2mm Andy

Hi Guys, Thanks for the kind comments. Nick - unfortunately the wheels and gears sell as fast as they can be made. The wheels are certainly pretty labour-intensive to produce - we rely on one man and his lathe to assemble them and so far haven't found a viable alternative. Bryn - soldiering?! The bogie bolster E is a nice kit - I haven't got to the bit that involves a large hammer and some pins yet, so it might all go wrong yet! The coach bogies also go together well - there are 6 layers that form each sideframe, so getting the wheels at the end in was fun! 'backofanenvelope' - yes, I was working alongside Mick on Sunday morning. I went to the show on Saturday as well, but only as a visitor. Andy

That email address is still valid - I've sent Horsetan a message. Andy

I've not updated the blog for a while, mainly because there hasn't been much progress to report (the weather has been too nice for modelling!) The bits for the 02 arrived from the 2mm shop last week. Unfortunately swapping the spur gear hasn't improved the running much, and following a comment on an earlier blog entry, I checked the stub axles to make sure they were running true. There was a slight wobble on one axle, so to be on the safe side, I removed all of them and threaded some plain axle steel through to see if that cured the problem - it didn't! I really want to get the chassis working properly, but it's irritating when I can't pin down the root cause! I have set the chassis aside and will have a good look at it when I have a spare evening (and a stiff drink handy! ) Yesterday I spent a day on the 2mm Roadshow stand at York Model Railway Show. As well as being my local show, it's usually one of the better 'non-specialist' shows, and this year was no exception. I usually take along a few projects to fiddle with - mainly as a talking point when people want to come and have a chat. Getting anything done is regarded as a bonus, and on some of the best days at shows I have come away with very little done at all! Yesterday's projects were a coach bogie and a station seat. Pennies come in very handy when photographing 2mm models! Both are for a forthcoming project that I will say a bit more about in due course. Another project moving forwards steadily is a bogie bolster E. This is being built from a Stephen Harris kit, and will form part of a freight train that I've promised to build for a friend to run on his rather large 2mm layout 'Fence Houses' (more details here). The debut public outing for the layout will be at the Blyth show in late August. I think I'd better get my skates on! Andy

Hi Missy, stunning work as always, and at lightning speed! I can understand the time taken in the little 'tweaks' - my 02 is still being an absolute pain to get to run smoothly! Andy

Good to hear that you're making progress with this. Etched Pixels also produce some bogie side frames for the Class 22. I haven't used them, so can't comment on their suitability for the Atlas chassis. Andy

£1 for a camera lens? - you've definitely got an eye for a bargain! The trackwork on the other board worked really well when I had the opportunity to 'play trains' with it, so I'm sure this bit will too. Andy

Superb! I think you could safely say that you're pushing the limits of etching technology! Is this part of a larger project? Andy

It feels like it at the moment, Nick! I have just noticed that one of the coupling rods has gone AWOL now! A quick grovel on the floor hasn't located it, so I may have to make another one ! Andy

Hi 'M' (you really should sign your posts 'Q' given all the gadgets you keep coming up with!) Do you have a link to the article on converting the skips? - I wasn't aware that someone had done that. thanks, Andy

That looks really good Tony. If the painting and weathering is as good as that on the road bridge you've done, it will really be top-notch modelling! Are you bringing the layout to the Expo in June? Andy

Simon, Thanks - that is something I will have to check when I disassemble the chassis. I have used the stepped gear mu ffs on all driven axles, but I will check that they are concentric anyway. Andy

Pete, Blimey - I can't get away with much, can I?! I added the final photo about 30 mins after I had published the blog entry - the track photo didn't come out terribly well so I decided to add another photo. Don, Well, I have seen layouts built on ironing boards (there was a very good one at the Doncaster show this year), so why not ironing on the layout?! The 02 is a bit frustrating, but I'm hopeful that the replacement gear will solve the problem. I must have made a mistake with the setting out of the gears - the pair of gears above these two are exactly the same type of gears and these work fine! Andy

Well, the last couple of weeks have thrown up a few problems. The 02 is currently on the 'naughty step' pending the arrival of some replacement bits from the 2mm loco shop. Having checked the mesh of the gears earlier and not found any problems, I was fairly confident that adding the wheels would be fairly straightforward - how wrong can you be!? When I tried to fit the axle gear (having checked that all the other gears ran freely), the whole drivetrain was very reluctant to move at all. I tried replacing the 21t axle gear with an 18t gear I had handy, and this meshed very loosely, so an order was dispatched to shop for a 20t gear (this being the intermediate size available). I suspect the error was in my marking out of the frames - hopefully the replacement gear will solve the problem, but if it doesn't, new sideframes may be the order of the day... Still, it's all good practice! Then I managed to snag a couple of rails on the layout when I dropped a pile of ironing on it! I have spent this evening replacing the rails and re-threading the chairs. I hope to solder-up two replacement crossing vees for the ones I wasn't happy with, then I need to sort out the point blades and tie bar (and figure out a way to make it all work). At least my enthusiasm levels are good, even if I have the anti-midas touch at the moment! Andy

Hi Missy, Have you considered using the Nigel Lawton 009 skip frames? They are a lot finer than the minitrains one that you have tried, so would look less chunky. The downside is that they are cast in a very soft whitemetal, so quite tricky to solder/glue (I have melted at least one when trying to assemble it!). I think Nigel made the master in brass, so if you're only making a few, that might be an option. Nice to see the progress on Highclere. Andy

Paul, I hadn't realised it was a Rod Neep design - I knew that the BH Enterprises etches were shot down from 4mm scale (and I have seen reference to a 7mm scale kit as well), but didn't really know much more than that. I'm not sure the mismatch is less noticeable in 2mm scale - although at least I don't have the rivet detail to worry about if I decide to attempt a modification. I am tempted to break the etch at one of the top corners of the bonnet, reduce the width of the top, adjust the angles of the folds and resolder. Sounds simple but I'm sure it won't be! Andy

Thanks for posting this, Paul - I had missed your original posts on this loco. I have a couple of very nice 2mm scale Judith Edge etches for the '05' and a BH Enterprises 2mm scale etch for the Hunslet DY1 (the 4w version of this loco) which has the same bonnet mismatch as your model (and the shortfall in the number of cab doorway sides!). Until I read your earlier posts, I thought the mismatch was down to me messing-up forming the bonnet! Andy

Hello Missy - thanks for the prompt! I'm afraid you're going to have to wait a couple of days more though for an update. I had a great day yesterday on the 2mm Scale Association stand at the Nottingham exhibition (where the 02 attracted quite a lot of interest, especially the motor and gears) and where I cleaned the paint from the wheel treads, fitted 3 crankpins (if anyone found the 4th one after it pinged across the exhibition hall, I'd like it back please!) and then had a go at building some wagons. I haven't had much time for modelling today, but I'm hoping to get a couple of evenings modelling this week, so you may see some progress soon. Andy PS> Nice to see your NG diesel chassis article over on the Showcase.

Chris, The 9v power supply should be connected to 1 and 8 on the point motor as you have shown. The power to the track is separate to the power supply to the point motor. All the point motor does is switch the polarity of the crossing (in green) between x and y, depending on which way the point is set. Hope this helps Andy

Steve, Spacers confirmed as 6.8mm - I've just measured one. The wheels are 7mm dia.! Don't forget that if you use the same gears as Missy and myself that you'll need the special m*ffs (2mm shope code 3-102) to take the 14 tooth gears. Andy

Steve, The spacers are milled to a width to suit the chassis standards in the 2mm Yearbook - I think they're 6.8mm (the sideframe material is 0.5mm pcb). Tufnol is nice and easy to machine - I bought a piece at the Warley show years ago for a few quid, and I reckon I've used a quarter of it. Be careful though - there are different types (grades?) - some finer than others. I will send you the CAD drawing as previously promised if you still want it - I'm pretty close to knowing whether the chassis will work as designed. Andy

Hi Steve, I was aware the 30:1 gears were available from Ultrascale, but I wasn't aware of the rather high postage. I thought the 2mm gears were made 'in-house' now - Ultrascale stopped supplying the Association some time ago, but continued to make them available to private customers. You're getting ahead of me with the motor mounting! - I have an idea for a motor mount/spacer that I intend trying out one evening this week. Watch out for more details soon (assuming it works!). Although I didn't mention it in my blog posting, the frames and wheels are now in primer ready for a top coat of paint and assembly. Andy

That really is a neat idea - it reminds me of the little track measuring trolleys that the p.way engineers use with tampers! Andy

Hi Bryn. It's Masterclass Models (Chris Higgs). Andy

Hi Chaps, Kris - I tend to have a few projects on the go and flit between them as the mood takes me. I find it helps me keep my enthusiasm levels up. Don - I sent an email to Shop 3 at the weekend - the 30:1 gearsets are out of stock (with a quoted delivery time from Ultrascale of 5 months), but Ray has some of the 21:1 gearsets now. I have a couple of kits that will need the 30:1 so will have to put these on hold. The 04 will use the 21:1 gears and some pinions (sizes to be determined). Having said that, I understand that a chassis kit for the 04 is at the second stage of test-etches, so I may delay things and see what happens! Andy

I've made a bit of progress on the '02', although it doesn't look vastly different from the last set of photos I took! The bonnet and cab roof have been soldered in place (which has the advantage of making the body much stronger) and a start made on adding all the little details. Buffers (from Nick Tilston at 'N Brass Loco') have been soldered into place, and the engine cover door handles have been added from bits of bent 0.3mm wire. The handrails on the front footsteps have been added (more 0.3mm wire), and the fuel tank filler caps added from some 2mm crankpin washers out of the bits box. The radiator front and sides have been filled to try and reproduce the smooth curve (the grey primer paint is to help me see where more filler is needed). There are more handrails to add to the engine covers, cab and the big handrail at the very back of the loco, plus the loco lights, engine exhaust, etc. Aside from the 02, I've started looking at the next likely loco project. I bought a Farish 04 not long after they were released, and sent the wheels away for turning down to 2mm standards. Because of the tight clearances behind the footsteps, I asked the wheel turner to thin the wheels down (accepting that some of the spoke detail would be lost in the process) to minimise the risk of the coupling rods and crankpins clouting the steps. The body was also detailed with bufferbeam overlays from 5 thou plasticard and some light weathering applied. It has never run very well, and a while ago I decided to bite the bullet and make a replacement chassis. The frames will be from the Worsley Works etch for the 04, with pcb frame spacers and a Nigel Lawton motor. Apart from removing the frames from the etch, I haven't done much yet - pretty much the first job will be to design the gearbox in AutoCAD and get an order in to the 2mm shop for the necessary gears. And just to prove the Jinty hasn't been forgotten, one last photo. On my way home from the Narrow Gauge North exhibition, I called in at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway and the Vintage Carriage Trust museum to buy some magazine back issues. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the loco in service was 47279. I couldn't miss the opportunity to get some useful photos of the tank tops and boiler fittings from the footbridge high up alongside the loco! Hopefully I'll get back to working on this project soon. Andy