Wentworth Junction

[Michael Edge]

Thanks, the building style seems much the same for most of them though.

[Michael Edge]

S1 again

The steps are the last items to be fitted to the body, the front ones are as etched.

 

 

However the step treads were not on the etch and are made from .006" nickel silver.

 

 

A strip of the sheet is cut to width + the turn ups at the sides.

 

 

This tool is used to chop a small square out of each top corner before bending up the back and sides. Cut to length with snips and soldered on to the back plate - no solder on the front for this, the tread is tinned on the back and held in place with tweezers while the iron is applied to the back.

I bought the little guillotine many years ago thinking it would have all sorts of uses but in fact it is used for very little other than this job.

 

 

The cab steps are a bit more difficult, when the booster was fitted they and the tank balance pipes had to be altered. No drawings for this and not many clear photos but the etched balance pipes were cut down and soldered to the underside of the footplate higher up. The unused tank fronts looked about the right width for the step plates and these were shortened to the same length as the front ones and soldered behind the balance pipe etch.

It looks as though the new steps were attached to the balance pipes with straps, represented by the lengths of scrap etch soldered in here and trimmed off. Treads made as for the front ones.

 

 

The finished step looks about right compared with photos.

 

With the body of the S1 finished it's time to go back to the frames.

 

 

Wheels removed, drilled and tapped 10BA for Romford crankpins which are set in with Loctite. Trailing axle fitted first with the motor and gearbox (High Level LoLoader and Mabuchi). One layer of each coupling rod drilled out to 1mm ready to set the quartering, no need to split the rods for this operation they will be re-assembled with joints for final assembly.

 

 

Leading wheelset fitted next with as little sideplay as practicable, the wheels are quartered by eye at 90 degrees (should really be 120 but it's not worth the bother since it can't be seen). Each rod is checked in turn by rotating both wheelsets together, there should be no tight spots. Axle bushes threaded on the leading axle, these will be soldered to the compensating beams later.

 

 

Checked again with both rods, any quartering adjustment is done with the leading wheels only - at this stage it can be rolled along the track as an additional check.

 

 

Continuing with the next wheelset, again only adjust the last one fitted - don't touch the others.

 

 

The wheels are pressed on with a machine vice, this size (4855L) are usually a good tight fit on the axles.

 

 

Back to back is set with verniers, 14.6mm is what I usually aim for with Gibson wheels.

 

 

Bushes soldered to the compensating beams - minimal flux and solder for this job, otherwise the axle might get locked up.

 

 

Remaining details added to the frames now, cylinder wrappers and brakes are on the etch but not the balance weights (all the same and opposite the crankpins on this 3 cylinder loco) which I had to cut out of sheet.

Cylinder drains made from .45mm wire, connecting rod from scrap etch, leading sandpipes (.5mm wire) soldered to the backs of the brake hangers and brake pull rods from scrap.

the trailing sandboxes had to be moved up when the booster was fitted, previously the filler had been below the footplate. At the same time steam sanding was fitted, the etch includes the mechanical linkage for the leading sanders - not required for a booster loco. The trailing sandpipes and steam pipes need to be tucked in as close as possible to avoid fouling the bogie.

Frames are now ready to spray black, the slidebars will be threaded in later and the front cylinder covers fitted last, after all the motion is assembled. Not seen in these photos but lengths of pcb sleeper strip have been soldered to two of the frame spacers to carry the pickup wires later.

 

 

 

 

[Guest Bri.s]

Looks superb Michael ,a real beast

 

 

Brian

[Michael Edge]

S1 again

 

 

With the frames out of the body brakes are attached on cross wires. Incidentally the Mabuchi motor bolts straight on to the High Level gearbox - as long as there is room for it to be at this angle, no problem in a big tank loco.

 

 

View from underneath showing brake pull rods and the pcb pads which will carry the pickups.

 

 

Motor and gearbox masked up for spraying.

 

 

Hycote grey primer all over, wheels turned while spraying to get the frames covered through the spokes.

 

 

Hycote satin black all over, masking tape removed now. The wheel treads and tyre backs are cleaned as soon as the paint dries, leaving it to fully harden just makes the job more difficult.

 

 

All the motion parts from the etch laid out, because two of the rods had the holes drilled out for the crankpin all the others need to be opened put the same. The coupling rods are fluted both sides, also thickening pieces for the knuckle bosses and the trailing boss, the leading end doesn't have a thickened boss for clearance reasons. Connecting rod components there as well.

 

 

Holes are etched in the components to make knuckle joints but far far the simplest way to articulate coupling rods is to split them and overlap on the crankpins. It's very difficult to spot the difference in movement  when the loco is running and it's perfectly respectable practice mechanically - plenty of full size locos had separate coupling rods overlapped on the crankpins. This also avoids the possibility of accidentally moving the crankpin centres when making knuckle joints (very easy to do this if they are riveted). The photo shows the LH trailing section with the parts laid put in order, top to bottom = inside to outside.

 

 

The parts are held together in register with broaches through the holes, solder run along the top edge only, it will get through by capillary action, no pre-tinning is required.

 

 

Each section of rod is cleaned up along the top edge using a flat needle file and a round one around the bosses.

 

 

After a final check that everything revolves freely the rods are greased up for final fitting.

 

 

Each rod is retained with a small slice of 1mm I.D. brass tube (I cut these with a piercing saw), as thin as possible on the leading pin, thicker on the others. Excess crankpin length is snipped off, filed flat and just touched with the soldering iron, if you linger here it will heat the brass pin and could ruin the plastic wheel centre. Don't forget to leave the driving crankpin full length to take the con. rod later. just a small amount of solder is sufficient to keep these on but they can easily be popped off if the motion has to be dismantled at any time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Michael Edge]

Now for the slidebars and con. rods.

 

 

Sidebars are 1mm square, pushed through the cylinders and soldered to the motion bracket. 1mm n/s rod pushed through to check that the cylinders line up with the driving axle centre. Connecting rods have been soldered together and finished as for the coupling rods.

 

 

A snag appeared with the crosshead etches - no hole in the centre! A cross mark was made from corner to corner, popped and drilled out to take the little end pin. On the left of this etch is the unused mechanical sanding lever.

 

 

The crossheads (as in our other etches) are made from front and a back layer, both have small rebates etched into them to engage with the slidebars. At the piston rod end there are two thin fingers which are bent around the piston rod as seem here - leaving the rod full length for the time being.

 

 

This shows the piston rod soldered into the fingers of the crosshead back which is propped in place with a selection of needle filesl

 

 

Connecting rod in place with a pin dropped into the hole, the crosshead front is on the bench with its fingers already bent back.

 

 

Front now threaded on, at this point the front is soldered to the piston rod.

 

 

The whole assembly is slid out backwards and the little end pin securely soldered in (to both crosshead faces), the little end of the con.rod is well greased before doing this.

 

 

Piston rod shortened, packing washer(s) added to the driving crankpin to bring the con. rod parallel to the coupling rods and finally the cylinder cover glued on. Because I have always put this on last after painting a lot of my work has appeared with shiny bright cylinder covers as certain professional painters have misinterpreted this process. A useful trick with bogie locos is to stick the covers on with epoxy so that they remain insulated fro the frames.

 

 

Pick up wires from .35mm p/b soldered to the pre-fitted plates. Wheels run round by hand while doing this to check that the wires aren't being carried into the frames or brake gear as the wheels rotate. Wires connected to the motor and it's ready for its first track test.

 

 

First track test quickly revealed that the big ends fouled the footplate so two holes were chopped out of it as shown.

 

 

Finally on the dynamometer rig - not all that sophisticated, just a spring on a nail and the loco running past a scale. Temporary weight of a v block on the boiler brings it up to 550g - it still easily spins its wheels at this weight and pulls the spring out to about 45mm - more than enough for its likely jobs. For comparison the most powerful pacifics on Carlisle reach about 65 with a weight of 650g. I've made the pattern for the bogie axleboxes, just need to make a mould now.

 

 

[sir douglas]

very chunky and capable looking beast, the O gauge hunslets in the background are very nice as well

[Michael Edge]

The 7mm Hunslet 0-4-0T has been like that for many years, I really ought to finish it but I don't have a layout for it to run on.

[St Enodoc]

The 7mm Hunslet 0-4-0T has been like that for many years, I really ought to finish it but I don't have a layout for it to run on.

Well you know the answer to that.

 

Happy New Year.

[Michael Edge]

With the S1 finished I've made a start on the track.

 

 

Point timbers and sleepers stuck down to the Templot drawing with double sided tape. The timbers have been tweaked considerably at the LH end, the narrow gap is where the baseboard joint will be.

 

 

This is a new technique I'm trying out, previously I've used 1.6mm timbers with the rails soldered directly to them but this gives a very visible discrepancy when connected to moulded track bases with proper chairs. I'm not keen on the current fashion for building pointwork with plastic chairs, I'm not sure it's strong enough and it's almost impossible to adjust. All the pointwork for Chapel-en-le Frith was built like this and it was a very long job fettling it for smooth running.

What I did was to etch a series of baseplates (can't really call them chairs) to solder on to the timbers to raise the rail off them. It's a long job soldering these on, just about doubles the time for point construction but I think the overall effect is quite good.

 

 

They are soldered on with 2% silver solder, blob of fluxite on the timber, drop the etch in place, hold down and touch the iron at the side of it.

 

 

All done for two turnouts and a single slip, this is about a third of the pointwork required so it was a good layout to try this out on.

 

 

This is 16.2mm gauge, at least through the crossings, no need for fancy gauges, just use EM ones with the checkrail position for one rail. The last one on the left is 16.5mm gauge where it will join up with the moulded track. I usually start from one side and work across, this is the up running line, the nearer rail has the start of the crossing V filed on it.

Now I'm using ordinary 60/40 solder, I'm quite happy for it to form a blob where the chair should be, visible on the right another absolutely essential tool - Xuron rail cutters.

 

 

Nobody likes filing point blades but this is the easiest way I've found, I've never found a way of machining them. First file the back down to the web and a little bit past, Templot tells you the length of this planing. The rail is clamped to a piece of wood on the bench top with a G clamp and a sharp file is used with both hands to file it down flat - keep your newest and sharpest files for this job, this one isn't used on anything else.

 

 

Now the head of the rail has to be filed down (same file), leaving the foot untouched. Depending on whether you are left or right handed one of these will be more difficult than the other, I'm right handed so this is the more difficult one. The whole process takes no more than 5 minutes.

 

 

This is another very useful home made gauge, a flat piece of steel cut square to exactly 16.2mm width. Not visible is another narrower layer soldered underneath  to lift the gauge off the chairs. This is very useful for aligning at least the first part of a K crossing, an EM gauge alongside the point blade which is clamped to the stock rail with a miniature bulldog clip. I have a couple of these, no idea where they came from though. I've used the flat gauge on the running line, alignment is more important for this direction, the other routes will mostly be used for light engine movements.

 

 

Checkrails are fitted last, I test the running without them first. I've used phosphor bronze rail recovered from many of the old Herculanum cassettes, not sure if it will be very noticeable but it's worth a try. The checkrails are not set with the roller gauges, you really need a check gauge which is what this is. The EM society provide this in their gauge set but I had to make my own for 00. The checkrail is not gauged from the adjacent running rail but from the crossing V - the distance to the running rail doesn't matter much but the distance from the wing rail to the checkrail must be less than the back to back minimum of the wheels in use. The gauge has a plain section which fits in the flangeway and two grooves to hold the checkrail, the large boss on the end nearest the V is machined off at rail level so the gauge can sit over the other rails.

 

 

Everything is tested with all the different wheels in use, the Hunslet at the end has Romfords, the Jackshaft nearest has Gibson, in between is an old Hornby Dublo Lowmac which is ideal for hand testing. The long wheelbase and small wheels coupled with the ease of pushing it over the track makes it easy to feel any faults.

 

 

Set out in place on the layout, this crossover, incorporating a very unusual facing slip, runs from the water tower (marked on the right) and the signal box on the left.

 

 

In this photo from track level I think the effect is quite good. If anyone is wondering these are A7 turnouts with REA switches.

[mark axlecounter]

Very impressed they look spot on.

Right I need to mike-nap you and do my points on bucks lane    .

 

Mark

[John76]

Great track work Mike.

 

I am really impressed by the speed you are working. What are you doing for the point tie bars and how are you going to drive them?

 

Did you get chance to go and have a look at Wharncliffe Sub station over Christmas?

 

 

John

[St Enodoc]

With the S1 finished I've made a start on the track.

 

WP_20181230_11_39_22_Pro.jpg

 

Point timbers and sleepers stuck down to the Templot drawing with double sided tape. The timbers have been tweaked considerably at the LH end, the narrow gap is where the baseboard joint will be.

 

WP_20181230_15_41_12_Pro.jpg

 

This is a new technique I'm trying out, previously I've used 1.6mm timbers with the rails soldered directly to them but this gives a very visible discrepancy when connected to moulded track bases with proper chairs. I'm not keen on the current fashion for building pointwork with plastic chairs, I'm not sure it's strong enough and it's almost impossible to adjust. All the pointwork for Chapel-en-le Frith was built like this and it was a very long job fettling it for smooth running.

What I did was to etch a series of baseplates (can't really call them chairs) to solder on to the timbers to raise the rail off them. It's a long job soldering these on, just about doubles the time for point construction but I think the overall effect is quite good.

 

WP_20181230_17_41_08_Pro.jpg

 

They are soldered on with 2% silver solder, blob of fluxite on the timber, drop the etch in place, hold down and touch the iron at the side of it.

 

WP_20190101_11_56_48_Pro.jpg

 

All done for two turnouts and a single slip, this is about a third of the pointwork required so it was a good layout to try this out on.

 

WP_20190101_12_18_45_Pro.jpg

 

This is 16.2mm gauge, at least through the crossings, no need for fancy gauges, just use EM ones with the checkrail position for one rail. The last one on the left is 16.5mm gauge where it will join up with the moulded track. I usually start from one side and work across, this is the up running line, the nearer rail has the start of the crossing V filed on it.

Now I'm using ordinary 60/40 solder, I'm quite happy for it to form a blob where the chair should be, visible on the right another absolutely essential tool - Xuron rail cutters.

 

WP_20190101_15_40_01_Pro.jpg

 

Nobody likes filing point blades but this is the easiest way I've found, I've never found a way of machining them. First file the back down to the web and a little bit past, Templot tells you the length of this planing. The rail is clamped to a piece of wood on the bench top with a G clamp and a sharp file is used with both hands to file it down flat - keep your newest and sharpest files for this job, this one isn't used on anything else.

 

WP_20190101_15_41_52_Pro.jpg

 

Now the head of the rail has to be filed down (same file), leaving the foot untouched. Depending on whether you are left or right handed one of these will be more difficult than the other, I'm right handed so this is the more difficult one. The whole process takes no more than 5 minutes.

 

WP_20190101_15_44_23_Pro.jpg

 

This is another very useful home made gauge, a flat piece of steel cut square to exactly 16.2mm width. Not visible is another narrower layer soldered underneath  to lift the gauge off the chairs. This is very useful for aligning at least the first part of a K crossing, an EM gauge alongside the point blade which is clamped to the stock rail with a miniature bulldog clip. I have a couple of these, no idea where they came from though. I've used the flat gauge on the running line, alignment is more important for this direction, the other routes will mostly be used for light engine movements.

 

WP_20190102_11_54_51_Pro.jpg

 

Checkrails are fitted last, I test the running without them first. I've used phosphor bronze rail recovered from many of the old Herculanum cassettes, not sure if it will be very noticeable but it's worth a try. The checkrails are not set with the roller gauges, you really need a check gauge which is what this is. The EM society provide this in their gauge set but I had to make my own for 00. The checkrail is not gauged from the adjacent running rail but from the crossing V - the distance to the running rail doesn't matter much but the distance from the wing rail to the checkrail must be less than the back to back minimum of the wheels in use. The gauge has a plain section which fits in the flangeway and two grooves to hold the checkrail, the large boss on the end nearest the V is machined off at rail level so the gauge can sit over the other rails.

 

WP_20190103_10_26_33_Pro.jpg

 

Everything is tested with all the different wheels in use, the Hunslet at the end has Romfords, the Jackshaft nearest has Gibson, in between is an old Hornby Dublo Lowmac which is ideal for hand testing. The long wheelbase and small wheels coupled with the ease of pushing it over the track makes it easy to feel any faults.

 

WP_20190105_13_04_53_Pro.jpg

 

Set out in place on the layout, this crossover, incorporating a very unusual facing slip, runs from the water tower (marked on the right) and the signal box on the left.

 

WP_20190105_13_06_12_Pro.jpg

 

In this photo from track level I think the effect is quite good. If anyone is wondering these are A7 turnouts with REA switches.

Looking good Mike. Those "chair bases" would be a good addition to the Judith Edge Kits range.

 

I tend to file the front (i.e. the inner) face of point blades first, then bend the set, then turn them over and rest the foot in a narrow groove to file the back. That way the rail is resting on the board across its full height and so can't twist.

 

I seem to remember that when you were here a year ago you said you would make me a 16.2 mm check gauge... Pretty please?

[Michael Edge]

Looking good Mike. Those "chair bases" would be a good addition to the Judith Edge Kits range.

 

I tend to file the front (i.e. the inner) face of point blades first, then bend the set, then turn them over and rest the foot in a narrow groove to file the back. That way the rail is resting on the board across its full height and so can't twist.

 

I seem to remember that when you were here a year ago you said you would make me a 16.2 mm check gauge... Pretty please?

Sorry John, I'd forgotten all about that - maybe before we're back in Australia next winter.

[Michael Edge]

Great track work Mike.

I am really impressed by the speed you are working. What are you doing for the point tie bars and how are you going to drive them?

Did you get chance to go and have a look at Wharncliffe Sub station over Christmas?

John

Seems very slow to me I normally work on the basis of 1 1/2 hours per set of point blades.

Tiebars are just plain sleepers with a hole in the middle, I'll be using Tortoise point motors.

[Enterprisingwestern]

Nice to see a tin of Frys Fluxite on the go!

 

Mike.

[Michael Edge]

The tin looks the same but I'm not at all sure the ingredients are. A tin of Fluxite lasts me about 30 years and I had to buy this new one last year.

[Enterprisingwestern]

The tin looks the same but I'm not at all sure the ingredients are. A tin of Fluxite lasts me about 30 years and I had to buy this new one last year.

 

Yes. I'm not convinced the new stuff is as efficaceous, tastes different on my sandwiches from my gas board days!

 

Mike.

[St Enodoc]

Yes. I'm not convinced the new stuff is as efficaceous, tastes different on my sandwiches from my gas board days!

 

Mike.

It is paler in colour, sort of Caramello rather than Bournville, and it doesn't fizz so much when it heats up. Still works though!

[Enterprisingwestern]

It is paler in colour, sort of Caramello rather than Bournville, and it doesn't fizz so much when it heats up. Still works though!

 

That's probably why I liked the taste in the past, I'm a Bournville chocolate type of guy!

 

Mike.

[Michael Edge]

With the arrival this week of 25yds of track I thought I would repeat the gradient tests I did a couple of years ago with the fiddle yard boards. Once again I pinned the track down on the layout boards and made a temporary connection from the fiddle yard for power. Incidentally this is the new Peco bullhead track - this is the first time I have ever used Peco track. It matches the height of the pointwork reasonably well and certainly looks much stronger than SMP or C&L.

 

 

This is a "half train" i.e. 30 loaded wagons, full loads were 60 wagons but the layout is far too compressed to run them. First test has an 04 on the front with the EB1 banking.

 

 

The EB1 seems to have been doing nearly all the work, the wagons were buffered up all the way to the O4's tender but the whole train moved very smoothly at not much more than walking pace. This is done on one controller and the power supply to the fiddle yard is a lower voltage than will probably be used on the layout eventually. 

I've also cut out the ashpit on the banker siding today, I'll finish this before the track is laid here.

 

 

 

With a few more locos out I tried out the full effect of four locos per train, although this would actually only have been used for a double train, O4 and J11 pushing at the back with two O4s at the front. With four locos on the speed was reduced but this operation was done at very low speed in steam days, electric operation only got the speed up to about 20mph on the 1 in 40.

This demonstrates that half loads are perfectly practical but it might be a bit better to reduce them by 4 wagons or so, the train engine has to pull the train quite a long way up for the banker to get on the back via the crossover in the background of the first photo. 25 wagons or so was the usual load from the pit so this wouldn't look out of place. The two back roads in the fiddle yard are long enough for 60 wagon trains so we could run full load empties down the hill - assuming that one loco can pull them up the corresponding hill at the other side. The O4 on its own easily pulled the 30 wagon train up the hill without the banker. By the time of full electric operation there were no bankers outstationed at Wentworth Junction and a single load would have had an EM1 at each end all the way up from Wombwell.

 

 

[Barry O]

Mike

the empties should be fine.. that coal in the fulls is quite heavy. Will we need the brake vans to be "braked"/

 

Baz

[Michael Edge]

No, there will always be at least one loco attached. We might have full 24T wagons as well once it's full electric operation - they will be heavy!

[Barry O]

you mean some of these..

 

 

and a few of the one in the middle?

 

 

They ran on Cwmafon and when fully loaded there was a definite weight problem.  Seem to remember a set of fulls uncoupling and running away into teh fulls siding....coal, wagons and buffer stop all over the place!

 

Baz

[Michael Edge]

Yes, should be fun. We might have more of a problem with the daily coke train from Barrow - I'm not sure the 3H hoppers would survive the banking. We can always run them empty though.

[Barry O]

Hornby coke hoppers??