2mmMark

We need to get some less cruel photos taken, Tim!

I would suggest etching primer like U-Pol Acid #8. What might be a good route to follow is thin scribed plywood for the sides and then add the strapping and corner bracing from the aluminium. Soft aluminium will take embossed detail like rivets & bolts pretty well, especially if you do it against a material with a bit of give in it, like thick card. Using either epoxy resin or one of the newer MS polymer glues, sticking aluminium to other materials or itself shouldn't be a problem. Pure aluminium will develop a powdery white oxidation but if that's removed, any bond should be amply strong enough. With regards to card, many excellent models have been made with cereal packet cardboard or similar. It would be interesting to see how this thin litho plate could be formed into angle & channel sections. Mark

I remain eternally grateful that I was taught to use tools at at school, woodworking and metalworking. I may not have selected engineering as a career but eventually in my chosen career, I was eventually deemed a software engineer. It seems very poor that children are not educated in this sort of thing anymore. My teacher said to us "if you don't pay attention now, you'll be forever having to get someone in to do the simplest of jobs". He was so right, thanks "DDGG" (who was and is still a Scalefour modeller). A grasp of materials and how to use them came in handy 10 years ago when I was working on Terminal 5. One of my assignments was to assess the mounting of display screens. Let's just say that the contractors were "value engineering" their work... I have now seen my chosen industry largely offshored, purely as a means of cutting costs. The quality of the offshored product is frustatingly variable but it's made to work sufficiently well enough to satisfy to tick a box that says "job done". Anyone coming along later to maintain it is likely to have "issues". The managers responsible for this will have long moved on after collecting their bonuses. And that is the problem. Short-termism. It's killed many UK industries and will no doubt continue to do so.

Do be careful that the double-sided tape isn't too strong if you want to lift and re-use the track. Some varieties of tape are quite strong.

A roof pill.

How could you think such a thing!? I'm really quite offended. I'd send you to Coventry but it's Easter and Euston is closed for engineering works.

Server's back up now. Don't all rush.

It appears that demand has knocked the server offline. The technical team are working on it.

I really don't know why there is so much angst about MRJ publication dates. The solution is to subscribe to the electronic version. Download from: http://www.loafproil.com Mark

That's just like the type of train I saw at Boppard. I would have taken a lot more pictures but I was on my last roll of film before we flew home the following day.

Would 3D printed gears have a sufficiently fine surface finish to avoid too much friction? My personal preference would be for gears cut or moulded from a true engineering plastic, e.g. Acetal/Delrin.

Quite a bit of use is made of portable unloading ramps. One of these would make an interesting model. https://www.duraramp.com/blog/portable-loading-ramps-for-railcars/ http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/182657/2003388.aspx

I've come up with a Mk2 version which uses a small cheesehead screw to provide a fulcrum against which the rail can be worked. This small mod makes it much easier to control the curve of the rail as it holds it flat against the MDF so you're only working in the vertical dimension. I thought it might need a washer but the width of the screw head is sufficient. Depending on the direction of the curvature, the rail can pass to the left or right of the screw. The screw just needs to be tight enough so the rail slides easily underneath it. I've done about 6 feet of code 30 rail with it this morning and it works very well. Should also work with the code 40 strip rail too. It's also occured to me that a rubber polishing block could be substituted for the eraser, thereby cleaning the rail at the same time. Mark Update 13/5 - I tried the polishing block, it isn't as good as the rubber eraser as it's too slippery. There needs to be some resistance against the pull of the rail.

...must resist... I must resist...

Do not heat the rail by shunting a 12v power source (like a big battery) through it. You get what is technically known as "a fuse". I've tried the heat and suspend method. It sort of worked but it was difficult to get a consistent temperature. There is a technique similar to the "draw through finger & thumb" method which can get a lot of the curve out, both vertical and horizontial. Obtain a block of 18mm MDF, size isn't critical but it needs to be weighty enough not to slip on the bench. Next, find a reasonably hard pencil eraser. Some are far too hard to erase nicely, these are ideal! With some suitable pliers (I use the Maun parallel jaw type), grip the one end of the rail. Using the eraser, press quite hard down on the rail flat-wise against the MDF and slowly draw it between the MDF and eraser, simultaneously pulling and curving the rail in the opposite direction to the prevailing curvature of the rail. I work on about 9 to 12 inches of rail at a time. Hopefully this photo shows the basic technique With a bit of practice, you can get the rail quite straight, certainly good enough to work well with soldered construction. Then congratulate yourself at saving $85. Mark

Neil Ballantine very kindly allowed my Class 24 to circulate on the layout when it was on display at the 2mm Expo at Edgbaston Cricket Club in 1983. It was a very nice layout with a lot of spectator appeal. Mark

I had thoughts of building it in finescale N 1:160. Z was out of the picture at the time as I didn't know much about it and the necessary stock was not available. Now the correct stock is available (at a price!) and good control is achievable, it would make a little gem of a model but I must resist the temptation as I have enough projects as it is. Mind you the German web site Howard mentioned does show a lot more interesting information... I did return from Germany with a Marklin 0-6-0 for 2mm narrow gauge use. At the time (August 1990) the Pound was strong against the Deutschmark so the loco only cost me the equivalent of £27. The goods shed is particularly nice with all the various materials incorporated. Possibly it's been patched up over the years and was originally a "fachwerk" building. I do have a German project up my sleeve but it's somewhat whimsical and awaiting the arrival of some items ordered from the UK and Japan. I expect the latter are in the Royal Mail's "pay us 8 quid to delay your mail and charge VAT" shed. Hopefully I'll be ready to "rokuhan & roll" after Easter. Mark

Isn't that how most of the content on RMWeb is created?

The main problem could be heat build-up in the motor shaft loosening plastic components like the commutator core. As long as you keep everything cool, you ought to be OK. Peter Clark designed a tool for cutting and finishing small screw threads. From memory, it was something like a hollow cup-shaped grinder. Something like that would be ideal for finishing the ends of trimmed motor shafts. Mark

"Every night when the moon gives light, the miller's ghost is seen He walks the track with a sack on his back..." "...and his earhole painted green!" Trivia time: Will Hay was an amateur astronomer and discovered a great white spot on Saturn*. Moore Marriot kept a grocer's store in Bognor Regis. Graham Moffat was hospitalised after two weeks of hiccuping. *pity it wasn't Uranus.

The films on Talking Pictures have often been restored to a very high standard. I've got OMP on dvd but I'll have a look at the broadcast version to see if there's any difference. It's a shame Will Hay died at a relatively young age. "You're wasting your time!" Indeed I could be, there's a huge amount of watchable stuff on TP. Mark

Does anyone happen to know how long is the throw of a Peco PL10 or Seep point motor? I'm wondering if there's enough to move a permanent magnet uncoupler sideways under the track. I want to avoid using an electromagnet if possible. Mark

Would decorators caulk get you out of this hole? It's quite a useful filler as it can be wiped smooth with a damp cloth and then painted over. In this case, I'd try smoothing with wet flexible plasticard spatula.

Thanks - looks like yet another obsolete legacy product that you wish you'd stocked up on. Speaking of legacy products, the Heki paint has possibilties used in conjunction with the plastic moulded "thin sleeper" track, some of which I still have. Mark