2mmMark

Instead of regular cork underlay, try cork floor tiles instead. These are stronger and flatter, generally around 3 to 3.5mm thick.

Yes indeed, Wycrail was a very good exhibition and it was a pleasure to have a chance to help out on Jerry's layout. Operating from the front is an interesting experience. Incidentally, a description of the Peckett's construction is featured here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/63281-guinness-saddle-tank-almost/ There was a real Father Ted moment when 2mm, 4mm and 7mm Sentinels met. "These are small, the ones outside are far away..." Mark

The brick walls around the NPL in Teddington were topped with the mortar/broken glass mix and I can recall seing it used elsewhere too. Seems to have fallen out of favour these days. Looks like a good deterrent to exhibition pokers & prodders...!

I overcome DG "inertia" by building batches of them and keeping them ready assembled. Making DGs is a job for which I find I have to be in the mood for, as it's a bit fiddly getting the loops assembled. I still use a P/B wire loop with a steel tail soldered on. Haven't yet got around to trying a 1 piece steel wire loop & tail.

Thankfully, that's highly unlikely. Pendon are preserving the layout very well. It's been in their care for nearly 50 years and they are fully aware of its significance. From time to time, it's operated too. The Madder Valley is a beautfilly observed layout and it's a testimony to the longevity of well built card models. Very worthwhile visiting to see it in the flesh.

Looks very promising. I'm now wondering if, with suitably moulded centres and matching machined axle ends, whether self-quartering wheelsets would be possible? The FUD process looks to be capable of the required accuracy. I can foresee one potential issue - care needs to be taken when soldering retaining washers on the crankpins with this type of wheel construction, particularly if the pins are secured with superglue. Perhaps reverse the assembly by having a headed crankpin pushed into the wheel, with a washer interposed between the rod and wheel face?

Wow, that last photo (DSC00836a) is stunning. I was convinced I was looking at the real thing.

Somewhat of a blast from the past, here's Chapel Wharf at Railwells in 2004. A little bit grainy as I was working without flash in available light.

I asked my friend Monty and the reply was "...and No.1, The Larch"...

Looking good Jerry. I think these make a nice chunky little tank loco and it all else fails, you can paint it blue and stick a face on the front. My version is very similar but I mounted the motor much further back and filled the area inside the tanks with lead sheet. http://www.zen98812.zen.co.uk/060chas.html It also later gained a J69 body in preference to the "GP" version.

As I was stewarding on the 2mm Scale Association stand at the MRJ show, I was fortunate enough to get an after-hours view of Hursley. It wasn't quite displayed at its best at the MRJ show. The layout itself was/is magnificent with a totally stunning approach to realism, but the presentation & lighting let it down somewhat, in my view. I don't think it was ever designed as an exhibition layout. The photos of Hursley in MRJ & RM also created a high expectation and perhaps those are a better way of seeing a layout like Hursley. I recall Debenham being at an East Anglian show I exhibited at a few years ago. It might have been Stowmarket. It sticks in my memory because it was a Sunday-only show. Mark.

If people are busy running the Association, then time to reply to letters is often short, as I know from personal experience. For this type of thing, a phone call or email is probably better. Now, please don't take offence at this, it's a general comment not aimed at anyone in particular - when the Association (or in fact any organisation) uses volunteers, it's essential they are reliable, trustworthy and can deliver what they promise, so a degree of vetting has to take place. I have been in this situation myself when I was in charge of Association publications and the demands of my work life intruded into the time I had available for 2mm work. It can feel like a bit of a treadmill always having to produce 2mm shop items to keep up with demand - especially when said items disappear into gloat boxes and don't get used. I plead guilty to this as I've got a stash of kits & locos wating to be built. In mitigation, I've not made many 2mm purchases recently. Mark.

Thought I'd add a few more photos of Highbury.

Very pleased to see you've finished the saddle tank. I almost wish I'd kept but realistically, it would still be sitting in it's gloatbox. The Hymek looks really good. Dapol got this one just right.

That looks very neat, well done. I'd be interested to see your designs for a chassis. There's probably some mileage in using Nigel Lawton's various motors & components. As a contrast, here's mine, pretty much as it comes, because I can justify the Germanic lines as CIE and other Irish lines did go shopping for locos at Deutz & Schoema. http://markfielder.fotopic.net/p39201023.html Mark.

Looks OK to me and I've built a fair bit of 6.5mm gauge track. Couple of comments - the code 30 strip rail is a loose fit in the std gauge jigs so using it to make a fishbone as Missy suggests can be tricky. Code 40 bullhead used upside down works very well and looks pretty good too. I would also recommend 100% pcb sleepers. Once you've mastered the knack of track soldering, it's quicker than glueing non-pcb sleepers. Double sided tape might be worth trying. It holds the sleepers well enough and the glue can be dissolved with a brushing of white spirit. Soldering is much easier if you can find a thin gauge of solder, you have more control over the amount used. I tend to spray-paint my track and prefer to use oil-based enamels like Humbrol. For cleaning up afterwards I use a cheap screwdriver ground to the shape of a wheel and scrape away excess paint from the head and inside top of the rail. I have seen a code 30 NG rail jig but that may have been a prototype. Mark.

My method for tiebars is to use a shortened 4mm sleeper, inverted, filed down widthways to fit between two normal point sleepers. Because the entire gap is filled, it’s surprisingly unobtrusive. The 4mm sleeper is thicker than the sleepers supplied by the 2mm Scale Association so it needs a slot cutting in the trackbed but being thicker, is much more robust. What I also like to do is arrange a pivoted joint between the tiebar and switch rails. I believe this very much aids reliability. Someone suggested to me (it may have been Tim Watson) that it would be possible to texture the top of the 4mm sleeper so what you get is “moving ballastâ€. I intend to try this at the next time I build some pointwork. I’m with Jerry on the combination of Easitrac for plain track and PCB for pointwork. My preference is for the “Easiline†stepped chairplates but the Association has taken the rather perverse decision to discontinue them. Combined with the pointwork construction jigs, they are very easy to use.

Looking good, Chris! Can I make a plea for you to make sure the inset track is at least partly ballasted under the rail & check rail? So often you can see nicely modelled inset track only to look down the gap and see raw sleepers & baseboard. Spoils the illusion.

Do GIVI know about this intriguing new system of pannier capacity measurement? Much better than boring old litres! Mark.

The PVA based liquid glazing like Krystal Kleer tend to set with a concave effect. Carrs used to sell and maybe still do, a celluose based equivalent. You'll need to capture the flatness of the glazing as these railcars predate "Triplex" shaped glass. Here's a good picture of the front end http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1934_GWR_diesel_railcar.jpg I reckon you'll have to bite the bullet and use individual panes of shaped clear plastic sheet to flush-glaze it. Looking good though. Mark.

Interesting point about the mess from the foam. On one of the US forums, I read of someone who shaped various wire hoops to fit into a Weller soldering gun and used it to form extruded poly foam successfully. Something I intend to try as I have a Weller gun somewhere. Mark.

Minimum radius for mainline stock in 2mm finescale is generally accepted as 600mm. That's what we use on Copenhagen Fields. It could possibly be squeezed down to 450mm if mainly bogie stock is being run. This might require a degree of gauge widening which is achievable with soldered track but not with Easitrac. Mark.