garethashenden

Yes, I’ve had some axleboxes from LRM on their own. I think they were prepackaged at an exhibition actually. A dozen in a bag if I remember correctly, but that was probably a decade ago.

It also depends on what you’re using for ballast. If it’s real stone it won’t move as much as the Woodland Scenic walnut shells.

Sprat & Winkle and Alex Jackson are two more types of popular autocouplings. The S&W are a hook and loop, similar to D&G but maybe less obtrusive. AJs are the least obtrusive, but the most delicate and require a fair degree of precision when making and fitting. Kadees are also a popular choice.

The advantage of all the reduction one gets with a High Level gearbox is that the motor can turn at a speed that is sustainable while the locomotive just creeps along. No flywheel needed.

What is the axle length? I suspect there are probably differences between the plastic and metal axles, as well as the OO wagons that have been reduced to N. That's the first thing I would check. If the metal axles are slightly longer they will have much more resistance.

This is a Peter K kit for a North London class 109 4-4-0T. It has compensation beams fitted with top hat bushings and they do work.

In addition to these points, I suspect one railway achieved better utilization of wagons than eight did.

Are you going to have more than one person running trains at a time? From the extensive trackplan I would imagine yes. If so, make sure the isles are wide enough for two 1:1 scale people to pass each other.

I know the feeling, but its so funny to read this.

I'm sure @drduncan would produce his BG wagons and coaches in 3mm if you asked. Should be simple to scale it down!

Bestine is basically Heptane. You may be able to find that. Or Naphtha or Butane should work as well. Butane is normal lighter fluid. It really is needed on the wax supported models. With Shapeways that's the Ultra Fine Detail materials.

When you rub down the paint with the sandpaper, how do you work around the details?

Pivoting the rods on the crankpin is much easier and what I would recommend for the first time. Pivoting them on the prototype's joint is more accurate, but harder to set up and there's more risk on soldering everything solid. When you pivot them on the crankpin they can stat as two separate pieces. The wheelbase seems to be 7'3"+9'0", so Alan Gibson part 4M88 would be appropriate. You make no mention of scale and gauge, but the High Level parts suggest 4mm.

I would start with one of the Association's replacement chassis kits. Even if its not a prototype you're after, they're well designed and make a good introduction to split chassis construction.

I like to put a couple of loops in the pickups as shown here. It gives a bit of flex that allows the pickup to be sprung against the wheel without acting as a brake. I also think I'm using thinner wire than you are. This is 0.010" phosphor bronze. Just something to think about.

There is also the High Level Pug chassis kit. Designed to keep the motor out of the cab. May not be what you want to do, but worth mentioning anyway.

Start with a beige or khaki base coat from a spay can. Then pick out some stones in slightly different shades with a brush. Then build up the weathering with washes and drybrushing.

I'm not familiar with this kit, and as you've removed the compensation beams from the etch I can't be sure of their design. But, if they are designed to take top hat bushes, then you don't also want hornblocks. If the beams hold the axle in a bushing, it will move through an arc. Hornblocks only move vertically. Either system will work fine, but both systems together will not work. If the beams just rest on top of the axles, then hornblocks are fine. But from the outline left in the fret I suspect not.

I haven't built the D17, but I have built the NLR brake. Its basically a D16 with clasp brakes. It looks like I cut off the tabs from the spring castings. At least they're not there and the spring is sitting entirely on the solebar. It was a while ago that I built it, 2015 I think, but I do remember having some trouble in this department. I did replace the axleguards. I'm not sure if it was the bearings I was using or something else, but they splayed outwards quite notably. I used some that work in a similar manner to what is in the D17 kit, but I don't think I'd do it that way again. I find rocking axleguards to be quite difficult to find space for. If they are to work they need clearance, whereas the sprung ones from Bill Bedford and others can be tight up against the solebars. When I get around to building another NLR brake I will do it that way.

I wouldn't really classify Dave's last drawing as an L shape, at least not any more than the previous ones. If the layout in on one wall and the fiddle yard on another, I suppose that is an L. But the difference here is that the scenery runs all the way to the corner, giving you an extra foot or so for scenery. Plenty on space for the church!

What I eventually did to eliminate my problem was this. Find the pixel size, on the Mono4K I have its .035mm. Set the layer height to that and then print everything at a 45 degree angle. Everything has been coming out smooth since then. For the Photon Mono the magic number is 0.051mm. The reason this works is that the printer either needs to print a pixel or it doesn't. With other angle and heights it needs to fudge things a bit and we see artifacts as a result of that.

http://www.lanarkshiremodels.com/lanarkshiremodelsandsupplieswebsite_058.htm 🤨

Is the buffer beam made from a pcb sleeper? I might need to borrow that idea...

And I just saw a video on how to do it in Fusion360 as well. Thanks!

What do you think of this setup? I added sacrificial skirts to the open. I can't add them to the cattle wagon as I didn't design it, I only have the stl. Its at 60 degrees and the open is upside down at 30°. The supports are the ones generated automatically by Chitubox.