Wantage Road 1880 4mm Broad Gauge

[Charlie586]

Had a cheap last minute holiday in Blackpool and went to Liverpool for the day, never been before, to see its most famous sight.

 

 

Just kidding, we obviously saw the Cavern Club and all the other bits. 

 

Took some metalworking tools with me and managed a bit of filing and fettling

 

 

Also did some soldering yesterday but it was a bit rushed. The tender is the Rover one, but one side didn't go on square so I'll have to try soldering again. Did some more work to sandwich frames for both tenders. At the bottom is an idea I had for making easy inside bearings for the tenders using some U channel I had. They're probably not square enough and need a jig to get it more accurate

 

 

This is sort of how they'll work (minus the wheels). The rover tender will need pickups too, so need to include that on them somehow as well.

[Charlie586]

Finally got round to ordering more wheels and crank pins from Gibsons before we went away and arrived before we came back.

 

 

Another set of Rover wheels for rover mk 2 (or Lord of the Isles if that ever gets printed, same wheels), set of crankpins, tiny driver wheels for the little Prince Albert, and some more carriage mansells to get get the total up so it was free postage.

 

 

They really are quite small, and the 1/8th inch axles they need look big because the wheels are small, but there was no way of avoiding that.

 

 

I've never had the pleasure of doing crankpins before, but I had to get the extra strong glasses out before I could even see them properly. First one is done (on left), took about 2 hours but I think the rest will be quicker. I lost one, pinged across the room, before I thought of doing them in a tupperware box.

 

Also soldered up some more nickel into layers to do coupling rods for Prince Albert, and desoldered the tender side that went on wrong last week (no pics of that sorry).

Edited October 4, 2020 by Charlie586

[Northroader]

I think having a strong glass before you start makes your hands shaky?

[Charlie586]

Definitely not a job to try after alcohol,  or even too much coffee. 

[Charlie586]

So I finished off the other 3 crankpins a lot quicker, and tidied up the coupling rods a bit

 

 

there's 4 rods there, 2 pairs, as Prince Albert needs the same length as the Hawthorn

and then

 

 

Excuse fingers etc. It's a little bit sticky in one place but overall it seems okay. I have to admit I've been dreading doing this as I imagined it just locking tight and not moving at all. I won't do any more fettling at moment as a recent post on the GWR email list on another class mentioned that on some models the coupling rods need to go outside the splashers, and I think they will on this. So I need to get part of the body built first before doing anything permanent. I think I'll need a spacer (nut or something) between wheel and the bush. Also need to get a gearbox and fit the motor, pickups etc.

Edited October 9, 2020 by Charlie586

[Mikkel]

Looks like good progress. And a nice trip too, I'd like to see the GWR depot in Liverpool some day.

 

I thought the GWR e-list had been closed down! When I go to the Yahoo site there are no posts. But perhaps it is entirely e-mail based now then?

[Charlie586]

58 minutes ago, Mikkel said:

Looks like good progress. And a nice trip too, I'd like to see the GWR depot in Liverpool some day.

 

I thought the GWR e-list had been closed down! When I go to the Yahoo site there are no posts. But perhaps it is entirely e-mail based now then?

It was a fleeting visit to Liverpool, especially as the car park there is 3 quid an hour, but it's good to see it in such good condition and name in all its glory. 

 

Sorry I meant the broad gauge society email group. The gwr elist has been moved from Yahoo and is now on groups.io 

https://groups.io/g/GWR-Elist-2019/topics

[Mikkel]

Thanks very much, glad to see the e-list is still alive. Have now re-joined in the new location.

[Charlie586]

This is one of those not much progress posts. I've been clearing out my quite large collection of computers and consoles from the 80's and 90's on ebay. And obviously that involves trying to get them working and testing [i.e. playing] the games.

 

Anyway, this is what I was referring to in last post

 

 

You can see that even with only half a splasher placed in nearly the right place that the rods will foul it. I need to solder up the splashers properly to see exactly how much to push the crankpin bearing out. Does anyone know what size nut or washer (or brass tube even?) I need to be looking for (they're Gibson crank pins) it doesn't say in the instructions.

 

 

I've taken the rover body apart as the splasher on the right wasn't quite on square enough (and sits a bit high at front) so was too tight on the wheel and it needs resoldering. One set of the 6 wheel sandwich tender frames at front are nearly ready, just need to do rivets.

 

I've got a mass of soldering to do now, but I kind of get the feeling we'll be stuck indoors for 2 or 3 weeks soon. So as long as I take it easy on the games (wizball on the commodore 64 is the current favourite), I reckon I'll clear some of the soldering backlog.

[Charlie586]

Still not much in the way of massive progress, but I'm keeping things ticking over

 

 

Trying to squeeze the boiler tube over the scratchbuild rover chassis. I've cut a few lumps off from underneath the tube, but needs to go a few more mm to the left so more hacking needed.

 

Also I'm going to order a few gearboxes, one for a 3d rover and another for the hawthorn, just got all the bits out to measure what type to get. I'm sure I worked it out before, but never kept a note. I need some kind of notebook.

 

Also there's a plank of wood. I'm going to make a small test track that will eventually become a cassette. Reason is the baseboard, although small, is too large to keep getting out and moving everything around just to check something minor. It'll get damaged eventually too. I'll epoxy copperclad to the wood and solder bridge rail to them. I've got loads of code 100 rail I was thinking of using instead but the track gauge is designed for the narrower bridge rail and won't fit on code 100.

 

 

I also found this in a box of 'stuff'. I haven't got round to looking at carts etc yet, would this be too late for my era, 1880's? I imagined they'd be more like open carts back then?

[MrWolf]

The van style of cart is fine for the period, however, the disc wheels of equal size are a 20th century upgrade from when pneumatic tyres became widely available. It could be adapted to large spoked wheels at the rear and outside of the body and smaller ones on the turntable.

[Charlie586]

34 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

The van style of cart is fine for the period, however, the disc wheels of equal size are a 20th century upgrade from when pneumatic tyres became widely available. It could be adapted to large spoked wheels at the rear and outside of the body and smaller ones on the turntable.

 

Thank you, Mr Wolf. That's very helpful.  I could 3d print some new wheels  (when the printer is back running ). It comes with Oxo stickers for the side, so I'll have have to check the dates of that .

[MrWolf]

Monmouth models did a GWR one horse station bus in white metal of the right sort of period. There's one on eBay at the moment but I have not been able to copy the link with this phone.

303729319723 is the item number. 

I'm sure there are similar things available, but it might be worth a look

Edited October 26, 2020 by MrWolf

[Charlie586]

8 hours ago, MrWolf said:

Monmouth models did a GWR one horse station bus in white metal of the right sort of period. There's one on eBay at the moment but I have not been able to copy the link with this phone.

303729319723 is the item number. 

I'm sure there are similar things available, but it might be worth a look

This is the link.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Monmouth-Models-White-Metal-OO-HO-Kit-N-PW14-GWR-horse-station-bus/303729319723?hash=item46b7ad9f2b:g:CVwAAOSwfgpfgGXC

 

Although the tramway would have covered the wantage traffic,  I could get away with this for the outlying villages,  especially Hanney. I could end up just reuseing  the horse and driver and bits of the frame.

[Darwinian]

Re Gibson crankpins: The 2018 (current) catalogue lists the screws as M1.

Either M1 or 14BA washers should fit.

Or simply make your own washers as you did the connecting rods?

 

Enjoying seeing this develop.

 

Adrian

[Charlie586]

6 hours ago, Darwinian said:

Re Gibson crankpins: The 2018 (current) catalogue lists the screws as M1.

Either M1 or 14BA washers should fit.

Or simply make your own washers as you did the connecting rods?

 

Enjoying seeing this develop.

 

Adrian

 

Thanks. I thought of trying to make something myself, but I though it might get a bit fiddly the diameter of the outside would be about 1.5mm. Just seen on ebay, 10 m1 washers for 4.25, they're probably quite thin as well. Maybe I'll try to make one and see how I get on.

[Darwinian]

Eileen’s emporium probably stock them too. Usual disclaimer.

[Charlie586]

I was looking for some wire this morning to get the cab area side pinned ready for soldering  - you may have to look at the photo on Getty that I can't reproduce here to work out what that I mean by that  https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/hawthorn-class-locomotive-dewrance-great-western-railway-news-photo/102725500,

Couldn't find wire thin enough, must be in a different box, but I did find these packs that originally came from a half started Titanic kit someone gave me (the magazine you buy weekly type). The ones on the right when cut down may work as washers, though I haven't checked the size yet. The ones on the left look like 2mm internal diameter which will come in handy.

 

[Charlie586]

Had a solder from home day today

 

 

first rail of test track. It needs more sleepers in between as it sags when weight is put on it, probably one more for each pair should do.

 

 

from top left: Rover tender other side soldered on. another test piece for carriage / tender axles. Hawthorn tender wraparound soldered - the tabs I did really did make it a lot easier to solder probably worth the extra time spent doing it. Hawthorn smokebox, similar the tab helped a lot. Finally little support on the smokebox front of the rover, not the best picture to see it though.

 

Hope to get the 3d printer out in next week or so, and have a few more soldering days.

[Charlie586]

Bit more soldering

 

 

tried to pin things first to help (The mortice and tenon is from woodwork when I was at school many years ago)

 

 

Found the thinner wire, drilled little holes to help keep it square

 

 

mixed results, haven't fully finished the splasher, the splasher top needs cutting off where the sandbox will be as the chassis will form the splasher top for  that bit. Then need another little splasher for the leading wheel.

[Charlie586]

No soldering today, some of the bits need a little work before the next round.

 

 

Put the bits together. The splashers look too wide to me, I did them 4mm which is well over scale, but the wheels (2mm wide) need a bit of movement. I'm guessing I need to take it down to 3mm. It's fairly rigid now it's soldered so shouldn't bend while filing it down if I'm careful. The footplate (that you can't really see) needs narrowing where the wheels are by a bit. And the weather shield looks too high so I'll have to check the photo and diagram again, probably just need to chop a bit off the bottom off so easily sorted.

The other real problem is the rover tender on the right, I've lost the back piece that I shaped and riveted. I had it a week ago so it's a bit annoying. I'll have another look around but may have to redo it.

 

Also

 

 

Got the photon out, it's been in a box since last december. It turned on okay, and the resin is still in date, so I printed the culm valley carriage as it was the smallest thing I could find in a hurry.

 

 

Seems to have printed okay

 

 

Seems fine after IPA bath. I cracked the support on the right while removing it from the base, but the actual underframe piece is okay. It's a bit amazing considering all the printing problems I had over the months that just sticking it in a box for 11 months and it's fine. I should have picked something else for the test as I've already got this printed, and it's too unique to have more than one of (and I haven't begun even planning the culm valley layout yet). Anyway, I'll try printing Lord of the isles tomorrow. It's a 7 hour print so that should really give it a good test. I'll try and do a narrow gauge body broad gauge underframe for a carriage as well before it gets reboxed.

[drduncan]

I’ll swap you a Broad Gauge 3 plank convertible wagon body and a 4 plank convertible one for it!  
DrDuncan

[Charlie586]

16 minutes ago, drduncan said:

I’ll swap you a Broad Gauge 3 plank convertible wagon body and a 4 plank convertible one for it!  
DrDuncan

I always liked the idea of swap shop. I haven't got anywhere near even thinking about wagon yet, but that should get me started. I'll Pm.

[Charlie586]

Did a bit more to the test track

 

 

I forgot to solder wires to the rails, and one of the copperclads isn't quite long enough, but it's nearly there

 

 

Back to the splashers. The one on the left is from the abandoned corsair kit (remember that?) that's 4mm wide but the splasher side is recessed by 1mm, so it doesn't look quite as wide. The one in the middle I've thinned down to 3.3mm (ish) and I think it looks better, the one on the right is 4mm but marked with 3.3mm. I might have wasted 2 hours gently filing it, but I feel better with it now.

 

 

The 3d printer's still working. Lord of the Isles. The cab sides are too thin but I redid thicker ones when I did the chimney and backhead. I'll be trying the carriage underframes in next few days.

[Mikkel]

Hi Charlie. Nice work on those splashers, they are tricky things.

 

Out of curiosity, how are you finding the mix of metal and 3D printed locos. Will the texture difference be noticeable do you think, or is it not an issue? 

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by Mikkel