2mmMark

Eileens and Squires both sell accurate 1.5mm od/1mm id tubing. Nigel Lawton offers turned shaft adapters. http://www.nigellawton009.com/PayPalMotors.html There is also 1mm id silicone rigging tubing (used by fishermen) which can link up shafts as it's stretchy enough to slip over 1mm & 1.5mm diameters.

Just occured to me that the 3-112 Frame Bushes (the large ones)could be used to make a dog clutch. They can be mounted on a 1.5mm shaft, clamped together then drilled for the pins and slots. Mark

Yes. I had a lie in so it was too late to send a AM.

I've now gapped the turnouts, using a combination of diamond cutting disk in a minidrill but turning quite slowly and a 0.5mm slotting file. I like the diamond disks as they are much less fragile than the carborundum equivalent. Then followed an interesting 20 minutes or so chasing the whiskers of copper as I was too lazy to go out to the garage to get The BIg Battery to burn them off. Just a couple of lengths of plain track to build and the job's a good 'un. Mark

PM sent Chris. Mark

Having phoned them on Saturday, the end result is that I shall be getting whatever of my order is currently in stock combined with a part refund. Once again, I had to do the phoning. Apart from one SMS text message, it's totally been down to me to chase the order. The only confirmation I had of my order was the Worldpay receipt for the payment. No email acknowledgement from Osborn's themselves. Thankfully I kept a record of the order number and what was in it. I'm more disappointed than angry about this. They have lots of tempting 2mm items in their catalogue but I would not feel confident about ordering online from them again. When If my order arrives, I'll then be able to see what's missing and look elsewhere. Mark

The group of three 6.52mm gauge turnouts are now complete and have been released from captivity. I found that using Pritt stick glue to hold them down on the template worked well, gripping them firmly enough during soldering and then released by soaking off the paper in hot water when finished. Last time I worked with paper templates, I used double-sided tape and that proved a bit too strong, needing a solvent (white spirit) to break the bond. The next job is to gap the sleepers and rails. I always find this a bit of a tricky job to do neatly so I'm wondering if a dab of etching solution from a small paintbrush would do the job. However, it's not nice stuff to be using "freehand" on the workbench. A better plan might be to set up a dental burr in the milling machine so it just skims the copper cladding away. Mark

When building some cupboards a few months ago, I got some MDF cut to size by a local company Cutwrights. I gave them a cutting list and a week later, they delivered what was basically a custom flat pack of materials which I simply had to assemble. Before placing the order, I asked how accurately they could work, they said to 0.3mm! It was more expensive than getting MDF boards and cutting it myself but the quality and accuracy of the cuts more than made up for that in time saved alone. The end result was much neater too. Cutwrights can work in a variety of materials, including birch ply. Their web site has a quotation tool into which you enter the sizes required. Cutting is via saw avoiding the burnt edges of laser cut materials. https://www.cutwrights.com/new/home Next time I'm building baseboards, I intend to give them a try. Incidentally, if you don't use a full sheet for your cuts, you'll get the unused material as offcuts.

I wish I'd read the online reviews and this thread before ordering. I sent them a message yesterday requesting an update. No reply yet. Barclaycard say I can raise a disputed transaction if necessary. I'd much rather have what I ordered but if they cannot supply so be it. Mark

The Nealetin flux doesn't appear to be overly agressive but it definitely does need washing after assembly. I am cleaning the rail before assembly and also wiping the copper faces of the sleepers with a cotton bud soaked in my phosphoric acid flux mix. Only a small amount of paste is needed, applied with the tip of a cocktail stick. The code 40 bullhead rail helps as it has a flat base that provides a good bond area. Code 30 rail has a rounded profile which I feel needs a fillet of solder to create a secure joint. Mark

I use "Nealetin" solder paste, standard grade 60/40 http://www.gwneale.co.uk/nealetin.html which I find works very well. Prior to that, I had some solder paste (can't recall the make) that was a dismal failure and gave up on it for a long time. Mark

Something a little different. I'm working on a commission to build some finescale Z track which will become a test track assisting in some British Z developments. These look very promising. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/129914-british-z-1220/ The track follows 2mm PCB principles, using code 40 rail. I needed to make up a little step & repeat jig for plain track. Turnouts are being built on a printed plan from Templot. It's proving an interesting project. I've made up a little rolling chassis and it runs through the finescale Z standards very smoothly. The paper template started off nice and clean but it's getting more and more grubby. The sleepers are stuck down with Pritt Stick glue. I'm using solder paint rather than wire solder to get a neat joint. Early tests with solder wire proved a bit variable, getting too much solder on the joint due to the smaller size of the work. The best option would most probably be solder balls but I don't have any to hand. The Eclipse 180 multi-position vice is a wonderful thing. I inherited mine from Peter Clark. If you see one for sale, snap it up! Mark

Well, I'm very disappointed with Osborns. Having used them in the past, both mail order and from the shop in Abingdon, I placed an order with reasonable confidence, as my last order with them was with me within 24 hours. This time however, it's not been so good. 5 weeks later, no sign of my order and despite a few phone calls to chase, there's still no progress. I do feel like I'm lending them nearly £75. Time to call in that loan! Mark

That vindicates the decision to use an engineering plastic (Acetal) for the Easitrac mouldings. It was hoped to use a plastic more amenable to solvent adhesives such as ABS but it didn't mould as well as Acetal. The Easitrac glue works well and many (very many!) yards of Easitrac have now gone down without any problem. If anyone's considering the Association's steel bullhead rail, note that t's very malleable and probably would not have survived an event like this.

Covent Garden is still open. Acton Depot is the home for the reserve collection and large items like trams, buses, trolleybuses and tube trains. It's not regularly open to the public. Clapham was originally the British Transport collection and moved to York in the 1970s. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/the-northerner/2016/may/03/railway-museum-transport-york-london-1969-archive

Yeah, that's the problem when you reach a certain age.

The question was asked on the VAG - when is the next appearance of the layout. 7th & 8th July at the Acton LT Museum Depot open weekend. This is not a specific model railway event, it's billed as a "family weekend". "Join us for the launch of our first ever Acton Open Weekend dedicated to our youngest visitors and their families. Unearth a host of transport treasures at our rarely open Depot, meet costumed characters from the past, listen to stories from the underground and join in on one of our special family activities. Discover, learn and do – and have fun - in amongst our marvellous collection of vintage vehicles, quirky objects and fascinating interactivities." https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/museum-depot/open-weekends Very close to Acton Town station on the Piccadilly Line

The trick with LEDs is lots of them and a diffuser. The lighting unit for An Clár has over 250 in an area 600mm by 200mm. On "AC" I've used warm white as the scenery is colour to suit incandescents,which I'm thoroughly glad to see gone as the layout became like an oven. Daylight balanced lighting makes a huge difference. Chris Nevard uses low energy daylight photo bulbs on his layouts and they really stand out at exhibitions.

Is there an option 4 Cuneo? Mark

Brian Harrap has a very good way of making crossing vees without needing a jig, just a drawing on paper. I've tried it, it works a treat. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/37678-handbuilt-track/page-2?hl=+quai%20+87

The N Gauge Society published a good history of the scale. 1:148 scale appears to be the brainchild of Sidney Pritchard (Peco) and Peter Middleton (Highfield).

I recognise that setting! Pleased to see the layout is still around. I see a proper backscene has been added. It'll be 29 years old this autumn. That's scary! The Radial tank looks very nice - good job! Mark

What the internet doesn't cater for is going to the shop with a half-formed idea and having a browse to find something that'll do the job, maybe having a chat with a knowledgeable person in the process. Being retired and now having the benefit of a 60+ Oystercard is quite an advantage.

Some of the stores are dealing with things differently and somewhat oddly. I visited the Kingston branch yesterday as I needed some individual components but they were not selling them individually, despite info to contrary on the Maplin web site. They'd shrink-wrapped entire cabinets and storage bins, selling them as job lots - including the multi-drawer cabinets. This could be a bargain for anyone with an electronics workshop but I just wanted a few bits to make up some turnout drives. All I got were some soft dusting brushes, an LED pen torch and a couple of enclosures for future projects. All very cheap though. The staff gave every impression of being utterly fed up and not caring anymore. I don't really blame them for this. I then travelled over to Hammersmith, where the store was still operating in the traditional way and I got nearly my whole list of items, plus a cut price graphics tablet. This store had a much better atmosphere and the staff were still keen to help, despite their circumstances. Walking around the two stores, I was aware of what I'd be missing, the convenience of having a source of electrical & electronic components on the high street. I'm not very good at planning what I need so it's useful to have somewhere to go to get items ad-hoc. Mark

We only tend to take photos when the layout is erected. It's not set up permanently. I'm waiting for a chance to photograph a specfic building for an MRJ article. The layout is going up at Keen House soon as we need to do some work on it. Tim Watson is writing about a new loco for the layout on his workshop thread. When incomplete, the loco was able to pull out entire stock of LNER coaches! There will be a chance to see the layout at the LT Museum Acton Depot open day on 7th & 8th July. We always have a "to-do" list and currently it's: Tube electrics consolidation, extend power supply leads South leg box power lead 1m longer Bracket signal for NLR electric lines Fixing for KX Goods warehouse Repair UG distant Support for iPad on middle backscene Leaflet dispensers Bracket fixing for south end backscene support Tighten joints on back scenes Re- engineer bolt for large hockey stick and linking fiddle yard boards Loop catch to hold north end of Tube board to HB section and drape Train detection N & S end main lines Drape pop-stud missing from front corner of Sopwith Camel board Burger van box framing split on one corner - display board now very loose Now some of this is our in-house jargon. The layout will absorb an infinite amount of small details and if anyone would like to make, say, a 1925-1935 era road vehicle or some other appropriate model, it would be very welcome. It doesn't necessarily need to be very highly detailed as it can be placed so as to give the impression of activity. A lot of the layout is simplified as it recedes to the backscene. If we hadn't done this, the thing would never have reached the stage it is today! The running lines are two scale miles long.