Lancaster Green Ayre - The Barn Owls have returned.

[Dave Hunt]

Seems like a good time was had by all. The layout is loooking really good, especially when populated with those lovely Midland trains.

 

The Cowans Sheldon 15 ton cranes could be equipped with self travelling gear but the Midland examples didn't have it. Since Clive poked his stick into the pond and stirred up the mud (quite justifiably of course) I've spoken with a friend of mine, Peter Tatlow, who is an authority on rail cranes and has written extensively on them (he was also the chap who put me in touch with Roscoe Turner all those years ago) but apart from agreeing with what I've previously posted he isn't able to add anything. 

 

I'm sure you are correct in your assumptions about the availability of turntables Jamie and your excuse for running  jib first is sound but my interest is now piqued so I'll keep digging and see if I can come up with any more information. Maybe not tomorrow, though, as I've got an appointment with a TV set and several hours of rugby.

 

Dave

[Clive Mortimore]

4 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Evening all from a rather damp and grey corner of the Charente.  However despite the weather, which reminded us all of the UK, we had a great time. In the morning I finished putting things on the layout .   It looked a lot better with the fiddle yard with trains in it and some wagons in the various yards.

 

Siding Down 1 is quite long so the trains in it are parked some way in front of the others.  996 looked good on the two coaches that Lez from the club and Mel Burris built for me.   The coal yard sidings had some wagons in them.  Not the correct ones but it still looked better than leaving it empty.

 

 

The next meeting that we can attend in in June and it's at John and April's home about 40 miles north west of us.   John is slowly building his own 7.25" live steam 0-4-0 and excavating a trackbed round his extensive garden to give him somewhere to run it.   

 

Jamie

 

996.......lovely

[sir douglas]

Bessie is mostly fine as it is, she just needs new wheelsets. other than that its nice to see the layout back together

[Compound2632]

16 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Evening all from a rather damp and grey corner of the Charente.  However despite the weather, which reminded us all of the UK, 

 

... a bit fresh for the inspecting officers?

 

 

 

[jamie92208]

16 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Yes a little bit.   The Inspection saloon is misbehaving.  I need to have a real look at it as it's bogies aren't rotating properly.   I culled it when we actually ran the layout.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

The power supply for the remaining section of overhead lighting arrived today so when I went to get another basket of logs this evening I took my camera. The cattle train, hauled by the Baldwin was round the front so I took a couple of shots with all the other lights in the shed turned off.

I could probably do with learning how to use fill in flash.  It also points out to me that I need to get some work done on Skerton bridge.

 

Jamie

Edited July 29, 2022 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Some post arrived from the UK today courtesy of darling daughter.  It contained some goodies.  One was the transfers for the breakdown crane.  It's funny looking at them.  I designed them over 10 years ago when Mike Fox still ran Fox Transfers.  I never did get the instructions written for them but found the proof copy when sorting papers after the move.  I rang the lady who now runs Fox and it transpired that she'd produced the transfers.   They have now gone into the future projects box.  The crane can now be finished off and should look good.   The other item was the plans for the Listowel and Ballybunnion locos built by Hunslet.   I must I must NOT start building a 7mm version even if I have worked out how to power it.  

 

Anyway I realised that I had put off the reconstruction of the crank axle for the 2-4-0 for too long.  The materials all arrived a couple of weeks ago so tonight I headed for the shed to avoid 'The Voice.'  I thought that it was worth cleaning up the parts and seeing if I could assemble them.  One thing lead to another.  On Dave's advice I had bought the premixed solder and flux in a hypodermic from Palmers Metals.  First I marked the position of the cranks using a felt tip pen.  Then put the first crank on and ran a small fillet of paste round the 4 sides of the webs.   Then I dragged a spare breeze block that was outside the modelling room door, in and used it as heating surface.   Warmed the assembly up and then watched it glow gently red.   Eventually it cooled down and the joint seems to have worked.   I then cleaned it up and added the eccentrics with their straps.   More solder was put round the last eccentric so that it would go into the small countersink on the inside face of the other crank web.  More small runs of paste round the other three faces and again applied heat.   This was the result.

The miracle to me is that it all seems solid and the 4 eccentric straps all turn.   The acid test will come when I use the slitting disc to cut the axle and see if it is all solid.   Anyway another day another dollar as they say.  If it works I've partly learned a new skill.

 

Jamie

Edited July 29, 2022 by jamie92208

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

One was the transfers for the breakdown crane.  It's funny looking at them.  I designed them over 10 years ago when Mike Fox still ran Fox Transfers.  I never did get the instructions written for them but found the proof copy when sorting papers after the move.  I rang the lady who now runs Fox and it transpired that she'd produced the transfers.  

 

I have those in 4 mm scale, in my air-tight transfer storage box... Nice to know who was behind them!

[jamie92208]

7 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

I have those in 4 mm scale, in my air-tight transfer storage box... Nice to know who was behind them!

Thanks for that.  At least you know who to blame if anything is wrong.   I will have trouble finding anyone to blame if they don't fit on my crane.

I took all the information from the two Midland Record articles and tries to include all the variants. I've got a vague idea that I did get the instructions part written.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

To the shed I went this morning and started by attacking the axle with a slitting disk on the Dremel.   All went well initially but when the piece of axle came out the webs were rocking on the stub.  That web was taken off, everything cleaned up, more solder applied and then re heated.  Still wobbly but after another go it seems to have gone together.  I have left it overnight and in the morning will fit the wheels and see if everything is in alignment and the right distance apart.

 

Jamie

[lezz01]

Silver soldering cranks was always a pain Jamie. Keep at it it'll go eventually.

I had really bad trouble with a 4mm one to the point I sold the whole project off on ebay in disgust. I'm seriously thinking about giving it another go though. Maybe I'm just a masochist but I do love a bit of inside motion.

[Regularity]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

I have left it overnight and in the morning will fit the wheels and see if everything is in alignment and the right distance apart.

Or, depending on your point of view, the right distance together...

[jamie92208]

14 hours ago, lezz01 said:

Silver soldering cranks was always a pain Jamie. Keep at it it'll go eventually.

I had really bad trouble with a 4mm one to the point I sold the whole project off on ebay in disgust. I'm seriously thinking about giving it another go though. Maybe I'm just a masochist but I do love a bit of inside motion.

Hi Lezz, it's a dark art to me but Dave Hunt's advice about materials and tools has been very helpful.   On his recommendation I bought a syringe full of a paste of silver solder and flus from Palmer Metals of Coventry (Other suppliers exist).  I bought a cheap chef's blow torch off Amazon that's powered by butane from lighter refill cartridges.   The combination of the two seems to work.  You do need to have something to hold the workpiece steady.  I used a small vice on my workbench.  I also found out that after getting it all a nice cherry red and watching the silver wick round, that you have to let it cool a while before moving it.  Hopefully I'll get chance to clean it up later today and see how it fits.

 

Good luck.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Not a lot of time in the shed today but did manage to get the bearings and the wheels onto the newly made crank axle.   After a little bit of adjustment the wheels seem to be within about 0.5mm of true.  I need to clean the parts up properly and get the chassis re-assembled to see how it runs.   That will be the true test.   I'll get some pick up's fitted then paint the frames and then refit everything.  Hopefully it should look OK.

 

Jamie

[Dave Hunt]

Hi Jamie,

I haven't been posting for a while for reasons I've spelled out on ERs but I'm glad that now I'm back it's to find that you're achieving success on the silver stumbling front - you're right about the need for good workpiece support and letting things cool for a while before moving them. I'm looking into the 'which way round does a crane go' question but so far without any real progress. All I've succeeded in gathering from contacting several people who work with such things at twelve inches to the foot scale is that modern ones (by which I mean post WW2) at least can be run either way round without restriction but that what I have been told about the old C &S 15 tonners may also be correct - not a lot of help really. I think that it may come down to the old situation that if we don't know after trying to research it, who is going to correct us? Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes as Admiral Farragut would have it. I'll still do some more digging though.

 

I also have to say that with regard to the Big Boy - you jammy devil!!!

 

Dave

[jamie92208]

Thanks for that research David and I'm very glad that the turbulence around you seems to be calming down.   I will certainly experiment with the crane and try and get it running reliably with the jib trailing as I think it looks better that way.   Some judicious ballasting might help.   I have also done some more work on the 2-4-0 and today got the errant ale assembly back In the chassis and rotating freely.   I now have the lovely task of soldering all the valve gear back together.  However I hope that it will all be worth it even if it's almost impossible to see when the loco is hauling a train.   As to the Big Boy, I have absolutely no idea as to how it's inaugural run seems to have coincided with our Ruby Wedding Plans.   The imminent arrival of our first grandchild has also coincided yet our trip is still going ahead.   It now appears that the very young lady may come into this world when we are somewhere in mid Pacific en route for Canada and the USA. There is a chance that her appearance may coincide with crossing the International date line so she will have two birthdays to celebrate.   

 

Hopefully I will be able to get some more work done in the shed tomorrow.   As days are getting quite warm I am hoping to get the bodies of both the 2F and the 2-4-0 at least into primer.

 

Jamie

Edited March 28, 2019 by jamie92208

[Dave Hunt]

I've been casting my net far and wide concerning which way round cranes travelled but I'm sorry to say that despite getting in touch with several people who know a lot about them I'm no further forward. To be honest I now suspect I never will be and what I've posted above is as much as I can offer. So, Jamie, the bottom line seems to be that you can justify whichever way round you choose to run yours.

 

Cheers

Dave

[Mike Storey]

41 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

I've been casting my net far and wide concerning which way round cranes travelled but I'm sorry to say that despite getting in touch with several people who know a lot about them I'm no further forward. To be honest I now suspect I never will be and what I've posted above is as much as I can offer. So, Jamie, the bottom line seems to be that you can justify whichever way round you choose to run yours.

 

Cheers

Dave

 

Having been around the world for months, and then called in on me to inspect my (lack of) progress on my garden layout, I believe he is now in the UK on grandparenting duties....

 

Back soon!

[Dave Hunt]

Yup, I met him last weekend at Doncaster and he's still posting on RMW.

 

Dave

[jamie92208]

Yes I am still alive and kicking and had a good time at Doncaster on Saturday.  I even managed to acquire two Prince of Wales Colliery wagons on a stall for a reasonable amount.  We are currently in the UK playing at being new grandparents.  I have even been instructed by the young lady's mother, that I better get a train set built for her.   How could I not comply, but we won't be back there to do any modelling for a week or two.

 

On a rather more serious note I have the unfortunate task to report that Mel Burris, a team member, died suddenly yesterday.  He was also a new grandad and will be sorely missed by his wife, daughter and grandson.   Mel and I joined the Police together in 1973 and discovered a mutual interest in railway modelling. We kept in touch throughout our service.  After retirement we continued our friendship and Mel became part of the team that went out with Green Ayre. These trips included, Nottingham, Lancaster, Ally Pally and Warley.  He even came to France to help me unload the layout when it arrived there in January 2018.   He was a very good modeller and finished off two non corridor Janick bogie coaches that are now running on the layout.   He also built an 0-6-0 tank engine that was based at Green Ayre, for me.   He will be greatly missed.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Good afternoon all from a sunny part of the Charente.   I am safely back at home after my travels.   Slightly over 30,000 miles in the last 11 weeks by planes, trains, ships and cars.   However Green Ayre has not been forgotten.   Some time ago I purchased a brass kit for a WW1 tank from Hobby Holidays.   It has been started but is a long way down the queue of kits that need to be finished.   I thought that it would make a nice load for one of my warflats.   I then discovered that a tank had been displayed in Lancaster for many years as a war memorial in the 1920's.   Apparently there were many of them around the country but most went in scrap drives or were cut up because kids injured themselves climbing on them.  I believe that one has survived.  I discovered a picture of the Lancaster one displayed outside the Castle.

 

From various sources it appears that they were brought up by train from Bovington as intact vehicles.  They were then unoaded by their army crew and driven through the streets, often hitting cars and street furniture, and then left.   Before leaving the crew smashed gun parts, engine parts etc with sledgehammers and then got the train back to camp.   

I thought that a diorama of one being unloaded via the horse dock would be a good thing.   

 

While we were in Bournemouth last week we went to the tank museum as one of Beth's childhood friends is mentioned on the war memorial outside the museum.   While there I saw a rather nice Tamiya kit of a WW1 tank in the shop.  I know it's 1:35 not 1:43 but thought that it might at least show willing if it was placed on the layout. I made a start on it this afternoon.

On the station forecourt it shouldn't look too out of place.

 

There are even some WW1 figures in the kit but they're infantry rather than tank crew.  I suspect that the delivery crew would have been in khaki overalls but don't know for sure.  I suspect there would be a senior NCO and about 6 or 7 crew as they took at least 5 to drive it.

 

I did position it by the horse dock

It looks as if it would have been a tight fit getting it out but it would have been doable.

 

Jamie

Edited July 29, 2022 by jamie92208

[bbishop]

Jamie,

 

Baz and / or the Hippo will know better, but my first thought was black overalls.

 

Bill

[sir douglas]

khaki or drab green, also gives me a good exscuse to re watch my recording of They shall not grow old

https://images.app.goo.gl/CLiBoPFZKFoRP56CA

 

https://images.app.goo.gl/KVnneVVoKJeSpiWZ8

[Clive Mortimore]

 

5 hours ago, bbishop said:

Jamie,

 

Baz and / or the Hippo will know better, but my first thought was black overalls.

 

Bill

Hi Bill and Jamie

 

As far as I can make out the Royal Tank Corps didn't adopt the black overalls until the 1930s, Wikipedia gives 1935 as date when they paraded before the king in them.  The wearing of the black beret for all ranks wasn't authorised until 1925. So WW1 uniforms would have been the order of the day, just very neatly ironed if interwar photos are anything to go by.

 

I was on detachment to 1 RTR in the 70s, I was helping their gun fitter with some mods to the turrets of the Scorpion tanks. I was traversing the turret on one when I saw some black berets through the gunners sight. So I shouted "Turret traversing get your f'ing heads out the way". Next thing I could hear someone climbing up on the tank and through the commander hatch appeared the Regimental Sergeant Major's head, all be it upside down. "Next time you tell the colonel to get his f'ing head out the way remember to say SIR".

[Mike Storey]

Flipping 'eck Jamie - you've only been home five minutes and you've already declared war??