Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 Evenin' all, Another solid day of progress on TG with Colin today, he has completed the 11 rocking mechanisms for the fiddle yard gates controlling the approach to the traverser. I've wired the turntable for reverse polarity on the opposite side so that turning a steam loco and pressing the 'push to make' power supply for the turntable doesn't cause a conflict with the supply on the fiddle yard panel adjacent to the traverser. Thus, running a loco onto the turntable then simply requires the Duette power supply knob to be switched to reverse and the two push buttons can then be used simultaneously to bring the turned loco back off the turntable onto the loco release road. First scenic section frame design under way. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 13, 2012 Author Share Posted December 13, 2012 Evenin' all,The experience gained in constructing the baseframes for the fiddle yards paid off quickly as the first scenic section frame was tackled. Much time was lost 'flatting' aluminium on the first frames but experience has suggested that the job done by the levelling sledge on the cork sheet forming the track bed is all that is required to produce a perfectly flat surface. Meanwhile, experience in wielding the angle grinder equipped with the fine slitting disc allows all metal sections (both aluminium and stainless) to be quickly and accurately cut to size and shape with only finish filing required.The new challenges of frame building/profiling associated with the scenic section are mainly concerned with the techniques required to produce a prototypically shaped railway alignment through the landscape, this means moving quickly away from the regular rectangles of aluminium sheet used in the fiddle yards.This clip shows the A3 Templot trackplan sheets immediately on the Exeter side of the twin river bridges with the twin tracks between the platforms and the freight run round loop to the right (wall side). The aluminium sheet extending beyond the run round loop will be mainly cut away as an alignment mirroring the shape of the track layout is formed. In the station area and across the bridges the railway will be considerably higher than the immediate landscape. The T section logituduinals beneath the trackbed will therefore need to be close to the outer extent of the loop, hence positioning the trackplan so that the limits can be marked on the aluminium. The aluminium stretcher lengths for the frame can then be determined. Other considerations include avoiding positioning stretchers where point motors need to be mounted (the outside slip will have 4 point motors associated with it). Tomorrow sees another visit to the aluminium stockholder to source the T section required for all of the stretchers as well as more L section for leg brackets etc. Dexion angle will soon need to be fitted around the workroom to house partially complete and finished frames to allow space for new ones to be fabricated. The Dexion will have hoists incorporated for lifting the frames.Aluminium sourced for the stretchers and a 6 pack of Tortoise point motors ordered http://www.digitrain...or-12-pack.aspx to check clearances/positioning etc. I understand that a Maplin VN10L 7.5V supply is ideal for the point motors so 2 have been ordered (whilst they are on half price offer) to provide a back up in case of failure. Thoughts then turn to the control panel design for the scenic section and whether it is better to have the Exeter end fiddle yard operator responsible for all scenic section signalling/control or whether to try and involve the Plymouth/Barnstaple end operator. The design for the Exeter end fiddle yard isn't finished yet but my gut feeling is that it will be best equipped with more than 11 roads as it will need to cope with the combined output of the other two 11 road yards.CheersDave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 Aft'noon all, Having busily provided the linked traverser to allow for the exchange of sheeted/unsheeted clay opens without the need to handle wagon sheets or run loads/empties in the wrong direction it occurred to me that the same problem will arise with e.g. steel plate traffic running to Bideford or Barnstaple for the Appledore shipyard. The ballast workings to/from Meldon quarry will also be fun to replicate as they'll need to use the return loop and traverser to regain their position in either direction.....looks like the 3rd operator will be a full time freight shunter for such traffics. Modifications to the Plymouth/Barnstaple end fiddle yard plan have produced these alterations to the fiddle yard skeletal. The return loop will run through the sloped valley side out of sight to link into the Exeter end fiddle yard. Latest stock ordered is 3 brass Trestrol kits (for the shipyard plate traffic) from the Old Time Workshop http://www.oldtimeworkshop.co.uk/ , one of 3 trestle types for this traffic. The advantage is that they look as good empty as loaded with plate. A pleasant chat with Dave Franks of Lanarkshire models this morning produced solutions for the buffers, couplings and vac pipes (as reqd) for the 3 types as well as some bogie variants. The new T9 mentioned in the 2013 Hornby release sounds promising....a wide splasher variant to complement the narrow splasher T9 already on the TG roster. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 19, 2012 Author Share Posted December 19, 2012 Aft'noon all, A busy session today working on the first scenic section frame began with the 4 basic frame members assembled squarely on the plate glass surface before being transferred across to the aluminium sheet deck/Templot plan for the stretcher positions and lengths to be marked onto the aluminium. 6 of the 7 Tortoise point motors for this frame were placed in their relative positions on the plan so that the stretchers could be positioned to avoid them and yet maintain the 1ft spacing needed for a solid running surface. The two longitudinals for the frame are narrowly spaced to avoid the motor positions and allow the trackbed to be profiled towards the bridges. On the station side of the double junction the widening of the trackbed for the station area is catered for with stretchers extending beyond the longitudinal. The baseframe locating dowels for this narrow topped frame will be mounted lower down, below river level at the bridge end and at a similar height at the station end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAI0sKnRspc&feature=youtu.be The angle grinder/slitting disc saw plenty of use creating the cutouts in the T section, into which the mating parts fitted. The buffers, drawhooks and vacuum pipes for the plate wagon build arrived from Dave Franks today. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 28, 2012 Author Share Posted December 28, 2012 Evenin' all, Another solid day cutting and fitting aluminium sections for/into the first scenic/profiled frame has brought it close to being ready for the sheet deck. Various techniques have been adopted to ensure that the 'T' section stretchers remain in their 'as clamped' perpendicular position such as using 'L' brackets on alternate sides of each stretcher and keeping to machine screws with flat backs to their heads rather than countersunk, as the less than perfect 'L' brackets won't sit flat on the aluminium using the latter. More practice with the fine slitting disc means that less and less 'finish' filing is required before fitting stretchers into the frame. The technique of drilling holes similar to slot widths, prior to slicing the slot sides down to the hole can be seen. During fabrication of the frame the plate glass reference surface ensures that any deformation of the assembly is quickly 'flagged up' and therefore rectified. This clip finishes with the frame almost ready for the profiled deck. The range of cuts in often difficult locations has meant that the guard has had to be removed from the angle grinder, thus, goggles rather than safety glasses need to be worn with the ear defenders and dust mask, whilst taking great care to keep the little pinkies well away from the spinning cutter. All trackwork construction, including the complex slips, is now back 'in house' following comments from several experienced P4 trackbuilders re the unlikely success of commissioning such pieces, Todays progress included producing and fitting the last of the stretchers for this frame and levelling it in its allotted workspace ready for checking the calibration/alignment of the stretcher tops and fitting the sheet deck. Obviously, any work done to produce an absolutely flat surface for the track has to be done whilst the workroom supports are in place. A slight allowance has had to be made for the change from 3/16" gauge T section aluminium down to 1/8" due to problems getting hold of the former. Some fettling of the upper end plates in preparation for fitting the 2ft lower end plates (with the baseframe locating dowels) was necessary. This height difference between end plates will allow the sloping of the land away from the margins of the trackbed alignment down towards the River Torridge. On the opposite side of the station the East Okement river will flow in a stone lined channel similar to that of the River Lyn in Lynmouth, to join the Torridge. The East Okement river channel will resemble these scenes filmed in Lynmouth I'm looking to site the channel close to the station entrance with the goods sidings located on the opposite side. The sheet deck has now been machine screwed to the frame and is ready for sealing to the stretchers.Once this is done the Templot plan can be positioned on the deck, the track positions marked and the sheet profiled to suit. Stock on order includes one of the forthcoming Dapol disc headcode fitted class 22s and a D6xx Warship. The 3 brass Trestrol kits from 'The Old Time Workshop' arrived today. A selection of bogies and 2 Turbot kits (for conversion to bolster 'E's) ordered from Cambrian. Awful lot of work to do but these will be the start of the class 22 hauled steel plate special for Barnstaple. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted January 5, 2013 Author Share Posted January 5, 2013 Evenin' all, Latest progress on TG can be seen on this clip: preparation/levelling of the scenic frame adjacent to the 2 river bridges for fitting of the sheet deck; making and fitting an adjustable support beneath the frame to ensure that the frame is absolutely level before machine screwing the deck to the frame. A revised method of fixing adjustable supports to the frame has been used ('L' section aluminium with two machine screws). The workroom supports are usually longer (but in this case custom made to be short enough to stand on a solid desk surface) than the exhibition hall supports because of the need to position frames at comfortable working heights during construction. The 3 etched brass sheets recently arrived from 'The Old Time Workshop' for the Trestrol plate wagons can be seen. The low level end plates for below river height at the bridges end of the frame have been fabricated and can be seen towards the end of the clip. Due to the length and curving nature of the bridges it is better to have a complete bridge on each of 2 frames (around 5ft in length for each one) but the frame arrangement will be staggered at the point at which the bridge frames connect to the scenic/station frame 1 at one end but the Plymouth/Barnstaple end frame will be at 90 degrees to the bridge frames and both will locate into it. The frame locating plates will be fitted with angled struts to the base of 2 stretchers so that a right angle is maintained with the sheet deck. The four frames (two bridge frames and the adjacent frame at each end) will be constructed as a group in the middle of the room, with space to walk around the outside. This does require the high dexion racks to be put in place first to hold the other frames. Todays task has been to square up the low level end plate to the sheet deck, this included a slight vertical shift at one end, the introduction of shims/spacers between the top of the 'L' section and the backing plate and the construction of two angled struts to fit from the bottom of the 'L' section to the underside of each longitudinal. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 Evenin' all, The latest clip shows the angled struts fitted to the scenic frame to hold the low level end plate square to the frame. The cut lines for profiling the embankments off the sheet deck are indicated by arrows, the platforms and down junction signal positions are shown. The positions of the ground discs authorising moves through the double slip are also shown adjacent to the marker for the main signal box on TG....this will be modelled on one of the Yeovil jnc boxes. Behind the box the ground will slope down to the River Torridge The signalling on TG will be mainly lattice post lower quadrant Southern semaphore and will be constructed where possible using Model Signal Engineering components. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 Aft'noon all, Another busy shift on TG has seen the disc cutter in action shaping the current scenic frame deck. This was followed by some considerable time spent filing away the rough edges and finish filing the aluminium to shape. The Templot track plan could then be carefully positioned and a new 1mm drill bit used with the mini drill to mark sufficient sleeper ends (through the paper and indenting the aluminium deck) so that the cork track base plan could be sketched onto the deck surface. The goods run round loop adj. to the station will have an ash ballast base whilst the passenger lines will have stone ballast. The cork can now be cut to shape and 'Evo-stik-ed' to the deck. The 1 1/4 inch diameter brass tube for replicating the 8ft diameter caissons on the Plymouth line bridge can be seen. The Barnstaple line bridge will use a smaller diameter tube but at more regular intervals. Polystyrene block can now be sourced for the embankments along each side of this frame Nick Allsop, our signalling guru, will be keeping a sharp eye on all things semaphore for TG and plans to build the junction box...a replica of Yeovil jnc 'B' box. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Evenin' all, Latest progress involves creating the cork track base for the first scenic section frame. Several hours have been spent with a sharp craft knife/ruler marking out and cutting the cork. Cutouts for the fixing screw positions on top of the aluminium sheet have also been made. Once bonded to the aluminium sheet the levelling sledge will be used to sand the cork of this frame and its neighbours level Some of the machine screws fixing the deck to the frame have been moved to positions where the cork trackbase hides them. Most of the remaining cork bases for this frame have now been sliced from sheet cork. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 2ManySpams Posted January 9, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 9, 2013 Love the signal cabin Dave, a great signature feature for the layout! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Hi Chris, It had to be just the right brand of spread too...nine out of ten signalmen prefer it! Enjoying the BCB threads BTW. ATB Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Prism Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Dave - I'm somewhat at a loss as to why you have felt the need for such intricate corkwork for track areas. Apart from a ballast shoulder at the edges of the formation (and even that is debatable in station areas), trackbeds tend to be fairly uniform in height. Seems to me you will have difficulty in achieving a consistent ash and ballast level across your pointwork areas. Sharp edges on cork are particularly difficult to get blended in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Aft'noon MP, I've spent some considerable time studying the 3 excellent books by the Irwell Press on the railways of North Devon/Cornwall and the pictures of the 1950s railway contained within generally show a neatly maintained ballast arrangement for the passenger lines. The cork width which I've used is only that of the sleeper width so the ballast shoulder will be just that. The goods run round loop area on the prototype would be at a slightly lower level (due to the absence of the stone ballast) and would be almost flat across the the trackbed/margins with just ash ballast, so I do have a compromise to make because my trackwork will be flat throughout. I shan't be slicing individual cork bases for the run round loop, rather using a single bed of cork, which I shall try and blend towards the main line in such a way that it makes the stone ballast of that line appear higher. Some experimenting to do. Ongoing progress Bonding of the cork to the sheet deck is now underway with books weighting down the cork until the Evo - Stik cures. A few experiments with creating a gentle slope using the adhesive/filler that I mentioned a little earlier in the thread is proving effective and may be a good approach to sloping the gap between the goods run-round and the main line. I'm trying a few ideas with a sound box/echo chamber for the two bridges in order to create a prototypical rumbling sound as trains pass over them. This involves using a 5ft length of curved 2mm aluminium sheet as the bridge deck for strength but then topping it with a brass sheet assembly to create a long, double track width low hollow box on which the track sits directly. Drilling holes in the sides at regular intervals should then allow sound to echo around the structure. The plate glass reference surface should be ideal for checking that all is absolutely flat and level as construction commences. Ensuring that the 60ft rail lengths are at least observed with a cut in the top of the flexitrack lengths should add to the accoustics generated. Incorporating the sound box is conditional upon it being invisible and not spoiling/altering the overall bridge appearence or dimensions. Design options for the Plymouth line bridge include: a single masonry span at each end with 4 (approx 1ft) bowstring spans between or else the original concept of 2 masonry spans at each end with 3 bowstring spans. I've yet to discover a prototype for the former idea although it does look more impressive as a bridge design. Researching the Tavy viaduct is throwing up a few discrepancies in lengths of bowstring span/width of masonry arch etc. If the latest 114ft/50ft figures look proportionally accurate on a scale drawing then the model bridge will become 3 bowstring spans with 1 masonry arch at each end. An important consideration is that the model bridge has strength without the track spanning bowstring lattice sections as these will need to be removable as and when derailments occur in order to recover/re-rail stock etc. Yesterday afternoon included a visit to the local glaziers/glass shop to check options for the plate glass which I intend to use as a river surface. 4mm thick with a bronze tint appeared the closest match to peaty, flat calm, fresh river water. The sections will be approx 4ft x 2ft and will have razor sharp edges to produce a seamless result when placed side by side, consequently there will be some health & safety consideratioms associated with erecting the layout. The first two pieces will need to be in place for bridge construction to commence, this will be the opportunity to order a limited quantity and check the appearence of them over a modelled river bed. There is a slight risk of colour/shade issues if the sections are cut from different sheets but it is more important to check that it looks right before ordering the full amount. The 4mm glass will require support at approx 1ft sq intervals so a technique of shaping the ends of 10mm nylon studding pieces to stand in the modelled river bed and be adjusted to form a flat and level support looks likely. With the unpleasant fumes of curing Evo - Stik in the workroom as the cork bonding to the aluminium cures, the door remains firmly closed and the opportunity has been taken to start a wagon build in the conservatory. The 3 Trestrol etched brass kits from The Old Time Workshop are being cut from the sprues and evaluated/modified ready for construction to start. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 Evenin' all,More Trestrol progress. The etches are fairly basic and some parts are unsuitable for a finescale buildhttp://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk/north_devon_line_okehampton_web_optimised/285%20Trestrol%20wagons%20Barnstaple.html is a link to a loaded Trestrol picture at Barnstaple, the plate destined for shipbuilding at the Appledore yard on the River Torridge. ...other parts will need to brought up to scratch with some re-shaping etc. This clip shows the main frame sides sandwiched between pine cladding offcuts ready for filing down the overheight of the well sides (top and bottom) without 'kinking' the delicate brass sections. All rivet detail on the well sides has been filed off as it was too coarse and in the wrong position. The frame sides are overlength between the well and the headstocks, therefore they have been snipped off between the twin label clip details ready for shortening and soldering back in place with a strengthening piece of brass sheet backing the join, The book is BR Wagons volume 1 which has a detailed 4mm drawing of this wagon type. 'I' beams for the well longitudinals as well as various nickel silver and brass sheet thicknesses for creating/improving the missing/inaccurate detail have been ordered from Eileens. Ultrascale, Dave Franks, Archer, Cambrian, Rail Exclusives (wagon label clips) and Ambis are also likely to be supplying parts for these wagons.The upward arch of the body of this wagon is a distinctive and appealing feature but I sense the misery involved in modelling it.Probably the biggest rectification issue so far with the Trestrols became apparent today. The well ends are short of the floor ends on the prototype which makes a hidden means of extending the floor necessary on the model. Once the floor etch is folded to form the well end then it also needs to narrow by 0.6mm each side all the way to the headstocks. Even with a new blade in the scrawker this is a painful task and it is a close call as to whether it is better to fabricate a whole new floor to headstock section. The supplied buffer beams are an inadequate fold of thin brass on the end of the section forming the top of the headstock to well sheet/plate and once again the rivet detail is too coarse, therefore both of these pieces have gone into the brass offcuts tray too. Two new 32mm buffer beams have been cut from 4mm 'U' section brass channel.The Evo-Stik fumes in the workroom cleared very quickly once the adhesive had cured but aluminium frame progress is now waiting for purchase and erection of Dexion supports for the Linked Traverser and !st fiddle yard frame and a hoist to lift these unwieldy frames into their storage locations .Once they are stowed a large central area can be prepared for the two bridge and 1st station frames to be erected and built together. The levelling sledge can then be used as intended across frame joints as well as lengths to level the cork trackbed surface in preparation for the track.The brass 'I' beams for the Trestol well detail arrived this morning as did 3 types of bogie and 2 Turbot kits from Cambrian. I had expected a lot of work to be required to clean up/make ready the Cambrian mouldings but was pleasantly surprised by the crisp finish to a new grey plastic that seems much more suited to fine detail than the shiny black type that they once used.My 50W soldering iron was struggling with the job of attaching the 3x1mm brass strip to the 5mm deep 'I' section to create the required 6mm depth so a walk down to the local ironmongers for a more capable 100W iron was needed, this made short work of the job.The Dexion angle equivalent for constructing the first set of storage racks and a wheeled hoist for lifting the frames into position has been ordered.My attempts to support a local trader by ordering the 10 x 10ft lengths of Dexion + fittings from him backfired when 2 weeks had passed (a week and a half beyond the original estimate) and he still couldn't tell me when it would be delivered. I firmly but politely asked him to re-credit my account with the money that he had taken immediately when I placed the order, before sourcing what I needed via the internet (Wednesday - 2 days ago). This morning (Friday) the correct order was delivered direct to my door for considerably less money than he had asked for....why do some traders wonder about the loss of their livelihoods? .CheersDave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 Evenin' all, This latest clip includes some progress with the Trestrol build and the improved mouldings now produced by Cambrian. Building of the workroom hoist for raising and lowering the 6' x 2' frames is under way. 3 swivelling castors on the triangular angle frame base will make it easy to move in any direction. The disc cutter makes short work of chopping the galvanised angle into suitable lengths. The 4 lifting/lowering wires will be wound around a wooden drum as the winding handle is operated. The teflon coated cables are brake cables for tandem cycles and are over 3m in length. The brass pulley wheels are from sash windows and should easily deal with the shared weight of the aluminium frames. A second order of 10 x 10 ft angle section has been placed with http://www.direct-storage.co.uk/galvanised-slotted-angle.htm?gclid=CKWSwO-zkLUCFSbMtAodSREABQ Although there is sufficient remaining for the first 6 room uprights and stretchers once the hoist is finished, more is needed for the hoist mechanism and to complete its framework. The castors came from FWB products of Stoke-on-Trent. I'm deliberately using other than black tyred castors in this project because exhibition halls are often sports centres and black marks on the floor surface are not viewed kindly. Now that the overall dimensions of the hoist are apparent the space to manoevre it easily along the length of the workroom is being provided. This includes modifying the style of workroom support for frames being produced down the sides of the room and rearranging the furniture so that access to both sets of wall racking on each side of the room is available, that way frames can be stowed and recovered at will. Frames for stowage will have the angle mount which will secure them to the wall racking attached before the hoist moves them. The hoist lifting gear will attach to this same angle before moving the frame into position for bolting to the rack. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Evenin' all, Progress continues with adapting the workroom for the new frame hoist and wall mounted stowage racks. This clip shows that the overall dimensions of the hoist are now known and the route for the hoist along the workroom is being adapted for its passage. Height wise the hoist is able to pass beneath the light fittings without touching them. Some furniture couldn't be relocated and has undergone a little therapy with the saw The design of the hoist is such that it will stand at one end of the room when not required wihout affecting access to the various workstations. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted February 5, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 5, 2013 Height wise the hoist is able to pass beneath the light fittings without touching them. Some furniture couldn't be relocated and has undergone a little therapy with the saw Magnificent attitude, Dave! Plenty of modellers would love to have that degree of executive power! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 ....oh, I haven't enlightened the executive director yet Ian....I'll wait for a day when a little saw therapy is small fry compared with that days news. It worked for Tony Blair....long live the spin doctors! Ongoing progress Focus has now shifted to the headgear of the hoist. It will be a useful feature of this piece of kit if the hoist can be double sided i.e. the lifting equipment can be moved to lift on either side with the advantage that the triangular base can move beneath furniture when space is available but should it not be then the vertically flat reverse side can be used instead. This will mean having a detachable, significant weight which can be added as required to the triangular base as a counterbalance for any frame to be lifted. Horizontal arms have now been fitted to the top of the hoist, these overhang front and back sufficiently to allow the 2ft width frames to be raised/lowered comfortably whilst passing the 8 inch diameter handcrank discs without contacting them. The arms are also of suitable minimum length to allow the wall racks to be reached by a frame under lift allowing the retaining bolts to be inserted. Obviously, unnecessarily long arms would require extra counterbalance weight and a more robust lifting gantry. A two and a half foot sliding dolly has been fabricated, this can be mounted on either side of the hoist to suit a lift which is required. The handcrank discs have been cut from 2mm aluminium sheet and will have several holes around their circumference so that bolts can be used to lock the height of any lift until the bolts securing a frame to the wall mounted racks can be inserted or removed. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 Evenin' all, Another solid day working on the hoist with Colin has seen progress on providing a counterbalance weight and fitting the lifting gear to the hoist. The weighting will consist of a small triangular framework on the base of the hoist in which 2ft lengths of 1" square steel bar can be added until the heaviest frame is balanced. If the weight isn't required then removing a single bolt will allow the weight to be removed. The two handcrank discs have been finished for mounting on the crank axle 12mm dia. stainless bar). This has been drilled to take the 4 hoist cables (the nipple at one end of the cable will prevent the end from being pulled through, the cable reels are yet to be added) and tommy bars attached to the handcrank discs. Wooden spacers have been cut and drilled from an old curtain pole. The 2ft sliding dolly on top of the hoist can be seen. There will be a deadlatch on the handcrank so that letting go of the handwheel doesn't allow a frame on the hoist to drop to the floor. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren01 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 HI Dave Could you please explain why you have built the layout frames from Ally,seem a lot of work for base boards?. Darren Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 Hi Darren, TG is a club sized layout being built by two people in what used to be our garage, since converted into a workroom. Effectively, the design is large 'end to end' comprising 20ft of fiddle yard, 20 ft of scenic section then 20ft of fiddle yard, which is roughly the minimum distance in which I felt that prototypical length trains could be accelerated, pass through scenery (which I wanted to build) and then be decelerated/stowed at the other end without having to use other than prototypical radii curves. I don't have the space here to erect the layout fully or (currently) to build more than 4 adjacent frames together, therefore, a means of stowing frames not being worked on was required. I chose a wall racking system as the solution. This involves attaching part of the rack (supporting arm) to the frame before hoisting it up in the air and holding it there whilst I get the bolts located to secure it to the wall fittings. A degree of 'handling', moving etc is needed, for which a more robust material is better suited. 6' x 2' frames mean less joints in the track and that a specific technique is required to allow one person to manoevre them horizontally without damaging anything, hence the hoist. Bearing in mind that I'm also trying to avoid large, flat, regular rectangles as scenic section baseframe surfaces, rather experimenting with track beds designed for the track formation, I needed a material which had good strength as a skinny framework in places, having lost the extra rigidity provided by the box shape. Also, P4 doesn't lend itself to other than excellent track standards, wood (being a natural material) doesn't have the same assurances of not changing shape over time. Being an exhibition layout I've also designed a stowage and carrying system which allows groups of 4 frames to be transported one above the other on wheeled carriers, again involving moving and fastening etc. Another incentive is that I've not seen this technique used before, I'm enjoying doing something different. The biggest time consumer is experimenting with first time techniques, it is much quicker with numbers 2, 3 and 4 etc. There are also features such as the linked traverser which lend themselves much better to aluminium/stainless construction. The jury is still out on individual frame weights/vertical space required per frame. An extra incentive to this approach (not wood or aluminium related) is that I'm not paying for clubroom rental or membership, can work on the layout whenever I have time available (even in short/small packages) and without wasting fuel or time travelling to a clubroom. Also, I don't stand shivering/work wearing too many clothes whilst the place warms up, or else end up paying for said heating. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren01 Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 HI Dave Thanks for explaining this too me and keep up the good work. Darren Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share Posted February 13, 2013 No worries Darren...with a large and ambitious project such as this it is easy to forget some of the reasons why a particular route was chosen. Your question helped me to re-focus on that. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 2ManySpams Posted February 13, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 13, 2013 Good to see you last weekend at Donny Dave and glad you liked our new (and still drying) layout! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Jason T Posted February 13, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 13, 2013 Yep, good meeting you. I didn't remember who you were at first but Damian reminded me (sorry ) Cheers, Jason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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