Lets Get Metaphysical

Have you noticed how some of the things we do whilst modelling have a quality which transcends the actual modelling? For example, to me, the act of cutting good quality cardboard with a brand-new scalpel brings a certain pleasure that bears no relation to what is actually being modelled. I could, in theory, be most content just cutting small squares of cardboard all day. In reality, of course, the end product has importance, but think next time you sit down to do some modelling, "What am I getting out of this?" It might help prioritise the kind of modelling you should be doing.

Another activity which pulls the strings for me is using the Piercing Saw. Now I haven't had this bit of kit out of late, but progress on the D49 means that I am now in a position to remove the metal components which currently straddle the chassis sideframes. Gently pulling the blade over the metal etches and feeling the cut, almost as easy as a knife through butter, is satisfaction made physical.

So the D49 moves slowly forward. The spacers were fabricated and drilled and gapped. On the whole their placing was relatively straightforward. The instruction warn that one of the drive gears is close to a spacer and care is needed. In reality I found that the space allowed was fairly generous and ought not to cause a problem. A couple of spacers had to be soldered down between the frames flush with some half-etched lines (to subsequently mount the brake-gear). I found this quite tricky and a couple of tabs in the frames to aid location might have been a good idea. Anyway I persevered and they're in the right place now. I hope!

Still Here

Still here, still doing a bit, but not as much as I would like. Eight months into our new house and still jobs to do each weekend. Freddie the labradoodle is also now eight months old, getting bigger and needing much more exercise each day...

The station building for 'Niddbeck Bridge' is now ready for painting and then window fitting. The Scalelink chimbley pots look good, even if their online store charged me nearly £5 p&p and sent them in a small jiffy bag with 48p worth of stamps on it...

The plan is to paint all the stonework on the layout in one hit, so have just finished the concave platform and am now working on the horse/cattle dock. These use a lamination of 2 x 5mm foam core board, then spilt down to about 7mm using a wide CK scraper blade. The edges are clad in stone plasticard, stepped out at the top so as the be a close approximation to the published NER standard design. The platform edgings are scribed plasticard at a scale 4'x3', also NER standard. These were precast concrete with a cross-hatched or dimpled anti-slip surface which I did try to press in using a vice with serrated jaws, but could not get an even result. I doubt it would be noticed under a coat of paint any way!

If I can prise the camera away from the wife and No.1 son I might take some pictures to post up this weekend.

Latest DCC purchase is a natty ESU decoder tester with integral motor and speaker. This means I can now test decoders straight out of the box and before any fitting work or lead-wire shortening. I have had a duff decoder as delivered and it's annoying to spend a couple of hours fitting them only to find they don't work.

And Now For Something Completely Different

Mmmm. Definitely all quiet on the North Eastern front. What about all you chaps who said you could post something now you've moved house/done the ironing/walked the dog (delete as appropriate)?





Anyhow. I've been mainly busy with the American N Scale; getting James doing some scenic work etc. As I've no current 2mm layout, I installed a 2mm test track at the front of the N layout. It seemed a good idea to scenicise this somewhat, delineate it from the N Scale and give a backdrop for any photos I might want to take. I'd been playing with the Scalescene printed papers on the American layout with some success and now I've adapted the concrete retaining wall for use with the 2mm track. The results are reasonable and it was nice to work with printed paper and card again. I'm interested as to the durability of inkjet printed papers; we'll see how these stand up.





The N8 was finally finished and I'm pleased I entered it at the AGM. Whilst it was always going to struggle against Bob's exquisite 9F, I feel it performed well on the day and acquitted itself with dignity. If anything the weathering lets the loco down; this was the last minute rush following the lining nightmare and when viewed in bright light, it looks a bit overdone/heavyhanded. I might revisit and repaint the N8 at some point, but now I'm back concentrating on the D49 locowise so it must wait...





A couple of photos showing the loco and the wall:

And one of just the wall:

Couplings - the electraNE way

It's been a while since anyone posted to the blog so I thought I'd let you see what I've been up to since coming back from Hull.

Our own Chris Mills has been tweaking the design of the electra coupling and the new version is called electraNE. Before too long there will be an article in the 2mm Magazine describing his findings and outlining the revised design.

One of the problems associated with construction of very small items (apart from the obvious one of making them) is holding the things together so various operations like soldering can be carried out. My latest 'frayed temper' saving device started out in life as a jig for soldered track. Anyone who has one of these will immediately recognise the parts, although I have milled away the rail holding lugs because they were not required in this instance and pretty worn out anyway.

The pictures need little explanation but the larger piece of kit is purely to keep hold of the 'phosphor bronze' hook and the dropper whilst the latter is soldered in place.

The second piece of kit is used to form the 'walking stick' part of the dropper. i.e. the bit that is threaded onto the hook. In the original John Whitehead design the dropper quite simply had one end bent through 180 degrees, hence the name 'walking stick'. For a long time now I have been forming a loop on the end that is to be attached to the body of the hook. Simply - the dropper is a piece of straight .008" sprung steel wire about 20mm long with a 90 degree bend at both ends although in opposite directions. One end is positioned in a previously drilled hole and retained when the upper, shorter, bit of tufnol is clamped down. The other end with the 90 degree bend up over is simply wound around the little peg which is part of a broken .35mm drill (of which I have lots....!) fixed into the end of the base block. Zoom in and you'll be able to see it better. When the soldering is done the dropper is released and the excess wire at the loop end and the 90 degree bend at the other end are cut off leaving a straight dropper with a nice little loop to thread over the body of the phosphor bronze hook.

Now I want to devise a jig to hold the completed coupling whilst it is fixed to the vehicle in exactly the same place every time. Chris has solved this one using a little etched plate which Bob is etching for him. This will be fine if the heights of the vehicles don't vary too much. I will be needing something in the short term so although I will use the Chris Mills designed etch for now I have to forge ahead with my own solution.

The other part of my recent activity has been to look at the various DCC systems on the market. My own requirements for DCC are quite simply to control trains. I am probably never going to get to the stage where I build a layout of such grand proportions as to warrant running more than two locomotives at once. In fact to run two locos simultaneously on anything I might build would probably be an oddity. I am currently quite impressed with the Bachmann Dynamis EZ command system having watched Richard Chapman demonstrate it at Hull last weekend.

Watch the space.

Mick S