Jump to content
 

Grainge and Hodder


maq1988
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • RMweb Premium

Has anyone heard from Grainge and Hodder recently? I placed an order for a few boards about 8 weeks ago but all seems to have gone quiet.

 

I suspect COVID-19 + lockdown 2 aren't helping and may be causing delays, just wanted to check everything was alright.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
1 hour ago, maq1988 said:

Has anyone heard from Grainge and Hodder recently? I placed an order for a few boards about 8 weeks ago but all seems to have gone quiet.

 

I suspect COVID-19 + lockdown 2 aren't helping and may be causing delays, just wanted to check everything was alright.

There is a statement on there website: https://www.graingeandhodder.co.uk


So obviously Covid has had an impact. 

 

Perhaps give them a call?

 

Roy

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
8 minutes ago, Roy Langridge said:

Perhaps give them a call?

 

Roy

 

I saw the notice on the website but it says they prefer email, so I didn't want to call and bother them too much.

Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, maq1988 said:

Has anyone heard from Grainge and Hodder recently? I placed an order for a few boards about 8 weeks ago but all seems to have gone quiet.

 

I suspect COVID-19 + lockdown 2 aren't helping and may be causing delays, just wanted to check everything was alright.

I've made an order since the first lockdown and the boards appeared after about a month.

  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Interesting. I'll send another email and then call next week. They've always been highly recommended so I don't think it's anything purposeful. I may have just gotten lost in the system!

Link to post
Share on other sites

A traverser was ordered by me about a month ago and arrive last week. They are busy but meeting their orders to the best of my knowledge. A month is generally normal for dispatch and considering the current situation I wouldn't be too concerned.

 

Orders are normally sent out by courier and each time I have received a text message alerting me of the deliver time when in transit.

 

Just a satisfied customer.

Edited by bgman
  • Informative/Useful 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

We are currently delivering  standard orders in around a month. custom orders can take a bit longer. 

 

If you have any questions please contact us.   Due to the Covid regulations we have a limited staff in the factory, so email is currently the best way to contact us.

 

Allen 

 

Grainge and Hodder.  

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
  • Friendly/supportive 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
7 minutes ago, graingeandhodder said:

We are currently delivering  standard orders in around a month. custom orders can take a bit longer. 

 

If you have any questions please contact us.   Due to the Covid regulations we have a limited staff in the factory, so email is currently the best way to contact us.

 

Allen 

 

Grainge and Hodder.  

 

All resolved now, many thanks to folks at Grainge and Hodder. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, bgman said:

A traverser was ordered by me about a month ago and arrive last week. They are busy but meeting their orders to the best of my knowledge. A month is generally normal for dispatch and considering the current situation I wouldn't be too concerned.

Just a satisfied customer.

Can I ask how you have installed your traverser? My initial impression is that, in the full forward position, even without rolling stock on it, it is on the verge of tipping forward. I suspect that it needs to be pretty securely anchored.

Best wishes 

Eric  

Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, burgundy said:

Can I ask how you have installed your traverser? My initial impression is that, in the full forward position, even without rolling stock on it, it is on the verge of tipping forward. I suspect that it needs to be pretty securely anchored.

Best wishes 

Eric  

 

Hello Eric,

 

Although I have built the traverser it hasn't been installed on the layout yet. The project / layout is ongoing and will be attached to the other two G & H baseboards once various other items have been completed.

 

I had similar thoughts as you and will "load up" the board with suitable weight/s to see how it performs prior to laying track and then locos and rolling stock. As I model in 7mm the stock is quite weighty so I will see how trials go. That said I feel that the runners are of a good quality and would cope with my situation so I don't see a specific problem to be honest and I am sure the product wouldn't be marketed if there was.

 

G

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, burgundy said:

Can I ask how you have installed your traverser? My initial impression is that, in the full forward position, even without rolling stock on it, it is on the verge of tipping forward. I suspect that it needs to be pretty securely anchored.

Best wishes 

Eric  

Until you mentioned it, I'd not thought about that with the traverser - but if I was to purchase one to sit on my frames I would simply screw it into the legs which are oversize and stick up above the horizontal elements so that when I put my baseboard onto the frame it cannot shift.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have spent a wet afternoon recycling some old baseboards, to mount the pair of 3 foot traversers. The baseboards were exactly the right width (16") for the traverser base units and I have used just the frames, scrapping the chipboard tops which were showing signs of damp. The traverser bases have been screwed to the baseboard frames, which are about 7' long, leaving about 6" spare at each end for ordinary trackwork. The decks of the traversers are now about 45" above the floor, which feels right for the layout. 

At full stretch, the traverser sliding unit protrudes 12" over the front edge of the base unit. With nothing on it, it is stable, but, when it is loaded with trains, I am pretty sure that the centre of gravity will be outside the footprint of the baseboard legs.  One option might be to offset the traverser base towards the back of the baseboard,  so that the c of g would remain within the footprint of the base unit. I think my preferred solution will be to anchor the base unit/baseboard frame to the wall, which should prevent it tipping forwards. The sliding units themselves feel reassuringly solid and secure on their runners.

IMG_20201114_160044.jpg.93a3dc7645536514d2a0d71ef0ee2781.jpg

I also spent a little time confirming that the traversers are wide enough for 8 parallel roads. That works well, although I think I shall use ply and rivet track for the traverser, keeping the flexitrack for the layout!  

IMG_20201114_155506.jpg.d28d9375fc1ef4c101d08778d7585cac.jpg

For anyone surprised by my "modern image" stock, it just happened to be accessible; most things are currently stowed away while the new layout is under construction. 

Best wishes 

Eric 

  • Informative/Useful 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Has anyone, who has built a traverser, worked out a simple (and fool proof) way to wire the various roads, please?

With the traverser deck fully forward, there is an open invitation to drive locos off the end and into a 300 foot (scale) drop. With a rotary switch, I suspect that it would be quite easy to make the wrong road live. A simple jack plug, with the socket adjacent to the appropriate route, might provide more deliberate selection. 

Any thoughts, please? 

Best wishes 

Eric 

Link to post
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, burgundy said:

Has anyone, who has built a traverser, worked out a simple (and fool proof) way to wire the various roads, please?

With the traverser deck fully forward, there is an open invitation to drive locos off the end and into a 300 foot (scale) drop. With a rotary switch, I suspect that it would be quite easy to make the wrong road live. A simple jack plug, with the socket adjacent to the appropriate route, might provide more deliberate selection. 

Any thoughts, please? 

Best wishes 

Eric 

 

The simple method is to feed power from the track on the main layout which is to receive a train from the traverser and,  if the traverser is not a through track, use a buffer stop at the other end. A jack plug would seem a fairly foolproof solution. A physical barrier at the open ends might be the default solution if the human computer controlling the process is not reliable.

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

On our club layouts, we solder brass tube to the rail ends and use brass rod with a 90 degree bend in the end, this aligns the rails and provides the feeds. Fairly simple and mostly foolproof, we have foam at the blank end, incase we forget to remove a 'pin' on the arrival of a train.

 

 

  • Thanks 1
  • Craftsmanship/clever 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the suggestions.

The human computer is definitely not reliable and I take the view that, if it can go wrong, it will go wrong (and probably with the most valuable locomotive). 

In this case, the traverser will be double ended to allow through running. In this situation, running off the end of the track that is aligned should not be a problem.  My initial thought, of a rotary switch, allowed the possibility of putting power into tracks that were not aligned and  I think the mechanical bolt arrangement to convey the power would address this. In another conversation, I have had a suggestion that involves sensors and arduinos, which is also worth exploring.

Many thanks

Best wishes 

Eric 

  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Nice heavy box arrived this week with boards, whilst the parcel was weighty the boards themselves are quite light individually. Much better than my previous homemade attempts which were difficult to move.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

What size are the Grainge and Hodder 45degree and 90 degree baseboards folks?

 

I'm guessing they are 400mm wide but whats the dimension along the inner edge?

 

I don't have a lot of space and need to check they will fit!

 

Thanks

A/box

Link to post
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Axlebox said:

What size are the Grainge and Hodder 45degree and 90 degree baseboards folks?

 

I'm guessing they are 400mm wide but whats the dimension along the inner edge?

 

I don't have a lot of space and need to check they will fit!

 

Thanks

A/box

Don't worry folks, I got a really comprehensive reply from Grainge and Hodder with dimensioned drawings.

Edited by Axlebox
  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...
  • RMweb Premium

Hi Ray, 

 

I didn't need any specialist tools - although I would suggest some 90 degree clamps for the corners to hold as they dry. Highly recommend doing a dry run before final construction.

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

I think I added a bit of strip wood bracing for the provided diagonal strips - otherwise highly pleased with my G&H boards

I just used a decent wood glue.

Chris

Edited by Gilbert
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
14 hours ago, maq1988 said:

Hi Ray, 

 

I didn't need any specialist tools - although I would suggest some 90 degree clamps for the corners to hold as they dry. Highly recommend doing a dry run before final construction.

 

Would something like a Band Clamp be the kind of thing?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...