Mark's workbench - lockdown loco build (page 17)

[Geoff Cook]

And just to spice things up, in P4, 00 and EM respectively.

 

 

Not the smaller gauge of N (009)

 

Like this

 

 

Geoff

[Mark Forrest]

Not the smaller gauge of N (009)

 

Like this

 

P1010287.jpg

 

Geoff

That looks nice Geoff do you wind that elastic band up to make it go? :-)

 

Like the pick ups, very neat, I'll be pinching that idea. What material is the wire?

 

No 009 for me, have enough different scales and gauges on the go already.

 

[Geoff Cook]

That looks nice Geoff do you wind that elastic band up to make it go? :-)

 

Like the pick ups, very neat, I'll be pinching that idea. What material is the wire?

 

No 009 for me, have enough different scales and gauges on the go already.

 

2016-03-03_08-58-36.jpg

 

The pick up wire is phosphor bronze,

 

Not my gauge either it's an item Philip brought in and plonked on my desk, so that dad can do it. It fits inside a tin turtle.

 

Geoff

[Indomitable026]

That looks nice Geoff do you wind that elastic band up to make it go? :-)

 

Like the pick ups, very neat, I'll be pinching that idea. What material is the wire?

 

No 009 for me, have enough different scales and gauges on the go already.

 

2016-03-03_08-58-36.jpg

Where's the L&B wag...

[wagonbasher]

What's the big brown thing

 

And if that's 0 gauge... What's with the little mineral?

 

 

Andy

[Mark Forrest]

Where's the L&B wag...

More scale/gauge confusion! Haven't forgotten about it. Have a reasonably clear idea of what bits are needed after my test build, just a few brake components to work out how best to do. Then the fun of scratch building the bogie wagons!

[Mark Forrest]

What's the big brown thing

And if that's 0 gauge... What's with the little mineral?

Andy

Slaters Palvan (birthday present from Spams - a bad influence)

 

Parkside Fruit D (P4, eventually for WLL)

 

Parkside/2FS Soc 16T mineral ( seemed like a good idea at the time)

[Mark Forrest]

Bags and toolboxes packed and I'm off to Missenden tomorrow!

[wagonbasher]

Bags and toolboxes packed and I'm off to Missenden tomorrow!

2016-03-03_10-24-12.jpg

If I understood yesterday's news story missenden has the slowest broadband in the UK so you shouldn't be distracted. I had however assumed they would have electric lighting but you seem to be taking a candelabra just in case.

 

Have a good one

 

Andy

[Mark Forrest]

If I understood yesterday's news story missenden has the slowest broadband in the UK so you shouldn't be distracted. I had however assumed they would have electric lighting but you seem to be taking a candelabra just in case.

Have a good one

Andy

That's no candelabra, that's my temperature controlled soldering iron, increase the temperature by lighting another candle!

[Mark Forrest]

Made a good start last night; assembled the coupling rods and motor mount for the Special tank. Just cut out the frames to accept their hornblocks and started fitting the frame spacers.

[Mark Forrest]

This is where I'm up to at morning tea break.

[Worsdell forever]

Tea break, tea break? Don't they bring you a cuppa to the bench?

 

Will you have a running chassis by the end of the day?

[Mark Forrest]

Will you have a running chassis by the end of the day?

Time-wise it is a possibility; only thing is I'm quite tempted to switch to doing some of the body this afternoon

[Mark Forrest]

Think I might be ready for a pint...

[Mark Forrest]

Think that'll do for tonight..

 

[wagonbasher]

For those of us that don't know, please give us the Missenden story.

 

• Do they feed you or have you taken 3 days of sandwiches?
• do they put you up or are you sleeping under your bench with a copy of the MRJ to keep you warm?
• Have you had to smuggle the beer in or are you somewhere civilised?

 

what's the crack?

 

Andy

[Mark Forrest]

For those of us that don't know, please give us the Missenden story.

 

• Do they feed you or have you taken 3 days of sandwiches?
• do they put you up or are you sleeping under your bench with a copy of the MRJ to keep you warm?
• Have you had to smuggle the beer in or are you somewhere civilised?

what's the crack?

 

Andy

I'll post a more comprehensive reply later, but can confirm it is all very civilised and highly recommended.

[Mark Forrest]

Slower progress today; lots of fiddly bits!

[Mark Forrest]

For those of us that don't know, please give us the Missenden story.

 

My accommodation was at the Abbey, which is a conference venue. Food (Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner and Sunday breakfast and lunch) are provided, along with tea/coffee throughout the weekend. There is a bar, with a couple of real ales from Rebellion Brewery on offer (as well as the usual fizzy or bottled stuff).

 

I reckon I spent a couple of hours modelling in Friday night, over 12 hours on Saturday and about another 5 hours today. Probably about a month's modelling time in real life! Throughout that time our tutor (Tony Gee) was on hand to help and advise as required. What I hadn't realised was how much help and advice would also be gained from watching what others were doing and listening in to some of the discussions about different tools and techniques etc. The atmosphere was very friendly and relaxed, a lot like that you get amongst fellow exhibitors at shows. As a newbie (and novice loco kit builder) I was made to feel very welcome and I can certainly see why so many of the other attendees go time after time.

 

There was plenty of opportunity over the weekend to have a look at the other courses going on and demos by the other tutors too, but I chose to spend most of my time at my bench in the loco building "classroom"; because I wanted to tackle a couple of aspects of the build while I had expert guidance at hand.

 

A fantastic weekend and I hope to go again, either to the autumn weekend or to next year's spring weekend.

[N15class]

I had heard they were very good, but not from anyone first hand. Glad you found it of use and enjoyable.

[wagonbasher]

My accommodation was at the Abbey, which is a conference venue. Food (Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner and Sunday breakfast and lunch) are provided, along with tea/coffee throughout the weekend. There is a bar, with a couple of real ales from Rebellion Brewery on offer (as well as the usual fizzy or bottled stuff).

I reckon I spent a couple of hours modelling in Friday night, over 12 hours on Saturday and about another 5 hours today. Probably about a month's modelling time in real life! Throughout that time our tutor (Tony Gee) was on hand to help and advise as required. What I hadn't realised was how much help and advice would also be gained from watching what others were doing and listening in to some of the discussions about different tools and techniques etc. The atmosphere was very friendly and relaxed, a lot like that you get amongst fellow exhibitors at shows. As a newbie (and novice loco kit builder) I was made to feel very welcome and I can certainly see why so many of the other attendees go time after time.

There was plenty of opportunity over the weekend to have a look at the other courses going on and demos by the other tutors too, but I chose to spend most of my time at my bench in the loco building "classroom"; because I wanted to tackle a couple of aspects of the build while I had expert guidance at hand.

A fantastic weekend and I hope to go again, either to the autumn weekend or to next year's spring weekend.

So how many courses are running over the weekend?

 

Andy

[Mark Forrest]

So how many courses are running over the weekend?

 

Andy

About 6 or 7 I think, details of the Spring weekend that I've just done here:

http://www.missendenrailwaymodellers.org.uk/spring.html

 

Quite tempted by a weekend of CAD for the Railway Modeller at some point in the future, although I'd happily do the loco construction weekend again too; I still have a lot to learn!

[Mark Forrest]

I'm using Gibson wheels on the Special tank, the ones I have need the crank pin holes drilling.  Some advice from the weekend was to make up a jig to ensure that these are drilled consistently, so this evening I have made one.  The crank throw is 4mm, so on a scrap of brass I marked centres 4mm apart.  With a pillar drill I drilled through these with a 0.5mm drill bit, one of the holes was then opened up to 1/8" and a length of 1/8" brass rod was inserted and soldered in place.

 

Once I'm ready to fit the wheels, I'll push the jig into the front of the wheel and drill through the other hole before fitting the wheels to their axles, which should ensure that all the crank pins are at the same distance from the axle centre.

 

So far the only downside of going to Missenden is that I came away with a list of tools and bits that I've decided I need to buy!  Main reason for making up this jig today was to have a play with my new pillar drill which arrived today after I developed a bit of power tool envy over a lovely little Proxxon machine.

[Flymo748]

So far the only downside of going to Missenden is that I came away with a list of tools and bits that I've decided I need to buy!  Main reason for making up this jig today was to have a play with my new pillar drill which arrived today after I developed a bit of power tool envy over a lovely little Proxxon machine.

 

Ah, but that Proxxon drill is a joy to own.  Keep it on your workbench within easy reach and you'll find that it is so handy that you use it far more than you expect.  Just don't try and use it as an impromptu milling machine to enlarge a tiny slot with a 0.4mm drill.  There are some things that are just beyond the laws of material science and the broken bits of drill go a very long way - DAMHIK...

 

This is one of the advantages of Missenden.  You can see, and if you ask nicely try, all sorts of tools and techniques.  And by seeing what is popular, you rapidly discover what is best of breed.  It wouldn't be unusual to see five or six of those little Proxxons around the room.  I only didn't bring mine because I expected that Mark Tatlow would, and I could blag (as I did) a quick use of his if I needed it!

 

The jig is a great idea.  I have made up a couple of them myself for different diameters of wheels and crankpin locations.  It really is the best way to do it.  I don't know if you have or not, but you will find it useful to round off the corner and take the tiniest amount of material from the axle so that it is a snug fit inside the hole in the wheel and not a force fit.  If you have to force it, then it's equivalent to putting the axle in and taking it out again, and we all know what happens to plastic-centred wheels if you mount/demount them too frequently.

 

Again, see Mark Tatlow's blog posts for the use of P4 Romford axles for the initial setting up of a chassis and testing it rolling.  That's an idea that I saw last weekend and will pick up on.  As indeed I will for your method of mounting brake rigging.

 

Cheers

Flymo