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West Kirby Town: narrow gauge may be coming to town.

Dmudriver

By Dmudriver,
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Suddaby

Suddaby

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Thanks for your response Rod, sorry it's taken me a while to get back, but I've been at Railex all weekend.

 

BGS was operated as a sequence, but based on the Bradford Gloucester Square WTT. What you saw on the screen (It was powered by MS Access dbase.) was that sequence, and when everything was done, on the screen visible, then it was moved on manually to the next move. It worked very well, and as I said, gave a whole new meaning to "playing trains". The layout was sold to Tring MRS, but haven't seen it out recently.

Leeds City North has been built pretty much as it was, so the WTT will be applied to the layout John and Pete (Leander), have done an awful lot of work trying to find out how the station was worked, and the make up of the trains to flesh out what we know from the WTT.

John has just finished wiring the second FY, so we can start operating now!!

 

All the best, look forward to seeing more about WKT.

 

Kevin

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Dmudriver

Dmudriver

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Hi all.

 

I've been quiet on here again - mainly because life's been getting in the way of railway modelling.  I've been doing bits and pieces (cue Dave Clark Five music!! - talking of which, see:   https://www.bing.com/search?q=the+dave+clark+five+bits+and+pieces&filters=ufn%3a%22the+dave+clark+five+bits+and+pieces%22+sid%3a%22cfdd773c-9e6b-c061-7163-1a53036ba10e%22+catguid%3a%222c73a80d-b153-15bd-5450-277e052df257_498707c2%22+segment%3a%22generic.carousel%22+psid%3a%222c73a80d-b153-15bd-5450-277e052df257%22&FORM=SNAPST ) 

 

Anyway (!!), I've made up all the Dingham hooks and loops and hooks and latches and have been trying to blacken them.  With no success!!  Whether it's the brass that I can't get clean enough or the blacking fluid that's not so good, I don't know.  It just flakes off.  So I've resorted to a felt tip pen which works OK.  I'll start fitting them shortly.

 

All the Easybuild bogies are now built and fitted to the 4x Mark 1s and to the GUV.  I'll get the Dinghams fitted to the fleet before I start the weathering, though.

 

I managed to get to Doncaster on Saturday  - by train and bus.  I found first class was the cheapest ticket on the way out, so decided to pay a couple of quid more and come back the same way.  What a civilised way to travel!! - with free tea/coffe and biscuits/cakes, too!!  (on Transpennine Express).  Mind you, I used my bus pass in Doncaster!   Saw quite a few people I know, bought some weathering fluids and brushes and also some mesh fencing.  Yes, I know I've bought the tulle, but this is ready cut to size - 6' high and posts are there as well.  I got 3 packs - just over 2 metres in total!!  When I'll fit them is another question!!

 

Finney7 had a couple of DMU drive units which I was taken with - one has a motor under the body and drives the 2 inner axles by cardan shafts.  I was very taken with that but decided to keep my money in my pocket for now - I've a fair bit to do, anyway.  The other was a motor bogie.  What's different is their gearbox.

 

On this subject, I've been thinking about dividing this thread and putting some of this work onto a Workbench thread: this will leave this thread free for directly relevant layout matters.  That could be 2 or 3 weeks away though.

 

Whilst in the shed having a play tonight, I found a signal interlocking crib sheet that I'd drawn up  2 or 3 years ago (I'm having a bit of a paperwork spring clean).  I did it for visitors but thought I'd try it out - and found mistakes in it, so I've spent a couple of hours rejigging it and printing a copy off.  Just for the fun of it, here's what it looks like:

 

WEST KIRBY TOWN INTERLOCKING CRIB SHEET - Copy.docx

 

So that's my update.  Things going on, but not a lot, really.  The next 2 to 3 weeks look a bit busy so I'll probably be a bit quiet again but there will be more, faiirly soon.  Watch this space!

 

Rod

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muddys-blues

muddys-blues

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Hi Rod, good hear from you, thanks for the heads up on the Finne7 DMU drive units I have just emailed them for some pictures, very useful if they are under floor units.

 

Best regards

Craig.

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66C

66C

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Anyway (!!), I've made up all the Dingham hooks and loops and hooks and latches and have been trying to blacken them.  With no success!!  Whether it's the brass that I can't get clean enough or the blacking fluid that's not so good, I don't know.  It just flakes off.  So I've resorted to a felt tip pen which works OK.  I'll start fitting them shortly.

 

Rod

 

Hi Rod

 

Dingham etches are nickel silver, not brass.  Are you using the correct blackener?

 

Regards.

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Dmudriver

Dmudriver

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Hi Rod

 

Dingham etches are nickel silver, not brass.  Are you using the correct blackener?

 

Regards.

 

Hi Bill.

 

Ah, ......  thanks, -  I got that wrong: they are indeed nickel silver.   However, I'm using Hobby Holidays blackener which, the label says, is for brass, nickel silver, steel and solder.  I bought it as it seemed versatile.  Any advice would be welcome, though.  I'm not a chemist so I don't know one fluid from another (or many solids, come to that!!) I just go on what the label says so, as I say, any advice would be much appreciated.

 

Rod

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Simond

Simond

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Looks very like Premier.

 

They are good couplings, made better by crimping the end of the screw on the screw couplings to prevent loss of the lower half! I think they benefit from a bit of filing to shape the hook in plan view, to look a bit less "slab like", and I reckon that covering the brass colour with chemical black is a huge improvement.

 

Best

Simon

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Dmudriver

Dmudriver

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Hi all.

 

I'm back - and just checking in.  Back in the sense of on here but also from a fantastic holiday in Switzerland.  [On that subject - and railway related - even the Swiss use rail replacement services:

 

post-7571-0-33416000-1498860156_thumb.jpg]

 

Anyway, when I went away, I put all my stock back in the house, for security reasons, and today I've started the process of putting them back.  First job was to use my feather duster to clear away any cobwebs that may have appeared on the layout, inside and out - there didn't seem to be many.  Then I've cleaned the track in the shed before I put any stock back on - the track outside will be done tomorrow.  As I'm putting the stock back on, I'm making a list of anything that needs doing to them.  As I indicated before I went away, there's things like Dinghams to fit, weathering to do, and also some minor repair jobs, etc but if I have a list, it will be easier to follow what I have to do.

 

I've also had an idea about the scenery in the corner, beyond the curve out of the shed: as it will be difficult to reach, I'm going to cut a sheet of plywood to fit the space and then build the scenery up on that.  That should be a lot easier than leaning over all the time - not only for my back (which - at the moment - is much better) but also for the signals which could easily get knocked. 

 

So, that's where I'm up to.  More to follow as I get back in the groove - maybe "on track" would be a better expression!!

 

Rod

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Dmudriver

Dmudriver

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Hi all.

 

Work continues, even though fairly slowly!  I'm trying to get the stock back on the layout ready for running sessions but I need to finish the Dinghams first..  Other faults are being noted, as I said, but will be attended to later.

 

I've got the Dinghams on the Mark 1s now, and here's a couple of pics to show the treatment on opposite ends:

 

 

post-7571-0-18283600-1499281030.jpgpost-7571-0-63938900-1499281194.jpg

As you can see, I've had to hack one corridor connection about quite a lot - to get the latch to operate reasonably.  It looks pretty crude but in practice it's not easy to see.  It doesn't operate perfectly, but it'll not be required to do a lot - just uncouple at the platform end and I've already worked out how to do that.  Coupling is effective, though.

 

I'm now on with the parcels stock and that is presenting similar challenges: I've a JLTRT BG at one end of the 3-car rake and an Easybuild at the other.  I'm well on the way and will put pics of those on here when they're finished.   I say "finished" - that's not completely true: the hooks are held on by superglue at the moment.  I want to check they all work reasonably well before I add Araldite behind the buffer beams for strength.

 

Here's a pic of a relatively simple conversion:

 

post-7571-0-67086400-1499204675_thumb.jpg

 

I say "relatively" because the buffer beam is part metal, part plastic: nothing simple with Heljan!!!

 

More soon.

 

Rod

 

PS  In the first pic the wispy stuff is a cobweb - I've not a clue where it's from!!

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Dmudriver

Dmudriver

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Hi Rich, hi Chris.

 

My apologies to you and to any other followers wondering where I'd got to!!  I've not lost my modelling mojo or anything like that, it's just that life outside railway modelling has got in the way!!!

 

I've had a week's holiday in Scotland with my son and grandson, walking, exploring, bird-, dolphin- and fast jet-watching.  On top of that I'm having some alterations done in the house  which is taking up a fair bit of time - arranging work people, choosing floor coverings, new furniture, etc.   So I've not done much modelling.

 

However ........  I have done some playing!!   Each time I go in the shed I switch the power on and have a bit of a shunt around, mainly checking the operation of the Dinghams.  I've fitted a pair to my 03 shunter (the 08 is away being gently weathered) and I shunt the 2 fitted Mark 1s and the 2 fitted parcels vehicles over the solitary (so far) magnet.

 

I am very pleased with them.  I can push the rakes one way - into the sidings, and they uncouple perfectly.   The other way - reversing out - is not so good as the loop does rise when it passes over the magnet but the corridor connections stop it rising far enough to go over, and rest on, the latch.  However, as I'll only be using this method to uncouple locos in the platform, it will work:  I stop the loco with the loop over the magnet and reverse a few millimetres.  This causes the loop to rise above the hook but stay below the latch.  I then draw the loco the loco forward towards the buffers, the loop stays raised and, hey presto, it's uncoupled!!  

 

So, still to do are 1) siting the fixed magnets and 2) finishing fitting the couplings to the rest of the stock.  1) is not too difficult as I know where I'm putting them, it's just getting the exact position correct.  2) will take a bit longer as I'm finding that every item of stock I've got has a different method of fixing the couplings in place (oh for a fleet of Parkside Dundas and Slaters 4 wheel vehicles!!).  I also realised today that if I just glue the couplings into the bufferbeam of JLTRT locos (50 and 25), I'll never get the body off again, so the floor needs adapting - or the couplings, of course!!

 

If my camera will show the operation reasonably well I'll do a couple of videos to show what I mean in the paragraph above - when I get some time!!

 

In short, I'm still on with the couplings and I think they're great - I'm not envisaging going back to 3-links at all!!

 

More soon (hopefully!!).

 

Rod

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MarshLane

MarshLane

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Hi Rich, hi Chris.

 

My apologies to you and to any other followers wondering where I'd got to!! I've not lost my modelling mojo or anything like that, it's just that life outside railway modelling has got in the way!!!

 

I've had a week's holiday in Scotland with my son and grandson, walking, exploring, bird-, dolphin- and fast jet-watching. On top of that I'm having some alterations done in the house which is taking up a fair bit of time - arranging work people, choosing floor coverings, new furniture, etc. So I've not done much modelling.

 

.....

 

If my camera will show the operation reasonably well I'll do a couple of videos to show what I mean in the paragraph above - when I get some time!!

 

Rod

Hi Rod,

Glad to hear things are progressing and you've fracked your couplings. If you do get chance to do a video, I'd be interested to see it, but I don't think Dingham's work for me because they are handed and my couple of steam locos will get turned. I'm swaying towards AJ couplings at the mo, but I'd be interested to see yours working.

 

Rich

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Dmudriver

Dmudriver

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Hi all.

 

Well, nearly a fortnight after I said I'd do a couple of videos, I've done them - and some pics, too.  All to illustrate what I explained in the last post.  So, ..... the first pic shows the first magnet fitted to the track.  It's close to the turnout leading into the single slip because I've found that any further towards the sidings and the couplings don't work if a vehicle is turning left into the next siding - or the headshunt to the stabling point - as the overhang causes it to jam:

 

post-7571-0-39470700-1503680874.jpg

 

The next pic is the coupling in normal hauled mode:

 

post-7571-0-38667100-1503681073.jpg

 

The first video shows how the uncoupling should work:

 

 

As the coach is pushed over the magnet, the loop rises over the latch and then, as it passes the magnet, it drops on top of the latch, meaning this can happen:

 

 

You can see the loop dropping back to its normal position.  However, being pushed the other way is not so successful:  (the action is at about 12 seconds in)

 

 

The loop rises over the magnet but cannot rest on top of the latch because the latch is restricted from lifting fully by the corridor connection (even though the latter's been trimmed).  

 

This won't actually cause me a problem because, as I've said before, I'm unlikely to be pushing stock in that direction in the normal course of operation.  What I'll do is as in the next video:

 

 

The loco will stop at the buffers end of the platform with the dropper over the magnet.  It'll reverse a couple of millimetres to let the loop rise above the hook and then draw forward towards the buffers.  (The video is a bit exaggerated really - the loco will not (hopefully) stop, or go, that far from the magnet).

 

As, again, I've said before, the placing of the magnet at the platform ends is crucial - at least a Class 50's length away - and I'll have to mark the positions carefully somehow as I won't be able to see them directly, particularly in platform 2 which is hidden by the canopy!!  Perhaps a seagull on the canopy, or a workman doing some painting or repairs?

 

The next job is placing the magnets and fitting couplings to the rest of the stock.  I said that last time, but nothing's happened yet!!   Things are almost finished in the house now so I should be able to do more modelling - having said that, the grandkids are back to school in a week, so transport duties kick in again!!

 

Any comments or questions, please feel free to make/ask.  I'm hoping that this, apart from being a chronicle of what I'm doing, is also useful to others, particularly Chris and Rich.

 

More soon.

 

Rod

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Simond

Simond

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Seagulls. Very prototypical. Very handy for clearing points too...

 

I think Andy Duncan does them

 

Best

Simon

Seagulls. Very prototypical. Very handy for clearing points too...

 

I think Andy Duncan does them

 

Best

Simon

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Dmudriver

Dmudriver

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Seagulls. Very prototypical. Very handy for clearing points too...

 

I think Andy Duncan does them

 

Best

Simon

Seagulls. Very prototypical. Very handy for clearing points too...

 

I think Andy Duncan does them

 

Best

Simon

Hi Simon.  Yes, he does.  On the list for Telford now - along with some dustbins (Wirral didn't change to wheelie bins until 1982/83 - I was there!!)

 

Rod

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Dmudriver

Dmudriver

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Yes, very useful Rod.

 

You haven't perchance built a double slip on your layout have you? If you have I'm interested in the sequence you built it in...

Hi Chris.

 

I've not built a double slip, but I did build a single one.  The thread is here:  http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/66772-building-a-cl-single-slip/

 

Hope it's helpful.

 

Rod

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