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To stimulate discussion, post photos and exchange ideas, and (being an open public forum) help encourage others to try S scale modelling.

What's on your S Scale Workbench?


ScottW
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After some help from Paul Greene and the kitbuilding subforum, I've found a way to make my RCH wagon run without a ridicolous duck waddle - tweaking the angle of the brake rods and adding some packing to limit the pivoting range of movement:

 

qba9yEW.png

 

Thanks @Buhar - I've learnt a good deal even with just this one wagon, I can''t wait to get started on the next one. Here's another shot with buffers and coupling hook in place - email to the society parts shop for W-irons also winging it's way there too. This is a bit of a cruel close up but hopefully gives a good impression:

 

qTgyBO6.png

 

Lastly, printed off and mounted a single-sided tandem turnout to experiment with. I did order laser cut MDF sleepers from the society but I much prefer the limewood strips I ordered:

 

WkjF7tf.png

 

Lastly, I thought this was pretty cute:

 

QMOIVqf.png

 

 

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Interesting! In between working on 00/EM wagons, (16.5 mm for a friend), EM for me, 14.2mm 3mil scale, and others, I  have a couple of 1:64 wagons on the back burner.

 

How have you sourced the wheels for the S scale Terrier then? Or are they scratchbuilt?

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Hi @MartinWales - wheels in S presented a big question for me. Reading the handbook, there are many methods of scratchbuilding, but I feel it's important to get a set of working datum points - i.e. some track, a wagon, a locomotive that works under its own power, etc. as soon as possible. One of the huge issues I had with progressing and maintaining enthusiasm with 2FS was that it took me over a year to get a single working loco! With that in mind, I looked for off-the-shelf options. I think it was @steverabone who initially pointed out to me (although no doubt the original source is lost to the annals of time in the S-Scale Gazette :) ) - that EM gauge wheels have basically the correct S-scale profile, so I bought these from Alan Gibson: 

 

lb5xY5e.png

 

They have 16 spokes rather than 12, but as above I feel it's important (at least initially) to get some working points of reference!  (In theory I could cut out and re-fix the spokes in all but the cardinal directions and then insert my own - but I won't this time)

 

I have since acquired a unimat SL from a member of the society.  Since the SSMRS parts shop offer brass inserts and steel tyres that can be machined together to a given size - (or you can use the insert by itself for wheels a few inches smaller) and as per advice in the handbook, locomotive wheels could wear by inches before they were replaced. I then went through an exercise of thinking about all the locomotives I had thought about owning or building, and realised there were either SSMRS or AG EM-equivalent wheels of everything I could realistically want - what felt like an insurmountable problem now does feel like a little bit of a non-issue to me.

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William,

 

It is relatively easy to turn up the brass centres to fit into steel tyres. You first need to clean up the casting of any feed marks or other blemishes - including the spigot.

Once you have done this, you carefully mount the casting in the 3-jaw chuck, using the step on the rim to get things almost square, and then check for squareness and concentricity at the inner side of the rim. The first is essential for good running, the latter for good appearance. You can then turn down the spigot to say 5mm diameter. You do this for all wheels. You don’t need all the spigots to be the same.

Now comes the stage requiring concentricity and repeatability, and you do this completely for each wheel centre.

You need a very sharp lathe tool, and some drill bits: a small 1/16”/3/16” “Slocombe” centre drill, a 1/16” drill, 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.1mm and 3.15mm drill bits. If using a slightly larger lathe you can omit the 2mm and 2.5mm drills.

if you can run to it, a ⅛” parallel hand reamer is nice, but I have never used one.

1) Mount the centre in the 3-jaw chuck using the spigot. This will hopefully run true (inside edge of the rim) but you can make adjustments. Tighten this up.

2) Taking light cuts only (because the spikes are taking the load), turn down the rim until it is a size to be a push fit into the steel tyre (you can use AGW EM drivers if the Society doesn’t have the size you want, just take .003” off the back of the flange afterwards).  Are a note of the precise setting of the hand wheel on the cross slide for this: this will get all of your wheels to the same size.

3) Without disturbing the fitting in the chuck, strait drilling with the slocombe bit, then open up in stages as above to 3.1mm. You are aiming for concentricity so take things carefully. When you have reached 3.1mm, use the 3.15mm bit but turn the lathe by hand. Just take the belt off the SL, and use the pulley on the spindle to gently turn the casting. If you have a ⅛” hand reamer, use this now in the same manner.

4) Remove the wheel centre, and do the rest.

5) Once all the wheel centres have been turned, put them into the lathe the other way about, and remove the spigot.

6) Mount the wheels into their tyres.

7) Make yourself a little crankpin drilling jig using a handy off cut. The needs to have two holes, one 3.15mm diameter and the other to whatever suits your crankpins, set at the throw of the wheel. Take a short length of ⅛” axle and turn the end down to be an easily removed but not sloppy fit into a wheel centre, for about ¼” of its length. Part off at ¼” plus the thickness of your scrap piece. Force the ⅛” diameter end into the jig, which is now ready for use.

8) put the jig into the axle hole of a wheel. Enough of the jig should protrude from the wheel for you to be able to clamp it in a vice. Using the guide, drill the crankpin holes, then I’d necessary, tap them.

9) Add balance weights, etc.

 

Hope that helps.

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6 hours ago, Lacathedrale said:

Hi @MartinWales - wheels in S presented a big question for me. Reading the handbook, there are many methods of scratchbuilding, but I feel it's important to get a set of working datum points - i.e. some track, a wagon, a locomotive that works under its own power, etc. as soon as possible. One of the huge issues I had with progressing and maintaining enthusiasm with 2FS was that it took me over a year to get a single working loco! With that in mind, I looked for off-the-shelf options. I think it was @steverabone who initially pointed out to me (although no doubt the original source is lost to the annals of time in the S-Scale Gazette :) ) - that EM gauge wheels have basically the correct S-scale profile, so I bought these from Alan Gibson: 

 

lb5xY5e.png

 

They have 16 spokes rather than 12, but as above I feel it's important (at least initially) to get some working points of reference!  (In theory I could cut out and re-fix the spokes in all but the cardinal directions and then insert my own - but I won't this time)

 

I have since acquired a unimat SL from a member of the society.  Since the SSMRS parts shop offer brass inserts and steel tyres that can be machined together to a given size - (or you can use the insert by itself for wheels a few inches smaller) and as per advice in the handbook, locomotive wheels could wear by inches before they were replaced. I then went through an exercise of thinking about all the locomotives I had thought about owning or building, and realised there were either SSMRS or AG EM-equivalent wheels of everything I could realistically want - what felt like an insurmountable problem now does feel like a little bit of a non-issue to me.

Don't know if you are aware, but there was talk of a sponsored Terrier some time back, so theses would be ideal for same.

 

Have got some excess items that need to be shifted to make space for other items.

 

If you are interested please PM me.

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I've been bashing around ideas for a potential S-scale layout (see pointwork previously)  and I have taken strong (!) inspiration from the Iain Rice plan in 'Urban Layouts in Small Spaces', i.e.

image.png

 

The divisions in the above plan are for 4mm/ft foot grid, so do not correspond with the scale of the diagram.

 

To get an idea of how this would be visualised, I mocked up a 1:8 scale model of the layout:

44PKY9d.png

 

6O7mi3N.png

 

Krziqui.png

 

A view from behind, showing the sector plate access - my assumption is there will be a cut-away under the hillside, enough to fit two parallel roads - this way, there will always be room for two trains - or at least one train and one spare locomotive!  The sector plate itself is only 2' or so, so even by justifying this rump of a goods yard as within station limits (and thus without the need for a brake van), it's going to be quite tight for any kind of tender locomotive...

 

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Back in 1:64, an SR diagram 1369 - quite how I'm going to pull off the wagon rail I don't know - I may wimp out and model 1370 - while the latter has curved side knee washer plates, it has a plain timber beam on the curved ends, rather than the movable rail:

 

XmydZVX.png

 

I tried to use Evergreen v-groove planking, decided I could do it better myself (with the side/end rails, the narrow planks above the middle bearers, etc.) and ultimately ended up with something that looks almost identical anyway :biggrin_mini2:

 

The above picture shows my attempt at using the Evergreen planking, which I decided not to pursue...

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Can ya guess what it is yet?

 

zpPaqkl.png

 

0WRRFeE.jpg

 

Reading Chris Croft's articles in MRJ has been super helpful in giving context - for example, the drawing for this particular wagon appears to place the middle bearer washer plates on the solebar nowhere near the end of the middle bearers - some distance under the door, infact. Given the location of the bottom end of the diagonal braces - which we are informed multiple times cannot interfere with the vertical line of the middle bearers and their washer plates, and the side knees and their washer plates - it was clear they had been moved outward in the drawing, and just needed to be shuffled in.

 

I'm really not sure how I'm going to be able to build the wagon rail guides on the ends - maybe brass?

Edited by Lacathedrale
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  • 5 weeks later...

Here is what is on the work bench.....a small Cambrian Coach as per page 90 of Mike Loyd's excellent book on the Tanat Valley railway.  Bit of work to do to finish - working on a 3D printed roof plus other parts.  Will post a photo when complete....wheels are Alan Gibson.  Artwork created using Microsoft Visio.

cambrian coach.jpg

Edited by Timber
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  • 2 weeks later...

Whilst waiting for my cambrian coach 3D components to arrive from Shapeway I have gone back to my model of B&M USK.  This is effectively the same locomotive as a Sharp Stewart Cambrian Albion (I think).

 

I shared a model of this loco at the AGM but decided to rebuild following aquiring some better details on chimney and dome so I rebuilt the boiler and fittings.  Also whilst looking at some of the wonderful models that other members shared at the AGM it occured to me that with a few minor changes I could accomodate a flywheel.  Hence the rebuild.

 

As someone in an earlier thread suggested the advancement in 3D printing opens up S Scale to a goup of modellers who may want to use 3D printing.

 

 

IMG_1864.jpg

Edited by Timber
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Trueclaret, Just thought I would show my latest, lock down works in progress. First is the hunslet 15 inch, a lovely prototype, from Judith Edge, which was made available to s scale. Secondly, is Knott End from the Garstang and Knott End railway, which I plan to become part of a small cameo of Nateby Station on that line. Still work to do on both and then another hunslet to build. 

IMG_20200629_130628.jpg

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39 minutes ago, Trueclaret said:

Trueclaret, Just thought I would show my latest, lock down works in progress. First is the hunslet 15 inch, a lovely prototype, from Judith Edge, which was made available to s scale. Secondly, is Knott End from the Garstang and Knott End railway, which I plan to become part of a small cameo of Nateby Station on that line. Still work to do on both and then another hunslet to build. 

 

 

Two very nice locomotives. Would I be right in thinking that Knott End is scratchbuilt?

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Yes Scott, I started it several years ago, but was never quite happy with the running, however, lock down gave me the time to rebuild the chassis and now it runs OK. The hunslet has continuous spring beams which is probably a topic in itself. 

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Bit more progress on the loco, mainly detailing, then, lining out. Not really much info regarding this, mainly the Rush book. I, m thinking more of a cameo style for my version of Nateby, my next model for this project will be a LNWR rail motor, the etchings have been produced by Worsley Works, who supply various parts in s scale. I should also mention the excellent book on the line by Dave Richardson and published by the Cumbria Railway Society. Bill. 

IMG_20200702_152137.jpg

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