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39 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

In response to some praise for a picture I took some time ago, I've had a couple of goes at taking it again; this time with Bytham all but finished.

 

550605469_60034LordFaringdononUpTalisman01.jpg.e7b4f7598f04efc1baefb6e518836bfd.jpg

 

1158401256_60034LordFaringdononUpTalisman02.jpg.64ad1cef4be4b428dfc1239699ded731.jpg

 

I can't decide which shot is better.

 

It's the same loco, but on a different train. 

 

Apologies for the incongruous LNER train on the MR/M&GNR, some eight years too early!

Hi Tony

 

Top photo for me both very good but I do like the sweeping angle of the A4 in the top one.

 

David

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2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Friend Richard Irven popped over yesterday with his three fine sons (they drive Bytham's trains really fast - good!). 

 

He brought with him some models he's made/making. Including..................

 

443319617_RichardIrvenA23.jpg.ba3c0a8817725e1a72e280e83281285d.jpg

 

An A2/3.

 

1910748018_RichardIrvenV2.jpg.b339b7839e2c86e7aa2824df1b141396.jpg

 

A V2.

 

816865540_RichardIrvenLNERDynamometerCar.jpg.37b33134bb0935eba65729933bb064c5.jpg

 

The LNER Dynamometer Car.

 

1936665278_RichardIrvenGCInspectionSaloonjpg.jpg.216fa93c94ab5a57f478824a3232a6f3.jpg

 

The GC Inspection Saloon. 

 

2147348712_RichardIrvenGCtrain.jpg.f2ad732cb738b62b5610ff68ab324cbd.jpg

 

And a complete Great Central train.

 

I'll let Richard explain the origins of these. 

 

 

It was a great day Tony. The kids really had fun and so did I. The layout behaved immaculately. 
the locos are aDJH A2/3 which is built from the parts in the box to represent straight deal as she was at the end of her life.

the V2 is a crownline kit to represent one of the very few which had a single chimney and outside steam pipes. The best look in my mind.

the dynamometer car is a 3d print of the body from recreation21 and bogies from isinglass. The rest is scratch built including all the interior down to the flooring and paper on the recording instrument.

the directors saloon was Watkin’s own which he took Gladstone on trips in. It is also a 3d print from recreation21. The rest is scratch built. It is wrong though. I followed the Dow book and a recently found photo suggests a gas cylinder rather than battery boxes on one side. Am building the interior. Sofa built, now need to build the ten armchairs.

Lastly the F2 which came from Green Howard’s as a L&Y 2-4-2 with SEF N5 sides and firebox. The rest of the conversion is scratch built. It awaits its number plates from Narrow Planet. The carriages are Parker London extension stock in brown and French grey.  They are mousa models sides and ends. r&e bogies except one which is scratch built. The add on parts were kindly provided by Tony West fron D&S kits. Except the front full third which is a D&S side and ends kindly given to me by John Q.
the journey to build them was a fun journey.

richard  

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2 hours ago, richard i said:

It was a great day Tony. The kids really had fun and so did I. The layout behaved immaculately. 
the locos are aDJH A2/3 which is built from the parts in the box to represent straight deal as she was at the end of her life.

the V2 is a crownline kit to represent one of the very few which had a single chimney and outside steam pipes. The best look in my mind.

the dynamometer car is a 3d print of the body from recreation21 and bogies from isinglass. The rest is scratch built including all the interior down to the flooring and paper on the recording instrument.

the directors saloon was Watkin’s own which he took Gladstone on trips in. It is also a 3d print from recreation21. The rest is scratch built. It is wrong though. I followed the Dow book and a recently found photo suggests a gas cylinder rather than battery boxes on one side. Am building the interior. Sofa built, now need to build the ten armchairs.

Lastly the F2 which came from Green Howard’s as a L&Y 2-4-2 with SEF N5 sides and firebox. The rest of the conversion is scratch built. It awaits its number plates from Narrow Planet. The carriages are Parker London extension stock in brown and French grey.  They are mousa models sides and ends. r&e bogies except one which is scratch built. The add on parts were kindly provided by Tony West fron D&S kits. Except the front full third which is a D&S side and ends kindly given to me by John Q.
the journey to build them was a fun journey.

richard  

Thanks for the explanations, Richard.

 

We had an excellent day, too.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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12 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Today has definitely been one of two halves.

 

Good friend, Tom Foster, popped down from God's own country, seeking my advice/help in erecting new motion for a Bachmann OO9 0-4-0T. This will be for his model inspired by the Rev. Audrey's work.

 

1744112842_TomFoster0090-4-2T.jpg.799feeb03a46b34bd411adf250cac5bb.jpg

 

He's done a lovely job on the bodywork. And, even though I say it myself, I think I've done a good enough job of the replacement motion from Narrow Planet (the motion support bracket is yet to be fitted). Only on this side, however! 

 

Sadly, I made a complete hash of the other side, and Tom is seeking another set. I'm told that the manufacturer of the nearer-scale parts is revising the kit.

 

What did I do wrong? I thought I'd got the crossheads neatly into the slidebars (on the other side), and asked Tom to apply test power. At this point the crosshead jammed in the slidebars and instead of turning down the power, full power was applied, causing the cylinder stretcher to fracture (a really weak 3D-printed item) and the motion to buckle. Try as I might, I could not get it right, and the end result is scrap (at least on the other side). Sorry Tom. 

 

I've no wish to be critical of a product I've only just used for the first time, but the parts are so flimsy. If I make slidebars, they're either from nickel silver bar stock, a much thicker single etch (DJH) or a laminated fret - much stronger. I know OO9 bits are much smaller than OO/EM/P4 (how you 2mm geniuses get on, I've no idea!), but the single-thickness (very thin) slidebars are much too weak in my view, buckling all too easily. The crossheads are formed from a very thin sandwich, and I'd have preferred it if they were a casting, incorporating a round piston rod

 

Many 2mm scale slidebars are formed from 2-3 layers of 10 thou nickel silver or filed down to something similar from nickel silver bar/plain rail.

 

@Nick Mitchell has done much to de-mystify the art of motion and valve gear assembly in the relevant bits of his excellent videos on building an etched chassis for the Peco Jubilee:

http://www.2mm.org.uk/articles/jubilee/pt4.html

 

As has Tim Watson's work on Valour in relation to crosshead manufacture (sadly now without pictures due to tinypic): 

 

where those available via the 2mm Association or N Brass (https://www.nbrasslocos.co.uk/fitall.html#ROD ) will not do.

 

The hex bolts for the coupling rod fixing on Tom's loco look like the issue regarding the width of the motion etched parts. Lots of compromises to ensure adequate clearance, particularly if the front wheelset has much sideplay. 

 

Regards,

Simon

 

 

 

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A week or so back we had a discussion on gearboxes that generated some good debate and dialogue. The fact that I don’t have anywhere to operate what I build has never stopped me acquiring, collecting and making stuff, but I’m aware I haven’t done much construction in the motor and gearbox environment despite having purchased a reasonable number of each, come the day I need them. My only experience of drive train assembly is those bend up plate things from years ago that used coarse very noisy Romford gears, uggh!

 

So, over a couple of evenings this last week, I put together a selection of what I have and thought I’d share my thoughts.

 

First up are these two DJH/Model Loco GB2 50:1 boxes. I bought them in about 2000/2001 when I read DJH were going to stop production of some of their loco kits. Not knowing what might be discontinued, I bought a S&D 7F and BR 4MT tank engine and these GB2s and Mashima motors.

 

2052937607_MotorsGearboxes-DJHGB2.jpg.d4c34ae53c187e9ecc1f85b5597bde97.jpg

 

The boxes didn’t present any problems to build, that said they were a little fiddley in trying to line up all the various spacers, shims and cogs, but once loosely screwed together, it was easy. The only difference between the two boxes was one came with a red plastic worm rather than a brass worm.  The noisiest is the plastic wormed one; the brass wormed one is very quiet. I did swap every moving component around between the two in an effort to resolve it, but it was always the plastic wormed one that made the most noise.  I don’t believe DJH sell them for self-assembly anymore, one would hope the current factory produced ones are nigh on silent.  I will see if I can find a brass 50:1 worm to replace the plastic one – I may get a selection from High Level and see what I can do.

 

Next is a High Level Road Runner+ (I can’t remember the ratio, but I don’t think it’s in the current range) and a Comet 2 Stage 50:1.

 

 

1629500123_MotorsGearboxes-HighLevelComet.jpg.48ba8adb6418777d2516e864b59f6582.jpg

 

Of these two the Comet took longer to assemble, only because the bearing holes took a while to open up to the right size for the bearings. Both of these boxes are running cheap Chinese motors, the smaller motor (a Mitsumi) is quite noisy when running free of the box. The other motor is reasonably quiet but not as quiet as the Mashima’s above.  Also neither of the Chinese motors fix vertically to the gearbox mount. The Comet combination will easily fit in a Dapol/Hornby LMS 2P body and the HL combination will easily fit in an Airfix LMS 4F body.

 

Both of these boxes are super smooth (beginners luck?, precision etching and quality manufacture more likely!) and produce low levels of noise – bearing in mind I don’t have much of a reference point to compare them to. I have two more Comet boxes to use and think I’ll be quite happy with them; they’ll also be fully hidden in the 2P body when driving the front axle. On the HL I’ve not yet secured the idler shafts – firstly, because I’m not sure of the best way to and, secondly, I’m not sure what loco it’ll run in, so don’t know how much room I’ll have between the frames, as I may need to shorten them by a mm or so.

 

I think future purchases will be between the HL type and Comet. Personally, I couldn’t justify £80, or thereabouts, for a DJH motor gearbox combination. I do understand though that a professional builder would consider the time/cost benefit differently. Horses for courses as they say.

 

Kind regards,

 

Iain

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to remove a random 'is'
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28 minutes ago, 65179 said:

 

Many 2mm scale slidebars are formed from 2-3 layers of 10 thou nickel silver or filed down to something similar from nickel silver bar/plain rail.

 

@Nick Mitchell has done much to de-mystify the art of motion and valve gear assembly in the relevant bits of his excellent videos on building an etched chassis for the Peco Jubilee:

http://www.2mm.org.uk/articles/jubilee/pt4.html

 

As has Tim Watson's work on Valour in relation to crosshead manufacture (sadly now without pictures due to tinypic): 

 

where those available via the 2mm Association or N Brass (https://www.nbrasslocos.co.uk/fitall.html#ROD ) will not do.

 

The hex bolts for the coupling rod fixing on Tom's loco look like the issue regarding the width of the motion etched parts. Lots of compromises to ensure adequate clearance, particularly if the front wheelset has much sideplay. 

 

Regards,

Simon

 

 

 

Thanks Simon,

 

There is a great deal of slop in the axles of the OO9 0-4-2ST, which can cause the leading crankpins to foul the back of the crosshead (why so much slop is needed, I don't know, since it's only four-coupled).

 

I approached the build with too much 'big-stuff' in me, and should have taken more care. That said, the approaches you've shown illustrated the advantages of bar stock or laminates over a single, thin piece of nickel silver to make slidebars.

 

As I say, the fault is more on my side than the product itself.

 

I'm back to what I know now, and should complete that A3 over the weekend (cricket-watching allowing!). 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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23 minutes ago, Iain.d said:

A week or so back we had a discussion on gearboxes that generated some good debate and dialogue. The fact that I don’t have anywhere to operate what I build has never stopped me acquiring, collecting and making stuff, but I’m aware I haven’t done much construction in the motor and gearbox environment despite having purchased a reasonable number of each, come the day I need them. My only experience of drive train assembly is those bend up plate things from years ago that used coarse very noisy Romford gears, uggh!

 

So, over a couple of evenings this last week, I put together a selection of what I have and thought I’d share my thoughts.

 

First up are these two DJH/Model Loco GB2 50:1 boxes. I bought them in about 2000/2001 when I read DJH were going to stop production of some of their loco kits. Not knowing what might be discontinued, I bought a S&D 7F and BR 4MT tank engine and these GB2s and Mashima motors.

 

2052937607_MotorsGearboxes-DJHGB2.jpg.d4c34ae53c187e9ecc1f85b5597bde97.jpg

 

The boxes didn’t present any problems to build, that said they were a little fiddley in trying to line up all the various spacers, shims and cogs, but once loosely screwed together, it was easy. The only difference between the two boxes was one came with a red plastic worm rather than a brass worm.  The noisiest is the plastic wormed one; the brass wormed one is very quiet. I did swap every moving component around between the two in an effort to resolve it, but it was always the plastic wormed one that made the most noise.  I don’t believe DJH sell them for self-assembly anymore, one would hope the current factory produced ones are nigh on silent.  I will see if I can find a brass 50:1 worm to replace the plastic one – I may get a selection from High Level and see what I can do.

 

Next is a High Level Road Runner+ (I can’t remember the ratio, but I don’t think it’s in the current range) and a Comet 2 Stage 50:1.

 

 

1629500123_MotorsGearboxes-HighLevelComet.jpg.48ba8adb6418777d2516e864b59f6582.jpg

 

Of these two the Comet took longer to assemble, only because the bearing holes took a while to open up to the right size for the bearings. Both of these boxes are running cheap Chinese motors, the smaller motor (a Mitsumi) is quite noisy when running free of the box. The other motor is reasonably quiet but not as quiet as the Mashima’s above.  Also neither of the Chinese motors fix vertically to the gearbox mount. The Comet combination will easily fit in a Dapol/Hornby LMS 2P body and the HL combination will easily fit in an Airfix LMS 4F body.

 

Both of these boxes are super smooth (beginners luck?, precision etching and quality manufacture more likely!) and produce low levels of noise – bearing in mind I don’t have much of a reference point to compare them to. I have two more Comet boxes to use and think I’ll be quite happy with them; they’ll also be fully hidden in the 2P body when driving the front axle. On the HL I’ve not yet secured the idler shafts – firstly, because I’m not sure of the best way to and, secondly, I’m not sure what loco it’ll run in, so don’t know how much room I’ll have between the frames, as I may need to shorten them by a mm or so.

 

I think future purchases will be between the HL type and Comet. Personally, I couldn’t justify £80, or thereabouts, for a DJH motor gearbox combination. I do understand though that a professional builder would consider the time/cost benefit differently. Horse for courses as they say.

 

Kind regards,

 

Iain

Thanks for showing us these, Iain,

 

Most-enlightening.

 

As you suggest, DJH no longer offer its gearboxes as kits, and all now come ready-assembled with a brass worm. Of the scores I've used, every one has been super-smooth and silent, but (as has been stated many times before) they are relatively expensive, and definitely difficult to hide in smaller prototypes. 

 

The debate has probably ended now. For anyone who might be interested in my own findings regarding loco drives (in motion), there'll be a programme of mine on the subject during the next BRM virtual exhibition, later this year.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

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Most 009 modellers want their locos to go around 9'' radius curves, hence the need for some side play on the wheels.

However all the 00 ready to run models I've bought over the last few years have a lot of side play which makes adjusting the pick ups fun.  On my Bachmann BR 2-6-4T I did put some washers on the front and rear axles in an effort to improve the running in one direction.  Only partly successful I'm afraid.

 

The 009 Bachmann loco you worked on has hub insulated wheels so the cylinders need to be made from an insulating material.  I suppose 3D printing is the only cost effective solution.

 

This also means there will be a problem with the motion brackets.  A friend has done the conversion and I seem to recall he said that one bracket should be insulated with paper from the chassis.

He didn't get on with that so he soldered a small piece of pcb on the back of the connecting rod in the centre and then cut through the rod and the copper with a slitting saw.  After a bit of filing it's not visible.

 

As the idea of the kit is to reduce the width I assume the etched components have been made as thin as possible.

As you say, it's all very small.  My friend makes his crosshead and piston rod in one piece out of sheet nickel silver simply to minimise the number of separate parts.  I never noticed this until he told me.  He's made over a hundred 009 chassis and he still has the occasional problem.  I'm sure your abilities are not waning,  you were just stepping into a different world.

 

The kit may not be available now but it might be worth asking if they have an odd spare etch.  They are very helpful.

Rodney

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1 hour ago, RodneyS said:

Most 009 modellers want their locos to go around 9'' radius curves, hence the need for some side play on the wheels.

However all the 00 ready to run models I've bought over the last few years have a lot of side play which makes adjusting the pick ups fun.  On my Bachmann BR 2-6-4T I did put some washers on the front and rear axles in an effort to improve the running in one direction.  Only partly successful I'm afraid.

 

The 009 Bachmann loco you worked on has hub insulated wheels so the cylinders need to be made from an insulating material.  I suppose 3D printing is the only cost effective solution.

 

This also means there will be a problem with the motion brackets.  A friend has done the conversion and I seem to recall he said that one bracket should be insulated with paper from the chassis.

He didn't get on with that so he soldered a small piece of pcb on the back of the connecting rod in the centre and then cut through the rod and the copper with a slitting saw.  After a bit of filing it's not visible.

 

As the idea of the kit is to reduce the width I assume the etched components have been made as thin as possible.

As you say, it's all very small.  My friend makes his crosshead and piston rod in one piece out of sheet nickel silver simply to minimise the number of separate parts.  I never noticed this until he told me.  He's made over a hundred 009 chassis and he still has the occasional problem.  I'm sure your abilities are not waning,  you were just stepping into a different world.

 

The kit may not be available now but it might be worth asking if they have an odd spare etch.  They are very helpful.

Rodney

Thanks Rodney,

 

It might be worth enquiring as to a new etch. 

 

Tom and I did predict potential problems with the motion support brackets, and the plan will be to not actually attach them to the frames. Though this means they'll not really be performing their original function, the motion (on the side I didn't mess up) still works perfectly. 

 

Regarding sideplay on RTR OO locos, I suppose because some purchasers will want to run their models around train set curves, then the manufacturers have no choice but to put plenty in. Though I have very few RTR locos, with those I do run, I nick a bit out of a Peco one eight fibre washers and push these over the axles, front and rear on six-coupled. This steadies them up a bit, but they still waddle on straight track in comparison with my kit-built locos (which I've built to negotiate nothing less than 3' on the main lines). 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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3 hours ago, Iain.d said:

A week or so back we had a discussion on gearboxes that generated some good debate and dialogue. The fact that I don’t have anywhere to operate what I build has never stopped me acquiring, collecting and making stuff, but I’m aware I haven’t done much construction in the motor and gearbox environment despite having purchased a reasonable number of each, come the day I need them. My only experience of drive train assembly is those bend up plate things from years ago that used coarse very noisy Romford gears, uggh!

 

So, over a couple of evenings this last week, I put together a selection of what I have and thought I’d share my thoughts.

 

First up are these two DJH/Model Loco GB2 50:1 boxes. I bought them in about 2000/2001 when I read DJH were going to stop production of some of their loco kits. Not knowing what might be discontinued, I bought a S&D 7F and BR 4MT tank engine and these GB2s and Mashima motors.

 

2052937607_MotorsGearboxes-DJHGB2.jpg.d4c34ae53c187e9ecc1f85b5597bde97.jpg

 

The boxes didn’t present any problems to build, that said they were a little fiddley in trying to line up all the various spacers, shims and cogs, but once loosely screwed together, it was easy. The only difference between the two boxes was one came with a red plastic worm rather than a brass worm.  The noisiest is the plastic wormed one; the brass wormed one is very quiet. I did swap every moving component around between the two in an effort to resolve it, but it was always the plastic wormed one that made the most noise.  I don’t believe DJH sell them for self-assembly anymore, one would hope the current factory produced ones are nigh on silent.  I will see if I can find a brass 50:1 worm to replace the plastic one – I may get a selection from High Level and see what I can do.

 

Next is a High Level Road Runner+ (I can’t remember the ratio, but I don’t think it’s in the current range) and a Comet 2 Stage 50:1.

 

 

1629500123_MotorsGearboxes-HighLevelComet.jpg.48ba8adb6418777d2516e864b59f6582.jpg

 

Of these two the Comet took longer to assemble, only because the bearing holes took a while to open up to the right size for the bearings. Both of these boxes are running cheap Chinese motors, the smaller motor (a Mitsumi) is quite noisy when running free of the box. The other motor is reasonably quiet but not as quiet as the Mashima’s above.  Also neither of the Chinese motors fix vertically to the gearbox mount. The Comet combination will easily fit in a Dapol/Hornby LMS 2P body and the HL combination will easily fit in an Airfix LMS 4F body.

 

Both of these boxes are super smooth (beginners luck?, precision etching and quality manufacture more likely!) and produce low levels of noise – bearing in mind I don’t have much of a reference point to compare them to. I have two more Comet boxes to use and think I’ll be quite happy with them; they’ll also be fully hidden in the 2P body when driving the front axle. On the HL I’ve not yet secured the idler shafts – firstly, because I’m not sure of the best way to and, secondly, I’m not sure what loco it’ll run in, so don’t know how much room I’ll have between the frames, as I may need to shorten them by a mm or so.

 

I think future purchases will be between the HL type and Comet. Personally, I couldn’t justify £80, or thereabouts, for a DJH motor gearbox combination. I do understand though that a professional builder would consider the time/cost benefit differently. Horses for courses as they say.

 

Kind regards,

 

Iain

 

Regarding the Comet box and Mitsumi motor: I recently used that combination in which the motor is also offest slightly from the centre-line, and as the motor had to go in a small boiler I marked up a template from the existing motor holes in the gearbox (both the large hole for the motor boss and the smaller screw holes) then rotated the template to plot new screw hole positions in the gearbox such that the flats on the motor casing when fitted would be vertical rather than oblique.  I think I omitted or trimmed part of the front plate from the gearbox to maintain access to the new screw positions. Also, the Mitsumis I've used so far have sometimes proved noisy when driving worm and pinion combinations in one direction only, and it has always proven to be a case of too little armature shaft end-float control in that particular motor. Some external restraint, cobbled together by one means or another seems to do the trick.

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Hi Tony

Your comments on waning abilities had me nodding in agreement. About a year ago I developed the same annoying twitch in my right hand when soldering. It was diagnosed as benign essential tremor (BET) which is ,apparently, quite common. 
I’m right handed, mostly, but it has not stopped me building models. Over a period of time I’ve learned to use my left hand more. It helps but if you’re holding an item with the right hand it can still be tricky. I find I use all sorts of gadgets and and tricks to get the job done. All in all , it takes a fair bit longer but nothing’s defeated me -yet!

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I have an aeromodeller friend with essential tremor. It defeats me how he gets anything done but he does, given time and his own workarounds. Now and then he'll ask me to do a tricky job but invariably he's done it by the time I arrive.

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2 hours ago, gr.king said:

 

Regarding the Comet box and Mitsumi motor: I recently used that combination in which the motor is also offest slightly from the centre-line, and as the motor had to go in a small boiler I marked up a template from the existing motor holes in the gearbox (both the large hole for the motor boss and the smaller screw holes) then rotated the template to plot new screw hole positions in the gearbox such that the flats on the motor casing when fitted would be vertical rather than oblique.  I think I omitted or trimmed part of the front plate from the gearbox to maintain access to the new screw positions. Also, the Mitsumis I've used so far have sometimes proved noisy when driving worm and pinion combinations in one direction only, and it has always proven to be a case of too little armature shaft end-float control in that particular motor. Some external restraint, cobbled together by one means or another seems to do the trick.


Thanks for that, it’s a good idea and I will try the same on the other two Comet gear boxes I have. I agree that the noise is slightly worse in one direction than the other, and I also thought it might be something to do with the bearings in the motor, I have an old D13 that does the same. I didn’t think to add some sort of outboard restraint, but will try that too.
 

Kind regards,

 

Iain

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Reading Tony's tale of woe regarding that 009 chassis, I'm struck by the point about different materials & both their strengths & weaknesses. Whilst 3D printing is an amazing new development, as we have seen here, if a part breaks, then due to the material it's made from, repair can prove impossible, due to incompatibility with adhesives or simply not having enough area to get sufficient grip by the glue.

 

I'm toying with the idea of buying a railcar model through Shapeways, but what is of concern is that if it gets damaged, either whilst installing the running gear or due to a mishap, then it could prove to be a costly business if repairs aren't possible. At least with metal or conventional plastics, one has a fighting chance of effecting a reasonable repair.

 

Definitely food for thought...

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3 hours ago, Roger Sunderland said:

Hi Tony

Your comments on waning abilities had me nodding in agreement. About a year ago I developed the same annoying twitch in my right hand when soldering. It was diagnosed as benign essential tremor (BET) which is ,apparently, quite common. 
I’m right handed, mostly, but it has not stopped me building models. Over a period of time I’ve learned to use my left hand more. It helps but if you’re holding an item with the right hand it can still be tricky. I find I use all sorts of gadgets and and tricks to get the job done. All in all , it takes a fair bit longer but nothing’s defeated me -yet!

Thanks Roger,

 

I don't think I need to see a doctor; yet. My twitch, at the moment is very rare, though I'm more aware of it than in the past. I can't imagine it disappearing.

 

I commend your self-reliance in counteracting what's happened. Some folk I know erect all sorts of barriers preventing them from making anything themselves; more to do with the mind than the hands, I think.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, MarkC said:

.... if a part breaks, then due to the material it's made from, repair can prove impossible, due to incompatibility with adhesives or simply not having enough area to get sufficient grip by the glue.

 

Within the limits of the admittedly few 3D printed resin items that I have used, superglue seems more than effective enough.

 

I have also been surprised at the resilience of fine detail when printed in resin. I have very recently been given some 4mm. scale (and I mean scale) loco and brakevan lamps; the handles are present, free-standing and NOT overscale.

CJI.

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1 hour ago, MarkC said:

Reading Tony's tale of woe regarding that 009 chassis, I'm struck by the point about different materials & both their strengths & weaknesses. Whilst 3D printing is an amazing new development, as we have seen here, if a part breaks, then due to the material it's made from, repair can prove impossible, due to incompatibility with adhesives or simply not having enough area to get sufficient grip by the glue.

 

I'm toying with the idea of buying a railcar model through Shapeways, but what is of concern is that if it gets damaged, either whilst installing the running gear or due to a mishap, then it could prove to be a costly business if repairs aren't possible. At least with metal or conventional plastics, one has a fighting chance of effecting a reasonable repair.

 

Definitely food for thought...

Good evening Marc,

 

What I've found with 3D printed resin items is not to treat them as if they were 'ordinary' plastics. They're far more brittle and, thus, far more likely to shatter when using cutting/filing/drilling tools.

 

That said, I've not found any problems using all sorts of glues. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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Been painting today

 

Firstly the motor cars of my Swindon 120, needs a grey blowover to repair a couple of edges, TSLB piccie not great so not shown

 

The cabs look wrong but match dimensions, may be better when roof attached.

 

Sides are 10 20 20 20 20 thou laminated plastic card cut with a Silhouette Cameo 4, really good quality stuff, floors and roofs Triang, bogies 5 MJT* & 1 High Level Trix sides, home made resin castings of underframe bits, gangways a resin casting from a modified gangway from a kit.

 

Buffers are from Dave at LMS.

 

* bought 2 packs as I had one left over from the 119.

 

480864452_2021-10-3014_30_29.jpg.668bef87e6b8eecdf01b056f3e493ed5.jpg

 

 

Two BR built GWR designed C83 thirds, real ones were in maroon when picture they were based on taken, only 1 years older than the Mark 1 non corridors.

 

Mousa sides, MJT roof, vents, bogies, bogie side frames, ends me, and chassis and end castings Comet

1350783800_2021-10-3016_49_52.jpg.d4fecbf9f8a378bbfe202a7ac425aec9.jpg

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25 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Good evening Marc,

 

What I've found with 3D printed resin items is not to treat them as if they were 'ordinary' plastics. They're far more brittle and, thus, far more likely to shatter when using cutting/filing/drilling tools.

 

That said, I've not found any problems using all sorts of glues. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Agreed Tony - but I have been agreeably surprised at their strength. I started off treating the as-printed fret of components as if it was glass, but ended up hacking components from supports using Xuron cutters!

 

Scale brake levers look impossibly fragile, but seem to be stronger than the polystyrene ones in certain well-known kits.

 

CJI.

 

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33 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Good evening Marc,

 

What I've found with 3D printed resin items is not to treat them as if they were 'ordinary' plastics. They're far more brittle and, thus, far more likely to shatter when using cutting/filing/drilling tools.

 

That said, I've not found any problems using all sorts of glues. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Hi Tony

 

I think that, as with plastics, there are different grades to be found. Some are better at allowing glue to key onto than others, and any component which has to take any sort of load will be weaker if it's had to be repaired, unlike the majority of plastics we use, which react well when given a good application of butanone & allowed to fully dry out.

 

Certainly the brittleness of resin is something to be wary of. A metal loco or coach which has taken a tumble isn't as likely to shatter beyond repair if dropped.

 

Hopefully as the technology matures then we'll see more resilient materials emerging.

 

Kind regards,

Mark

 

 

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1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Wait and see what they're like at 75!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Let alone 80 tony , like me !  As you know I have had this so called essential tremor a number of years now , But , like others I cope by all sorts of wheezes using clamps , vices ,  holes in wood , pins , hair clips . I even have a height gauge as used in engineering which I can attach things to and lower them onto the thing I want to solder it to . It takes me ten times longer these days but get there eventually .

        I'm sure you'll continue weaving your magic for some years yet .

 

Regards , Roy.

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