MrSimon

Hi all, Apologies if this has already been written about a lot... Number transfers come in white and ‘straw’, were there different situations where white was used instead of straw? Was it regional or did it depend on the livery the loco was painted in? Also, if I was to use white BRITISH RAILWAYS lettering on a loco would the number also be white? Many thanks in advance Simon

Hello everybody, Still no spraying weather today so I got the three wagons from yesterday finished: LNER loco coal wagon - this is the one that had been put back in the box after I exploded a whitemetal axle box all over it, then @justin1985 gave me some printed axle boxes which I tried out on this, and they work well. Next for this wagon, priming the chassis, fitting buffers and couplings, paint, transfers, weather, etc. The two I started from scratch (L) LMS unfitted plate wagon and (R) BR Lowfit. These both need the same steps doing to them as the loco coal wagon above, and I need to find a load for the Lowfit. It looks like the wheels are all bunched at one end of the Lowfit but it’s just the angle! I think I’m packing the soldering iron away while I finish these bits off (unless I need to do more soldering on the 060 when I’ve managed to paint it... Lots to do! Simon

Hi David, BR Lines do replacement wheels that are to the newer profile (that should be fine with code40) and they click in as a direct replacement - been handy for keeping a few Poole era locos running on Gresby Can’t wait to see the new layout develop. Cheers Simon

Hello everybody! I’ve had the 060 chassis is still ready to be primed, but I didn’t do it the other day and it’s rained every day since... no spraying for me I carried on work on the other bits though: Ready for weathering and couplings These just need transfers, weathering and couplings Today I spent most of the afternoon sticking stuff onto the J94: It’s standard Farish (turned down to 2mm) with the RT trains detailing kit, the bufferbeams from the 2mm chassis kit, and handrails and lamp irons from N Brass. Next up is a coat of black and then transfers/weathering. With the weather being how it’s been today I also started these, two are new and one (the upside down one) is a rescue of a chassis I previously put in a sulking box... Lots to do! Simon

In the Tatlow NPCS book there’s a picture of a North Staffs six wheel aeroplane van, and a L&Y CCT for aeroplanes too but I guess if you want to see the plane they're not much use to you...

Just a quick progress shot, one in BR and one in LNER bauxide: I’m other news, I ordered a baseboard for a test track/plank for the 2mm. Probably won’t become a thread in its own right, but a bit of it will be photogenic enough to make sure it features in a few pictures on here! Best get back to work! Simon

My brother-in-law works for one of the embassies, he has a board that he must do all his work on at home because the board is symbolically part of the country he works for. I have to have my headphones on and the door/window shut for some calls (and I’ve got one of those screen covers that stops people reading over my shoulder), but other things I’m fine to work in the garden for - it’s interesting to see how different industries have adapted. We don’t have any meeting rooms big enough to safely hold more than 4/5 people, so all meetings will be online even after more people go back in. One thing my place are doing is risk assessments to see if they can get the people who really feel isolated in first; someone I’m buddied with went back in the first wave and found it worse bringing the only person on the floor. I was on the Southern train on the West London Line last week in the evening peak and there was 1 person per six-seat bay, even with masks on people didn’t want to share - maybe too many seats are provided now? You could get more people on the train with airline style seats in twos

Thanks Nigel, I spent the week meaning to try it, then the universe got in the way and the meter turned up yesterday. The great news is there weren’t shorts, then I delaminated some three of the PCB tabs and had to do new ones. Its more or less level, but I’ll tweak it a bit when it’s time for wheels. And here we are, ready to prime and paint, then crack on with the next bits. I filed out some of the J94 bunker so it can look a bit more used, and stuck the detailing kit on the back. I’ve got the handrails and the front to sort out. I adjusted the plate wagons, then primed them, and painted everything that will be hard to get at when the wheels are in. They’re currently both on my desk in the first coat of the body colour. I fitted a false floor so you can’t see out the bottom, next I need to paint the underframe and buffers. Then weathering. Lots to do! Simon

My office already had 6 desks for every 10 staff so have been trying to get us to wfh for years; the difference has been now everyone has had to wfh the paranoia and assumptions about our productivity have gone. There are people who want to return full time, and people like me who would happily go in 1-3 a week and wfh the rest of it. I’d still have to commute on office days, if the train company let me buy a ticket that was good for 10 trips useable over up to 6 weeks that would be ideal. If not I’d just go in less, or go in off-peak to my pre-booked desk...

Thanks Nigel - it’s been fun so far but has hit a bit of a delay waiting for a multimeter to turn up so I can test it before soldering the two halves together. Will definitely ask if I get stuck - I’ve got a pretty long wish list of your kits so I’m keen to get this first one working well ) I’m going to make a start on the body next week then everyone will know - hopefully the meter will come too so it can be running by Christmas. Hello everybody! There’s been a bit more 2mm work going on this weekend. First up, I attached couplings to a J94 with turned down wheels I bought on eBay as a spare loco. Obviously I took some short clips of me messing around with the delayed action couplings: This has now gone into works to have the RT Modes detailing kit fitted. Like a fool I started filing out the bunker which in hindsight wasn’t the best idea.. but it’ll be fine! This weekend I decided to batch build some wagons. I chose three chassis out of the 2mm tin: Two LNER plate wagons and a Southern BY (passenger brake) I made the plate wagons first after abandoning batch building as soon as I’d done the bearings. When I reached the stage shown in this picture I should have stopped and filed the ends a little before fitting the buffer beams, as they’re less than 1mm too long (excuse the strange colour, I forgot the bit of white paper and had to correct it) this would be a finished wagon shot but I need to take the buffer beams off, adjust them and then fit the buffers. Also, I think I’m going to start supergluing axle-boxes on, I’ve never soldered one straight! So here are the finished* chassis for 2x LNER fitted plate wagons. One has plates on the axle boxes the other doesn’t. When I get to painting one will be LNER brown and the other BR, for variety. This afternoon I finished the third chassis. I had a bit of a moment last night when I realised BYs and CCTs were different lengths, and I had a CCT to convert... there’s a correct length body on the way. The only thing left to do on this chassis is to build the buffer beams. I can’t quite work out where they should fit so will have to look at the instructions! I’d also like to fit it to the body while I’m at it When I was in the 2mm tin I found these part built. They might need a bit of work! Lots to do! Simon

Thanks all - I hadn’t realised Dapol had started calling it a ‘Maunsell Brake Coach’ instead, I’ve got one ordered now Many thanks Simon

Hi all, I started to make a 3-743 Dapol BY underframe kit, and when I held it up to the donor vehicle it was 5-6mm longer than the body. Obviously, I was using a CCT which has a different underframe - I’ve only ever seen the CCT, does Dapol make a BY/a kit available, or do I need to cut and shut 2 bodies to make a BY? Thanks in advance Simon

Hello everybody! After six weeks away from the workbench I would have eased myself back in with something easy; maybe finished off something I’d started before the break... but not this time! Another 2mm scale chassis! Not the prettiest bit of soldering you’ll ever see... Here’s the inside of one of the frames with the bearings and bits of PCB stuck on I need to sort out my workbench, it’s not the easiest thing to solder chassis stretchers on. Maybe some space for a vice and stuff... When I get the chassis into the jig I’ll be able to straighten these out. I’m not going to join the two sides until I’ve given it a go over with the multimeter as I’m not completely sure I didn’t accidentally bridge the insulation. It doesn’t look massively straight at the moment but that’s because it’s only really held in place by the jig. I’m waiting for a few bits to turn up in the post for this too... I’ll get started with the body soon - can anyone guess what it is yet? Lots to do! Simon

Needs glitter. But if you’re going to do it I’ll buy one.

Hi Tim, Which way are they filleted? Some from the ends or some from the sides? Many thanks Simon

The hydrangeas are looking great Bob, well done!

I had a 00 gauge set with Thomas, Duck, and some trucks when I was very young, and my dad had a continental N gauge layout. Then after checking I could put N gauge on the track alright I got a 4x2’ N gauge layout for my birthday. It had a Minitrix Queen Mother, 4 Farish Mark 1s and an 08 and 10 Peco/Minitrix wagons. The locos and 9 of the wagons are long gone, but I’ve still got all four Mark 1s 30 years later. This one has been updated with an Etched Pixels underframe and some different bogies - but the body shell/roof is unchanged. It still has a place in my one of my trains today. I kept various iterations of my layout until I left home after graduation, then 3/4 years later I started Gresby. The new Chinese Models are great, but I still run a few Poole built engines scrubbed up and detailed no ones noticed! Cheers Simon

Hi Gordon, I guess in this instance A is in the wrong place and for the sake of setting that route it might be 2 or three points up the line (-B if you will), so when you set the point that would send the train into platform 1 the route wouldn’t reach A to set that as a route so the LEDs in platform 4 wouldn’t light (but if you changed B the route into platform 4 would be set from wherever that line comes in from). For clarity when it’s on the panel you might need to show a red on the fast/slow at the station entrance if (for example) you’ve set a train from line 1 into platform 2 it doesn’t show the usual route of line 2 as set. Hope that’s of any use! Simon

Hi Jim, It had been running for about half an hour in each direction before I took the videos with the rods on, it’s back running against the block and is definitely showing an improvement (strangely it’s sounding worse than it was). I altered the bent bit of etch I soldered on before to stop the worm disengaging when the engine went forwards and that’s improved the forward running a little too. How much running in is ‘normal’? Thanks Simon

Hello everybody, Thanks to all those who gave advice with my J94 - today I took two sets of wheels off, checked they were squarely on new muffs and that they were free running, and tried to run it in a little. Its a big improvement, the waddle’s gone and it runs much slower than before, but it’s still kind of ‘revving’ for want of a better word. It looks like the gears on the stub axles between the worm and the back driving wheel are tighter at one part of the revolution than the rest. I can’t work out if it would be because the muff isn’t quite central on the axel or if I’ve got the gear not quite straight on the muff. Before I order more muffs does this sound like a reasonable diagnosis? Many thanks in advance Simon

Hello everybody! After 4 weeks of putting the Portabrook 47 in the sun every time it was out to try and bleach the yellow’d varnish. It didn’t work, so I gently rubbed it back. Today I weathered the roof and then streaked some down the side and wiped it off. I had a slight panic at the start when I found out how much iron red was left in the weathering brush from when I did the tipplers... but I think I saved it! Here it is ready for varnishing. Front Train end Full body. I’m in two minds about giving the body sides a coat of clear just to give it a ‘washed sheen’ but the roof is fine. Once it’s all set I need to clean the wheels and give it a run! The only thing left to do is to make a long distance fuel tank, but that can wait for later... but now it’s time to choose a new loco upgrade/repaint! Lots to do Simon

Could you put wine-vines on the slope?

Is that what it is? I was looking for a way in an saw two really fine lines and though “that’s a really well-fitting join on such an old model” so I pulled it and there was a snapping noise And then I thought “oh well, 25 left to go!” In other news this turned up today: Great model, I’m researching to see if I can justify a teak one too...! Lots to do Simon

Haha well unless I can get the wheels turning on the Scott it will be going 2mm much earlier than I’d anticipated - bit of an extreme candidate for 3rd engine for a shunting plank! Hello everybody! Lots of little bitty things happening over the last two weeks, firstly I started finishing the class 108: I wasn’t happy with some bits of the rushed paint job I gave it before Leamington, and in hindsight I’m glad I didn’t get the transfers on before the show. All eight bogies painted at once... I got slightly distracted by the arrival of some more shortened couplings from Shapeways - they came 3 weeks earlier than I’d been expecting. I set to work fitting them to my Farish mark 3 rake. I also marshalled the rake so no more coaches need to loose their buffers. Some coaches will only run in the west coast formation of this train, only the ones without buffers will run with the HST powercars. Next I decided to give the shirt couplings a test in the HAA train. I’d used them successfully with the Farish 15ft wagons but not Minitrix ones - they’re tricky to change couplings, I’ve no idea how they were originally fitted! A short coupling on each end brought the gap down to 2mm, but I’m going to stick with one normal and one short on each wagon so I don’t have to demolish both coupling boxes on each wagon. There goes the resale value! I’m going to look into making some sort of representation of the hopper gear to go on the bottom of each wagon - there’s nothing there at the moment. It’s long term but on the Trello... Of course I took a video... This week the track had slightly tighter than normal curves to test out the shorter + shorter couplings on the minitrix hoppers in case making the conversion prevented their use on Gresby. The initial testing was with 8 wagons so if there were problems with the rear 4 wagons (the ones I had altered) I could see if it was the definitely the couplings and not something else. It seems strange seeing a single class 20... The mark 3s also behaved, but the Dapol hoppers didn’t. I’m not sure if a bit of liquid glaze to stop the couplings bobbing up and down is the answer. Anyway, lots to do! Simon

Oh that’s a pain, oh well. When does the order book close? If it’s not on here or in my inbox I can guarantee I’ve missed the announcements. Is the RMweb not the place to be anymore? Cheers Simon