Entry posted by Tony Simms
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New to the roster at Brafferton are two DMUs a Metro Cammell class 101 in green and a Derby Lightweight class 108 in blue (yes I know; blame my lad for the increasing "modernisation"!).
Both require chipping and attention to the wheels to make them suitable for use on Brafferton; 2FS and all that. Previously I have used the wheel turning service for diesels and DMUs and very good it is. However on this occasion I thought I'd give the Association drop in wheelsets a spin. Here is the bit covering the driven wheels. The non-driven are on pinpoints and fairly similar if a little more straightforward.
The wheelsets arrive as thus:
There is evidence of some glue on the faces and backs and the discs are bare metal. There is no plastic evident as the sets use a cunning anodisation of the axles to effect electrical isolation. First I'll check that this anodisation is effective; very occasionally it has failed to work. In this instance the "1" indicates no electron thingys sneaking across:
You'll see the axle has several "shoulders" on it supporting the gear and the wheels. This makes the trueness and gauge pretty much a given. However if you're a mistrusting soul (like me) stick an Association bobbin back-to-back in:
The wheels are then cleaned in anticipation of blacking. I've used a fibreglass brush for many years and as long as you don't snort the fibres or stick the itchy bit in your eye, I reckon they're fairly low risk:
Similarly Casey's gun blue (which perversely turns most metals a sort of black colour) is okay. As long as you don't drink it:
A couple of coats applied with a brush and rubbed off with a soft cloth seems to work. You'll notice the axle end is still shiny; presumably the anodisation at work. Once I think they're black enough, a miniscule dot of oil is rubbed on to give a slight sheen:
Clip the dummy sideframes off the Farish model, and like a dead beetle the motor bogie prepares to shed it's hideous N gauge wheels. Once they're out, you can see that the 2FS ones are just so much more attractive:
Clip the new wheelsets in. I ease the pick-ups out slightly so that contact is maintained on the back of each wheel. Clip the sideframes back and voila! Oops, forgot to extract that Rapido coupling and insert a Dapol dummy buckeye:
Right, on with the 101...
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