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Etched kits


Budgie
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Now we are going through a period of absolutely awful weather in the U.K. (rain, wind, below 10 degrees C, and now snow) I have decided use the free time that this gives me to build a few etched kits to try to make the trains on my layout more interesting.

I am currently in the throes of building the following

  • GWR A42 intermediate autocoach (Comet kit W18)
  • Taff Vale Railway 10-ton brake van (Dragon models)

and the following is in the pipeline

  • Chassis kit for Finecast Taff Vale Railway U1 0-6-2

I shall post some pictures in a few days' time if people are interested.

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You're right, Mick, but there's an awful lot of stuff that's not available RTR, and that's where kits come into their own. I always said that my layout represented an impression of the railways I grew up with, which was why I was not too bothered about the compromises inherent in OO, and the fact that Bachmann suburbans stood in for other types of non-gangwayed coaches. But now I've decided that since SR EMUs (that I travelled to and from school on) have become available RTR, I want to run trains from the Taff Vale Railway pre-grouping (as used by my maternal grandparents) and also trains that ran on ex-Taff Vale metals during the 1950s and early 1960s (as used by me on holiday), so I have to build my own. What I end up with will still be an impression of the railway in those days; it'll just be a tad more accurate.

TrainGeekBoy, there are a couple of preliminary questions:

  • What's your patience like? If you are trying to attach something to what you have built so far, and for the tenth time you fail to do so, what do you do? Do you know when to give up for the moment and come back next time?
  • What's your soldering like? I don't mean the sort of soldering used for wiring up the layout, or for building electronic circuits, but the sort required to join two pieces of brass sheet together, or to attach one piece to another without a previous piece falling off. You might find http://www.finescale.org.uk/images/stories/pdfs/ds002.pdf and http://www.finescale.org.uk/images/stories/pdfs/ds003.pdf useful.

Best wishes

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traingeekboy said:

Yep, basic common sense info. I dunno. I think I'll stay away from those and stick to my ready to run for now. i bet I could do it and well, but I want to keep my hair for now and I want to keep what isn't gray especially. :lol::lol::lol:

That's a shame. I was going to prepare a list of the tools that you need, and then tell you to follow the instructions that come with the kit and you should be OK. It's not as hard as people think. The most difficult thing is actually starting the job.

traingeekboy said:

So how are your kits coming along?

They're coming along slowly. Today I cut some 1mm x 0.5mm brass strip into four 7mm lengths and soldered them to the sides of the brake van I'm building. That was enough for today.

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He he he I know the type of person I am. Slowly... would grind down to - not at all - fairly quickly, but I love seeing other peoples results.

My skills lie else where. For instance, when a forum friend needs to locate some obscure train item; I am the man! :) I just spent my morning searching for appropriate coaches for a very specific passenger train a member is building.

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