michl080

Robin, the "Obermayer" is the bible that contains all classes. If you have a deeper interest in a class, the "Die Baureihe xx" series from EK-Verlag https://www.ekshop.de/buecher/baureihen-bibliothek/Dampflokomotiven/ is a great source of information. Many of them are available from their shop and there are a lot more that can be bought used at ebay or at second hand book sellers. Are you aware of anything comparable for the LMS or the BR? My interest is just opposite yours :-) Michael

morning, I think http://www.mbapiro.ch/aktuell.php hasn't been mentioned yet. A very nice program of Swiss prototype models. They are shipping internationally, but their website is only in German. If google doesn't come up with a reasonable translation, I might be able to help. (as a native German speaker) Michael

https://www.modellbahnshop-lippe.com/produkt/Weinert/10-4-0-241701-001005003-0-0-0-0-0-0-grp-gb-p-0/ein_produkt.html 5 -10 days http://www.weinert-bauteile.de/weinert-modellbau-56520-vorlauf-radsatz-rp25-fine-scale-d=9-8mm-9-speichen-weinert-56520,art-32166 ordered from manufacturer https://www.mcschueler.de/weinert-modellbau-56520-vorlauf-radsatz-rp25-fine-scale-d=9-8mm-9-speichen-weinert-56520,art-40522 2-4 days from payment Guy, "weinert-bauteile" and "mcschueler" is actually the same shop in Stuttgart. It used to be my personal paradise when I was a boy, but since then, things changed a lot. Normally, I am ordering my Weinert parts at modellbaushop-lippe . You can send them an English language enquiry, they are able to read and reply in your language. They don't seem to have the wheels on stock, but whenever they confirmed the availability, they could actually get the part. Just give it a try. If things won't work out as expected, send me a PM. Michael

Justin, that looks fantastic. Z would be a nightmare for me and my eyesight. I agree that the texture of the MBZ kits is very special. I never saw anything comparable at other laser cut manufacturers. Michael

Ian, if you are coming from PCB soldering (like I did), the problem might be that you underestimate the amount of heat you need to warm up the metal. You can get a better idea of the needed energy if you cut a very small piece of elctronic solder (like.5mm), position it close to your point of interest, apply some flux and heat it up. If the heat is right and you are using the correct flux, the solder will start flowing as soon as the heat is right. Don't start applying more solder or you will get poor joints. I am using plain 25% phosphoric acid. Michael

I think it is important to notice that Arthur has the boiler INside the tube where Daddyman has the boiler OUTside the tube. Michael

Arthur, not sure if I understand that correctly. Does that mean that only the top roller is in contact with the boiler and that both lower rollers are in contact with the tube? Michael

Hi there, my father used to store the jars upside down. He said that this would prevent air to enter the container and solvent to leave it. Sounds reasonable, however, I have no personal experience. That problem didn't ever happen with my eyedroppper bottles. Michael

I think there is one important piece of information left: If you broke already 3 blades in a row, leave it for now and try it again tomorrow. Addition: You may have a beer instead, but if you have five, blades will continue to brake tomorrow. There ARE days when you won't be able to do it properly, especially in thin metal material. Michael

morning, The smaller ones are quite handy and better balanced. If you don't need the 150mm, you can go for the smaller one. You can also get them https://eileensemporium.com/index.php?option=com_hikashop&ctrl=product&task=show&cid=928&name=piercing-saw-frame-adjustable&Itemid=189&category_pathway=1066 at Eileens Michael

hi there, I thought some of you might be interested in a new product from Germany. Schnellenkamp has presented wagon carrier trucks for 7mm narrow gauge. These trucks were used on narrow track lines to haul standard gauge freight wagons. It looked quite dangerous, but was widely used. (from Wikipedia) The 0 - models look amazing and will be available soon at http://spur-0-kaufhaus.de/epages/f9725276-ffe7-4b2e-aab8-fd80f674b4d6.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/f9725276-ffe7-4b2e-aab8-fd80f674b4d6/Products/7200 These kits will allow to use standard gauge wagons in a narrow gauge layout. They were widely used in EP II and EP III. regards, Michael

Pete, very impressive, both your new kit and your clean workspace ... Michael

hi there, just wondering, can you disassemble the parts? I would assume that both could be plated individually and assembled afterwards. I am no chemist, but lead and copper act very differently in electolytic liquids. As long as both parts have elctric contact, one surface will be likely eaten while the other one will build a plating. If you can't separate the parts, you might try to protect one metal surface with some kind of temporary coating. The goal should be to isolate one metal completely from the electrolyte. best regard, Michael

I've got some laser cut kits on order from MBZ in Germany, for a little Black Forest themed project I'm doing. By all accounts these kits are very fine quality - they're the ones created for Josef Brandl's famous Hochschwarzwald layout. Justin, I just discovered this thread. I am sure you already found your way to build these kits, nevertheless, let me comment how I built them. IAs a first step, I have treated the cardboard With "Tiefgrund", which is an acrylic binder that is used to fix loose plaster before painting. I am not sure about the translation, but I think it might be called "pentrating primer". I treated the complete board before removing any of the parts. The primer is applied two or three times within a few minutes. The primer is absorbed very quickly. Next step is to build a layer of plastic foil (Polybags) and board and press the whole pack with some heavy books until they are dry. This is necessary because the primer would cause the board to crumple. Polybags are from Polyethylen do not stick to the primer. After this treatment, the parts are very stiff and can be handled easily. The surface is sealed and can be painted with brush or airbrush. See this example: regards, Michael

Rob, very interesting thread. I read it twice, but I could not find any reference to the title of that thread. Are you actually using 90psi with your airbrush? What is that good for? Michael

:-) The good thing with rules: there is always an exception... http://www.voba-medien.de/assets/images/DB-X-E94-039-4-PZug-B3yge-Bf-Geislingen-800-523.jpg Only a link, I don't have the copyright for that picture... This is a train that just came down the Geislinger Steige bringing pupils to school But Nimbus is right. Normally 6-wheeled Umbauwagen come always in pairs. This picture shows a very special train. There are also pictures of the E94 pushing a freight train uphill at the Geislinger Steige with a single coach behind it. Michael

Steve, nice idea. The German railway system never had dedicated brake vans. There are actually some freight wagons with the so called "Bremserhaus" which means brakemans cab. It was common practive until the 1950s to have some of these cabins manned to actuate the brake on that wagon. Very labor intensive, so pressure brake systems took over soon. In EP3, remote controlled brakes were standard, most brakemans cabins were removed. A E94 with 5 fuel wagons is a simple challenge for that heavy machine. It can certainly handle a small amount of four- or eight wheel tanks wagons even if they have no brakes at all. E44 have been in use from 1932 to 1991, so they were pulling everything that was in use in this long period. At the end of EP3, four wheel coaches were not very common. Typical coaches between EP3 and EP4 would be the so called https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbau-Wagen They were rebuild prussian wagons. There were 6- and 8-wheeled versions. For a small layout, a E44 with four 6-wheel Umbauwagen would only be 311mm long. The transition from EP3 to EP4 didn't go very fast. Engines and also coaches were only repainted at scheduled service. There was a mixture of old and new paint schemes and numbers for several years. You layout plan sound nice. Let's see more ... best regards from sunny southern Germany, Michael

me again, just a note about freight traffic in Germany. In 2001, the DB announced that they would shut down 1000 of 2100 freight loading points. The result of that program is that there is only very little freight traffic from smaller customers left. Since then, most freight trains are either targetted to large customers like automobile manufacturers or they carry bulk load like coal, oil, wood, sand etc. If you are interested in freight traffic, I would definitely propose to stay pre 2001. Michael

Hi TC, funny coincidence. I am a German modeller looking into British layouts. Some of your questions above have been answered. If you need more information, I am sure I can help with details. I have a nice large bookshelf with lots of information... There are quite a few forums in Germany. Even if you don't speak German, it may be worth looking into them. People there are mostly friendly folks happy to help. And most of them learnt English at least n school... You could try https://stummiforum.de/ http://www.h0-modellbahnforum.de/ https://projekte.lokbahnhof.de/ https://www.eisenbahnmodellbauforum.de/ They are listed in increasing order from basic to expert modellers Have fun, Michael

Just wondering: could it be that this is no chimney but a post for the telegraph wires? Michael

Hi, no reply so far, so I will answer my own question: In between, I contacted Slaters and asked how to proceed. I got a nice reply from David White with a good description how to push the wheels onto the axles. I followed his advice and managed to get the wheel successfully onto the axle. However, as you can see, it requires a massive force that is applied perfectly in line with the axle to avoid bending the axle or resulting in a wobbling wheel. The trick is to use a piece of matching tube to push only the bush, but not the plastic wheel. I recommend to use a tube cutter for the pushing tube. Cutting the tube with a saw will probably result in a cut that is not exactly perpendicular and will push the wheel unevenly. I couldn't apply enough force with the handle of the vice, so I had to use pipe wrench for the last Millimeter. It is definitely necessary to apply a good grease to lower the friction. Funny enough, I could get the wheel off quite easily after pushing it on and it could be reassembled a lot easier, so I assume that the bush has been slightly extended at the first assembly. Maybe somebody will have the same problem and stumble over this description. Michael

hi, there were a lot of discussions in German railway modelling forums about using ATF as cleaning agent. I have tried it on my tracks and it works quite well. Don't know if it better than any other agent, but it doesn't have a bad smell. I can say that it took a lot of dirt from my rails when I used it for the first time. Apply it VERY thin with a clean lint. Yep, really, ATF like in Automatic transmission fluid. Michael

greetings, I am building a MMP Class 08 kit and am running into a problem with the Slaters wheels. If I try to push the wheels onto the axles, they get stuck quite quickly. I don't want to push them too hard, because I am afraid that I wouldn't be able to remove them again. I would need to push them some 4mm on either side to the shoulders of the axle. This seems very odd. If I try to measure the diameters, The conical hole in the wheels is at least 0.1mm too small. A force fit with 0.1mm interference seems too much. Any idea? Should I try to push them further using vice? Michael

Gentlemen, Weinert is currently starting to set up an online shop. Right now they have only certain items online, but they are writing that they will be expand the shop soon. Sorry, in the moment only orders within Germany, but I guess it is worth checking from time to time. They claim that they will starting to ship internationally soon. Michael

I am using this https://xuron.com/index.php/main/consumer_products/4/80 tool and I love it. It is easy to adjust the edge of the part with the long blades so that you can cut with basically no burr left and without bending the part. No problem even with 0,2mm nickel silver frets. Very expensive, but worth every penny (or cent). Beware: It works like scissors, so it is only suitable for right-handers. Michael