Getting Started in 2mm Finescale

Getting started in 2mm Finescale can be daunting; the shop has 500+ components in it, so where do you begin? Of course, the starting point depends on what you are trying to achieve, it is somewhat different for someone wanting to model an obscure railway's branch in 1905 compared to another modeller aiming for better appearance and running of mainline diesel stock converted from N gauge items. Having said that, let's try to cover a few basics.

Most of the parts discussed on this page are available from the 2mm Shops, to use them you need to be a member. How to join the 2mm Scale Association.

Getting help.

If you are stuck, the best source of information is often other modellers; so that's one reason to join the Association in order to gain access to Area Groups and to use the email based Virtual Area Group.

We would strongly recommended our booklet, "The Beginner's Guide to 2mm Modelling", available from Shop 1. The booklet covers this area in far more detail than this short page can possibly achieve. The booklet is available to non-members.

If you want more information, then you are welcome to contact us by email or post.

Track.

The recommended method of producing plain line is the recently introduced "Easitrac". This is a plastic track base into which rails are slid. Its quick, simple, reliable and has a good appearance. It is available for both timber and concrete sleepers. You might save some money with soldered construction - laying rail directly onto copperclad sleepers - and it might be cost-effective for fiddle yards and other hidden areas.

There are several options for turnouts. There is an Easitrac system with plastic chairs and turnout sleepering. There are also several solder construction methods. For the first-timer, it is suggested that you think about the following.

Easitrac system still requires some soldering, notably when building the crossing nose (frog) of the turnout. There are jigs in the system to aid this task. The Easitrac jigs for crossing noses can be used for other track building methods. Once the rail assemblies are built, the remainder of Easitrac turnouts is solvent assembly. It's not "instant track", but it's not a "horribly slow" method either. There is an instruction guide on the Easitrac page.

Plain soldering of rail to sleepers is a quick and cheap way to build turnouts. It's probably the fastest way to build turnouts, and there is an optional jig system to help. However, using blobs of solder to represent chairs may be an issue for you. Other soldered turnout methods add chair components to the mix; the Versaline system is fairly simple to build. The Blackburn system for turnouts is more complicated and time consuming, and you should consider if the complication is worth the effort before heading down this route. There are further details of Versaline and Blackburn systems on the Shop 1 pages (click on the information links beside products for details). Another option is available from Fencehouses; they have a chair system which is similar to the Versaline chair plates, but with raised "pips" which aid the construction of solder-blob chairs.

Finally, there is a service offered by a member who will build solder-constructed turnouts and crossings to order. The prices are very reasonable.

When wiring up track, 2mm Finescale does not use metal fishplates, instead fit a wire to each piece of rail and wire that below the baseboard to the track power feed. Electrical switches are required to change the polarity of turnout crossings, these are usually linked to the movement of the turnout blades.

Locomotives.

The quickest and easiest route to a 2mm Finescale locomotive is to rewheel an existing N Gauge model. An Association member offers a re-profiling service, where the wheels from your locomotive have their flanges changed to 2mm standards. Diesel wheels are also narrowed over the tread, but steam types are left at the N gauge width so that spoke detail is not damaged. The steam wheels can go back to N gauge by changing the back-to-back, but the narrowed diesel ones would need to be replaced with wider N types. If you want some original N wheels so you can swap back, the supplier "BR Lines" carry spares for many N gauge models.

Before you convert an N gauge locomotive there are a few things to consider. UK N items are to a nominal scale of 1:148, pretty close to 2mm scale's 1:152. But quite a few N items are "stretched" here and there, so end up overscale in some areas. You will have to judge whether this matters to you. Then there is running quality, some older designs don't run that well, and its arguable whether such locos are worth converting, whereas many newer locos, particularly diesels, are excellent runners. The final consideration is ease of conversion. In general, Bachmann-Farish bogie diesels are the simplest to convert, with other Bachmann-Farish locos somewhat harder. Dapol are a mixed bag; some bogie diesels are fairly easy, but some of their steam models are not easy to dismantle and re-assemble without incurring damage. That said, some Dapol steam locos, such as the Terrier can be converted nicely (link 1, link 2).

(May 2009) the Association is looking at producing replacement wheelsets for some RTR N gauge items; these will be drop-in replacements. When ready, they will be added to the shop listing.

Shop 3 has a conversion kit for some Bachmann-Farish steam locos. These kits require extensive modification to the Farish chassis block, so conversion back to N is not possible. Whilst the kits work, they are not "trivially simple", and, arguably, building an etched chassis kit is about the same amount of work; Fencehouses offers suitable chassis kits for 0-6-0T locos. In both cases, some minor work to increase clearances inside the N gauge body may be required, and there is scope to improve the cosmetic appearance.

There are some complete locomotive kits in 2mm Finescale. Many of these appear as a limited run batch, advertised in the 2mm Magazine. Prototypes which have appeared include J72, LNER Hunt 4-4-0, BR 9F, LMS Black 5, Class 08 diesel shunter, LNER 0-8-0. There are numerous body kits from various sources. Scratchbuilding a locomotive is a fairly advanced undertaking, so pre-reading of 2mm Magazine back-issues could be useful (every 2mm Magazine since 1960 is available on DVD). That said its not impossible as a first project if undertaken with some care and thought, and this article might be useful for a simple scratchbuilt mechanism.

Rolling Stock.

Much like locomotives, one can convert N items or build new to 2mm FS Standards.

The quickest way to convert rolling stock is to swap the N wheels in a ready-to-run item for 2mm wheels. The RTR makers (Farish, Dapol, Peco, etc) are now using a variety of axle lengths, so you might need to measure the axles carefully before ordering replacements, though the most common sizes are 14.8 and 15.2mm. Typically wagons require 6mm diameter wheels, though there are many exceptions.

Another option is to build a 2mm scale underframe. The Association Shops offer a large number of wagon and coach components. Many underframes and bogies are for specific prototypes, so select the appropriate one for your vehicle. The kits tend to follow the same basic pattern; fold down the axlebox/W iron framework, add an over-lay for side detail, add brake gear, fit cosmetic axleboxes and spring details, fit buffers. They best assembled using solder , though adhesive is an option for the finer details. This photographic sequence of building a Banana Van shows the general principles which apply to most 2mm wagon underframes. If looking for a recommended first-time chassis, try 2-353a (with appropriate mineral wagon body) or 2-371 (etc) for underneath an N gauge wagon, details of both are available via the Shop 2 pages.

Finally, there are wagon and coach kits. The Association shop has a large range of prototypes. In addition, various small suppliers will produce wagons from time to time, usually in small batches advertised through the 2mm Scale Association Magazine.

Couplings

The most popular coupling in 2mm scale is the "DG" system (which is compatible with the similar BB system). Like the other automatic systems described here, the DG is operated with magnets (usually electromagnets, though movable permanent magnets also work well) under the baseboard. The coupling has "delayed action", which means a wagon can be uncoupled then propelled along a siding and left at any position. This means a single uncoupling magnet can service a whole fan of sidings.

A number of modellers use the American Microtrains coupler, often the "Z" scale version rather than the N-Scale item, this is quite useful for modern stock fitted with buckeye couplers.

There is a modest following for the "Electra" which looks a little like a rotating "Alex Jackson" coupling, which is quite small and easy to make from wire.

And there are a few minority options, including the Alex Jackson (scaled down version of the 4mm example) and scale 3-link chains.

Scenery

2mm Finescale offers the scenic modeller a world of possibilities; wide open spaces and the railway in the landscape are practical in 2mm scale without requiring a massive area.

There isn't really anything special about 2mm scenery; the techniques are much the same as other scales, but done carefully for a small scale. Use slightly muted colours, and be restrained in the detail added; it is often better to hint at a detail than attempt to model it over-size.

Control Systems

As with scenery, there is nothing special about 2mm control. With smaller models, current consumption is usually lower than bigger scales, so pick control systems designed for smaller models. DCC works fine in 2mm scale, but there are plenty of modellers using analogue control systems.

More information

If you want more information on any aspect of 2mm modelling, then please contact us.

If, having read this, you're convinced that 2mm is for you, then why not join us ?

 

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