Hennock

[Mikkel]

7 hours ago, Lacathedrale said:

when the loco is going from the curved route towards the tie bar the bogie just jumps straight off into the four-foot just after it passes through the common crossing

 

Sorry to hear that Cathedrale, seems a shame to dismantle what looks very good so far. A couple of thoughts similar to what Jim is saying, although I am no great track expert:

 

I had a similar problem once on handbuilt track and found that one chair was fitted a little too tight against the rail. By moving it back a fraction the curve of one rail was ever so slightly eased. That solved the problem .

 

Or perhaps the loco has deeper flanges than the wagons and hits a chair?

 

This stuff must be very tricky to observe in 2mm!

[Lacathedrale]

Yes, I think even if the result is that the layout ends up being binned it's probably worthwhile using it as a lab to find out what's going on.  As mentioned most strangely this derailing issue wasn't happening before - trying to diagnose:

 

- Loco runs on the rest of the trackwork without (much) complaint

- Happens with the loco flipped in both directions.

- If I press down on the front of the loco gently it follows the route properly.

- If I push a wagon down the curved route with a pencil, it's totally fine.

 

I'm going to spend an hour or two tonight and have another bash at it - I'm 99% sure all the flangeways are clear and the loco is to-gauge (it's using association conversion drop-in axles), but I will give it another run through and maybe shoot a video incase it's something very obvious that I'm missing. 

 

Thank you both! @Caley Jim @Mikkel

 

 

[Coach bogie]

I had a similar issue and I could not work out the reason for a derailment. I took a video using my phone, then played back on a large screen TV and the problem became easy to see. I just could not see it actual size in situ. Also I could only view it from one side, the phone camera allows you to see it from all angles.

 

Good Luck

 

Mike Wiltshire

[richbrummitt]

New ballast looks so much better!

[Caley Jim]

When only one vehicle or loco is having issues, when every other item of rolling stock is quite happy there, then the problem is usually down to something on that vehicle/loco.  It's puzzling that it happens with the loco both ways round.  I have no experience with diseasals, but I wonder if there is some issue with the way the weight is distributed on the wheels and the drive causing a degree of torque which lifts the leading wheels slightly?  This coupled with some very minor issue with the track (such as the knuckle not being absolutely dead in line with the crossing) might be the cause???

 

Jim

[Lacathedrale]

After more fastidious cleaning, the loco has stopped stalling and sailed through at a slow speed with only minor bumps.

 

It has always sounded like a bag of hammers falling down the stairs, even before I fitted the association wheelsets - but it gave a final groan and I found  the front bogie was almost rigid in the chassis - and now the loco won't move at all. I assume something inside the gear tower has given way, and this was also the cause of the mysterious derailments.

 

Rather than troubleshoot that right now though - since it has only ever been a 'let's give this 2FS thing a try' and doesn't remotely represent anything I want to model at this point - before dusting off Hennock I was working on a new Farish Jinty conversion, and other than soldering the crankpin washers, it should be good to go. If in the meantime I could find my missing the whitemetal pannier tank I put 'somewhere safe', I would be very happy /sheepish grin/

Edited March 3, 2020 by Lacathedrale

[Caley Jim]

So, it was an issue with the loco and not your track!   Not being familiar with models of motorised biscuit tins, I'm afraid i can't help with what exactly might have failed.

 

Jim

[Ian Morgan]

If it is Bachmann/Farish, then odds are that it is a 'split gear'. The N gauge and 2mm communities have been battling this problem for over 30 years now. We thought Bachmann would solve Farish's problem when they took over, but no.

 

It usually starts with a ticking noise, until the gap gets too big and we hit a full stop.

 

As you have 2mmFS drop in wheels, the gears on the axles will not be the problem. With luck it will be one of the small idler gears between the axles. It can simply be removed, leaving you just 2 powered axles on that bogie (sufficient for most needs). I have not had one of the gears in the tower go, fortunately, as that would be a bigger problem.

 

Dismantle and look closely at the central boss of each nylon gear to find the split.

 

Good Luck.

 

[Lacathedrale]

Hopefully with a successful second loco I can start to establish known-good baselines.

 

I had a good chat with @justin1985 the other day, and I think while the layout has some pretty obvious shortcomings - not least the trackwork - it is worth trying to complete a layout with all the requisite components in-situ.

 

 

[Lacathedrale]

I managed to find my Pannier tank and fix it. I still can't quite get the chip into the roof of the cab properly (despite some milling) and the mechanism is a little jerky (hence the hot rod dragster look), but it runs through all my pointwork without complaint:

 

The work this time was more cleaning of the rails, wheels, resoldering a couple of joins inside the loco itself.

 

I'm very aware of how crude the above video is with the loco rocketing around and coming to a dead stop, but at least it proves my trackwork does infact work!

[Mikkel]

Hurrah. Nothing like a moving loco to lift the spirits. 

 

PS: brilliant name for your Youtube channel.

[Donw]

perseverence pays off.

 

Don

[Lacathedrale]

After a reasonable amount of fiddling I managed to get the chip in the cab roof and the body on properly. Here it is:

 

 

Slightly more pleasant than the previous effort, isn't it?

 

Thank you - after some research it seems the donor loco is a bit of a lemon. A possible candidate for remotoring or maybe sticking an association 57xx chassis underneath - but for now I'm just pleased as punch to have my first actual working 2mmFS loco that runs through all my pointwork. I'm going to do my best to finish it up well with post-'42 GWR green sheme, If anyone has any pointers for details, I'd gladly take them - so far I can see it needs a toolbox on the foot plate, steps on the bunker sides and bars over the rear spectacles.

[richbrummitt]

Lots of pictures of pannier tanks here. http://www.gwr.org.uk/nopanniers.html 57xx and 8750 classes start from just after half way down the page. There will be detail differences between lots and individual engines, especially since some of these were contracted out.

 

 

[Lacathedrale]

Here's the pannier painted up and posed. As per my post in the workbench thread - the casting wasn't great but it was important for me to try to get something under my belt, and it's mostly done. I've tweaked the CV's and it runs much more nicely now, but needs further work like glazing and the crankpins soldered. For the moment, I'm going to consider it 'basically finished' and move onto something else for a while:

 

Edited March 20, 2020 by Lacathedrale

[richbrummitt]

That's great progress having a steam engine conversion working after a couple of false starts/setbacks. I suspect that this is actually a number of assembled castings originating with a Thameshead models kit. Whatever it just needs some couplings to start playtime proper. 

[Lacathedrale]

Having finally (?) got the hang (?) of the WLANmaus and give the track multiple passes of cleaning, generally electrical pickup is now reliable and I was able to program the 8750. Something has become knocked in the period between last running it and yesterday, because with the CV's set to a slow acceleration the loco 'sticks' in reverse. Either way as has been previously mentioned this is a bit of an anaemic little guy and my hopes weren't really set too high - the important thing is that the layout has continued to work from one session to another without some bizarre catastrophe occuring.

 

Thoughts turn to structures and scenic treatment - so I have been perusing these books:

 

Some passenger trains plonked on the station road, to get an idea of how it all looks. In the second photo you can see the notional platform taking shape.

 

B-set (N-gauge)

 

Autocoach (re-wheeled)

 

Annoyingly, I accidentally puffed some black weathering powder between the rails on one of the tracks, and my genius idea of 'washing it away' just set it straight into the ballast. Am I stuck with carefully repainting by hand, or is there something I can do?

 

 

 

[Caley Jim]

6 hours ago, Lacathedrale said:

Annoyingly, I accidentally puffed some black weathering powder between the rails on one of the tracks, and my genius idea of 'washing it away' just set it straight into the ballast. Am I stuck with carefully repainting by hand, or is there something I can do?

While ballast out on the main line may have stayed relatively pristine and even in colour, in station areas and yards there were almost always areas which were darker and dirtier, oily patches where locos stood for example.   The areas around turnouts were also often darkened by the lubrication applied to the slide chairs and rodding.   Fishplates too were greased and so accumulate dirt around them.   I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

Jim

[Donw]

You could always claim a recent derailment of a coal wagon if any one comments.

 

Don

[Lacathedrale]

Thanks, both - the layout is set a little later than most of my efforts to date (immediately post-war, pre-nationalisation) so I guess it doesn't have to be as pristine as the edwardian period I'm normally researching is...

 

For the platform, trying to work out if I should just cut the lot out of plywood, rather than worry about laminating board and foamcore together, and whether I should scratchbuild or just buy a cast GWR pagoda!

[richbrummitt]

2 hours ago, Lacathedrale said:

Thanks, both - the layout is set a little later than most of my efforts to date (immediately post-war, pre-nationalisation) so I guess it doesn't have to be as pristine as the edwardian period I'm normally researching is...

 

For the platform, trying to work out if I should just cut the lot out of plywood, rather than worry about laminating board and foamcore together, and whether I should scratchbuild or just buy a cast GWR pagoda!

 

I built a cast pagoda. I don't recall the provenance - it must be 25 years ago. Nothing really fitted well and the doors especially so. I never checked it against a drawing but I would be surprised if it conformed at the scale it is supposed to be.  Somewhere I still have it I think. I'd recommend you scratch build one.

[Donw]

I like the top edge to overhang a fraction so I would want a top surface that could overhang a little. Probably cut a ply base and then cut a card surface scored to represent flags where they would be. A cast pagoda would be a quicker solution but you may want to try your hand at scratchbuilding in 2mm for the station.

 

Don

 

[Lacathedrale]

I've yet to add the front lip of the platform, though the top surface of the edging is in-place. The whole platform is just placed alongside the track.

 

 

The cutout in the foreground is for the base of a goods shed to slot.

[Lacathedrale]

I was researching acrylic GWR paint, and it doesn't really seem like there's a 'known solution'. Here are my attempts:

 

#1 - Raw paints:

 

 

The centre panel is Vallejo Sunny Skin, which I'm using for GWR Light Stone.

The right hand side is 50% Vallejo Light Brown and 50% Vallejo Red Leather - earmarked 'Dark'

The left side with more Light Brown, earmarked 'Light'

The bottom side is with more Red Leather, earmarked 'MIddle'

 

#2 - With a light grey/white filter applied, same colours:

 

 

I have left a slice of the unfiltered colour on the right of the panel.

 

I think making the buildings more pale will help lend a 'scaled colour' effect, and so I'm erring towards 'Dark', but with the white/grey filter - but any suggestions are gladly taken.

[Lacathedrale]

 

Some 100' tall trees - Poplar? Elm? Just borrowed from a box of wargaming scenery I'd had squirreled away in the loft (more on that anon) - though 100' is well within the expected height of any number of UK trees, I'm not all that sure this is a good idea...