Chrislock

Greetings again. I have been working on loco and rolling stock as time has permitted, and rather feeling my way through a ratio coach kit build, making a few mistakes due to unclear detail in the instructions. The coach kit is neither as flash free as the wagons and loco, and I suspect must be one of the last off the production line before the moulds gave out completely! This will give you an idea of the trimming that has had to be carried out on a lot of this model: However, I think in spite of one or two slight adjustment cuts, the result thus far is certainly useable.The ends sit slightly proud of the sides - a result of me somehow attaching the buffers slightly high on the floor. However, the roof seemed to cover this up when dry fitted, so it may not require filing. The loco has had a prime and topcoat of Games Workshop chaos black, a finish which I particularly like on locomotives. I have picked out the brass parts with a mix of acrylics, and again I think it is acceptable. There are still a few things to add. Four of the wagons have been painted, Fox transfers added and weathering. Smiths three link couplings have been added to the wagons, and screw links to the engine. The 2-4-0 and remaining wagons will be set up with LMS insignia, in keeping with the idea of a sleepy forgotten branch somewhere, in between the wars. So far so good. This project has to move or risk it stagnating like my last (2mm) effort! Regards, Chris

Just measured the lengths of the coaches and they are the same for both models. Having looked at the instructions there is quite a lot more to them than I had at first thought, but nothing which is un-do-able.

Hi Rich. I was just following instructions is the answer to the weighting question. The lead weight sits between the drivers in the loco, and over the front of the tender - would it be a balance thing? Certainly the weight is over the driving wheels and tender connection. I have to say though that the leading wheels are sprung, and only just rest on the track, so it might be an idea to remove the loco weight and reduce it slightly? Thanks for the tip on the coach sides that's worth knowing! Chris

True. I heard you are deep into link- coupling land! Sorry to miss you too - I saw your working ground signal, but when I asked around you weren't there to be identified! Amazing piece of work, by the way.

Well I'm trying to complete a bit each night on the Ratio 2-4-0. I heard on another thread that these kits did not have a great reputation for running well, so it was with trepidation I set off on building the chassis tonight. Again, it has been a relatively easy buildso far, although most holes needed to be opened out slightly to accomodate the bearings and axles, and I have yet to fit the gearbox and motor.. However, no soldering was required, though I did add a dab where the pick up wires attached to the brass outer frames. A faux pas I made yesterday was thinking that the second lead weight was for the tender - it suddenly dawned on me that it was designed to sit low between the main frames of the engine! Fortunately, I had not glued down the tender top, so was able to retrieve, file and fit it to the chassis. Needing another weight for the tender, I suddenly remembered the remains of an N gauge Union Mills tender body which I had part butchered some time ago. Glued in the front end of the tender, this adds a perfect and very appropriate weight beneath the now attached tender top. Real coal may be an option for another time methinks. Since epoxying the lead weight into the loco chassis it doesn't seem to roll as freely. I suspect that the frames may have been unintentionally moved by the width of the lead against them, squeezing in on the muff, so I need to remedy this before adding the motor. Offered up to the body this is what it looks like so far. Purists would no doubt say I should have blacked the wheels and chassis before assembly, but I am happy to black it once I know its all working. Finally, my Ratio coaches were waiting for me when I got home today, and a brief look suggests while they are more complex than the brake, they shouldn't be too taxing for me. Regards, Chris Morning update. As I was on something of a roll, I worked on the chassis last night to complete it. Adding the motor etc was not a difficult task and the wiring simplicity itself; especially compared to working it all out for yourself on your own designs. A quick test on the a piece of track and it ran - a bit grungy, but after oiling and a few trips up and down it sounded a bit looser, but I will have a look at the meshing when I get back from work - it is designed to be correct when the motor is in position, but as we know it only takes a fraction of a millimetre to make that difference. Pleased though it all works, and here is the loco assembled with tender for the very first time. My it looks sooo good... Keen observers will notice the broken tender brake but this has now been repaired - unfortunately after the photoshoot! Chris

And who could argue with that 7mm modeller - its how we all are seduced by 7mm after all- a loco and half a dozen wagons and a length of track with a point - what more do you absolutely need in 7mm?! However, the shock of moving up 100% is enough for me just now! It is indeed very different from scratching in brass. Now I just get high on the Mekpak fumes rather than poisoning myself with flux and lead. Actually, I have really enjoyed the Ratio wagon kits immensely. I cannot believe how easily they go together. Regardless, you can be sure that I will be eventually looking to The Bay as part of my inspiration.

You win!

I've done a bit more on the loco and tender, and its time to review the progress so far. Firstly, these plastic kits go together quite quickly, with a little pre planning and setting out of parts of course. The comment I made about flash I will now retract a little, given the amount on the tender - especially the coal rails, which had to be cleared of a dense quantity of the stuff. However, the tender is now completed. Both the loco body and the tender are supplied with substantial lead weights, which will greatly help adhesion to the track eventually. The trickiest part was by far the handrails so far. Let's see if I am still saying that when the chassis is completed! Building this in 4mm has really made me realise how much I like the look of these engines. The 2mm version I scratchbuilt just doesn't have the same presence. I would dearly ove to find one of the 2F goods kits, although a craftsman 1F might provide the second engine eventually. The 2mm engine I built last year: I have just sent off to Smiths for some couplings for the stock I am working on at present. I have a photo of No70 at Bedford in 1930 with screw couplings, although it appears to be in crimson lake. I rather fancy painting this one in black and then weathering it some. As No70 was scrapped in 1932, perhaps I can pretend it was sent out to farm somewhere instead, and received an LMS repaint at some time? The goods stock of course will be fitted with 3 link, the carriage ends screws. I am intending to fit hook and coupling links to one end of each wagon, with a hook only at the other end. Hopefully the carriages I bought on ebay will arrive early this week. I am curious to see if they will be as easy in the construction, relatively speaking of course - although it's nice to see what I'm doing for a change! Regards, Chris

Thanks Nick. Have you any idea as to when these kits were last produced? It is a shame that they still aren't available. I bought this on ebay recenty so it might be the one you saw! Cheers, Chris

Greetings. After a pleasant morning at the 2mm Association AGM in Bedford,returning quite a few quid lighter with some 2mm bits and pieces; and a after pint with some of the lads over lunch followed by a quick market visit to keep the other half happy, I decided to make a tentative start on the Ratio 2-4-0 kit while listening to Forest beat Peterborough on the radio. Getting the two boiler halves from the box, made me realise the old problem with having a join line running through chimney, dome and valve. I considered replacing these with brass fittings, but decided to go ahead and see if they could be made good instead by some careful filing and smoothing. I actually think that a lick of paint will be enough afterthe clean up, but you can judge for yourself from the attached photos. And it is in keeping with the ethos of this build. I have found hardly any flash on so far on any of the Ratio kits I've made, which is nice cos I hate cleaning it up, it reminds of those cheap foreign plastic kits I used to occasionally be bought as a boy! As you can see, I have gone some way towards completing the loco bodywork, and it is already apparent what a handsome engine this is.. Extension of original entry: The handrail knobs were a bit of a pig as the holes were not drilled out enough for the wire supplied with the kit - I am assuming that it IS the wire. In the end, I substituted some slightly finer guitar string, which passed through with a little encouragement ( and stabbed fingers!) So that's the loco body more or less done. You will see that I managed to clumsily spill some excess glue on the boiler... Regards, Chris

Hi Mark. Actually, I don't intend (haha) to spend very much just at this time. However, if I could lay my hands on a whitemetal kit of say, an 0-4-4T or a 2F goods engine, another loco would be acceptable. The idea of this little project though is to keep it compact and low key expensewise. Obviously there will be track, signalling and buildings eventually to factor in, though I am happy to scratchbuild to save costs. Also I will likely investigate sound chips in the future having been smitten with the Robinson, but that is not part of this original and may not be feasible for the 2-4-0. I can't believe how easy those wagon kits are - hope the coaches are of similar ease. The detail is not bad, though I have to say the 10T brake is not as well detailed as the 2FS version! I am quite relishing the thought of building the engine. It will be a change to be gluing a plastic body rather than soldering under a magnifying glass! Cheer Chris

Pete - I actuallythought I did quite well to keep so close to the target figure, although I had to bid more for the loco than I expected! But

Greetings. As some of you who follow my 2mm thread will know, the eyesight has leaned me more towards a larger scale in recent months, (though I have not given up the little ones either as I have invested a fair deal ). This second blog is to cover my efforts in a different scale. I set to thinking about what I would really like in 4mm scale, and the idea of a small Midland Railway terminus/micro layout appealed. Even though the allure of sound chips eg in my Robinson is great, in the end I am a Midland man, and there's no escaping that. So I decided to take a hundred or so notes, and see where that would take me in the Bay of E.... Here is what I found, and I am pretty pleased with the outcome, even though all are by necessity, kits to be built: A rare Ratio Johnson 2-4-0 tender loco, complete with gears and motor. Cost £50 Two Ratio coaches - a 48ft clerestory and a suburban third. There is the branchline passengers taken care of for an outlay of £18. (I missed out on a Johnson 2F 0-6-0 kit, though that would have taken me well over the 100 mark!) Cooper Crafts then supplied me with 5 MR Slater wagon kits and a guards van kit for £42 So for the princely sum of £110 I have the basis for a small branch terminus perhaps in late LMS days, to where a rather ancient 2-4-0 has been retired to work out its days. Of course, I already have the track and turnouts, courtesy of C+L , though I have not ruled out attempting to use Templot more creatively and building some more flowing trackwork from scratch. After all, we have some long winter nights ahead of us.... On that note, I'll raise my glass of single malt and say, Cheers! Chris

Not to say quite a LARGE woman! Welcome back Mikkel

Hi Mikkel, nice to see you back on the board! I have been indeed building up some 4mm stock to go with the Robinson, but haven't added to it yet or really developed any further ideas. Space remains an issue, and I have a friend who has a 4mm layout so I get to run it there occasionally! 2mm is just too convenient at the end of the day, and I have an amount now invested. This little layout is an opportunity to run the coulple of diesels I have, but I'm not sure how long this will last before another idea calls. I am having a lot of difficulty following any one project through to a conclusion. At the moment, building trackwork seems to have got a hold, so after the 3 way point I set myself the challenge of a single slip...!

Also Pete when you add a figure or too,they won't look so out of scale! Chris

Well let us just say that the cat will get well and truly launched if I find her on there again! Chris

Greetings. This afternoon was first opportunity to get on with this board in some time. I have been doing a bit of this and that, mainly tinkering with my Single trying to improve the pickup and running, and taking the usual 2 steps backwards and 1 forward in the process! I have also been waiting to add some flock powder to the landscape of my latest shunting board, to cover some of that brown paint which resembles rock too much... I decided to take a couple of photos to show how this has been going. On the Glenfield layout front, I can't remember if I mentioned that I have decided to part company with it, and send it to a good home, if I can find one. The significance of this project was never the change over to finescale, nor the modelling methodology involved, but the fact that it has become a 3D historical research reconstruction. I am discovering that it isthe building of things which tends to interest me more, rather than the operating - at least this far anyway. I decided to contact Leicester County Hall, which of course is at Glenfield, and see if they might like a static model to display somewhere for visitors. Then months passed... but a couple of weeks ago I got an email reply from someone at County Hall to say that they had passed my email onto someone at Leicester Museum Services. Said chap rang me last Thursday, we had a chat about size etc, that they would need really to supply a case, etc, and I directed him to this: http://glenfieldstation.weebly.com/ and he has gone off to measure up a space, and consider whether they would want to purchase some of my MR rolling stock. This to me seems a fitting end for this little layout, if it comes off - and also creates space for my current venture. However, I noticed the other day that the cat has been using it as a launch pad to the open window above it, and I am going to have to do some repair work to the pine trees which are looking quite forlorn now!

And absolutely none taken Rich - just my sense of humour I'm afraid!! Sorry! On the layout front, I'm sure yours will be well worth the wait. I'm still really playing with techniques trying to catch up on some of the 30 years I spent in the modelling wilderness. I've already consigned one mini layout to the skip complete with easitrac, as it served its purpose and taught me how to improve. Not particularly ecological and all that, but part of a necessary pathway as I see it, and just the way I work. All of this I hope to one day come to frutition in a layout worthy of the name finescale - though whether this will be in 2mm remains to be seen. One of the problems is there are just too many places I'd like to model.....

Not friendly witty since if the 20p was that big, it would make my work even poorer than it is... Itis now weathered and in situ, though I'm holding back until the station area is finished...

Fair point about the slope, though it has a gutter at least- originally it was going to be pitched rather than skillioned, but the artistic licence got a-hold of me...and also I wanted to keep it a simple shelter. I suppose the run-off would be no worse than a conventional hipped roof, which is often steeper - though no doubt someone will prove me wrong! Wet-necked passenger it is then!

Hi. A little has been taking place on the new plank since my last entry. I have been looking for examples of platform architecture on small wayside type stations/ halts, and have in the end tried to render some of the ideas from different areas of the Midland and its predecessors in Derbyshire stone. One of the advantages of halts, is that they were often privately built and taken over by the main railway companies. I am reasonably happy with the outcome, which is part waiting shelter and part storage lock-up for the loading bay. Possibly the wooden framework around the shelterlooks a bit heavy, and the same could be said about the windowframes perhaps. Need to now paint and weather. Regards, Chris

Hi Reemgee, nay I'm a bit of a beginner in this respect too, that in one way is why I decided to incorporate a canal as a foreground item. The info about Scalescenes is useful, though in 2mm I'm used to scratching most items. As for inspiration, I just downloaded a few photos from t'web of the Cromford canal - I am pretending mine is a section of that - beyond that I'm in Try-It mode! I need to find a decent picture of a lock though. Cheers, Chris

Nowt to do with Cadbury ( for those old enough to remember that rather iffy advert), more to do with building and fitting a couple of canal bridges and trying to achieve that Derbyshire stone look. Once the sculptamold is painted in and a earth coloured powder is brushed onto the stonework, I think it will look ok. Yesterday I had my grandsons round. I handed my eldest, Jake, 7, the Power Cab, showed him how the point changed and left him to run the 24 with a wagon back and forth over the turnout. It stood up well. Sorry no photo. Finally, rewindingto the weekend, I spent Saturday at tge Silk Mill in Derby, helping the MRS to catalogue some of the vast material which is sitting unopened on the shelves of the Study Centre. I was allocated accident reports between roughly 1880 and 1910, and found them fascinating, as an insight into how thr railways of the time were actually operated! Anyway, while I was there, I snuck a few ( poorish) photos of the excellent 7mm layout which is being constructed upstairs, for anyone who is interested: