So what did we build for Christmas?

jwealleans · Post by **jwealleans** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 2:07 pm

I expect some of us are still on holiday but for those already back at the grindstone...

This is what I managed to achieve over the all-too-short break:

Post by **richard** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:49 pm

I still need to get a good digital camera

Santa bought me a big cordless drill / driver - which will be excellent for Shows! THere are a lot of bolts that need to be done & undone with a modular layout.
Also some Mk1 blood & custard coaches - so Green Arrow will now have a decent sized rake to pull (it is in BR Green).

Kit building, I've actually done quite a bit. I've finally decaled my 16 ton coal wagons that I made and painted 5+ years ago. Also I've virtually finished a Signal Box. It just needs weathering and the roof glueing on! Although barely visible in N, it also has an interior with levers, a person, etc. (the kit is the Knightwing one with the Ratio detailing kit).
Also built a brewery drey (whitemetal - Langley I think - either them or PD Marsh

); and the Chivers LNER CCT is coming along nicely (teak paint applied yesterday).

I've been sorting out the kits, so if anyone wants some unmade N (plastic and brass) kits - drop me a line. International postage will be pretty cheap. I'll be putting them on EBay in the next month.

Richard

Bullhead · Post by **Bullhead** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 4:47 pm

I fitted a DCC decoder to the Bachmann Fairburn 2-6-4T which Santa bought - not exactly building, I know.

jwealleans · Post by **jwealleans** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 6:19 pm

I still need to get a good digital camera

I can highly recommend the Kodak Z740. It copes well with the closeups (above) but my wife was also doing this within 10 minutes of taking it out of the bag for the first time:

What are the Chivers kits like? I see he's starting to do them in 4 mm again and am tempted to give them a go if he brings out anything LNER. His etched brass kits are excellent.

Post by **richard** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 6:32 pm

I was thinking of a Canon EOS because I already have an EOS 'proper camera'. Then I could get a wide angle or macro lens, and use my existing 'general purpose' lens with it. I even have a home-built microscope fitting as well, but I haven't used that for 12 years or so

I bought a couple of the Chivers kits as 'experiments'. I find I make a mess of so many rolling stock kits that I probably need to sacrifice the first one of a particular type

As a plastic kit, the CCT is detailed but goes together nicely. It also has its own chassis which runs nicely - I usually have problems with the kits that require non-Peco chassis.

I did manage to do myself an injury being foolish cutting the parts from the sprue and gave myself a very deep cut on the back of my forefinger.
Very deep and lots of blood. Of course I have a sprue cutter but forgot about it! D'oh!

The other kit I have is the BR Blue Spot fish van. As Dapol have announced Blue Spots for late 2007, I'm probably going to sell the kit on EBay (unless anyone wants it?)

It seems like Chivers supply can be eratic at times - I know the NGS Shop had supply problems for some of the kits.

Richard

x568wcn · Post by **x568wcn** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 8:14 pm

I've had a Canon Ixus (1) 2.1mpx for 5 years, and it's held together with selotape, at the time it was the worlds smallest, and cost me £499.99, but I've just got a new one for christmas which is a Fuji E900, 9mpx, this only coast 149.99, but I've not had the chance to try it out properly yet!

talltim · Post by **talltim** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 3:52 pm

richard wrote:I was thinking of a Canon EOS because I already have an EOS 'proper camera'. Then I could get a wide angle or macro lens, and use my existing 'general purpose' lens with it. I even have a home-built microscope fitting as well, but I haven't used that for 12 years or so

You might want to check out compatibilty of lenses between digital and 'analogue' cameras. Although the mechanical (and electrical?) fittings are the same on the two EOSs the lenses for the digital ones are designed to be optimised for the different charactistics of digital. I only found this out recently so I'm not too sure on what the differences are or how how different they are.

Tim

Post by **richard** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 3:58 pm

Thanks - I'll make a note to investigate that when I'm seriously looking at buying one. As it is, my general purpose lens is one of the fancy 'ultrasonic' ones - but that describes the AF motor and not the actual optics. Well "fancy" fifteen years ago

(I think we should move this to General Chat if we want to continue to talk cameras)

Richard

rob · Post by **rob** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:16 pm

I have got withdrawal symptoms,haven't done anything for a week! Did get a Connoisseur J71 and a London Road D23 from my parents and wife respectively,so I have to consider it a good few days nonetheless!
What is the source of the D16/3 Jonathan?I wish I could make such good progress so easily!

jwealleans · Post by **jwealleans** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 4:04 pm

Hi Rob,

I've just picked up a Master Chassis which was my Christmas present to myself. I'll tell you how I get on with it.

The Claud was a gift (effectively) with an ebay purchase. I bought a Mallard D 16/2 and the bloke threw in a Little Engines D16/3 which he'd bought and abandoned. It had been completed, very badly and he'd started to dismantle it but given up. I have no idea if it had ever run.

I gave it the Nitromors treatment after George Walker at C & G got me some instructions for it. I've put a 1024 and Comet gearbox in it and it goes quite well. I have had to have the tender bear on the drawbar of course to get it to pull.

I haven't made that much progress over Christmas, TBH; it was running in early November and was then dismantled to paint the chassis. All I've done since is detail it.

You can see more pics at http://www.rmweb2.co.uk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=700

45609 · Post by **45609** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:07 pm

Hi all and compliments of the season,

Here is a picture of what I managed to finish off this week. Nu-cast kit with a bit of extra detail and running on a Black Beetle motor bogie.

Cheers,
Morgan

P.S. Richard, please feel free to use this pic on your recently completed Railcar page.

jwealleans · Post by **jwealleans** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:15 pm

Very nice, Morgan. How does the Black Beetle perform? We have one at Ormesby Hall (I don't know whether it's a beetle or a spud in it) which is fine in one direction but a complete dog in the other. Almost to the extent that it's unusable.

45609 · Post by **45609** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:02 pm

It goes really well in both directions. It's the first time I've used a Black Beetle and I am impressed at how good they are. I also put some pickups on the trailing bogie wheels which probably contributes to the smooth running.

Post by **richard** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:48 pm

Morgan: Picture added as per private messages.

Richard

rob · Post by **rob** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 2:22 pm

Hello all,
So it's a little engine!Is that a plasticard balance weight?Shaping and fitting these to kits where they are not supplied as an etch is my least fovourite bit in any build!Looks like a good session on E-Bay Jonathan,and incidentally thanks for the tip on C&G models some time back,I now have my A6 and A7 for future projects.I would be interested to hear how you get on with the master chassis,I read a review but am still a little in the dark as to how they work .
The Sentinel is interesting in CLC livery Morgan,a nice job indeed,interesting to note the comments on running from you both.If I ever build one I will ask you for any hints or tips you have picked up from the build,I have heard mixed reports about these kits yet you do see a fair few on layouts so I conclude they can be made to run well.