Garden Railway Forum

That does look very nice. What would set it off but test your steady hand would be some gold lining on the edge of the blue. Agreed Philip, but perhaps too late if the overlays are already stuck to the body sides. I found the best way to achieve this effect is to use gold felt-tip pen and work from...

I like the blue & cream with a black line, but personally I think to paint the whole overlay black would be way over the top. Thanks - you confirmed what i was thinking that an all black overlay would be too much. I went with a much simpler livery in the end and I'm quite happy with the results...

I picked up some 5010 'Gentian Blue' spray paint and sprayed some offcuts (thanks Jeremy!). I'm quite happy with the blue & cream, not sure if the overlays should be black. Any thoughts from the forum?

The horse box is progressing nicely, all of the sections fit perfectly and form a strong basic box on which to add the panel detail and additional bolt heads if you wish. I have, and there are 246 in total! IMG_7996.JPG This shows the body with a first primer coat awaiting finish colour. I usually ...

Chris Cairns wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:07 am

georgesheppard wrote:Is there a way I can check the wheels?

Best tool is a set of callipers.

Thanks for the information Chris. I've ordered some callipers and will check. I had a different loco on the rolling road today and it ran perfectly, so certainly something up with this MSS loco.

Having reassembled the loco over the last few days I had it out on the track this morning. I ended up swapping out the boiler after some inserts came loose. The current parts list: * standard wheels and pistons * RWM reverser * Dream steam regulator, dead leg lubricator, high pressure safety valve &...

On the last video posted showing the steam coming from the front of the cylinder, does it run when lifted off the rolling road? Were the wheels binding on the rolling road? Just wondering as I've experienced issues with the wheel gauge and profile of some MSS wheel sets. Obviously has nothing to do...

I had another go with the loco today. It was quite happy on the blocks, kept up steam and good control via the regulator. Most of the water on the board is from another loco! https://youtu.be/F9yZmbZZ2Bk After this I refilled the water & gas and tried it on the track. Suffice to say the performa...

The ones in the pictures look great if that's anything to go by, the blue I particularly like. I agree! A blue/white or blue/cream livery is currently the front runner. Maybe a British Rail blue? Screenshot 2020-12-24 at 11.19.44.png Some other options: Screenshot 2020-12-24 at 11.25.36.png Screens...

Having received several carriage kits in the post recently I've started thinking about possible liveries. The three carriages I've built previously carry a GWR inspired livery - http://www.gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=13058&sid=ac7a458fd19cd7867875b8e71c4344ff . I'm wondering i...

Could anyone advise if upgraded pistons are worth the money? I was thinking about ordering some from RWM. At £85 for a pair, I'd rather not bother unless I can expect a decent boost!

IMG_20190405_162422.jpg My IP coach rake. I used thin ply for the roof in place of the plastic card provided. I used 3 or 4 elastic bands with some thin planks between the roof and rubber bands to hold everything till the glue went off. The van is also an IP WD van which I altered to a curved roof ...

After building a MSS loco (thread over here http://www.gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=13056&sid=dd557fd63d095f243ac142428450de36 ) I picked up a rather sad looking Mamod loco on Ebay. IMG_7478.jpeg IMG_7477.jpeg I neglected to take any photos once it arrived but I set about strip...

I put the body + chimney stack back on to help stop the boiler wobbling while testing. Please ignore the shoddy slot cut + priming for the regulator! IMG_9589.jpeg Testing went well, I'm hoping with a bit more running in the performance will keep improving. https://youtu.be/xkfHg6xj8eY Still doesn't...

Chris - thank you for your detailed reply. Since my last post I gave in and ordered a couple of RWM reverser blocks which arrived this morning. They come with some gasket material on the sides and are obviously are made to a far superior quality. I'm going to fit these over the weekend and see how I...

After several steam tests later I feel like I'm back to square one! It still fails to pull anything and it's quite erratic in terms of control. I've stripped it down again today and noticed a few things. Firstly, on the reversing block - is there a trick to help line up the block with the rotating p...

I received some autosol and a sheet of glass in the post in the last couple of days so thought I'd take a look at lapping. Before: IMG_9474.jpeg IMG_9473.jpeg After initial attempt: IMG_9475.jpeg IMG_9476.jpeg IMG_9477.jpeg IMG_9478.jpeg The port faces are quite pitted on the rear side. I'm not sure...

I built one of those IP balcony carriages too, modifying it to look something like a (short) Ffestiniog example - I created new balcony rails with coat hanger wire and large split pins, and that's pretty durable. As you've said, the original wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes... Great idea. I was wonde...

I built one of those IP balcony carriages too, modifying it to look something like a (short) Ffestiniog example - I created new balcony rails with coat hanger wire and large split pins, and that's pretty durable. As you've said, the original wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes... Great idea. I was wonde...

I'd be inclined to try something less aggressive than grinding paste, which is after all meant for steel. Autosol or liquid metal polish might be better, even cheap toothpaste, all of which should be easier to remove after a lapping process. For small non ferrous items any surface will do as long a...