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1 minute ago, Regularity said:

Depends on how many push-pull driving coaches one is modifying, as to whether or not that would be effected in practice...

 

Not so much that as the fact that we all go out on a limb modifying or scratch building.

I have been cursing myself repeatedly whilst installing the sash windows in the crossing keepers house for Aston, I built them one section at a time into the finished box of the building, instead of building them on the bench and fitting them as a unit.

 

Next time... Next time,......

 

Currently feeling like that mythical gynaecologist who redecorated his hall and stairs through the letterbox... :D

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2 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

Would it be closing the stable door long after the horse has well and truly b****red off to suggest that you solder the details to the new coach front on the bench and then glue the sub assembly to the coach body?

That is the kind of logical order of assembly that I would have employed, the second time I did it, or perhaps the third.......:jester:

 

Yes, I should have soldered the lamp irons in place before gluing the new end on the coach. It would have helped if there had been etched holes where they went as with the vacuum pipes. I didn't used these as my vac pipes were fixed to the chassis. I've painted in driver's cab, brown up to 1/2 way on the windows and cream above with a white ceiling.Next to find a driver.

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I was kidding, regardless of whether it was a good idea. I always find the easy way to do things by doing it the hard way the first time.

It's looking really good and puts me in mind of a GWR autocoach conversion I attempted years ago. Having read this thread I am thinking of doing it again. Only this time making a decent job of it. I seem to recall that the driver, just like the passengers in OO vehicles is liable to need lower leg surgery so that his head is at the right level behind the windows.

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On 11/01/2021 at 19:57, MrWolf said:

I was kidding, regardless of whether it was a good idea. I always find the easy way to do things by doing it the hard way the first time.

It's looking really good and puts me in mind of a GWR autocoach conversion I attempted years ago. Having read this thread I am thinking of doing it again. Only this time making a decent job of it. I seem to recall that the driver, just like the passengers in OO vehicles is liable to need lower leg surgery so that his head is at the right level behind the windows.

 

Yes, I appreciate your tongue in cheek remarks. 

 

Although I have many footplate figures from various sources none seem to be ideal. The nearest I can get for the moment is a ModelU figure 1215 right hand raised. This means the driver has his right hand on the vacuum control lever and is about to operate the brake with his left hand. I have had to cut the legs off at the calves!!

Edited by Rowsley17D
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I remember when I put a figure into my driving coach circa 1985, the only thing that vaguely fitted was one of those awful emaciated looking HO figures (standing to attention of course) and I still had to saw off the feet! 

At least nowadays we have a good selection of figures to hack about. :D

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The last of the Midland Loco Coal wagons was completed today after being put on the back-burner to make a Belpaire 0-4-4T 1P and the driving trailer. Here is 55410 making a rake of 5 wagons which with a 0-6-0T is all that can fit in the shed head-shunt.

DSCF8021.JPG.696f67f305f754de541ca2c70e916cc4.JPG

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I've been trying to get a better shot of the driving trailer and this is the best so far within the limits of my ancient 

digital.

325608989_DSCF8022(2).JPG.6ec0209f08f8e15adab6df38707d67e2.JPG

The branch motor train crosses over from the down line to gain access to the main platform.

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I think that it looks great and you have made it look a very straightforward project. It has also reminded me that I have several auto train projects on the back burner plus a large number of Great Western Railway wagons (Hail Satan) so I had better get the current jobs sorted out ASAP.

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50 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

I think that it looks great and you have made it look a very straightforward project. It has also reminded me that I have several auto train projects on the back burner plus a large number of Great Western Railway wagons (Hail Satan) so I had better get the current jobs sorted out ASAP.

 

Thanks Mr W. There's still coal loads to add to the wagons. The trailer is still to finish too: painting over the grey panels, number change and seeing if I can get "Push-Pull" in small enough letters to put on the driving end. The 1P still has a number of details to add and it's not painted. The Halford's etch primer seems not to mind the cold but I'm not going to risk a top coat until the weather is warmer and I need a new can of matt black anyway.

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I don't blame you hanging back a bit with the paint, a lot seem to stay soft in cold weather, despite having had plenty of drying time.

Meanwhile, as a diversion from working on the layout, I might just have a look to see what Ratio coach sides I have lying around as @nickwood was kind enough to send me a set of drawings for the Clifton Downs sets. 

 

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I have long been bothered by the fact that the NCE Power Cab I use has no effective short circuit protection other than cutting off power and constantly restoring it until either; the short is removed, the power switched off or, as I have read, the Power Cab gives up the ghost. Until recently, if I had a short the display on the main controller went blank, but recently it stopped doing this and only the red light where it's plugged in dimmed a little, the trains stopped moving of course. Time to act. I bought, thanks to a thread on the subject of NCE protection, a DCC Specialties PSX-1 circuit breaker. This is wired between the double main NCE socket and the main track DCC buss. It can be programmed for a range of amperages using a jumper wire. You can fit an LED to give a visible warning of a short (you can fit an audible one if you want) and a manual reset button which I have done.

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The speed of the PSX is very fast and has to be slowed down via CVs if you have frog juicers as my ADM turntable on the storage yard has. It's suitable for other systems too. No connection with DCC Specialties, just a satisfied customer

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1 hour ago, Alister_G said:

I've got the NCE Procab too, I'll have to look at getting one of those. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

Al.

Hi Al, I can thoroughly recommend it. The instruction booklet is 20 A5 pages but don't let that put you off, most of it you don't need, but do read it first!

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The loco coal wagons have got their removeable loads. The base is spongy foam. I glued some washers on the back so in theory I could lift them out with a magnet but I cannot as they are too good a fit!

 

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It could be a lot worse. Below is a wagon from a batch of cheap POs I bought from eBay.

Some genius used builder's expanding foam to create the load base. The solvent and the heat from the reaction has warped the whole thing, spilled over and taken off the livery and left the plastic as brittle as egg shells.

 

I thought I would show you before scrapping it.

 

 

IMG_20210116_165316.jpg

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Speaking of Darwin and men of the cloth, this lapsed Methodist has performed an experiment to test the torsional rigidity of the affected plastic.

 

The results are conclusive. I haven't seen plastic break like that before, it would put early fifties Tri-ang wagon rooves to shame!

 

IMG_20210116_202849.jpg.bfd69d275a82ca534d461a22a2cee5b7.jpg

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My apologies for hijacking your thread, but I could not turn in looking like a vandal, here is one I have rescued. I have replaced the warped, broken and frankly awful when new Grafar chassis with something a bit better, namely a Cambrian RCH type. It might not be 100% accurate, but it has salvaged a wagon in a livery I haven't seen elsewhere.

 

Philistine? Not I.

 

Thanks

 

RW

 

 

IMG_20210117_011434.jpg

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