Liddy's Blog

I was pleased to find a strip of brass 0.5mm thick (close enough to the 20 thou of the plastic card strip to complete the underframe channel section) that helped position the underframe moulding relative to the solebars. With hindsight the buffer heads could have been added later so that the underframe could be constructed directly on a piece of glass.

 

 

Please can someone advise me on the depth of the vacuum cylinder within the underframe. There is an 'L' shaped mark on the solebar to show on which side the cylinder is mounted, but nothing to indicate the depth. Is the top of the cylinder flush with the top surface of the underframe? Note, the underframe is shown upside-down.

 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Liddy

One of the triangular pivots on the side of the vac cylinder rests in the 'L' shaped mark, thereby setting the depth. Hope that helps!

Thanks Nickey,

I can do that tonight.

Best regards

I got fed up searching for tools so I made this;

 

Next learning point; I folded and soldered the tabs on the W-irons for the self-tappers (I guess they screw into the floor) , then realised how good the moulded pips on the inside of the solebars are for locating the w-irons. so the first 2 have been glued on. The Ambis brake lever guides are coming together slowly and the vac pipes are looking good (Slaters vac pipe springs stretched and slid over round black braided elastic)

 

Edited April 16, 2020 by Liddy

I soldered up a couple of the Ambis brake lever guides a couple of days ago.  They actually went well.  The fret is cunningly designed to enable you to fold over the main parts for correct orientation.  Then snip the assembly off and file smooth.  Ambis instructions can be found here:

 

https://www.hobbyholidays.co.uk/ambis.php

 

John

Edited April 14, 2020 by brossard

Hi John,

Thanks I'm making progress, first guide soldered up with tiny nippets of solder, have you done an axlebox bracket, I can't visualise it yet

TIA

 

I glued the guides to my van (Parkside LNER Cattle van that fell off a display) and put it aside.  I didn't do the brackets yet.  I have done similar jobs.  I drill a hole in the W iron and solder wire into one end of the bracket. This is glued into the W iron hole.  The other end is soldered to the bracket with a quick touch of the iron.

 

John

Thanks John,

Can you cast any light on how the bracket is formed please, bends, double thicknesses, I think it should look like a z that has been opened out

TIA

Yes, that's right.  Just take a look at pictures on Paul B's site.  I would give it a bend at the W iron end and then offer it up to the other and bend that end to suit.

 

It is hard to see but I found a decent picture:

 

 

Not the Ambis one.  Kit makers tend to ignore this feature so I make them myself, usually from scrap brass strip.

 

John

Hi John,

Thanks that's great, I shall try later today.

I'm pleased with the rolling underframe with all the sprung bits working as they should. I started adding detail parts, then figured that I should prime the basic underframe.

 

I haven't posted for a while as I got distracted by 2 quick projects, a nano layout so that I can listen to locos and display wagons above my workbench and a my first O gauge point.

 

 

I am happy to see you trying your hand at turnouts.  It looks good from what I can see.  I built all but one of the turnouts on my layout.  The other one is Peco with modified switch for proper tiebars.

 

The crossing is the most crucial area, yours looks fine but I've found the smallest error can cause it to not work.

 

My method is to build the crossing separately on a ply offcut:

 

 

Cheers

 

John

Hi John,

Thanks for your note, wise words, I had a go at that. Thankfully Shocvan chassis runs thru the straight road without a twitch.

Ha, if you build the crossing right the chassis should go through the curve smoothly too.  It probably won't work well until check rails are done.

 

John

I'm happy to declare the point good-as finished, there is another chair that didn't adhere, so it will be out with the araldite again. I tried Carrs Butanone and PlastiWeld without success, it softened the Peco sleepers but I think the Peco chairs must be a nylon material as they don't seem to dissolve at all, leaving a smooth rectangular mark in the surface of the sleeper.

Anyway, it works and will have a sector plate instead of blades.

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Liddy

Well, as long as Araldite works I guess that's OK.  I used MEK (same as Butanone) on all my turnout builds using Peco chairs and wooden timbers.  Before that I made a few with Peco plastic timbers.  The MEK worked fine but I got cupping at the crossing so gave up on those.  The slide chairs should be glued to the rail with CA or those timbers might fall off.  I just left the paper backing on my turnouts for the slight increase in strength.

 

How come the vee is short?

 

I would have put the check rails so that the ends align with the wing rails.

 

I scrapped more than a few turnouts before getting to a point where I was happy with them.

 

Be careful with gauge at the blade location.  I've been caught out a few times where it came in under gauge.

 

John

Hello John,

Thanks for commenting.

Thought I'd try all Peco parts (cheap, easily available) wish they did 1.5mm Check rail chairs. The Vee is standard Peco which went together spot-on at 1:6, the wing rails must be 1:8+ though, as I had to increase the bend to fit the Templot template (thanks Martin).

I've been happy with C+L chairs/solvent/wood timbering in 4mm before, this time I ended up using araldite on all the chairs. I should have made longer Check rails, but they seem to do the job. The next one will be better.

I wasn't aware that Peco did vees separately.

 

For check rails, I trim running chairs, and thread these on.  Then I test fit to make sure I can achieve the right gap.  If I need to I just take a bit more off with the face of a Dremel cutting wheel.  Best to use the check gauge from the crossing to place the check rail.  I leave off the running chairs for the stock rail at the check rail.  After I have fitted the CR I add half running chairs.

 

Keep practicing.  Another tip, if you can find a C&L template.  I have one from the kit I bought and use it to guide me on the location of special chairs.  I make these by cutting up running and slide chairs.

 

I'm tempted to get a load of these if I need to make turnouts again:

 

https://greenwoodmodelrailwayproducts.co.uk/shop/o-gauge/chairs/

 

John

Edited May 21, 2020 by brossard

Just an update with photo, I've added Peco Point blades soldered to the closure rails, a joggle in the straight stock rail and a set in the curved stock rail. On my next point I'll feel happy file up my own vee and blades. Only the tie bars to go.

 

Looks good.  Make sure you get the gauge right from blade to stock rail.  On my first turnouts I messed that up.

 

I modified some of my roller gauges by removing parts of flanges so as to get over tight rails.

 

John

Edited July 5, 2020 by brossard