Nampara for Hendrawna

[drduncan]

Ok, so I’ve finally made a start on the job I’ve been dreading the ships....

 

So tonight, following some rescaling of rather ropey scans I have a basic drawing of a schooner hull (one will be 2 masted, the other 3 masted).

 

 

The 12 inch steel ruler gives as idea of the size - 18 or so inches.

 

And then it was time to start cutting out two sets of frames. I managed 3 for each hull before deciding enough was enough for one night.  

 

 

Still it’s a start and hopefully I’ll get the waterline base for both done tomorrow - if I have enough 40thou plasticard.  If not it will be more frames.

 

And yes, these are waterline models not full hulls.

 

Drduncan

Edited February 11, 2019 by drduncan
Typo

[drduncan]

So since the last post I’ve been (very) slowly working on ships. Yesterday I managed to fit a few more check rails to the l/h board’s track.

 

 

Today, however, it being half term the house was overrun by assorted toddlers in addition to the usual suspects. The normal modelling spot in the kitchen was untenable. So I went and hid in the attic where Nampara resides.  

 

I manged to:

Continue fixing in place the legs for the r/h scenic board.

Cut pvc foamex for the harbour base.

Start building the fiddle yard.

Fit the pvc foamex track base on the l/h scenic board.

 

 

DrDuncan

[drduncan]

So today I continued preparing the track bed as the first module of track inches towards completion.  

 

I pinned down a copy of the track plan and have used it to start planning wire in the tube runs for the points (which will be operated by servos along the baseboard rear edge and hidden by the rising ground. 

 

 

I also started considering the final locations for the uncoupling electro magnets.  The wiring for these will have to be sub baseboard.  The track feeds will be above board and run to a wiring loom at the rear baseboard edge.  

 

I also trimmed (in finest Ian Rice tradition) the camping mat underlay to shape.

 

 

With the track plan back back in place on the underlay,  the next jobs will be:

Start cutting the underlay to accommodate tie bars.

Work out the wiring runs to the point crossings and track feeds.

Obtain fishplates with brass tags underneath to act as track feeds - I think Masokits make them (I had it in my head brassmasters did but can’t find such things on their website -their fishplates don’t have solder tags for wiring).

 

I need to do some digging to satisfy myself where the GWR ballasted over the sleepers at this time it not.  There are some photos of the bath area that suggest yes, but this A) isn’t west Cornwall and B) is post gauge conversion (but not later than the early years of the 1900s).

 

When I get round to planting the first track module I intend to use copydex as hold the track to the underlay.  Copydex can apparently be diluted so ballasting can be done either after track testing, or I can lay ballast and track in one go....but only if all the  wiring is already in place.

 

Other considerations to mull over sooner rather than later is whether the scotches should be made to work and build a buffer stop.

 

Duncan

 

 

Edited February 24, 2019 by drduncan

[drduncan]

On the subject of electro magnets, has anyone experimented with the 12v dc pancake ones? I need a downward pull for AJ type couplings.

 

(like this eBay offering)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-DC-Sucked-Type-Electric-Lift-Lifting-Holding-Magnet-Electromagnet-Solenoid/152038250371?hash=item23662f9783:m:m8e-RjEY1odRj8cJupM1ymg

[drduncan]

And I’ll need a facing point lock too as well as a slotted post home signal.  

 

Anyone know about GWR ground signals as per 1891?

Duncan

[Charlie586]

1 hour ago, drduncan said:

 

 

I need to do some digging to satisfy myself where the GWR ballasted over the sleepers at this time it not.  There are some photos of the bath area that suggest yes, but this A) isn’t west Cornwall and B) is post gauge conversion (but not later than the early years of the 1900s).

 

 

Hello Duncan

 

I was looking through the 'GWR Then and Now' book the other day and noticed there's a photo of Penzance with sleepered, mixed gauge track, it stood out at the time as memorable (though it doesn't look as good as yours!). Just had another brief look and although it's not the best photo, it does show the ballast height.

 

Charlie

[St Enodoc]

7 hours ago, drduncan said:

On the subject of electro magnets, has anyone experimented with the 12v dc pancake ones? I need a downward pull for AJ type couplings.

 

(like this eBay offering)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-DC-Sucked-Type-Electric-Lift-Lifting-Holding-Magnet-Electromagnet-Solenoid/152038250371?hash=item23662f9783:m:m8e-RjEY1odRj8cJupM1ymg

I wind my own using metal sewing machine bobbins and 36swg enamelled copper wire. They are held in place by an M6 machine screw, trimmed to sleeper level.

[drduncan]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I wind my own using metal sewing machine bobbins and 36swg enamelled copper wire. They are held in place by an M6 machine screw, trimmed to sleeper level.

Thanks, very useful, but why metal, would plastic bobbins work?  If the wire is enamelled then the bobbin isn’t part of the circuit or are they just what you could get hold of?

D

[St Enodoc]

2 hours ago, drduncan said:

Thanks, very useful, but why metal, would plastic bobbins work?  If the wire is enamelled then the bobbin isn’t part of the circuit or are they just what you could get hold of?

D

Plastic ones will soften and distort with the heat - also, if you wind the wire on too tight they will crack. This is the voice of experience...

[The Fatadder]

14 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I wind my own using metal sewing machine bobbins and 36swg enamelled copper wire. They are held in place by an M6 machine screw, trimmed to sleeper level.

 

How thick a track bed / baseboard do they work through? 

I need to start getting electromagnets in place on Brent to work the Dinghams…. 

[garethashenden]

Are you sure about using the camping mat? I think it was more trouble than it was worth on Empire Mills. All the wiring and point controls would be easier on a fixed sub-base and I don’t think it would be much louder either. Especially since all the engines have sound.

[drduncan]

On 24/02/2019 at 18:07, Charlie586 said:

Hello Duncan

 

I was looking through the 'GWR Then and Now' book the other day and noticed there's a photo of Penzance with sleepered, mixed gauge track, it stood out at the time as memorable (though it doesn't look as good as yours!). Just had another brief look and although it's not the best photo, it does show the ballast height.

 

Charlie

Thanks!  I’ll dig it out.

D

[St Enodoc]

13 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

 

How thick a track bed / baseboard do they work through? 

I need to start getting electromagnets in place on Brent to work the Dinghams…. 

Rich, I've used them on baseboards up to 15mm thick. My current ones are 12mm (9mm ply plus 3mm foam or cork). Run them at 12V nominal and they will draw about an amp.

[drduncan]

On 25/02/2019 at 15:52, garethashenden said:

Are you sure about using the camping mat? I think it was more trouble than it was worth on Empire Mills. All the wiring and point controls would be easier on a fixed sub-base and I don’t think it would be much louder either. Especially since all the engines have sound.

Sort of.  The camping mat I have is thicker than the one we used on Empire Mills.  It has the advantage of being available now...

That said, before I go much further I need to get the track panel back out and measure the height from the under side of the sleeper to the top of the rail and compare it to the cassette base to rail top height of 6.5mm.  The answer will be the decision point for using the camping mat or something else (or raising the track  base of the FY which is still under construction and so another option). 

Duncan

[drduncan]

So rail head to sleeper base height is 3.5mm, so I could use 3mm cork sheet rather than the thicker camping mat, or adjust the height/thickness of the track base on the fiddle yard...

[garethashenden]

On 27/02/2019 at 16:49, drduncan said:

So rail head to sleeper base height is 3.5mm, so I could use 3mm cork sheet rather than the thicker camping mat, or adjust the height/thickness of the track base on the fiddle yard...

I think that would be a better solution. Iain Rice is a great writer, but I often get the impression he suggests things he hasn’t always tried before. Or hasn’t tried it over a long time/big project. 

[bgman]

40 minutes ago, garethashenden said:

I think that would be a better solution. Iain Rice is a great writer, but I often get the impression he suggests things he hasn’t always tried before. Or hasn’t tried it over a long time/big project. 

 

Knowing Iain as I do ( which spans many years ) can say that anything he suggests has been tried and tested or discounted, both short and long term hence the genuine advice he gives.

 

Through his contacts both here and abroad he has done careful research on his subject and I would suggest it may well be down to the individual and his / her methods that can be a possible problem.

[kipford]

DRD

Greeting from NZ. Brighton uses the old C & L camping mat. If I  am  honest I cannot tell the difference between a layout with cork and one with mat once the ballast was laid. So would I use it again? Only if I had it already or it was free. Matt's  new layout is using cork. See you in a few weeks.

[drduncan]

So today (I’m on annual holidays and everyone else is at school, nursery or out) I’ve been adding cosmetic chairs to the diamond crossing.

 

 

I’ve also added the final part to the first of two k crossings on the mixed gauge point work.

 

hopefully ill I’ll get more chairs done this evening.

 

DrDuncan

[drduncan]

So over the last few days:

I’ve added wooden baulk as across the baseboard ends where the track bed will go.

 

Done a test piece of camping mat and foam board using unibond impact glue to make sure the adhesive doesn’t melt/destroy either part.

 

Drilled the pilot holes for the electro magnets in the left hand board and track base.

 

Ordered above board servo mounts for operating the points

 

Persuaded a fellow South Hants member to wind 8 electro magnet coils for me

 

Persuaded the same chap to get me some bits and pieces for stock conversions (more anon if it works as an idea and in practice).

 

installed an bench top grinder (to sharpen lathe tools etc)

 

Ordered a mini lathe (using the club lathe means a ten min job is at least an hour round trip which is difficult with 4 children under 5 to entertain).  First job will be making BG axles...

 

Chopped up a load of aluminium angle (thanks to Kipford and his v impressive bandsaw and milling machine) to make cassettes. (Kipford also turned some of the off cuts into BG block gauges to make making the BG cassettes easier.)

 

Made a load of cassettes, BG and SG.

 

Worked out how to persuade BG and SG cassettes to use the same connection to the layout (which will involve the bench grinder so handy I have one now).

 

Any added a few more cosmetic chairs to the track section on the work bench/kitchen table.

 

And that’s it.

 

DrDuncan

 

Edited April 8, 2019 by drduncan

[Charlie586]

That's a busy few days.

 

What mini lathe have you ordered? I keep eyeing up lathes on ebay but haven't yet bid on anything.

[drduncan]

Hi Charlie,

 

I ordered one of these, having despaired of winning a good condition unimat at a reasonable price:

 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F201985425093

 

When it arrives I’ll let you know what it’s like in the flesh...

 

Duncan

[Charlie586]

Looks a good one. I was looking at old clockmaker / jeweller types, but I think I'd soon get frustrated with it not being large enough.

[drduncan]

37 minutes ago, Charlie586 said:

Looks a good one. I was looking at old clockmaker / jeweller types, but I think I'd soon get frustrated with it not being large enough.

Me too, but couldn’t be sure of suitability or reliability in too many cases on eBay.

D

[kipford]

D

Approved, typical Chinese lathe, should do anything you want it to in 4mm scale. Now you  need to think about quick change toolposts and a set of DRO'S, you know it makes sense!  Most important, get your self a half decent digital 0-25mm micrometer, your cheapo verniers are now no longer accurate enough for turning diameters. Chronos, RDGTOOLS and ARCeurotrade are good sources. Next when you get it, strip the lathe and clean all the protective grease off it. Also check for burrs and things on the slideways.  A bit of time spent on this will pay dividends, remember these things are built to price. Any probs you know where I am!