Jump to content
 

Blogs

Featured Entries

  • SouthernRegionSteam

    Coastguard Creek - 15 months of planning!

    By SouthernRegionSteam

    Hold on to your socks - this is going to be a lengthy one! (In fact it's so long, I've now split it into 2 separate posts - the next will be up soon...)   I think it's fair to say that you are all long overdue an update on Coastguard Creek. Due to other commitments, no real progress has been made since the last post way back in March 2021; almost 15 months ago! If anything, things went backwards for quite a while, as I kept finding more and more inspiring locations that I really wanted
    • 8 comments
    • 3,301 views

Dirty little things...

So about 6 months into my 009 modelling career and the first two models are finished...   Both the diesel (a Schoema prototype, currently based on the Isle of Man Steam Railway) and the railbus (a Baguley Drewry prototype, initially an admiralty vehicle I believe, currently on the Welshpool and Llanfair) are built from etched brass Worsley Works 'scratch-aid' kits. What does 'scratch-aid' mean? Basically you get an etched brass kit with some detailing but you need to source a chassis, detail

James Hilton

James Hilton

A1 Models Freelance 009 Diesel - part 1 footplate.

On the workbench at the moment is an A1 Models etched brass body kit which I'm going to mount on a Farish 03 mechanism.   The kit is designed for the Bachmann 6w switcher chassis, however I feel that using the inside framed jackshaft driven 03 chassis will give the loco a more British feel. The body kit is designed to fit straight onto the Bachmann chassis with the body removed so I've made up a brass footplate to marry the etched body and Farish chassis together.   The footplate is made fr

halfwit

halfwit

Platform Update

The gales and hailstones continue so luckily no gardening. There has been plenty of time to progress the platform paving.     My previous layouts were made from chipboard and I used the off cuts to form the platform bases which were then surfaced with 3mm plywood.     The current layout is built with 1/2 inch MDF and again the off cuts have been utilised for the platform bases.     This time I chose to use 5mm balsa wood for the surfacing. This gives me a top of rail to platform

Silver Sidelines

Silver Sidelines

Pots and Stones

In anticipation of the North East Area Group of The 2mm Scale Association 30th Anniversary Event (hereinafter referred to as "the do"), I've been doing some scenic work to Brafferton.   Last time, I mentioned that the surface of the goods dock had been removed to relay it in the same manner as the platform. Nothing has yet progressed on this, as I am now in the process of adding an extra platform, so I'll surface them en-bloc. Reading the Middleton Press book on the line, I picked up on a pre

Tony Simms

Tony Simms

Ropley - Let there be fuel!

Visiting diesel locos now have means to obtain fuel at Ropley. Hi all.   Just a quick update to show the fuel pump and shelter which have now been finished. These are all built from assorted platic card sanded & filed to shape along with stretched sprue for the pipes. The Shelter was sprayed with Railmatch Malachite Green in line with the seeming MHR policy of if it doesn't move, paint it green! Weathering is all done with powders. The shelter just needs the limited clearence signs fo

TomE

TomE

Planning and plotting Staplegrove Road - 2mm FS

Todays effort has been to print up a full size Templot run of the revised trackplan and UHU it all together. This is because I need to check that the under-board turnout operation units, which will replace the wire-in-tube of the original, will fit in the spaces available; also to plan where isolation breaks, electrical sectioning, track feeds and the additional three uncouplers to go with the orignal ten will go. Here you can see board three printout, and for perspective I have placed on

Steve Stubbs

Steve Stubbs

ex North British J88 0-6-0

i have recently been working on a conversion of an old Mianline J72 body into a reasonable model of a J88 mainly by simply shortening the body and re-shaping the chimney and, i am now working on the cab.   i finally managed to obtain a terrier chassis to fit underneath this conversion as this is the only chassis i can think of that is both rtr and anywhere near the wheelbase of the J88. photos to follow.   to make the body i tok the mainline J72 body and lengthened the tanks by approx 5mm, s

kingfisher24

kingfisher24

Derby

Well it has been that time of year again - the Derby show at Moorways. I always look forward to this event as it is practically on my doorstep. I have been visiting each year since I was knee high to a grasshopper and the show was at the Assembly Rooms. It is a little smaller these days since the switch to the new venue, but at least it does have a free on-site car park which is an improvement. The new date (May instead of April) also ensures that it avoids clashing with any Rams home games and

andyram

andyram

Shapeways Arrival: 'Class 139 with windows'

One of these days I ought to scratchbuild a little N gauge UPS van... they have become inextricably linked with the ups and downs and twists and turns of figuring out this 3D printing business, heralding as they do, a delivery from Shapeways:   http://www.shapeways.com/   Here is the contents of today's package...     A great leap forward in my ongoing mission to dress up a Kato N gauge tram chassis as a Class 139, as seen on the Stourbridge Town branch line. For more info, see:   htt

Will J

Will J

Finished with the track and point-work building

Slowly, slowly I managed to finish with the track laying. All the track and the turnouts are in position, glued with PVA to the baseboard.     I used a small Graham Farish wagon, converted to 2mm standards to test the track by slightly tipping and taping the baseboard, and everything looks to be fine.   And I have just started with the electrics. Actually, half of the rails are already wired.     The next step will be to build the controller and make the real track test by running th

Valentin

Valentin

Heworth Sidings - Update - 14/05/2012

Hi,   Just a quick post to give an update on progress with the Layout.   The scenic modules have had a few outings to our club meets, where other members of the build team have been able to get a feel for how they operate and to check that our collective stock works OK on the layout. We have suspended work on them at the moment while we finalise our plans for the scenics. We have a general idea of what we want for the modules, but we are just agreeing between ourselves which methods will wor

Vonzack

Vonzack

It will 'Turnout' OK in the end...

When I first built Fisherton Sarum I made the decision to use SEEP solenoid point motors to control the turnouts, this was partly due to being familiar with solenoid motors at the time and partially due to cost. In hindsight from both a visual and reliability perspective a mistake. It has become apparent after a number of exhibitions that reliability of the SEEP motors is questionable, even when used with a Capacitor Discharge Unit (CDU), and most frustrating issue has been the inconsistent oper

Graham_Muz

Graham_Muz

Ropley - Waterworks

An Alton bound service departs from Ropley.   Hi all.   Something I have been almost about to start for a while now, has finally been started, namely the water tower. This is quite a key feature of the yard and so I wanted to try and include as much detail as possible here.   The first stage is to model the base. This includes the drain area, concrete base and small brick building which I can only assume houses some sort of pump for the tower. The prototype looks like this:

TomE

TomE

Track work complete - board #3

Bit of progress, all the track is laid on board #3 and it matches up to the original trackwork on board #2     and in a fit of enthusiasm last night I stuck the final turnout plan to the workboard and laid the sleepers ready for some soldering action tonight     I really need to get on and wire up board #3 - TT300s ordered from Bromsgrove Models and components in hand to build the block cut-out boards.   Once all this electricery is done then I'll start with some scenics, pot of bro

RedgateModels

RedgateModels

Tiling a Spherical Roof.

Method used to create and tile a spherical roof .   I used a 3D solid modeling package to determine diameters of the rings that form this dome. Dome rings were created using a digital vernier as a pair of dividers to not only mark, but also score a groove deep enough for a scalpel to follow when cutting out.   Could have used the lathe, but didn't fancy the cold freezing temperatures of my workshop.     Thanks for Looking..........  

snitzl

snitzl in Buildings

Moving to P4 (Post 18 (C&L B6 Turnout Kit)

Still need to sort stretcher bar out for Exactoscale's C10. Now on to C&L's B6. I've decided to tackle a right hand as the other was a left, however, before I even start is this normal???   It looks to me like it is a 00 plan, or does it not matter? can always cut the webs later but what you rekon guys? I don't know weather this is how they are all regardless of gauge or if it's another boob someone has made. I can't go further until I'm sure.   Also I can't number the slee

Knuckles

Knuckles

Sunday morning along the Severn Valley

Although the Severn Valley Railway is virtually on my door step I never seem to get down there as often as I should. It's been over 8 months since my last visit so, with the sun shining SWMBO and myself set off for a quick visit.   We wanted to visit the "Engine House" at Highley, as, believe it or not I have never been there since it opened a few years ago. So off we went and made our way to Highley via Bridgnorth. What a morning! Half way along Highley High Street the road was completely

Dukedog

Dukedog

Callow Lane goods shed - fitting it to the baseboard

Having completed most of the work on the Townstreet goods shed recently (as per earlier blog entries), a test placing on the layout revealed just how tight the railway openings were for stock passing through the shed. Definitely a case of 'do not lean out of the window'...   Various items of stock and locos were tested through the building yesterday, with the result that some of the plaster on the door frames had to be removed, ie. thinned down, and then re-painted.   Now just about all my P

Captain Kernow

Captain Kernow

Moving to P4 (Post 17 (2nd Cambrian Wagon Complete))

The cattle wagon is Dapol and the other Cambrian, I haven't made a Cooper Craft kit yet, any good? New update and a new wagon. Construction was almost the same as before. I learnt a lesson from the previous truck that has led to easier and more accurate placement of the W iron etches. On the last truck they might be too far to one side by half a mm or so, it runs great with the shunting finger and gravity roll but in a train with energies bing pulled forward it might be a problem - will se

Knuckles

Knuckles

History and making a re-start

About a dozen years ago I attended a meeting of the NE area group of the 2mm Association where someone had on display a tiny shunting layout built onto an IKEA two drawer unit. Whist lt was too small for my liking, I noticed it was bult on top of a 2-drawer IKEA unit, about 80 cms by 28 cms, and which seemed to be built of a high grade 7-ply birch plywood, and sounded cheap. It occurred to me that three locked in a line would make a baseboard area of 2.4 metres by 28 cms, big enough for a

Steve Stubbs

Steve Stubbs

Track Laying progress report on Pen Mill

One of the downsides of laying C&L track is that you need cash! With two of our group economically inactive, we are having to progress at the pace at which we can afford to buy track components. Coupled with a shortage of GWR 2-bolt chairs at C&L this hasn't helped. However all the sleepering (well almost all) has now been laid for the goods sorting loops opposite the down platform, and a start made on rail laying, starting from the fan of turnouts at the road overbridge end.

Steve Stubbs

Steve Stubbs

Return to small things...

I have returned to a little 2mm scale modelling. I need to add some more stuff to the Glenfield layout as it is looking very neglected, so have been soldering together a station seat and a hand barrow from Shirescenes. Hard on the eyes but I managed to do it ok. I also gave the track a good wipe along to try to get some of the dirt off and improve running, in the process of which I managed to remove the sign ( again) from the Gents. I don't think now that the track on this little layout is t

Chrislock

Chrislock

A trip to Memphis

Last week during a trip to the USA I was able to find some time to check out some of the local rail operations. Prior contact with some of the local railroad enthusiasts meant I made the most of my free time. As a result I saw some great "big diesel" action over a couple of afternoons at the lineside. Many thanks must go to this friendly bunch. Although I'm fairly new to watching trains in the USA I'd say Memphis is a pretty good location. If you know where to go trains are pretty regular a

45609

45609

  • Blog Statistics

    2,574
    Total Blogs
    22,142
    Total Entries
×
×
  • Create New...