2mmMark

Commendable restraint considering some of the residents of RMWeb.

My sub copy arrived today and I have to say I'm really annoyed. Not a single article on modelling the Armchair & Much Moaning Light Railway in Scalethirteen using sticky-back plastic and bogroll tube. How is a chap supposed to find inspiration when his pet subject is wilfully ignored, month after month? I don't pay my licence fee for the likes of this.

I believe Triang had the superior publicity department, the annual catalogues were always bright and encouraging, and getting Terence Cuneo cover painting was a masterstroke. The pictures of layouts in the catalogue always fired the imagination, even if they might not have been the most practical or even complete beyond the frame of the photo. Integrating Minic Motorway and Triang Railways was very exciting too. While I'm now very much in the finescale camp, the idea of a loft full of Triang & Minic appeals but is unlikely ever to happen. I content myself with a small collection of Lone Star OOO. The push-along range were half-scale replicas of items from the current Triang & Hornby-Dublo ranges. Mark

Cue small explosion from the Launceston area - it's Phil Copleston. Although I have suggested he admit defeat and take out a deed poll... A super line-up, I'm just sorry not to be able to attend. :-( Have a super day! Mark

I'm not entirely convinced by this bagless vacuum lark, having used one bagless vac to clean up another on a fairly regular basis. I think I'd prefer a small version of a workshop vac if such a thing exists. In my "dirty" shed workshop, where a lot of dust gets created, I've got an Aldi workshop vac which does a very good job. The bags are a little bit fiddly to fit and seal but it does hold a lot of sawdust & other detritus. It's rather unwieldy for indoor use. Mark.

My lawnmower is called "Patrick" Patrick Mower.

Are you finding 3d printing good enough for steel constructed wagons? It's pretty good now for wood construction* but I'm wondering if large flat surfaces will still highlight any striations. *provided Shapeways print and check the damn things properly! Mark

This made me laugh!

I think you simply write a blank Czech...

Posted on the NG forum but bears repeating here. I would strongly advise people not to pay any money to Photobucket. Their current move may put them out of business, or so damage them reputationally that they will eventually fold. Like many, I'm really struggling to understand the logic of their sudden decision. Normally there's some notice of this, assuming the company is functional. Ok, if they'd given some notice, there would have been a period where users unwilling to pay would have left but as has been said, making a reasonable charge comparable with other hosting providers would have tempted people to remain. A few years back, the UK site Fotopic abruptly folded, taking many thousands of photos with it. It was some time before the site was opened up to allow people to retrieve their images. I recall a hosting dispute was behind that situation. This does again illustrate the fragility of digital information. The only person I trust with my data is me and even then I have my doubts! Mark

If only the trade would see sense and adopt proper standards, this vandalism wouldn't be necessary!

The loco arrived with me yesterday and having taken the chassis apart this morning, the wheel spokes are close to 2mm in width and it's just the tyres that are wide. This leaves me wondering if the existing wheels can be turned down to accept 2mm rims. Alternatively, Henk Oversloot's technique (http://www.raw-nette.de/producin.htm) of grafting in a finescale flange to the N scale wheel might be possible. As you say Nigel the wheels are alloy castings (mazak or similar?) so they might not be very amenable to machining. The spoking pattern of the Class 14 wheels is quite distinctive and I'd quite like to retain it. It's a very nice model and will be quite at home on British Oak when finescaled. Incidentally, the loco was very dusty and the chassis was swimming in oil. A good clean-up was necessary. You have to wonder sometimes what people do with their models. Mark.

He's in a rush to get to Paddington. Mark

The Invention of Stainless, vernier adjusted Iso's was a godsend and probably just a standard component in a modern restoration. Of course if Dennis Poore who owned Norton had gone with 270 degree parallel twin that Cosworth had designed for him, there would have been no need to dial out the vibration that came with stretching the old dominator motor to 750 and ultimately 828 (?). Apparently he didn't like the sound of the Cosworth Motor (effectively 2 pots from their 3 litre V8) and thought it would be no good. (Funny how Yamaha more or less used the basis of that design years later for the TDM and TRX and very effectively). I believe Bob Trigg, who had a hand in the design at Norton, was asked by Yamaha to advise on the TDM & TRX. He evidently did a good job as my TDM is a great bike to ride. Very civiised but with just enough raw edge to remind you you're riding an 850cc twin.

By strange co-incidence, I'm going to have a look at a Royal Enfield later on this morning, a 2008 Electa-X lean burn model. I did have an Indian-built old-style 350 Bullet for a number of years which proved very reliable. Obviously QC was good the day it was built! There's method in my madness as the Electra-X is compliant with the requirements of the London ULEZ coming in 2020 but it's still a relatively simple bike which can easily be "slightly modified" with a freer flowing exhaust & carb...

Question about the Farish Class 14 "Teddy Bear" - what's the chassis design on this? Does it predate the current split-frame design? Through the gift of eBay, I've got one in NCB livery winging its way to me so I'll need to finescale it in due course. There doesn't seem to be a lot of room behind the steps to bring the N scale wheels outwards when set to 8.5mm b-t-b. Mark

You could do what I did and get a sidecar outfit. Why terrify yourself at 150mph when you can terrify yourself at 50mph? 650cc Ural Dalesman. ¼ ton of Russian iron, steel & aluminium. Utterly mad things to drive/ride but when mastered, very satisfying.

Pleased to be of service. I believe the foam is Knauf loft insulation, I got it from a friend of mine who's an aeromodeller, knew that we used it for scenery and "did I want the offcuts"? They filled the back of my Mondeo estate! I think it's a bit more workable than the Dow Corning "Floormate" I used on British Oak. Mark

What I've found is that a small cheap screwdriver ground to wheel profile is very good for scraping the paint away in the critical areas - head and inside top of the rail. They're not much good for anything else anyway. This will give a reasonable start towards good running but quite a bit of detail cleaning is needed as well. Sometimes paint & weathering stops point blades from completely bedding against the stock rail. Mark

That long forgotten classic "I'm A Winker*" by Ivor Biggun. *misprint

What's been on my bench in the past few days is British Oak, the layout featured in the Beginners Guide. Where the guide left off, it was like this: The landscape was then blocked in using extruded polystyrene insulation foam. This was covered with a basic texture with pretty rough cutouts for the point switches and uncoupling magnets. This is where it's been languishing for a while. The layout has been well upstaged by Richard Caunt's version which features the colliery screens as well as the disposal point, with working coal loading and unloading no less! As I planned to dig my British Oak out of hibernation to serve on the 2mm stand at the recent MMRG finescale exhibition, I felt it deserved a bit of a tidy up, so the cutouts were covered over and the sides were skinned with 1.5mm ply to neaten it all up. If I were starting again, I probably would not use this type of foam, it's not easy to work cleanly and is awkward to glue. I used non-solvent construction adhesive. I then discovered "Gorilla" foaming polyeurethane glue and I used this to fix on the ply skins. Word of warning - use gloves when using this glue. It stains your fingers and is hard to wash off! I think it's fair to say it's looking a lot tidier now and I have the motivation to proceed further with the scenery, plus some suitable rolling stock. The real thing was the location for the now preserved Jinty 47445 which had the indignity of orange tanks and bunker inflicted upon it. https://www.flickr.com/photos/24041160@N02/2347603066 I have a part converted Jinty which will indeed have appropriate colouring. I think it looks quite jolly - jazz up a Jinty! The future's bright, the future's orange! Mark

That's going to make a very pretty little loco. I do admire the Epsom club's project. Mark

Anyone still think it's a good name for a band?

As his driver is forced to ask for directions from a passerby, Donald Trump is regretting choosing Uber as his presidential transport.