Fen End Pit's Blog

Useful ideas. I use ajs too so I'll be having a play with those droppers. 

Hi,

Exquisite modelling yet again.

It is my intention to use AJ couplings and have previously bent up the hooks, but it looks as those the design has been improved upon - can you share anything on the way you attach the wires to the vehicles? - I think I saw something, elsewhere on pivoting the wires in a vertical plane, rather than relying on the flexibility of a long wire, anchored near the opposite end of the vehicle.

Many thanks

Richard

7 hours ago, Richard Jones said:

Hi,

Exquisite modelling yet again.

It is my intention to use AJ couplings and have previously bent up the hooks, but it looks as those the design has been improved upon - can you share anything on the way you attach the wires to the vehicles? - I think I saw something, elsewhere on pivoting the wires in a vertical plane, rather than relying on the flexibility of a long wire, anchored near the opposite end of the vehicle.

Many thanks

Richard

Thanks Richard, but I can't claim any credit for the quality of the Hornby molding.

 

Regarding AJ couplings I am not doing anything too radical, I've never got on with the idea of pivoting them and just stick fixing the other end of the sprung wire to the far end of the wagon. The only thing I did pick up was the use of a 'pulling post'. The idea is that you place a vertical strong wire behind the  buffer beam (just off centre) and then bend the AJ coupling around it. When the coupling is tensioned it pulls against 'pulling post' meaning that the force is applied at the front of the wagon rather than the rear. It also doesn't matter too much if the final fixing position isn't exactly on the centre line because that isn't where the force is being applied.

 

David

 

Edited March 15, 2020 by Fen End Pit

David

You don't appear to be using a height bar to control the level of the coupling on its return to the rest position. Use of the underside of the bufferbeam introduces a whole range of problems because bufferbeam height on vehicles varies.

 

Richard

I think this is what you were referring to: http://www.mmrs.co.uk/technical-articles/alex-jackson-coupling-3/

 

Tony

Hello David,

 

your photo is really helpful - I had been trying to use "straight" wires - the two right angles (in the horizontal plane) is a great idea as it should prevent the wires from opposite ends "colliding" which is one of the difficulties I was experiencing.

 

and many thanks for the link to the article, Tony W

 

Now to persuade the management that this (initial) 12 week isolation period is intended for railway modelling, not dusting!

 

best wishes

 

Richard

On 18/03/2020 at 23:01, Tony W said:

David

You don't appear to be using a height bar to control the level of the coupling on its return to the rest position. Use of the underside of the bufferbeam introduces a whole range of problems because bufferbeam height on vehicles varies.

 

Richard

I think this is what you were referring to: http://www.mmrs.co.uk/technical-articles/alex-jackson-coupling-3/

 

Tony

Hi Tony

 

Actually there is a little block of black plasticard just behind the bufferbeam, it just doesn't show up in the photograghs. which sets the height to match my gauge.

 

David

Hi David

 

Apologies, I didn’t spot that!

 

Tony