Buckingham West

[Richard Mawer]

OUT OF THE ASHES

 

Being in loco mode, and flushed with (relative) success with the 43xxs (they now just pull 4 bogies up the bank) I have turned my attention to my Collett Goods.

 

It started life off a second hand stall at Quainton Road Railway Centre about 18 years ago and it has waited for Buckingham to be built. When I first ran it, it sounded like sandpaper and grit. It jumped, stalled and was quite poorly. It was an old Mainline version. Those pancake motors were not good. Having bought replacement Bachmann chassis for the 43s I decided to do the same. Mr Mike on ebay seems to do some decent replacements and he got me a decent Bachmann chassis.

 

Although the 43s were straight replacements, it turns out the Bachmann isn't. They altered the design. So I determined I was going to make it fit. I admit to looking at just buying another loco, but the chassis ran well and there was nothing wrong with the body.

 

 

Next I added judicious pieces of plastic sheet so the body would locate on the chassis. I also added lead to the rear of the motor and the chassis there. There is more between the wheels on the underside.

 

 

 

I then packed the boiler with lead and globbed evostick over it. The final pieces are self adhesive lead strip to tidy it up. Its really quite heavy now. The weight of the shell keeps it on the chassis.

 

 

With such a short wheelbase I needed to add tender contacts, so I have glued 2 pieces of copper clad sleeper along the base of the tender with superglue and soldered phospher bronze wire so that it touches the wheels.

 

 

 

 

The extra piece of copper clad on the end of the chassis is to allow the hook from the engine to engage better with the front of the tender. Of course with the Mainline version, the hook was on the tender. With the Baccy, its on the loco, so I had to saw the hook off the tender.

 

Two black wires were then soldered onto the copper clad pickup strips, passed accross to the loco and soldered to the motor.

 

 

Finally with the loco body replaced, it looks fine and what is more, it works really well. I've not tested its pulling power yet, but I think it will be quite good.

 

 

I just need to add the shirtbutton to the tender, matt varnish that to secure it, and add a front coupling.

 

It needs a cab front/controls piece to hide the motor. Does anyone make them?

 

Next? The Bulldog!

 

Rich

[Richard Mawer]

BULLDOG PART 1

 

My Bulldog is an old Ks white metal kit, bought almost complete. A friend at my club completed it a couple of years back and painted it. I had no hope then - and only little now! The original motor could drown out a male voice choir and the wheels were as wide as a kipper tie. So I (with guidance) bought a Mashima motor and Markits gearbox. We also bought some new wheels. The drivers are Alan Gibson I think. A certain "box shifter" sent me the wrong size tender wheels, but this was only realised when they had been put in. This involved taking the sides apart and then regluing, so I am not inclined to change it. The tender sits too low, but I don't mind. Sorry to those who do.

 

 

So the first thing was to check it still ran? It did. The weight is great, so there are no traction issues. The problem is the pickups are only on the 4 drivers.

 

 

Yes it sticks on certain points, especially at Evenley with the insulfrogs. So I have added copper clad and phospher bronze wire pickups to the tender as with others.

 

 

Even though this is my fourth tender, its still difficult to get the right pressure on the wires.

 

Before I wired the tender back onto the loco (which involves drilling small holes in the tender and maybe the loco) I decided to give it one last test. What made me do that?

 

Disaster!

 

The cranks slipped and the quartering went totally out.

 

They are plastic cranks with metal coupling rods. The cranks are push fit onto the metal axles. I seem to recall this having been an issue early on. I think Stan superglued them. Clearly that isn't strong enough. I haven't taken a photo of the slipped quartering. Not sure why not. But here is a closer view and you can see the cranks.

 

 

I have ordered some Loctite 243 which seems to be the thing to use. Please tell me if it isn't!!! I will now have to prise the cranks off, add the Loctite and put them back on and get the quartering right first time!

 

Eek!

[Richard Mawer]

BULLDOG PART 2

 

It arrived.

 

 

 

I stripped the body off which just left the 4 drivers, the motor and gearbox. I prised the cranks off the axles. There were traces of superglue. I tried to get it off but I couldn't risk breaking the plastic or the delicate pins. I put a few drops of the 243 on the axle ends at pushed the cranks back on, making sure the quartering was right.

 

243 cures without air, so it should cure between the crank and axle.

 

I don't know how long it takes to cure, so I am leaving it overnight.

 

 

I have soldered the wires that will connect to the tender pickups and passed these through the bodyshell. The blutac was added by the friend who built this. It is presumably to hold the chassis in the body whilst the screws were tightened. It also makes sure the top electrical contact doesn't touch the metal body.

 

So I'll test the loco tomorrow and hopefully be able to add the tender.

 

[Richard Mawer]

BULLDOG PART 3

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated here.

 

Firstly the Loctite nutlock 243 seems to have done the job with the cranks.

 

However, I now have a problem with the motor and worm drive gearbox. The worm on the motor just isn't engaging with the gear on the axle well enough. The teeth aren't stripped but they will be if I can't solve this. The motor is fixed to the back of the gearbox by two screws. The axle passes through the sides of the gearbox. So there is no room for adjusting. Any ideas?

 

Rich

[Silver Sidelines]

Hello Richard

 

It is very frustrating when things don't work out and if I am correct doubly difficult to sort out somebody else's work.

 

BULLDOG PART 3

... Any ideas?

There is a picture - second down - in BULLDOG PART 1.  That gives the impression to me that the main drive gear is quite badly worn (from the worm?).  I guess replacements are out of the question?

 

I am not familiar with the set up but are you saying that there is no way to alter the angle of the motor - perhaps introduce some packing /washers to lift the back end to bear down harder on the drive axle gear?  

 

There are other threads on RMweb - this for example which might give you food for thought.  Seems Craftsman made a chassis with the Dapol / Aifix plastic kit in mind - can be adapted for small drivers.

 

Ray

[Richard Mawer]

BULLDOG PART 4

 

Thanks for the advice Ray.

 

Tonight I have fiddled and fiddled. I did get it running round the circuit on full power, quite nicely but not as fast as I would have expected.

 

I think there are now a number of issues, all interplaying. It certainly has a major tight spot. When I turned the power down it stumbled along. I presume that is poor quartering on my behalf following the cranks slipping. Or the axles don't run freely in the chassis or body.

 

I think you are right, there is too much wear on the gear now. That is never going to be right. I need a new box I think.

 

The pick ups aren't working well/ dirt or oil on the wheels and the faultering contact jerks the motor. Adding the tender pickups should help but I didn't get that far.

 

There is not enough pressure between the worm and the gear. It shouldn't have jumped off the gear in the first place. Somehow the fit between the motor and gear box has moved or there is too much play in the armature.

 

These problems certainly seem to have started when the cranks slipped. I guess that did more damage than I thought.

 

Stan did a good job on an old, not vety clever kit. I have no issues there. I have no experience of kits and chassis etc. i know more now, but obviously can't sort stuff. I have asked him if he will look at it again. It used to run, the only problem being the cranks.

 

Now I need assess whether it can ever be a useful member of the stud.

 

What with the two 43s not being useful for longer goods, i was planning on them doing more local passenger duties and the Bulldog doing more freight. If it cannot be relied upon, then I need to invest, but in what? I don't want anymore 4-6-0s.i want a mid sized work-horse. RTR the options are a 72xx or the forthcoming Collett Goods. I've already got one of the latter. Such a shame about the 43s. You can see why a heavy 4-4-0 that could really pull, would have been just right.

 

The Branchline chassis looks good Ray. I am far from convinced that my skills and patience are up to it.

 

My only other thought is to put the Bulldog body on a Bachmann Dukedog chassis. I might try that for a fit.

 

Thanks again Ray.

[Silver Sidelines]

Hi Rich

 

I like the sound to that idea.

.My only other thought is to put the Bulldog body on a Bachmann Dukedog chassis. I might try that for a fit.

I tried looking last night but I can imagine that 'Horsetan' of this parish was trying to make something 'Great Western' using the Dapol City and the Bachmann Dukedog chassis.

 

There is a challenge.

 

Ray

[RJS1977]

Hi Rich

 

I like the sound to that idea.

I tried looking last night but I can imagine that 'Horsetan' of this parish was trying to make something 'Great Western' using the Dapol City and the Bachmann Dukedog chassis.

 

There is a challenge.

 

Ray

 

An on-and off project of mine has been to build a Dukedog using a rewheeled and re-motored 'Nellie' chassis block and a much-altered Dapol City body. That project has been on the go so long that 9017 has had a complete overhaul and gone all the way through a boiler certificate in the meantime!

[Richard Mawer]

BULLDOG PART 5

 

Upon close inspection, not only were you right Ray: there was some wear on the gear, but now there is loads of wear on the gear! A new box is required and will be on order very soon.

 

There must also be some issues with the free running of the wheels, presumably the quartering.

 

So I am going to go back to basics. I need to get the cranks off, the driven wheels off and then get the gear off. I then need to the wheels running freely before I add the new gearbox into the mix. It will be a learning curve.

 

Now on with the rest of the layout.

 

Rich

[Richard Mawer]

BRACKLEY ROAD

 

This is my BLT at the end of the single track that climbs from Evenley and ends above the approach to Buckingham. As you can see from earlier posts, I made a paper template so I knew where the Buckingham approach lines are. There is not enough clearance for framing or servos, so the track plan has to avoid those areas.

 

Brackley Road receives and dispatches an auto train numerous times a day to meet the Buckingham - Banbury stoppers at Evenley. On Saturdays that is upgraded to a loco hauled service which extends to Buckingham. There are also daily loco hauled services including morning and afternoon workmans trains and extra on market day (Wednesday).

 

There are two pick up freights daily, known locally as The Fly. There are cattle trains on market days here and in Buckingham. There is also milk traffic of course.

 

The track plan is basic. A single platform with run round. A long siding behind the platform for stock, and three sidings in the yard. Due to the constraints of avoiding the lines below, I couldn't fit the normal dock line at the end so there is a simple loco headshunt.

 

The foam sheet was glued down with PVA in my normal way.

 

 

 

The paper template was laid on again. Marker holes drilled, paper removed and the half inch holes drilled for the servos and frog wires.

 

 

 

 

 

The points are in place. The yard of track is part of the platform line.

 

 

 

The approach line will come over the lifting flap at high level outside the other lines. The curved trackbed can be seen roughly in place, but not elevated. I think I may have it coming over a bridge there.

 

I do need to start thinking about scenery.

 

[RJS1977]

Could you use a wooden platform to help strengthen the top baseboard?

[Richard Mawer]

Could you use a wooden platform to help strengthen the top baseboard?

Hi. Thats a good idea. There is framing below and around the edges. Just not where the Buckingham lines sweep round below. The end piece by the flap has yet to go in, but that is part of th flap arrangement.

 

Thanks for following.

[Silver Sidelines]

Hi Rich

 

Looking good.  If you are not planning on standing on the track you can get away with brown paper to span the odd gap between proper supports.

 

Ray

Edited August 30, 2016 by Silver Sidelines

[Richard Mawer]

STRETCHED TO CAPACITY

 

Playing trains is always great, but in my case it has showed me that my yards are stretched to capacity. In fact there is not enough room for the stock I have collected over the years. Step 1 - the worst runners are being sold on ebay. Step 2 - I have increased the capacity of the yard at Brackley Road as I am laying it. I have added an extra, long siding.

 

I have also added more capacity at Buckingham West. Whilst the double length goods shed looked good and was probably the right size for the town and station, it meant a number of the sidings including the cattle and brake van lines were rather short. The brake van line could only hold 2, for example. By reducing the shed size to just one unit, I have been able to shift the cattle dock into the vacated space. This allowed me to lengthen the 3 sidings next to the shed line, including the cattle dock and brake van line, which now holds 4. I did this with off-cuts from the track laying at Brackley Road.

 

 

 

I have also been struggling to stable enough of the horse boxes and carriage trucks at Buckingham, so I added a new length to that line too. The last horsebox and the two flats are on the extension.

 

 

Rich

[Silver Sidelines]

'Not enough room'.... been there.  There are some amazing looking layouts which look good because they have space around the tracks, but then how much rolling stock do they have?

 

Horse boxes did you say or 'horses for courses'.

 

Regards

 

Ray

[Anglian]

How do the cattle get into the pens or the coal merchant to his coal?

Edited September 4, 2016 by Anglian

[Richard Mawer]

How do the cattle get into the pens or the coal merchant to his coal?

Very good questions - the cattle dock will have a ramp added to the left and across the rear. There is room. Just. The coal access will have to be across the tracks which be partly cobbled and partly cinders to the rail tops But it will be tricky when the yard is full.

 

But the ethos of this layout is the running/operation. I decided right at the start that the scenery will have to come second. It's not an exhibition layout to be looked at with a few trains running. It's a layout to be run to a timetable and a fast clock. So if compromise is needed - as it is here - the aethetics come second. For me i is more important to have a cattle dock line, than the correct space around the dock. But each to his own.

 

I'd love to have the space for both, but I don't.

[RJS1977]

If you could lose 6" from the siding nearest the oil terminal (where the well wagon is), the oil terminal could be moved across to the adjacent siding to allow the coal merchant's lorry to get round the back.

[Richard Mawer]

If you could lose 6" from the siding nearest the oil terminal (where the well wagon is), the oil terminal could be moved across to the adjacent siding to allow the coal merchant's lorry to get round the back.

Now that's a good idea!

 

And good observations. Thank you.

 

Rich

[Richard Mawer]

TRACK LAID AT BRACKLEY ROAD

 

The small terminus is now laid.

 

 

The straight road in is the platform line. The siding on the right (behind the platform) is for stabling empty coaching stock. Then there are 4 sidings to the left forming the goods yard. The unusual positioning of points is to avoid the tracks below. Its the camera angle that make the long left siding point look like its over the tracks below. It isn't.

 

Here is the stock of the branch train, which will mostly be used on Saturdays as well as morning and evening peaks. It is also used for the workers train in the early morning and tea time. During the week days an Auto train makes most journeys.

 

 

The coaches are 3 Ratio four wheelers and two old Triang clerestories re-painted into pre 1928 Lake livery. These were the last 2 to be painted in this livery, and are the last two in existsnce on the GWR system! They never did get re-painted into chocolate and cream, but ran out their days on the Buckingham West lines.

 

Below Brackley Road are the lines exiting Buckingham West and below them the continuous run with the Collett Goods (2251 class) running in on a coal train. The line behind it goes to Banbury (storage loops).

 

Here's another view. The yard shunter at Buckingham is on the headshunt, standing at the gantry. Track laying was still on-going at that point.

 

 

Next? Back to carpentry to build the incline for the branch from Evenley to Brackley Road.

 

Rich

Edited September 8, 2016 by Richard Mawer

[MarshLane]

Hi Rich,

Just spent an enjoyable quarter of an hour catching up on your recent progress! Well done. I'd like to say that I've moved forward the same amount, but life and work keep getting in the way! Still some progress has been made on drawings for the new miniature lever frame so things are heading in he right direction!

 

Really like the concept of what your achieving, the line of thought that has gone into the new BLT boards, considering not only the traffic, but why it varies on different days. Great stuff - keep going!

 

Rich

Edited September 8, 2016 by MarshLane

[Richard Mawer]

Really like the concept of what your achieving, the line of thought that has gone into the new BLT boards, considering not only the traffic, but why it varies on different days. Great stuff - keep going!

Rich

Thanks Rich. I actually started writing the timetable over two years ago. I really enjoy the logistical game. Its very detailed and there are versions for 1, 2, 3 and 4 man operations. I can stop at any time and switch the number of operators for the next session, picking up where we left off. The only difference will be the speed of the fast clock. I will need slower time if on my own. The timetable runs from 5am to midnight and has variations daily, particularly Saturdays. It accommodates market days at Buckingham and Brackley. It uses loco turns not actual locos and there is a 6 day loco roster to ring the changes. The general goods trains are marshalled as per Peter Denny's coloured spots on the sole bar system, over a 4 day cycle. Specialised trains, ironstone, milk, coal, cattle, horses etc have their own stock. I've tried to run the right trains at the right time of day.

 

I've just been adding the Buckingham pilot movements to the timetable along with the times for locos on and off shed.

 

Cheers

 

Rich

[Neal Ball]

Been away for the summer - its good to see progress with Buckingham Rich.

 

Off on our hols at the end of this week - after which Henley will start to progress again.

[Richard Mawer]

BRANCHING OUT

 

The timberwork for the branch from Evenley to Brackley Road has been built. This rises along the wall towards the camera. Its about 1:55. This is steeper than I wanted, but the trains are short so fingers crossed.

 

This is the last structural timber required for the railway. Any more woodwork will be scenic.

 

 

Since taking the photo I've added the underlay.

 

I have to say this feels quite momentous. I never really thought I would get to this point. Of course there is still the track to lay, the control panel to make (only 10 levers here) and the wiring to do. And the servos to sort! And then to do the lifting flap bits. But then end is in sight.

 

The first running session against a fast clock is planned for next weekend. I doubt Brackley Road will be functional, but even if the branch can be used as a long siding, we should be able to see if I have got the timetable about right or not. Two inexperienced operators (one being me) will no doubt need the clock stopped quite frequently! We'll see. Should be fun though and thats the name of the game for me.

[Richard Mawer]

PERMENANT WAY IS COMPLETE

 

I can't really believe it, but tonight I laid the last piece of track on the layout. There has been something in me that never quite believed I would get this far. It's been a dream for so long and after a false start at the last house, its very odd to know all the track is laid.

 

I still need to wire it etc, but that's small beer compared to the other 2 stations. Only 10 levers.

 

Here is the branch climbing towards the camera and crossing onto the lifting flap.

 

 

 

 

Here the branch comes off the lifting flap and runs into Brackley Road. We can see (from right to left), the branch and Brackley Road at high level, the continuous run at low level, the line down from Evenley (middle level) to join the continuous run at Charlton Junc (note the home signal is not yet working hence the conflicting right of way approaching Charlton!). The Pannier on duty as the yard shunter waits patiently at the signal gantry just outside Buckingham station throat. It might be there a while because I haven't built the signals yet!

 

 

 

 

In this view from the entrance door looking over the lifting flap into the room we can see the various levels and in the background, Buckingham West on the middle level. The industry from left to right is the gas works with coke wagons ready to take away the by-product, Ricketts Engineering, and Buckingham Dairy.

 

 

 

 

I think I deserve a nice malt.