S7 scratch building

[airnimal 10,867]

Guy, I think there is enough clearance even with the amount of up and down movement for me not to worry about shorts. I have used this method  before and I havn't had any trouble.  

I have decided to solder up all one side of the brakegear and cut the brake shaft in half because trying to wiggle this in with the tumblers both side was beginning to get a little tricky.  I will put a bit of tube over the brake shaft to join them together later. 

 

[airnimal 10,867]

Here is a photograph of them seperated. This will make them so much easier to spray paint them. One of my pet hates is trying to paint in tiny crevices and behind wheels. 

[airnimal 10,867]

I am pleased that this method has worked well and I have a free running underframe that all comes apart for easy painting. I am going to make a bracket that also will be mounted on one of the W-irons to support the crank arm from the brake standard. I think this is a job for tomorrow because we have had 2 of our young grandsons here today. They are 18 months and 3 years old with enough  energy to run rings around me and my wife, they never stop. Both mum and dad are teachers so we have them every Wednesday as they are in our bubble. 

[Dave Hunt 21,362]

A thin smear of Araldite on a piece of lightweight model aircraft tissue stuck onto the inside face of the outside frames on my Johnson 2-4-0 solved a shorting problem.

 

Dave

[Caley Jim 6,743]

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

A thin smear of Araldite on a piece of lightweight model aircraft tissue stuck onto the inside face of the outside frames on my Johnson 2-4-0 solved a shorting problem.

For insulation I use tissue put in place then flooded with cyano.  Excess can be cut away once the cyano has solidified.

 

Jim

[airnimal 10,867]

I have started on the brake handle and linkages.  The handle is a length of .95mm brass tube with a 14 BA screw soldered in. The part that it screws into was made from 1.5mm square brass bar. I drilled and tapped it 14 BA before cutting a small section with a piecing saw.

[airnimal 10,867]

The sidetfames have been made and soldered to the brake shaft. Onwards to the L shaped operating bottom brackets before I make the handle and mounting plates.

[airnimal 10,867]

The bracket holding the brake shaft to the body has been made from a bit of tube and nickel strip.

I cut the tube to size after soldering it to the strip and drilling for the Masterclub bolts. 

[airnimal 10,867]

Still to make yet is the L shaped brackets underneath but I done the moving T handle. I am not going to solder this in so that I can move it to any position.

[Adam88 908]

These models remind me of Norman Dale's EM models which had working hand brakes.  At the Manchester show he used to park them on a short length of sloping track to show they really worked.  To be fair, I think he only made a few just to prove that it could be done and thereafter sense prevailed.

[Mol_PMB 781]

I was also secretly hoping the handbrake would work! But the important thing is that it looks like it does. And it looks absolutely wonderful. 

 

When are we going to be able to buy little DCC humans that can wind on the brakes? 

 

[Regularity 7,038]

2 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

I was also secretly hoping the handbrake would work! But the important thing is that it looks like it does. And it looks absolutely wonderful. 

 

When are we going to be able to buy little DCC humans that can wind on the brakes? 

 

A small motor could be activated via a small DCC decoder to wind the brakes on and off, and a figure could be mounted with suitable joints to appear to be doing the winding, but without some complex farting about with servos, etc, the figure would have to remain attached to the handle. Not a problem if the brake handle is inside the van, though!

[airnimal 10,867]

Adam88, I remember Norman's Dale models at the Manchester exhibition, I have been to everyone  for 60 years. 

 

I am sorry that there will not be any working  brakes or moving brakesman. Even if I could I'm quite  happy with what I've made. 

 

The L conecting brackets have finally been made. I soldered 2 pieces of nickel together and drilled the holes before cutting them out with a piecing saw. I have to work out if these brackets go inside of the handle frames or outside. The 4 drawings in the wagon book have 2 of each so which is the right way ?

[airnimal 10,867]

I have had to make a new pair of L shaped  brackets because the first pair were not long enough. 

I finally finished all the brakegear and connecting pull rod. 

So it's back to making the lamp irons and completing the rest of the body details. 

[Coal Tank 992]

Thats a cracking model Mike

[Chrisbr 107]

Mike,

 

As ever an excellent model of an interesting prototype

 

Chris

[airnimal 10,867]

Nothing much happened today but I have turned up a chimney.

[Guy Rixon 1,892]

The handbrake column and linkage is particularly lovely. Were the handles on the winding gear kept polished, I wonder?

[airnimal 10,867]

I have cut the windows out of a CD case just to see how they will look. Close up work always looks worst than it is in real life. I am sure real glass would be better but everytime I try and cut microscope slides I nearly always end up breaking them. 

[Mol_PMB 781]

Are you using microscope slides or cover-slips (the very thin small squares)? I find that cover-slips can be scored (as long as they are on a hard surface) and then snapped along the score line. Yes, there is a failure rate but it’s less than 50% and I have a big box of them. 

I could try doing a few for the size you need, if you like? 

[Chrisbr 107]

Mike,

 

Get a tungsten carbide scriber (I have this one) and it's really easy to cut cover slips accurately with little waste

 

Chris

[airnimal 10,867]

Mol_PBM, Chrisbr, thank you both for the input and kind offers. I have found my cover slips and remembered I already  had a tungsten scriber leftover from my last workplace. 

I had just done one as a quick experiment and I think it is going to be successful. What I shall do is cut all the glass panels out of CD covers and use them as templates to use when I finally get around to painting the van. 

[airnimal 10,867]

Needing 6 lamp brackets all the same I thought that making them individually was a recipe for disaster and inconsistency. So I soldered the T shaped section of brass to the L section of brass after trimming the L section to the size I wanted. After cleaning I cut the first one off and I will have enough left to do many more wagons or brake van's.

[airnimal 10,867]

I think the principle is sound for the lamp brackets but part of the material is to heavy. I am not happy with the L section so I am going to make another stab at it but using some 10 thou nickel. 

I have scored a line on to a small piece of 10 thou with my Olfa cutter and folded it into an L section.  

Then I have soldered it to a small length of milled brass T section. I can cut the nickel piece to the longest bracket I require and shorten the smaller lengths as required. The ones already made will go in scrap box. 

[chris p bacon 11,068]

I love this thread, You make something which is top quality and I think "I'll pinch that idea" ...then a couple of hours later you come back with "I wasn't happy so I've made an even better version of it and the first one's are in the scrap bin" ...

 

I turned my soldering iron on the other day and was about to solder something when I could have sworn I heard it say "sure you don't need to check the S7 thread to see if you can make it better"..