2mmMark

I never ever thought I'd see a layout that reminded me of the 1930's film of the HG Wells novel Things To Come. Absolutely stunning! Worthy winners

As is usually the way with these things, some negative changes are presented as something positive! From an email received this morning: "Let’s be candid. The strength of Flickr has always been you. Flickr at its best is a place to connect, to discover, and to evolve as photographers and lovers of photography. This is the world’s largest photographer-focused community. Together, this newly independent community can shape the future of photography itself. Today we are announcing important updates to our Free and Pro account offerings to better align Flickr with its mission." "Updates. Free accounts will soon be limited to 1,000 photos or videos. Flickr isn't Flickr without the contributions and participation of our free members, and we remain committed to a vibrant, free offering." The small print "*Free members with more than 1,000 photos or videos uploaded to Flickr will no longer be able to upload new content after Tuesday, January 8, 2019 unless they upgrade to Pro. After February 5, 2019, free accounts that contain over 1,000 photos or videos will have content deleted -- starting from oldest to newest date uploaded -- to meet the new limit. Members may always choose to download content over the limit at any time prior to these dates." The object seems to be to get users to upgrade to the Pro offering. "Flickr Pro is better than ever, and at less than half the cost of Apple, Amazon, or Google, it’s the best deal in photography—hands down. In addition to the unmatched community you love, Pros get these perks: Unlimited Storage. The only limit is your imagination. All Pros may now upload as many photos as you can take, always at full resolution. Ad-Free Browsing. Focus on what matters with a fully ad-free Flickr experience for you and your visitors. Advanced Stats. See which of your photos are trending now, and which have performed the best over the life of your Flickr Pro account. Plus all these great new Pro-only features: Premier Product Support. Skip the line. Flickr Pros now receive priority assistance from our new world-class support team. Available now. More Partner Discounts. Save on photography essentials. Discounts on Creative Cloud from Adobe, 50% off a custom portfolio site on SmugMug, gear from Peak Design, and more. Coming November. Advanced Stats on Mobile. Stats in your pocket. All the photo stats you know and love, available in the app. Coming November. Increased Exposure. All Pro members as of January 1, 2019, are eligible for priority exposure in the next iteration of Explore. Coming early 2019. New 5K Photo Display Option. Look your best. Your images are beautifully optimized for any screen, from smartphone to jumbotron. Pro images display at resolutions up to 5K. Coming early 2019. 10 Minute Videos. More time to tell your story. Play back videos for up to 10 minutes, increased from 3. Coming early 2019. If you are a free member with more than 1,000 photos or videos, you will have ample time to upgrade to Pro (for 30% off your first year) or download your photos and videos.*" So be warned, Flickr will be deleting content. Mark

Don't forget to only use the Xuron track shears on soft materials!

I've got some A5 boxfiles I use for storage...

Here are some photos of Stewart's 2mm scale RTM tramway models. The locos run on extensively modified Marklin chassis, regeared with a much higher reduction and the coach is built using teak veneer on a clear plastic shell.

It’s with very great sadness that we have to announce the death of Stewart Hine aged 90. After a short period of illness during which he was cared for in Northwick Park hospital, Stewart died peacefully in the early hours of Saturday 27th October. Stewart was a founder member of the 2mm Scale Association and served as the 2mm Magazine Editor in the 1960s and later as Assocation Chairman. His interests were wide. Professionally he was an electronics engineer but he was skilled in many things, mechanical engineering, painting, writing, photography, sailing and classic cars, to mention just a few. As new technologies came along, he grasped them with enthusiasm, one time being featured on BBC television assembling photo-etched components he designed himself. As well as 2mm, Stewart was active in 3mm, 4mm (notably at Pendon) and gauge 1, amongst others. While a passionate GWR enthusiast, he didn’t stop there. He made 2mm scale models of the Dutch RTM tramway and, notably, Caledonian Road tube station, which is an enduringly popular feature on Copenhagen Fields. Memorably, he contributed significantly to Bob Symes’ gauge 1 working diesel electric and diesel hydraulic locos. To encourage the modelling of 2mm scale coaching stock, Stewart provided the Association with the Dreadnaught Trophy. Pendon was a great interest of Stewart’s, having joined the team in the latter part of the 1950s. As well as contributing models of rolling stock, he designed the high frequency coach lighting system and a very sophisticated controller, which Stewart later produced commercially as the “Pentroller” – still sought after today. Nothing ever seemed to daunt Stewart. If something was not available, he’d set to and make it himself and if it had a wider application, the results would be made available to others, either as a product or written up in an article enabling others to follow in his footsteps. Stewart’s bibliography of published articles is immense, both in the UK and overseas. He wrote fluently and clearly, it being a pleasure to read one of his articles. Sometimes his forthright opinions would generate much subsequent correspondence in the letters pages but the debate was always conducted in a gentlemanly manner with an amicable conclusion. For those fortunate to visit Stewart at home in Harrow, deep in the heart of “Metroland”, it was invariably a fascinating experience to see his latest project. An approach to Stewart for assistance in some modelling matter would be met unfailingly. Indeed, his GWR 2mm models were much borrowed to provide rolling stock when working 2mm finescale motive power was thin on the ground. Although in recent years, health problems restricted Stewart somewhat, he still attended and contributed to 2mm events. He leaves a legacy that few could ever emulate. Stewart will be much missed and we give thanks for a life well lived. The foregoing was written by me for the forthcoming 2mm newsletter so it does have something of a 2mm scale slant but as mentioned, Stewart's interests were very wide indeed. I was fortunate to know Stewart personally so it's with a great sense of loss that I'm posting this obituary. Mark

I wouldn't mind betting that these BMC cars being tested ended up as some of the quickest!

Good to see that you've been able to remove the turnout without too much disturbance. When you gap the timbers, filling in the cuts will help the turnout blend in with the Easitrac. I would strongly recommend soldering the feed wires on before installing the turnout, as you're working in a tight space. Mark

HMRC withdrew the facility for making credit card payments. DVLA are quite happy with them. And so they should be, as they get double VED in the month a vehicle transfers to a new owner. https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax

The foam putty sounds like premixed lightweight DIY filler. The filler component is a ground-up foam of some sort rather than the gypsum in traditional fillers. https://www.screwfix.com/p/polycell-trade-polyfilla-one-fill-tub-white-1ltr/82124 It fills well enough but I'm not sure how strong it would be for some of the more robust scenic techniques such as "stick it down and rip it off" dyed lint grass. Mark

My Royal Enfield Bullet has points ignition with an inductive discharge electronic box in circuit. This obviates the need for the condenser and just uses the points as the spark trigger. You can keep the condenser in place but simply disconnect it. The Boyer box I use has a little light to indicate the points opening so setting the timing is a doddle. http://www.boyerbransden.com/IDunits.html I've had a pair of ID units on my Laverda SF3 since 1982. The Bosch points it uses are now pretty much unobtainable and the unit prolongs their life hugely. Contactless electronic ignitions often require a minimum voltage in the system so won't respond to a push start if the battery ever goes flat. The ID box is much less sensitve in that situation. Mark

I tried collecting ultramarines but it just gave me the blues.

Décolletage!

I wonder whose idea it was to have an ad in one of the commercial breaks featuring a website "www.oddballs.com"? Entertaining eccentricity though. Some of the "in progress" shots of the sink plunger were, erm, disturbing and anyway, who has three plungers under their sink?

I can save your lungs! Domed tube ends are available in Plastruct range. EMA are the UK suppliers. http://www.ema-models.co.uk/index.php/abs-tubes-fittings.html Mark

Could this be the first time a company has been caught with its pants up?

So the overhead wasn't damaged by heavy handed track cleaning then?

Do you think Cassetteboy will attempt a mash-up of the series?

Sometimes these things are picked up by the independent channels such as UK TV or Discovery. S1.Ep1 isn't really any indication of whether there will be a second series. As Alan Partridge found out! Mark

Back when the Chatham show was in the dockyard, I had a lift from the carpark to the exhibition hall on one of the Grafton steam cranes. We reached a heady ½ mile per hour but our average was reduced by stopping to insert extra links in the couplings between the crane and its match trucks for the tight curves. A couple of weeks ago I was at Ropley watching the departmental crane relocating a boiler. The lift and slew were very slow indeed. So slow is good!

Any problems the layouts might have in the longer term pale into insignificance compared to what the rushed house or garden makeovers are setting up for the poor victims who've been inflicted with them!

I've just caught up with my PVR and found the programme very enjoyable. The Missenden guys were obviously hoist by their own petard but the creative concept behind their layout was stunning. It reminded me very much of the 2mm Association's "Port Victoria" layout from the mid-1960s, that had elevated high level and industrial low level lines. I felt the judges were a bit harsh on them but it's part of the false jeopardy that TV programmes are unfortunately saddled with these days. I got the feeling the judges had it in for them. What impressed me very much was the level of finish achieved by Strangers On A Train. The layout looked essentially complete. Impressive work from a group of modellers who came together for the show. Either of them would be creditable features at a quality model railway exhibition. I'm afraid the Porthcawl contribution failed to excite me but no criticism intended. My own modelling speed would barely qualify as slow TV. Faced with a 3 day deadline, I'd suffer analysis paralysis, so fair play to all those who've contributed to the series. Looking forward to the next few programmes. If the Great British Bake Off were displaced by the Great British Shunt Off, I won't complain. Too many food programmes on TV these days. Very interesting that despite her on-screen comments, Kathy Millatt's web site heavily and approvingly features the Missenden layout.

Some details on the MPD18 can be found here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1345/entry-11886-a-long-standing-project-revived/ Mark

Jerry's correct, I have a Mk1 MPD in a box van. Nigel has since redesigned the chassis kit with better bearings. The Mk1 simply ran axles in a brass etch. I beefed up the bearing surfaces with extra layers of brass. The wheels Nigel supplies are very fine and I just regauged them to 8.5mm BTB. Total gear reduction is about 45:1. It ought to work very nicely in a J70. There will be room for a fair bit of lead weight. Could we have a link to print on Shapeways? I'd be quite interested to see what it's like. Given the correct orientation, it ought to print quite well. Mark

Thanks for the info on ballasting. There's food for thought for when I start ballasting my American layout. At Scaleforum. I noticed a company called Attewood Aggregates who had a big range of various stone types, sizes and colours, including some very fine "scenic dust" https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4951 Mark