CWJ

My current project to build a Class 325 Royal Mail EMU (http://www.rmweb.co....__fromsearch__1) requires some scratch-built detailing parts which I would like to etch from brass sheet. These small parts don't justify a large amount of effort or cost, so I decided to try a method which didn't involve teaching myself to use a CAD package or paying a specialist firm to do the etching. I was inspired by Nigel Lawton's online guide (http://www.nigellawt...s_Version_5.htm) which makes it all sound very achievable - in fact I have shamelessly copied Mr. Lawton's method and make no claims for originality of the ideas! I will attempt through this thread to briefly illustrate the process I have followed, rightly or wrongly; for full details of how to do it properly, please see the above website. Basically: Design the artwork on the computer using bog-standard Microsoft Office software* Print a mirror image of the artwork onto overhead projection acetate sheet, using a laser printer Use a domestic iron to transfer the toner pattern from the acetate onto the brass sheet Submerge the brass sheet into some ferric chloride (a corrosive chemical) until the exposed brass is etched away but the parts protected by toner remain intact. ...and that's it! This method is a bit 'rough and ready', but it is more affordable than professional photo-etching because it misses out the photo-development of the etch resist and doesn't need any specialist equipment. Cheers, Will * I know that some CAD users will wince at the idea, and having struggled with some of the MS drawing tools I can understand why, but for all their limitations they are at least familiar to me - learning to use a CAD package would take me longer than the whole process above.

Furthermore, you may also end up handling stolen goods:

Ian, Before you get busy with the scalpel, remember that the door has a rubber seal on the vertical sides so the model should have a raised strip rather than a scribed line. Because my 325 is based on Class 150 bodies, I'm having to make the cab doors from scratch. I'm drawing up some etches at the moment but I don't know how they'll look when glued on! Cheers, Will

There's no need to be so sarcastic; this is clearly an accurate model of a railbus working the little-known Wyhlim branch. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it... More seriously, please let us know how you get on with taking the destination blind apart, as I'll need to change mine and I suspect others may want to, too. E79964 would look good with 'Buxton'

That can't be a model train; the headlights are the correct shade of white! Seriously, it's looking good and I'm looking forward to driving one in the not-too-distant future. Cheers, Will

Cheltenham Model Centre do indeed have the best price I've seen for this model - thanks for the tip-off, Eddie B.

It's possible that the seller made the same mistake as some of us and thought that the description meant eleven etched frets, when I think what it means is that the one fret includes enough parts for eleven locos. If so, he/she will be disappointed!

In a word, yes! ...although (yes, I'm back-pedalling already ) this would also depend on the sizes of the windows. If a 4-car class 350 can yield enough windows of the correct sizes for a 185 then this would make the job more achieveable. Of course, when I'm about three-quarters of the way through the conversion Bachmann will bring out a RTR Class 185, so I'd be doing it for the benefit of fellow modellers! Cheers, Will

So, are any loonies out there planning to convert one of these to a Class 185, or do I have to go first? Cheers, Will

I can see them okay, but I'm a bit closer to him here in York

Thanks for the 'likes' and comments chaps; pleased that this post is useful. Hopefully NR will continue to fill the website with good stuff

Network Rail has set up an online archive of drawings and other historical information: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/virtualarchive/ There aren't many drawings on there yet, but they have started with some of the most impressive ones. Anyone fancy modelling the Forth Bridge? Cheers, Will

Looking good, Ian. I'm hoping to have a good 325 session tomorrow; we can't have you getting ahead of me, can we?

A Heljan advert in the latest 'Model Rail' shows the W&M railbuses as being 'available', but they aren't yet available from the handful of model shop websites I just checked. This probably means they are being distributed as we speak :) Sorry about that, I don't often indulge in so many smiley faces but I never thought I'd see the day these contraptions were produced in RTR model form

Right, bye bye chaps, I'm off to strip the paint off my models and sell them all for £500 each. See you in Barbados. If that's the "deluxe" hedge, I'd like to see his standard model - presumably a piece of stripwood coloured in with a green felt tip pen. Or maybe he also does a 'budget' range, i.e. just a piece of stripwood.

Just checked my photos and they all have most bolt-on components missing (dampers, brake calipers, shoegear, etc.) so they're no use. You could do worse than Lima 156 bogies (or any 15x DMU bogies) with added yaw dampers. For cab steps, you could ask Pete Harvey if he'd be interested in doing one of his etches. It would be an interesting (!) one, and useful for a range of EMUs. Cheers, Will

Fantastic footage chaps! If the wonderful railway modelling wasn't enough, the bus casually trundling over the bridge in the background really sets if off nicely. I get the impression that stepper motor is one of those sounds which video cameras pick up more than they should - presumably it isn't really noticeable in the hustle and bustle of an exhibition hall. Cheers, Will

Ian, There are a few photos already on my thread, but let me know if there's anything in particular you're struggling with as I have more. Unfortunately, my best photos are of a unit which had various components missing, which isn't exactly ideal... Google Images may be your best bet! Cheers, Will

The price is OTT but at least the description is accurate and honest.

The sad thing is, this might actually be good value for money (it doesn't look too badly build so far) - but frustratingly, the description is so useless that we can't tell! Who manufactured the kit? Whose wheels have you fitted? Can you take a decent, close-up photo so we can actually see the quality of construction? These things aren't rocket science... I think there may be a lot of truth in this. There may be a lot of money to be made by choosing an item with a limited (or non-existent) spare parts supply chain and taking it apart to sell the bits. The same applies to buying from cheap second-hand shops (not over-priced exhibition stands, we've had that discussion elsewhere!) and selling on ebay for twice the price. Cheers, Will

These are genuinely rare (so I'm told by those who know about these things) so the price isn't a surprise, but it's a bit cheeky that the missing bogie frame isn't mentioned in the decription.

Again, I'm not quite sure if I'd part with so much money to buy something from someone who can barely string a sentence together. If I was selling something of so much value I'd make sure my description was absolutely perfect, probably taking legal advice too. Oh, and why does the seller state that they don't take Paypal when the only method of payment shown is, err, Paypal? [Edit to correct typo - didn't look too good when I was criticising someone else's S, P & G ]

Not a bad painting & lining job I suppose, but otherwise it leaves a bit to be desired. For my £497.50 I'd expect the chimney to be straight, the buffers to be 4mm scale (not 2mm scale as seems to be fitted), and it to look a bit more like the real thing: http://nationalrailwaymuseum.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/conserving-the-shark-part-2/attachment/1/ Cheers, Will

They're generally called shock absorbers on road vehicles, and dampers on trains. They are the same thing though Having just put a third layer of filler on my windows and still seeing uneven bits, I'm very impressed with your progress on your 12-car set. Keep up the good work! Cheers, Will