richbrummitt

Taken by iPhone, which speaks to me in Australian. Thanks. I cleaned the track this morning and shuffled a handful of wagons around with a loco. One partial derailment due to a track issue but a good fun, and useful to find a problem now.

I think you are lucky: Stock level was three when I looked.

None of the vent protrusions on the Lima horsebox are the right shape so you could say they are all surplus! The body itself is a good representation of the prototype though the ends leave some to be desired. I’ve reworked two (featured on the great western modelling website) and have built replacement etched chassis for several more. They will each have a new roof rather than trying to use the thick Lima one. On the carriages @checkrailis working up would the vents/lamps have been removed at some point in the vehicle’s life when upgraded or never fitted? I raise the question because in the former case some witness of a blanking plate might be appropriate…

15 minutes effort and the test engine can traverse all the switch and crossing work. Better than waiting months for the motivation to return. Now two wires and that section of track I added to the right hand end of the picture can be active and allow some proper play testing to be undertaken.

I just need to know one thing; where they are… Stop your grinning and drop your linen: Found ‘em. At least I think I have. You might just be able to spot it in the picture above. An actuation rod is protruding too far and fouling the rail. Continued prodding with a continuity tester suggests it is resolved now I’ve given it a trim. To get back to where I hoped I was I have: One servo mount to align, One servo to reunite with aforementioned mount, A couple of wires (needlessly severed as it turns out) to rejoin and a microswitch to attach. If that is all I can be feeling happy with that.

Being small there are no connectors to separate out sections of track. All the joints are soldered so it could be a wire cutter/soldering iron job. The copper whisker would have had to have grown or moved. All the copperclad work was carefully checked for correct isolation before and after installation. I may take you up on the offer of a second pair of eyes. Good theories. I haven’t added any wiring. I did remove the connection to the crossing (frog) on the main but it made no difference. I could be wrong but I don’t believe it is either of the microswitches. I’ll double check. I hadn’t thought to check if anything underneath has potential that shouldn’t. That is an easy thing to do without disturbing anything.

Some head scratching later and I don’t know what is causing the short. All was working happily before I fitted the final two servos for the catch points in the yard. I’d tested with the other two servos fitted previously. Short circuit exists at the main feed before the toe of the switch for access to the sidings when that switch is set for the through route. I’m not electrically minded. Where do I start with trying to resolve this whilst minimising the damage to what I’ve achieved?

I just know the one that would go would be the worst one to replace. It was always the way in a model boat - the rudder would give out and you’d be pulling the rear deck up if you didn’t make allowances for it. It might take 13yr to get this layout to a presentable state! When I last tried to use a layout with point motors on it after 5 years of storage the majority did not work.

Eventually the motivation returned. What took so long? Well, I wasn’t sure how to continue: Where all the servo mounts lined up and there were two right on top of each other it was not possible to (re)fit the servos without removing the whole of one the mounts. Terrible for maintenance because I expect there will be a servo death. I had purchased some low profile v.2 and omni mounts from ‘Mr Dingo’ for what Meeth might become. The answer became straightforward when I got stuck back in. Replacing one of the mounts with a low profile v.2 suitably hacked about (as I had for a previous mount because those 2 catches are atop one another) and enough screws are easily accessible that it is possible to replace a servo without disturbing any surrounding mounts. The middle one is the low profile v.2. Mounted horizontally under the layout the screws that hold the servo are easier to access. It looks the same from the top. Testing with a recent - way out of period - purchase revealed a short circuit when the first turnout is set for the through route. It could be the microswitch for crossing polarity. I hope it is something simple such as that. There are a couple of connections both permanent and temporary to make and once both those things are sorted more testing. I’m looking forward to playing trains again.

I’ve machined gearboxes with two stage reduction. It’s challenging to have cheeks both sides and keep the worm anything like in the middle of the chassis using 2mmSA gears. This is clear when you look at the drawing reproduced in the standards section on the website, and in the yearbooks of old, of a two stage reduction. There is not much space for material of any thickness on the side with the spur gears due to the face width. Unless you make sure the gearbox is insulated somehow you can only attach to one side of the chassis anyhow, else you compromise the electrical isolation. The final driven muff is missing in the above pictures. What the 2mmSA gearbox product does well is provide a way to achieve the worm to worm gear alignment /mesh. This is something that as a newcomer to chassis construction 20 years ago I would have used. It’s easier if it fits. Tank engines could be problematic but it should work in situations where the motor can be in the tender.

If you have the heights at the centre and the eaves I believe that would constrain the ? dimension.

hasn't everyone?

Are the stakes(?) on an MR bolster normally vertical when unloaded? If so those poles seem to be causing deflection that I’ve not seen represented on models.

Definitely. Thank you for posting up. This one was of particular interest; I’ve been racking my brains on and off for a couple of years how to fashion the smoke box saddle for a 28xx. Using a much larger piece of hex bar makes sense because holding small awkward shapes is so challenging. It’s a lot of material for such a small component but in the grand scheme of things it’s such a small scale that it’s not a lot of material overall.

You do. I don’t. There is no u / f drawing there. I don’t remember where I found the one I had.

It’s the annual (not any of the individual mags from that year) that has the GWR coach article in it. Should only cost a few quid for a serviceable copy.

Model railway constructor annual 1981 iirc. (I checked and I don’t)

Me too. I started building a whole train worth (about 20) 2 years ago. So far about 5 are almost ready to paint. The others are just bodies at the moment. There’s a definitely a limit on how many items can be in a batch build (I suspect based on complexity) before it will become a slog at some point.

Stephen did a range of freight bogies for the association. There was an article on them in the mag when they were launched. The hole in the stretcher fits over brass drive bushes from shop 3.

Unless it is acceptable for both levers to move: The exception that proves your ‘rule’ being the DC brake.

No lining makes sense to me. What with the after effects of the war, economic depression, and strikes that followed in the 20s it was a difficult time for many companies.

I think end lettering was dropped after lime as a disinfectant was prohibited. The W1 obscured by the tender appears to have no lettering at all. My guess is still very early C20 but after 1904. How long did 200 last, and a tender such as here; coal rails without infill? Interested to know if @Craigwhas a date with the image as per your Q.

Was it a curved brake lever or has it been distorted by use? Date is after the introduction of large GW because the W2 has them on the end, however the next vehicle must still have the small G.W.R. (too many dots?). The large GW on the sides of the W2 are seen in the photo beneath the lime wash on the sides! I’m wondering how much I can save on transfers by employing a similar colouring scheme…

Thank you for your informed reply to previous posters. I’m curious to know more about your warping and distortion comments: I’ve almost always printed with a raft and had convinced myself that the distortion occurred when removing the print from the build plate prior to curing, to the extent that I’ve previously completed some prints by curing whilst still on the build plate. Recently I have seen an increase in distortion in my first layers of part that I have been unable to eliminate with stronger supports. Note the sag/bend in the louvres towards the corners. I’m wondering if this is to do with the cold and am interested to know your thoughts. Is your warp/distortion similar?

For anyone else that acquired wagons from Andy some but not all of the instructions are available on http://www.jimmcgeown.com/ I found those for the Loriot and Hydra, but not a Crocodile, on there.