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On 18/03/2019 at 18:17, Tony Wright said:

 

 

463413220_roadvehicles03entrancetogoodsyard.jpg.4352a8cd3e583fcb2dc22ed6cce9aa2e.jpg

 

 

 

 

665192823_roadvehicles06limestoneloadingdock.jpg.62f7df9a50e9ddcc9638b03dcd334463.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Tony - may I make a suggestion for a small improvement to some of your road vehicles?

 

An old trick that aircraft modellers use to give 'weight' to a model sitting on wheels is to file a small flat on the base of the wheels where they contact the ground - this allows them to sit more 'heavily' on the surface and gives that feeling of weight. Obviously you don't take too much off or then it'll look like it has a puncture of course!

 

The two pictures above I think would particularly benefit from this.

 

Just a suggestion.

 

Cheers,
Alan

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I used to heat the tyres to soften them, then push down on a flat surface. This not only gives a flat at the ground/tyre juncture, but also a slight bulge at the sidewall.

 

 

Emma

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1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Half that, Andy, .45mm.

 

The problem with using 0.9mm wire is that it isn't flexible enough, especially when it's being asked to couple up to bogie-fitted tension-locks on adjacent cars. There were just too many derailments yesterday, all over the place with your Sleepers (very nice carriages, by the way). 

 

A central problem, of course, on PN is the mish-mash of couplings, most of which are incompatible. Until all the couplings are standardised (which won't happen?), then the likely result will be running difficulties and trains dividing. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

If they were being used to couple to tension locks then I understand. I always remove the tension lock on the adjoining carriage and replace with hook or goalpost, even though I’m happy to keep tension locks on the rest of the train.

 

I thought 0.45mm wire would not be strong enough, but I’ll try it now.

 

Andy

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1 hour ago, thegreenhowards said:

If they were being used to couple to tension locks then I understand. I always remove the tension lock on the adjoining carriage and replace with hook or goalpost, even though I’m happy to keep tension locks on the rest of the train.

 

I thought 0.45mm wire would not be strong enough, but I’ll try it now.

 

Andy

Andy,

 

Every single one of the carriages and wagons I've built has my home-made style of coupling - a .45mm brass wire hook, engaging on to a '45mm brass 'goalpost'. Even passenger trains of 15-vehicles long work perfectly with this system, as do 50-wagon goods trains. The thinner wire allows the towed coach's/wagon's hook to be flexible; useful, especially on reverse curves and especially where trains are propelled in and out of the kick-back sidings. 

 

The pick-ups use wagons with Sprat & Winkle couplings (not built by me) and there are couple of goods rakes with 'proper' couplings (again, not built by me). 

 

I think one of the 'tricks' (if it is a trick) to ensure good and consistent running is to have every coupling in a single train the same. That way, one gets compatibility. A mixture of different (incompatible) couplings in a single rake can only lead (in my view/experience) to compromised running. Which, as you know well, I will not tolerate. 

 

Today, with four visiting friends, every train on LB was run (including those on the MR/M&GNR). Apart from the incorrect setting of a couple of points (one, not my fault), the running was faultless (as it should be). It can be achieved, but only with consistency and compatibility, no matter what scale/gauge is chosen.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Edited by Tony Wright
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2 hours ago, Dr Al said:

 

 

Tony - may I make a suggestion for a small improvement to some of your road vehicles?

 

An old trick that aircraft modellers use to give 'weight' to a model sitting on wheels is to file a small flat on the base of the wheels where they contact the ground - this allows them to sit more 'heavily' on the surface and gives that feeling of weight. Obviously you don't take too much off or then it'll look like it has a puncture of course!

 

The two pictures above I think would particularly benefit from this.

 

Just a suggestion.

 

Cheers,
Alan

Thanks Alan,

 

Excellent observation.

 

I'll make it a matter of priority.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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12 hours ago, KalKat said:

I used to heat the tyres to soften them, then push down on a flat surface. This not only gives a flat at the ground/tyre juncture, but also a slight bulge at the sidewall.

 

 

Emma

 

If you push them down onto a heated surface then you will have more control over the softening process.

 

Mike.

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7 hours ago, PMP said:

 

The layout is indeed Collier Street, and N gauge. The van however....

 

Go on? Forced perspective?

 

I wasn't aware of a RTP Austin/Morris LD van (which presumably that is) in N/2mm although Osborn's Models do a 3D print of one (that doesn't look as good as that and you have to paint it). I'm in the process of trying to paint their 3D printed Commer Walk-Thru vans. A tricky proposition but oddly I had already filed little flats on the bottom of the tyres before it was mentioned.

 

G

 

 

 

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Its also quite easy to 'turn' or offset the front wheels, something which again makes the model look more realistic.

 

Some rtr wire axles are fairly heavy duty, overkill really ( a throwback to the toy industry) but these are easily replaced with wire, or even platic rod.

 

Glossy models are easily toned down by spraying with Games Workshop matt seal, but don't forget to maskol any glazing!

 

Again there's a fair bit on Yewtube, including some interesting stuff on restoring vintage Matchbox, Corgis etc and tips like using Johnsons Clear to enhance plastic glazing.

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Tony - a question if I may concerning your preferred couplings, which I am starting to implement on 'own built' carriages and some rakes where Kadees have been letting me down.

 

I am using .45 brass as you suggest but I am getting a bit of "bounce" - elongation & shortening of the rake as the train pulls away, and this one is only about 7 carriages at present; is that because I have made the hooks too long, so that there is too much flex between the cars? All of the coaches concerned are fitted with corridor connections which absorb the bounce a bit, but I can hear the buffers bashing together as the train pulls away or stops.

 

Suggestions?

 

Tony

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1 hour ago, Tony Teague said:

Tony - a question if I may concerning your preferred couplings, which I am starting to implement on 'own built' carriages and some rakes where Kadees have been letting me down.

 

I am using .45 brass as you suggest but I am getting a bit of "bounce" - elongation & shortening of the rake as the train pulls away, and this one is only about 7 carriages at present; is that because I have made the hooks too long, so that there is too much flex between the cars? All of the coaches concerned are fitted with corridor connections which absorb the bounce a bit, but I can hear the buffers bashing together as the train pulls away or stops.

 

Suggestions?

 

Tony

Good morning Tony,

 

The 'hooks' on the towed vehicles need to be as short as possible. Just the right length so that buffers on adjacent cars just touch as they negotiate the tightest radius you have. Obviously, the tighter the radii to be negotiated, the longer the hook needs to be. With it comes the risk of 'bouncing'. LB's minimum main line radius is 3' (out of sight). With this to play with, bounce is not an issue. 

 

Are your corridor connectors touching all the time between adjacent cars? They should, just 'forcing' the cars apart slightly, giving minimum bounce. 

 

I hope this helps. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

Edited by Tony Wright
typo error
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1 hour ago, grahame said:

 

Go on? Forced perspective?

 

 

G

 

 

 

 

The van is 4mm scale, with ‘flattened’ tyres, flush glazing and very light weathering. The layout was a Paul Lunn @Dzine plan and built for Peco using N set track, to illustrate a track plan and use off the shelf products. They still use it as a product photoset.

 

I’ve been working on forced perspective for about twenty years on and off, and it’s surprising how much you can push the technique. The distance between van and train is about two inches, no more. 

 

 

 

 

Edited by PMP
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7 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

The 'hooks' on the towed vehicles need to be as short as possible. Just the right length so that buffers on adjacent cars just touch as they negotiate the tightest radius you have. Obviously, the tighter the radii to be negotiated, the longer the hook needs to be. With it comes the risk of 'bouncing'. LB's minimum main line radius is 3' (out of sight). With this to play with, bounce is not an issue. 

 

Are your corridor connectors touching all the time between adjacent cars? They should, just 'forcing' the cars apart slightly, giving minimum bounce.

 

Thanks Tony

I will check and adjust accordingly, including the 'corridor touching' issue.

Tony

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Having had a most-fruitful meeting today, I've learned some interesting things.; the principal item being that a command of English/grammar/punctuation are not prerequisites for being a (writing) journalist. 

 

A good 'story' takes precedence. I would have thought both elements were essential, but what do I know? 

 

Interesting. 

Edited by Tony Wright
typo error
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2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

a command of English/grammar/punctuation are not prerequisites for being a (writing) journalist. 

 

Simply perusing the BBC News online would've told you that. :(

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Hello to all Write Righters, should you be attending the London Festival of Railway modelling in Alexandra Palace, London, this coming weekend? Please can you say "Hello" as you walk past my little layout Pig Lane (Western Region) . It would be very nice to put faces to the the names who converse on this thread.

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4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Having had a most-fruitful meeting today, I've leaned some interesting things.; the principal item being that

A good 'story' takes precedence. I would have thought both elements were essential, but what do I know? 

 

Interesting. 

Perhaps - "A command (of English/grammar/punctuation) is not a prerequisite for being a (writing) journalist"?

 

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13 hours ago, stewartingram said:

Just to add to the vehicles thread; Railmatch Weathered Black paint is my choice for tyres.

 

Stewart 

Tamiya do a Rubber Black which I also use for coach underframes and bogies.

Edited by nerron
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