Beardybloke's 009 Bodging Bench

The slate train looks rather nice, I've made a start on one myself (with only 5 Parkside wagons so far) but mine will run as a fixed rake (chained together) with a coupling on either end as the Windle coupings I'm using would space the waggons too far apart. I'd considered using S&Ws, but after trying them in OO in the past, and loosing interest in building them rather quickly, decided not to bother! Out of interest, what size are you using, and how do you fit them to the coach bogies?

 

J

I'm using the 2mm S&Ws, though at the minute the couplings are attached to the coaches themselves rather than the bogies to see how well they work like that - so far, the only potential problem is that I may need a larger loop part of the coupling, and some of the coaches may be coupled a little too far apart for my liking due to bogie clearances for the drop of the rear part of the couplings... I'll see how I get on with them.

 

I've been considering ebaying my rake of 5 Parkside wagons (or putting them up on the classifieds section of here) - if you want to double your collection in an instant, they're yours for a token sum and postage as you feel appropriate! They all run reasonably freely as I recall (though I'll check that first) and are permanently chained together.

 

I need to get rid of some stuff as I'm moving to a smaller place, so they might as well go to a good home

I've just rediscovered your blog, from your most recent entry, and realised that I'd commented on here, but for some reason, I didn't receive notification of your response! That's a most generous offer, if it is still viable, if not, it was most gemerous! I have now increased my rake to 15 which is far more than my fiddle yard and run round loop can handle! So they'll be split into two rakes for now I think!

 

How have you got on with the S&Ws? I've gone back to using them on my OO stock, and once set at a sensible height are pretty user friendly, just a bit of a pain to put together and fit at times!

 

J

The offer's still open if you want them!

 

I didn't seem to get on too well with the S&Ws, but to be entirely honest I think that's more down to my skills (or the lack of them) in assembling them consistently. I'm looking at Microtrains N and Z-gauge couplers (the latter for the good stock if they're compatible with N gauge ones if set at the same height) in the vain hope of coming up with a working autocoupling system!