Tony Simms

Check the Association website. There is an note on the phasing out of DP gears and the introduction of metric. I believe (without checking most recent return from Shop 3) that the 100DP 30:1 worm and gearsets are now sold out. Order and use the metric item; it has identical centres to it's predecessor. There are still a fair few 21:1 100DP units, so these won't be replaced for a while. Muff descriptions were updated a couple of months ago to give exact descriptions of outer diameter and, where appropriate, their intended gear use. Do not use the axle muffs 3-100 for gears. Whilst it might run okay, why jeopardise all your hard work and many hours for the sake of a few pence? There are a couple of stepped gear muffs for esoteric uses, but 3-102b will become the de facto gear muff as DP gears disappear; this will take one or two metric gears. Presumably the pulleys are 1.5mm bore so won't fit any muff and therefore can't drive a wheel direct. I'd do as Rich suggests and use the pulley reduction first.

Those are some nicely finished wagons and super photography. Thanks for posting!

Slightly!

I'd been pondering station lamps for a while. A stock of Ratio ones are stashed in a drawer and I thought that these might serve. Having built on and placed it on the platform, I had to rethink. The whole thing seemed just too clunky and the uprights are square not round as per the originals. Out with the brass tube and sheet and lets see what we can make. The posts are fabricated from two telescopic pieces of tube. The smaller diameter on was cut to approximate length and the ends cleaned up using the minidrill and a file (I don't possess a lathe, so all the "turning" I do is in this fashion). Shorter lengths of the outer tube were cut, cleaned in the same manner and then a small profile was turned near the top. These were solder together such that 10mm of the inner protruded: A .5mm hole was drilled near the top of each post for the crosspiece represented by a piece of wire. After that, I wound some fine wire wound and soldered round the very top represents the upper profile: The actual lamp took a little figuring out. Eventually I hit on this idea; the four uprights are actually two loops of wire each with a gap at the opposite end (one top, one bottom). These are soldered onto a base of 10thou thick brass strip. The top is formed by making a Maltese Cross out of a square of brass, using a piercing saw, and then bending each lug down slightly. Once soldered to the rest, it is all fairly stable and I still have the base strip as a "handle". The lamp is soldered to the post and the " handle" is then parted from the lamp base: Planted in the layout, I'm quite please. They still need a vent on top of the lamp, but once this is turned, I'll glue it on rather than risk any more solder. My eyesight and sanity is partly saved as I only modelled the posts on the "disused" platform assuming the lamps themselves had been salvaged and reused elsewhere: More pics when they're painted...

Yes I used to go all over the place on blue DMUs with my pushbike when I were a lad. James' own N gauge stuff is a bit more modern, Railfreight type stuff (I think!) The blue DMU is a 2FS compromise bashed out over a beer (and a J2O)...

New to the roster at Brafferton are two DMUs a Metro Cammell class 101 in green and a Derby Lightweight class 108 in blue (yes I know; blame my lad for the increasing "modernisation"!). Both require chipping and attention to the wheels to make them suitable for use on Brafferton; 2FS and all that. Previously I have used the wheel turning service for diesels and DMUs and very good it is. However on this occasion I thought I'd give the Association drop in wheelsets a spin. Here is the bit covering the driven wheels. The non-driven are on pinpoints and fairly similar if a little more straightforward. The wheelsets arrive as thus: There is evidence of some glue on the faces and backs and the discs are bare metal. There is no plastic evident as the sets use a cunning anodisation of the axles to effect electrical isolation. First I'll check that this anodisation is effective; very occasionally it has failed to work. In this instance the "1" indicates no electron thingys sneaking across: You'll see the axle has several "shoulders" on it supporting the gear and the wheels. This makes the trueness and gauge pretty much a given. However if you're a mistrusting soul (like me) stick an Association bobbin back-to-back in: The wheels are then cleaned in anticipation of blacking. I've used a fibreglass brush for many years and as long as you don't snort the fibres or stick the itchy bit in your eye, I reckon they're fairly low risk: Similarly Casey's gun blue (which perversely turns most metals a sort of black colour) is okay. As long as you don't drink it: A couple of coats applied with a brush and rubbed off with a soft cloth seems to work. You'll notice the axle end is still shiny; presumably the anodisation at work. Once I think they're black enough, a miniscule dot of oil is rubbed on to give a slight sheen: Clip the dummy sideframes off the Farish model, and like a dead beetle the motor bogie prepares to shed it's hideous N gauge wheels. Once they're out, you can see that the 2FS ones are just so much more attractive: Clip the new wheelsets in. I ease the pick-ups out slightly so that contact is maintained on the back of each wheel. Clip the sideframes back and voila! Oops, forgot to extract that Rapido coupling and insert a Dapol dummy buckeye: Right, on with the 101...

Thanks for the encouragement folks. The fibres I've been using are Mininatur which I bought online here: http://mutineer-miniatures.org.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=24 I used Greenscenes flock cement and a home made static shaker based on an electronic flyswat. I'd bought a similar item from Greenscene, but it was badly made and soon failed. I used the same design, but made it more robust. The grass adjacent to the platform is a mix of various shades in 2.5 and 4.5mm lengths; 1 or 2 ft high I'd guess.

Hope it all works out for you Pete; it's tough making a living in any way right now. Keep up the good modelling and don't forget to post here! Tony

Ongoing work to make the new platform "disused"! From the last post, you will have seen the groundwork around the platform painted but ungrassed. This was the first job. I used a slightly longer grass this time using 2.5mm and 4.5mm fibres of "fall", "winter" and "hay" mixed together. Some trimming will be required and then I shall dust with the airbrush using a light straw shade. Similarly, the bushes which are bits of Woodland Scenics in (supposedly) "Dark Green", will require shading to fit into the late summer/early autumn period. Previously I have airbrushed this in, but I have been messing with brushed acrylics on test pieces and may go down that route. In any event they will require some more work: The platform surface has been dotted with various bits of the aforementioned Woodland Scenics as well as some 2.5mm Mininatur fibres in "winter" shade. The van body was glued into position once the grassing was done: The shape of the layout does mean that photos along the line tend to have a non-model background. I've tried some photoshopping before and here is another go: Next up, I need to finish off the wooden platform extension across on the other side of the tracks.

Excellent. Thanks for the explanation!

Go on then, what does it do? I'm quite interested in what electronics can bring to my trainset, but I stood at a MERG stand at a show recently and it could have all been in Martian, for what I understood of it. Sorry if I seem a bit dim!!

You don't know how chuffed I am to get this comment from someone whose modelling I admire immensely. Thank you!

Further work on the station area to make me (and hopefully you!) happier with it's appearance. The "disused" platform which was hastily cobbled together for Shipley has been replaced by a more refined one, constructed of plasticard off-site and detailed before placement on layout. This features a grounded van body as mentioned in the Patrick Howat book. It's doubtful that this would be a ply-bodied Southern van as appears here, however this was one of the first kits assembled by my son James (aged 10) and he quite likes seeing it on the front of our train set. The paling fencing has been continued around the station area in the same style. Finally, the first of a couple of lineside huts has been fabricated and craftily hides part of the baseboard join; the chimnet pot is still needed. Next to this, I need to construct and install a small lever frame to manage the loop: At the other end of the plaform, the ramp down to track level has been constructed and installed as has the other hut. Ballast has been replaced as needed and now awaits further weathering:

A couple of shots from our last show with Brafferton; Shipley 2012: And one of James operating Fencehouses at Manchester 2012 (yes he needs a stool, but so do most other operators on Fencehouses): Brafferton will next be out at St Albans 2013. Come along and see us if you can!

I think you're right Don; even the very fine grain in thin ply is obviously not right. The plasticard has a very light rub with glass paper just to add a slight texture.

A wonderful little layout from a lovely gent. I only knew Alan in the last few years of his life, but I'll always remember him fondly.

Southern, my boy, you need "V Groove" (made in the good ol' US of A; they're not likely to use anything as obvious as "planking"). Mine was 2060 A-5; 60 thou spacing (9") and 20 thou thick. Hope this helps!

When I first fabricated the platform extension, I used Association PCB sleepers to make the base and topped it off with some thin ply. Now there is a old adage that "nothing looks more like wood than wood". This may be true in 7mm and even in 4mm scale. However when you get down to 2mm scale, I'd say that nothing looks less like wood than wood. I'd used some ply on Masham many years ago and was less than happy with the result; I was therefore mildly surprised to find that I'd made the same mistake on Brafferton. If you trawl back through some earlier entries, you'll find a picture of said ply-topped platform. So really, it has to be "anything but wood". First up in the remedial process was to carefully rip out the old platform top: You can also see the disused platform in the foreground which is also experiencing an "upgrade"! As well as the plywood, I also removed the topmost layer of sleepering to allow enough depth for the replacement top. Now I'm not an avid fan of plasticard either, but for planking etc. I don't think you can go wrong with the Evergreen sheets. Machined rather than moulded, they have a definition lacking in most of their peers. A base of 30thou was overlaid with some plank effect sheet. This had to be done in panels due to the curve on the platform and individual edge pieces were also used: Once dry, the unit was offered up and trimmed slightly to effect a close fit with the base edge and the join with the brick built platform: Whilst I tried to avoid it, the retaining wall had to be removed to allow satisfactory fitting. I'll use that as a reason to have a better stab at the wall. Before gluing down with a smear of evostick, I painted the unit with enamels and weathered with powders. A little more blending will be needed as the other elements of the platform are placed, but so far I feel it is a big improvement over the original:

Not much looking at the photo, but probably the hardest bit for kit/scratchbuilders to emulate; the pivot and feed in for the drive. Nice bit of work Julia

Nice work on the station building. I'd send the loco back though; the BR blue has rather faded...