JSModels

Talk about timing - I've been meaning to design a better wagon TT for my layout for literally months now; finally got round to starting it this morning: I came across a query & just did a search to try & find the answer, and discover this thread! Jonathan

You may have noticed this page has been a little quiet lately... I've not been posting any updates recently simply because, unfortunately, there's nothing to update! I've been struggling to get some supplies in, with one supplier in particular being behind schedule (not helped by Royal Mail losing one shipment, and then a different courier losing the replacement shipment a couple of weeks later! ) At the moment I have very few kits in stock; I'm hoping to have new stock of the current kits available in 2-3 weeks, along with pictures of the first examples of the new canalside warehouse kits. Stock on those will hopefully follow a couple of weeks later. On a more positive note however, I had a nice drive out the other day to look at a new laser-cutting machine... Thank you all for your patience & support! Jonathan JSModels

Yes, the middle piece in your pic goes on the back (road side) with the top edges flush. Then the coping stones go on top.

I stand corrected then, I couldn't see them when I had a look. In my defence, the Peco website is really, really awful to use. Jonathan

To be fair, they are quite hard to find (not listed in the 'turnout plans' section) but they are there. More specifically, HERE. Jonathan

A3 is twice the size (by area) of A4, but that does NOT equate to 200% scaling. Scaling A4 by 200%, the result would be A2 (4x the area). To scale from A4 to A3, the required ratio is 141%, though if you want to scale it to O gauge, you'll need a different ratio again. To scale from OO to O gauge, the ratio will be 175%, which means the original A4 sheet won't fit on A3. You'd need to print it in sections. Jonathan

I'm looking for a source to buy some OO gauge plastic rail chairs, but I need them to have a spigot on the bottom to locate into a hole in a plate (similar to the system the FineTrax N gauge point kits use, but obviously in OO). Does anyone make such a thing? Ideally I need types for code 75 rail, both bullhead and flat-bottomed. I only need standard chairs, no double or slide ones. I've tried C&L but they don't seem to do them, who else can I try? I've never built points before, so have no clue about what suppliers are out there. Thanks, Jonathan

I'm not an expert on adhesives by any means, but as a cabinet maker I've had to use quite a few different types, and learn about them. Normal PVA (and by normal I mean generic 'wood glue' types, classed as D2 adhesives) dries by evaporation of the water content, or absorption of same by the materials it's bonding. That in itself is fine, but if that dried PVA is ever exposed to water or high moisture levels it re-absorbs some water & becomes 'live' again; once this happens, it can never fully dry out to it's previous hardened state again and stays slightly soft. An example of this is removing old track by re-wetting the ballast, it becomes soft & easy to remove (if you then leave the clumps of removed ballast to 'dry' again, you'll notice it's much weaker than before & crumbles in your fingers). Moisture resistant PVA (D3 or 'weatherproof' PVA) is better in this regard, but still not great (there's an explanation of wood adhesive grades here). So if you seal something with PVA and then apply water-based paint over the top (often in washes for weathering) then you're breaking down the structure of the PVA. To be perfectly honest, for models it probably doesn't really matter, but I've just heard so many stories of things failing because people have 'sealed' something with PVA that I have an in-built aversion to it! I'm sure it'd be fine, but it's an additional, unnecessary step, so why bother? Jonathan JSModels

Steve, Sorry, I've only just seen this! I don't bother priming them myself, and just apply acrylic paints directly to the MDF. If you want to prime them, then a light coat of grey (or red, if it's brick finish) primer from a rattlecan will suffice. I would not recommend this - unless it's a specific type of PVA designed for the purpose (which most modelmakers are unlikely to have knocking around, as they're not generally available) then PVA is generally a very bad medium for sealing anything. If you really feel the need to seal the MDF, then this would be a much better product than PVA (though it is IMHO totally unnecessary). Jonathan JSModels

The adhesive on masking tape is not designed for long-term use. I would worry far more about that failing than delamination of the card sides from the foamboard.

How coincidental that I saw this post, then went into the BBC news app and this article came up... BBC News - Why Admiral's 'flashy' England strip now commands respect https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-50055675

There's a Facebook page for the layout mentioned. It isn't mine, but I am a member of the club & I doubt Robert would mind me posting a link here!

Depends on which area of the country you're modelling. A narrow canal (such as the Huddersfield Narrow Canal) has locks that are just 7' wide, and the parts in between around 12-15' (so two boats can pass). The Rochdale canal, which runs from Manchester to Sowerby Bridge, is regarded as a 'broad' canal, and the locks are 15' wide (so you can fit 2x narrowboats side-by-side in them, or one wide 14' boat) with the bits in between anywhere from 12 to 30 feet. Plus you'll need a towpath, around 3-4 feet wide. Edit: Joseph beat me to it!

Richard, I have some of these in stock, 30x pre-wired surface mount warm white LEDs should be plenty for what you need? Jonathan

My local station is Crossflatts, built in 1982 (so a bit outside your timeframe, I didn't realise it was quite that early!). It's timber construction. The platforms are only around 2m (6'6") wide along their entire length: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crossflatts_station_p2.jpg#/media/File:Crossflatts_station_p2.jpg Walsden station is slightly later, built in 1990, same construction, and same width: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walsden_station.jpg#/media/File:Walsden_station.jpg Low Moor Station was opened in 2017, and is of concrete construction. It looks a bit wider, at around 2.5m/8': https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Low_Moor_station_opening_day.jpg#/media/File:Low_Moor_station_opening_day.jpg Hope that helps. Jonathan

Thank you Mark, Theoretically they could be done in brick (I've taken the brick dimensions into account when designing these, unlike the first kit!) but it might be a way off yet. I'll see how it goes, the more people that ask for something, the more likely it is to happen. Jonathan JSModels

I've been working on some new building kits recently, and am pleased to announce the forthcoming 'Waterside' series of low-relief buildings. Ideal for canal, dock, or quay side layouts, there are 5 products in the range, all in stone. First up is JSM13 'Canal Warehouse Front': This breakfront building is approximately 290mm wide, 55mm/75mm deep, and 230mm high. The building can be modelled with the doors open or closed, and with or without the included loading hood/cover: Next up, we have a choice of flat-faced buildings, either with or without loading doors (JSM23, 'Canal Warehouse Back' on the left, JSM33 'Canal Warehouse Back w/Doors' on the right): These are the same size as JSM13, but without the breakfront; approximately 290mm wide, 55mm deep, and 230mm high. Finally, to complement the above, or to use separately, we have a choice of 2 building ends, again with or without loading bay doors; JSM43 'Canal Warehouse End w/Doors', or JSM53 'Canal Warehouse End'. As with the JSM13, JSM43 can be modelled with the doors open or closed, and with or without the included loading hood/cover: The building ends are approx. 145mm wide, 20mm deep (exc. hood) and 245mm high. These kits can of course be combined with each other, and for the more adventurous a front, back, and 2 ends could be kit-bashed into a full building. As with my current kits, these will be laser-cut in MDF, with laser-cut card roofing slate strips. I've still got a little bit of development to do on these, but I anticipate they will be done & ready to ship by the end of May. Jonathan JSModels

Ralf, It seems that the steps are forcing the crane over to the left too much - could you swap the two sections of dock wall so the steps are away from the area the crane runs in? Jonathan

Just got some new 3D printed accessories on the website; some 18" wall patresses: These are seen quite often in the real world, but not often modelled. They come as a set of 3: At the moment I only have a few versions of the building kits left in stock (Medium warehouses in brick and stone, and factory backs in brick only) but all being well I should have almost everything back in stock by this time next week. Jonathan JSModels

Done: The set includes 14 window blanking panels - 5 in brick (English bond) to match the brickwork of the brick kits and 5 in stone to match the stone kits. Then there's 2 in brickwork, but with a running bond, and 2 in breezeblock; these 4 can be used in either kit to represent windows blocked up in later years. Cost will be just £2.50/set. Unfortunately I'm waiting on a delivery of board from the supplier, as I've completely run out! So I'm afraid it might be a week or possibly two before these are available. Jonathan JSModels

Ahh, OK never mind - I'm sure you'd be out of lockdown & able to get to a printer long before they'd arrive, then!!! Jonathan

Paul, If you PM me your address, I'd be happy to print a couple out & post them to you, free of charge Jonathan

Mark, No, you haven't missed out, they aren't ready yet. I've put them on there as 'available soon', but since there's zero stock the software automatically thinks it's sold out & marks it as such. I'll post in here when they're ready, and I'll PM you about them. Jonathan JSModels

Moxy, That's a very good suggestion! With the exception of the original JSM01 kit, all the window pieces in the kits (JSM02, JSM12, and JSM22) are the same size & therefore interchangeable. They all include 6x blanking panels in the same finish as the building. I could easily add a set of extra blanking panels; with 5 in brick & 5 in stone, that would mean that one set would, combined with the ones in the kit, be enough to do all the ground floor windows; either all in stone, all in brick (depending on which kit you get) or a mixture of both (it's probably more cost-effective to do that than to have 2x smaller sets in just brick and just stone). Does that seem reasonable? If so, I'll get some sorted & on the website over the next few days. Jonathan JSModels

David, Glad it arrived so quickly! Would love to see some pictures of your finished kit. Jonathan JSModels