brossard

If you are going to invest considerable time and effort in constructing coaches from, it looks like, scratch, best also invest in some books on the subject I think. David Jenkinson and Peter Tatlow produced a book of drawings with LMS and LNER types. I daresay someone must have done something similar for Southern carriages. Jenkinson also wrote a book on scratchbuilding coaches in plasticard. https://britishrailwaybooks.co.uk/books/ISBN/1874103321.php Coach wheels are typically 3' 6" diameter so 24.5mm in 7mm scale. These are readily available from the trade. John

Ah, I should have looked closer. These are likely from what I call the Gen 1 wagons, Dapol's first effort, which were pretty dreadful (one giveaway is the brakes are miles away from the wheels). I bought one and only one and fixed it up with a Bill Bedford chassis. Thank goodness Dapol's wagons now have Lionheart DNA. John

I did a Google and found that Peter's Spares list Dapol wheels: https://www.petersspares.com/c/Dapol/Dapol-o/Dapol-o-gauge-accessories John

My solution has been to do it in two steps. First, use spray adhesive to glue plain photocopy paper (75 g/m2) to the work. Next use a Pritt stick* (or similar) to glue the brick paper to the paper. I have used brick printed on self adhesive labels. These are pretty expensive though. One issue I did encounter was warping. My reasoning is that the plastic is impervious to humidity but paper is not. So, thorough sealing may solve that. * I have built a load of card buildings, mostly Scalescenes, in my time and I find glue sticks to be very good. Some of my buildings have been on the club layout for 10 years. Another possibility is to use Slaters or SEF textured sheets (0.020" thick). The drawback is they need to be painted and you can't beat the rendering of Scalescenes (don't know know what you got). John

I have quite a good set of pics in my library so that's not a problem. There's always Paul Bartlett's collection as well. John

Ah well, I got 3 out of 5 but, as you say, we're looking for rusty shades. John

Put my money where my mouth is and got myself 5 small tubes of Winsor & Newton oils - Titanium White, Ivory Black, Van Dyck Brown, Indian Red and Burnt Sienna. I played the video back 5 or 6 times where Neil names the brown but I never did get it. It occurred to me that I forgot about the thinners but you mention white spirit which is OK. I have refrigerated van in white that I was never happy with, I will start there. John

Thank you very much. I think I asked you for a tutorial a while ago so this fits the bill I think. A completely different method from what I'm used to but I will give it a try (when I get some time). Video is great too, I'm feeling inspired. John

Those wagons look really good Gilbert. What do you mean by "oils"? I'm guessing it's a weathering technique. I might have a go. John

This is the stuff I've been using: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aleenes-Premium-Original-Tacky-Craft/dp/B005Z463A2/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=tacky+glue&qid=1698866992&sr=8-5 May well be latex glue. No appalling smell though. John

Well, Copydex is unknown in Canada but I did use a Tacky Glue (Walmart crafts section) for sticking my foam trackbed (Woodland Scenics) to the boards and the track (Peco) to the foam. It dries rubbery so between the foam and the glue there should be sound deadening. I have no way to test other than gut feel. I did use dilute PVA for the ballast but haven't noticed anything detrimental. It has been down for several years now. The club I belong to to, for the very large club layout, used a 3mm commercial foam similar to WS and Tacky Glue to fix it and the track. All looks good so far. John Edit: I should clarify that most of my turnouts have wooden timbers (Intentio).

I put LEDs in my Heljan Gresley coaches: There's a push button switch in the gangway and a 3V battery on the bulkhead. All included in the kit. I don't recall a mention of resistor, perhaps integral with the LED strip. Showing the switch connection. Lights are very bright. I painted them yellow to tone down. All buttoned up and a nice effect. Caveat, this is 0 gauge but should be the same for 00. The LED kit I got is from Layouts4U. I chose the pushbutton switch but there is a motion sensor as well. John

Perhaps a rubber chicken on a plinth. Not all bad though. I had the later Black5 with sound on board (a proper decoder from Loksound) and it was hands down one of the best locos I ever had. John

I was just starting to refine my 00 wagon underframe detailing before moving on to 0 gauge. My initial efforts with 7mm wagons weren't brilliant but were acceptable. There is an evolution and learning curve to this. Looking forward to seeing your 7mm efforts and being shown up. John

I thought at first your wagons were 0 gauge, they're that good. Excellent work and underframe detail is near and dear to my heart too. John

I think most of us dream of the roundy roundy layout but are usually brought up short by lack of space. Some people will still try to squeeze a quart into a pint pot. Others will get smart and build something else. I think that if you are new to model railways, your first effort is likely going to be akin to a dog's breakfast. So, doing something small means that when you realize it is not recoverable, it's not a disaster. My current layout is physically big but that's because it's 0 gauge. It does fill my basement even though it's a BLT. I have been at it since 2017 and now beginning to see the end. Still scenery to finish off and details. I do want to do a micro soon (see the link below) but it's on the back burner while the big layout gets all the attention. John

OK Nick, happy modelling. I will backtrack a bit on what I said, in case someone reading this may want to use Brassmasters kit for their Hornby Jinty. It's really a note of caution. Hornby's products from that period were very often 4mm shorter than they should have been. I know from my own experience that the tender drive Black 5, Stanier coaches and the 6 wheeled sausage and milk vans were all 4mm short. I can't speak to the Jinty but before spending money on the kit make some careful measurements, particularly of the wheelbase. John

Brassmasters do a nice detailing kit for the Jinty. https://www.brassmasters.co.uk/bachmann_jinty.htm Intended for the Bachmann but I don't see why it can't also be used for Hornby. If you want go even further install Markits wheels. This may be beyond your scope and budget - just saying. John

I like it, a great way to try something new without spending years on it. I keep on to newb modellers about keeping it small but no, they're all about filling a room with track, sigh. This is refreshing. John

Amazon is your friend when it comes to loops and choc blocks. It looks like you used a Wago. Not used them myself but in another thread someone was raving about them. There's something called a "Wagobox" which apparently will keep everything neat and protected. John

Yes, and the old Mainline/early Bachmann locos come to mind. The split chassis design makes installing DCC tricky. I did it a time or two but after those experiences refused to do it again. The other major flaw with these locos is the plastic spacer between the drivers. These are notorious for cracking and wheels coming loose. I think there are aftermarket replacements in the 3D print marketplace. I agree with Harlequin, take a hard look at what you have and perhaps compare to what's available now. Today's prices can be silly so that may be an issue. Modern models have amazing performance, especially when fitted with DCC, so that's a consideration. Then again, you don't have to buy everything at once. John

Sometimes older kits are little more than an aid to the scratchbuilder. You might want to get yourself a copy of Locomotive Modelling by the late Geoff Holt: https://britishrailwaybooks.co.uk/books/ISBN/1908763019.php https://britishrailwaybooks.co.uk/books/ISBN/1908763051.php You might need to shop around. John

Just for clarification, Tortoise (can't speak for Cobalt) are stall motors when used with DC. I have Wabbit stationary decoders which supply power to the Tortoise for just 3 secs and then switch off. John

Wow! This is great. I have a traditional 7mm BLT which has been to several shows. The guys in the club love it because the running is reliable and looks good, if I say so myself. I have aspirations to build a micro that will fit in one car and just go anywhere. The current BLT requires preparations and logistics similar to D Day. Question I have is about operation. Does your layout keep everyone busy for two days? John

Now I do like that, very neat wiring. The Wago boxes look interesting. I was looking at the Wago connectors on Amazon and may try them if I do another layout. (Actually I did start a 7mm micro based on Scalescenes Canal Dock). I've been looking at the MTB point motors as well. Both Tortoise (which I use) and Cobalt seem to have their issues. John