Upbech St Mary, Upbech Drove and Pott Row a journey through 00 and then into EM and 009.

[mullie]

15 hours ago, wiggoforgold said:

The J15 does look at home though doesn't it? I was forced to SE J15s on Upwell Drove when the 04 failed. The operational issue is hat the head sung only takes the J15 and one wagon!

Alex

It does look at home, running 'Snape' style it can propel two wagons and a short wheelbase brake - just.

 

It is a major step forward my first successful rtr conversion to EM, I also have an 08 shunter to finish and having completed this model I feel more confident to go back and finish that as well. These jobs can also be done on the dining room table and not the cold garage.

Edited February 11, 2019 by mullie

[mullie]

Building couplings for the new brake van, four wheel carriage and at least one more wagon though the layout can't take too many. Couplings are S&W 3mm mk 1s that will be adapted for auto uncoupling. The layout now has pretty much all  it can cope with though that won't stop me building.

 

[mullie]

Currently researching an identity for the J15. Thought it was going to be be 65460 but discovered today that it didn't carry balance weights on its wheels and having spent so long making them I'm not removing them.

 

Started to sort out the traffic flows on the layout this weekend. Loaded and empty coal and sugar beet wagons arrive and depart. Empty beet and full coal wagons arrive from the main line behind the J15 and are then taken out onto the Fens by the J70s. Eventually the corresponding workings take place so wagons can be taken back to the junction at Pott Row for onward travel.

 

 

 

[mullie]

And in black and white

 

[mullie]

Must stop playing with photo filters!

 

 

 

[mullie]

The J15 is now renumbered and beginning to take shape. The balance weights came off easily so it has become 65460. I have a photo of her at Wells Next the Sea in 1952 though I'm not sure I want to recreate the condition as the loco is filthy. Somewhere I think I have a photo of the same loco in better condition working the Wells branch. The frame on the tender was soldered together from bits and pieces of brass, maybe not an exact copy but close enough for me.

 

[mullie]

J15 now has darkened wheel rims and I am currently toning down the coupling rods using gun blue and gun black pens, tarpaulin rod has been painted. Now need to finish the weathering, add a tarpaulin probably on the cab roof and add a crew, I already have suitable figures.

 

Seen on the passenger service to Pott Row. This may well become its regular duty.

[mullie]

The Comet gearbox didn't survive the rebuild into EM. I'm not blaming the product as it had run fine in 00 but when I dismantled everything it no longer ran true and ate gear wheels, It was no longer square and my best efforts didn't cure the problem. Last week I decided to give High Level kits a ring for advice. Today I started building their gearbox with the help of some well written instructions and a very helpful YouTube video posted on the High Level site. If all goes well the chassis should be up and running in a week or so.

 

 

The tea tray is a god send at this time of year as it means much of my modelling can be completed on the dining room table rather than the cold of the garage.

[hayfield]

So far I have built 3 High Level Gearboxes and they are super, seem to work first time. Other makes seem to need a bit of fettering to get the gears and worm to mesh, sometimes it's as simple as opening up the holes a bit. Still I also like the various options of drive trains available from High Level

[mullie]

Must stop playing with filters!

 

 

[mullie]

High Level box is built, installed and running. Hopefully this afternoon I will rewire the pickups, install the chip and give it a trial run on the layout. The pick ups bear down on top of the wheels simply because there is more room. Note my highly technical rolling road!

 

[hayfield]

Like the rolling road, quite ingenious, trouble is should I click Craftsmanship/clever, like, friendly, useful or funny . Still well worth copying your idea.

 

High Level gearboxes are super, my own preference over others, plus love the Pott Row thread and seeing it develop. Thanks

[mullie]

What is even more ingenious is that I don't pay for the blu tack. I collect it up after its been used for Christmas decorations. Couldn't get by without it when building PCB track.

 

Thanks for your interest, the gearbox was fiddly but the YouTube video on the High Level Site made the building process really clear. I have a Comet J39 chassis to build, I do have a Comet box, but have a suspicion I will be calling High Level again.

 

 

[NHY 581]

15 hours ago, mullie said:

High Level box is built, installed and running. Hopefully this afternoon I will rewire the pickups, install the chip and give it a trial run on the layout. The pick ups bear down on top of the wheels simply because there is more room. Note my highly technical rolling road!

 

Every now and again you come across something that is a real light bulb moment. 

 

This is added to the list. 

 

Cheers.  

 

 

Rob 

[mullie]

J72 trundled up and down the short test track tonight so it can hopefully be trialled on the layout this week. I have also resoldered the brake gear this week which had got a bit battered during the rebuilding.

 

 

Eventually I would like to go back and detail this loco; new chimney, dome, buffers etc but at the moment I need to get a workable fleet of EM locos. Paintwork on the chassis needs touching up.

 

I now have two J70s, J15 and J70 with a J39 to be built over the summer. I know the J39 will be too big but I only need to buy wheels as I have all other parts so it makes sense to tackle that. With this stud I feel I might be able to dip my toe in exhibiting the layout. The layout only needs one four wheel coach and about ten wagons, these are all done and the locos all have correct numbers for the area where the layout is set.

 

The J72 is pushing things a bit as they were only briefly shedded at Ipswich in 1950 but after all it is my train set and it was a good way to start chassis building. In fact I have built the chassis twice, once in 00 then again in EM.

 

Next project is a Hornby 08 for Rickett Street that could also serve as a back up loco on this layout.

[mullie]

I bought a DCC Concepts Zen decoder for the J72 but couldn't get it to run smoothly so took it out today and installed a decoder I already have which is by Lenz I think. This is a larger decoder but should still fit. Running has been transformed, I knew it ran well under DC so wasn't concerned about the chassis build. It could do with some momentum settings and perhaps limiting its top speed to make the most of the High Level/ Mashima combination. Hopefully the loco will be in service by the end of the week. Today, real coal has been added to the bunker.

[mullie]

J72 on test. It is a bit light still so more weight will be added.

 

I can't believe I'm saying this after 15 years of DCC but I rewired the layout last night so it can run on DC. The J72 ran well on the work bench but the two decoders I have didn't give the running I wanted. With decent decoders now £25 upwards as far as I can see, this is an un needed expense on a layout so small when I don't need lighting and don't want sound. I'm currently using a Gaugemaster Combi but does anyone have any suggestions for a good hand held controller? If I don't like it the layout can easily go back to DCC.

 

 

When I rebuild Rickett Street that will be DCC as being diesel/electric based I will use lighting though I doubt I will use sound as I always have quite a tight budget for my modelling.

Edited March 30, 2019 by mullie

[NHY 581]

Morning Martyn. 

 

 

I use the Gaugemaster combi on my layouts. I did think about using their Walkabout jobbie but I also run to a budget. I just extended the wires. 

 

 

Rob. 

[mullie]

DC users please look away now.

 

Having used the layout twice with a DC controller I simply don't find it as smooth as DCC but then I knew that if I'm honest so have plugged the PowerCab back in. I found I had to constantly adjust the controller to get smooth delivery of current but that might be down to the nature of my layout.

 

Was it all a waste of time? Well after 15 years of using DCC including some frustrating experiences I now realise that for me DCC is the right way to go so now I know but each to their own.

[mullie]

Whilst adjusting the wire in tube mechanism today as it wasn't switching polarity reliably I snapped the 0.45 wire so as it works well on the other point I fed a piece of 0.7 wire through the tube without having to undertake any major reconstruction. This appears to be more successful and can just be made out below. A new end panel will need to be made but so much more work could have been needed and it seems to work better.

 

 

A J70 is seen shunting on a quiet day in two versions as I couldn't decide.

 

 

 

 

[mullie]

J15 has now been through the weathering shop.

 

 

 

More photos to follow later showing some of the detail. Model is Hornby with Gibson wheels.

[mullie]

A few more of the J15, a top view giving a general view of things. I need to work out the best way to model the tarpaulin. This loco tends to only have the bar showing, photos I have do not show a tarpaulin. As you can see the loco does now have a crew.

 

 

A rear view:

 

 

A front view which shows one of the advantages of EM in that the track gauge looks better.

 

 

[wiggoforgold]

I used a foil wine bottle top to make the tarpaulin

Alex

[mullie]

J15 awaiting its next duty.

 

[mullie]

The whole layout in the white heat of operation. In the foreground is a tram in the loco depot waiting to release  a passenger service that has arrived behind another tram. On the right are various wagons, a van will be attached to the passenger service. Some wagons will go back towards Pott Row, others are on their way out to the fens. Trains from the junction at Pott Row tend to arrive hauled/pushed by either a J15 or a J72.

 

 

The river frontage can be finished off now the weather is warmer, I was concerned that coats of varnish might cloud in the cold of the garage.

 

A basic sequence of operations is being devised and has to be carefully managed. With the layout being so small all movements have to be carefully monitored, it is easy to tie yourself in knots but despite its small size it is interesting to operate as I like shunting layouts. It is doing what I want it to, simply switch on and play.

 

Edited April 22, 2019 by mullie