2mmMark

You haven't seen the toilet paper we have at work. Thinner than gold leaf and possibly more precious as it's kept in locked holders.

What about teased-out kapok? (The fluffy white stuff that pads out cheap anoraks and body warmers) That might be usable. It's something I've intended to try the next time I do some trees. It's not a very convenient colour but I spray paint trees anyway. Mark

William Shatner might be able to help http://www.metv.com/stories/unearthed-document-suggests-william-shatner-took-wigs-from-star-trek Mark

It was good to see St. Ruth at Wycrail. This was the first time I'd seen the layout's new backscene. Most impressive! The HDR shots are food for thought. Somehow, I always expect to see a fussy little Belgian detective standing outside the Hotel Royale...

It's nice to think that we'll have quite a few items on the layout that owe their origin to Denys. Mark

Looking very fine. The wharf complements the rest of the layout well. Cotton domelle interlining (for curtains etc.) has a similar nap to surgical lint. Not quite as dense but it works in the same way. I found out about the material via member "Gt. Shefford" in the scenery forum here. I've got some offcuts of Foamex (a.k.a. Palight) from a local sign maker. I'm going to see how well that scribes for 2mm stonework as I've got a little wharfy/industrially/dual-gaugey project in mind. Mark

Just put "Berger & chips" into Google.

Tucking Mill adopts the Devil's Control Circuitry?! Noooo! No more visiting locos Mark

Did you ever run down the line to the ordnance depot? I remember seeing the gate on the high street where it came out and ran down Browells Lane into the depot. Between Woolworths and another shop as I recall. The yard and shed area are now well overgrown, with sizeable trees having sprung up over the years. We still get steam specials coming through, the sound carries acros the area very well. Are you going for the concrete style of shed that Feltham had? Mark (still a local to 70B)

I've never found the Association's nickel-silver rail to be much of a problem to keep clean. As Jim suggests, I use a fingernail polisher to clean the rail head. I've used both the traditional strip rail and bullhead. At a previous Scaleforum, I discussed the steel vs nickel-silver issue with Norman Solomon, who's a track builder of some repute. His view was that the best choice was nickel-silver rail with a high nickel content. That had the look of steel with the corrosion resistance of nickel-silver. It could well be that the composition of the alloy has a bearing on how clean the track stays. The backstage track on my Irish narrow gauge diorama is Marklin Z set track for convenience. This does need more cleaning than the code 40 strip rail in the visible section. I have heard from other Nn3 modellers that Marklin rail is prone to oxidising. I do have some steel rail to try. Initial experiments puting some into Easitrac bases did show that it's very ductile and doesn't have the springiness of nickel-silver rail. I think it could be very easy to kink the rail accidentally. Mark

Yes. it's a shame Camphor Coaches were phased out. Please can we have a "fnarr, smirk" button?

Waiting for the milk train. 2mm scale, 6.5mm gauge

If you've got a nice closed box to hide a mechanism, there's a lot more scope. Perhaps the North Somerset might have found passenger numbers lacking and converted one of the pair to parcels/goods use? You might not need to board up the windows, just surround the mechanism with a pile of parcels and baskets etc. To give you an idea, here's a couple of photos of Tom Knapp's Nn3 railtruck. The rear axle is driven via a motor angled at about 45 degrees, attached to which is a simple worm/wormwheel gearbox. Wheels are home made and I think the body is from some home-produced etchings.

Looking and sounding good. If you need some inspiration for clay dries, have a delve around Iain Robinson's web site. Here's a starter http://iainrobinsonmodels.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-clay-driesfinished-at-lastor-are.html Mark

What sort of person would do a mad thing like that, eh? Seriously, I think you could work up a small van or wagon over the very small Tsugawa chassis like this one www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Super-Mini-Size-Motorized-Chassis-TU-7T-Tsugawa-Yokou-14008-N-scale-/201396032572 I've acquired one to fit under a BH Enterprises Ruston 48DS etching. The chassis is split-frame so re-profiling the wheels doesn't appear to be difficult. Mark

I believe the station mistress at Scratchy Bottom was Betty Swuttocks.

Oh yes, I still go back to the late 70s/early 80s Model Railways articles on the NCMR for inspiration from time to time. In an era of the "British Standard GWR/LMS Branch Line" they stood out as something very different. Iain also did a retrospective on the layout candidly discussing what went wrong. The loco mechanisms were very much on the bleeding edge of what was possible at the time. Anyone remember the ECM type 1 motor and it's foibles...?! Nowadays, the availability of excellent motors and gearboxes makes a 4mm project like Tregarrick quite feasible. Even in 2mm, a "Tregarrick Reduced" is possible, as Jerry is proving. Mark

Wonderfully subtle colouring John. Great to see you back in the groove again! Mark

What a lovely setup for the Unimat 3! The stand with all the drawers shows someone has put a lot of thought into it. First stop I suggest would be to look at eBay's completed listings to get prices for the basic items. What will hold the price down is the weight of the item for postage/carriage. On the other hand, they look like cherished well-treated lathes which counts for a lot. I'll run the post by someone I know who might be able to advise. Both are very workmanlike machines that will continue to give many years of service. Mark

A fair point Don, I'll see what I can do. Mark

No indeed, I for one can't "balk" at the pictures of Modbury.

If anyone does have a pentroller going cheep... ...unplug it quick, it's not supposed to make that noise.

I've been experimenting with inexpensive PWM controllers available from eBay and Amazon. A basic unit costs three or four pounds for something that offers high frequency 21khz PWM which appears to be kind to motors, while giving a very fine level of control. Here's a link to one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GX6YDOO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00 and the other http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adjustable-Motor-Speed-Controller-Switch/dp/B00Y2AV4G8/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1435143421&sr=1-11&keywords=pwm+speed+controller Adding on a direction switch, case and any necessary connecting plugs won't break the bank. The controllers need a DC feed, so I've got one with a 9v block battery and one with a 5.5x2.1mm socket to accept a low cost switch mode plug-in power supply. These will also fit in a 16mm battery loco... ;-) The cheap PWMs don't quite handle my Marklin narrow gauge chassis as well as the Pentroller or other feedback controllers, the main issue is a rather abrupt start. Once moving, slow running can be achieved. I think this is down to the characteristics of the Marklin motor rather than the controller. They do work well with my 2mm locos. Overall, I think the Pentroller still has the edge. Top tip for the coast & brake Pentroller, don't over-use the brake control, it's a rotary switch which can suffer a bit if heavily used. I tend to keep it set on a light brake setting and use the speed control instead. Stewart did make a unit with a variable pot instead of the switch but it was tricky to find the right brake setting. The hand-held unit you have from Phil is one that was made for a Nn3 modeller in the US and has a Z scale setting for Marklin mechs. Phil repatriated it when the previous owner went DCC. Mark