David Holman

Many thanks, both of you. However, as a further question - in steam days, on mixed trains, presumably any unfitted stock had to be put behind the coaches, with a brake van bringing up the rear and if unfitted wagons were in front of the passenger coach, then customers were not (officially) allowed? Also, could a mixed train do without a brake van if all wagons were fitted and provided there was a guard's compartment somewhere?

This side of the water, fitted wagons (those with vacuum brakes, able to run in passenger trains and at higher speeds) were painted in bauxite, as opposed to grey for unfitted stock. Was there a similar system in Ireland, or did it very from one company to another? I believe the GNRI wagons were treated this way, but what about others? Am interested in all periods, but especially the early 1900s and the 1950s.

Indeed! Many similar experiences trying to use screw link couplings at exhibitions. Many an occasion where it was just as well the onlookers couldn't hear what I was thinking.

Gosh, life is complicated and that's why it's fun, as the saying goes! Hadn't thought about H0 on EM = 17.5 scale v 18.2 actual, though back to the age old problems of finding anything rtr that could be adapted. If I was starting again, 30 years younger, but knowing what I know now, then S would be very tempting and I love the fact that (in a purely imperial scale) the track gauge would be 63/64ths of an inch. And has been done of course.

I've somehow got the full set of MRJs, right back to edition 0, so must look back on 37 and 39! Joined the queue to see Hursley at that Westminster show, not realising at the time that quite a bit of the stock was Gordon Gravett's. Hursley was one of the great turning points in modelling, while Martyn's The Art of Weathering remains one of my most referred to books. Published nearly 30 years ago, while Hursley was very much before static grass machines became available. My favourite picture is the one looking inside the empty loco shed. Minimalist it may be, but about as close to perfection as you can get.

Thanks Ken, am sure you are well equipped to deal with AJs in 4mm scale, where there is a need for a bit more precision. A bit like signal mechanisms, most of the operational side is hidden - in this case under the vehicles' floors. In 4mm scale, hinges (using hypodermic tube) seem preferable to the basic spring wire in 7mm, while the fixing point, especially on a four wheel wagon is almost at the opposite end. At least loco couplings are simpler, with just the basic hook. Found that getting into a routine worked best, so I made up all the hooks at once and likewise the under wagon fixing points. This made setting up each wagon feel simpler and needing less time. I can now fit a wagon in under half an hour. Like you, have no intention of fitting AJs to every wagon and coach. Mine are set up in rakes of two or three with an AJ at each end and three/screw links in between. Also, I had the same problem with Dinghams as you have with S&W. AJs require care, but their advantages repay that. I put three electro magnets on Northport Quay, but have found I only need two to cover all the moves. I also like the way you can uncouple while moving so there is less importance in terms on trying find the exact place of the magnet. On Fintonagh, using Kadees and rare earth magnets, you have to spot a 3mm 'window' from up to 2m away... Perseverance very much the key!

A personal take on AJs Whisper it quietly, but I at last seem to be getting to grips with Alex Jackson couplings. Others more careful and precise than me would have mastered them by now, but it does feel like I'm getting there. The thing about AJs is that it is not just the couplings themselves, but the whole wheels and track relationships too as it seems everything needs to be in order for them to work. Am guessing that P4, Scaleseven or even S scale would work best with them as finer tolerances no doubt help with alignments. However, 7mm fine scale is a reasonable compromise, as long as you make sure of various key elements: Track must be well laid. Any imperfections, both horizontal and vertical can cause problems - so I guess I should be grateful for this, as it is making me fettle everything to the best standards I can. Curves need to be smooth too. On Northport Quay, all four points are 6' [1.8m] radius, but nevertheless, I've had to address a couple of kinks because they were stopping stock from coupling properly. As for the AJs themselves, the articles I've read seem to tell you about angles and ways of mounting, but not really why they are so important, so for what it is worth here's my take on matters; The hook has two key bends. Neither appear to need absolute accuracy, but the 'nose' at 120 degrees is important because when the dropper wire is pulled down by the uncoupler magnet, this bend is what causes both hooks to go into 'over ride' and mean that vehicles can be pushed to any given point without coupling up again. The downward bend of the hook is likewise crucial to this and I've found its length to be important too. Indeed, too long and the couplings will not pass each other to disengage. The couplings' alignment must be on the exact centreline of each vehicle and the height must likewise be consistent on every vehicle. The dropper wire must also be the right length - no more than a millimetre variation or the magnets will either not be able to attract the wire, or will foul the rails. Screw/three link couplings need to be kept out of the way so as not to impede the coupling wire moving up & down. All of this I've discovered through what seems endless testing. Fortunately many of the operational moves are quite simple: the train arrives and stops over the platform magnet. A slight reversal is enough to uncouple & then all the loco has to do is run round and couple up at the other end, ready for departure. Simple, but very satisfying to do 'hands free'. The shunting move for the left hand siding has been described in the Layout thread. The right hand siding is kept free so that wagons can be swapped with those in the pier fiddle yard. Fingers crossed, this move is now pretty successful too. A few more tweaks, but almost there, subject to keeping everything aligned of course - but that is why the stock boxes have been adapted to keep the couplings safe. Am now looking forward to getting back to the E class, especially as the motor gearbox has arrived.

Here's a photo. 65 coaches at an average of day 25cm each = 16.5 metres, including the loco. Full size, a train like this would be over 1.3km long and weigh around 2600 tons. Would a real Deltic manage this? Did read somewhere that a model pulled a breeze block (on a wagon), but no idea how this compares with the weight of last night's models. Either way, very impressive.

Beautifully crafted!

At the Chatham Club this evening we had a preplanned haulage test of one of the 00 Deltics. The main layout offers a large oval with 4' radius curves, so more and more coaches were assembled until an actual tailchaser was achieved with no less than 65 bogies. The Deltic was completely unphased by this massive load and had we the room, nobody would have been surprised if 100 bogies were pulled. Will post a picture later.

Looks SO familiar! What is it about even the simplest jobs that seem to need half the contents of the tool box? Love that jig you are using to assemble the cab. Home made or commercial? Either way, time and money well spent.

Very much admire the ambition, but many a project has foundered because it all took too long. Probably the biggest question to consider is - are you mainly a builder, or an operator? Galteemore and I were talking about this at a show on Saturday. We will happily play trains at exhibitions, but at home, it is all about making stuff. If operation is your thing, a big project like this will take a long time before you ever get to see things moving and even longer before it looks like you want. My advice is always to start small and make something you can finish in a reasonable time scale. When I was working full time, I could generally complete a single baseboard (bare wood to track laid, wired and scenics) in a year. Therefore, starting from scratch and using commercial buildings, stock and so on, a small layout could easily take 12 to 18 months. If you are keen on a big project, aim to break it down into smaller pieces. Find a section of Harcourt Street that would make an interesting diorama and build that. It can then be incorporated into the big project but if interests wanes you haven't wasted any time while still gaining valuable experience. Sermon over! As to measuring stuff, large scale maps can give a good idea of station site sizes, while your own stock will tell you what space you might need too. For example, using feet and inches, a coach or main line loco will be 60ft = 10 inches, so loco and five will be 5ft long. Therefore you will need up to 20ft/6m, just to model a terminus to fiddle yard, because a train needs to run 3x it's own length to feel right. As for other dimensions, study photos (plenty on Google) and use people to get a rough idea of height, or indeed railway stock. A coach will be about 4m tall. Also, standard doorways are usually about 2m, though grander entrances will be higher. Overall though, this hobby is more about the journey than the destination. We finish a project and immediately want to start a new one! So, take your time, study what folk are doing here, if you can, join a local club and most of all enjoy the ride. Being creative is a great antidote to the stresses and strains of the modern world, even if it does get frustrating at times.

A bit bigger than your stuff, Angus, though we did have the delightful 2mmFS 'Freshwater' layout [IOW] next door. Always impressed by how well these tiny models run.

Just one picture, which [sort of] paints a thousand words - most of them rude... A lot of effort [and expletives] have been expended on this short bit of track in the last week. The upper line is [fingers crossed] now ok and the new sleepers & rail are being repainted. However, the Y turnout has been a real pain in the primary orifice, merrily derailing every wagon that went over it. I say every, though there are only ten in total for both periods [two wagons and a brake for each train]... A combination of all the check rails at the Vee [frog] end and adjusting the back to backs on the wheels got that sorted, but the point blades were more stubborn, requiring resetting the tie bar below the baseboard. Even then the wheel flanges were catching the open blade, riding up and derailing. Tortoise point motors don't allow a bigger gap, so had to resort to fitting a check rail just in front of the upper blade, which seems to have sorted the problem. Have since gone on to test the two short freights that shunt the left hand siding. Two wagons and a brake are pulled into the loop & then pushed back into the siding to pick up two more wagons already there. All five are then pulled back into the loop, then reversed again so that the brake and latter two wagons are parked beyond the Y. The loco can then push the two incoming wagons into the siding, collect the out going ones, then run round and depart. All this is done via single electro-magnet [operated by a push to make switch on the control panel], currently marked by a small piece of masking tape on the right of the picture. In principle, this works well. In practice, the Alex Jackson couplings need careful setting up. Mainly, this involves making sure the hooks are at the right height and dead centre. However, the dropper wire, mostly hidden behind the wheels, also needs to be just the right height to be pulled down by the magnet. A millimetre too high and it doesn't work [even with 15 volts instead of 12], a millimetre too low and magnet and dropper embrace, potentially causing a derailment. However, slowly getting there, though the two coal wagons still need attention, as does one end of the brake, note the masking tape again. Knowing when to stop and leave it for another day is very much the mantra in these things! Really nice to take Fintonagh out and have a day with Galteemore and his son yesterday and get away from this for a while.

It was great to have GM & his son's company on Saturday and even better to have two accomplished operators. Think I can finally remember how to pronounce Leitrim! Many thanks for a lovely day and some fine pictures. The loco inside the shed is a first, not least because it only just fits...

Now that is a stunner. Waiting for an excuse to have a model railway built around it, methinks. Cavan station is a little beauty too.

Doing that today, as it happens - rail cleaning, that is... Fintonagh has a day out at the De Havilland club's show in Welwyn tomorrow. Galteemore is on duty with me too, so no excuses for not pronouncing names properly!

Fab. Wish I'd remembered to label my E class F and R. Would have saved me having to unsolder the bunker... The simple ideas are the best. Nice rolling road too.

7mm ones are bad enough for me, so these are nothing short of alchemy! Always great to see your work.

The lady of the house was away singing in Glastonbury over the weekend [choral society, not rock band], so this gave me an opportunity to set the layout up in the living room. There was a lot to do, because it had yet to be paired with the old Arigna Town/Belmullet sliding & rotating fiddle yard, nor had it been set up on the trestles I've built. I also wanted to add the fascia & pelmet, plus do a trial fit of everything in the car. Not entirely successful it must be said. It took ages to get the layout properly set up, while the pelmet and lighting proved a pain as well. Once I did get everything sorted, a major problem showed itself with both tracks across the baseboard join showing a distinct ridge, which promptly derailed all my six wheeled coaches. Not only that, but a bit of a dog leg in the platform was in exactly the right place to make coupling the AJs impossible. And there is a kink in the tunnel. And the uncoupling magnet in the platform was in the wrong place. "Apart from that Mrs Lincoln, how was the show?" Words that rhyme with rugger and rowlocks spring to mind... Then there was fitting it all in the car. It does. Just. The main issues being the extra stock boxes compared to Fintonagh, plus the Acla and the pier fiddle yard. Anyway, after a major tidy up before herself returned, got the layout on the workbench & discovered that the problem with the track across the baseboard joint was that some card packing I'd used to level things up had swollen because of the dilute PVA I'd used for ballasting. Serves me right for not sealing the surface beforehand. The only option was to to remove the rails and then lift/replace several sleepers to get down to the offending underlying surface. Removing a long section of rails along the platform at least enabled me to sort out the dog leg, while the uncoupling magnet has been moved too. None of this actually took very long, though reballasting and tidying everything will no doubt take significantly longer!

A model with real character & love the paint job.

Indeed, already on to that! Clearances on the splashers are fine, but the frames need half a millimetre taking off each end to fit inside the buffer beams. Still waiting for the motor hear box though...

Looking at my recent rail atlas of Britain and Ireland (you can never have enough maps), see that the triangle created South of Kilkenny is double track on the new North to South arm, even though all the other lines leading to it are single.

Static grass applicators are great, though you still need all the Woodlands stuff as well to create weeds, bushes and so on. What you don't need is a mini vac, as it will not be strong enough. An ordinary vacuum hose with a handkerchief over the end of the pipe collects the fibres better, though you may need to invest in a really cheap mains one. It will keep the domestic authority happy though! Try an internet search for static grass applicator, as there are cheaper versions, though the "proper" ones are worth the money and you will want to use it for other projects, not least because it is fun and easy. The original Noch puffer bottle comes in handy for tight corners too.

I'm sure all kit and scratch builders have aspects of the process they love to hate. Anything fiddly for one - especially if it requires more hands than you were born with - and various times during construction when you find something doesn't sit right, no matter how careful you've been. Add in my latent ability to fit anything 'handed' back to front and rude words are inevitable... The footplate starts off simply enough - a nice flat etch, with just the outer sides of the four splashers to bend up. The inner sides have to be cut from the fret next, but tabs and slots help you solder them without too many problems. However, the splasher tops are the first items where you need more hands. If I was making several engines with 4'6 drivers, then it might have been worth cutting some sort of inner shape from wood, to rest the tops on, but I just tend to plough on, getting singed fingers and broadening my vocabulary. At least bending the brass to shape is easy. Tip: always use a smaller diameter rod than the curve you are creating. Turned out I could have saved myself a lot of trouble by leaving the tops until after I'd fitted the inner tank sides. These give you something else to rest the part against & having originally fixed them about half a millimetre out, I had to take them off anyway. However, before that comes the cab front, then the inner sides of the tanks. Next is the cab rear, which needs the coal plate adding & best then not to solder it back to front as I managed! Notice the simple tools which can help no end - lolly sticks or bits of thin ply to stop fingers getting singed and the all important sprung hair grips to hold things while you are soldering. Being aluminium, these are ideal as this metal is pretty much impossible to solder. I've never been very neat or tidy with soldering and use far too much of the stuff, but it helps a lot if you can do most of the main seams from the inside. Likewise only spot solder long seams to begin with, as joints are much easier to redo if [when in my case] you get it wrong to begin with. The cab sides, bunker and tanks are large etches, needing just a single fold for the tank fronts. The latter are radiused, but a series of half etch lines on the inside make this nice and easy. The rear bunker piece is done the same way. Just as well, because the next steps are to fit all the beading and the piece that goes round the cab opening is a right swine to fit. Trial and error, singed fingers and more rude words again! So, there we are. About five hours for these bits, taking us up to eight in total, with at least an hour less if I'd got things right first time...