2mm Andy

Morning guys, Thanks for the kind comments. The wagons have been in the gloat box for at least a year. In the case of the shunters truck, I can't actually remember why I bought it - it doesn't really fit in with any of my layout plans. I guess it must just be because I like the look of the wagons! Pete, Believe me - the messy bits of soldering are there, it's just that they're mostly hidden! I've just noticed that one of the sides on the shunters truck is out of position. Of course it took a photograph on this forum to make me realise that, but I was trying to finish it before watching 'Top Gear' last night, so it was rather rushed! Rich, I find it's only worth getting the airbrush out when I have a large batch of things needing painting. Trouble is that all the wagons I have waiting painting at the moment need different colours! Andy

A package containing two mermaids was waiting for me when I got back from work last Thursday. In case you're wondering how the postman got two mythological creatures through the letterbox, I should point out that these were 2mm finescale kits for the GWR/BR 'mermaid' ballast hopper wagon. The photo below shows what you get for your money - a cast resin body, a nickel silver etch for the chassis (and body details) and a comprehensive set of instructions. As you would expect from a kit produced by Stephen Harris, these are impressive beasties, and I was tempted to start one of them straight away, but a nagging doubt about the pile of half-finished projects in the cupboard and on my modelling bench made me have second thoughts. With the weather forecast for the weekend sounding pretty dismal, I decided to set some time aside for some serious modelling and opened the gloat box. The results are below; The wagon on the left is an SNCF mineral wagon - acquired by British Railways from the French government in 1951. It is a 2mm Scale Association kit, comprising a set of plastic parts for the body and an etched underframe. Buffers are lost-wax cast brass. The rain stopped for just long-enough on Saturday afternoon to give the body a quick spray of Halfords primer. The wagon on the right is a GW shunters truck. It is a Masterclass Models nickel silver etch, and builds up into a nice model, although it was a bit fiddly to build in places (mainly due to the shape of the prototype). This one is waiting for a coat of etch primer when the weather improves. Although it doesn't look a lot for a weekend's work, I haven't actually spent more than about 4 hours at the workbench, and most of that was on the shunter's truck. A fair amount of time was also spent sorting out the next few projects to be finished. I've only scratched the surface of the gloat box, so the mermaids will have to wait a little while longer! Andy

Nice work Julia! Have you used the RSU on this? Andy

Nice work Rich. You're not going to like me for showing you these. I'm building some of the laser-cut timber loads to go into an open wagon, and they are very nice products (my first experience of laser-cutting as a modelling technique). Andy

Thanks Mick - I think I've got you back for that awful photo of me on the NEAG blog now! For the carriage spotters, the coach we travelled in is a Great Northern Railway 'Howlden' 5 compartment third, number 1441 - recovered from use as a chalet near Filey and restored on a Southern rly PMV chassis. More information here. Andy

Hi Ian, That combination should work fine. I have glued down a templot plan onto plywood with PVA and sealed it with diluted PVA. The only problem you might have is the shiny PVA coating on the templot plan not giving a very good 'key' for the Easitrac glue, I have had a few sleepers work loose, but I haven't ballasted it yet - that should set everything fairly solid. Sealing mounting board is pretty essential, otherwise it will swell and distort when you come to ballast the track. Guess how I found out! Andy

Hi Andy Having thought about buying one of the Ultima kits for a while, I've just ordered a Thompson corridor coach (and some fittings for the Masterclass Models Thompson non-corridor stock I have on order). They look to be nice kits. Nice to chat to you at the members day. Andy

Hi Missy Definitely - I'm all fired-up and enthused again! I think he was halfway through a sausage roll when I took the photo. Either that or he'd just swallowed the wasp that was buzzing around in the carriage! Tom, It was a smashing day out - I can definitely recommend it, especially if you like industrial railways. Andy

Eeek! Nearly 3 months have passed since the last blog update, and I don't have a lot of modelling to show for all that time! A few projects have been rumbling along slowly - a Chivers tube wagon has made it through the paint shop and transfers have been added (I'm hoping I can sort out that rather obvious carrier film on the transfers). Some fairly savage weathering and some couplings are all that is required now. The layout has also chuntered along - the dodgy crossing has been replaced with a new one, a buffer stop has appeared, point blades are being made, and a backscene has been started. Photos will follow. Saturday saw the 2011 RMweb members day at Stafford, and I was privileged to be present with Bryn and Pixie (aka the 'mashup boys' ) as part of the 2mm demo, next to Highclere, which Missy and Mitziblue had brought up from the wilds of Oxfordshire. I hadn't been to a members day before, so wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I was really impressed and enjoyed the day immensely. I will leave the photographs to others as there are plenty of superb photos in the various galleries and threads. On Sunday the North East Area Group of the 2mm Scale Association had a day out to the Tanfield Railway. Our esteemed group leader had arranged to hire a carriage which was attached to the regular passenger train, and we spent a few pleasant hours trundling up and down a surprisingly beautiful and atmospheric part of the countryside with a tasty buffet lunch and liquid refreshment. Note the reserved sign on the carriage window! Of course no visit to a preserved railway would be complete without a visit to the engine shed and a wander around the sidings of stock waiting patiently to be restored. It was a bit of a shock to the system to go back to work today! Anyway, I feel fully inspired to get on with some modelling (and I promise not to leave the next update quite so long!). Andy

Hi Missy, I can't believe that people are commenting that the stools you have used are the wrong type - these things are less a millimetre high!! I thought 2mm finescale modelling was about creating an impression, not getting bogged down in minute detail. I remember going to a talk by Steve Hall (P4 modeller) where he demonstrated the working point rodding on his 'Halifax King Cross' layout - fantastic, but probably not a realistic option in 2mm scale! Andy

Hi Ian, As Missy has said, there are beginners packs available for three different types of plain track and a wagon/track pack (and a wagon/track/beginners guide pack). The beginners guide is being updated to illustrate the use of Easitrac and the replacement wheels for Farish diesels, but the previous edition is still available. There is also quite a lot of information on the 2mm website on trackwork, including two fairly new sets of notes on Easitrac (which are extracts from the forthcoming trackwork handbook) but which are also useful for soldered track construction. All are available from the 2mm roadshow, which goes to quite a few shows around the country - I think the next ones are Railex NE, The International N Gauge Show and Shipley. I will check to see if the packs are available by post. Andy

Wow Missy - looks like you had a busy weekend while the rest of us were playing trains further north! I would love to see an article or some information on how you formed the landscape, including the yard surface and the grass - it all looks so realistic! Andy

It certainly doesn't have any use to do with a back to back gauge, so I imagine it was packaged-up by mistake when the central shop was being stocked-up before the Expo. It's amazing where these little 2mm bits sometimes end-up! Andy

Tom, It's a vacuum cylinder. The short stubby bit at the top locates in the hole in the chassis, and the long thin spindly bit goes downwards (where it should meet an actuating arm which is usually included on a chassis etch for fitted wagons). Hope this helps! Andy

Tom, I will have my part-completed J72 at the Expo if you want to have a look - I'm doing a demo on wagon building so will have a table there. I've built the loco chassis and am about 75% through the body - all that is left is to add the boiler and fit all the detailing bits. I found the most daunting bit of the kit-building process was the idea of cutting down the motor, so I avoided it completely and found a smaller motor! The rest of the build was fairly straightforward, even though it was my first 2mm loco build. Andy

I bet you're glad you didn't take it to the tip now, Missy? That baseboard joint looks a whole lot better. Andy

Looking good Bryn (in a rustic sort of way!) I think there was another layout at Railex that was displayed in the 'picture frame' style - the Nettlebridge Valley Railway? The only comment I would make is that the lighting rig might need to project a bit further forward from the layout, otherwise you could get shadows at the front. Andy

Sounds like Glenfield on the Leicester and Swannington line to me? I look forward to seeing further reports of progress. Andy

Nice to see you yesterday Chris. I would echo Missy's comments - it would have been good to see some of your stock. Andy

AFAIK, BH Enterprises only do the etches for the 48DS, and I've not seen any on their stand for a while. There is a good booklet (with scale drawings) on the 48DS and 88DS locos, published by the Moseley Railway Trust. I have toyed with the idea of trying a standard gauge Motor Rail shunter in 2mm scale - similar to one of these. Andy

Blimey, I go away for a day and you finish the wagon! Thanks for the offer of the RSU - I should be OK, and have my trusty Antex to fall back on if I can't get the RSU. Andy

Indeed - I will be there on the Sunday demo-ing wagon building (including some of the Stephen Harris mineral wagon kits). I may bring an RSU if I can borrow one, otherwise it'll be the usual 25w Antex soldering iron and solder cream. Andy

Beer mats are so yesterday - you want some of these! Andy

That's looking great, Bryn. It's amazing how therapeutic trundling a train up and down a bit of track can be. If the track tweaking hasn't driven you mad, the ballasting will! Andy

Hi Missy, That's a nice piece of work (and a coincidence - I have one of these coaches on the workbench at the moment!) I came to the same conclusion as you did about the seats - but only after I'd tried to assemble one and the etch broke in two different places! Mine will be going onto a lowmac so I'll build it with the etched wheels. I haven't decided about the overlays for the sides and ends yet - the planking looks too nice to cover up! As to the loading gauge, don't forget the Z gauge track scales at 3'3" (ie. metre gauge). The GVT was 2'-4.25" - quite a big difference in gauge. If you want some bigger coaches, I think Alan Doherty does some Leek and Manifold bogie coaches. Could you make the whole coupling loop from steel wire? Andy