In Support of 'O' gauge in Dorset

[Dad-1]

I won't be an avid '0' gauger, several logical reasons. I'm too far down the road with '00', too old, and don't have the room.

However I am the Bridport & District Club chairman, so expected to lead and I insist on personal involvement. I want the club

to offer something to any potential members who do work in 7 mm scale.

 

I'm in the process of making a simple loop to be stored at the club rooms when we re-open. The idea is a 16 foot long loop,

with an optional 4 foot extension in the centre, giving a potential 20 foot run. Power input via a DC plug and socket where

we can plug in either Analogue, or DCC power supplies.

 

 

I'm intending that we can support on trestles made for a clubs '00' layout. As there has been no access to the club rooms since mid April

I'm unable to work out quite how. Here at home I use my own low-level trestles where progress is being made and the first two boards

giving 8 feet tested.

 

 

Power from a bus using a damaged lawn mower lead with heavy duty power lead connections. Every individual piece of track will be fed via droppers

soldered to rail base made up from stripped out wires from the same lead. What else can you do with a long length of twin wire flex ? Without an earth

you can't make acceptable PAT certified extension leads !!

 

I have bought a Dapol Sentinel, which I will be adding a decoder too. In fact perhaps this would be a place to ask about suitable decoders - Can I get away

with  a '00' decoder ? I would have thought any with up to a 1 amp continuous rating will be adequate.

 

I'll stop at this juncture, but my recent work includes a Parkside BR (Ex-LNER) brake van. More therefore to follow over the coming weeks.

 

Dad-1 (Geoff T)

 

 

[spenc]

14 hours ago, Dad-1 said:

I won't be an avid '0' gauger, several logical reasons. I'm too far down the road with '00', too old, and don't have the room.

However I am the Bridport & District Club chairman, so expected to lead and I insist on personal involvement. I want the club

to offer something to any potential members who do work in 7 mm scale.

 

I'm in the process of making a simple loop to be stored at the club rooms when we re-open. The idea is a 16 foot long loop,

with an optional 4 foot extension in the centre, giving a potential 20 foot run. Power input via a DC plug and socket where

we can plug in either Analogue, or DCC power supplies.

 

 

I'm intending that we can support on trestles made for a clubs '00' layout. As there has been no access to the club rooms since mid April

I'm unable to work out quite how. Here at home I use my own low-level trestles where progress is being made and the first two boards

giving 8 feet tested.

 

 

Power from a bus using a damaged lawn mower lead with heavy duty power lead connections. Every individual piece of track will be fed via droppers

soldered to rail base made up from stripped out wires from the same lead. What else can you do with a long length of twin wire flex ? Without an earth

you can't make acceptable PAT certified extension leads !!

 

I have bought a Dapol Sentinel, which I will be adding a decoder too. In fact perhaps this would be a place to ask about suitable decoders - Can I get away

with  a '00' decoder ? I would have thought any with up to a 1 amp continuous rating will be adequate.

 

I'll stop at this juncture, but my recent work includes a Parkside BR (Ex-LNER) brake van. More therefore to follow over the coming weeks.

 

Dad-1 (Geoff T)

 

 

You could have asked me that on Saturday when I saw you, I run a Dapol 08, kit built 108,121DMUs plus building a class 33 kit using sound decoders for oo so you will be ok its only if you have twin motors in you need the bigger decoder it's nice to see the club going into o gauge.

[Dad-1]

Right then Steve,

 

Perhaps this will bring you back to the club rooms WHEN they re-open.

By disposing of some old stuff there will be room in the cellar for it, making regular weekly

running sessions available.

 

Currently yacht varnish going on the other end boards, back into the garden to strip down

more of the redundant mower lead.

 

Geoff T.

[spenc]

31 minutes ago, Dad-1 said:

Right then Steve,

 

Perhaps this will bring you back to the club rooms WHEN they re-open.

By disposing of some old stuff there will be room in the cellar for it, making regular weekly

running sessions available.

 

Currently yacht varnish going on the other end boards, back into the garden to strip down

more of the redundant mower lead.

 

Geoff T.

At the moment depends what shifts I'm on.

[Kubes]

22 hours ago, Dad-1 said:

I won't be an avid '0' gauger...I have bought a Dapol Sentinel...my  recent work includes a Parkside BR (Ex-LNER) brake van. 

 

 

The words 'slippery' and 'slope' come to mind!

Kubes

[Dad-1]

Not a chance Kubes.

 

With over 500 '00' wagons and still around 20 unmade kits in stock

that will remain my primary scale.

 

What I have managed today is to wire in the main power bus and

plugs to connect up the 4 key boards. Two boards have all the track

wired in and I hope to have all live by mid week.

Then I have to add in fencing which will be made with 65 mm nails

with the heads cut off and wired with fine jewellery crafters materials.

 

Always interesting to try a different scale.

 

Geoff T.

[Simond]

Geoff,

 

don’t want to get into granny and eggs but the hairs on the back of my neck go up when I see 240V mains connectors used for track voltages.  I understand that they’re good for the job, but if someone gets it wrong  ( send three and four pence, I’m going to a dance) it’ll be a bit grim.

 

Just a thought

atb

Simon

[Hal Nail]

9 hours ago, Simond said:

if someone gets it wrong  ( send three and four pence, I’m going to a dance) it’ll be a bit grim.

 

I think that's what's known as self-policing!

[Dad-1]

Hi Simond,

 

I tend towards the Dawinian theory - If you are THAT stupid ...........

 

I actually don't see any conflict because the feed into the bus is via a DC socket mounted

through the base boards. The inter-board connectors would need to be used as the feed

if anyone was stupid enough to try putting 240V through it. These are tethered with no

more than 100 mm free cable at each board join. Add to that that I don't have any similar

connectors in the house, or at our club rooms it is almost impossible for such a mistake

to be made.

 

Certainly safer that having to ever cross the road again.

 

Geoff T.

[pwr]

Reminds me of a joke

 

Why did the Turkey cross the road?

 

It was the chicken's day off ……….boom boom!

 

sorry its not that funny!

 

Paul R

[Dad-1]

On a wet evening Paul it raised a smile - About the best I could offer.

 

To put Simons mind at rest here is the normal 'free length' between each board.

The cable well anchored in a loop, with the individual polarities split onto a couple

of copper-clad tags each side onto which all track droppers are attached.

 

 

My first '0' loco had an uncertain beginning. It arrived with one guard iron snapped off, the

other side cracked and ready to fall off. The shut-down didn't help, but all credit to Rails who

arranged for replacement parts to come which I had volunteered to fit myself.

 

 

 

The packaging was too tight, since re-sculptured by me and although well supported

it's easier to get in and out.

 

This being my first & perhaps only loco, but wagons ? well you need a few don't you.

 

Geoff T.

[F-UnitMad]

On 12/07/2020 at 20:46, Kubes said:

The words 'slippery' and 'slope' come to mind!

Kubes

 

2 hours ago, Dad-1 said:

This being my first & perhaps only loco, but wagons ? well you need a few don't you.

 

What Kubes said, earlier.

 

Slippery slope, Sir, & gathering speed....  

[pwr]

Resistance is futile.  You will be selling your OO stock before you know it!

 

Paul R

[Dad-1]

Creating a club shunting plank for a gauge you don't engage with is not practical.

How do you know if it's working well ? Obviously I needed a bottom end loco that

the Dapol Sentinel represents to proof test.

As someone who has done shunting puzzle layouts & likes freight there was no way

I could progress without a wagon, or so. NO slippery slope, but at least something

to appreciate all that 7 mm can offer. My plan that I intend to stick to, is to have a

brake van, a basic 12 ton covered wagon, and one, or perhaps 2 open wagons. I have

the first two with progress on the Brake, a Parkside BR Ex-LNER Toad 'E'.

Here were the parts :-

 

 

Initially the instructions seemed fine, but there are a few glitches. Certainly a very different

level of complexity in comparison to the 100 plus 4 mm wagon kits I've built.

 

 

More and longer 3rd hands needed !!

At the time I was just finishing a 4 mm Cambrian kits Loriot in BR engineers black.

 

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

All those wire grab rails needing bending to within 1/4 of a mm to fit well.

Only had trouble with 1 where I used the recommended length, it was a fraction short.

I added half a mm after that and had perfect fits.

 

 

 

Painting them was FUN !!

 

 

I'm still uncertain if I'll manage to weather and NOT jam up the sliding axle boxes, designed to allow

some un-sprung compensation.

 

Looking forward to my Modelu guard figure coming. Then I can finish completely, currently awaiting

the foot boards being fixed, which needs to be done after weathering the chassis.

 

Geoff T.. 

[81A Oldoak]

I know what you mean about the handrails on this kit. You have done a much neater job than me. With careful weathering it is possible to maintain the slop (compensation is too dignified a word) in the axleboxes. Sadly, I dropped my model a couple of weeks later and it's in the repair shop awaiting repair.

 

Regards,

 

Chris K

 

[Dad-1]

Thanks for the comment Chris.

 

One of the other difficult areas were the rain strips. How do you make 4 exact shape eye brows ?

I pondered a while and ended up making a jig and apart from one where some liquid poly got

under the plastic jig and was fixing that as well it has worked out fine !

 

My next, but not starting for a few weeks is the Parkside LNER 12 ton Fruit Van. As the whole exercise

is to encourage more club members to have 7 mm rather than rush whole hearted into it myself I

will probably stop at 3 wagons. No.3 will probably be a 16 ton steel mineral as they got everywhere,

but then so did RCH 7 plank wagons ?  NO, No, I must stop at 3  !!

 

Geoff T.

[pwr]

That slope looks to be covered red in Teflon!

 

Paul R

[Dad-1]

No Paul, I can easily convince myself !!

 

Anyway just a little more done on the brake van. Decals have to be on and settled (24 Hrs)

before I can begin weathering. Side steps just resting in place for this shot.

 

At the moment getting the track sorted is a priority, I have obtained the few extra lengths

required, soldering a few droppers today.

 

 

I am enjoying making this. I also have a question for all you 7 mm modellers.

 

Do you ballast your '0' wagons ?

 

For 4 mm I have mixed views, ultra light wagon kits do need some additional

weight to prevent being pulled off on a curve. My target range is 30 - 50 grams

although some just over 20 grams but using deeper flanged wheels (Hornby)

are O.K. The problem is the accumulated weight of a train made up of heavy

wagons will start to de-rail lighter ones and so adding more weight is self defeating.

 

This van is 93 grams.

 

Geoff T.

[pwr]

Geoff

 

Yes I ballast my Parkside kits but I can't give you any indication of the weight. I just glue in 4 bank cash lead seals of which I have a significant amount which I collected at the time my then employer  changed to plastic seals!

 

If you use lead don't use pva glue - it reacts badly with lead!

 

Paul R

[Dad-1]

More steps forward - I laid my hands on 5 lengths of Peco Bullhead, enough to

finish the job. Here was today's close of play.

 

 

One piece of track still to lay, then some soldering in of droppers and adding frog juicers.

After that some lineside fencing, ballasting & grass.

 

The brake van not quite there.

 

 

 I am just a little concerned about the frog juicers, fine for DCC runners. Should

anyone want to use analogue they will need switching out, still pondering on a

suitable answer to that.

 

Geoff T.

 

[Dad-1]

I can't be the only one who will race through a build until all the painting HAS to be done.

This has meant the foot boards haven't been attached, you can't really until the chassis

has been both painted and weathered. So tonight I took the plunge, matt varnish, 67 tank

grey, dark earth and facing orange. NEVER perfect, but hidden behind those boards I think

this will be O.K.

 

 

Next the main body - Although as Modelu confirm despatch of my guard I may

paint him and fix in place before stage II

 

Geoff T.

Edited July 31, 2020 by Dad-1
Spelling

[Dad-1]

I'm also working in the garage on a '00' layout, however this '0' this has to be done

outdoors so any hint of bad weather, or even too high a wind and nothing gets done.

 

This last week I've finished laying the tracks and added two frog juicers. Put a decoder

in the Sentinel and one a few test runs.

 

 

 

I can only think the green effect on the Sentinel is reflected light off the very green garden ?

 

Next ballasting and being so narrow to make fencing which will use nails as the posts. No

breaking that.

 

Geoff T

[Baggies1961]

Hi,

I added some lead to all my wagon kits, this is just some bits of lead flashing I was given by a builder a few years ago. The weight in my parkside toad was stuck in with no

nails.

cheers

Julian.

[muddys-blues]

On 11/07/2020 at 22:34, Dad-1 said:

I won't be an avid '0' gauger, several logical reasons. I'm too far down the road with '00', too old, and don't have the room.

 

Ha ha ha ha ha ..... now how many on here have said that ? Ask @Andrew Phe is the worst of the lot, chopping and a changing !! but wow can that Guy knock out those layouts, he has built 12, whilst I am still thinking on the first one.

 

Great simple start, I can see this either getting extended "just a FY you know" or a 90' curve plonked on the end, just for operating interest ........................ 4mm up for sale on ebay, when the next £1 final fees offer arrives .

 

I have copious amounts of 3' wide baseboards stored away at the moment, as we have just moved house, and yet undecided how the Mancave area will evolve, but I have a 19' garage, so this loop thingy is a nice neat little idea for getting something running, on a put me up when required system.

 

Welcome to the 7mm nut house, you can checkout anytime you want to, but you will never leave 

 

Best regards

Craig.

Edited August 2, 2020 by muddys-blues
Wrong Andy P quoted