Fen End Pit's Blog

It's a bit too late for you, but the Black country Blues have picture of the inner strengthening in a steel water tower at post #145 in:-http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67294-black-country-blues-blackrat-does-a-water-tower/page-6#entry1005013

Hi David,

 

I could do with a 20ft version for the two turntables at the rear of Barrow Road. These gave access to the Workshop which was at right angles to the shed through road and was used for ex MR 4F, 3F and other locos with a wheel base less than 20ft. Locos were turned and moved into the Workshop using a pinch bar, whilst they were removed using a cable attached to a loco on the shed road which went via a capstan alongside the turntable.

 

Robin

It's a bit too late for you, but the Black country Blues have picture of the inner strengthening in a steel water tower at post #145 in:-http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67294-black-country-blues-blackrat-does-a-water-tower/page-6#entry1005013

That is impressive. Obviously my tank was much smaller and constructed as a single welded unit rather out of lots of individual panels. I'm half wondering if the top should actually have some kind of boarding over most of it giving that I intend it to be sitting in front of a bank of trees.

David

Hi David,

 

I've reently purchased a laser and I am still practicing what I can do and cut. I also use TurboCad and was wondering how you created your brick walls. The way I have done it seems extremely long winded by creating each brick course at a time. Is there an easier way as your brickwork looks very good.

 

Kevin

Hi David,

 

I've recently purchased a laser and I am still practicing what I can do and cut. I also use TurboCad and was wondering how you created your brick walls. The way I have done it seems extremely long winded by creating each brick course at a time. Is there an easier way as your brickwork looks very good.

 

Kevin

 

Hi Kevin

yes, that is basically what I do, but it isn't all that long winded. I'm working in 4mm so I use 3mm for a stretcher and 1.5 mm for a header and 1mm for each course. Modify-Array is your friend here. You can draw a line for the horizontal joints and then use modify-array-linear x=0,y=1,sets=X to make X horizonal courses. Then you draw a 1mm line and use the same command to make a copy 3mm and then 1.5 mm away. Copy the resulting two items with the same command X=4.5, Y=0, sets=X to make a complete brick course. Do roughly the same thing for the next course, just gets the headers and stretches spaced correctly. The finally take both complete courses and use modify-array and use X=0,Y=2,sets=X to copy all the vertical lines up through the whole wall.

That just leaves you to sort the closures out around the doors/windows by usually moving a header by .75mm.

 

One word of warning, my laser cutter is too dim to spot that you have drawn two cut lines in the same place. This means if the drawing has two lines designed to just engrave a gap between a brick overlapped you can end up with it cutting through the material. It is sometimes difficult to catch where you have duplicated a line when copying.

 

Good luck!

 

David

I would be interested in some of these in 18.83 if you go into production.

Hi

I like your turntables- since seeing fully operational ones together with motorised ventilated wagons on the "Leicester South" layout in Manchester recently, I was looking at having a go.

Could you quote for OO code 75 track?

If it is viable, maybe for 4 units?

regards

Neil

ps

would they be DCC compatible?

Neil