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Showing content with the highest reputation on 12/06/15 in all areas

  1. All packed up and ready for a very early start tomorrow for the 7mm Narrow Gauge Asociation exhibition at Burton Town Hall. Am thinking that this will be most critical audiance yet! Have just spotted that the spell check has stopped working again so appologies for anything that is wrong, I don't have the energy to lift a dictionary right now! Loco rosta is straight out of Noah's Ark! 2x Hunslets, 2x Baldwins, 2x 20hp Simplex, 2x 40hp Simplex and 2x Dick Kerr/ Westinghouse (they are pretty similar!). Actually have forgotten the little Deutz all on it's own! Have finally finished off all the new wagons and they are now lettered and weathered so shall leave you with pics of these. I really ought to be off for an early night but just not very good at those! p.s. yes I know, the ambulance van has no bogies - these are what is keeping me from that early night!
    3 points
  2. I've re-titled this thread, so that it doesn't read as though I'm building a whole fleet of engines - one at a time is enough for me! My first attempt at scratch building was a 'Queen'-class 2-2-2. I chose it on the grounds of simplicity, since building an uncoupled 2-2-2 is little different from building a wagon. My first step was to draw the constituent parts and then cut these out as a series of paper templates, so that I could check the fit of the parts and explore different assembly techniques, before committing to cutting any metal. I described the approach in more detail in my article 'Simply Victorian', in Railway Modeller, July 2014. The 'Queen' (or 'Sir Alexander') model did,indeed prove very straightforward to construct,being little more than a cylindrical tube for the boiler over a folded flat plate for a 'chassis'. The cab was a simple folded brass sheet sat on the chassis behind the boiler and the flush firebox and smokebox were 'wrappers' around the boiler. It was natural then for me to start No.184 by copying the same methods. Previous posts described how I managed to produce some reasonable line drawings from available photographs. So, as before, I copied segments of these drawings to represent the outside frames and other main component of my proposed model. I then printed these drawings on a sheet of ordinary file paper. I cut out the individual components with scissors and a scalpel, and then stuck the parts together, using PVA adhesive. I find that hair grips are an indispensable aid to assembling paper models like this. Now that I can visualise the 3D assembly, I can start to explore ideas on how they might fit together in a metal model. It soon became apparent that a model of No.184 will raise a number of difficulties that were not present in 'Queen'. The coupled wheels are an obvious complication but there is also the fact that these wheels intrude into the cab, which means that this can no longer be seen as a completely separate component, simply 'plonked' on the chassis at the end of construction! Instead, I shall look at a means of construction where the cab will be integral with the rear-wheel splashers. The compromises associated with the 'narrow' 00-gauge also come into play, since these mean that the intrusion of the wheels into the cab will be much greater than in the prototype. The backhead will need to be modified, to accommodate the narrow wheel spacing. On my 'Queen' model, the outside axle boxes were all dummies and, from some angles, the large gaps between these and the 00-gauge wheels were all too obvious. The new engine will require extended axles for the coupled drivers and outside cranks so, hopefully, these will hide the discrepancy to some extent. I've not started to plan the superstructure yet but it is clear that the boiler will be a more complex construction than 'Queen', mainly because of the raised firebox, which will have to be a separate component. Since I am also hoping to include a motor and gearbox in this engine, rather than in the tender, as before, I shall have to think about clearances for housing these components, especially as I want to keep the footplate clear of any further intrusions! So, I have a lot more templating to do before I can be sure that I have a viable plan - that is a subject for future posts. I recently bought a book on the OW&WR (Jenkins, OW&WR Through Time, Amberley 2013 ) and, while the title is somewhat misleading, as it is really about the Cotswold Line to Hereford, it contains several photographs appropriate to my area, including an excellent one of a 182-class locomotive (OW&W 21-class), in original condition, at Evesham Station in 1863. This is especially useful, since it shows the back of the tender that I had not seen in other photos. I have another book in the same series about the Fairford Branch (Jenkins, The Witney & Fairford Branch Through Time, Amberley 2013 ) and this includes useful information about the planned lines around Witney. From this book, I learned that the route via North Leigh (the subject of my own layout) arose as part of a spate of schemes during the 1840s, including the `Oxford, Witney, Cheltenham & Gloucester Independent Railway', which obtained an Act of Parliament for the construction of a `mixed ­ gauge' line. In the parallel universe inhabited by my layout, where all this came to pass, it is now clear that the wide spacing of the tracks through North Leigh station is the result of this broad gauge heritage. Mike Continue to next part
    1 point
  3. HI all, Here is a quick video of a Farish WD model that i fitted with sound and lights along with fire box glow. Thanks Simon
    1 point
  4. Well after being at work for a monster 17 hours, not including travelling time (I know what your thinking, it's not one of my ploys to escape the demands of the Domestic Overlord ) my boss said that I could take a day off to recover. So in typical fashion, despite being "dog tired" I could not sleep, so I needed to find something to do to help me maintain my delicate metal state, so I tried to do a couple of little jobs on the layout. So the first thing I thought I would tackle was the lining of one of the storage trays I have made with foam, everything was going well, I managed to get one tray finished, and then boredom hit me and I gave up, well at least one of them is finished. All I have to do now is line the second one and them build the remaining two trays, but I think this can be a job for another day. So I decided to tackle one of the other outstanding jobs, and see if I could start to tidy up the viewing side of the layout by finally adding a facia to the boards. I must admit I'm quite pleased with the progress on this. I have used one of my favourite materials mounting board, which I cut to follow the contours of Foster Street. This was then glued on to the front of the layout, and even though they have not been painted yet, they have certainly made a impact on tidying up the presentation of the layout (all I need to do now it to decide what colour I should paint it a nice black or LMS Crimson). Before this though all I have to do it fill in a couple of gaps in the scenery and the job should be complete simples (I know something is going to go wrong, but what....... Well it nearly went wrong with the weathering, in an attempt to make Foster Street look more dirty and industrial, I have slowly been weathering the layout with the help of Humbrol powders. I must admit this is the first time I have used these things and I am quite impressed. I'm also impressed about how much I seem to be applying yet when I stand back and look at the layout it just looks like it needs more. I think I have managed to get the basics right on the track to represent areas where locomotives stand and drip onto the permanent way, but like most of the jobs on the layout there is still a lot more to do. Until the next time, as ever Happy Modelling
    1 point
  5. The plank has spent the last month cluttering up my limited work space, while a storage cover was made. This proved to be some what of a problem with some minor warp-age insuring very few angles where 90 degrees however eventually this was resolved. The opportunity was taken to fit the crossing gate servos these been controlled via a Ardunio Micro given the required sequence required a slow opening of the first gate, a pause while the fireman crosses the road and then opens the second gate. Hacking a simple Ardunio sketch appears to give the required sequence although final adjustments where time consuming. for those intrested in such things I attach the code /* This example code is in the public domain. http://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Button */ #include <VarSpeedServo.h> VarSpeedServo myservo1; // create servo object to control a servo // a maximum of eight servo objects can be created VarSpeedServo myservo2; // create servo object to control a servo // a maximum of eight servo objects can be created // constants won't change. They're used here to // set pin numbers: const int buttonPin = 2; // the number of the pushbutton pin const int servoPin1 = 9; // the digital pin used for the servo const int servoPin2 = 6; // the digital pin used for the servo // variables will change: int buttonState = 0; // variable for reading the pushbutton status // LED connected to digital pin 13 void setup() { myservo1.attach(servoPin1); // attaches the servo on pin 9 to the servo object myservo1.write(120,0,true); // set the intial position of the servo, myservo2.attach(servoPin2); // attaches the servo on pin 9 to the servo object myservo2.write(110,0,true); // set the intial position of the servo, // initialize the servo pin as an output: pinMode(servoPin1, OUTPUT); // initialize the pushbutton pin as an input: pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT); } void loop(){ // read the state of the pushbutton value: buttonState = digitalRead(buttonPin); // check if the pushbutton is pressed. // if it is, the buttonState is HIGH: if (buttonState == HIGH) { // turn servo on: myservo2.write(110,2,true); delay(6000); // waits for 6 seconds myservo1.write(120,2,true); } else { // turn servos off: myservo1.write(55,2,true); delay(6000); // waits for 6 econds myservo2.write(55,2,true); } } all a bit dry perhaps so some pictures and video to stop you falling asleep
    1 point
  6. My aim is to produce a model of a West German Industrial City in the 1960s. The period allows the use of both Deutsches Bundesbahn steam and diesel locomotives. The layout is designed as a five track continuous oval, with the Hauptbahnhof (Main station) and its approach tracks on one side and an eleven track storage yard on the other side (Capable of holding fourteen 1/87 scale prototype length trains, which will be run to a prototype timetable). Most of the buildings use commercially available kits from Pola/Faller/Kibri which have been modified to make a close representation of the prototype buildings. Track work is Peco code 100 streamline with added details by Weinert and laid on a cork bed with granite ballast. Control is by Roco ASC 2000 (anologue) electronic units with full simulation, which give very smooth running of my DC Locomotive fleet, which consists of products from all the major manufactures, as well as kit/scratch built models. Trains are made up as near to prototype formation as possible, using scale 1/87 Length models from all available manufactures, as well as the exquisite models by the German firm of Ade. I still have much to do to finish the layout.
    1 point
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