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Well, I'm not the Pete you are waiting for, I'm a different one but for what it's worth I approve the Easitrac decision too...

Sorry to be a dimwit but I've come to this thread late via the fascinating pictures of the 14xx chassis. Is the intention to supply a complete kit (wheels, chassis etch, bushes, motor, couplig rods etc) to convert the 14xx and 57xx? Or is that just the wishful thinking of a beginner who has yet to produce a finescale loco? Could somebody bring me up to speed please?

Hi Julia, lovely talking to you on Saturday at Ally Pally and finally meeting Elvis in the flesh, although seeing the incredible standard of your work gives one the unique sensation of being inspired and dispirited- both at the same time! My dad was with me on our traditional annual model railway show jaunt and I explained to him that you had made Elvis from an etch that even the designer admits is impossible to build. We'd spent quite some time at Swindon last year looking at the real thing together and he was only too aware of the complexities and compound curves you had captured. He was too shy to compliment you though, so I'll do it on his behalf...x

Grahame, hello again. I'm finally ready! I've joined the 2mm Association (after deliberating for about thirty eight years) and have bought all the bits, together with the jigs and gauges via Noel Leaver. But characteristically I have hit a snag before I've even started- or perhaps I'm thinking this through too much. It's just occurred to me that the check rails are held in place by double chairs- and hence the flangeway gap will be to 2mm finescale standards. This is going to be a problem isn't it? If so- how did you work around it? Best Peter You don't need to file the rail ends to match up the Easitrack 9.42 gauge with Peco points 9mm gauge. You can make the transisition at the end of the length of Easitrack so that the rails match up gauge wise - although they will still be different heights; code 40 to psuedo code 55. I'll add a photo to this thread showing a multi-gauge bit of Easitrack. The 9mm gauge is on the left for the first two sleepers and the 9.42 gauge is for the last two sleepers on the right. The middle two sleepers are the transisition sleepers and have no inner chairs (cosmetic ones could easily be glued in place). Bearing in mind how blown up and times greater than real life the pic is, once ballasted, painted and weathered it should be more than acceptable with no obvious joggle or joint between the two gauges showing. G.

You've probably seen this already but grahame has put up an article about his experiments with Easitrac in conjunction with Easitrac point bases relaid to 9mm gauge. It seems many of us N-Gaugers are all ploughing the same furrow- lingering around the 2mm Association stand at shows- envying their lovely trackwork, but at the same time unable to find the time or money to convert dozens of locos and stock to finescale to build a decent sized layout single handed. We desperately need a decent N Gauge code 40 trackage system. I have been toying with converting to Finescale but only being able to build a tiny layout with one loco and a railcar- or building handlaid track using the Canadian FastTracks Fixture system and ending up with finescale N Gauge track- but with American sleeper spacings and flat bottom rail. Arggh! grahame seems to have found a good compromise.

thanks Grahame- the penny has finally dropped. because the Easitrack system has glued-down chairs holding the track to the milled point base- you can put it wherever you need it- right? So, next question (you knew there would be!) where do I get the 'special n crossing jig" and flangeway thingummies? thanks in anticipation......

Hello again Grahame- we have conversed on this most interesting topic before..... May I ask- am I right in thinking that you are going to use Easitrack track bases for plain track- at 2mm finescale gauging? And are the pre-milled point bases going to be used at their correct (finescale) gauge- but just with different flangeway clearances? If so- this is going to solve a problem I have been mulling over for ..er...years! If it all works (and I sincerely hope it does) please post your findings immediately! Yours with bated breath and poised soldering iron.... Peter