Les1952

I'm fortunate in that I don't want delayed uncoupling- the magnets (Dapol ones in this case) will be in three places- one in each road at the mouth of the screens and one under the weigh plate on the weighbridge. There may also be one above the coal drops, though this one is on a slope so I'm still in two minds about fitting it. The screens are fed by hand from behind the backscene, so the uncouplers are there to ensure that only one wagon is drawn out of each road at a time. The one under the weighplate is there to act as the uncoupler for running round trains. The main line doesn't need them, though the RCTS special has them as this train also runs on Stamford East, though whether it still will by the time HDC hits the circuit is unknown at this time. Stamford East may have retired by then. All the best Les

Many thanks for that- it sin't really discipline- I'm semi retired which basically means that I work in the exam season as an examiner/team leader for GCSE, and in between I have a lot of days when I'm encouraged to work in the shed. It helps having a better half who takes the Nora Batty line of "every man should have a shed". She knows where I am and I'm not under her feet..... I've made a start on the Dapol couplings now those nice people from Liverpool have delivered the first batch of NEM pockets. Reference datum is a pair of hoppers coupled together with the Rapidos they come with. These have no problems with my colliery line coupled to anything that isn't a J94. When the NEM boxes are fitted according to the instruction manual they end up this far apart once the magnetic couplers are fitted. This simply won't do. The problem is that the pocket sits out beyond the buffer beam if the gauge is used to set the fore-aft distance as well as the height. Note also that I'm hamfisted enough to remove buffers if trying to get the old pockets off with a craft knife. If I use a side cutter for this job the buffers survive a bit longer. One of the brown pair dismantled again to show how much frame is left when the coupler pocket is removed. Hence the instruction to use epoxy to get a good strong bond. Today's epoxy gluings are setting overnight- I used superglue for the first few so I could pull them apart for adjustment. I'm now trying mounting the pockets a good deal further aft in order to shorten the gap. How far back will be decided by two things- can the coupler work past the buffers I've not already knocked off? and will the coupled pair propel happily round the bends at the ends of the colliery line. More pics when I've worked out how to do it. Tea time....... Les

Hello all. those nice people at Liverpool (the ones who used to send out Julie Andrews parcels) have just supplied me with three packs of the NEM pockets for fitting to older stock. I've started fitting them to 21-tonners for Hawthorn Dene Colliery. I'll keep on converting until I run out of wagons or lose the will to live...... Some initial thoughts. Tip one- The instructions say to glue the mounts to the wagon with epoxy, and mean exactly that. You need a good strong bond or the coupler can come off when used. HOWEVER I strongly suggest you do the first two or three with something you can pull apart more easily as you will want to adjust the position from the default. Go to epoxy as soon as you are happy you know how far back you want to mount the pocket. This was the first pair of couplers I did- using the gauge supplied to mount the pocket exactly where the instructions said. Note how far apart the wagons are. For comparison the unconverted ends of the same wagons. Hence the epoxy comment- these have now been dismantled again (superglue doesn't stick the pocket to the wagon very well and is easily removed) Here's one I got wrong earlier- both these wagons have couplers that are too long- I think the shorter one is shorter than spec but it might be the longer one is too far out.. Tip two is this- If you are hamfisted like me don't use a knife to take the old coupler pocket off- the buffers will stand a much higher chance of surviving if you use side cutters for this job. this then allows you to knock the buffers off filing the floor flat just like I'm still managing one time in three........ I'm documenting progress in getting the wagon gap shorter on my Hawthorn Dene Colliery thread under layout topics in case anyone is interested enough to look. Each time I set one pair a bit further back it will be tested to see that it will safely propel round the 9" hidden curves on the colliery section. Fortunately I've a couple of very tatty Farish 7-plank wagons missing a coupler box after being dropped. These will be converted into coal carts to allow me to avoid doing some of the engines..... Hope this lot helps wihout actually offending anyone. Les

Getting plastered..... Gud 'arternune..... Showing my name again- AB Tiddy from the Navy Lark. That gets played in the evenings to keep the room clear while I'm on eBay. Here it has been the usual diet of Meatloaf and Quo. Had to dive into town for more plaster- horror of horrors! Access Models had run out. Finally got two rolls from the local art shop. Added two tubes of oil paint as the green and yellow ochre tubes have almost gone. These cost me as much each as the 16-colour box from the Book Seller...... Back to plastering and forward of the colliery line is now finished except for the cutting front on the main line. Showing the bridge in situ and the wall below the colliery blacksmith above it. Wheelchair user's view through the bridge. A lot of cleaning up and detaling still to do but the angle of the bridge feels right. Tomorrow is a Rise Park day so the plaster and the oil paint surface of the road to the coal drops can have an undisturbed day to dry a bit. Also arrived today three packs of NEM boxes for fitting to Dapol hoppers. I've made up the first two but the gap between wagons is horrendous. Next is to try mounting another two further back- it will mean removing the entire coupling box from the wagon but that shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'll post pics of the coupling mounts when I get a satisfactory specing. Meanwhile I'd better get some work done in case anyone asks me to contribute to Richard III's carpark bill......... All the best Les

There IS an update... I've just remembered I've bought another pair of diesels, both secondhand from the German version of the deaded eSite.- Firstly an orange V100 type (West German this time) To go with it I've revisited a loco of my past, and managed to find an Arnold MaK 0-8-0 in werklok orange also. I had one of these a good number of years ago- it went to ContiKits with the rest of the set it came in, four tankers I seem to remember. These don't have faulty couplers, they're both Simplex fitted. This will allow cheapskate me to take the Dapol couplers off Furtwangen's stock for re-use on Hawthorn Dene (where I need 4 locos and about 30 hopper wagons fitted with them). The brewery can thus be shunted by the Simplex trio of these two and the yellow Arnold Henschel. Othe diesels can work any freight not shunting the brewery, and take a turn on the vintage passenger. The two new arrivals salute each other by the coal drops on Hawthorn Dene Colliery. Furtwangen Ost will be erected in about a month as I've got some work to do on the tram track at the top of the hill before Sheffield show in April. All the very best Les

Very many thanks- not a vast lot to update except that the article I sent to the N-Gauge Society Worldwide Area Group has appeared in the latest edition of "The Globe". All the very best Les

6 days of marking exams .... and not a lot done. However I've been taking the odd half-hour off and applying small areas of paint or polyfilla. The underbridge is ready to glue in place, which means I can put the formers in and make the slopes in front of it. More pics later.... All the very best Les

Week Four post 2 of 2 Evening all...... So, what had Trevor been up to in the two weeks since we last met? 1. The ladies waiting room is now finished. 2. The ticket office that isits on the platform between the staircase foot and the waiting room is complete 3. The staircase has had one wall and the ends mocked up as a trial fit on the platform. Trying this one out has helped decide the dimensions for the final version- which will be about 2/3 of the height and a little narrower to fit the spaces. As if this isn't enough he also produced the first mock-up of the brewery front- .... this one, though the mockup escaped the camera, and he produced the finished version of the signal cabin. The current plan is that the brewery model will be half-relief at the back just to the left of where the Top Valley board sits. Time to do some work, Les

Week Four post one Evening all.. A short week this time as we needed some rolling stock to test clearances. Much of the day spent moving the platform backwards and forwards to check the angle and work out excactly where it would best sit to get a decent flow round both sides. This can be done by CAD but needs to be confirmed visually to work best. This shows the start position. The platform is scale length and scale width for the ome at Rothley, but will become a little smaller as things progress. Mapping where the main line turns off the closed line at about the meeting point of the centre board and the Top Valley board. The straight timber follows the lifted line into the tunnel while the track is juggled to get an acceptable main line curve. Total tracklaying today- two lengths of the up line and about 12 inches of the down, with the position for the turnout into the goods loop finalised and the hole for the motor pin drilled out. Additionally the fiddleyard tracks were gapped at the second board join, the positions for the drop wires feeding the fiddleyard marked and about half the holes drilled before the battery on the drill gave out. The copperclad for the baseboard joins at the front was also laid and is curing before week five. Time to feed the cat- pics of building progress to follow... Les

Week Three didn't happen... Evening all. Too much snow on the track up to the clubroom, and none of us posesses a 4X4. In the meantime I've been marking exams and Trevor has been building. No doubt some goodies tomorrow for us to look at. Just to prove there is actually a track plan and wiring diagram in existence. There is also a spreadsheet with the different connections listed and colour coded, ready to be ticked off when they are actually wired in. Idea nicked from Mr Simon- no idea who he nicked it from..... The droppers from each board are going to tag strips purchased from BriMal Components of Hartlepool (usual disclaimer except I think there's a former pupil of mine involved....) Connections across the boards will be by SCART leads- we'll use flat ribbon types, short and heavy duty with gold-plated ends. All for now- no doubt more to follow after tomorrow- we're starting at 9am and working through to a convenient stop- planning and laying the front and doing some more droppers. All the very best Les

Quiet time Afternoon, all. So, 11 days gone since the last post, something must have happened? Apart from three snowy days in Manchester at an exam meeting and a fourth getting there, followed by 4 days so far marking, not a huge amount. However- I have been down to Access Models and bought two more packs of plaster bandage and done much of the slope work. The areas in front of and behind the coal drops have been shaped and the coal drops embedded in. This should give an idea of the gradient up the hill from the bridge. The drops are glued in place and the gaps around them are getting their first filling. Guess who forgot to tidy away a pencil and a length of Dapol box track rubber before taking the photos..... Another view of the WD passing the drops. The road surface still needs a coat of polyfilla to bring it level with the coal cells, then more paint and coal...... The track into the cells (or rather the second attempt at it- I found after wrecking the first one that I needed to cut away more of the embankment than I'd thought). This at least will make the line to the drops a lot more interesting when it is finsihed. Two more weeks of marking then I've about a month before I need to get Furtwangen on its trestles again to sort before Sheffield show. Should be time to get basic colouring and the droppers for the power a bit nearer done. More later.... All the best Les

Willing pupil Evening, all. While Geoff and Alf got on with the fiddle yard track Trevor continued to build the signalbox, with Jim as a willing pupil. Gapping track at board join. Last post showed me using my minidrill gapping the sleepers. There is a much more suitable cutter available for cutting the track at board joints- this one demonstrated by Alf cuts a much finer slit across the rail. I'm too hamfisted to be allowed to play with it..... By the end of week two the fiddle yard is all laid, though the second board joint needs gapping, and the first four drop wires have been put in as far as the tag boards. Time for bed.... Les

First job for me this week- gapping the copperclad. Evening, all The only problem with using copperclad to secure the track at the board edges is that you need to gap the copperclad to make sure that there is no way current can flow from one rail to the other- the only exceptions to that being tramways that use the overhead for the live and return through both rails, and steam or clockwork poered layouts. Just to prove I do some work other than chief teaboy, taking everyone's life into my hands with a minidrill and cutting disc. Lo and behold, before and after..... More later, work to do. All the very best Les

Start of Week Two.. Eveing all. I'm counting the weeks upwards from the start of us doing Tuesdays at the clubroom. This week all five of us managed to get there by 9.15am despite the snow, and we knocked off at about 3pm. In the meantime Geoff and Trevor had a field trip into Nottingham to find some suitable buildings. This is Trevor being photographed by Geoff taking pics of a building he fancies making. The building is the Hutchinson Prince of Wales Brewery, (now Murphys). To sum up how far we got last week here is the start of the fiddle yard fan at 9.15am. Trevor also produced the building that he started last week (see post 14 above), finished. His comment was "It's wrong". He'd intended to do the waiting room at Rothley but didn't look closely enough at the name at the top of the plan, and this is actually the waiting room from Brackley station. As the GCR built their stations from standard designs and Rise Park Station didn't exist, who would spot the difference? No doubt someone will post a reply saying exactly what the difference is - go on, I dare you.......... He also produced the start of Rothley signal box, or a box very similar to it.. Apparently it should be green as the prototype has been green as long as the stationmaster can remember (about 70 years, it seems). There will be a difference in the porch, and that is deliberate. More to follow when I've edited the pictures. Time for bed Les

That sounds as if the model will be more heavy duty than Nottinghamshire CLASP....... L

So, if Alf and Geoff were laying track, what were the rest of you doing? Evening all. Last Tuesday Jim was at work and didn't get (he'll be there tomorrow) and I was making the tea, taking photos and generally tidying up as my next job needs some track laid. Trevor was seated at a table making a start on the first building- the waiting room. Armed with a sheaf of photos taken at Rothley Station and a set of scale plans of actual GCR station buildings kindly provided by someone I'll credit later as I've forgotten his name. Here are the part-finished ends of the waiting room. All buildings will be made from plasticard apart from the toilet block on the station. This will sit across the board join and is to be removable. We'll use a Farish Scenecraft one for this as it is high risk for damage. There will be a spare one as well. Shame they're not 1:1 scale as the Bingham clubroom has no loos........ Almost time to feed the cat. Another session and some new photos tomorrow. Les

Snowy Monday- hibernating in the workshop. .....once the drive was cleared for the first time, that is. The plaster is well on the way to being dry so I've had a first go at adding a bit of colour to part of it- cheapo oil paints from Bookseller- recommended to me by Fred Hempsall. There will of course be a layer of scatter (or two) and there is a bridge, fencing and bushes etc to go on it, but the green makes an improvement in itself. I was thinking opf plastering the next section tomorrow, but that is a Rise Park working session, so it will have to wait until Wednesday. Exam marking starts on Friday (what a good time to go to Manchester for meetings) so not a lot will get done for the next month. Meanwhile I've put a balsa surface where much of the road surface is going to be. Pollyfilla here and there then plaster for the slope. While waiting for the paint and plaster to dry I've been attacking the "might work occasionally" box and discovered enough Peco Jubilee parts to make a complete loco. It has taken a bit of fettling but now runs adequately, and may yet improve. I thought it came with a green tender top but that hasn't surfaced yet. Lining and lettering this will keep me occupied for a while- the Hunt is waiting starting, the Cattistock plates are still on order from Modelmaster Jackson Evans. Plenty to do

More tracklaying details. Geoff is tinning each rail on the underside before soldering the rail to the copperclad at the board joins. The copperclad was also very carefully cleaned before being similarly tinned. Hopefully that results in a neat, flat join across the baseboard- or at least a sight flatter than I can manage. Another repeat from the Hawthorn Dene thread- the trailing points used at the fiddle yard exit. No moving parts- the blades are removed from the Peco point, the mechanism and spring are discarded, then the blade is cut short to allow flanges to pass behind it as well as over it. Once installed it takes a bit of fettling with a fine file to get the point smooth. The only down side to this system is that you can't reverse a train back into the fiddle yard if you send the wrong one out by mistake. On the other hand most derailments on Parnhams are caused by exit points being set incorrectly or by trying to revesre a train into the fiddle yard so it is no great loss........ More to follow Les

Simon You went to school in a building where the side panels were hung from the main frame- that's why there were places where you colud see out through the gaps in the walls...... There were, as you know, places where you could pass bits of paper through the wall from one classroom to the next- most internal walls were suspended from the ceiling. Just follow the prototype. All the very best....

Three new bookings. I've now had formal invitations for the following showss- Sheffield on 13th and 14th April 2013 Grantham on 31st August and 1st september 2013 Sileby on 15th and 16th February 2014. All the very best Les

Ten days of steady, if slow, progress. hello again. There may not have been any posts for the last ten days, but there has been a bit of work going on- and a lot of trains run while glue has been drying. Where to begin? Starting with the drops- the ground level round them is about done, with just edges to chamfer before the plaster layer goes down. In the meantime I've knocked a railing off (not the first time) so will have some repairs to make before finally seating them. Plastering the embankments started today- I've started with a comparatively easy bit as I've not done any in years- Furtwangen Ost doesn't have banks, only walls. Insulting tape over the track is easier to clean off than plaster (says he hopefully..) There is an overbridge to go in just before the hole in the backscene at this end. - this one At the colliery end there will be a conveyor passing over the line to take stone to the beach- I've abandoned the aerial ropeway as I can't get a convincing route that doesn't involve wires stopping at the baseboard edge....... The underbridge went in the bin- or at least the front of it did. I messed up the weathering on the brickwork. This is Mark II, where I part-weathered the brick plasticard first (acting on advice from Trevor Webster). The arch stones are still to be added, but I'll do some more of the weathering on the bridge first. This angle also shows up the different parapets. Looking up into the bridge the bricks are a lot darker inside the real thing, so my cocked-up weathering here won't be noticeable. Still a lot of work to do, but a bit more promising than the first try. Meanwhile the contours in the hollow behind the underbridge are starting to take shape. This can't really be finished until the bridge goes in because of the angles needed. Also tackled- the final one of the clockwise exit points has been stopping slow-moving trains. I had put it down to flangeway clearances but after fettling there has been no improvement. Yesterday I tried running one of Furwangen Ost's diesel fleet. This stopped repeatedly before reaching the blade. Re-doing the wire that transfers power to the frog made no difference- nor did making sure the track is spotless. I've soldered a jump lead across the point, which should sort it all being well. It lands in the departure road at a point that has to be permanently live anyway- i.e. between the point and the fiddle yard dead section. Once the track is vacuumed and cleaned tomorrow I'll see if it has made a difference. Almost tea time..... Les

Many thanks for that, David- much appreciated. Three details from the last photo- The board edge is black- we've had to put a plastic edging on it as on this side the ply was splitting a little as a result of the saw cut. Oddly enough I've not suffered this on Hawthorn Dene, I must have got a better quality sheet, though mine is 3.6mm rather than the 6mm here. The white either side of the board join is 20 thou plasticard. The copperclad is the right thickness for Code 55 track, but we're using Code 80 so it needs raising a little to avoid getting humps at the board join. There will still be a very slight undulation in the fiddle yard but less than the gradient caused by the slope on most exhibition hall floors. In the past we've worked out that getting a layout flat across joints at exhibitions is more important than getting it absolutely level- we never have locos running at their adhesion limit. The layout behind Alf belongs to another BMRC group - the Thursday N-gauge crowd. This is Ashtown, which the club was given as bare boards with track, and which has now been wired to a new control panel at the back and is ready for scenioc work. And so back to bed.... All the very best Les PS one of the pairs of glasses in post #9 is now in use......

Evening, all. Building the Fiddle Yard Tuesday this last week involved laying plain track in the fiddle yard, staring at the Rise Park end. Alf checks alignment ready to pin another length down. The length of white plastic is the between-track gauge. The wiring diagram was more-or-less completed before any track was laid. On the front of the layout droppers will be soldered to rail undersides before the track is pinned down. On the hidden parts and in the fiddle yard the droppers will be soldered to the rail sides. More later Les

To use an electromagnet you would need one developed for the Microtrains system. Does one exist? Les

Fiddle Yard continued... this plan is also repeated from the Hawthorn Dene Colliery thread. It shows the long-short arrangement for each fiddleyard road. Every road is divided into two sections. The one nearest the exit is kept short- in this case two Pacifics long (not that LNER Pacifics were allowed to double-head, the only train that involved that had a special dispensation to do so as a means of getting a Pacific from York to Doncaster without using up a light engine path). The capacity of each road is the total length of the two trains in it- which can be a long one and a short one, or two medium sized ones. The front train is held with its loco in the short section, and the rear one is pulled up close behind it. This is the system we have been using on Trevor's layout "Parnhams" layout for a few years, mostly successfully. The downside is that the motive power of the two trains in each road has to be matched for speed- so that the second can move up as the first moves out, and preferably before it emerges into view of the paying punters out front. Quiz Time... Which of the group (an engineer) has two pairs of glasses to wear when modelling (not usually simultaneously) and is said by the rest of the gang to need a third pair to find the others when he puts them down? Answer will be revealed (or not) in good time.