I received this email today from Phil Atkinson of Hobby Holidays who makes these jigs. For anyone who might be interested it seems a small quantity will be available again soon. Mine is 7mm finescale... I have no idea what the others are *I am making them as we speak, but to be perfectly honest, considering the amount of work I still have to do, its going to be touch and go. To make them viable I have to do everything in batches, and therefore none are ready or they are all ready, currently I am finishing off a batch of 18, 12 x 5’s and 6 x 3 axles jigs so there will be few spares Regards Phil & Jo Atkinson Hobby Holidays & QU1LT *
Tonight I have been surfing round the internet and found these; http://www.midrailcentre.com/axle-alignment-tool Now since the job has stopped I am seriously thinking of saving money and buying a set to move my BR Standard 4 chassis build forward as I am thinking that waiting for this Master Chassis jig to become available anytime soon will be like waiting for the last bus to go past when you know you've missed it anyway. I want to get on with the standard 4 and saving a good couple hundred quid can be diverted to buying another kit and less frustrating as well.
If you can get your bones up here, you can pick up mine and borrow that to do the job. It would cost the earth to post down due to its size and weight. Sup to you. Toto
These are pretty much the same as the axle jigs I use though I had mine made for me by a mate who is a model engineer quite a few years ago. To get them all level I have two dead flat, V topped pieces of steel that I found at work. I assemble the chassis install the bushes, fit the axle jigs, fit the coupling rods to the ends then solder up. As long as the rods are accurate, the axles will be in line. Cheer's, Pete.
It's great to have these hand made tools. Something so more satisfying when using them. They were probably knocked up in a lathe in Jo time as well. Just someone who knows what they are doing. Second nature and a great skill. Cheers Toto
Paul, I am a bit nearer than Toto just down the road in Wakefield and you would be welcome to borrow mine if you wanted? - we were in York earlier today visiting the NRM had I known...
Toto that is an incredibly nice offer and I'm very much appreciative of your kindness and I'm very much taken aback and thank you, but I've decided to go with a simple set of axle alignment springs for this build because of time travelling up to yours and then back to return said item. If and when more likely Hobby Holidays contact me to say its ready then I'll do a deal with them... I've a couple of kits I'm keen to acquire this year. I could ask my friend in York to borrow his again but he is using it at the moment building a Hughes Fowler Crab. But thank you again for your kind offer Toto... very much the spirit of Platform 1 MRC.
Rob I really appreciate your most kind loan offer too and am also quite taken aback with such kindness but as I replied to Toto also I'm going to go with the simple spring aligners, MRC in Kettering are good suppliers and I got my rivet embosser from him... no mess and it came a couple of days later. Anyway thank you again Rob for you very kind offer and I hope to see you on D4 at the Doncaster Summer Show in June.
Hi Pete, thanks for that advice it is muchly appreciated, I think I'll save a couple hundred pounds for now and order the springs from MRC next week, it seems to shout sensible at me and I did the F5 that way using a polished flat slab as a base. If this jig comes in the near future I'll buy it but in the mean time I'm itching to get on with this loco build.
Sorry Rob I should have asked if you had had a nice day in York... certainly this weather will be bringing out the people.
Thanks Toto... I much appreciate your support, I'll have a little look at the chassis tonight and have a dabble. Now interestingly on another subject I rang Chris at Severn Mill Nameplates today with an order and he says he is carrying on his business even at the ripe age of 82, he has a colleague who is sourcing etches from the Continent however he is moving soon and so his current Cottesmore address will change. He also says he needs about three weeks down time for the move because of packing away all the kit and then unpacking it again. Just thought folks would like to know if they are considering ordering something soon.
Chris does seem to move quite often, a while ago I sent a cheque off for some custom plates and about 3 months later it was returned as not at that address and I missed my window of opportunity. I have just ordered a custom order from Narrow Planet for the same plates (C1 LNER 4419 works plates) plus an additional pair for another C1 that I plan to build and both pairs were not 25% of what Chris asked me. Not that I was unhappy to pay what he asked as I thought that reasonable, it was just frustrating that he had moved and then advised that he would no longer take a custom job.
Hi Paul, Another thumbs up for MRC here, I have a set of those axle jigs (again you are welcome to borrow them if it would help) I also have one of his drilling/bending tables too. Dave is a really nice chap and I have bought lots of metal stock from him in the past. Barry Steventon who took over the Metalsmith element of the business is a nice bloke too, he lives not far from me and has been more than willing to drop stocks in when I have needed them. PS that reminds me I have a part build MRC/Metalsmith 70' turntable in my shelf queens too
Now that will be worth seeing. I have one in its wrapper as well. Its being kept for a steam shed module build. They look fantastic kits. Pauls working on the automation ( shhhhhhh he doesn't know it yet ).
As I understand it from what he has told me is that he lived in a rented house for years and years, then the owner died and the family wanted to sell so he had to move. Then at his rental house in Oakham the same thing has just happened for the second time, the owner passed on and the family decided to sell, so currently he is looking to move and is packing up next week, where he moves to I don't know but no doubt he can be contacted via email at some stage. I've sent my order off so he will get it tomorrow and he promises to deal with it before he packs his gear away if it arrives by Tuesday of next week. My order consists of a full set of etches for the Standard 4... the loco will have an identity option of being 75030 if Narrow Planet don't do 75031, the other stuff I've ordered are full sets for 70010 and 46254.
