screw.

thanks for that tip. Will give it a try.

This tablet is particularly poor. Previous one was quite good. Need to sort out which daughter last had the good camera last. Sadly, I lost interest in photography when it went digital. Need to learn some new skills.

The photos show the lack of alignment. This only became apparent when trying to introduce the valve stem and radius bar. The valve stem was far too tight in its guide. Careful use of the dremel opened the guide until it was "waffer" thin. More careful filing almost removed the rivet head on the joint with the combination lever. This did not solve the hole in the casting. Tight and off centre, the thought of redrilling it triggered all my alarm bells. At best it would destroy another drill, or explode and scatter itself around the room. At worst, I could spend the rest of the day in A&E having it extracted from my face. Drastic action needed. First, find a way of securing the patient to the bench. A short length of scrap rail and a pair of crocodile clips did the job. Now for some open heart surgery. I had found some brass tube that was an easy fit on the valve guide and cut a deep channel in the top of the casting to put the tube into the correct place. The tube was soldered with normal high melt solder so that it wouldn't move when I close up the wound with low melt solder. The tube was left long to help with alignment and secure the work in the vice. Now, with all the linkages in place, the valve guide casting could be replaced correctly. Tomorrow I will tackle the other side.

Next installment from the tablet of trouble. Whilst I await a 1.2mm drill to tap the crankpin bushes 10ba,I returned to the valve gear itself. Being currently without an RSU, I have been rediscovering that of laminating using a small 60W iron. Various linkages went together well, the problems started when I tried to assemble the pre assembled valve stem, combination lever and radius bar into the casting that tries to pass for the valve stem guide. This nasty little lump has already claimed two drills, blood and has been repositioned three times. Time for some tips. Previously soldered castings can be removed with a piercing saw, carefully cutting through the soldered joint and snapping off cold. This minimizes collateral damage. Old solder can be removed with the dremel. The valve guide should not be attached to the cylinders until all its associated parts are ready and working. Google walschearts valve gear and draw your own fully labelled diagram. Very few kits even refer to the components by their correct name.

On second view, it is slowing on the curve. Is this just flange friction? If so, you are there.