legomanbiffo Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Watching this with interest! Are you planning to fit catenary wires (I assume so)? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevpeo Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Indeed I am Bif! The plan is to scratchbuilt arms etc with Sommerfieldt contact wires and insulators. The same combo as Coppell in fact. They have proved their worth on there, as I have not had to repair a single broken dropper on the Friday set ups of a show. Unlike Boldon and Oberfriedhof in days gone by! Kev. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBE Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 (edited) The plan is to scratchbuilt arms etc with Sommerfieldt contact wires and insulators. o_o Edited July 27, 2015 by RBE Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevpeo Posted August 6, 2015 Author Share Posted August 6, 2015 (edited) A day off today so I’m able to take some photo's of progress. First up the last portal is soldered up - As you can see this has an arm on the back for the yard behind. I could have gone all the way to another leg, which I have enough etches for, and would have been stronger, but I decided to go for variety instead! And here is a view of all three - While sorting through my O/H 'bits box' I also found this - Obviously built for Coppell and never used, it will fit in nicely here on the yard exit. So that just leaves a twin arm mast to construct, plus all the arms on the portals to do. Which brings me to this - A rip off of the plastic Sommerfield jig, but being made of plywood means you can solder with it in place, which is a useful improvement! The jig fits between the rails and the narrow portion at the top is the width of the 'stagger' in the wires. I had to make a new one as I have 'mislaid' the slightly singed original! Kev. Edited August 6, 2015 by kevpeo 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
phixer64 Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Excellent work here, keep it up Regards jeff 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBE Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Having mentioned wire staggers an interesting thing that an OHLE designer told me once while exhibiting Outon Road was that on curves the wire is held full stagger at the masts and must only go as far a centre pantograph at the middle of the wire span. This is to stop the pantograph de-wiring at the midpoint due to the pantograph pressure pushing the wire sideways off the edge of it as there is no mast to support the wire at this point on a curve as it is at full opposite stagger on the straight. I had allowed stagger both ways so was not quite correct but as my pans were very light touch it had no side effects. Worth noting though I thought. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl BR Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 The portals are looking great there Kev but one question, Would there be a limit to the length of Gallow arm before needing the vetical support? I'm not trying to be critical of your excelent work, it's just that that arm looks a bit long to me. I do understand your reason to create variation though. Carl 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevpeo Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 (edited) I know what you mean Carl. I thought about it too, but I figured it was a lot less than half a four track portal, so it should be OK. Of course I'll be proved wrong shortly no doubt! As for yesterday, I got a little more done - The first of the registration arms are done. I made up a simple jig of wood and track pins to try and bend them up all the same. The vertical post is .7mm and the arms themselves are .4mm. Not a totally faithful recreation, ala JSW, more of a simplification. And here is a cruel close up - Kev. Edited August 7, 2015 by kevpeo 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl BR Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Very nice. The hangers look very good to me. I'm taking notes for when I make a start on the OLE on the new Preston club layout. Have you been booked for the Barrow show yet? A dead line is quit good for driving motivation. If Les (Preston Exhibition manager) is at the club tonight I'll give him the heads up for booking Parrot Hall for a near future Preston show. Carl 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevpeo Posted September 14, 2015 Author Share Posted September 14, 2015 Ian can get stuffed Carl, it'll be ready when its ready! After a poor month for progress, due to family hol's and manic work, I finally picked up the soldering iron again - A milestone, as this is the last 'public visible' mast. The other portals also now 'bristle' with insulators and droppers - All are now ready for a good wash and then painting. Time to finish the track details and weathering, so I can crack on with the platforms. Kev. 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl BR Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 I'm droolling with envy here Kev. That last mast you have built is at the side of a point I take it. I cheated slightly on Alderford by just having two mast side by side with some strapping between them. Carl 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted September 14, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 14, 2015 Ian can get stuffed That's no way to treat your exhibition manager............ Cheers, Mick 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCML100 Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 your catenary is great! Would you mind making me some lol! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HealeyMills Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Hi Kev, I'm really enjoying watching your work on Parrot Hall, some excellent modelling skills. Having built many of the NBrass portals in N gauge I can appreciate and relate to the work you've done on extending them.. Perhaps I've missed it before (forgive me if I have) but what are you using for the OLE insulators? Won't be long before your 81 is in the shots Please keep the updates coming. Cheers Lee 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevpeo Posted September 15, 2015 Author Share Posted September 15, 2015 Thanks Lee, the insulators are all Sommerfeldt. And yes, the 81 will make an appearance at some point! Kev. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 That catenary looks the business, very impressed 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted September 15, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 15, 2015 So I take it that it will be ready for next year's show instead then. Any demo at this year's show? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
legomanbiffo Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 I picked up a good tip for insulators from Andi Dell; self-wind them using single core wire around a thicker piece of stiff wire the same size as the registration arms. I found that 15 turns was about right for my WCML Mk1 portals. The plus-point is that they are virtually free! I'm struggling to remember how I fixed them in place, possibly a dot of superglue at either end. They certainly look the part. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevpeo Posted September 15, 2015 Author Share Posted September 15, 2015 (edited) ''So I take it that it will be ready for next year's show instead then. Any demo at this year's show?'' I wish Ian. I will be most likely manning the TtTe layout with my daughter for most of the weekend, again! Kev. Edited September 15, 2015 by kevpeo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted September 15, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 15, 2015 I wish Ian. I will be most likely manning the TtTe layout with my daughter for most of the weekend, again! Kev. That's more your style......................... Cheers, Mick 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRDBLUE17 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Hi Kev, I looked at these the other night but had no time to reply whilst getting ready for Ayr. Those masts and gantry look superb and with the stock you have this is going to be a cracker of a layout. Will look forward to seeing it at a future show. 37423 made its exhibition debut today and sounds superb on the layout so thanks for that. It was alongside a couple more 66's though! Thanks Mark 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevpeo Posted November 6, 2015 Author Share Posted November 6, 2015 (edited) A quick update, photo's to follow when the smell dissipates in the loft! Yes the yard track has now been sprayed, ready for ballasting. The 'concrete base's' are in for the masts, and the off scene registration arms and ramp end spring gantry built. Oh and the portals are being sprayed one by one! Can you tell it's my day off! Edit - As promised, some photo's. The painted track, with one of the 'concrete' mast bases to the left, made from washers! On the right, the disconnected track has gained a 'buffer stop' made from a pair of concrete sleepers. The 'main lines' in the foreground were masked off, as I wanted them to look newly laid to go with the 'engineering works' still ongoing on the other side of the station bridge. Of course this means I will have to paint the rails the hard way! Here we see the under bridge (when it gets built!) arms, soldered to copper-clad strip, and the termination/ramp portal with its springs attached. The main portal painting is as yet unfinished. Kev. Edited November 6, 2015 by kevpeo 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevpeo Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 I've been shopping! Just the signals left to order as a 'major' expense now. After next payday! I'm actually looking forward to building these, how sad is that? Jobs completed this week are the portals, now painted. The platform tracks rail sides, ditto. And one job I had forgotten, the fitting of cosmetic fishplates to the bullhead track. Good job they are greased on the real thing so are a different colour to the rest of the rails. Kev. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevpeo Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 And this is what one pack of Wills trunking looks like - And it turns out I'm short of it! I have had to copy some in a couple of less visible areas. Kev. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Doesn't go very far "Wills trunking" ive ended up making my own for Banks road... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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