More UFOs

As mentioned in the first post today I have a few UFOs.

Having joined the 2mm FSA I discovered that replacement etches for the various Chivers Finescale N Gauge models were available. Now I like these kits very much but have found that they don't run very well - which I put solely down to the builder rather than the designer! The replacement chassis, designed by Fencehouse, being etches, are sturdier and end up square meaning running is much smoother.

To date I have built 5 chassis to go under my BR Tube wagons (Dia 1/448) and 3 out of 4 chassis to go under my collection of LMS wagons. The Tubes are here in Longreach and so progress has been made in fixing these. 4 have been dealt with and the last is waiting couplings. I am still using the N Gauges ones as these wagons, having been produced in the 1960's, are more use on N gauge layouts than 2mm ones - the 2mm ones currently planned are either Pre-grouping (W&U - GER) or Grouping (Fairford GWR) or BR Steam (St Alban's Abbey - BR(M)).

The other wagon in this photo is a Parkside Dundas LNER coal wagon. Like the Chivers one it is running on a new etched chassis from the 2mm. There is a pair of these (and a BR steel coal wagon) which have had the treatment. Again, N gauge rapidos are being used.

This last picture shows three of my 2mm FSA kits - Prestwin, LNWR D88 van and BR Banana Van. The Prestwin is destined for N Gauge but the other two are going to be 2mm runners. The LNWR van has been painted using Humbrol 79 after a tip on the 2mm VAG - thanks Jim! DG Couplings for it - not sure about the Banana Van as it is most likely to wind up on the W&U although Bananas weren't grown there!

Pictures

As promised, pictures of my recent efforts. Please bear in mind that these are a scale of 2mm:1 foot and the enlargements are cruel. They look pretty good in the flesh and from NVD.















This is a BR Banana Van to Diag 1/242. It was my wedding anniversary gift from SWMBO as the traditional gift for the 4th Wedding Anniversary is Fruit and Flowers. It is also the kit which I had a lot of trouble with and prompted the purchase of the T2250 solder station from DSE.















A BR Prestwin to Diag 1/277. A 2mm FSA kit which I have been eyeing off for a good number of years. As detailed elsewhere I joined the 2mm FSA in 2009 and purchased the kit, not expecting it to be as complicated as it ended up looking. I was right - it wasn't that complicated and I expect I will be making another couple to go with this one.















A Fencehouse replacement chassis kit for the Chivers BR Tube kit. I have 5 of these wagons and they have never run particularly well. I blame the maker as the rest of the kit went together very nicely with the minimum of fuss. Given I have trouble with my Parkside kits as well, I expect plastic chassis which are more complicated than Peco ones are beyond me. Fortunately I can get these instead!!!















Fencehouse's replacement for the Parkside Dundas 12' chassis. I have a few of these and like the Chivers ones, they don't run well. Now they will.


I really enjoyed putting the last three together, and once I had the good iron, I enjoyed the first too. I would stongly encourage people to have a go at etched kit construction, but invest in a good soldering iron first!

Footy is Back

Footy returned tonight for 2010 with the Bombers travelling to Perth to play the Eagles. Sadly, the Bombers while brilliant in the first term were not so flash after half time and faded to be shut out by 6 or 7 goals (I rarely remember the losing margin - and winning ones aren't relevent 'cause we won!).

What place has this on a Railway Blog? Not much other than I got the iron out and did some modelling in front of the footy. I finished the Prestwin - the valve gear between the tanks isn't that great but it looks the part from NVD so I am not worried. I also continued with the replacement chassis program for my Chivers and Parkside kits - this time building one of the Fencehouses designed Parkside replacements. Went together really well - the only down side being that there are no etched springs nor axleboxes on these kits. I presume - can't find destructions for them - they are designed with the glue one whitemetal axlebox and spring bits in mind. I had a set of four which I used and they look good and run very freely and true - much improved (although the wagons are all in Brisbane so it will be a while before they are fitted) but annoyingly I can only do the one - the 2mm FSA seems to be out of stock of the rest.

While this will set back the Parkside replacements, I still have 4 Tube wagons and 4 LMS kits to build chassis for - all of these etches seem to have all the bits I will need so another 8 games and I should have them all done. By that stage the wagons may have been gotten from Brisbane and then the fitting will commence. The next conundrum is what couplings to fit - these are all basically interchangeable between 2mm and N gauge so putting Rapidos on seems silly but I suspect they will spend more time on N gauge layouts than 2mm ones so... At least changing the couplings might be easy at a later date if I use the right adhesive.

Sorry about the lack of photos - still haven't taken any. Will try to in daylight tomorrow.

OMWB

On My Work Bench - a number of things really. I purchased at T2250 temperature controlled soldering station from Dick Smith about a week and a half ago. This was in response to the advice of fellow members of the 2mm Fine Scale Association Virtual Area Group who, very politely, suggested my Mitre 10 Iron wasn't really suitable. What a revelation. This has been such a joy to use. If you don't have such a beastie and you are becoming a bit more interested in the brass and nickle-silver kits around then I suggest, in the finest traditions of Dilmah - do try it.

So what have I done since the arrival of the latest tool? I have completed the Banana Van kit I got from Amity for our 4th Wedding Anniversary - I didn't read the instructions to start with which I have decided was a mistake (not fatal, but a mistake!) - and a Prestwin (well almost complete - a bit of the valve gear arrangement at the top of the tanks to do). I will post photos when I work out how to do this easily - Amity tells me there is a trick using some program she has but taking the photos is kind of necessary.

The next project is to make a Work Tray - the work bench as such is the dining room table - which I can keep all my stuff on and just take it out, plug the power into it and away I go with everything available - Iron, Lamp, Test Track - and more importantly, just unplug it, pick it all up and put it out of Hollie, Jessica and Hannah's reach.