Scalefour Forum

To improve the flow of soft fruit to beleaguered supermarkets, I'm going to build banana vans. Specifically, LNWR D95 vans. D95-banana-vans.jpg I need a short train of these. Stage one is to make one prototype (engineering sense, I don't have room for a full-size replica when I'm stuck indoors :D )....

Information is sparse, and photos very rare, but our best understanding is that the brakes were changed when the vans were rebuilt in the late 1930s. If you want models from the newly-announced batch, you need to pre-order RSN as half are sold already. BTW, John, many thanks for the photos you sent....

The early versions of this vehicle are now announced, including as-built-condition (two variants) in Wainwright livery, Maunsell SECR livery and early-SR livery. See RMweb for the press-release (our forum software doesn't want me to attach the press-release PDF here).

Concerning springing to improve electrical contact, it's worth noting that this is now common practice in 2FS, where spring for track holding don't work much and aren't considered necessary. From my perspective it is self evidently true that many have experienced issues over the years with electric...

Concerning springing to improve electrical contact, it's worth noting that this is now common practice in 2FS, where spring for track holding don't work much and aren't considered necessary.

I now have Stone's ventilators for MR and LMS coaches available. These use the clear resin in Shapeways FUD/FXD prints to simulate the glass parts. One print will fit quite a few coaches.

Chassis has been constructed and now being painted prior to final building. However High Level provide some excellent footplate overlays, has any one tackled these? If so what did you bond them on with? I was considering 3M spraymount? An aeromodeller I follow recently identified a Loctite gel-glue...

The delivery tricycles are interesting but I can't see how they are powered (I can make out the drive chain). Were they petrol, electric or pedalled?

Concerning dyes, yes they're different to paint pigment, notably in that they are soluble. However, a "lake" paint is made by precipitating soluble dye into insoluble particles of pigment. For example, Alizarin, an organic dye, plus alum yields madder lake.

What is really needed is a chemist who knows how to make a black paint! When I worked in a factory, in another life, we dyed man made materials black but, there is always a but, there was no such thing as a black dye. We had to mix different colours to make black and one of the main ones was red. N...

Consider an 2mm-diameter axle with the ends turned down to 1mm-diameter stubs, starting just clear of the wheel seat. Now cut those stubs into 55-degree pinpoints. This should allow shorter axles in shallower cones of 60-degree opening.

And the elephant in the room is: A 26mm axle can't be fitted into blind holes in a 24mm wide shallow channel without distorting the legs of the channel*. Note that in all other applications of pinpoint bearings at least one of the bearings is adjustable, usually on a screw thread. * the limit for t...

I don't "recommend" these dimensions, they are the dimensions that items should accord with. Unfortunately, I have checked the S4 Digest (and the EMGS manual!) but these fundamental dimensions are not specified. No wonder more than one manufacturer got it wrong. Of interest, the 2mm Scale...

Document printing has evolved ... but it took its own sweet time about it. My research group got its first laser printer in 1987, at great cost. 32 years later, I finally managed to buy a home printer that's both affordable and works well, all my previous home printers having been expensive, or skip...

... being able to print small sections of more complicated areas would be good, but then there's the issue of having access to a decent printer. Maybe someone like Modelu could provide a standard range of pre-printed sections? Rather than stocking pre-printed parts, I suggest having a library of st...

Secondly, one or two of the spring carriers appear to be a bit loose on the springing wire. Is there any reason that, having ascertained that the wires are of the correct diameter, I should not solder the carrier onto the wire? And similarly, becasue the wire on one side keeps trying to escape from...

Waisted bearings also vary in depth, between manufacturers and between batches from the same manufacturer. Traditionally, Gibson bearings tend to be shallower and Markits/Romford bearings deeper. The BB axleguards sold through Eileens need the shallow bearings and those in the Mousa kits generally n...

I suggest waiting to see the new Rails model, or reviews of it, before choosing. There is some pre-release discussion of it on RMWeb. The Rails terriers missed the Christmas boats from China and are now expected in the new year.

Thank you, Guy, for the helpful back history of these wagons. It is threatening to turn into a bigger project than I had anticipated (as usual :D ). Does anyone do the correct axleboxes and roof ventilators, please? I think I can sort out the handbrakes (famous last words). John Actual SECR P-type ...

My grateful thanks for the replies. I am intending to backdate my example by applying some large "SR" transfers and removing the small 'SR' letters. It may be a case of painting them out. The other problem will be couplings. The model includes moulded on scale(?) hooks, but I do not know ...

Concerning the SECR No.2 axleboxes: these were a Maunsell-era design of oil-lubricated box and were widely applied to SECR wagons with 3'1" wheels. The No.1 axlebox was from the same period and was used on wagons with 3'6" wheels, but precious few of those were made in Mr. Maunsell's time....

If replacing the axleguards in this model you'll need to salvage the SECR No.2 axleboxes as, so far as I know, nobody makes separate castings or prints for these. The model comes with AGW wheels in OO. I suggest just swapping the wheels for P4 and seeing if it runs adequately with fixed suspension. ...

I'm amused and a bit concerned that this appears to be a problem which is only soluble by the ownership of a decent drill press. Better not tell new members that until we got their membership free. More seriously, while I do admire the engineering skills many of you exhibit, I do think we might nee...

I'll have to see which of those references I have John to see if I can make out the set-up on the wagon out-shopped in 1941. Looking at the modelling options it seems that there is a DC3 underframe in the Morgan Design list (for X5/X7) that may be ok for this wagon in its later condition. Thanks ag...

Two things I've learned for tracking escaped parts: always double the search radius from your first guess, and use a UV torch. Small things bounce much further than people expect and shiny NS sometimes shows up brighter in short-wavelength light.