Scalefour Forum

Tony Wright's Right Track DVD on locomotive kitbuilding can be watched at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1DGQsXapFk&feature=youtu.be The Right Track range of DVDs are no longer available, but there was a recent discussion on this forum (https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6961) whe...

I also got one of the rectangular ones and a pack of the steel pins. These latter are tapered and while they are an adequate (but not tight) fit when pushed right down into the holes, they're then rather short. As I wanted some longer pins I found some 1.2mm diameter piano wire which fits reasonably...

Thanks Andrew, that's very useful. That's also an interesting resistance soldering set-up you have there.

DT

As I understand it, the pins that cooksongold sell are for use with the small round boards, not the larger honeycomb boards that Gareth links to. As the holes in the two types of board are apparently different sizes, can anyone confirm that these pins are a decent fit in the large honeycomb boards? DT

Also, in general terms, I find that (for a dry wagon interior, as opposed to one that has been sitting out in the rain), you can get wonderfully subtle variations with the judicious use of weathering powders. This also applies to the external parts of the wagon as well, of course, especially parts ...

I've very pleased to say that, without any consultation with Tony, I use virtually the same method as he does for soldering dropper wires to the undersides of rails. The only real difference is that I have used multistrand copper wire, but as Tony says that is effectively fused solid when the solder...

As far as I know the Exactoscale range of point kits is not currently available. They are not listed in the Stores list but my understanding is that they are still available to order. Some were on sale I think at Scaleforum 2019 and there may be some still in stock. There's no mention of them on th...

The Exactoscale range of point kits was the nearest we have had so far, but sooner or later one is going to want something that isn't catered for and then its a matter of building from first principles whatever your chosen method. As far as I know the Exactoscale range of point kits is not currentl...

Yes, re-inforcing plastic chaired pointwork with a few soldered sleepers concentrates stresses caused by thermal expansion and leads to failures so would suggest that you need Philip's or Enigma's mix for safety. But isn't that exactly what Philip's and Paul's mix does - reinforcing plastic chaired...

Terry Bendall wrote:Functional chairs throughout allow the rail to move if needed. In a mixed system there is the possibility of distortion.

That may be the theory. But in practice, has anyone ever found this to be a problem?

DT

As far as I know there are three geberally acknowledge methods of making P4 track. One of these involves PCB sleepers. I shan't say anything more on that as I've never used it as I don't really like the appearance of PCB sleepers. The there's ply and rivet which I have used to make a variety of trac...

I haven't used Masokits chairs bacause I don't use PCB sleepers, and never have. I've always thought that timber sleepers are visually more appealing. So for many years I used ply and rivet and tried to pretend that the little blobs of solder on each rivet represented a chair. At the same time, it s...

Isn't all this ply and rivet construction just a bit old hat now? Surely most people are using Exactoscale or C&L chairs and sticking them directly to the sleepers and I'd certainly like to see a bit more about how that is done, including the positioning of chairs in the more awkward areas and e...

I can understand, and support, the Society's reluctance to breach Zoom's T&Cs. So that leaves three choices: first, the Society can pay out several thousand pounds every year to obtain licences for those groups that do not wish to avail themselves of the free version of Zoom. As, IMO, the freee ...

I agree with Guy and Tim. Our group has been having fortnightly Zoom meetings since April, we have always used the free version and we always start a new meeting immediately after the first one finishes on 40 minutes. There is no organisational faff; the host merely starts the meeting again, the oth...

The main point is that I'm happy with the way the loco goes, see below slow speed, and don't think it's worth spending more time on it. I certainly don't want to disassemble the gearbox. :) Quite. My mantra is that once something's running well, leave it alone! Efforts in the past to "improve&...

Thanks, Julian - mine too is a DJH 439 with Gibson frames, and spacers that seem to be somewhere between P4 and EM in width - I don't know where they came from. Initially I made a pivot for the bogie where I assume the prototype had it, ie directly above the centre of the bogie. As you indicated, th...

Just to add my two pennyworth - I'm sure DaveB that we can all take your word for that, except my first P4 loco was an 0-4-4, where the bogie did not have any sideplay, but was pivoted. So this effectively gave a much longer wheelbase than any likely loco fixed wheelbase. I'd used the spacers suppl...

I must admit that I wouldn't like to try fitting CSBs to an 00 chassis. Even using the slimline gearbox and the slimline hornblocks, I would think it'll still be very fiddly. And even then you're not guaranteed success - One 0-6-0 I built using CSBs ended up seriously front heavy and I was unable to...

Just as a matter of interest, you replaced the supplied D&S bogies with some rather complicated fully sprung ones. Did you ever assemble the D&S bogies and, if not, would it be worthwhile building one to see if it gives you the correct ride height?

DT

Well said Philip. Totally agree.

DT

I too have got wagons that I've built in the past and have subsequently given P4 wheelsets. They may not be up to the meticulous standards some people seem to expect today, but I've no intention of revisiting them - they're the past and I've more than enough to do concentrating on the present and fu...

It perhaps speaks for itself that the "review" Bill mentioned above says a lot about the unit prior to use, but nothing at all about it actually being used. I've got one of Peter LeJeune's Swanage Models units; solidly built with a hefty metal case, CE certification,6 outputs, proper foots...

I have to confess to having no idea what a "form tool" is. I assume that I am correct, however, in assuming that in order to use it one requires a lathe?

DT

I've tried a number of adhesives, but found Canopy Glue best. It looks just like PVA.... That's because it is just a fairly thick sort of PVA. Ordinary wood glues will do the same job. They don't. I've just run an experiment, gluing some perspex to bare brass. I used a cheap PVA I bought at a model...