Softvark

I added some chains and wood to my 'transformer on a lowmac' - great minds think alike

I couldn't put the transformer on the wood though as it was out of gauge. (Looks like the chains need tightening.)

And a set for me too please, Giles!

Hi Julian, its Rustoleum Crystal Clear. To be honest I've not tried layering spray - it may work better but the varnish does work as you can see

Thanks - I haven't tried that brand so will have to give it a go.

In all honesty although hairspray might work to 'seal' everything in I don't think it has the strength to hold different layers of static grass. Plus I suspect some brands might give an unwanted shine to the result. So to answer your question I'm just sticking to what I know works. And it is cheaper than various 'layering sprays' which I think are probably just matt varnish with a different label 

That's interesting - when I tried matt varnish it didn't appear to be strong enough to hold the top layer securely. Therefore I used a layering spray which works OK. I suspect it is based on PVA, mainly due to its colour, but I could be wrong.

Matt varnish would definitely be cheaper though - which brand do you use?

Excellent work on this layout, and steady progress too.  All my trees are all twisted to shape using the 40mm sq 300A flexible battery cable they use on caravans and boats etc.  You can get it in 70mm sq as well, just mail order it in metre lengths on e**y.  Once they are configured, I just hold them upside down outdoors and run liquid cyano zap down the trunk, and it flows in by capillary action.  When dry, either Treemendus bark on the trunk & lower boughs or PVA & sieved soil paste allows a little variety, with chopped brown chinese wig 'hair' in 3 length stages of 12, 8 & 4mm for the outer twigs (fixed with matt clear lacquer aerosol).  Hopefully the attached pic shows the silhouette.

Thanks very much for the explanation. That tree looks fabulous!

Those puddles look good and I'm impressed with the saplings - are they 'just' twisted wire?

Hi Rod

Here's a shot of the tulle -

The posts are 2.5mm square section plastic.

You can use the tulle for passable fishing nets as well -

What size is the tulle you used?  I've found information that talks of 1.5 to 3mm.  And are the posts 3mm square?  I've not found any fencing or posts locally to measure.

Hi Rod, I'll measure it up when I get home tonight and let you know.

That look`s like a cracking layout Julian,are there any more pictures here on RM?.

 

Brian.

Thanks - no nothing on RMweb. I guess I should start a thread some day.

As promised earlier today here's what tulle looks like for a chain link fence on my 7mm layout.

The top wires could do with a bit of straightening!

It works well on gates too.

I used tulle fabric for my chain link fence. The local habadashery shop  had a large selection so I was able to choose the right size mesh and then sprayed it grey with Halfords primer. The best thing was that it was very cheap - around £1.50 for a metre. The posts I made from square plastic section with a slight bend at the top made from softening over a hot soldering iron with holes drilled using a brass jig.

I'll try and post a photo later.

Yes I bought 1 TEA as a 'test kit' about a year back. They will be getting a phone call in the not too distant future.

The TEA''s will be branded with ICI logos (although they'll be filthy) as many passed through HL in the '80's.

I've built 4 of them so I'm really looking forward to seeing this!

Regarding rolling stock its dawned on me that taking into consideration the weight of 20 100T TEA bogie tanks, all the freight wagons will have to be fitted with ball race bearing for as free running as possible.

Wow - 20 TEAs will look fantastic! Will you be using the PRMRP kit for these?

Thanks!

All coaching stock is Kadee, loco's are screw link & the rest is 3 link

Hi Phill

How do you couple your coach Kadees to the locos screw link - or do you leave screw links on the end of the coach rakes?

Julian

Hi softvark,

 

I used a 25W iron with quite a small tip and kept wet tissue over the parts not being soldered to act as a heat sink to try to prevent warping. They aint perfect though!!

Thanks Mr G. They are certainly straighter than mine!

I'm looking forward to this build but I'm impressed with the catwalks on your tank wagons. Having built some of these in the past can I ask how you managed to get them so straight? Any tips?

I think the Treemendus forest floor is a good product. I used it a few years ago beneath the trees in this photo. The vegetation has matured a bit since this shot was taken

Julian

Hi Rod, great to meet you and have a chat at Telford. Looking forward to the scenery work progressing!

It's from an Orion kit, but I don't know if they are still available.  I bought it ready-to-run at Telford 2013 - pricey, but a superb model and I've no regrets about paying the price.

 

Easybuild do an, or maybe more than 1, inspection saloon and I seem to remember Ressaldar (a member on RMweb) was producing some at one stage.

Sidelines also do an inspection saloon kit - it was my Christmas present from SWMBO. Initial impressions after building the bogies are that it's very good.

Not sure I agree.....isn't the idea of fitting better bits to make the model truer to scale?

Absolutely but that's not what I said. I was agreeing with Brian in post 2207 -

 Yes Jeff but it is sold as replacement tanks for the Heljan model as is the bogie sideframes so I do expect them to fit the Heljan model when both are used.

Julian

Thanks Brian, those photos are really helpful and are somewhat reassuring that the problems not as bad as I first thought.

I agree a product specifically sold to be used with Heljan should really fit without having to cut half of it away.

Julian

I have cut away the ends to accommodate the rear of the bogie when they swing. On one end this left a rather thin stretcher so it is reinforced by a piece of L angle. These end stretchers are the only thing holding the tanks to the floor! I lifted up the air cooling pipes but had to loose the filler above them. Added the conduit from one end to the floor. I will have to tape it to the floor to check it runs ok on track.

Hi Brian

That is really useful and timely as I have just built the MMP tanks but not yet fitted them as I was waiting for the MMP bogies to come back in stock - which a limited quantity have now done. I was suspicious that there may be problems with their length when trial fitted with the original Heljan bogies but thought I would leave it until after I'd made the bogies . 

Now that you've trimmed the sides of the tanks how much movement of the bogies do you get? Is is sufficient for most curves?

Have you also found a way of making the bogie end frames removable in case of problems with the Heljan gears?

Julian

I quite like the diffused upwards led photo.

I agree

How about an IRDOT from Heathcote Electronics? It's an infra red detector, so no visible light beams, and would only require a small hole in the track for the detector. You could use it to light an LED to indicate that the train has reached a specific position.

http://www.heathcote-electronics.co.uk/irdot1.html

The price seems reasonable.

Julian