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Theakerr

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Posts posted by Theakerr

  1. Tony et al,  for locos that have smoke deflectors, do you take them off before painting?  Curious, because on occasion I have 'damaged' the loco by taking them off for painting and refitting them afterwards on the assumption that if i left them on it would be impossible to fully paint behind them.   Now, I do not fit them until the loco is painted.

  2. 1 hour ago, thegreenhowards said:

    I’ve had one like that which I bought off ebay. It also took me a while to figure out what was wrong!
     

    Even weirder, I bought one loco which was correctly fitted with live drivers on one side, but the builder had also put pick ups to all the wheels including the live ones. Why?!!!

    Because it self centers the wheels.

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    • Interesting/Thought-provoking 1
  3. I have to go back a number of years so bear with me.  As I remember a friend had a similar problem with some Hornby coaches (not Pullmans)  and as I remember I had to file away the centre of the coach running plate.  In case I am not using the correct word the body directly under the corridor connection.  After much searching we found that under some conditions the top of the coupling mounting plate would just catch on the body.  We found it by turning the coach upside down and trying to rotate the bogie 'smoothly' whilst gently pressing on the outer (coupling) side of the bogie.  you could just feel it catch.  I might even have a picture somewhere.  As a matter of interest I have replaced the coupling on all coaches that pull directly through the bogie so that the load is transmitted through the body leaving the bogies free to rotate as required.

  4. I sit the model in a bath of super saturated TSP (Tri Sodium Phosphate) and wash off with water.  I also use Canadian Tire primer in a spray can, but the brown one as it seems to fill minor blemishes batter than the silver primer.  For black surfaces I have just started using Rust-Oleum matt black primer out of a spray can and am rather happy with it. 

  5. With reference to Tony's comment about the grub screw on a DJH gearbox, I would mention for anyone who should decide to purchase one as a result of the recent posts or whatever to be VERY VERY careful of said grubscrew.  On my last purchase,  I could only manage about 1.5 turns when trying to tighten said grub screw into the gear and managed to strip the threads.  And, yes I did have a flattened section on the axle.  Upon examination it turned out that the point on the end of the grub screw was very long, such that it prevented the grub screw from going very far into the gear.  After some very careful filing of the point and some very careful refitting of the grub screw as well as making an extension to the threaded section using a two part epoxy with Al particles, i have made it work.  I did send an e-mail to DJH but did not get a response.

    Over the years I have purchased many DJH gearboxes because they are so simple to use and they simply work first time.  Apart from the problem referenced above i have only ever had one other problem when a bearing came lose.  I was able to solve that problem. with superglue without having to dismantle the loco.

    • Thanks 1
  6. I am more than a little curious about other peoples experience making articulated (Jointed) con rods.  Until yesterday  I have always made my con rods as a single unit and always have had to play around to achieve a smooth running chassis.  Yesterday I made my first set of articulated con rods and there was virtually no fine tuning.  It could just be luck but on thinking about it I have reached the conclusion that articulated con rods will be easier to tune because there are only 2 holes (on an 0-6-0) that have to be tuned, albeit twice, compared with the three for a fixed set of rods. 

    • Interesting/Thought-provoking 1
  7. I would stick with the code 83.  Once painted it will look pretty good.  As you are just starting I would avoid the new Peco Code 75 bullhead, it does look very nice but it is rather delicate.  I use Code 100 but only because when I started that was about all that was available here in the GWN.  However, I have upgraded the wheels of all my rolling stock and as a result have had to use code 75 slips and double slips because the improved wheels would come off in the Code 100 slips

    • Informative/Useful 1
  8. On 06/09/2021 at 07:53, Compound2632 said:

     

    If representing a lead-based grey paint, then the ex-works colour and anything darker, through to virtually black, depending on the length of exposure to atmospheric pollutants. I don't know about the behaviour of the non-lead-based paints in use from the 30s.

    For my wagons that will be weathered I use Tamiya German Grey

    • Informative/Useful 1
  9. On 26/08/2021 at 02:58, TEAMYAKIMA said:

     

    That's very interesting. I've never heard of hall sensors.

     

    You say that they are pole sensitive - can you get two types, + sensitive and - sensitive? That might do the trick for me.

     

    Can do it with the magnets as someone said but you can also do by by turning the sensor through 180.  They are very useful in that you can set the sensor up so that it is south pole activated but all other magnet sensors are north pole activated - reed switches don't care which pole attracts them.  Thus, all sensors are activated if the magnets has their south pole facing the sensor but all except the hall sensor are activated if the magnet poles are set with the north pole down.   I have also been playing with latching relays so that not all sensors are active at any one time.  There are potentially an infinite number of combinations of on/off permutations and latching relays (as well as hall sensors) are dirt cheap from Ali express.

  10. I have given up on IR sensors because of their un-reliability and unpredictability and have gone to hall sensors.  However, since you dont want to use magnets so they are not appropriate although it may be possible to do something since Hall sensors are pole sensitive..   I also identified a problem with overhead lighting and the problem did improve when I went to a monocromatic LED.  Did not completely go away though.  Fluorescent lights can be a problem in that unless they are really good quality the temperature can change over relatively short time periods.    It might be worth purchasing some good quality LED monochromatic 'fluorescent' strips.   A friend is using IR-Dots with some success, but  he put a 'tunnel i.e. a black straw' over each LED and adjusted the height so that external light was minimized but it was a pain.   If you are prepared to introduce an Arduino it might be possible to use a radar proximity sensor. 

  11. I have stopped using e-Bay as anything more than a source of reference.   Living where I do, 90% of what I used to buy is located outside the country and found that all the extra costs added to get it into Canada were often more than the item and always way out of line.  Same for amazon

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  12. If I were doing this I would go back to 1st principles.  First, I would decide that I am going to use cab control.  Then I would decide how many cabs - I think you will need at least 4.  Decide which is up and which is down.  Next is to divide the layout into blocks such that each block is physically independent of each other.  Note: you can use multiple blocks to achieve continuous running through the reverse loop.  For example I see the loco yard as one block,  The green and orange is possibly 4 blocks.  A quick look says a redesign of the terminus may be necessary.  It will take a bit on mental doodling time but I think at first glance you can do everything you want

    • Thanks 1
  13. I have built about 90% of my signals (00) using Ratio signal kits.  The 90% refers not to the number on my layout but the % of the kit used.  Specifically, all counterweights and L angle brackets have been replaced with metal ones from Wizzard models.   The plastic ones just did not stand up.  Because I do not use DCC I have used Megapoints servo boards.  Economical and easy to use.   I have recently used a new micro servo with a footprint about 1/2 the size of a RC90 (derekm see your thread) therefore much easier to install as a total unit (signal + servo) and for my signals they work more than adequately

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