SR Buffer Stops

At last, some spare time for modelling this weekend, so I worked on making up the lovely etched buffer stop kits I got from the 2mm Scale Association. I had started one a few weeks ago, but a good day's work today sees completion of all five required by the layout.



These kits make a form of buffer stop I was not familiar with, but I have found a very similar looking one at the eastern end of Ascot station, unfortunately not in easy reach of a camera though.

The beautiful, and cleverly designed etch is in nickel-silver. I really like using this material. The etch folds up, eventually giving 6 layers which all line up accurately for 'sweating' together with the soldering iron. The triangular gussets that attach the front 'leg' to the rail are a bit fiddley to line up and attach though.



I used real wood (recycling a coffee stirrer) for the beams rather than using the 5-layer etched beams provided. It feels more appropriate, and is electrically insulating, but proved tricky to attach using superglue. The tie-bar passing through small drilled holes in the uprights was a bristle from a large brush - also electrically insulating.



It seems my painting skills have lapsed over the long period since I last did any, and my hands seem to be not as steady as they used to be, but applying red and white paint on the ends of cocktail sticks, I managed to straighten up the lines fairly well.