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  • RMweb Gold
12 minutes ago, class26 said:

lowered them a little and now all is OK.

 

I made sure that the loops run the whole of the width of the gap between the buffers.  I baulked at actually soldering/gluing them onto the buffers themselves as some have done.  I did find that I had to mount them a mm or two further forward of the buffers than I would prefer otherwise the coupling hooks could become entangled in the pipework detail when propelling stock.

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  • BoD changed the title to Crianlarich (Even Further Up) .... detailing and coupling and things.
  • RMweb Gold
13 hours ago, BoD said:

 

I made sure that the loops run the whole of the width of the gap between the buffers.  I baulked at actually soldering/gluing them onto the buffers themselves as some have done.  I did find that I had to mount them a mm or two further forward of the buffers than I would prefer otherwise the coupling hooks could become entangled in the pipework detail when propelling stock.

 

Any chance of a close up picture of the wire loop on one of the 27's please? My experience is the width of the loop is an important consideration, the wider the better so that the coupling that is attached can move whilst going around curves. On my class 37's I found the location of the factory moulded bufferbeam detail made it difficult to get the loop as wide as is desireable and I attribute this as the cause of the problems I have faced. The picture below has a much wider loop than I managed to achieve and I am keen to try out something similar to this. 

 

Propoelling is another matter, I find that buffer lock is a regular occurence if the buffers are allowed to do their designed job. I agree that extending the wire loop so that it is the point of contact is with the tension lock of whatever is being propelled is the best solution. 

 

37049 "Imperial"

  

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Not the best photos, Rob but I hope they are useful.  With care, the buffer beam on the 27s can be removed which makes it easier to work with.  The loop is created using a Bill Bedford bending jig.  On some locos there are two holes, one near each buffer that can be used with the ends of the loops bent behind the buffer beam and glued in place. Others you have to drill a couple of holes. If you use existing holes you lose some of the pipework - but I still think it looks quite effective.

 

 

P1070065.jpg.64f6e291b4268e0088c356bbdf2ab979.jpg

 

P1070061.jpg.88d7cc887621f279945fd45393be76d0.jpg

 

The loops are closer to the buffers at each side than that last photo suggests.

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About couplings, even after much deliberation as mentioned earlier, I have ended up with a complete mix of coupling types.  Ideally I would have used as close to prototypical as I could.

 

I have ended up with:

 

3 link/instanter couplings.  On the trains made up of earlier stock  (12T vans etc) running in fixed rakes I have used these.   I just like the close coupling they give and watching each wagon ‘take up’ in turn.  At each end I have created a converter wagon with 3 link/instanter at one end and a tension lock at the other. 

 

Sprat and Winkling couplings. 3 links are great but with one eye on possibly deteriorating vision in the future (see what I did there?)  I have used S&W t on ‘seventies’ stock that is to be shunted. They are slightly better looking that proprietary tension lock couplings and much easier to use for coupling and uncoupling than three link, including hands free work with buried magnets .  At the moment however I still do shunt some 3 link stock.  As alluded to earlier, the loop has to be a bit further forward than ideal to prevent the hook fowling the detailing when propelling.

 

P1070064.jpg.8f7fbe12b3ac1919cf4cf40ed39f43cb.jpg

 

 

Propriety couplings.   On the 80s stock, VDA, OCA etc. I have stuck with manufacturers tension locks just for ease of use.  They mostly run in rakes anyway or shunted as a few wagons rather than individuals.  It also allows me to stick a TTA tank wagon or two on the end of a passenger set on the branch line -  a la Mallaig.  The tension hooks just fit over the loops on the locos and work well. Carriage rakes use the Bachmann connectors with a tension lock coupling at each end which also just hooks onto the loop on the loco. I may rethink the use of tension lock couplings on these eventually but they remain for now.

 

As I said, a right mish-mash but it works for me although sometimes I do wonder if sticking with manufacturers' couplings might have been easier in the long run. However, when I see  rake of wagons with 3 links/instanters it is worth the effort ... in my opinion anyway.

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  • 2 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

I was browsing Paul Bartlett's site and noticed a nice couple of photographs of dogfish at Crianlarich.  (I guess there are photographs of dogfish at just about everywhere).  Well I thought it would be rude not to.

 

 

P1070066.jpg.7c7f51c2ae934e839a78f23d18f34710.jpg

 

Those Cambrian kits aren't the easiest, and that's being kind, so there is still some fettling and bodging to do.  I've thrown in a couple of Tunny/Tunney*  for good measure.

 

*take your pick.

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They look like new mouldings BoD .. I have built a few Cambrian Dogfish and Catfish over the years and still can't quite get it all to fasten together. 

 

To make life easier I bought a Chivers Lamprey.. goes together easily but its really only useable on SR based layouts.. bumocks!

 

Baz

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  • RMweb Gold
1 hour ago, 03060 said:

There's something 'fishy' going on here .....that cream coloured one thinks it's a Cat !!  :O


I did wonder if anyone would spot that.

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2 hours ago, Barry O said:

They look like new mouldings BoD ...


Possibly, different plastic, but still from the old moulds, there was plenty of ‘flash’ to clear.  
 

I was just pleased to get the chassis square and level.  The hoppers were the pain and the supports are where some bodging is needed.  Still, when you see the price of the Heljan ones on Ebay...

 

The Tunnies are Chivers/Five79 and went together like a dream. When things are quoted as ‘being largely seen on...’ I activate my modeller’s licence.

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1 hour ago, 03060 said:

There's something 'fishy' going on here .....that cream coloured one thinks it's a Cat !!  :O

The Cat that got the cream??

Really nice little rake of wagons there and well done with the builds. I’d like a few Catfishes myself but have been put off by the reports they’re a bit of a biatch to put together. I can feel a bull’s horns grabbing excercise coming on.

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  • RMweb Gold
35 minutes ago, mallaig1983 said:

The Cat that got the cream??

Really nice little rake of wagons there and well done with the builds. I’d like a few Catfishes myself but have been put off by the reports they’re a bit of a biatch to put together. I can feel a bull’s horns grabbing excercise coming on.


Grab away, they are do-able. If you do decide to have a go get back in touch if you want.  There are a couple of things that will make life much easier when doing the catfish but will probably only make sense if you have the kit in front of you.  
 

The Key publishing magazine, Modelling British Railways Engineering Wagons is very good.  This was the series mentioned, I think, over on Rob’s West Highland topic.

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  • BoD changed the title to Crianlarich (Even Further Up) .... something fishy going on.
  • 8 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

I noticed that one or two topics that I follow have been updated - so i thought I had better join in.

 

I have in fact been pressing on at quite a rate of knots on the layout but haven't taken any photographs as yet. I will get round it sooner or later.  Meanwhile on an evening when I haven't been up in the loft I have been pottering on the workbench on a number of projects.  One of these was a couple of Mk1 BSO(T) coaches. There is not that much information about these coaches o be found so I worked from Larkin's Mk 1 Coach books and the couple of pictures already posted on a topic in the Railways of Scotland thread.  I ended doing SC9000 and 9016, they are ready to go off to the finishing and weathering shop...

 

P1070144.jpg.b801b80c8ce3f50a9da0c85f3c4bfe02.jpg

 

I made the attempt to give an impression that there was something inside other that the bog standard BSO seating.  Just an impression mind...

 

P1070126.jpg.04bca8d164d8f76561befab113eab9c6.jpg

 

All painted up now and populated. Not that you can see much - so I'm wondering if it is worth fitting internal lighting., something that I have been mulling over for a while for all coaching stock.  Thoughts anyone?

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  • BoD changed the title to Crianlarich - BSOTted

Great to get an update on this layout and good to see and hear progress is being made. Nice little project you’ve done there and I’m now tempted to do one myself.

 

please keep the updates coming.

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  • RMweb Gold
2 hours ago, young37215 said:

I keep pondering coach lighting but am put off by the effort and technical challenge of having 20 plus coaches to complete


i don’t have quite as many coaches but it is still a daunting thought - although I suppose adding people to them all is going to be quite an onerous task too.
 

I  have the added complication that, if the coaches draw current, they will trigger the block detection.  This would cause issues if I wanted to run in semi or fully automatic mode. I’m not sure if the sensitivity of the detectors can be altered. It would be useful if a loco could be detected but a few LEDs wouldn’t.  I have bought a kit that includes the LED strip, a ‘button’  battery holder and a latching reed switch that allows the lights to be turned on and off by holding a magnet near.  I may install this in one of these coaches to see how it goes.

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  • RMweb Gold

I am pleased to say that I fitted passengers to most of my coaches a year or two back when I was renumbering them.   If you are seriously deliberating lighting then  Everard Junction's Youtube video on installing coach lighting is worth a watch being both informative and interesting. 

 

In terms of block detection I would have thought that inadvertant tripping by the relatively low power draw of LED's as compared to that of a DCC chip in a locomotive under power should be capable of avoiding by adjusting the settings of the block detection. That said would you not want a coach to trigger the block?, is not the purpose of having detection is to show whether a section is occupied or not? 

 

 

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  • RMweb Gold
On 30/12/2021 at 07:23, young37215 said:

That said would you not want a coach to trigger the block?, is not the purpose of having detection is to show whether a section is occupied or not? 

 

You are of course correct but the computer control software works slightly differently to the real world in as much as if a block senses and entry it is not expecting it can cause problems. It could be a problem if there is a distance between the loco and a detected coach.  I may be overthinking this as, at the moment, the removable section for access is 'permanently' lifted as I work on the landscape and I cant run a full automatic sequence.  There may not be a problem at all or there may be settings in software that overcome this.

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When looking at photos it is obvious that, as well as conifers, there are quite a number deciduous trees lineside too and so I have spent time this year creating a selection to be planted as and when.

 

I've tried to create a variety of types.

 

P1070154.jpg.bc415396e4ebd6e9c7d7af2e53e93a52.jpg

 

P1070150.jpg.f3541efd4373171c7f266daf2250b33d.jpg

 

Pictures are cruel - some trimming of loose strands is needed.

 

A small selection of those created  thrown together to try and judge overall effectiveness.  Difficult to judge without being in situ and  with associated undergrowth etc but I'm quite happy with the overall  effect

 

P1070156.jpg.8d2aa7b726a86facc8327ab61f4d95fa.jpg

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Further to the posts above I have fitted Layouts4U reed operated lights to the two BSO(T)s.  They work from a 3v battery and can be turned on and off by holding a magnet close to the roof of the coach.  It only remains to be seen how long the battery lasts in use, as I will need to take the bodies off to replace the batteries as and when they run out.  A bit of a pain, so hopefully it won't be too often.  I may not switch the lights on during daylight running.

 

P1070160.jpg.2f6845332b6c2a7ce28b2f7db3ea98db.jpg

 

P1070159.jpg.bb7d56c69ad24a3fb1fc4b9b3f9c3ec7.jpg

 

P1070163.jpg.d48787d0782f5a8a24be70efd69a5912.jpg

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  • RMweb Gold
On 31/12/2021 at 13:27, BoD said:

You are of course correct but the computer control software works slightly differently to the real world in as much as if a block senses and entry it is not expecting it can cause problems. It could be a problem if there is a distance between the loco and a detected coach.  I may be overthinking this as, at the moment, the removable section for access is 'permanently' lifted as I work on the landscape and I cant run a full automatic sequence.  There may not be a problem at all or there may be settings in software that overcome this.

My first thought was ‘why should detecting coaches be a problem’ then I thought further and remembered as you have said that ‘gaps’ in ‘trains’ can cause an issue.

Take 2 was keep the lit coach next to the loco, but of course, when you run the other way it’s at the back!

Third time lucky? I don’t know if you detect all track or just the areas where you have blocks.  I think that as long as the ‘gap’ is shorter than any block detection sections you should be alright.  (But I’m running train controller not Rocrail). One way to test would be to put a loco on each end of a rake and run it around to see if it does cause issues.

Finally, you should be alright if you fit a complete rake in one go.

 

If you stick with battery lighting, could you use rechargeable cells and wire them to a hidden plug coupler so that you could recharge without having to remove the coach body?

 

HTH

Paul.

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1 hour ago, 5BarVT said:

I think that as long as the ‘gap’ is shorter than any block detection sections you should be alright.


The more I have thought about it, the more that that is what I am hoping.  I’m sure I designed it so that each block is long enough to hold a complete train.  As I have said, I have a removable section which is ‘lifted’ at the moment and can’t run things in automatic mode but will put this to the test as soon as I can.

 

A rechargeable cell with hidden socket is an interesting thought too.

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  • RMweb Gold
On 31/12/2021 at 13:37, BoD said:

When looking at photos it is obvious that, as well as conifers, there are quite a number deciduous trees lineside too and so I have spent time this year creating a selection to be planted as and when.

 

I've tried to create a variety of types.

 

P1070154.jpg.bc415396e4ebd6e9c7d7af2e53e93a52.jpg

 

P1070150.jpg.f3541efd4373171c7f266daf2250b33d.jpg

 

Pictures are cruel - some trimming of loose strands is needed.

 

A small selection of those created  thrown together to try and judge overall effectiveness.  Difficult to judge without being in situ and  with associated undergrowth etc but I'm quite happy with the overall  effect

 

P1070156.jpg.8d2aa7b726a86facc8327ab61f4d95fa.jpg

 

Super looking trees, please expand on the products used and their construction. I have used a number of Woodland Scenics off the shelf trees which work well but it is getting expensive and with a long stretch on the approach to Arrochar required I am exploring alternatives. 

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11 hours ago, young37215 said:

 

Super looking trees, please expand on the products used and their construction. I have used a number of Woodland Scenics off the shelf trees which work well but it is getting expensive and with a long stretch on the approach to Arrochar required I am exploring alternatives. 

 

 

Hi Rob,  I did look at the Woodland Scenics trees and thought them quite expensive or at least they would be by the time that you have bought any great number.  Having said that, whislt making your own is definitely cheaper, costs can mount up too.

 

Step 1. The armatures are a mix of twisted green florists wire and wire bought from  Model Scenery Supplies  I also bought a couple of bags of their armatures to speed things up.

 

P1070098.jpg.590b3443dd39ad1074ceeaa58195491c.jpg

 

 

P1070094.jpg.bd7fd3c201e663f9976dc2db574af14b.jpg

 

Step 2.  The bark

 

This is a home made mixture made of:

 

A good dollop of cheap PVA glue

A squirt of black acrylic paint

A few heaped Costa coffee stirrer ends of plaster.  I just used the fine casting plaster I use for the woodland scenic rock moulds although i guess any such as polyfilla would do.

 

From the measurements you may guess that it is not an exact science!  It doesn't take much experimenting though to achieve a mix that is the right constituency - soft enough to apply all over with a brush but firm enough to sculpt with a firm brush.  I use 'The Works' finest cheapest.  The mix gives an overall grey colour which is a good starting point for tree bark.

 

P1070101.jpg.8fa01232b82f7ce002b4d2faf1df71fa.jpg

 

That picture hasn’t come out very well here.  There are no greens or purples on the original - but you can see the ‘bark’ effect when the mixture is brushed with a firm brush.
 

After that it is a case of dry brushing with different shades of brown, white and then green for moss and lichen.

 

Step 3. The canopy

 

I have used different methods for the canopy.

 

Firstly I used  foliage mats from various suppliers including the one linked above and woodland scenics.  Teased out it is quite surprising how much coverage you can get.  I have used home made 'foliage mats too.  One I made from Greenscenes woven hair, available from Squires, and the other from polyfibre insulation.  Both are teased out into thin balls, given a good covering of hairspray, and liberally coated with scatter material of your choice.

These are then arranged on the main branches of the tree which have been coated with 'Tacky PVA glue' - again The Works best.

 

Careful placing of these foliage mats and manipulation of the branches can give, I think, a reasonable appearance.

 

P1070119.jpg.cf258f27ad442455e261619b119c26eb.jpg

 

There are many alternative ways to make trees and I'm sure if you asked ten different modellers you would get ten different variations on a theme.  For example some use natural materials for their armatures.  I know a few who use dead Hydrangea heads, as does Paul Bolton  very effectively on his layout ... 

 

 

Hope this was helpful.

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5 hours ago, BoD said:

 

 

Hi Rob,  I did look at the Woodland Scenics trees and thought them quite expensive or at least they would be by the time that you have bought any great number.  Having said that, whislt making your own is definitely cheaper, costs can mount up too.

 

Step 1. The armatures are a mix of twisted green florists wire and wire bought from  Model Scenery Supplies  I also bought a couple of bags of their armatures to speed things up.

 

P1070098.jpg.590b3443dd39ad1074ceeaa58195491c.jpg

 

 

P1070094.jpg.bd7fd3c201e663f9976dc2db574af14b.jpg

 

Step 2.  The bark

 

This is a home made mixture made of:

 

A good dollop of cheap PVA glue

A squirt of black acrylic paint

A few heaped Costa coffee stirrer ends of plaster.  I just used the fine casting plaster I use for the woodland scenic rock moulds although i guess any such as polyfilla would do.

 

From the measurements you may guess that it is not an exact science!  It doesn't take much experimenting though to achieve a mix that is the right constituency - soft enough to apply all over with a brush but firm enough to sculpt with a firm brush.  I use 'The Works' finest cheapest.  The mix gives an overall grey colour which is a good starting point for tree bark.

 

P1070101.jpg.8fa01232b82f7ce002b4d2faf1df71fa.jpg

 

That picture hasn’t come out very well here.  There are no greens or purples on the original - but you can see the ‘bark’ effect when the mixture is brushed with a firm brush.
 

After that it is a case of dry brushing with different shades of brown, white and then green for moss and lichen.

 

Step 3. The canopy

 

I have used different methods for the canopy.

 

Firstly I used  foliage mats from various suppliers including the one linked above and woodland scenics.  Teased out it is quite surprising how much coverage you can get.  I have used home made 'foliage mats too.  One I made from Greenscenes woven hair, available from Squires, and the other from polyfibre insulation.  Both are teased out into thin balls, given a good covering of hairspray, and liberally coated with scatter material of your choice.

These are then arranged on the main branches of the tree which have been coated with 'Tacky PVA glue' - again The Works best.

 

Careful placing of these foliage mats and manipulation of the branches can give, I think, a reasonable appearance.

 

P1070119.jpg.cf258f27ad442455e261619b119c26eb.jpg

 

There are many alternative ways to make trees and I'm sure if you asked ten different modellers you would get ten different variations on a theme.  For example some use natural materials for their armatures.  I know a few who use dead Hydrangea heads, as does Paul Bolton  very effectively on his layout ... 

 

 

Hope this was helpful.

 

I've used the same method for my 3mm Masbury S&DJR layout  but have recently invested in Gordon Gravett's book on how to make Conifer trees as I expect these to feature heavily on my 'imminent' (if work ever lets me have some time off !) N gauge West Highland layout.

 

Regards,

Ian.

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  • RMweb Gold
4 minutes ago, 03060 said:

 

I've used the same method for my 3mm Masbury S&DJR layout  but have recently invested in Gordon Gravett's book on how to make Conifer trees as I expect these to feature heavily on my 'imminent' (if work ever lets me have some time off !) N gauge West Highland layout.

 

Regards,

Ian.


Another WHL layout to look forward to.  
I’d be interested to see how Mr. Gravett tackles conifers too.

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