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Eastwood Town - A tribute to Gordon's modelling.


gordon s
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 wheels catch the end of the point blade.

 

Hi Gordon,

 

Did you use a 20p coin as the spacer? That applies only if the gauge through the switch section is 16.2mm. If you are using 16.5mm there, the opening needs to be wider, suggest 2.0mm.

 

cheers,

 

Martin.

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No worries Martin, my stock of dirty old 20p's are well worn and frequently used. Nothing wrong with the theoretical geometry, just a few very minor adjustments on the actual alignment into the turnout. Easily corrected, but of course they'll need a minor repaint where I've had to apply heat. I think a lot depends on the rigidity of the chassis and the angle the wheels are taking into the turnout. I usually find a tiny correction to the gauge or angle of approach track, just pushes the wheels far enough across so as not to catch the end of the blade.

 

More often or not it's a wheel set with tight B2B.

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Well it's only taken 10 years and at 3.45pm this afternoon something ran.... :danced:  :danced:  :danced:  :danced:

 

https://youtu.be/31gGySm9ccg

 

Edit: Thanks Martin, I was so chuffed I missed answering your post. The track centres are already on 44.67mm so no room there. I'll put the footbridge to one side for a day or two as I would like to finish off the track on one circuit at least.

 

What's there now are several loose pieces of track to join the boards together. There's no bus connection between the boards either. It's simply counting on the fishplates to conduct power from one board to another. Not ideal, but fine to get me round one loop. Funny thing was off camera is that the J15 suddenly stopped and the quartering on the wheels was all over the place. Of course as it hard hardly been run, one of the con rod screws had fallen out and chaos ensued. Trying to find the tiny screw could have been challenging, but thankfully it was between the rails a few inches away.

 

Happy days...

My iPad informed me there were new YouTube videos. I then came to see what was on RMWeb. Congratulations.
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I'm ashamed to say that I couldn't quite remember how many tracks there were, though I thought there were two, so I looked out the original article in Model Rail. Here's the plan, plus a photo, and it seems I was right.

post-98-0-97014000-1548615372_thumb.jpg

post-98-0-68659100-1548615395_thumb.jpg

Back in 2004 we didn't have lovely compact cameras that could sit on platforms, so I'm afraid I can't find anything which might help with your width conundrum.

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Been out for the afternoon with friends, so thanks for the replies.....

 

BoD. Not quite Bob and Terry, but I thought I'd watch the match when I got home..... :D 

 

I said to Jackie that Spurs will get beat, so no surprise. Just glad Arsenal went out as well, not to mention West Ham. Of course I'll get some stick at the golf club tomorrow, but with the other two going out as well, it may not be quite so bad....

 

Thanks Tony. I still creep into ER's via the back door occasionally and glad to see you are all behaving yourselves. Lots of sadness and my thoughts go out to Mal, but pleased to see the basic principles of ER's are well and flourishing.

 

SS. Sorry about the Q1. It always ran well and cross London freight saw Q1's occasionally venture north of the Thames. To be honest, it was the only box I opened that had a loco with a decoder fitted and it ran well after 15 minutes. It didn't move at the start, so it took all my knowledge to get it running at all.

 

Lacathedrale. Not sure how to answer that one. My plans always start off as flights of fancy, and believe me, this is the simplest, but somehow all those schoolboy scribblings come to the fore with no respect whatsoever of the reality of trackwork radii and gradients. Been there and done that, so  I can only offer massive respect to those who can build three dimensional layouts that work.  

 

My goal has always been trains that leave a station and basically disappear for ages, yet are still moving and then suddenly reappear again. I can hear all the purists reel in horror right now, but we're all different.  I like to think a train leaves somewhere and goes on a journey before reappearing. The problem is that within a 'confined' space, it means loads of gradients or turnouts and curves below 3' radius. Eventually reality kicks in and you have to settle for something simpler.

 

I love these plans that promise the earth and potentially deliver that goal, but they all fall by the wayside as financial restrictions kick in or simply the realisation that you cannot build such a magnificent layout within the space provided as gradients take over.

 

Gilbert. Now I'm confused as that pic doesn't match up with the one I found.  Was there another version that pre dates the one in your picture?  Definitely two sets of double tracks in that pic, so now I need to check my calculations again. There's clearly two sets of double tracks there, unlike the earlier pic....

 

How was golf today?

 

I'm out at 08.30 tomorrow in American Greensomes with our seniors. We do pretty well with 80-100 Seniors every Monday, so I'm happy to belong to a thriving club, particularly one at the bottom of my garden.... ;)

 

Lots to do, so I'll try together some form of priority list together in a day or two.  Right now I'm just happy trains are running... :drink_mini:

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Sorry Gordon, the track plan was never changed, it was always double track there. I think it must be the angle of the photo that makes the one you posted look as though there was only one. I'm trying to work out when that one was taken. I think it must have been early on, before Allan made the buildings, otherwise other bits don't make any sense at all.

 

Big day at the Club today, as it was Captain's drive in. Before that we had a Texas Scramble, in which my team came second. We had eight birdies and no dropped shots in very windy conditions, but were beaten comfortably by our pro and three juniors!  It did help that we had a seven handicapper who hit the ball about 280 off the tee, even in soft conditions, and almost always straight too. I hit sand wedges into greens where I've never done so before.

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Sorry Gordon, the track plan was never changed, it was always double track there. I think it must be the angle of the photo that makes the one you posted look as though there was only one. I'm trying to work out when that one was taken. I think it must have been early on, before Allan made the buildings, otherwise other bits don't make any sense at all.

 

Big day at the Club today, as it was Captain's drive in. Before that we had a Texas Scramble, in which my team came second. We had eight birdies and no dropped shots in very windy conditions, but were beaten comfortably by our pro and three juniors!  It did help that we had a seven handicapper who hit the ball about 280 off the tee, even in soft conditions, and almost always straight too. I hit sand wedges into greens where I've never done so before.

Is this some new code that mere mortals are NOT supposed to understand? :O  haha

 

Over, Roger and out, Who's Roger? :no:

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Hi Gordon,

 

Did you use a 20p coin as the spacer? That applies only if the gauge through the switch section is 16.2mm. If you are using 16.5mm there, the opening needs to be wider, suggest 2.0mm.

 

cheers,

 

Martin.

I use two pieces of SMP copperclad timber strip, each 1.2mm thick so 2.4mm overall. Wider than you suggest but 100% reliable with 16.5mm gauge at the switches (16.2mm at the crossings).

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I think I've finally worked out the footbridge conundrum...

 

It all comes down to the width of the centre platform. On Gilbert's layout there is a short loco holding bay at the end of the platform.  The width either side of that is really to allow the engine driver/fireman to access the loco rather than a full passenger access. Because I have two bay platforms that will allow a three coach train, the centre platform is probably wider and that in turn pushes out the second double track. If I dropped the bay platforms either end, the centre platform could be narrower and that would bring the second pair of track inboard and the then the footbridge would be central. 

 

I really want to keep those bays as the layout of the pointwork either end provides up and down access at both ends, so a DMU can leave one end, do a few laps and then come back in the other end. You could spend all day on a train and then come back to where you started.... :D

 

Spent the afternoon like a kid in a toyshop with boxes of stock being opened and trying to work out which locos are DCC and which are simply DC. Had four trains running round the double track just for the fun of it. You have to keep your wits about you, but great fun.

 

Found this lovely loco I bought from a fellow RM member several years ago and it's not seen the light of day since.

 

It's absolutely filthy, but to cap it all the two lamps at the front light up. I take my hat off to the modeller who got these lamps to light up as they are really tiny. They're set up as Express Goods, so I'll be only too pleased to see this one running with 20 or so vans behind. It didn't run at all when it came out of the box, but some gentle care and encouragement got it working and now it runs really smoothly.

 

post-6950-0-85592500-1548701544_thumb.jpg

 

I'm ashamed to say I can't recall who I bought it from and my emails from all those years ago have long gone after several computer changes. I hope the person I bought it from will see it is still bringing lots of pleasure after all these years and it didn't end up on eBay.

 

Jackie will be watching her favourite TV programmes for a couple of hours, so I'm off upstairs to find something else to have fun with....

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Great to have RMweb back on line and congrats to Andy and the crew...:drinks:

As an old fella' it takes me a while to get used to any changes, but I'm tackling it with an open mind, rather than falling into the trap of 'if it ain't broke'....

One thing I haven't found yet is the ability to simply cancel a post before posting or preview a post before posting. I suspect 'edit' will come up once posted.

...anyway I digress...

 

Dear Deirdre

I'm having a problem with my trains as they keep derailing. I've tried running them faster, but it doesn't make any difference, they still come off the track. When are these manufacturers going to make make trains that will run well.......;)

830690663_DSCF9588(1).jpg.a5c4c0d5550e0c8fc37346c045d09da1.jpg

This is what happens when you leave the blinds up overnight and the early morning sun pours in, even in January with temperatures in single figures. I had left expansion gaps, but this was the last thing I expected to be greeted with.

With RMweb off air, I started playing around with various loco's and was gutted to find my Hornby 8F, previously one of my best runners, was running like an absolute pig. Nothing for it, the screwdriver came out and once you've undone one screw, you may as well take them all out. Valve gear was the first port of call and then wheel quartering. After 30 mins or so, they all seemed OK, but the loco definitely had a tight spot in one place. I suspected the plastic spur gearing, so more bits came off. Couldn't find any mashed teeth, but eventually twigged the final drive gear was semi spinning on the knurled axle and the 'lump' in the gear train, was the gear slipping on the axle every revolution in the same spot. Ordered a new set of drivers and will replace the gears at the same time. Not bad for £11 plus postage.

Anyone any idea how to put it back together?

234464746_DSCF9601(1).jpg.dd2d18dbdd87a45d3a3e3c8112c62e21.jpg

Other than that trains are still running, but now going over every piece of track to check joints etc and gently easing any turnouts that have tight spots, particularly  with the DJH kit locos that have a long wheelbase and little or no play in the chassis. Normally it just means opening out the check rail gap on the outer curved rail. A 1mm gap is fine for normal RTR loco's, but taking it out to 1.2mm or 1.3mm seems to solve the issue. Experience has shown that you never touch the vee,  wing rails or check rails, just the overall gauge in tight areas.

Still enjoying the challenge, so that's positive...

 

 

 

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Thanks Martin.....again! 

Still ploughing through box after box and pulling out stock that is interesting and then seeing how it runs. Worst one so far is my DJH Clan which appears to be running down a cobbled street on some turnouts. Not a problem to work through it methodically and then enjoying the moment when it moves smoothly. Thankfully it’s only the odd loco and 90% are running really well, considering how long they’ve been in the wardrobe upstairs.

Had a real trip down memory lane this evening watching an 8F freight at track level. Reminded me of being a child in Glasgow where my grandmother’s tenement backed onto the main line into Glasgow Central. I used to get up really early and wander into the kitchen which overlooked the track around 300 yds away. Once I was up on a stool I could see out the window and just watched the night sleepers and early morning freight trundling past.

It was probably the enjoyment of that experience that started my railway modelling interest.

Found myself sitting for half an hour this evening just watching trains go by.....:good_mini:

 

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Gordon,

Glad to see that you have not been idly chasing a little ball around the fields for the last couple of days and have been doing something constructive, like checking that your locos actually still work.

It's surprising how much strength is in the sun, when it chooses to come out to play.

 

 

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....and I’m likely to be home a lot more. Our Winter League match on Monday has already been cancelled. Last Thursday I opted out with a knee injury which is unheard of. Had no problem sitting it out and had an enjoyable time in the warm instead.

Apologies to everyone who said get something running. How right you were....:D

Only problem was the size of this build meant I never got close enough to do that and frustration set in. Probably the downside of working on your own, but now I’m on the way, progress will be a pleasure rather than a real struggle to visualise the end.

Next stage will be to separate the main boards one at a time. Track will need dummy sleepers inserted in all the gaps and then it’s primer and track colour plus yard after yard of ballast to organise. 

 

Got platforms to build and a station building to modify.

 

Just hoping my golf doesn’t fall apart......

Edited by gordon s
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7 hours ago, gordon s said:

Great to have RMweb back on line and congrats to Andy and the crew...:drinks:

As an old fella' it takes me a while to get used to any changes, but I'm tackling it with an open mind, rather than falling into the trap of 'if it ain't broke'....

With RMweb off air, I started playing around with various loco's and was gutted to find my Hornby 8F, previously one of my best runners, was running like an absolute pig. Nothing for it, the screwdriver came out and once you've undone one screw, you may as well take them all out. Valve gear was the first port of call and then wheel quartering. After 30 mins or so, they all seemed OK, but the loco definitely had a tight spot in one place. I suspected the plastic spur gearing, so more bits came off. Couldn't find any mashed teeth, but eventually twigged the final drive gear was semi spinning on the knurled axle and the 'lump' in the gear train, was the gear slipping on the axle every revolution in the same spot. Ordered a new set of drivers and will replace the gears at the same time. Not bad for £11 plus postage.

Anyone any idea how to put it back together?

234464746_DSCF9601(1).jpg.dd2d18dbdd87a45d3a3e3c8112c62e21.jpg

 

 

 

It looks like that 8F has bled all over the tray when you dismembered it!

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