HSB in the Süd Harz HOm

[PaulRhB]

Next outing is just Braunlage on its own at Rotarail in Fareham 22nd April

http://rotarail.webs.com/exhibitors

Edited March 25, 2017 by PaulRhB

[Gordonwis]

Hi Paul,

 

Looking forward to operating some time...

 

Superb work

[PaulRhB]

Have you bought some HSB then Gordon?

You're corrupting enough with Nm

[PaulRhB]

Going to need another transporter wagon! This rather nice rendition of the std gauge water tanker has just been released by Tillig. They are dotted around the system for emergencies.

 

Edited April 6, 2017 by PaulRhB

[ColinK]

I've posted this elsewhere, but hope you don't mind me adding it here too. I went to the Harz and other lines in East Germany in 1988 and took my cine camera. I've recently had the films digitised, you can see them on

[PaulRhB]

No problem at all

 

Thoughts are now turning to Walkenried although I don't intend starting construction this year.

The criteria laid down are-

1. Loco shed

2. Carriage shed

3. Container crane & Std gauge transfer.

4. two platform station.

 

So I started off with this as the main sheds for the Sud Harz branch with a turntable and carriage sheds but it was all getting too crowded and with a two road shed already at Braunlage I decided a single shed for the service starting from Walkenried each morning would be adequate. Hasselfelde on the Selketal Line has a similar shed so it follows the HSB practice. Walkenried is the base for the heritage coaches too with a large twin road shed for light maintenance and storage. With the SHE station alongside the mainline on the original station site there is also a standard gauge siding under the container crane to transfer boxes between the two gauges and road transport.

 

Edited April 7, 2017 by PaulRhB

[PaulRhB]

I've posted this elsewhere, but hope you don't mind me adding it here too. I went to the Harz and other lines in East Germany in 1988 and took my cine camera. I've recently had the films digitised, you can see them on https://vimeo.com/210161668

Very nicely shot and some great sequences

[Vecchio]

I've posted this elsewhere, but hope you don't mind me adding it here too. I went to the Harz and other lines in East Germany in 1988 and took my cine camera. I've recently had the films digitised, you can see them on

 

Great film material. Have enjoyed that after a tiring day of work!!

 

 

Vecchio

[PaulRhB]

As just the Braunlage part is doing the next two shows I've made the fiddleyard a bit more permanent than the soldered connections last time.

Edited June 30, 2017 by PaulRhB

[ColinK]

I like your platform sides/edges. Did you make them? I'm after something similar in G Scale.

[PaulRhB]

No they are made by Auhagen in HO. You could easily do the same with Evergreen strip as they do various largish sizes of rectangular rod. You might also find stripwood in useful sizes too.

On my G layout I cut stripwood up into 'kerbstones' and sprayed it with stone effect paint.

 

[PaulRhB]

Following the problem with shorts corrupting the address on random motors I'd already added the red push buttons on key points so I could change motors by hand while I sorted it out.

It wasn't easy though to turn off the DCC, by pulling out a wire, underneath at a show to reset it during reprogramming.

 

I've now added the black push to break switches so I can turn off a single motor while switching the motor back to 'run'. All it means is you have to avoid sending other accessory commands for the few seconds it takes to reprogram, (so you don't change the address to that instead), but you can still run a loco

 

[PaulRhB]

Pinned down the TT unitrack in the yard now there are the side protectors to prevent damage, just saves a bit of time

 

 

 

[eastwestdivide]

Not sure if this is the best thread, but my other half just alerted me to Radio 4's From Our Own Correspondent episode here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08g2v20

which has a segment on the Harz steam trains around 17mins in. Episode called "A journalist's best friend".

Episode from March, so a bit late, but she downloads them as podcasts and listens as and when.

Edited June 9, 2017 by eastwestdivide

[PaulRhB]

Well naughty loco 238 had come back after three months with a letter blaming the Next18 decoder! They say the next18 can't handle several sounds at once at full volume and shuts down. That's tosh as I have four others set to the same LOW sound levels and they don't have issues.

(Thanks to Ulrich for an accurate translation)

 

The contacts failed again within minutes and are flat against the chassis.

So I'll apply my phosphor bronze wire pickups and I've built a custom service cradle to hold them without damaging small details.

 

 

Edited June 21, 2017 by PaulRhB

[PaulRhB]

Back to the problem child

I've added pickups that now mean it actually has electricity most of the time but it was still poor running. Tight on start up and still flicking the lights and sound. I noticed the middle driver still moving down lurching the front two axles off the track!

So I tried a shim under the front but couldn't secure it. Then I added a small piece of brass wire at the back soldered to the pickup strip and this has improved things massively severely restricting the movement of the three axles in the rocking unit, although not perfect it can traverse pointwork and curves.

So there is still a tight spot on starting but at least I can try running it in now.

 

by -salisburyASC-

Edited June 30, 2017 by PaulRhB

[PaulRhB]

I've refined the pickup fixing method on 247 to make them easier to make and replace. I just use a cocktail stick to hold the wheel over, a quick dab in the contact strip then apply the wire pre tinned and subsequently snip off the excess at the fixed end. This means if they wear out I can just touch the iron in to remove them and pop on a new one. Less adjustments needed in situ too as they are naturally at full extent when installed.

 

by -salisburyASC-

Edited June 30, 2017 by PaulRhB

[PaulRhB]

So as I'm so deep into modelling the HSB I've got another one!

99 222 returned to looking like it did originally but retaining many of the updates applied to the production batches 723x and 724x.

222 is in reality about three foot shorter but Tillig have used the same chassis so she is also 143mm long as opposed to 133. It certainly wouldn't have been economic to retool purely for that and they've got all the distinctive details on the tanks and boiler right so it looks right and I'll accept that as most people won't even know let alone notice.

 

 

Apart from the length the only detail wrong is the motion as the reversing link should be in front of the strengthening bar

 

 

Production loco on top and 222 beneath.

 

 

[Clagmeister]

Oh my, they are wonderful models.  Are they steel bodied like the Bemo ones?

 

Have to say 222 does look better with the expansion link forward than on the new ones.

Edited September 15, 2017 by Clagmeister

[PaulRhB]

No they are all plastic, very good detail but the running is variable

[PaulRhB]

Next show is on Saturday 30th September

Just Braunlage on its own for this one.

 

[bbishop]

See you there.

 

Bill

[Vecchio]

Decision made. Need to see your stuff next Saturday.

 

Gerhard

[PaulRhB]

Look forward to seeing you again

[PaulRhB]

Well prepping for the show going . . Ok. Light rig is painted and drying and a noisy chip has been ordered for 99-222. Running her in was going so well but then the dreaded dodgy pickups started to play up after half an hour. Still time to get the extra ones added before the weekend so hoping between the three of them I might get some 2-10-2 action on the layout.