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Wright writes.....


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I've only ever built a couple of gearboxes, both Branchlines, and both the locos they went into run as sweet as a nut, though the Airfix/Comet 4F has been displaced by a Bachmann one and the motor/gearbox will get recycled into something else. The other, a Millholme Z tank involved fitting the box into an already-built chassis that had to be partially dismantled, so there was much more than the gearbox that could have gone wrong! 

 

I was very struck by the benefit of instant accurate meshing vs. "the old (pre-etching) way" of offering a motor up to a single gear, praying it worked properly first time and spending an age fine tuning the mounting if it didn't..... 

 

Beginners' luck, inborn knack at a black art (me, really?), or just putting a good product together carefully in accordance with the maker's instructions? I've HL gearbox kits awaiting a couple of loco kits in the to-do pile and don't see anything to frighten me. 

 

Tony (W) is quite happy to buy-in the skills of the lady at DJH to ensure consistency, save time (and possibly bypass a job he doesn't especially enjoy) others consider it an unnecessary extra expense.  

 

Reading through both sides of the discussion, do we really "know we are born" on this subject? This is such a First World problem!

 

John

 

 

 

Edited by Dunsignalling
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A request for some information, please?

 

I've flicked through my resources but can't find what I want. Does anyone have the formation of 'The Flying Scotsman' in the summer of 1928, when it first ran non-stop, please? 

 

I know the catering would be a triplet, but was the hairdressing car included? I assume the normal cars would be all-door Gresleys on frames with turnbuckle trussing.

 

Thanks in anticipation. 

Edited by Tony Wright
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11 hours ago, t-b-g said:

A further tip on fitting the worm to the motor shaft without brute force is to run a tapered cutting broach into the worm until it will go half way onto the shaft without being forced.

 

Then a gentle squeeze in the vice, with or without a tube, does the rest. If you cut in too far and are worried about it being fixed well enough, a drop of Loctite or Superglue rescues the job.

 

Works every time.

 

I've certainly found with worm gears that seem to be very tight, that the creation of some sort of "lead-in" in the first part of the bore helps a great deal with fitting.

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Morning All ,

Interesting debate regarding the gearboxes, looking at the very good photos that LNER 4479 put into the discussion may I offer a few points.

I have only come across the high level gearbox this last year and now have five locos running with them , so yes very pleased with the results, I know LNER4479 made it without any instructions , so a couple of points in the instructions include 1) the fitting of the remote attachment onto the pips on the front of the box (temporarily) this helps with checking the squareness.

2) Running the piece of 1mm wire across the frame.

I also with a larger drill put a chamfer where the shoulder of the axle bush is going , this helps the bush to sit square before soldering.

After always cutting the ldler shafts with a cutting disc , I found on the last one that I just used a junior hacksaw, maybe they have changed it to mild steel!

I open up the worm till it slides onto the motor shaft and loctite it into position, and talking of worms when I was in engineering it was practice to chisel the start of the thread until the full thickness of the thread was attained.

The only problem I have now is unavailability of the high level gearboxes, I did look at the djh website this week, and have decided to wait a little longer till Chris is up and running.

 Dennis 

 

 

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39 minutes ago, D.Platt said:

Morning All ,

Interesting debate regarding the gearboxes, looking at the very good photos that LNER 4479 put into the discussion may I offer a few points.

I have only come across the high level gearbox this last year and now have five locos running with them , so yes very pleased with the results, I know LNER4479 made it without any instructions , so a couple of points in the instructions include 1) the fitting of the remote attachment onto the pips on the front of the box (temporarily) this helps with checking the squareness.

2) Running the piece of 1mm wire across the frame.

I also with a larger drill put a chamfer where the shoulder of the axle bush is going , this helps the bush to sit square before soldering.

After always cutting the ldler shafts with a cutting disc , I found on the last one that I just used a junior hacksaw, maybe they have changed it to mild steel!

I open up the worm till it slides onto the motor shaft and loctite it into position, and talking of worms when I was in engineering it was practice to chisel the start of the thread until the full thickness of the thread was attained.

The only problem I have now is unavailability of the high level gearboxes, I did look at the djh website this week, and have decided to wait a little longer till Chris is up and running.

 Dennis 

 

 

Thanks!

 

1) the fitting of the remote attachment onto the pips on the front of the box (temporarily) this helps with checking the squareness.

Ah - I did wonder what they were! and the 'remote attachment' pieces you refer to. I can see how that would be useful in the construction.

 

2) Running the piece of 1mm wire across the frame.

Yes, spotted that and I will be adding that piece of wire just to strengthen the thing up

 

A question for you (and any others) - how do you fix the layshaft into position? Given that it's steel then a considerable amount of heat would have to be introduced to obtain a decent solder joint ... by which time no doubt the plastic gears would have melted! More Loctite? (other (super)glues are available ...)

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23 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

 

 

A question for you (and any others) - how do you fix the layshaft into position? Given that it's steel then a considerable amount of heat would have to be introduced to obtain a decent solder joint ... by which time no doubt the plastic gears would have melted! More Loctite? (other (super)glues are available ...)

Superglue

 

But be careful with the amount.

 

Nail varnish remover takes the glue off the gears without damaging them……guess how I know:mellow:

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2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

A request for some information, please?

 

I've flicked through my resources but can't find what I want. Does anyone have the formation of 'The Flying Scotsman' in the summer of 1928, when it first ran non-stop, please? 

 

I know the catering would be a triplet, but was the hairdressing car included? I assume the normal cars would be all-door Gresleys on frames with turnbuckle trussing.

 

Thanks in anticipation. 

 

According to Cecil J Allen's "Titled Trains Of Great Britain" details for the May 1928 version:

 

"A new train was put into service, including a coach, marshalled next the restaurant cars, which contained a cocktail bar, a retiring room for ladies and a hairdressing room with barber complete - all novelties in British practice and designed to beguile, in various ways, the hours of this lengthy journey"

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57 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Thanks!

 

1) the fitting of the remote attachment onto the pips on the front of the box (temporarily) this helps with checking the squareness.

Ah - I did wonder what they were! and the 'remote attachment' pieces you refer to. I can see how that would be useful in the construction.

 

2) Running the piece of 1mm wire across the frame.

Yes, spotted that and I will be adding that piece of wire just to strengthen the thing up

 

A question for you (and any others) - how do you fix the layshaft into position? Given that it's steel then a considerable amount of heat would have to be introduced to obtain a decent solder joint ... by which time no doubt the plastic gears would have melted! More Loctite? (other (super)glues are available ...)

Hi,

My method is to solder a small piece of brass off cut , a little way above the top shaft , and this covering both shafts and do this on both sides , the shafts have to be just a little longer than the gearbox width so that it fits between the frames, this is in “00” if your doing EM it’s not as critical.

 Dennis 

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1 hour ago, LNER4479 said:

Thanks!

 

1) the fitting of the remote attachment onto the pips on the front of the box (temporarily) this helps with checking the squareness.

Ah - I did wonder what they were! and the 'remote attachment' pieces you refer to. I can see how that would be useful in the construction.

 

2) Running the piece of 1mm wire across the frame.

Yes, spotted that and I will be adding that piece of wire just to strengthen the thing up

 

A question for you (and any others) - how do you fix the layshaft into position? Given that it's steel then a considerable amount of heat would have to be introduced to obtain a decent solder joint ... by which time no doubt the plastic gears would have melted! More Loctite? (other (super)glues are available ...)

 

I use a blob of aliphatic resin (a wood glue) on each side. It's thick enough it doesn't seep through and gum the workings up, and if you need to remove it, it just peels off.

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2 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

 

 

A question for you (and any others) - how do you fix the layshaft into position? Given that it's steel then a considerable amount of heat would have to be introduced to obtain a decent solder joint ... by which time no doubt the plastic gears would have melted! More Loctite? (other (super)glues are available ...)

Quick in and out with the (big) soldering iron on the side away from the plastic gear, you only need to fasten one side. 

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6 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Terry,

 

I thought about pressing the 'funny' button, but opted instead for the more-sensitive one. Unusual for me!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

G'Day Folks

 

Thank you Tony, It did look pretty funny though, made Hornby's 'Ski' jump look tame.

 

Terry (aka manna)

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4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

A request for some information, please?

 

I've flicked through my resources but can't find what I want. Does anyone have the formation of 'The Flying Scotsman' in the summer of 1928, when it first ran non-stop, please? 

 

I know the catering would be a triplet, but was the hairdressing car included? I assume the normal cars would be all-door Gresleys on frames with turnbuckle trussing.

 

Thanks in anticipation. 

Banks and Carter give the summer 1928 roster for the Flying Scotsman as

BTK, TK, CK, RTS, FK, TK (toilet 3rd aka hairdressing car), TK, BG

It was strengthened from this roster at peak times.

 

The toilet third was introduced at the same time as the Triplet.

 

In 1932 the cocktail bar was added to the toilet 3rd.

 

Jon

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2 hours ago, Jon4470 said:

Superglue

 

 

2 hours ago, D.Platt said:

Hi,

My method is to solder a small piece of brass off cut , a little way above the top shaft , and this covering both shafts and do this on both sides

 

2 hours ago, Bucoops said:

I use a blob of aliphatic resin (a wood glue) on each side. 

 

1 hour ago, Michael Edge said:

Quick in and out with the (big) soldering iron on the side away from the plastic gear, you only need to fasten one side. 

Four different modellers; four different* answers. Marvellous.

(*all good, I hasten to add!)

 

 

I have done it in the past; just can't remember how. I'll probably invent a fifth method this time round...

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9 minutes ago, Chuffer Davies said:

Hi,

does anybody know where I can buy replacement M1.6 motor mounting screws?  Last time I bought any it was from Branchlines but I don’t think they are trading any more.

Regards,

Frank

Branchlines are still trading. I've recently had an order from him. he doesn't have a website but I've always had excellent service over the phone: 01373 822231 or email: sales@branchlines.com 

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47 minutes ago, OliverBytham said:

 

 

Also, what a pleasure to see a 1:1-scale Gresley Pacific tackling Stoke Bank this morning…

 

IMG_3876.jpg.412b7e878c83240c74baa4d427c706bf.jpg

 

 

A shame it had to be dragged from Doncaster to York by a Thunderbird 47...

 

 

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17 minutes ago, johndon said:

 

A shame it had to be dragged from Doncaster to York by a Thunderbird 47...

 

 

It happens sadly. the perils of operating old machines. Even Tornado, which is nearly new has failed occasionally. to be fair, 60103 has been a consistently reliable performer since it returned to steam.

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5 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

 

 

 

Four different modellers; four different* answers. Marvellous.

(*all good, I hasten to add!)

 

 

I have done it in the past; just can't remember how. I'll probably invent a fifth method this time round...

Other than Mike's suggestion , it's really only one answer - use adhesive, as stated in the instructions. i know instructions can be an anathema to many who post here, but Chris's are actually quite useful! He doesn't specify which adhesive to use - how dare he- but I find a smear of epoxy works as well as anything, and minimises the risk of "creep" into the gearbox, which is the danger of using superglue.

 

I have used solder, as Mike suggests, using a 50 Watt Antex, and it works OK too-beware of "flux Creep"

 

I (like Pontius Pilate in Life of Brian)  find the idea "risible" that using a DJH gearbox is akin to RTR. DJH have offered ready assembled boxes for years, and Portescap (much beloved and missed by many) are of the same ilk. 

 

My only "beef" with DJH, as opposed to High Level, is the relative cost - DJH is almost twice the price- more if using a cheaper motor than the "high-end" ones Chris offers. If one already has a suitable motor, the comparison is DJH costing 4 times more,  Whether they are value for money is a matter of opinion, but taking a couple of hours at the most to ensure a High Level box runs well does not seem extreme given the time it takes to build a kit , then paint it, line it etc. Actually, after building a few, I can normally get one installed in under an hour - so Tony gains 50 minutes on me. i have struggled  with Comet and Markits boxes, for reasons I fail to understand, but after a couple of hairy moments with my first couple of High Level I have 100% success. and, believe me, if I can do it.... I need to add that the 2 DJH boxes I did buy were superb.

The best video I found on assembling these kits is

I suppose I must add add the usual disclaimer - I have no connection with High Level other than as a satisfied customer, and I can't wait until he is back in business.

John

Edited by rowanj
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2 hours ago, OliverBytham said:

I’m a very happy owner of an LNER dining triplet and a pigeon van today, plus a couple of other items Tony barely needed to persuade me on. Thanks again Tony for offering these, and for your and Mo’s hospitality today.

 

IMG_3912.jpg.18d137c0a836493d0b2b310f3758eb40.jpg

 

As ever it was a delight to visit LB again. I brought along my A2/2 (a pure lockdown indulgence because interesting prototype / evocative name / my grandfather was based at New England depot at the same time) as weathered by Trains4U, and my first attempt at a loco identity swap: a Hornby A3 that’s now 2750 ‘Papyrus’ in speed record condition.

 

Thanks for the tip on trimming the tender back further Tony. Anyone know if Papyrus' tender still had spoked wheels in 1935?

 

IMG_3917.jpg.9b3ad15a415abb86dad049afe75cb2d7.jpg

 

Both ran impeccably. I can’t say I built either myself – while my worldly possessions are boxed up for a house move I can’t even add lamps and a crew. But I’m getting confident with modifying RTR and this thread’s depth of knowledge and skill is always appreciated.

 

Also, what a pleasure to see a 1:1-scale Gresley Pacific tackling Stoke Bank this morning…

 

IMG_3876.jpg.412b7e878c83240c74baa4d427c706bf.jpg

 

An older gentleman spectating from the same bridge noted how obscured the view of the ‘racing stretch’ is these days, thanks to overhead catenary and the encroachment of vegetation. This provoked an interesting topic of chat with Tony: what’s the optimal era to have been a railway enthusiast?

 

In short, better to have been around for the pre-war (or pre-grouping) glory days though only the wealthiest had cameras to record the moment, to have seen the 1960s swansong of British steam, or to live here and now where the internet’s bottomless pit of information and research material is often only a free-of-charge click away?

 

IMG_3901r.jpg.95f908de2a66f758cd6a95704378cc67.jpg

 

We reckon Tony’s generation may well be ‘optimal’ for the best of all worlds, so long as ER steam is your thing.

 

What a fabulous day observing, talking and operating railways.

 

Ollie

 

 

Thanks Ollie,

 

It was a most-entertaining day, and my other friend brought lots of interesting things along later (pictures to follow). Oh, and if you're reading this Nick, you've left your part-built N5 body. 

 

The discussion regarding which has been the 'best' time to watch railways/build model railways was most-enlightening. Though partisan and biased, I'm convinced my Immediate, post-War generation has had it the best. We saw steam on BR (in the case of the Gresley Pacifics, it could be argued at their zenith), entered further education/long-term career/job/decent pension and so on. Yes, it would have been brilliant to have seen the pre-War highlights, but those who did are very old now or no longer with us. And no longer with us to enjoy the best of both worlds of today. In my case, personal (indelible) memories, which I've been able to recreate over the decades, and it's even better now with superb kits and fantastic RTR. Not only that, the ability to record what I'm doing in still images and also in movement. What you've done today on your phone is brilliant, and posted on here for all to see.

 

Truly, the hobby has never been better. And even better for old gits like me, because we have the memories, and we have them recreated in miniature.  

 

Thanks for mentioning my appearance on Hornby's Youtube channel.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

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10 hours ago, D.Platt said:

...and talking of worms when I was in engineering it was practice to chisel the start of the thread until the full thickness of the thread was attained...

Hello Dennis, thank you for the very interesting post - can I please ask you to explain a bit more about the part I've quoted above? I'm not quite sure exactly what this process involves - or, do you have any pictures that would clarify?

 

Thank you.

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34 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks for mentioning my appearance on Hornby's Youtube channel.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

 

Worth a watch if anyone fancies some enjoyable evening viewing (or has gone off football lately)!

 

 

Edited by OliverBytham
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4 hours ago, johndon said:

A shame it had to be dragged from Doncaster to York by a Thunderbird 47...

 

Aye John, the young'un was going well past Sunderland Bridge Just over an hour ago...

 

Tornado-SunderlandBridge_19-06-2021-Sm.jpg.c7062569faa10282c529ecf45fc272a5.jpg 

It looked half decent in the sunshine at five to eight this morning.  (My body is still in shock from being awake at that time of day!).

 

https://flic.kr/p/2m6oDz4

 

P

 

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