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As far as 3 link couplings are concerned, my level of insanity was at one time such that I used 3 links operationally, but I eventually saw the error of my ways and switched to Alex Jacksons (some would say only a degree or so down the insanity scale). I still fit cosmetic 3 links, one reason I chose A/J's, and make them out of 10thou p/b wire which has first been softened by running it quickly through a soft flame (e g. a match). It is then coiled tightly round a strip of 20thou steel which has had a section at one end filed down to 2mm wide with rounded edges. The individual links are then cut from this (while the coil is still on the former), slid off and threaded together and onto the hook.

There is an article waaaaay back describing this, but I'm laid up with flu at the moment and not at the computer. I'll try and post a reference to it later.

 

Jim

I've now been able to trace the article which was in the February 1971 issue of the 2mm Magazine, p17.   It describes making both hooks and links out of soft stainless steel wire, however now hooks are etched and, as I said, I use annealed p/b wire.  One benefit of the latter is that it tarnishes to a nice dark, rusty brown colour as you can see from the photographs here.

 

Jim

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I may be behind the curve here, but has anybody had a chance to look at whether the Revolution CLASS B 35T TANK WAGON will be easily converted to 2FS?

 

Cheers

John

 

John,

 

Not that I'm aware of. I think I'm right in saying that only one type (the red Mobil Charrington wagons) have arrived in the UK - the remaining ones are promised for sometime in the next month or so.

 

I'm sure we will be looking at them in due course though.

 

Andy

Edited by 2mm Andy
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Another part finished wagon that ended up with me was an LMS van (2-511). The blurb on the product page lists this as LMS van to diagrams D1808/D1812/D1830.

 

I followed the listings on the project page and ordered chassis 2-332 (10ft 2 shoe per side) and the steel solebar conversion kit 2-337 (17'6"). 

 

I don't have any reference materials for the LMS to hand, but looking at the photos on Paul Bartlett's site, all of the LMS vans of this body style (with minimal strapping) and all of those listed as D1812 or D1830 are vacuum fitted with clasp brakes (4 shoes per side). There are some similar but different body style vans with unfitted 9' wheelbase chassis. All of these photos are survivors in the late 60s to 90s so I realise they might not be representative! 

 

I can't see any pictures labelled as D1808, or find any other reference to it on the internet. Could anyone with the LMS wagon books check whether there was indeed a 10ft unfitted/2 shoe per side brake version of this van body style? Or do I in fact have to use a different chassis if I want to get it right?

 

Cheers

 

Justin

 

Hi Justin

 

The LMS wagon books by Essery explain that both fitted and unfitted versions were built for these diagrams so the chassis you have bought should be quite OK - if correct wagon numbers are important to you though you'll have to pick a wagon from an actual photo as allocation of numbers was somewhat random.

 

One thing to note is that as originally built, the LMS seem to have only had brake shoes on one side - the side with the Morton clutch - the plain lever was the other side, link by a cross shaft but with no brake shoes that side.

 

I'm not an LMS expert but as far as I can tell from the books, the LMS style of fitted brakes used Morton levers and either 2 or 4 brake shoes.  I think the conversion to clasp brakes occurred in BR days.

 

Best wishes

 

John

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Hi Justin

 

The LMS wagon books by Essery explain that both fitted and unfitted versions were built for these diagrams.

 

I'm not an LMS expert but as far as I can tell from the books, the LMS style of fitted brakes used Morton levers and either 2 or 4 brake shoes.  I think the conversion to clasp brakes occurred in BR days.

 

John, I think the text in the Essery book (which isn't that clear or helpful when it comes to these vans - not helped by confusion in the source material) may have misled you. These vans were built at the point that the LMS began switching from 9 to 10ft wb chassis. All the views in the Essery LMS wagons book seem to show fitted wagons with 10ft chassis, long springs, J hangers and 8 shoe clasp brakes including one D1812 van new in this condition (plate 68 in LMS wagons vol.1, confusingly the diagram book suggests this should have been built with handbrake and through pipe). Container flats built about the same time also had the same 8 shoe clasp underframe. As you suggest unfitted vans would presumably have been 2 shoe Morton braked like the later D1897 vans.

 

Simon

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John,

 

Not that I'm aware of. I think I'm right in saying that only one type (the red Mobil Charrington wagons) have arrived in the UK - the remaining ones are promised for sometime in the next month or so.

 

I'm sure we will be looking at them in due course though.

 

Andy

 

I think I asked Ben what the axle lengths were  and the answer is somewhere in the thread for these tankers.

 

EDIT: his answer was -

 

Axle length is 14mm. The wheels are 3-hole disc.

 

Chris

Edited by Chris Higgs
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Does anyone happen to have a reasonably clear or close up photo of the bolier band tightening screw arrangement on top of a Great Western Belpaire firebox?

Or better still a dimensioned drawing.

Thanks

Oli

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Does anyone happen to have a reasonably clear or close up photo of the bolier band tightening screw arrangement on top of a Great Western Belpaire firebox?

Or better still a dimensioned drawing.

Thanks

Oli

 

You've a better chance of getting your prototype related questions answered on the prototype forums in RMWeb. There are lots of GWR experts looking at those.

 

Chris

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John, I think the text in the Essery book (which isn't that clear or helpful when it comes to these vans - not helped by confusion in the source material) may have misled you. These vans were built at the point that the LMS began switching from 9 to 10ft wb chassis. All the views in the Essery LMS wagons book seem to show fitted wagons with 10ft chassis, long springs, J hangers and 8 shoe clasp brakes including one D1812 van new in this condition (plate 68 in LMS wagons vol.1, confusingly the diagram book suggests this should have been built with handbrake and through pipe). Container flats built about the same time also had the same 8 shoe clasp underframe. As you suggest unfitted vans would presumably have been 2 shoe Morton braked like the later D1897 vans.

 

Simon

 

Correct, Simon. The only LMS vans and opens that received the four-shoe RCH vacuum brakes were previously unfitted vehicles that were selected for British Railways' vacuum braking programme in the late-1950s. This was in common with other 'Big Four' and BR designs that were so treated.

 

David

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I think I asked Ben what the axle lengths were  and the answer is somewhere in the thread for these tankers.

 

EDIT: his answer was -

 

Axle length is 14mm. The wheels are 3-hole disc.

 

Chris

Thanks Chris, I was being short sighted looking for info in the 2fs area, overlooked that RevolutioN have their own.....

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John, I think the text in the Essery book (which isn't that clear or helpful when it comes to these vans - not helped by confusion in the source material) may have misled you. These vans were built at the point that the LMS began switching from 9 to 10ft wb chassis. All the views in the Essery LMS wagons book seem to show fitted wagons with 10ft chassis, long springs, J hangers and 8 shoe clasp brakes including one D1812 van new in this condition (plate 68 in LMS wagons vol.1, confusingly the diagram book suggests this should have been built with handbrake and through pipe). Container flats built about the same time also had the same 8 shoe clasp underframe. As you suggest unfitted vans would presumably have been 2 shoe Morton braked like the later D1897 vans.

 

Simon

 

Many thanks Simon. So the correct chassis would actually be: 2-333 Wagon chassis etch 10' 0" w/b 17'6" long 8 shoe vac. Brake (2-336 to convert)? I have a feeling I might actually have one or two of those in the gloat box ...

 

Justin

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Many thanks Simon. So the correct chassis would actually be: 2-333 Wagon chassis etch 10' 0" w/b 17'6" long 8 shoe vac. Brake (2-336 to convert)? I have a feeling I might actually have one or two of those in the gloat box ...

 

Justin

 

Justin,

 

Unfortunately 2-333 has the LNER style brake gear which is significantly different from the LMS design. The 2-375 etch has the right brake gear (and includes the long springs with J-hangers), but is to 1:148 scale (to fit the N Gauge Society LMS van body mouldings).

 

Andy

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Justin,

 

Unfortunately 2-333 has the LNER style brake gear which is significantly different from the LMS design. The 2-375 etch has the right brake gear (and includes the long springs with J-hangers), but is to 1:148 scale (to fit the N Gauge Society LMS van body mouldings).

 

Andy

 

Thanks Andy. Its a minefield isn't it? All this new fangled post-grouping stuff ... Pretty sure I don't have one of those, so it'll have to wait until I've got a few other things I need from Shop 2, rather than send off an order for a single etch! 

 

Justin

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Justin,

 

Unfortunately 2-333 has the LNER style brake gear which is significantly different from the LMS design. The 2-375 etch has the right brake gear (and includes the long springs with J-hangers), but is to 1:148 scale (to fit the N Gauge Society LMS van body mouldings).

 

Andy

I have used 2-333 and 2-337 to create LMS style 8 shoe style underframes. You can break off the LNER fittings (V hangers etc) and use the v hangers of 2-337. I've never used 2-336 and I don't know what the difference is compared with 2-336 (1? !).

 

Nig H

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Justin,

 

Unfortunately 2-333 has the LNER style brake gear which is significantly different from the LMS design. The 2-375 etch has the right brake gear (and includes the long springs with J-hangers), but is to 1:148 scale (to fit the N Gauge Society LMS van body mouldings).

 

Andy

 

Thanks for your clarifications Simon and David.

 

If 2-375 is to N scale, I assume the 10' wheel base will come out at 20.6mm instead of 20mm.

 

If I could live with that difference and maybe shorten each end a bit, could this etch be used for the Association's van kit or will there be other dimentional inaccuracies?

 

Thanks

 

John

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Thanks for your clarifications Simon and David.

 

If 2-375 is to N scale, I assume the 10' wheel base will come out at 20.6mm instead of 20mm.

 

If I could live with that difference and maybe shorten each end a bit, could this etch be used for the Association's van kit or will there be other dimentional inaccuracies?

 

Thanks

 

John

 

It will probably be OK. It is marginally wider than a 2mm chassis as well, although this only amounts to 0.25mm extra. It will look a bit long in the wheelbase, 

 

I cannot help feeling it would be simpler to fit the body with an unfitted chassis and buy some of the now back-in-stock NGS LMS Vans to use with 2-375 without hacking it about.

 

Chris

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When you say old and new bodies, which ones do you mean exactly? I'm not aware that the new-style bodies are available as spares. The older ones should be obtainable from the likes of BR Lines.

 

Andy

 

BR Lines do indeed have a variety of the old bodies, although not listed on the website. 12.80 each which I think is a fair price.

 

They have sourced me a few of the newer bodies as well.

 

Chris

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BR Lines do indeed have a variety of the old bodies, although not listed on the website. 12.80 each which I think is a fair price.

 

They have sourced me a few of the newer bodies as well.

 

Chris

 

I bought one of the older-style bodies from Lychett Manor Models when they were having a clearance sale. I think I paid £3 or £4... Sadly that source is not available at present as Lychett are temporarily closed for health reasons.

 

Whichever bodies you buy, I'd recommend fitting a new chimney from N Brass Locos. The one on the new Farish Jinty is awful.

 

Andy

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Does anyone happen to know how long is the throw of a Peco PL10 or Seep point motor?  I'm wondering if there's enough to move a permanent magnet uncoupler sideways under the track.

 

I want to avoid using an electromagnet if possible.

 

Mark

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Does anyone happen to know how long is the throw of a Peco PL10 or Seep point motor?  I'm wondering if there's enough to move a permanent magnet uncoupler sideways under the track.

 

I want to avoid using an electromagnet if possible.

 

Mark

 

A PL10 is about 4.5mm, I think the Seep is similar - haven't got any of these to measure I'm afraid, so probably not enough for what you need. Have you considered using servos? I used hacked ones to lift 1/4"/6mm magnets for the same reasons (they rose/fell in 1/4" ID K&S brass tube) and I can't see why the basic movement wouldn't work horizontally. Here's a few of shots of the arrangement. Very crudely done as usual, but worked well and was able to lift multiple linked magnets with one servo.

 

post-12706-0-29970300-1521716006.jpg

 

post-12706-0-58865600-1521716021.jpg

 

post-12706-0-44206700-1521716206.jpg

 

post-12706-0-11597700-1521716217.jpg

 

hope it's of interest

 

Izzy

Edited by Izzy
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I think they will both be less than a centimeter, so not really enough. You might be able to modify then, moving the coils further apart and extending the core, but it would be a lot of work.

 

This sort of thing would give ample movement, but you will need some electrickery to drive the stepper motor:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Phase-4-Wire-Micro-10mm-Stepper-Motor-Precison-Long-Linear-Screw-Slider-Block/253333540314?epid=7012187272&hash=item3afbdb0dda:g:XUoAAOSwmOJaQ6TY

 

Or this one would give a faster movement, but less precision?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/DC-5v-Linear-Slider-Mini-Stepping-Motor-2-phase-4-wire-Stepper-Telescopic-Block/1776326542?iid=221955232051&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D49138%26meid%3D76f38798f07248239e645bd7a7d1dbec%26pid%3D100623%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D253333540314%26itm%3D221955232051&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1

 

Ian

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Does anyone happen to know how long is the throw of a Peco PL10 or Seep point motor?  I'm wondering if there's enough to move a permanent magnet uncoupler sideways under the track.

 

I want to avoid using an electromagnet if possible.

 

Mark

 

You could use a crank with unequal arms. Mount the magnet on the long arm and drive the shorter arm. Alternately a lever pivoted at one end, the magnet at the other and driven say 25% of the distance from pivot to magnet. This would increase the movement fourfold but with a loss of force to move the magnet.

 

Roger 

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