Pawson's Prize Winning Pickles

[kes]

Hi F-Unit,

 

The little Ixion Fowler will tackle some really tight curves - ideal for the new Peco track.

 

As you say the issue is buffer lock with eg. bogie stock, which wont apply to a layout such as this.

 

As an 0-6-0 it will be interesting to see what the Terrier will do.

 

ATVB

 

CME

Hi I am going to investigate putting the Dingham auto couplers on a bogie wagon, mounting them on extensions from the bogie so they pivot with it. Could be interesting!.

[Nearholmer]

Gents

 

As someone who both operates coarse-scale 0, using tight curves and all the slop inherent in that set of "standards", and likes to shunt, I'm beginning to build-up quite a bit of experience of ABL (anti buffer locking) measures.

 

One measure that helps if you are using three-link couplers is to use very wide buffer heads, as was done by the Leeds Model Company on their products from the 1930s onwards. However, what is really needed is rigid a coupling that keeps the buffers slightly apart when propelling, and there are two good ones:

 

- "drop links", which are essentially single-link couplers. They look fairly un-intrusive, if made carefully, and can be made of wire or pressed tin. But,be aware that the detail of the design is quite "natty": the back of the hook has a little depression in it,mot prevent the link jumping out.

 

- three-links, soldered-up solid. They become "drop links", but look slightly better, and could probably pass the "fine scale" test.

 

The trouble with "Talgo" arrangements is that they can lead to forces that twist, and derail, bogies. Auto-couplers tend to become a bit "gross", because they need to be so wide to cope with curvature. Personally, I quite like the "involvement" of manual coupling, but I know that some people aim for totally hands-free.

 

Kevin

Edited October 26, 2015 by Nearholmer

[kes]

I had made a 4" high wall along the back out of mounting board, in order to glue some embossed plasticard on. Good job I did not get that far as ONE night in the garage, now the weather has turned colder, and it is warped like a snake. I will be removing this and replacing it with some 1/4" ply.

[railwayrod]

Hi Kes.

 

I have just discovered your thread and like what you have done/are doing. I remember John's layout in a caravan which was about twelve feet long and about 15 inches wide in 4mm. "The Charford Branch"

 

In a very early issue of Railway Modeller there was a guy who built an 0 gauge layout in a caravan but the details escape me and I would need to look it up.

 

keep up the good work - I will be following you with interest.

 

Rod

The Ramchester Chronicles

[BG John]

It's more fun actually trying to build a layout in a van when you're travelling, and building it at home to put in a van seems like cheating . Of course I never finished mine!

[Simond]

actually trying to build a layout in a van when you're travelling...

Sounds dodgier than using your mobile phone!

[BG John]

Travelling as in living in it, not while I was actually driving. It's for a similar reason that I don't drink and drive, as I might spill some .

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Gents

 

As someone who both operates coarse-scale 0, using tight curves and all the slop inherent in that set of "standards", and likes to shunt, I'm beginning to build-up quite a bit of experience of ABL (anti buffer locking) measures.

 

One measure that helps if you are using three-link couplers is to use very wide buffer heads, as was done by the Leeds Model Company on their products from the 1930s onwards. However, what is really needed is rigid a coupling that keeps the buffers slightly apart when propelling, and there are two good ones:

 

- "drop links", which are essentially single-link couplers. They look fairly un-intrusive, if made carefully, and can be made of wire or pressed tin. But,be aware that the detail of the design is quite "natty": the back of the hook has a little depression in it,mot prevent the link jumping out.

 

- three-links, soldered-up solid. They become "drop links", but look slightly better, and could probably pass the "fine scale" test.

 

The trouble with "Talgo" arrangements is that they can lead to forces that twist, and derail, bogies. Auto-couplers tend to become a bit "gross", because they need to be so wide to cope with curvature. Personally, I quite like the "involvement" of manual coupling, but I know that some people aim for totally hands-free.

 

Kevin

Thats interesting Kevin. I know that that a fixed rod - disguised as three links - can help and, as you say, so does the buffer type/face.....

 

I had made a 4" high wall along the back out of mounting board, in order to glue some embossed plasticard on. Good job I did not get that far as ONE night in the garage, now the weather has turned colder, and it is warped like a snake. I will be removing this and replacing it with some 1/4" ply.

Make sure that you seal the ply with eg SBR, a waterproof PVA wash or even just paint before working on it/adding to it.

 

ATVB

 

CME

Edited October 31, 2015 by CME and Bottlewasher

[kes]

Thanks for the advice, I am now sealing all the card/ply as I go along. I am now working out which low relief buildings I can fit along the back without it appearing too cluttered.

[kes]

The bridge piers have now been painted engineering brick blue/grey and then when dry, washed over with a very thin cream paint mix to highlight the mortar coarses.

 

Work on the left hand goods reception area has now commenced. The loading bay platform is made of 2mm mount board. The building walls are covered in brick paper printed from the computer. The gantry is made from plastic sections and will have a block and tackle hung from it in due coarse.I am thinking that where the right angle corner in the backscene will come, next to the bridge, I may include a circular steel chimney on the corner to hide the angle. This backscene will only be fixed in place for exhibition use to hide the fiddle yard.

 

 

The area of the sliding entrance to the works will have a canopy constructed out of sections of the old Airfix OO station canopy. This is still available from Dapol.

I have confirmed how far out this can come from the back wall without striking the "other end" of the layout when folded in half.

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2022 by kes
missing

[peter220950]

Looking good, it's coming on nicely, I hadn't thought of using the Dapol canopies for O before, good idea, I might pinch it!

 

Peter

[railwayrod]

Nice work Kes.

 

Rod

[kes]

I have now started cutting and assembling the old Airfix canopy kits to give me the three bays for my loading area. I basically cut and moved the beams about until it would match the curve of the platform edge. In one of the pictures you can see the assembly balanced on an old chimney and two tins of paint!  This shows what it will look like once painted and stuck in position.The canopies will be glazed with thin plastic, with dividing bars cut from thin strips of self adhesive labels, and then heavily weathered with thinned browns and greys.

Remember that just because something is marketed as a product in one scale, it does not mean you cannot use it in another. Just measure it and work out its scale size and where you can put it. Also remember that objects in the distance are smaller due to perspective.

Edited December 30, 2022 by kes
missing

[Simond]

With added benefit of "if it's a foot thick in 00, it's only just over 6" in 0!"

 

Looks good, great idea

Simon

[kes]

Today I started cutting up cereal packets into 3' x 2' oblongs, actually 21mm x 14mm to use as slabs on the platform surface. These are glued down, each row offset by half a slab. the edging is made from a 5mm slice of these slabs. Doing it in small stages so you do not go too mad.

 

Edited December 30, 2022 by kes
missing

[kes]

I have now finished the Cereal packet slabs on the platform, painted the canopy and added the rest of the brick paper to the walls at this end of the layout. It is beginning to come together, but will look much better once it has had a bucket load of dirt blown over it all.

The slabs had a thin wash of light brown brushed over them, and the platform side walls a thin white mix brushed on so it ran along the mortar courses.

The masking tape between the tracks is holding down the permanant magnets whilst I try different positions for uncoupling.

 

The hinge blocks half way along the layout are going to have removable brick covers, which are going to support some storage tanks, possibly for acetic acid, as this may become a pickle factory!

 

So I could have tank wagons coming in containing acetic acid  vans with bottles and crates, molasses wagons etc - the mind boggles.  I must also thank my wife for suggesting I bring the layout in from the garage and put it up in the kitchen - thank you Maggie.

Edited December 30, 2022 by kes
missing

[81A Oldoak]

I have now finished the Cereal packet slabs on the platform, painted the canopy and added the rest of the brick paper to the walls at this end of the layout. It is beginning to come together, but will look much better once it has had a bucket load of dirt blown over it all.DSCF0438.JPGDSCF0439.JPG

 

The slabs had a thin wash of light brown brushed over them, and the platform side walls a thin white mix brushed on so it ran along the mortar courses.

DSCF0440.JPG

The masking tape between the tracks is holding down the permanant magnets whilst I try different positions for uncoupling.

 

The hinge blocks half way along the layout are going to have removable brick covers, which are going to support some storage tanks, possibly for acetic acid, as this may become a pickle factory!

 

So I could have tank wagons coming in containing acetic acid  vans with bottles and crates, molasses wagons etc - the mind boggles.  I must also thank my wife for suggesting I bring the layout in from the garage and put it up in the kitchen - thank you Maggie.

Very nice so far. This shows very effectively what can be done using Blue Peter materials and items from other scales.

[railwayrod]

Hi Kes.

 

The layout is coming along fine and I am enjoying to see your progress and the methods you are using to get there. I cant see my wife (also named Maggie) letting me work in her lovely sparkling kitchen!!

[kes]

I have now started thinking about the "other end" of the layout, and have cut out the base layers of a small warehouse from the inevitable cereal box, and placed it on the layout to gauge the size. This has to be removable as it covers the hinge pillar on the rear of the layout. The front hinge pillar is covered by a brick pillar supporting either a round or a rectangular water tank - I have not decided which yet. The cereal box will be covered in brick embossed plasticard.

The large opening is going to have wooden door behind it, so the block will not be seen.

Edited December 30, 2022 by kes
missing

[railwayrod]

Looking good Kes. You are certainly getting on with this project.

 

Rod

[kes]

Looking good Kes. You are certainly getting on with this project.

 

Rod

Thanks Rod, I need to vacate the kitchen before Christmas!!!!.

[81A Oldoak]

I am enjoying this immensely. The Blue Peter approach to the buildings is inspiring and not meant at all to be perjorative.

[kes]

I am enjoying this immensely. The Blue Peter approach to the buildings is inspiring and not meant at all to be perjorative.

Hi Oldoak - your comments are appreciated, especially as some of us can remember the Blue Peter Christmas candle holders made out of wire coat hangers!  I like working in card, it is generally free, can be laminated to any thickness, and can be given a surface skin to add texture. Our problem these days is that too many kids do not have the skills we learned as kids, in sticking Airfix kits together, making things out of Lego and Meccano, burning ourselves on Mamod steam engines etc etc. So I think showing how things can be made out of "waste" materials is a good thing - who knows, it might get some new modellers having a go.

 

Many Thanks,

 

Kevin.

[81A Oldoak]

Hi Oldoak - your comments are appreciated, especially as some of us can remember the Blue Peter Christmas candle holders made out of wire coat hangers!  I like working in card, it is generally free, can be laminated to any thickness, and can be given a surface skin to add texture. Our problem these days is that too many kids do not have the skills we learned as kids, in sticking Airfix kits together, making things out of Lego and Meccano, burning ourselves on Mamod steam engines etc etc. So I think showing how things can be made out of "waste" materials is a good thing - who knows, it might get some new modellers having a go.

 

Many Thanks,

 

Kevin.

Kevin,

I think we are of the same vintage. Who can forget the Blue Peter coat-hanger Christmas candle holder?  They were always careful to emphasise that the tinsel should be fire-proof. I believe the rising generation is missing out on the joys of making things, especially from redundant or waste materials. I'm looking to forward when my grandchildren are a little older and I can show them what to do.

[kes]

This afternoon, to avoid the rain I covered the card shell of the building with brick plasticard, and added the lintels out of cereal box. The roof has slates made out of cereal box. I decided to infill the area between the building and the bridge using some embossed stone sheet I bought years ago. The sleeper fence on top of this is made out of ice lolly sticks,  which were split lengthwise, then cut to 45mm long. The capping stones are the inevitable cereal box card. I stock pile the boxes over the summer to give me plenty of material for the winter.

 

Edited December 30, 2022 by kes
missing