MrSimon

These look great, well done to all. Are you planning to shrink them down to N? Cheers Simon

Hattons took a fresh set of pictures. Have asked for a refund. (To confirm, it was only sat in my trunk, I hadn’t had it sent to me yet so have only ever seen pictures online so I’ve not had to send it back, just picked back out my trunk). https://www.hattons.co.uk/559226/gaugemaster_collection_gm2210103_class_66_7_66773_pride_of_gb_railfreight_in_gbrf_livery_with_rainbow_logo/stockdetail

Hello everybody! No bracing, painting or glazing going on - just three more storeys almost to the same level as the first… First, I realised I hadn’t got enough space for the four doors and three windows I thought would fit there, but on the plus I had built the single windows to the same spacing as the doors. Bonus! I got both storeys of the maisonettes to the same level and then spent this evening fitting the two storeys together: I’ve got the other end and the roof to do, then these storeys will be at the same place as the other two - then I’ve got three more faces to do for the other block… Lots to do! Simon

Hello everybody! While we wait for the old pictures to come back here’s something I’ve picked back up from one of the cubbies on my desk. I hadn’t written any instructions and the piece of card I’d drawn some kinda sketchy plans on had been used for something else… After a few days staring I worked out where most of the bits went on the main bits… Here’s the first side going together. Shortly after taking this I realised I’d misunderstood some random scribbles and had to cut the bit on the left off again… 🤦🏼‍♂️ …and in one piece! This needs to be braced, painted, glazed and detailed… but first I’ve got the identical next story to put together. Lots to do! Simon

This is now available (and is sat, paid for, in my Hattons Trunk), but it seems to be the wrong colour. All the pictures of the model are all pretty poor pictures it’s hard to tell if they’ve chosen to paint it a much much darker orange than the prototype. The pictures on the gaugemaster site show two different finishes and the real loco for reference, neither are an exact match but the one that seems to be the production version looks incorrect. https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/magento/model-railways/gm-collection-brand5/gaugemaster-gm2210103.html Has anyone got there’s yet? Does it look better in the flesh? The rainbow colours look right which I guess is important to sell out during Pride Month, but I’ve waited well over a year for this and from the pictures I’ve seen I feel disappointed with the end result. Many thanks in advance Simon

I rubbed all the bits of the coupling that rub (ie the cam bit, the coupler, the shaped bit) with a pencil and it’s smooth now - it’s a trick I learned with my Dapol MK3s and Farish MK1s, the pencil lessens the friction (I got for a high B pencil, but a high H pencil would probably be better)

Hi all, Does the chassis kit 3-652 (replacement for Farish LMS Black 5) use the 11.75mm black 5 driving wheels or are they just for the full loco kit? It’s not mentioned on the replacement chassis kit instructions (but I assume it goes together like the others) Many thanks in advance Simon

Hello everybody! Very little done, I’ve been on holiday… but when I got back this was waiting: After running in it runs well, looks good, needs a little weathering but that’s for another day. Took a bit of effort getting into the pantograph car to turn the lights off but nothing impossible! Obviously I had to have a play with it, and other bits but on the table for a change as my legs hurt from holiday too much to be crawling around on the floor… Had a bit of a session! Only bit of modelling is finishing off the yellow gondola wagon from up the page: I need to lighten up the two dark patches of outside rust/paint them out with yellow, but I’m happy with the rest Lots to do! Simon

Hello everybody! I’m calling this finished now, it’s got one or two minor jobs left (paint driver, run some dirt over the lamp) but it’s pretty much good to go. Next time the body’s off I’ll paint the rest of the motor wires. Just need to make a box for it… It’s a GEM/Lychette Manor white metal body kit with a Nigel Hunt 2mm chassis kit, with handrails by N Brass, rivets by Railtec and transfers by Fox. Paints are a mix of Halfords Satin Black, Phoenix Bufferbeam Red and Humbrol black, tan and gunmetal. Took a while! Simon

Hi Mark, great work on the Jinty - how wide are the splashers now? Many thanks Simon

Whenever I click the Layout topics I just get an empty white screen - on my phone and iPad (Safari and Chrome), with not many pictures back on the thread I can find. In a way it’s reassuring that everyone else is having issues but there aren’t any pictures at all for the first 15/16 pages. I guess we just wait?

Hello everybody! A few bits done but I’ve not been very focused - I’ve got to tidy my desk next week so I’ve been in a dither 🫣 First up, I gave the underframe of the LYR tank it’s second coat: (excuse the weirdly uplift picture) I think this is all it needs now in terms of dirt - but I will buff the rods a little to bring out the shine on the gun metal. Just crew to fit and it’s one off the list I had the soldering iron out the the sole purpose of soldering together the rods for the 262 and made this instead. Once I’ve fitted it to the body and made the bufferbeams it all needs painting Stage one of the painting also happened, at the same time I did the plate wagon and a few other bits. I decided to do it in black straight off as the a starter for the other bits… we’ll see how that goes. Finally I started the process of finishing and laying that three way point. There’s still a lot to do, both in terms of finishing the actual piece of track and the massive ammount of ‘gubbins’ that go under the board. More on this to follow over the summer… Lots to do! Simon

Hello everybody, Bit of a longer gap than planned between updates, but it forced me to actually get some stuff done (especially when the weather turned back…) This just needs a bit of fettling on the chassis and then it’s done (couplings and crew then done done). Here it is posed on @justin1985’s layout after we spent ages turning brass… Brass turned and cut (thank you sir) I could get on starting the parts of 2MT build I was scared of… here are the ends of the pistons tacked on so I could drill the holes for the cross heads. Here’s where I stopped for a rest. Remarkably tricky to form and construct the basic cylinder shape (as a first time doing anything with metal and solder that involved bends that aren’t a 90o angle on a half etched line) but I got a passable cylinder block. Then the other night I fitted these things. There’s a few more things I need to do before moving on to the next step in the instructions, but it’s all made sense so far! It was Ally Pally the other weekend, great to be back. Before starting any of the things I bought I felt I should finish something else… so I did part two of the transfers session on the tipplers: I went for a slightly different version of the livery from the other side (but you’ll never see both sides at once). I’m going to try oil fading or maybe varnish fading before I weather these, then there’ll only be the final 7 left to do! Lots to do! Simon

Apologies if this is something I’ve missed - are they powered on the centre car with the driving cabs as trailers, or is the motor in one end? Thanks Simon

Hello everybody! I’ve had some transfer sessions this weekend (and you know how I feel about that…). On the first session I managed to finish off two units, with some small details that had been on my mind for a few years Northern’s! More specifically the small transfers Northern (as in the Serco/Ned Northern Rail that came before the Arriva Northern Rail) stuck to their trains while the swooshy purple and blue livery was rolled out as a way of making the fleet seem like it was all one big multicoloured company. Jo at Steadfast created these for me and I couldn’t be happier with them! The 155 just needs the numbers on the cab front and then it and the 156 can be weathered. The 142 is now completely finished. The second transfer session was the first side of these: They’re using the Railtec/NGS transfers. The second side will be slightly different. Never did get the rest of that soldering done… Lots to do! Simon

Thanks Duncan! I think I still have my old airbrush but I don’t have anywhere to spray (I manage rattle cans under the steps leading down to my flat) - everything except matt black steam engines is done with a brush/powder. Noted on the brake dust, I’ve got to finish painting the chassis so will include it - I agree: it needs more earthy/rust tones below the body. Cheers Simon

Hello everybody! I think I’m at the right amount of dirt, I think I’ve achieved ‘lightly’ weathered, what do you think? It’s maybe a little grey on the tank top, but I don’t want to go too heavy. I also need to touch up the rods/chassis and fit couplings and crew. This week I dusted off the 2MT kit with a view to definitely finishing it… I made the pony trucks and realised I need to use a lathe and order some bits… but it’s back on the radar with the intention of getting it running by Christmas! While not making the 2MT I made this: I think it’s the 5th one I’ve made, and I also made (but not photographed) a pair of LMS coach bogies… Lots to do! Simon

Thanks both! I’ve got a few clean Dapol and Farish ones in the stock boxes so will give see how pre-varnishing works out for me. I’ve reached the point of no return with the class 23 tank… it’s ‘finished’ but clean: This is the point I always get to where I say ‘I want it to be quite clean but looking like it’s put in a days work’ and then overdo it. I also need to alter my usual technique slightly because I don’t want to take the rivet transfers off! My plan is for an ashy running plate, a sooty boiler too and cab roof, and a dirty wash with some Klear. Talking of a dirty wash with Klear, I weathered a second 142: It’s looking used but clean which was how the units running round Victoria looked when I lived by the track. The replacement destination and Northern transfer were done for me by Jo at Steadfast Models! Also from Steadfast Models are markings/graffiti for the Dapol Falcon: I’ve got a lot more to do on this, but they’re turned out well. Lots to do! Simon

I guess it depends on how much of a noticeable feature they are on the thing you’re modelling, I lean toward leaving them off unless it would look wrong without them. I used the Modelu printed rivet transfers to add them, but they were added as they came (so are definitely over sale and probably not spaced out in line with the prototype) but they give the look of the thing. I wouldn’t have wanted to use them to do a rake of vehicles or a vehicle with a lot of rivets though, Hope that helps Simon

Hello everybody! At the weekend I thought I’d get on and finish the L&Y tank, then I couldn’t find the transfers that had been in a safe place since I started the build all those pages ago… so I decided I’d sulked at the Jinty long enough and got it out for a talking to. It felt like the wheels weren’t quartered right when running with the motor, and it ended up bending itself and getting wrapped in the brake gear on the other side (when the crank pin came out) So I stripped it down. I hadn’t been happy with the motor as it was struggling a little with the wheels; to sort out the rods I had to take them off and the front wheels off to remove the soldered in crank pin… it had 4 new crank pins, I tried to use a new pair of rods on it but the Fencehouses (this one) and the Farish replacement rods were slightly different lengths, which meant I couldn’t. After quite a lot of fettling I got it properly quartered with the rods adjusted so it runs well - this also meant I didn’t need to swap it for a beefier motor. Ready to go back into the paint shop (but first I’ll check the rod is straight and it’s just a bit of phone lens distortion making it look that shape…) As a shorter project this week I have detailed the back of a cargowagon that became the end of the rake years ago after being dropped. It had made it to the bench after I discovered it was shorting last time I had the track out. Somehow the wheels had been pressed too close and the two halves of axle were touching. It was a very simple conversion - brake pipes and dummy coupling from various bit bags (Revolution IWA and Sturgeon, and Dapol steel hood which was reshaped slightly) and a lamp from Modelu. I touched up the weathering on the bogies and buffers too but the rest is as I left it before. It looks like the paint/mixer combo I used has taken the printing off, I’ll try again with acylics before I start on the Revolution ones! Lots to do! Simon

Hello everybody! Years earlier than expected I finished a second JJA, which I’ve built in a week: Obviously when I said finished I meant I got it to the same pre-weathering stage as the other JJA and HQA, but here are my two JJAs together. I’ve also finished building the LYR class 23 The remaining jobs are coal, crew, transfers and weathering. Since taking these pics I’ve painted the buffers/buffer beam. Lots to do! Simon

Just the final bit of painting/transfers/weathering for the L&Y 060 - chassis is a Nigel Hunt, body is the GEM kit with some details added: Looking at the enlarged pictures it seems like the cab roof is more curved at the back than the front, but only in some pictures. It’s a massive improvement on the one that came wi the the kit anyway… Once it was sprayed black I refitted the chassis and checked it still ran well (after having to do a lot of fettling after I put the steps on) This is my first fully kit built loco in 2mmish Cheers Simon

Hello everybody! I’ve had a few days off with nowhere to go, so I’ve been at my desk… I’ve also been getting on with various bits on the L&Y class 23. In no particular order: I’ve primed it, fitted lamp irons front and back, built the front buffer beam and fitted buffers front and back, built a new cab roof and fitted the steps (fettled so it still runs). I think there are one or two pipes I’m missing off and the reverser, but I think it’s ready to paint now. Lots to do! Simon

Hello everybody! I think I’ve finished a marathon, multi-day transfer session… that’s right, I transferred two autoballasters I couldn’t find the transfers for the JGA last time I had the saucer on my desk, so today it caught up with the HQA. Now I’m in two minds about the patch (and whether to leave the renewing your railways on or move it all up and cover it over), but these patches came from Railtec yesterday, and they’re excellent as usual. I’ve seen some pictures of much more drastically painted out ones, so I think there’ll be one to follow. These are more or less finished except for the handrails and painting the bogies (and setting the transfers). There are three more buff and four more yellow ones left to make. Also today I finished off the bottom of the boiler. Nearing the home straight of building this, I’m glad the paint scheme is an easy one. Finally this week a pair of these turned up, I’m going to do a bit of research and then get cracking with the weathering - but a beautiful model of a strange wagon non the less. Lots to do! Simon

That’s a second recommendation from me for Wilko’s chock blocks; I then used printer cables between boards and the control panel Enjoying seeing the progress Simon