Sithlord75

I take my advice on what to include v what to not worry about from (I think) @Caley Jim - if it casts a shadow, put it on. I've always been a little surprised as to what prints and how it can make a difference having it or not - even if it is slightly over scale. The eye expects to see it and will notice the absence more than the presence.

The issue I’ve had with 3DP roofs is getting them thin enough at the ends and edge whilst having them thick enough to not banana. I agree having the ventilators already there to delete as appropriate would be ideal.

G'day all, The next ZAG meeting is this coming Saturday (27 August) from 0930GMT. Please adjust according to your location. All are welcome to join in, and share what they have been building, ask for advice (and share their favourite tips for success) and generally have a chat about their projects. Having inadvertently double booked myself (I can't even blame The Boss of this one - it was all me) I won't be able to join until possibly late. It'll depend on what time we get home from dinner with friends. I'm sure you'll have an enjoyable evening (possibly more so!) none the less. The link below should take you straight there or the ID and passcode. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83287616944?pwd=WGRnQkprN1IwcitVRm56OThtMUFVUT09 Meeting ID: 832 8761 6944 Passcode: 222372 Cheers Kevin

The track plan looks a lot like "Collier Street" out of the Peco set track plan book - except in 2mm finescale! I knew it looked familiar - I built a layout based on the same track plan back in 2008 whilst teaching at Longreach State High School in the middle of Queensland. This was because my wife was a Collier once upon a time and I watched a build of it on whichever version of RMWeb it was at the time. Lots of potential for location adaptions - I did mine as 3rd Rail Electric. May revisit it inspired by this. @nebnoswal will say "layout dream what number?" but you have to have dreams. I've particularly enjoyed the sequence photos. Thank you for those.

I took delivery of the transfers for the wagons being built for @VRBroadgauge and @2mm Dabbler (and a few other people - me included) today and got the first ten of the VR board gauge four wheelers done. 12 in the pic but two need paint touch ups before I put the decals on. $1 for scale instead of UK currency owing to prototype!

Good to see a solution for the loco Tony. I'll have to come back to see it on Yeovil again.

Good to see a new installment on this thread. I'm looking forward to seeing other projects appear in due course...

North Somerset Light Railway shed judging by the significant number of locos in that livery...

G'day all, The next ZAG meeting is this coming Saturday (13 August) from 1930GMT. Please adjust according to your location. All are welcome to join in, and share what they have been building, ask for advice (and share their favourite tips for success) and generally have a chat about their projects. The link below should take you straight there or the ID and passcode. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83287616944?pwd=WGRnQkprN1IwcitVRm56OThtMUFVUT09 Meeting ID: 832 8761 6944 Passcode: 222372 Cheers Kevin

Don't want to spoil his thunder but I'll be surprised if you don't rise to bite the hook when it flicks out. The East Somerset is the mis-remembering of the North Somerset by Aussie travellers....

Who'd have thought the East Somerset Light Railway livery would have been seen on wagons in Victoria, Australia? And yet... First fully completed wagon for @VRBroadgauge - not sure what number is destined to be on it but it is one of the 15 I/IA opens being built. I managed to find a dozen 12BA nuts to put in the coupling boxes so that the Z scale microtrains couplers could be fitted later - some more are on the way - so figured I'd get half a dozen of the 50 done. We shall see how we go in the progress before the 100 nuts make their way up from Sydney. Having built a variety of wagons from a variety of designers I can say from my experience Bruce designs wagons to go together easily. He did send instructions, which I didn't read (but I did look at pictures) but I didn't feel I needed to such was the logic of his placement. I'll write up how I did it in due course and send my instructions to Wodonga and we'll compare notes! In other news, I've conned (!) Bruce into designing me some stuff. Watch either this space (when the etches arrive) or his (if he wants to share what he is doing between VR designing!).

As @VRBroadgauge warned me, in yesterday's post I received quite a heavy parcel containing enough bits for 50 5'3" (10.5mm gauge) VR Wagons (and four spare bodies). The contents of the package! Fresh etches are a thing of beauty, as I have said before. What is particularly exciting is etches which, only a few months ago, you couldn't get. Bruce has done a great job and I am very much looking forward to building these for him - and other things which I know he is working on (some things which will be more use to a UK LNWR layout...) 30 of these 10'6" wheel basis chassis to go under either M class cattle or K class flats - the K tops can be seen in the extreme top left of the group shot, near the packet of bearings. 5 of these RY opens - these come with their own chassis so are a complete kit. 15 I class open wagons - also with their own chassis as part of the etch. And 24 M class cattle wagon bodies - yes, 4 more than the chassis but that would appear to be from the generosity of PPD including a couple of extra sheets than ordered! One way to ensure future orders of the chassis sheet I guess. I've promised the Burpengary Wagon Works (which is also building 10 LMS Vans for @2mm Dabbler) will deliver these painted in VR Red Oxide and individually numbered. Bruce is on his own for couplings, wheels and weathering (I might do a couple to try out some ideas I've got - might as well use someone elses to learn on before doing mine right?). Stay tuned for some build pictures over the next couple of days.

Hi Jon, Congratulations (!) on your promotion. I'd be very interested in learning more about the G15, particularly your chassis rig - I've three or four which I purchased on a whim over a decade ago to build and get going... Just don't tell the LNWR part of the work bench. Cheers Kevin

As far as I have been able to determine from the GER society web page and my 1976 edition of Tatlow's "A Pictorial Record of LNER Wagons" it dates from 1910 when the GER moved over to building Large wagons with a moveable partition. I believe it should (assuming the 1910 part is correct) be on a wooden underframe. Mine isn't - so either a) I've built it wrong (possible as I didn't have the information at the time I built it some 10-12 years ago) or b) it is a large one built prior to the 1910 order for 425 (which is my story until proved wrong!!!). It is likely that the relevant volume of the complete history will shed more information but I only purchased the one on GNR wagons when last in Bath. Hope this helps a little. Cheers Kevin

Thursday Night is Knitting Club every week (usually) which effectively means @nebnoswal and I have three hours of either building, decorating or designing depending on our mood. Yesterday evening I decided to build one of the Shop 2 arrivals in the post that morning, the L&Y 12’ chassis to go under a D62 van. Unusually I remembered to take photos of the build: The basic chassis off the etch. As is, it’s for a steel chassis with automatic brakes. As I’m not building one like that, I removed the unwanted bits. As modified. I prefer to build on the flat. Much easier and quicker. There are three layers added here and unusually all were able to be easily lined up - two using the top hat bearings. Flipping over once the axle boxes are on, I fold up the DG locators. Next, the brakes are added - in this case the bit marked unfitted. Once the brakes are located I then fold up the sides and ends before threading some wire through where required. Finally I put the brake handles on, then put the finished chassis in the ultrasonic cleaner.

I think the art work is lost so....

G’day everyone, Hopefully those well north of here are surviving the very Australian like temperatures being reported on the news here. As a break from talking the weather consider joining the next Zoom Area Group meeting! (Although to be fair we do from time to time discuss the weather there too!) The next ZAG meeting is this coming Saturday 23 July from 0930GMT. Please adjust according to your location. All are welcome to join in, and share what they have been building, ask for advice (and share their favourite tips for success) and generally have a chat about their projects. I’ll be working on the collection of chassis I have to go under 3D printed bodies. The link below should take you straight there or the ID and passcode. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83287616944?pwd=WGRnQkprN1IwcitVRm56OThtMUFVUT09 Meeting ID: 832 8761 6944 Passcode: 222372 Cheers Kevin ZAG Co-ordinator

Back at work this week after 5 weeks off. I have also managed to injure one of my fingers fairly badly (referred to a surgeon to discuss the crushed tip of my finger!) which has cramped my soldering a bit. I did manage to get the two MR cattle wagon bodies in obtained in Derby built before work despite the finger injury but at a much slower rate. These were admired in ESLR livery at today’s SEQAG meeting along with a selection of photos from my DJ trip. I had additions to the gloat box too recently when a package arrived from Wodonga containing more parts for the train shed at St Albans. Not sure when work will start on this but hopefully I do justice to Bruce’s art work.

Replacement transfers can be sent if you'd like Ian. DM me your address and I'll stick one in the post if so. Mind you, I think it looks suitably dirty and used as it is!

Since you mention NG stuff - here's some I prepared earlier!! The tram is based on the Peco GVT kit - runs on the same chassis but is off my printer. The tippers are from Shapeways - I want to see if I can work out how to have etched ones which work. The Double Fairlie I found on Thingiverse and did the maths to have it fit 6.5mm - I haven't worked out how to power it yet, and I think I need to manipulate the files a bit more but there is the possibility at least. I took some of my N6.5 stuff with me to Derby but frustratingly, despite Mark having The Pizza there, didn't get a photo!! I did however put the loco and carriages on Nick Bastable's DJLC entry. There's a couple of photos over on his Line No 16 thread.

That was the 2016 Tour Chris! Didn't get inside Boston Lodge this time (although visited the F&WHR) but got into the oldest continuously operating steam shed on the Talyllyn instead.

The next ZAG meeting is this coming Saturday 9 July from 1930GMT. Please adjust according to your location. All are welcome to join in, and share what they have been building, ask for advice (and share their favourite tips for success) and generally have a chat about their projects. The link below should take you straight there or the ID and passcode. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83287616944?pwd=WGRnQkprN1IwcitVRm56OThtMUFVUT09 Meeting ID: 832 8761 6944 Passcode: 222372

I’ve had a bit of an enforced hiatus from the workbench - travelling to the DJ Expo in Derby and then having a week of catching up on everything I missed will do that! However as it was a cold wet and miserable day in SEQ today management decreed a craft/hobby afternoon and so I decided to make a start on some of the packets which came home from Derby with me. These five MR bodies were obtained to provide a bit of variety amongst the LNWR and GNR home teams. A few hours later and voila: The three vans in East Somerset Light Railway livery until I can get some chassis built for them - or obtained as I think the D362 goes on a 2-341 which isn’t in the present Shop 2 list. Cattle next - not sure if I’ve chassis for those either!!

Queensland likewise uses 1067mm and has the largest system to that gauge in the world - including some oddities like the Gulflander. Language issues similar to WA and NZ however 😉 Cheers Kevin

Where's the "groan" option in the feedback button? 🤣