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Inspired by Brent June 1947


The Fatadder
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Time for another attempt at the slip, while looking for a box earlier I found a batch of thicker tortoise rod (I think from

memory this is 1.2mm, but it may be thicker still.  In the below photo the bottom is the standard Tortoise wire, the top is 0.8mm (as per Colbolts) and the lose wire into the middle is the thick stuff.   The plan is to make up a wire this week and see if it works, it is a lot stiffer so I think there’s a good chance of success...D3340A55-60B6-40B8-9C87-C26360F7B443.jpeg.ab954a540a2e26253c8c0d77e26fd3cf.jpeg

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5 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

Time for another attempt at the slip, while looking for a box earlier I found a batch of thicker tortoise rod (I think from

memory this is 1.2mm, but it may be thicker still.  In the below photo the bottom is the standard Tortoise wire, the top is 0.8mm (as per Colbolts) and the lose wire into the middle is the thick stuff.   The plan is to make up a wire this week and see if it works, it is a lot stiffer so I think there’s a good chance of success...D3340A55-60B6-40B8-9C87-C26360F7B443.jpeg.ab954a540a2e26253c8c0d77e26fd3cf.jpeg

Rich, you can adjust the position of the fulcrum bar too. Moving it as far away from the throw bar as possible while still having enough throw to move the blades fully will increase the force at the tiebar (in fact, have you tried this without the thicker wire?)..

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9 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Rich, you can adjust the position of the fulcrum bar too. Moving it as far away from the throw bar as possible while still having enough throw to move the blades fully will increase the force at the tiebar (in fact, have you tried this without the thicker wire?)..

I can never remember which applies the greater force (as ever the only thing I can really remember from my Engineering degree is CAD...)  So I normally end up trying it in both positions to see which works best, once I re drill the motor that has the thin wire to accept the beefy one  I will make sure the fulcrum is returned to the other position.  

Fingers crossed this will solve the issues without having to undertake more major work,  If not I think the next job will be unsoldering the tiebar and adding droppers to the switch blades 

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 While the pressures of an exhibition deadline have pushed my focus onto my 1998 layout, yesterday I had to place an order for some replacement doors for a Class 56 rebuild I am working on.  I try to combine purchases to minimise postage as much as possible, so seeing as I was ordering from Peter's Spares it made sense to add some more parts on while I was at it.

 

So I now have a set of Hornby wheels for a 38xx along with a new set of rods.   I needed the rods as that pack also includes the crank pins (however it is going to make my life easier as the existing rods had been sleeved down to fit Gibson crankpins.)

 

So the plan is to rewheel the loco back to OO, the body is missing the boiler support bracket (which arrived damaged with half of the part missing).  I need to try and work out where the half part is before attempting to scratch build a replacement. The loco will then get a respray into wartime black.   

Tender wise, I have a suitable tender from Hornby which was intended to be used with the long term Saint project.  However given that is not a core loco, the plan has slightly changed in that now I will repaint that tender and finish off the Wills tender (shown) to eventually run with the Saint.

 

It will no doubt take a while to get the loco fully commissioned, seeing as the WD, oil burning 48xx, and pair of heavy tanks are already fully running, and the 28xx is decoder fitted ready to go.  However it will eventually add some interesting variation to the fleet (and for an outlay of £18 less whatever I get back selling the P4 wheels) it should be a good little project. 

 

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The frames have now been narrowed back to OO width and repainted in dirty black (I took the opportunity to paint the new wheels while I was at it).  This was followed by fitting the new con rods and reassembling the loco. 
 

Before resoldering the wires to the motor I thought I would give it a quick test, which highlighted very uneven running.   So the wheels were removed, and the knocking continued.  Eventually after removing the motor and stripping down the gear box I traced it to a split main gear.  Fortunately five minute on eBay and I had found a replacement, although the spend on the project has now risen to £23 it seemed a lot simpler to replace than attempting to fix it.

 

I am still missing a wheel for the pony truck, but as I’d rather use a Gibson wheel for it I don’t mind waiting.

 

The Gibson P4 wheelset (complete with Hornby bearings / drive gear and a full set of rods) are now on the classifieds.

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Last night I managed some good progress on the 2884, adding the missing boiler support from plasticard and fitting the new gear.  However this loco Isn’t through with me yet, it now looks like the motor is also a dud.  When you apply power (with motor removed from the gearbox) it spins up to full power then gradually slows back to a stop (despite full power still applied).  I’m assuming there is no solution other than a new motor.  The odd thing is I don’t recall this issue being there when I was resting previously (unless I didn’t leave it on long enough to see the slowing of speed)

 

testing with another motor on the same power supply confirmed the power is ok.

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Just gave it another test between calls, either the plate which hold the motor in place was too tight or the oil I applied loosened something inside the motor.  Either way, it’s now running perfectly.

 

so now I just need I confirm if it should have windows or not then I can paint….

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Success!!!!!

 

the first half of the Kingsbridge slip now has a working point motor!  It looks a bit messy (as I ended up with a solid bar linking the two tiebars as part of my last attempt at fixing) but I fitted a 1.2mm diameter drive rod to a Tortoise tonight, installed on the slip and it switches in both directions.   I have prepped another, but it was so warm in the garage I couldn’t manage any longer.

 

the 2884 is also now painted in black, I decided in the end I just wasn’t going to get the finish I wanted filling the window without a new side.   So I just sprayed it black, the tender will follow tomorrow.  
if a photo of 3863 in 1947  appears

which shows it should still have no windows (or that it was green) the I will remove the numbers and change for another that was black with windows in late 47.

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The other end of the slip is now fitted up and working, I think I will probably park it there for now as it still needs two more motors fitting, all of the check rails and the wiring.  All jobs better suited for cooler weather!

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The tender for 3863 was sprayed black at lunch today, so it is now ready for transfers and weathering before finishing with a coat of mat varnish.   The tender will need a little more work (its missing a handrail and the loco to tender coupling).  The latter will need to be cobbled together from some brass strip (unless I can find one in the scrap box left from my Manor build.)

 

Through some more research last night I have managed to find a photo of a wartime build 2884 which had gained windows in '47, there is also a record of the loco being in Swindon works for attention in 1946 and again in 1948.  While I cant say for certain without photographic evidence, I am assuming it would have gained windows in the 46 visit but not a heavy overhaul which would have happened in 48.   So I am fairly confident that wartime black with windows is correct for October 47.

 

 

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It has been a while since I last did any work on the layout, the usual summer loss of interest hit hard (coupled with a need to work on getting Wheal Imogen ready for Lydd Rail early next month.)   Having failed to book a slot in the gym this morning I took advantage of an extra hour before work to get out in the garage before it has warmed up too much and do a little on Brent.

 

There are lots of jobs outstanding, most of which can be worked on fairly easily (the goods shed kit still needs a little development work and the need to source more plasticard for the station building are the only limiting factors.

 

In the end I decided to get on with some long overdue work on the platforms, with the down platform now fitted with the edge stones along with the slabs on the ramp at the London end.  All being well I will try and get out again at lunch and finish the job.  

 

In order to do this I need to get the branch starter signal working, this was kindly supplied by @checkrail with one half of the signal not working.  The plan is to install the Dapol base (which will control the left hand signal and the lights power), solder a linkage to the right hand signal which in turn will be linked to a Colbolt motor fitted under the baseboard.  This linkage will naturally need to be fitted inside the platform.  To that end there has always been a 2 square inch section of platform surface which had never been fitted.  So today this was cut to fit the signal and placed in position in the platform.  the plan is to hopefully keep this part semi removeable so that I can get access to the signal in the future should the need arise. 

 Of course all of this work to the signal needs to be done before I can really finish the platform (and once the linkage is fitted the signal is no longer removeable from the layout.  This will complicate the eventual fitting of the point rodding, however I see no way round it as the rodding is pretty much the last job on the plan for the layout.

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Edited by The Fatadder
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A little more progress at lunch, with the rest of the edging applied to the platform (along with the first two lengths of the surface.  Still a long way to go (particularly a need to mark out the exact outline of the signal box and waiting room which have not yet been built to ensure the slaps are cut to fit.)

 

So attention was turned to the signal, the aim being to work out exactly what I am going to do.  I fitted the Dapol control box and then looked at the clearances.  Unfortunately it looks like I have added the extra hole in the baseboard for the second linkage on the wrong side of the signal (so the Dapol controlbox is mounted below the hole!)  However the motor mounted perpendicular to the track leaves the actuator arm neatly fitting between the  baseboard and the control box.

 

This leaves the question, how do you attach the Cobalt actuator arm to the signal.

 

I have two thoughts, the first is to solder an L shaped  brass bracket onto the existing signal actuator rod, at the other end of this arm would be a hole into which a wire (with an omega loop) which would connect between the signal and the cobalt.

 

The other option (which is slightly more destructive), is to completely remove the Dapol wire and replace with a long length of steel rod of an appropriate diameter.  This would be formed with all the bends etc to link the signal and motor, so forming the angles will be a little more involved.  I think I will probably try option 1 first and see how it gets on, though fitting the motor in position will be  the first challenge as access is very restricted (by a baseboard crossmember, the control box and a couple of point motors.) 

 

 

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Another hours work and the rest of the slabs are in place.  Some trimming may be required to fit the exact footprint of the buildings, but at least the layout is showing some progress! 
now time for the signal, with the first job fitting the motor in to one of the most inaccessible locations under the layout.

 

(which of course means I will get side tracked and do some plaster work instead 

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Unsurprisingly I went for the plaster option 

so the bank along the front of the layout is now plastered.   I am aiming to get to Hobbycraft tomorrow to buy some 2mm foam sheet which will progress the yard a little further (although it can’t be completed until the goods shed arrives).

 

 

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Another step forward, the platform is now fully painted.   There were unfortunately a lot of issues with the masking, I used ‘normal’ masking tape rather than tamyia (given here was something like 15 feet of masking to do).  Net result was lot of paint bleeding under it which needed to be corrected.  
 

the next length of 2mm foam was also glued in place in the yard.  This leaves a gap a few mm wide between it and the ballast which needs filling with filler before covering the whole area with ash (blending into the ballast).  A part of me really wants to get on with this next step, but I think I’m all honesty it’s best off waiting until the goods shed arrives. 
 

So I think  the next job will be adding the ash surface to the platforms.  
 

I have also now got to the point where I have to do something about the bridge at the London end, which is proving a real limiting factor preventing grass work on the bank at the rear and the slope down to the cattle dock..

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Fairly sure I know the answer already, but will ask for advice anyway.

 

I need to put a crossing across a siding in the yard which will allow access to the goods shed / main part of the yard from Station Road.   Due to the compression the layout went through, the location of the shed vs the points are much closer together which means I can’t follow the prototype alignment.

 

It crosses the siding at an angle (in order to get the ‘through’ road as far away from the shed as possible.

 

I am trying to determine if this would be a simple case of the gravel/ash yard surface piled up level to the rail head, or a more substantial timber infill between the tracks.  I suspect the former, but having used some scrap timber plastic to make the infill I want to check before I add any finishing onto the top 

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A little more progress at lunchtime today, with the ash surface added to the platform top along with filling the gap between the lower siding and the (to be fitted) retaining wall along the front of the layout.  All being well the glue should have fully cured by this evening so I can get the hoover out and finish it off.  Even in a rough state (with an unequal layer of ash) it makes a huge difference to the look of the station getting rid of the white.

 

I also took the opportunity to measure the height from top of rail to underside of the footbridge.  Per the drawing on the Scale Link website this should work out at 60mm, whereas mine is at 73mm.  This is not an easy fix, it would need to be cut about half way through the final panel on the steps to sufficiently reduce the height.  So my original thought of just cutting a section off to reduce the height wont work as it will leave the side profile imbalanced.  So I think the only solution is going to be building a new bridge eventually.

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Delivery from Derails this morning containing another pack of tree parts and some GWR wrought iron fence.  Looking at photos it seems that the gate to the platform was wooden, the fence from the footbridge towards Plymouth iron and the fence towards London I have seen photos

of an iron fence and a wooden one. 
 

so for the sake of simplicity (given I have angled wooden fence but not iron) the London side will be wood and the Plymouth iron.  The final 8 inches or so will be hedge/bushes dealing with the shoestring incline on that side.

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so with that decided the fence has all been painted and glued into position, it will of course still need some weathering!  Once weathered there are a few areas where the ground cover drops away from the base of the fence which will be infilled with undergrowth/bushes.  

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the first 3 trees have now been prepped, gluing rubberised horse hair onto the woodland scenics base.  I need to get another 3 prepared before adding the leaves, which will give me enough to finish off the river scene. 

 

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The next 4 trees hopefully will get some leaves added sometime this week, the stumbling point being time.  Thanks to some idiot parent sending their child to school for sports day straight after doing a covid test which came back positive, I have my eldest at home this week in isolation.  
knock on effect is I no longer have any time!

 

I did manage to take this photo of the platform last night, the flower beds are glued placed in position (and are a little larger than I would like), so I am thinking about making a new base and cutting the “ flowers” off to relocate them.

 

(the two signals sat on the platform were broken when working close by and knocked them off their bases.)

 

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This area is slowly approaching the point of allowing a “finished” view, although you would need to crop out the white plaster on the bank to the east of the station building (and the screw driver in the foreground).  It certainly highlights where more work is needed adding ground cover to blend in the base of the station fence.

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A little work on Brent through my lunch brake today, 

First up some minor repairs, while hoovering up the excess ash from the platform work it also ended up lifting the ballast in a few areas (presumably not enough Klear had been used)  It was a quick fix with some more ballast (although getting the Klear open took far longer than actually making the repair.)

 

Next up was back to the trees, adding some leaves to the 4 trees that had been prepared over the past few days before gluing them into position.  (As ever some Lima ballast weights have been used to hold them in position while the glue dries.)   There are going to be 4 more added over the next few days  (one either side of the path down to the river, one on the backscene joint in the rear right field and one in the corner where the road down to the station meets vicarage road.)

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the red marks show where 3 of the next batch of trees will be located 

 

 

Next up I think I am going to make a start on designing the bridge for the London end, which is the real blocking point for getting on with adding the ground covering

 

Edited by The Fatadder
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A quick check of the layout this morning, all of the trees have thankfully stayed in position once the supporting weights were removed.  In the longer term I plan on a gradual improvement in this area, replacing the woodland scenics trees with more detailed scratch built examples as I learn to build better trees.  Speaking of which, I found a packet of florist's wire  in my parents shed a few weeks ago which I had bought many years ago for tree building.  Having wound it into an approximate tree shape, this morning I gave it a first coat of plaster.  Will hopefully have some paint on it this evening and see how its come out relative to the Woodland Scenics examples.   In addition I am awaiting an order from WWScenics, which will contain some part for the hedges, sea grass bits for more tree making and some cows to finish off one of the fields.  (As an aside I can't decide if the cattle dock will look better permanently full of cows or permanently empty...)

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Here is 7250 emerging from the trees as it crosses the Avon with a Plymouth bound freight. 
 

I am also awaiting some parts which should allow me to build the bridge at the London end of the layout, which in turn will allow me to get on with scenic work along the majority of the layout.   With that out the way the last blocker is going to be waiting for the Goods Shed (which hopefully won’t be far away)

 

Edit: here is the tree, needs a little more work before starting on the painting B22DE2EB-2594-43EA-A740-D553B5FAE94A.jpeg.21aa8d3fdb8ac716f6a39804b8553132.jpeg

Edited by The Fatadder
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A little more work on the down waiting room, red is 10 thou, white 20thou and blue is 20thou cut once to score on the timber details.  
The main remaining work is to check the ends have been narrowed enough to compensate for the thickness of the plastic on the sides (the innermost side sheet needs narrowing to reset in the ends)

 

I also need to verify the size of the partitions and ceiling, Then the bulk of the buildings my can be cut.  I think with this one I need to work slightly differently, prepainting the different layers before gluing (else the wooden framing will be a nightmare to do)

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The roof / canopy still needs a fair bit more design work, but the priority is to get the basic structure together on the platform rather than the rough card mock-up that’s currently in place.  That said it’s probably a couple of weeks away from being cut, mostly due to the imminent arrival of the bridge.  (Also  likely delayed further by this arrival from Worsley Works).

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Edited by The Fatadder
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Not worked out a solution to the D42 roof yet.  I think it’s going to be a case of finding someone who would be prepared to help me out by rolling one from brass.

 

however I have also had a delivery, and now have all I need to make a bridge.

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it needs cutting on the purple lines to square off the ends, adding the wall along the inside. Add a new surface to the deck, and add the beams under the deck 

All in a couple of evenings work, can’t wait to get it in place.

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