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Whats on your 2mm Work bench


nick_bastable
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21 hours ago, Ian Morgan said:

Another industrious weekend sees some more wagons take to the rails.

 

 

I never get bored with wagons, Ian! By the way, the 'Pipe' is a 'Tube' 'cos it's bigger. A lovely kit as well and such a shame that the Chivers N gauge kits are no longer available. Up there with Parkside mouldings in terms of quality.

 

David

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My old 2mm Association tufnol track jig is pretty worn out. So I wondered how well a 3D printed one would stand up to the proximity of a hot soldering iron and resin cored solder. Pretty well as it turns out...... 

the fusion 360 model is parametric so can be adjusted simply for sleeper dimensions and spacing, track gauge and code of rail. I might even have a go a printing one for curved track. Now there’s a thing soldered set track in 2mm fine scale!

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And so, back to the Coal Depot for Freshwater. The computer model and 3D print from Shapeways were shown in earlier posts. After several days, using enamel paints, acrylic paints, individually picked out bricks and tiles, dry brushing and some washes, I am reasonably happy with the results. It needs to be bedded in to the layout properly, and extra details and clutter added, but it is progress, nevertheless.

 

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I spent a pleasant few hours putting together three of the revised 2-330 9ft wheelbase chassis. These have amended single side brake gear - you'll notice that the lever guide is inbound of the wheels. 

 

All soldering is done and cleaned up and wheels are in. The chassis are for my H&BR covered wagons, these  three, in the centre, await buffers and axle boxes before going off to the paint shop. IMG_20200628_172250.jpg.96b245f6ee73385b34d100a403f320c2.jpg

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16 minutes ago, Yorkshire Square said:

In photographic grey

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They look great Tony - are you going to make these available to southerners? I have Steve Sykes H&B open down here in the memorial train but would be nice to add a van to keep it company.

 

Jerry

 

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17 hours ago, queensquare said:

 

They look great Tony - are you going to make these available to southerners? I have Steve Sykes H&B open down here in the memorial train but would be nice to add a van to keep it company.

 

Jerry

 

Hi Jerry

 

I've sent you a PM.

 

If anybody else is interested in H&BR, I can supply bits and bobs. PM me for details.

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1 hour ago, Izzy said:

Something I made last week as part of a long term project. A 2mm version of the level crossing mech john Watson produced for the P4 layout Coldfair Green .......

 

That’s a very clever design. I like the way it starts off slowly, gathers speed and then decelerates again. Very effective.

 

David

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1 hour ago, Izzy said:

 

Something I made last week as part of a long term project. A 2mm version of the level crossing mech john Watson produced for the P4 layout Coldfair Green and which Nigel Cliffe described in the late Bob Barlow’s Finescale Railway Modelling Review no2. It’s made mainly out of 1.5mm acrylic sheet - apart from the bits to make it go. Runs off the DCC bus via a decoder. Sorry about the shaky video. Proper metal gates are now under construction…...

Izzy

 

That is a very nice use of a Geneva wheel!

 

M.

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1 hour ago, -missy- said:

 

That is a very nice use of a Geneva wheel!

 

M.

 

Yes, John is a very clever chap. I believe he used the design on his previous P4 Mid-Suffolk light railway layouts, Laxfield etc.  I had intended to run it off DC as per his but ran into diode forward  voltage drop issues which using a decoder via DCC has helped overcome.

 

Izzy

 

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22 hours ago, Izzy said:

 

I had intended to run it off DC as per his but ran into diode forward  voltage drop issues which using a decoder via DCC has helped overcome.

 

Your remark made me wonder if this could be solved easily on DC and it can. Just add an extra diode and connect the microswitch like this:

 

end switch.jpg

 

If voltage drop over the end switch was your problem of course.....

Edited by Jan W
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22 hours ago, Izzy said:

 

Yes, John is a very clever chap. I believe he used the design on his previous P4 Mid-Suffolk light railway layouts, Laxfield etc.  I had intended to run it off DC as per his but ran into diode forward  voltage drop issues which using a decoder via DCC has helped overcome.

 

Izzy

 

John Birkett- Smith used the same idea on Luton Hoo in the early 80s - but it’s probably been re-invented many times. Good idea to have the gates mounted on slightly irregular wire extensions that engage in the brass tube pivot.  That way they are protected when, not if, they are rammed by a loco. 
 

Tim

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1 hour ago, Jan W said:

Your remark made me wonder if this could be solved easily on DC and it can. Just add an extra diode and connect the microswitch like this:

 

end switch.jpg

 

If voltage drop over the end switch was your problem of course.....


Ah yes, a nice simple solution, thanks. I thought there would be one, but as someone who always struggles with electrics it just passed me by.... Still using the decoder has actually worked out better/easier for me, saving having to mess around with fitting a voltage regulator.

 

Izzy

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1 hour ago, CF MRC said:

John Birkett- Smith used the same idea on Luton Hoo in the early 80s - but it’s probably been re-invented many times. Good idea to have the gates mounted on slightly irregular wire extensions that engage in the brass tube pivot.  That way they are protected when, not if, they are rammed by a loco. 
 

Tim


Yes, a bit like the wheel....   I do have a couple of ideas for protecting the gates. One is a micro-switch that is already fitted that cuts track power before the gates open, and until after they are shut, but it isn’t totally suitable for use in both directions in the particular location the crossing is intended for. Another is a pin that rises and falls with the signal and will stop stock moving too close. That is something to fiddle with when the track has been laid. 
 

Izzy

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Remaining in my comfort zone, and stimulated by the last Saturday ZAG, a few thoughts on tiebars.  Notanothertiebarsurely?!

 

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Nothing very new, none is my own invention (Jerry would vouch for that) - but a variation on materials and the cobbling together.  The substrate for this trial was another old recovered point, our old oval rail soldered directly to pcb sleepers.  No real difference with Easitrac - bar another 0.25mm on the neck of the pin before the bend, to clear the chairs.

 

The tufnol is a nominal 0.4mm thick carp tufnol (you need carp - it's the finest weave), a narrow strip to slide between the sleepers cyano'd to a wider strip which rests under them.  The pins are soft brass, 0.55mm diameter (slightly narrower would be ideal, but that's what I have).  Deciding the point to bend them to 90° was trial and error - needs to stop the switch rising but jam it down on the sleepers/chairs.  The washers are anything that the pinhead won't go through - 16BA here; the bigger ones underneath are 0.5mm thick but again, that's just what I had.  The smaller washers on top were a bit of an experiment - I don't think they add anything to the robustness or function, but they have proved useful to sit the "stretcher" on: this is 0.25mm (the narrowest) plasticard rod, and is obviously purely cosmetic, held in place by a small dob of thick cyano at each end (mind you don't get that between the tufnol and sleepers like I did the first time).  I drilled the holes in the tufnol for the pins the same diameter (0.55mm) - guessed where the first would go, fitted the pin through it and offered it up to the (closed) switchblade; opened the other one the right amount (0.7-0.8mm for the flange) and then drilled down beside that. 

 

You can make it as long as you like, and put the hole for the operating wire where you like.  I haven't done the operating hole on this one, but on reflection, I think I would put the short end on the side where the drive rod comes in, and put the operating wire thro' a hole through the other end.  Covering the tufnol outside of the stock rails with a stiffish sheet of paper would allow ballasting to continue over it.  trimming the slim top inter-sleeper layer of tufnol 1-2mm outside the pins would allow better concealment with no loss of robustness - 0.4mm tufnol can take an operating wire OK.  Paint the top of the tufnol a black/track filth colour and sprinkle a few ballasts on top of that, and I think it will look OK.  it would need a shallow hole (c.1mm deep under the whole area of the tufnol, and another mm (5-6mm diameter drill should do it) under the pinheads to clear those. 

 

One thing that occurred to me en route - extending the pins beyond the ends of the swichblades allows you to curve them down and flatten them side-to-side where they project back from the toe (a squeeze with pliers) so they look like the extension pieces that the detector rods are attached to on the real thing - need to think of these things now Tony Simms has made facing point locks and detectors for the shop!

 

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Great minds and all that Laurie - I was also inspired by last weeks ZAG meeting to dig out some pictures of my tie bar. Its been said before but there are probably almost as many tie bar variations as there are active members!

I use a moving sleeper  - fibreglass for strength. I use it copper side down and pass a couple of pins through holes in the tie bar and through little chairplates. The pin/chairplate is soldered to the closure rails but is obviously free to pivot. A quick wipe with a rat tail file (something a bit less course than the one I grabbed for the photo) to put a little concave curve on the joint to clear flanges and job done. The hole for the operating wire has a washer or bit of etch scrap soldered on the underside for added strength and in practice Ive not had one break yet.

They are very easy to make (I have a little jig for drilling the holes) and fit and have proved to be reliable and unobtrusive in operation.

 

Jerry

 

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1 hour ago, queensquare said:

Great minds and all that Laurie - I was also inspired by last weeks ZAG meeting to dig out some pictures of my tie bar. Its been said before but there are probably almost as many tie bar variations as there are active members!

I use a moving sleeper  - fibreglass for strength. I use it copper side down and pass a couple of pins through holes in the tie bar and through little chairplates. The pin/chairplate is soldered to the closure rails but is obviously free to pivot. A quick wipe with a rat tail file (something a bit less course than the one I grabbed for the photo) to put a little concave curve on the joint to clear flanges and job done. The hole for the operating wire has a washer or bit of etch scrap soldered on the underside for added strength and in practice Ive not had one break yet.

They are very easy to make (I have a little jig for drilling the holes) and fit and have proved to be reliable and unobtrusive in operation.

 

Jerry

 

Many thanks for this Jerry. It looked an excellent arrangement and you patiently explained it all to me when I asked about them at last year's (?) York show and I'd basically forgotten everything by the time I got back to the car...

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