Inspired by Brent June 1947

[Neal Ball]

1 hour ago, The Fatadder said:

After the factory reset the 14xx is showing a bit of an improvement, but is still very clunky at slow speed.  next thing to try is going to be giving it an oiling (knowing that i havent oiled it in the time I have had the model and with no knowledge as to how its previous owner treated it).  It is starting to feel more and more like the remaining issues are now purely down to Dave Jones moronic chassis design.     I do wonder if it is possible to brake it down and remove one of the axles gears, then replace the rods with some that have round rather than oval holes.....  (though for now I am becoming very tempted to strip out the decoder and fit it to the 74xx and retire 1470 back to the display shelf for the time being).

 

After a lot of track cleaning it was time for some running, 7316 was first up, again this loco is a bit of a disappointment in that its haulage capability is awful.  Running with 2 RTR and 2 brass coaches it struggles on the 4ft radius curves.   A few other locos were also tested (4587/4547 and 5798) two of which were rather reluctant runners to start with having not had a run in a while (but loosened up nicely after a run on the rolling road).    Over the next few days I want to try and give everything a good run and loosen it all up, thinking about it I think a spreadsheet detailing when each  loco was last ran (and when it last had its wheels cleaned) would be useful. 

 

The final bit of work was around the double slip at the London end, as I have mentioned previously this has been the bane of my life.  I wish the Peco product had been available when I was planning the layout as I would have adjusted the track plan to use it!  Eventually last year I though I had got it working finally, only to find the tortoise motor was not switching the polarity of the vee.  So today I unsoldered the wires and switched it round to the other microswitch on the motor which appears to be working.  There does still seem to be a short dead section, although I cant quite work out where the multimeter is so fault finding will have to wait.  However I was able to do a bit of testing, the slip is still problematic going from the station to the branch, maybe 50%-60% effective now rather than always failing.   I am at a bit of a loss as to what else I can try now so I may have to just live with it.  Saying that the approach check rail has broken off, so fixing that might help.  I certainly found previously that having stock forced towards the right hand rail made a big difference so maybe that will be the cure....

Sounds like a productive, yet frustrating day.

 

I like the sound of a spreadsheet loco log…. Or at least an index card system.

 

Re the double slip…. How easy would it be to change that whole section of track? Realign everything knowing that would cure it once and for all.

 

Good luck.

[The Fatadder]

5 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

Sounds like a productive, yet frustrating day.

 

I like the sound of a spreadsheet loco log…. Or at least an index card system.

 

Re the double slip…. How easy would it be to change that whole section of track? Realign everything knowing that would cure it once and for all.

 

Good luck.

With the slip it would be very difficult now that I have added the bridge and cutting in that part of the layout.  I did a lot of testing last year (or was it 2020) when I fitted the latest iteration of the slip and it was working well.  However none of it was under power due to the failed microswitch.   

 

I have looked a few times since Peco's bullhead range was announced, to see if I could fit one instead of my home built slip.  But it would require pretty much the whole yard to be ripped up and started again, further to this it assumes I built the layout to plan (which I know is not the case as a few bits of track were altered from the original Templot file).  

 

I will keep plugging away at it and hopefully eventually get there, I have an issue with the single slip slightly further on  from the troublesome double slip which will also need dealing with (although in this case it runs ok, but there is a step between two rails which needs adjusting.

[Neal Ball]

Good luck and I think rather you than me.

[Siberian Snooper]

Does Wayne Kinney do a suitable double slip kit yet? https://www.britishfinescale.com/category-s/1860.htm

 

 

[The Fatadder]

16 minutes ago, Siberian Snooper said:

Does Wayne Kinney do a suitable double slip kit yet? https://www.britishfinescale.com/category-s/1860.htm

 

 

Looks potentially useful, will keep that in mind should I eventually have to lift it again 

[The Fatadder]

Family visits over Easter weekend mean another 3d printing project, having missed out on getting a brass Siphon O.5 at a reasonable price I am going to attempt my own.  Still a lot more detail needs to be added (hinges, brackets, underframe detail, roof detail and one end.  It is coming together nicely, based upon the drawings in Slinn & Clarkes GWR Siphons.

 

It will be finished as one of the enparts conversions (for which there is a photo in the same book of such a van in my period.)  The working timetable lists a van running between Swindon, Newton and Laira for which I am intending to use this. 

 

I havent worked out how I will do the floor yet (probably plasticard) while the supports could be interesting (given they will need removing on the inside to get daylight between the slats.  It will eventually be fitted with 3 sets of Bill Bedford suspension units, most likely with 3d printed axleboxes / springs. 

 

 

[Neal Ball]

2 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

Family visits over Easter weekend mean another 3d printing project, having missed out on getting a brass Siphon O.5 at a reasonable price I am going to attempt my own.  Still a lot more detail needs to be added (hinges, brackets, underframe detail, roof detail and one end.  It is coming together nicely, based upon the drawings in Slinn & Clarkes GWR Siphons.

 

It will be finished as one of the enparts conversions (for which there is a photo in the same book of such a van in my period.)  The working timetable lists a van running between Swindon, Newton and Laira for which I am intending to use this. 

 

I havent worked out how I will do the floor yet (probably plasticard) while the supports could be interesting (given they will need removing on the inside to get daylight between the slats.  It will eventually be fitted with 3 sets of Bill Bedford suspension units, most likely with 3d printed axleboxes / springs. 

 

 

This looks like an interesting project Rich. Quite a big van to do a 3D print for.

 

Good luck, I shall follow this with interest.

 

Have you considered a 3D print of a sheet rail and mechanism for the Rapido opens?

[The Fatadder]

Printed at 10 degrees it is fractionally larger than my china clay TTA print (I think it will take about 2 hours longer to print) so not too bad.  though the supports are going to be a nightmare to remove given the open nature of the sides.  The intention is that I will add a shelf against which a plasticard floor will be glued (onto which you fit the Bill Bedford units).  My intention is to see how well it prints before potentially making a small batch of them.  (But after the difficulties I have had commercialising the TTA I am in two minds on that front.)

 

Once we get home the TTA will be first in line for printing, assuming that works it will be followed by my HST bits and then this.  

I then really need to get the silhouette set up again and get the parts cut for the down waiting room / signal box for Brent.  While the goods shed is taking a while to produce (the progress looks fantastic), theres no excuse not to get the two plasticard buildings made!

 

 

[The Fatadder]

Its now pretty much ready for a test print, just need to make a slight tweak to the angles on the bufferbeam to finish it off.  There are still various details missing (door handles / grab rails, rivet detail on the corner brackets), while I also need to double check the solebar (both whether it is recessed far enough (i dont think it is)  and to ensure I am right in my assumption that it had a solid solebar and not U channel like the later siphons).  It also needs a few infills adding, including the panels on which the Enparts logos were applied. 

 

At this stage the idea is to do a test print to ensure the viability of the model, before spending a lot of time on the fine details. 

[The Fatadder]

Speaking of non passenger stock, I have two more projects about to commence. one of the new O.11 siphon kits and a Haye Developments kit for an M13 outside framed 70ft  van which I think will end up in my parcels rake (along with the O11 and my accurascale siphons once they arrive next year).

 

I will probably start with the O11 seeing as its the better kit. (though there is a part of me that really wants to get stuck into the M13, 70ft stock being so appealing!   I am quite pleased that I never got round to ordering the bogies for the O11 (having purchased etches only as I will use my own 3d prints for most of the castings), the M13 kit includes a set of cast American bogies but had been replaced with 7ft plate bogies by my period.  I have a set of the latter already in stock which will be perfect for the M13 (may need a few more wheels though...)

 

 

[The Fatadder]

A little finishing work on the O5 last night, which is now fitted with all the river detail and improvements to the hinges.  All that’s left is to draw on the door lock / mark holes for the handrails and to check the solbar  positions.    Depending on when I manage to finish this work, I may yet manage to get a test print done before Taunton tomorrow…..

[The Fatadder]

While it is not going to be ready for tomorrow, as there is not sufficient time to run the print, the drawing for the standard O5 siphon is finished, it now needs supports adding before setting a test print running (for 15 hours or so!)

 

once that is proven as viable, I can start looking at adding the extra bits based on the photo of the Enparts wagon I want for myself. 

[The Fatadder]

alas the rivets are causing problems, as when printed at an angle for best quality the rivets on the lower end are all unsupported and will fail to print.

 

it leaves two choices, remove the unsupported rivets and add them Arkham Archers transfers, or remove all the rivets and the brackets, and draw up an etch for them.  I will try the former first so that I can run a test print, before wasting more time it will be best to test the viability of the basic print.   Then if it works I will price up an watch.   
 

I think if I can produce and sell a small batch of these (maybe 10 or so) it would help cover the cost of the photo tool etc.

[Neal Ball]

This might be a silly question Rich….. (apologies if it is!)

 

Are you printing the whole body as one hit? Would the rivets be easier to print if it was broken down into smaller components?

[The Fatadder]

11 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

This might be a silly question Rich….. (apologies if it is!)

 

Are you printing the whole body as one hit? Would the rivets be easier to print if it was broken down into smaller components?

Printing as separate sides would resolve the issue (as would a 3 sided print with a separate end).  But it adds a different issue in its place needing to add in the tolerances to make it fit together properly.

 

I think an etch for the brackets and a 1 piece body will be the easiest solution, I will look to draw the w irons as well on the same etch rather than using an off the shelf product 

[The Fatadder]

Had a very good day at Taunton today running trains on Clive Mortimer’s Pig Lane.  I have come away with a couple of the late BGman’s projects to finish off for Brent. With an almost finished park side Beetle and horse box, a Cambrian bogie loco coal wagon all of which just need minor details adding and paint.

 

more involved is this GWR dynamometer car which he had scratch built using the silhouette  cutter. A couple of window bars need to be repaired, more tricky is that the sides have bowed out.  I think I have a solution, forming a frame out of two lengths of 2mm square brass with cross pieces soldered between them. Then supergluing the sides to it holding everything nice and square.   I haven’t much experience with plasticard coach sides, so I hope this should be a viable solution.  Once finished it should make for a brilliant memory of a great modeller.

[Neal Ball]

That’s going to be an interesting carriage when it’s complete.

[kandc_au]

9 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

Had a very good day at Taunton today running trains on Clive Mortimer’s Pig Lane.  I have come away with a couple of the late BGman’s projects to finish off for Brent. With an almost finished park side Beetle and horse box, a Cambrian bogie loco coal wagon all of which just need minor details adding and paint.

 

more involved is this GWR dynamometer car which he had scratch built using the silhouette  cutter. A couple of window bars need to be repaired, more tricky is that the sides have bowed out.  I think I have a solution, forming a frame out of two lengths of 2mm square brass with cross pieces soldered between them. Then supergluing the sides to it holding everything nice and square.   I haven’t much experience with plasticard coach sides, so I hope this should be a viable solution.  Once finished it should make for a brilliant memory of a great modeller.

 

I would have thought using platicard to bring the sides in would have been a better option myself!

 

Khris

[The Fatadder]

2 hours ago, kandc_au said:

I would have thought using platicard to bring the sides in would have been a better option myself!

 

Khris

My logic is that as the coach is built from the floor up, I want to maintain some form of access to the interior for fitting glazing etc.

 

To get the sides straightened it would need a solid piece of plasticard as a ceiling added, pulling in both sides and keeping them a consistent distance apart.   My thoughts were that adding a plasticard spar to the top edge, it will still bow inward.  ( I should add that the bow out on one side takes a reasonable amount of pressure to push back in).  I will give it some more thought before I make any changes.  I am thinking the best thing to do is going to be make the repairs to the panelling, followed by painting the exterior and glazing, so its just the straightening that is needed to finish off.

[Siberian Snooper]

If you use a  couple pieces of plasticard strip across the width and it doesn't work,  it should be easy enough to remove and fit brass instead.

 

 

[The Fatadder]

4 lengths of steel flat bottom rail now keep the sides straight, however it still bows out slightly in the middle.  It wasn’t practical to have a spar for the whole length as the wider carter section has a thicker reinforcement on the inside.  The plan is to now fit plasticard ribs between the spars to maintain the width (for the moment the elastic band is stopping it springing back out.)

 

the horsebox and beetle now just need steps adding to finish off.  For which I will probably solder up some scrap brass.   

[The Fatadder]

Continuing on a theme of things picked up at Taunton, I also came home with this 40t loco coal wagon from the bizarre.  Much like the 70ft coaches, I’ve always found these long open wagons rather interesting.  Very modern in concept for the time, you wouldn’t think they originated in 1904!
 

I have chosen one of the later designs for an N15.  It all went together rather nicely, and now just need buffers and brake handles to finish (unless I can find more info as to what the brake linkages should look like in which case I can add some more detail

[The Fatadder]

The horse box and beetle have now had the build completed followed by a coat of GWR brown (which is currently drying)

 

the 40t bogie loco coal wagon is also complete and the primer is drying before painting grey later in the week. 
 

so with all my new projects stalled, time to start on the M13…..

[The Fatadder]

Not a lot to show for the evenings work, I did find the ends quite tricky to form the tumblehome using my usual method as the brass is so thick once the frame is added.

sides are next, using the method that I particularly hate….   Another coach with the sole bar formed as part of the side that you need to avoid curving while forming the tumblehome.  
 

I have diverged from the instructions, forming the upper flange first, as this gives access from one side to run the iron down the edge. I have an off cut of plywood to work on with the flange over the edge.   Adding the framing to the side will have to wait until tomorrow…

[The Fatadder]

A little more time over lunch and the first side is now formed and attached to its framing. 
 

im glad I started this first rather than the O11, my logic was that it was better to build the less well designed kit first so I don’t spend the whole time cursing that the o11 did it better!

 

I will probably build the other side to the same state this evening, before making a start adding doors and other details.  All being well tomorrow I will have the basic shell together