Giles

Thank you Tim! I've just about finished the 37 now......

I thought I'd try and do a bit more justice to Pete Harvey's bits and pieces. It could do with a touch from an air brush, but otherwise it's there. (and it sounds nice!) The handbrake levers and chains make a lot of difference (I got the 2mm x 1mm chains off Ebay), and the magnets to hold them (5p each) work brilliantly, and all-in-all, the Heljan dresses up nicely considering it's a reasonably basic model in comparison to JLTRL.

absolutely delightful Peter! I love the stationary engines - a lovely thing to do. (The Unimat 3 is an extremely useful little mmachine isn't it? - I've had one for thirty years for small bits and pieces....)

Thans Chris! I can't abide a clean loco...... (those soluble oils do a lovely dirt layer, though!) Of course I remember blue 37's up the Valleys - I'm sure there must have been green - any takers?

(i didn't have time to finish this post as visitors came over!) The other detail change was the removal of the moulded on horn grilles, and replacing them with PH Horn Grilles (on the same etch as the steps). it was not a job I was looking forward to on a fully painted loco, but actually, with care, it was surprisingly easy with a sharp scalpel. the newly bare plastic was then filed smooth and then painted matt black. The etched grilles were partially chemically blackened before being glued on with a small amount of epoxy. I'll take some decent photos when it's all tidied up. There's still a small amount of weathering tidying to do (and the small step and brake lever haven't been touched yet.....)

i've been doing a bit of detailing on the 37 using some Pete Harvey etches. Here we now have the first hand brake lever ( and chain). Now the bogie side frames have to come off for the least excuse on the Heljan, and therefore you can't 'join' the body and bogie side frame together. I therefore bought some 5mm x 1mm disc magnets from ebay, glued one to the underside of the chassis, and one to the brake lever. the added benefit is that they're self-centring, (and strong) so you only have to rotate them to the position you want. Very easy! I also fitted (the first) corner step, very fine and very small

Hi Ray, You can use a puffer bottle, I think available from Gaugemaster (and others) for around a fiver. it's one of those things - you get what you pay for, within reason. These bottles will do a bit, and they can be quite useful, but they cannot reproduce the quality and density of grass that you will see on ome of these photos. For that, you need a decent, powerful machine. As I've said before, value for money, I favour GreenScenes Flockit (I have no connection with them) as being an extremely good machine - better than most - at a reasonable price, but the Rolls-Royce is the machine used by Milo.

Polak is one of the best as it is a MATT fibre, not a Gloss one (different material) so grass laid with Polak materials doesn't have the inherent shine to it, which some of the better known modellers kill with Testors Dulcote, to get realism back..... I shall certainly stock up again......

Good Heavens! Very imaginative - and extremely well done. I love the concept of the built-up axle, and the fettling to get the mesh is brilliant. Ir knocks all my bodgery into a cocked hat!!!

Foam is the first choice.... it enables you to carve away below track level - a great bonus, as usually there is something lower than the track - so it adds to the realism. Regarding point motors, I just glue in a square of 4mm ply about 80mm x 80mm wherever is appropriate for the motor, and once dry, mount the motor to that (having carved a hole in the foam for it). I still put a timber frame underneath which creates a void, and to carry the legs - and it's still surprisingly light. For exhibition use, I scrim the underside for fire-proofing reasons, rather than have exposed foam, most types of which burn very well....

Very nice - it'll be about ready for some R/C gear.......!

Thank you Tim - it took quite a lot of getting there - but it's now a loco I'm really pleased with.

sorted

Here's an thorough video explaining the process from the chap who devised the system. Di and I did the days course ( £100 each) and found it very enjoyable. Di and I did the course and bought the kit....

an almost-finished 37 (Heljan)

I've been dooing a bit more to my Heljan 37, including fitting it with Pete Harvey etched steps (which are no end of an improvement!) These were silver-soldered, rather than soft-soldered. I also replaced a lost brake-shoe by taking a silicone pattern from it, and lost-wax casting a replacement in silver (for convenience) at home (as we have the technology to melt small quantities of silver, brass, bronze etc. in the kitchen microwave, believe it or not!)

you get what you pay for!

that's looking excellent Harry...! I take it you're happy?

Sticking out like a sore thumb at the moment are the completed steps -one of the most delicate silver soldering jobs I've done (the brass hangers are about 0.8mm x 0.5mm). The only point worth mentioning, is that when silver soldering things this fine, you can melt the brass into a blob if you're not careful, so the technique is to dance the flame on and off it, not allowing the brass to get too hot (if it gets to a bright red, then it will disappear....). I wouldn't do these steps as your very first SSoldering piece, but once one becomes practiced, it certainly becomes the preferred way of doing it - simply because previous joints don't fall apart when you make the next one. One the steps, no cleaning up was necessary at all, other than routine 'pickling'. I use Swimming Pool PH reducer (in water) as a very effective pickle.

I used graphite on THE LOOP and came to no harm with the gradients, and playing with the early stages of Denton Brook, graphite tends to give a more realistive haulage ability up the 1:10 incline. the Garratt will more or less take anything up there, but the little Ixion Fowler can only manage 2 wagons before she starts slipping...... I use a graphite crayon from Hobbycraft - it maybe a little harder and not depositing quite as much on the rails - but it makes the difference electrically!

The Wren is 2/3rd done, with the exception of the boiler, and the tank wrapper, entirely silver-soldered. This made things like the backhead fittings very much easier and neater, without them dropping off or moving when I did the next one....

NG&IMR (now under Roy Link's care) No 103 will be out later this week, and includes a full article on the Garratt, plus original Beyer plans

that end-shot sums it up perfectly. who would have thought that modelling a fire escape could have added so much? (when all to to such an extremely good standard). Beautiful. If industrial buildings can be called that......

i know - same with real magazines - but i know i spend too much time on computers and Ipads, because I have really tried to find and press a 'like' button in MRJ.....

i'm in the process of building a 'Locos 'n' Stuff' Kerr Stuart Wren in 0-14. It's had a full cab re-build and buffer beam reduction to bring it down to scale width (but that's all so far). It's a diminutive little thing, emphasised by the accompanying Bagnall, which is not an overly large loco itself, which will make a pleasant little addition as a works loco to 'Denton Brook' (assuming it can cope with genuine wagon loads). (This is a fully Andy York compliant post)