“WASHBOURNE”

[Northroader]

Problem is the dreaded “chain”; you cite cases of seller A and buyer B, but then buyer B becomes seller B to buyer C, who then….. The two buyers we’ve had so far were also selling their places to move to our place, which they genuinely did want, but were unable to complete the sale to their purchaser, or even twice removed in the one case. Then the second one had her buyers surveyor write an 100 page survey(!) the main item being that the detached add on double garage had some subsidence in one corner, which you may think would be quite do-able if you really wanted the place, but… Last viewer we had was CASH PURCHASER!!! but although she liked the house, she thought the grounds were a bit small (sigh!)

I thought our solicitor was a bit slow with the paperwork, but the agent tells me that these days the legal preparation won’t happen until the solicitor is convinced there’s a sale really going to happen.

So it goes on, hope burns eternal and all that.

Edited May 1 by Northroader

[Caley Jim]

Just to clarify, in Scotland it is the sellers responsibility to provide a 'home pack' which includes a full property survey, including energy performance, etc. This avoids buyers having to get a survey done and then finding their offer rejected and having this happen perhaps several times on different properties. Solicitors then have to check planning permissions etc. 

 

Jim 

[Northroader]

Jim, I do hope you’re taking time to write this at the side of a swimming pool, with a glass of vinho verde and some prawn snack to hand?

[Northroader]

I’ve got the track panels fitted around the crossover and soldered up, then got the cassettes in the fiddle yard sorted out. There’s some wiring done back to where the connectors will go, and the whole lot is painted up appropriate rust and track colour. I need another trip to an iron mongers before I can juice up electrically, but I’ve started trying to manually push stock through the crossover. Checking things over with a gauge set at 32mm., I find that the switchblade for the diverging route is nearer straight than curved, so too tight to gauge, and these are straight out of the box, apart from me straightening them the other side of the crossing. There’s a delicate touch needed with pliers to get them set to more of a curve, or you can f*** the whole job up, but they are set a bit wider now. More testing and running are needed, but I thought I’d mention the problem does exist before anyone reads my previous post on making the crossover, and dashes out to buy some points.

[Northroader]

Moving on this morning to trying to get the line working. So far I’ve been pushing two wagons coupled up backwards and forwards along the tracks. I decided that one of the points was just a bit tight through the crossing, and to counteract this I took up the checkrail, and replaced it with a much longer one. This seems to have helped, and you can see it in front of the loco in the picture below.

Yesterday my son in law took me out to Tivoli Trading, an Aladdins Cave we have in Cheltenham, and I got some useful bits. (There’s the Tivoli pub just round the corner, by the way, just saying)  So this morning I was able to connect up with some electricity, and put the layouts pet test loco on the tracks. It’s a Dapol Terrier I was able to get at reduced rate a few years back, and a very dependable runner. (Why Isle of Wight? dunno, one of those things..) it went through all the track a treat, even the new checkrail, so that’s alright. Now it just a case of finding what else I’ve got that will go as well, involving a load of test running, gauging, and bashing, I fear.

[Donw]

You will find examples on the prototype of longer check rails where curves are tight. The Isle of Wight Terriers had an extended bunker which seems a bit odd as seeing as the Island is only 25 miles wide I cannot image a small bunker could do a round trip.

We are lucky we have Newport in Service and Freshwater being restored. I have two Thames in Stoudley's Green which is too nice to re-paint so I bought another in Black for a light railway layout.

 

Don

[Northroader]

I suppose they wanted to get two round trips out of them, Don.  I do have faint leanings towards the I.o.W., but it’s most likely it will be got at for something else. When I bought it I was looking at the price rather than the paint scheme.

It must be nice having Haven Street handy.

[Donw]

Its a ten minute walk to Wootton Station Bob.  One of our favourite dog walks takes us over  a farm access crossing at the throat of the station yesterday it was an Ivatt class 2 prairie. The other week it was a train of 4 wheelers proper Victorian coaches mostly rescued from being used as garden sheds or holiday bungalows.

 

Don

[Edwardian]

14 hours ago, Northroader said:

I do have faint leanings ....

 

 

Maybe have a lie down?

 

 

Very much esteem your latest station building. Your schemes never disappoint, I find.

 

 

[Northroader]

12 hours ago, Donw said:

Its a ten minute walk to Wootton Station Bob.  One of our favourite dog walks takes us over  a farm access crossing at the throat of the station yesterday it was an Ivatt class 2 prairie. The other week it was a train of 4 wheelers proper Victorian coaches mostly rescued from being used as garden sheds or holiday bungalows.

 

Don

Last time I went there, a long time back, I’m afraid, I had a ride on their vintage set, and was getting out at each stop to try out a different carriage. They have some excellent craftsmen doing the restoration, and going round the Island, there’s some marvellous ancient coach bodies just rotting away in fields, given away in the 1920s for cottages and sheds.

The new Wootton Station, lovely situation, all you really need for a layout, plus a short siding tacked on for some wagonry, and a nice setting for a tree background?

 

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=406730577546921

 

 

Edited Friday at 08:52 by Northroader

[Matloughe]

7 minutes ago, Northroader said:

Last time I went there, a long time back, I’m afraid, I had a ride on their vintage set, and was getting out at each stop to try out a different carriage. They have some excellent craftsmen doing the restoration, and going round the Island, there’s some marvellous ancient coach bodies just rotting away in fields, given away in the 1920s for cottages and sheds.

The new Wootton Station, lovely situation, all you really need for a layout, plus a short siding tacked on for some wagonry, and a nice setting for a tree background?

 

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=406730577546921

 

That was a very enjoyable video to watch - although I am sure there was a siding at Wootton at some point during preservation?
A trip to the IoWSR many years ago brought me to what was probably my most favourite ride on a preserved line. A trip in an LBSCR bogie coach - I had a whole compartment to myself... wonderful.

It is making me think about my own fledgling O Gauge project, Wootton would make a great model.

 

Kind Regards,
Gary

[Northroader]

Well, if you had the eastern end disappearing under an over bridge before the end of the  loop, you'd be coming close to Washbourne as is. Better luck with the tracklaying, though, gauge everything as soon as it’s unpacked.

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Northroader said:

some marvellous ancient coach bodies just rotting away in fields, given away in the 1920s for cottages and sheds.

I remember seeing some of those in the St Helens area 60-odd years ago. They were rotting then. A number have been recovered for restoration at different heritage lines, including the Bluebell.

[Northroader]

And if you fancy some LBSC….

 

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/set-of-3-stroudley-4-wheel-suburban-oil-lit-mahogany-passenger-coaches-light-bars-fitted

 

 

[Donw]

Wootton station was originally the other side of the road the bridge has gone. That side is now a cycle path we walk the dog down to Whippingham station. 

Don 

[Northroader]

The last few days have seen me trying out running on the line.  The big problem that’s emerged is propelling wagons through the crossover. Trains that are being pulled are alright, trains that are being pushed just derail. The line is a 7mm layout in a 4mm space, and squeezing the crossover in is turning out to be too tight. If it was just being used for runaround purposes I might have got away with it, although I’m finding some of the sixcoupled locos  need more sideplay, but I also planned to use it to shunt wagons. The angle of divergence on the setrak is just too much to avoid buffer locking, and I’ve been doing several experimental coupling setups to try and avoid this, some of them being very Heath Robinson jobs.

The conclusion is that I need to ditch the crossover, and revert to a layout without points when I’m modelling 7mm in such a short space, so back to a running line and a siding, with gentle curvature, out of a fiddle yard. On we go….

[Andy Hayter]

You could try a fine wire glued across the buffers of the wagons.  

[Northroader]

Thanks, Andy, it’s a good suggestion, but I will still have the problem of insufficient side play on a six coupled chassis.

[Annie]

What about the single link Leeds (LMC) couplings.  I used these on my 'O' coarse scale layouts to prevent buffer locking.

[Donw]

You could probably experiment to find just what turnouts would be  acceptable I would probably have put the station on a curve  and been able to make the turnouts Ys to ease the radius. However I enjoy building track but it does take more time.

I reckon using 9ft switches and 6ft/4ft might just work 6ft/6ft ones should work better but maybe too long. (5ftx5ft ones ?). If you have some track curves you could make an S curve in a bit of flexitrack to see what sort of curves are needed to avoid buffer locking.

I notice on here Jim Read has very tight curves but there is a small bit of straight track in the middle of the S curve.

https://ogaugemicro.blogspot.com/p/muckton.html

 

On my embryo portable layout I have avoided a crossover so I am hoping there will be no problems.

 

Don

 

 

[Matloughe]

17 hours ago, Northroader said:

The last few days have seen me trying out running on the line.  The big problem that’s emerged is propelling wagons through the crossover. Trains that are being pulled are alright, trains that are being pushed just derail. The line is a 7mm layout in a 4mm space, and squeezing the crossover in is turning out to be too tight. If it was just being used for runaround purposes I might have got away with it, although I’m finding some of the sixcoupled locos  need more sideplay, but I also planned to use it to shunt wagons. The angle of divergence on the setrak is just too much to avoid buffer locking, and I’ve been doing several experimental coupling setups to try and avoid this, some of them being very Heath Robinson jobs.

The conclusion is that I need to ditch the crossover, and revert to a layout without points when I’m modelling 7mm in such a short space, so back to a running line and a siding, with gentle curvature, out of a fiddle yard. On we go….

This is interesting to read, frustrating for yourself I imagine I am planning to use one of these setrack points on my planned layout but have a Y point complete the crossover - because I am planning to propel wagons I am now reconsidering my plans.

I hope you find a solution to your issue or will it be to remove the offending points and remodel? A chap at my club uses 4mm small profile tension lock couplings with magnets attached for coupling up in O Gauge - I can only assume they have some sort of counterweight as the couplings are fitted upside down! A little like inverted Narrow Gauge Chopper couplings.

Kind Regards,
Gary

Edited 10 hours ago by Matloughe

[Northroader]

Thanks for the interest and helpful replies, I thought I’d post a picture to show what’s happening:

 

 

Sorry it’s a bit dark, but you’ll see at the middle of the crossover the buffer heads don’t overlap at all. Plus the coupler hooks are way out of line. Andy’s idea of a wire across the buffers of the loco should work to cure this. The good news is the Dapol Terrier will pass through the curves, but the bad news is other six coupled locos with longer wheelbase won’t. I’ve been trying out single long link couplers to keep the buffers apart, it’s getting them to swing freely and not override or knuckle. One coupler type being used successfully on another layout (but without the curves) which should function here is a magnetic job:

https://www.chris-draw.com/couplings-magnetic.html

 

Annie’s suggestion of the LMC type coupler would work, but they’re a bit too much overscale. Either way if I splash out on couplers it doesn’t solve the sixcoupled sideplay need.

Dons link into Jim Reads “Muckton” blog is good, I was aware of Jim, but hadn’t seen this particular blog. I really admire what he does, and how he can produce a good working layout from minimal expense. You’ll see that his locos are short 0-4-0s, and the rolling stock shortbody four wheelers, light railway makeup. I’m trying to do a layout in similar space, but with some bigger locos and stock. So, the conclusion to me is ditch the points, and make the curves easier.

Gary, @Matloughe I think you should succeed with what you’re doing at Ifield Green, you’ve got far more length to the area, and a better space between the two points. I’m just a bit too preoccupied with making the layout ridiculously cramped, I fear.

Edited 8 hours ago by Northroader

[Flying Fox 34F]

Looking at the photo, the bars across the buffer heads solves the buffer locking.  Frank Dyer used something similar.

As for single link couplings, you may need to make the hooks swivel of adopt an auto coupling, similar to the Sprat and Winkle style.

 

Paul

[F-UnitMad]

Personally I dislike the 'look' of bars across buffers. Have done ever since I first saw Sprat & Winkle couplers at one of my first exhibition visits.

Also as O Scale stock tends to have sprung buffers, how effective or troublesome would bars glued or soldered across them be? 🤷‍♂️☹️

I did fear when Peco brought out this Setrack range that the radius was 'pushing it' and it could cause more trouble than it's worth in O Scale, and could be especially off-putting to newcomers to the scale who were less familiar with 3-links  & the issues with radius - but it seems like these setrack points are causing bother for seasoned O Scalers too.

[Donw]

Because crossovers create an S curve they are best a bit larger radius than for simple curves. Set track geometry wants the turnouts to match the radii of the curved pieces, A simple test if you have some settrack curves put two pieces together to make an S curve and try your stock on that. I expect Bob was using flexitrack and wouldn't have had the curved pieces to hand.

 

Don