A4CML

I found this photo on the weichen-walter website some time ago. It gives a useful visual comparison of the different HOm track types. It looks like the Peco TT track is similar dimensionally to the Tilling, apart from the rail profile. Keith, the Peco TT track looks to be approx. 6mm sleeper spacing. Could you measure the sleeper length/width please?

Do you have any details or photos of your Krok? Would be really interested in seeing them. 🙂

Interesting seeing those Bemo wagons Paul and their different loads. Am I correct in thinking the Kp-w was a forerunner of the Lb & Lb-v (as seen in the top picture)? Slightly different underframe and wheelbase. I've tried to improve the Kato Lb-v (although it's actually lettered as an Lb?) and not really sure of the difference between an Lb & Lb-v. I thought the Kato offering was a bit in need of detailing up so have added some handrails and a bracket. To my eyes it looks more the part now although there appear to be a couple of different types of the foldable handrails so any clarification welcome.

Great to see the layout at Crewe today, I've added a few pics of my own. I liked the weathering on the stock, particularly on the works coach 👍.

Time for a little catch up, as usual I've been lazy adding to this thread. I do keep popping into the forum and get really inspired with peoples projects, whether layouts or rolling stock. It doesn't really matter that it's not necessarily my main interest but there are some good modellers out there! The last picture in thee post above of the underframe shows that the couplers mounts are missing. In the previous build of coaches I'd noticed the cast brass couplings seemed to hang a bit low and consequently - a) not match in height with Bemo couplings and b) have little clearance above the track To help solve these issues I reduced the height of the mount on a mill so that the coupling would now just sit below the buffer beam. Original on the left, modified on the right. Now I was confident I had a decent chassis I moved onto the body. This slightly cruel enlargement shows the modifications made to the kit. The etched ribs on the bodyside were removed with files which seemed to make the side curl a bit - presumably because surface tension is released? The etching process had left a few surface irregularities which I have attempted to fill with solder. I had some 0.2mm wire in stock which I thought looked ideal to add to the sides for the panelling as in the picture, not too overscale. The sides were carefully scribed with guide lines and the wire added. I found if I scribed deep enough the wire would just 'sit' in the groove whilst being held down which helped to keep it straight. Still a fiddly process! The bodyside widows were 'squared out' with cills added and a new frame made for the window in the doors. Not perfect but as good as I could do without making new doors I think. I did all this before building them up with the ends. The photo below shows the effect I was after, The ends also had the ribbing removed and the body built up. I like to have the roof removable so put some stretchers in and soldered nuts to the underside.

Those trees look good Jim, what have you used to make them?

Hi, hope everyone is keeping safe and well. I've had a few days 'Furloughed' recently which has given me a bit of bonus modelling time to catch up on projects, although now back at work. Until recently I've been sitting on another set of Ferro Suisse RhB coach kits as hinted at in my other coach build thread. I've been trying to decide what to build them as without essentially repeating what I'd done before ie using different numbers etc. This is a major stumbling block, as far as I'm aware, there are no commercially available decals available for the era I'm interested in. After a bit of thinking it occured to me that if I juggled and cut the numbers on the existing FS decal sheet I could come to a solution. Thus the A 1102 could become A 10, which was in the same series of coaches. In fact prior to renumbering, A 1102 was A 9 before 1911. Cunningly this left me with a spare 1 & 2. Changing a 0 for a 2 give me a B 2062 (I already had B 2061). A course was set. The D 4052 gepäckwagen was another problem though as I couldn't juggle the decals. I elected to 'remodel' the kit. The kit version is based on the historic bar wagen and looking at the Schweers/Wall/Finke RhB book 1 is part of a series of 4 gepäckwagens originally rebuilt in 1928, a little late for my era, on the chassis of earlier coaches built around 1900. They were originally built with paneling to the sides and later rebuilt with flush sides. I decided on modifying the kit to the as built state, still not 100% but giving it the appearance of a van built in an earlier era, matching the roof profile of coaches built from around 1900. For added good measure, the first gepäckwagen, D 4051, had a shorter underframe, 4300mm whereas the other three were 4700mm. I thought this would set it apart from the original kit too. I would worry about the decals further down the line. With these decisions made, I had some enthusiasm to start building so started with the gepäckwagen as it would require most modification. Modified chassis members compared to drawing from Schweers/Wall/Finke RhB Book 1 The above photo shows how I modified the underframe by scoring alongside the appropriate body support bracket positions where possible and carefully snapping off, essentially shortening the wheelbase by ~ 4.6mm. The small sections that had been removed were then re-inserted at the outer ends. The floor also needed modifying on a mill to allow the repositioning of the sideframe tabs, axle brackets, vacuum cylinder and also the battery box and dynamo which weren't required for the as-built version I later realised! Holes were also re-drilled for the re-positioned body brackets. You can see where I've soldered on the inside using 180' solder hoping that it wouldn't all fall apart when I used 145' for the remainder! I had previously purchased a vacuum cylinder from MBA Pirovino so this was attached along with some nice castings for the footsteps and axlegaurds. Body brackets and various bits of wire completed the underframe. Onto the body next.

Looks great Jim!

Hi Vecchio, I know a few months have passed but did you have any luck wiring the Zimo 659n18? What was your solution in the end? I'm in a similar position, this decoder would fit just in a Bemo G3/4 to provide sound but would ideally have to be wired. Any suggestions? Regards, Chris

Excellent progress Jim, what is the mesh you are using?

Just found the rotating ones on their website, are they going to be doing linear ones too or have I misunderstood?

Thanks for the info, what sort of depths did they come in?

Really enjoying following this thread along with JimFins Neuburg as it's the sort of size I'd likely have for a RhB layout. I'm still toying with ideas but I'm pretty convinced I'd like a traverser but have no experience of one. Beyond that I'm keen to have some gradient change and maybe a loop but can't settle on a plan yet. My current EM layout has a rotating/turntable type fiddle yard which I'm happy with but as it's end to end and a RhB layout is going to be a loop I thought a traverser would be more suitable and would hope to have around 8 roads. It's good to see your progress just need to pull my finger out and get something running!

About time I caught up with progress on no.11. Pretty much complete except I may give her a different number as I already have a no.11 hence the cabside numbers being black still. Valvegear all assembled, a little scary using those tiny bolts knowing there's no way a replacement could be had now. I'm not really happy that the slide bar supports extend too far out (compared to Bemo) but have left alone. I'm happy with the running too, didn't have to faff about with quartering as the wheelsets and cranks are pre-assembled. My only reservation is that if I were building a 'British' loco kit I would have tried to add a flywheel to the motor. Sadly not enough room in this case. I do like these little locos, solid and workmanlike but yet well balanced visually. I decided to leave the cab rear doors open for a change and added a crew. So here's a little posed shot of the loco with a coach and a part scratch built F series van. The van is Bemo chassis and roof with a scratch built body. All I need I now is some lettering!

Time for a little update whilst I've got my feet up in the Peak District. They certainly need it! I've now primed and painted the chassis and body black. The slidebars and valve gear was also given a quick dip in some metal black to take the n/silver shine down a bit. The gearbox had been assembled prior to painting the loco and was attached when fitting the wheels. The three main axles are fitted with spring suspension - unfortunately a couple of springs were missing from the kit. I'm sure I didn't lose these! I managed to find replacements in my spare box. I also attached the pick-ups and gave the basic chassis a good test to make sure it runs to my satisfaction before the valvegear is added. The backhead has also been painted with the dials picked out in white and the various polished brass bits cleaned up. It is attached to the chassis with a couple of screws. I need to find a crew! I had considered fitting LEDs in the lamp castings on the body with a view to giving the loco the DCC treatment but couldn't find any that convinced me and anyway the real lights would be nearly invisible in daylight so didn't bother. There was the possibility of using a red LED for some firebox 'glow' but didn't in the end either but the door was only glued in so I could one day if desired. With the body painted and some glazing installed too the loco is starting to come together. The lovely fittings need a bit of paint removed here and there to uncover the brass but overall I'm very pleased so far.span widget