Deliberately Old-Fashioned 0 Scale - Chapter 1

[Nearholmer]

Yes, I spotted that too, on looking at the photo again.

 

I always thought they were annoying things, because whatever you wanted was always at the bottom, under loads of other stuff.

 

My favoured bag as an early-teen was an old gas-mask one, and I had an ancient, and hugely outsized saddle-bag that I got from a jumble sale on my bike. The latter would take lunch, drink, flappy orange (not very) rainproof thing, notebooks, camera, etc, and still have to room spare. It was eventually scrapped after I managed to spill a pint of milk in it and it became so stinky that my bike wasn't even allowed in the porch where I usually stabled it.  I was a right scruffy tike!

[Guest Isambarduk]

29 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

The latter would take lunch, drink, flappy orange (not very) rainproof thing, notebooks, camera,

... and what about one of those voluminous yelow capes that you put on over your head and then held in two loops by you thumbs whilst they were still on the handlbars?  OK, they kept you dry ... until you started to sweat underneath as you fought with the wind in your sale!

[Nearholmer]

The flappy (not very) rainproof thing did that job, inadequately. I think everybody had worked-out by then that capes were a daft idea, but design and materials were still not far beyond the plastic mac stage.

 

Modern wet-weather cycling gear is far, far better, but it still isn't perfect - you can have "rain resistant", which won't withstand a downpour, or "rain proof", which will, but still hasn't properly solved the ventilation problem.

[Donw]

The proper capes were waterproof if you also had the sou'wester cap on but didn't protect your legs especially from the spray. Far worse were the coats of the same material and the waterproof trousers. Up a pole wearing them you ended soaked from inside. I remember as an apprentice having to run 4 spans of heavy insulated wire on Electric poles in a blizzard while it took the two technicians all day just to fit the phone inside. Still I road a motorbike to work and kept the barbour suit and the motorcycle boots on I think maybe helmet and all. 

Modern stuff I find good to start with but the surface must have been treated as it soon seems to wear off on a lot a the rain gets through. 

 

Don 

[goldfish]

13 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

 

Maldon Track, made in Maldon, by Mr Fraser. https://maldontrack.com/

 

 The standard item has fewer sleepers than mine - I go through the thumb-discomfort of threading sleepers to 30mm spacing, like 1930s Maerklin track, which I think makes it look a lot better.

Maldon track of course is a reproduction of  Hornby Solid Steel Track. To quote the Meccano Magazine from January 1938..

 

"Sleepers of pressed steel support the rails, so that the latest type of real permanent way construction is represented, the miniature sleepers closely representing the trough-section steel sleepers of real practice. There are no supporting chairs, but special lugs are pressed up in each sleeper to grip the rails. Thus the general appearance of the assembly suggests the real practice of using metal sleepers with chairs welded to them."

 

There has been a certain suggestion of striving towards authenticity at Birlstone recently. Did the Southern actually embrace steel sleepers?

[Nearholmer]

28 minutes ago, goldfish said:

Maldon track of course is a reproduction of  Hornby Solid Steel Track.

Which was a direct rip-off of Maerklin track introduced about three years previously, but with fewer sleepers. I like the Maerklin look more than the Hornby.

 

It sometimes comes as a surprise to learn how much of the material of the Great British Icons, both Bassett Lowke and Hornby, was either made in Germany to British designs (BL), or closely-copied from German material (Hornby). 
 

We tend to think that UK suppliers commissioning from overseas factories is a new thing, but it isn’t at all, it’s how model (as opposed to toy) railways started. Looked at in the long-run, the period when model trains were actually made in factories in Liverpool, Northampton, and Margate seems increasingly exceptional.

 

Discuss.

 

 

Edited November 17, 2020 by Nearholmer

[goldfish]

5 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Which was a direct rip-off of Maerklin track introduced about three years previously, but with fewer sleepers. I like the Maerklin look more than the Hornby.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...

 

So far as I can discover, the only company using steel sleepers in the 1930's was the GWR. So perhaps Birlstone has western tendencies.

Edited November 17, 2020 by goldfish

[GRASinBothell]

I guess that makes up for the lack of lower quadrant signals, then!

Gordon

[Florence Locomotive Works]

It would be nice if someone started supplying the parts again to make the drawn-brass-on wooden-sleepers "Lowko" track. In both gauges 1 and O. Then again it would be quite costly and probably have little market. 

 

 

Douglas

[Metropolitan H]

You can still buy the rail, sleepers etc - only the chairs are now plastic - see the "Tenmille" website - http://www.tenmille.com/16mmNGTrackAccessories.html

 

The target market is different, but the components are basically the same.

 

Regards

Chris H

[Florence Locomotive Works]

2 minutes ago, Metropolitan H said:

You can still buy the rail, sleepers etc - only the chairs are now plastic - see the "Tenmille" website - http://www.tenmille.com/16mmNGTrackAccessories.html

 

The target market is different, but the components are basically the same.

 

Regards

Chris H

Many thanks for that Chris, I'll look into it.

[ianathompson]

19 hours ago, Metropolitan H said:

You can still buy the rail, sleepers etc - only the chairs are now plastic - see the "Tenmille" website - http://www.tenmille.com/16mmNGTrackAccessories.html

 

The target market is different, but the components are basically the same.

 

Speaking from experience of having used this product, on a garden layout, the flexi track is a good product.

I would be wary of using the points, however, as these were very flimsy and effectively disintegrated within a couple of years of being laid.

They might be alright in a more forgiving indoor environment.

 

The garden railway was abandonned for years and eventually lifted.

A start at rebuilding it, on boards above ground level, recently began. 

I re-used as much Tenmille track as was available but bought Peco points to replace the originals.

 

Needless to say, this caused compatibility problems in joining sections together.

The fishplates on the original Tenmille track were easy to use but their modern replacements seem to have been redesigned and are now difficult to use with their rail.

I spent an hour or so liberating the old ones from pieces of scrap track,

 

Incidentally, as an aside,  it used to be possible to buy 16mm copperclad sleepers, if you want to try your hand at making your own track.

I replaced one of the Tenmille products with a scratchbuilt one which lived in the garden for some years before disintegrating.

I still have a stock of these sleepers but I have no idea, at this remove, where they came from.

 

Edit. As an afterthought, given that a few people responded to this reply, there are some photos on my website.

 

Ian T

Edited November 18, 2020 by ianathompson
additional info

[Simond]

In my 16mm modelling days (over 20 years ago) I made points from oak sleepers/timbers with Bonds brass rail.  I drilled the timbers and pushed “staples” made from copper wire up from below, and soldered them into the web of the rail, and nipped them off with end cutters.  The results were extremely robust.  I think the idea came from the 16mm club mag.

 

hth

Simon

[Florence Locomotive Works]

1 hour ago, Simond said:

In my 16mm modelling days (over 20 years ago) I made points from oak sleepers/timbers with Bonds brass rail.  I drilled the timbers and pushed “staples” made from copper wire up from below, and soldered them into the web of the rail, and nipped them off with end cutters.  The results were extremely robust.  I think the idea came from the 16mm club mag.

 

hth

Simon

Certainly a belt and braces approach sir, but sounds very realistic looking.

[Simond]

They did look ok, unfortunately, I don’t have any photos to share.

 

I was able to get the oak stripwood from a local specialist supplier who kindly ripped some oak planks into strips of about 6 x 8 mm.  Not sure how easy it would be to find.

 

atb

Simon

[Nearholmer]

Garden railway Specialists at Princes Risborough stock absolutely beautiful point-work made by that method, and MetH of this forum has a couple of such points on his garden line.

 

For large radius points particularly, the prices are on the "reassuringly expensive" side, as might be expected for something with so much handiwork in it, but they are so good-looking that it would be worth saving-up and buying one to hang on the wall in the sitting room as a work of art.

 

PS: I have yet to test this idea on my good lady.

 

 

Edited November 18, 2020 by Nearholmer

[ianathompson]

48 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

For large radius points particularly, the prices are on the "reassuringly expensive" side, as might be expected for something with so much handiwork in it, but they are so good-looking that it would be worth saving-up and buying one to hang on the wall in the sitting room as a work of art.

 

PS: I have yet to test this idea on my good lady.

 

I have a BR penguin block instrument (complete with permissive block rotator) in my lounge.

A certain member on the forum pointed out that this was quite alright if you are single but rather more difficult if you are married.

 

Ian T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nearholmer]

The other thing that I should have mentioned about "the clenched staple method" is that it is how MetH made the excellent turntable for my layout. I'll post a photo tomorrow to show you what a cracking job he did.

[St Enodoc]

2 hours ago, ianathompson said:

 

I have a BR penguin block instrument (complete with permissive block rotator) in my lounge.

A certain member on the forum pointed out that this was quite alright if you are single but rather more difficult if you are married.

 

Ian T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Might be a good way to transition from the latter to the former.

[Annie]

2 hours ago, ianathompson said:

 

I have a BR penguin block instrument (complete with permissive block rotator) in my lounge.

A certain member on the forum pointed out that this was quite alright if you are single but rather more difficult if you are married.

 

Ian T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd be perfectly happy if a significant other (if I had one) put a block instrument in the lounge.  I really do wonder what kind of upbringing some people's wives have had.

[Simond]

I met MrsD in front of an enormous N gauge model railway in Hamburg in 1988.

 

She worked in the railway industry then, and she still does.  
 

my Porth Dinllaen model is in our lounge.  
 

There may be a connection!

 

atb

Simon

Edited November 19, 2020 by Simond

[Nearholmer]

Turntable photo.

 

The ‘design brief’ was for something vaguely ‘giant Hornby Dublo’, to accept my BoB pacific, but to look smaller in diameter.
 

MetH made the deck/copings from good 6mm ply, and the rails are fitted by the ‘clenched and soldered staples’ method.

 

I will let Chris describe the centre-bearing and electrical feed arrangement, and the latches, both of which are very neat indeed.

 

 

[Metropolitan H]

Now I have got to remember what I did 6.5 years ago - the following pictures having been taken in May 2014!

 

So first we have a more than (still)life sized picture of the two latch bolts that are used for table location / alignment and the centre rail feed onto the turntable deck. Just bits of 1/16 inch thick brass, some 1/8 inch rod, a bit of silver solder and short wood screws. I don't have a close-up of the fixed latch sockets - but they include a but of springy nickel silver to help ensure a good electrical contact. The wire from the latch at each end of the deck to the centre rail runs in a groove cut in the underside of the deck to avoid unsightlyness and ensure isolation from the running rails.

 

The next two pictures were tahen on completion of the T/T - 31 May 2014 - prior to delivery to Birlstone. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the underside of the deck showing the  cheap 4 inch square ball-race "face" type bearing (intended for a "Lazy Susan" type device) or the return contact arrangement that uses a substatial silver relay contact on a carrier than connects the running railsand runs on a NS plate under the bearing to give a good return current path.

 

 

 

The deck and dummy edge copings were cut from a piece of 6mm "Birch" 5 ply using a router with a built-in radius arm to ensure a smooth curve.

 

Hope that answers the request from Nearholmer.

 

Regards

Chris H

[Simond]

Very clever to make the bridge deck and the walkway out of the same piece of wood, big locos on short deck.

 

11/10 for trompe l’oeil.

 

atb

Simon

[Compound2632]

On 18/11/2020 at 23:45, ianathompson said:

I have a BR penguin block instrument (complete with permissive block rotator) in my lounge.

A certain member on the forum pointed out that this was quite alright if you are single but rather more difficult if you are married.

 

That's where the permissive block rotator comes into play.