Lacathedrale

The 2mm journal has a series running from Nov 1962 to March 1963 on building a West Country Pacific - clearly things have moved on a good deal since then but the model appears to be quite fine, and I am interested in trying to mimic the process with a few modern substitutions (such as association axle bearings, PCB frame spacers, etc.): Part 1 http://www.2mm.org.uk/membersonly/backnumbers/1960s/1962/Nov1962.pdf#page=16 Part 2 http://www.2mm.org.uk/membersonly/backnumbers/1960s/1963/Jan1963.pdf#page=14 Part 3 http://www.2mm.org.uk/membersonly/backnumbers/1960s/1963/Mar1963.pdf#page=18 (all of these links are password protected, do not fear!) Any thoughts (whether they are to encourage or dissuade) would be appreciated!

Thanks Rich! The check rail is a little on an angle - it leaned in towards the stock rail, because the sliver of rail I deputed as a slide gauge rode up, not supporting the top of the bullhead. I'm pretty confident with the rest of the turnout building process, so I'm not sure I'll continue with this particular example as it's raison d'etre was simply to highligh whether chaired turnouts were workable.

So pleased with how this has come to fruition - the chaired pointwork does just look very good, doesn't it? Thanks again for all the help, everyone.

Excellent stuff, all that daylight at 4:50 was wonderful.

Though there's a heck of alot of track in a small space, those photographs are wonderfully evocative and support the idea that tasteful application works even on a congested layout!

Well, here's about as far as I've got - missing a few of the chairs out of the equation by design, but I've accidentally using button gauges and moving things where I shouldn't so this has taken alot of re-fastening: I think I'm happy with the idea that I have the ability to use this system. I'm finding it a little hard to moderate the angle of the claws but I'm sure that'll come with time...

Attempting soldered pointwork with chairs and chairplates using Laurie's one-piece etches: (NB: the plastic chairs are not fixed yet, hence the fishbelly on the RH of the pic) The first time I tried this, it felt almost impossible - but now with a bright work area, magnifying tools and significantly more patience than before, it's almost workable. Certainly it's a little challenging getting the jaws up to the correct angle, and not deflecting the rail while still getting the chair up in the right place. I'm using 0.76mm solder balls, but I feel like I should use smaller, because as you can see there's a good amount of excess...

@Laurie2mil - are you using plastic chairs on PCB timbers? Is that performing a function (i.e. holding the rail upright/in gauge while soldering) or time-saving?

Yes, a thousand times yes @Harlequin - cannot emphasise how important it is to break this idea that all rails should be parallel to board edges!

Is it worth trying to clear off the rust? Is there a way to do that while keeping them sharp?

Hi all, About a decade ago I picked up two tobacco tins full of old taps and dies - they've been kept in a little oil and stored in a toolbox for a long time - but I figure it's about time I either do something with them, or throw them away: I'm not really all that sure however, how I sohuld be quantifying what's worth keeping or binning, and how (if possible) I should look about restoring them? Given that taps are about £5-10 per item at Eileens I'd rather try than not! All the best,

"Wainwright and his Locomotives" by K. Marx has a picture of the L in works grey after assembly, which must have been in 1914?

Excellent both, thank you! I'll try both and see how it pans out. I will also review the chairplate articles in the magazine, I was looking through the archive USB and couldn't find them, I didn't think to check non-archival issues. I too am attempting a hybrid construction inspired by what @justin1985 has shown me.

Thanks @richbrummitt and @CF MRC - i've got a dehumudifier too and I've been running it for a few hours a day and it's pulling out about a cup of water each time - hopefully this helps. In the meantime I stripped and repainted - hopefully there'll be more luck this time! I've got a two part question re: track soldering - previously I used salami slices of lead solder and that worked well, switching to solder balls and liquid flux a little later. I'm now trying to get the one-piece etched chairplates from shop2 working on PCB track and just wondering if I should look into solder paint? I've got some rather thick solder paste, but I'm finding it quite hard to apply in repeatable measures. Secondly, I'm just about finished with my bottle of Carr's green flux that I've had for donkey's years. Before I go about trying to find a direct replacement, are there any better suggestions?

@Ian Smith that chassis looks very clean, I would love to see a rough step-by-step if you feel like you have the time to go into it (maybe in a separate WB thread?) I see the diagram you're using alot in the threads here but I can't quite place it QCAD? Is this transferred somehow onto the chassis when you're milling it, or just used for measurement reference?

After being so astounded by it, I failed to note the page/precise WTT so I can't quite record it - here's some examples of HV traffic, though:

Really fantastic work @Yorkshire Square - that slow speed running is wonderful and the wheels look fantastic.

@Joseph_Pestell the WTT from 1903 suggests that there were indeed cattle vans marshalled overnight (well, from midnight) at HV to be attached to the early morning express parcels trains (interestingly, these came from Norwich on the GER down the ELR to Hither Green, then back up to HV)

That's a really lovely shot @Andy Reichert - it illustrates well the extremely cramped throat. Apparently it was neccesary to kiss the buffers even with the rebuilt and extended platforms, in order not to gridlock the throat - and even then there we no parallel moves possible. You can see the remains of the middle platform just above the signal gantry. I didn't realise to what degree the metropolitan extension went underneath the platform roads, either. The tower of Ludgate Hill would be a really effective view block on the 'exit to FY' on my extension board, too. The perceptive among you (should you care) may have noticed that I've cut off the stub poking out of the front of the viaduct, this is because I've decided to run a non-functioning Metropolitan Extension slope down the front of the layout - the overhead signal box and all the arches and railings are just perfect. Either way, here's as far as I got yesterday: The B crossing is not yet soldered together, I can't find a way to hold it properly while I'm getting the iron at it. Any suggestions gladly taken!

Ha! Well, at least there is some strong discussion going on - three people with three different suggestions! @lezz01 - A, B, C @Izzy - C, A, B @hayfield: - A, C, B I'm using C&L chairs for this one, so will have to review bending the rails up straight. So far, two vees filed up and soldered...

I'm modelling Holborn Viaduct (thread here: which was a secondary mainline station in the centre of London. I've done some research on the freight workings and it appears that the vast majority were newspapers and parcels, even early on at the turn of the century. Cattle vans were marshalled onto the newspaper trains, and there's a funny anecdote that fish vans aren't to be used for parcels unless absolutely neccesary - but I can find absolutely nothing at all on any regular or scheduled goods services. I would be really excited to hear about them, if that's possible? I did not check London Road Models or Roxey, but that's a great shout. Thank you!

Thanks Ian, we are fellow 2mm modellers too, this is (meant to be) a more expeditious side project Thank you for the link!

I'm on the lookout for late Victorian/early Edwardian goods vans, of any company for use as a test vehicle on my OO layout, because surprisingly enough I don't actually own anything that's not a loco/coach and I'm just about to embark on some fairly serious tracklaying. It seems the only affordable options widely available are the GWR Iron Mink A from Ratio and the Slaters MR 8-ton van. Any thoughts or ideas for an accurate, affordable van model for this period are greatly appreciated.

Hi again @hayfield, thank you - is it possible for you to restate the above with the letters/numbers I've put in below? I can't quite follow which you mean at each point.

Thanks @lezz01 - inside the three-way what's the order of operations? one route, then the middle, then the other route? @hayfield I am using OO-SF on all hand laid pointwork with the specific gauges from C&L/etc. - do you think the title still confuses matters?