Dave Holt's Blog

Hi Dave,

 

The track laying is looking good... I have to add cosmetic chairs - is it easier to grind the rivets or file out a groove in the back of the halved chairs with a round needle file? I have used the latter method before but admit I had not considered the former.

 

What size slitting disc do you intend using for the rail joints?

 

Cheers,

 

Robin

This is going to be one superb layout Dave, as it's looking so good now. I understand the small niggling difficulties of things like point blades not throwing over properly, but fitting individual half chairs on every sleeper is something else, and only for the absolutely dedicated. In an endevour to eliminate Bachmann couplings, I've been messing about on some reverse curve 32" rad track on the workbench, and that's bad enough.

Looks nice, whose is the Standard 3?

Standard 2 looks like DJH.

Hi Dave,

 

The track laying is looking good... I have to add cosmetic chairs - is it easier to grind the rivets or file out a groove in the back of the halved chairs with a round needle file? I have used the latter method before but admit I had not considered the former.

 

What size slitting disc do you intend using for the rail joints?

 

Cheers,

 

Robin

 

Robin,

 

The slitting disc is 0.6 mm thick - rather wider than a scale rail gap, I think, but much easier to use than a razor saw. I tried a saw but found problems with the teeth spacing being too big, even though the saw was the finest I could find; and I found it hard to make a clean single cut and not to mark the adjacent rail head. Actually, I cut the dummy gaps this morning, so I'll have to obtain the fishplates now - etched brass mainly, with Exactoscale plastic at the crossing where it needs electrical isolation.

I haven't tried filing out a groove under the chairs, which might be easier. I did try opening up the moulded hole with a hand held drill bit, but this just resulted in destruction of the chair. I'm using Exactoscale and they are very fine but the moulded hole does not seem large enough diameter or deep enough to fit over a brass rivet head. I notice the moulded location pips on their plastic sleepers are quite shallow, so I suppose the chairs are made to suit. Perhaps C & L might have been easier, although they don't do such a wide range.

 

Dave.

Standard 2 looks like DJH.

 

Larry,

 

Quite right. The BR standard tank is based on a DJH kit. Unfortunately, the kit results in the loco being 2 mm too short (all in the cab/bunker section), so I have stretched it by widening the cab door opening to give the correct length. This is not strictly accurate but is better than nothing. The chassis is Comet with added details. The pony trucks are Brassmasters with the rear one modified to represent the swing-link side control. The injector pipe work was fun!

 

Thanks also for the kind comments on the layout. Just hope I can live up to expectations!

 

Cheers,

 

Dave.

Oops, typed a 3 instead of a 2 half awake this morning.