RichardJones Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 with a smattering of Furness too. I have mentioned in the past I'm modelling the Cambrian in 2FS (Blodwell Junction on the Tanat Valley light railway/Nantmawr branch) and am going to be creating the whole shebang from etchings which I am slowly working my way through creating. Here's a little progress on what's going on in the CAD department. These are copied straight from the relevant working drawings, they are not complete to publication standard, they are purely for creating the etch artwork. So, left to right, top to bottom we have: Great Western # 908 - reboilered Queen class 0-6-0; Cambrian Rebuilt 2-4-0; Cambrian 2nd Rebuilt Queen Class 0-6-0 ex Furness; Furness Railway 4 wheel tender; Cambrian 6 wheel tender; Cambrian Queen class with cab; Cambrian 4 wheel tender; Cambrian 2-4-0T 'Small Sharps Tank'; Cambrian 'Small Bogie Passenger' 4-4-0 (scaled from photo, needs correction); 4 wheel All 3rd carriage; 4 wheel Composite carriage; 4 wheel Guards/luggage van; dumb buffered Lime wagon. The most advanced item is the Seaham 2-4-0T which has a full etch artwork, then the lime wagon which is almost complete. The rest have yet to be turned into etch artwork. It's going to take a while to get this fleet mobile! If there is demand I'll be happy to make available through the 2mm Association shops, but I stress this is a long term project - don't expect anything this year! There are 3 thicknesses of metal involved, which means 3 separate toolings which aren't cheap, let alone the metals! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted July 11, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 11, 2012 Interesting project Richard. I too have an interest in matters Cambrian but in 0 gauge and pre-group. I also model in 2mm but in BR days. I do have a reasonable drawing of the 2-4-0, a model of Beaconsfield from the Dragon models kit and a couple of sharpie 0-6-0 kits to build. Also Chris of Dragon models has done a useful number of wagons. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJones Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 Yes it's certainly proving a difficult subject to throw up drawings for! Still I think I'm making progress. 2-4-0 artwork 90% completed, going to rip up the 2-4-0T artwork and start again now that I've found a way to squeeze a gearmotor into it, although it may work out. Trying to make the tender locos 'modular' in a way, so as they can swap tenders about easily. I've seen some examples of the Dragon models kits, very nice they are to but far too large! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJones Posted August 2, 2012 Author Share Posted August 2, 2012 Much slower than anticipated, but progress is being made! Here we see the track layout of Blodwell Junction being trialled out. Various Templot templates stuck together and wiggled about on the board. I will nudge the whole lot over to the right an inch I think, and may tighten the radius of the curves at the far end to add a bit more interest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DavidLong Posted August 19, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 19, 2012 Much slower than anticipated, but progress is being made! Here we see the track layout of Blodwell Junction being trialled out. Various Templot templates stuck together and wiggled about on the board. I will nudge the whole lot over to the right an inch I think, and may tighten the radius of the curves at the far end to add a bit more interest. Richard, On the way back from Wells last weekend I called in at the Porthywaen/Nantmawr/Blodwell area as I hadn't been for a couple of years. I still find the site of Blodwell Junction quite startling. In rural areas, unless there has been a mass of house building , it is generally possible to make out something of where the railway ran but Blodwell Junction is just a field. If you only looked over one side of the overbridge you would never believe that a railway had existed here. I think that the cow is in approximately the same position as the wagon in the loop in the photo on page 20 of Mike Lloyd's book on the TVR! By the way, one of the ex-railway cottages at Porthywaen is on the market for a staggering £275k. This means that the pair are worth over half a million pounds, a sum which the railway company would think completely bonkers for modest accommodation for railway servants. http://www.jjdell.co...erty.php?id=226 For folk such as us there is always the possibilty that we may, once again, have a working railway at the bottom of the garden although, at present, in high summer the prospect looks a little distant. This is the view looking towards the bridge carrying the road into Whitehaven Quarry. The cottages are above the trackbed on the other side of the bridge. This is the view below the cottages looking towards the site of Porthywaen halt and the road crossing. This could be compared with the photo that I took in May 2010 from almost the same spot. Following your exploits with interest, Richard. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJones Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 Indeed I used to drive over the Bridge at the East end of Blodwell Junction on my way to work, without twigging for some time that the station was just down the bank! Since my last entry the trackbed has been laid in cork and the finalised template laid on top. This is due to be ripped up again however as I stuck it down with a Pritt stick, which left lumps! I intend to sand it down and redo with some spray mount this time. I had ordered track but I think my order may have been mislaid by Royal Mail on it's way to Shop 1. When my email servers decide to wake up I'll have to enquire! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonRyan Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Interesting photos. Is someone restoring the line? By the photo of the clearing of the brush, it looks as though it is all ready for some trains to run over the line, albeit very carefully to find the wide and narrow points in the track gauging. -Cody F. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJones Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 Yes one of the Cambrian Railways Groups is restoring the Nantmawr branch. Last time I was there though the council had freshly tarmacced over the crossing at Porthywaen. (when I lived there it was still a crossing, and a rough one at that!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonRyan Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Good to know that its getting put to use. Hopefully they do a good job of restoring the line, rather than give it a "tourist-line" look. -Cody F. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DavidLong Posted August 21, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 21, 2012 Yes one of the Cambrian Railways Groups is restoring the Nantmawr branch. Last time I was there though the council had freshly tarmacced over the crossing at Porthywaen. (when I lived there it was still a crossing, and a rough one at that!) Quite correct, Richard. Here's the view at the road crossing, the rails are visible in the foreground but then disappear under the tarmac. The whole situation is disjointed. The crew at Nantmawr are cut off from the Porthywaen section by that road crossing, the Llynclys to Pant section is cut off from the Porthywaen to Oswestry section because part of the trackbed towards Llynclys Junction has been sold and Oswestry is effectively cut off from Gobowen because the County Council/Highways Authority are unlikely to give permission for trains to cross the Oswestry by-pass at the open crossing. That last point also applies to the Oswestry to Llynclys Junction section which would also have to cross the by-pass. All a shame and a bit of a mess. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJones Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 Progress on the model - my first 2mm FS point, it's not up to standard and will be used as a photographic prop in future, but gave valuable insight into working with easitrac components. The red Ps denote timbers that will be replaced with PCB for the production version. I've also decided that the wing rails will not be separate but continuous from the tongue and closure rails. I'm now deciding if the switch will be loose heeled or flexible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted August 30, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 30, 2012 It is a bit late in the day but I would recommend making the blades and closure rails one piece and if you want it to look like a heel switch make the joint false. It is actually a bit late to decide between a spring switch and a loose heel as the lengths were normally different. A straight switch has only a clearance of 4.5in at the heel which is insufficient for 2mm so you may need to either allow the heel to move (i.e a false heel) or make the straight switch a bit longer ( e.g extend a 12ft switch to 15ft whilst retaining the planning angle. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJones Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Whilst I'm waiting for PCB Sleepers to recommence tracklaying, the 3D Printing department and CAD department is being kept very active! In the motive power section now has a sprue of casting masters awaiting printing: It the Rolling Stock section there is some NPCS ready for printing, some cambrian wagons and an experimental underframe for the 2MMSA RCH Bodies: As for CAD,well work has been going on apace to sort out the rest of the little 2-4-0T. Artwork is complete for the frames, in fact there are 3 versions - 1 for laser cutting, and 2 for etching by different companies! The bodywork fret is currently being progressed through conversion from one to the other as well as being modified to work with the new castings. It's coming together slowly! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edubs Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Yes it's certainly proving a difficult subject to throw up drawings for! There is a 4mm scale drawing of Cambrian Railway 4-4-0 No.94 in The Model railway constructor magazine, Feb. 1947! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJones Posted September 15, 2012 Author Share Posted September 15, 2012 Cheers Edubs, I've PM'd you about it. On a progress related note, through my letterbox has just dropped a large etched fret containing 4 Seaham class 2-4-0Ts and incorrectly their chassis, they'll need redoing but the bodies appear spot on. The casting masters are being printed as we speak too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted September 17, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 17, 2012 I have a drawing for the Albion 2-4-0 in latter form with cab it is about 14mm:1ft. I dont wish to lose it but perhaps something can be arranged. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJones Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Typical, after I've drawn all the etch artwork for one! Would love to get a look at the drawings - I'll happily pay for copies to be made if there is access to an appropriately sized copier available? I presume these are on quite a large sheet at 14mm to the foot! Today saw the whole day being spent assembling a turnout the 'new' way. It's half successful, the switching arrangement works as intended however I seem to have made an error with bending out the wind rails causing the knuckle to be very slightly under gauge. Not sure how I'm going to go about opening it out, I was thinking of a slitting disc but I don't have any thin enough. I could unsolder the rail and move it out but it will bring the wing rails well away from the frog. Suggestions welcome. There was also a disaster with the butaone. I had decanted a quantity into an old Revel precision Poly cement applicator to ease application, painting it silver to distinguish it from the one filled with poly cement. Little did I realise that the Butanone would soften the bottle and eventually leak everywhere, the first hint of anything amiss being the silvery pool deposited on my template, followed by my hands and finally the table I was working on. Thank god It's not the dinner table! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJones Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Here's the point (and the silver mess!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted September 18, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 18, 2012 It can be verydifficult to fix the crossing once the point is made. It could be quicker to remove the crossing and replace. I cannot see the exact cause of the problem. You could try using a thin file (I think the 2mm shop sells one) to thin the rail at the knuckle to give a little extra clearance. I found using the association jigs it is easy to move the crossing point too far forward in the jig which makes it impossible to get the crossing right. This will tends to push the wing rails back and hence close the knuckle slightly. When I first made turnouts using plastic chairs (in 0 gauge) I had problems with the crossing v moving in the chairs which I solved by fixing it downand not just releying on the chairs (using a brass screw under the crossing and a touch of solder) before adopting the method of fixing the crossing and wing rails as an assembly using scraps of etch. I will dig out the plans for the Albion and see what can be done. I did mention them back in July. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I could unsolder the rail and move it out but it will bring the wing rails well away from the frog. Don't do this. The wing rail needs to be the right distance from the V. From the photograph (and not just the small size) it is difficult to diagnose the exact problem. If it is only a little tight then I would try the 0.5mm file from the shop as Don suggests. If not then I would put this one down to experience and remake the wing rail(s) as necessary. I think they are the most difficult thing to create and position correctly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJones Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 In the end I took a very fine sanding disc and gently ground back the knuckle radius, it's now fine as long as the back to back is correct on wheelsets (it was deliberately over on one wagon and under on another to root out these things!). It may cause issues with very rigid long wheelbase stuff, but as I've designed all my locos with a degree of side play I think they too should be fine. We will see. All the dropper wires are now in place and the turnout has been installed on the layout, just needs the slide chairs and timbers adding under the switch and the long timbers trimming to length. Elsewhere, I have built this: I laminated 2 chassis frets together to give me the desired thickness. Just need to get the castings sorted now to finish the bodywork, and the chassis block cast in brass for the chassis. I'm rather pleased with my stupidly tiny folded up brass steps, I etched extras onto the fret but didn't need them, I must be getting better at this etched kit lark! Don I missed your July post I'm sorry! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJones Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 Today's progress saw the plain track in the loop laid. Not huge but it took a surprisingly long time to do! Tomorrow may see the Y point being completed, with it's integral tail that forms the station road. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 The lines are quite close together? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJones Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 22mm between centres, Can't remember where I got the measurement from now though but it looks about right to me vs prototype photos. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted September 20, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 20, 2012 11ft centre to centre is (IIRC) the minimum for running lines and equates roughly to a 6ft way (4ft8.5in+2x2.5in rail heads +6ft = 11ft1.5in). It can be a bit too tight on our too sharp curves but otherwise should be fine. Mind you if you run N gauge 1:148 stock it would be undersized so I would suggest allowing a couple of millimetres more for safety. As you have laid it and most of your stock seems to be planned as your own builds I don't think you will have any problems. Between sidings and running roads the minimum was 15ft room for a shunter perhaps? Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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