Il Grifone Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 An example from 56/57 would have a matt finish and the later metal couplings with the tabs top and bottom. There are also variations in the lion transfer regarding the length of the tail (This is the shorter one). The pickup should only have the square spacer AFAIK. It only serves to locate the spring and give sufficient downward pressure to maintain contact. Obviously this should be as little as possible to maximise adhesion and reduce friction. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted May 16, 2016 Author Share Posted May 16, 2016 Well whaddya know? I gave the axle bearings and crankpins a shot of some contact cleaner I had to hand and the chassis went almost instantly from being staggeringly stiff to being as free running as anything with plain mazak bearings has any right to be. Result . I gave it a push through a Peco small radius point (the only 00 track I had immediately available) and it went through beautifully smoothly, apart from the pony truck which seems to be wide to gauge. Easily fixed. I slapped it back together and gave it 12V and was gratified to see it run reasonably smoothly, if slowly, in both directions. Slightly less gratifying was an ammeter reading of almost an Amp so the test was axed fairly quickly. I'm guessing that the deficiencies are down to the pathetic magnet, which is easily enough fixed. I've given the whole thing a scrub in detergent to get the remaining crud off, and we'll see where we stand when it dries out. The magnets have arrived too, so they've been carefully quarantined, away from bank cards, hard drives, watches and anything else they might disrupt, and await my attention over the next day or two. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 Contact cleaner is a variable quantity. We used to swear by the Philips product (I still have a jealously guarded aerosol can, but it's nearly empty so only used in necessity) and at everything else. They tend to leave nasty (and sometimes corrosive) deposits. It shouldn't be a problem with a Dublo chassis though, especially if well scrubbed afterwards. A current draw of an ampere seems about right for a clapped out magnet..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted May 16, 2016 Author Share Posted May 16, 2016 Now that I'm getting to the point of putting the motor together properly, can anyone advise on Dublo's wiring convention? Is it +ve to centre rail makes the loco go chimney first? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 It's the other round. Positive on the right hand rail makes the locomotive go forwards. This applies to both 2 rail and 3 rail and is the reason the service sheets show the magnets reversed between the two versions. Back in the sixties, when I converted some Dublo locos to 2 rail, I fitted insulated wheels to the left hand side to avoid reversing the magnets. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted May 17, 2016 Author Share Posted May 17, 2016 Well, the chassis lives . Sort of, anyway, as I've got to take it apart again for final cleaning, paint touch up (it's nowhere near as bad cosmetically as the body) adjustment and lubrication. The magnets I bought are cylindrical ones, about 1 mm too long to fit between the pole pieces as-is. Easily fixed with a few moments work with a file on the pole piece ends. Adjustment made, I popped the armature into place, put in the brushes and connected a power supply. She ran! Smoothly and fairly quietly too, in both directions. The ammeter showed about 0.4 A (slightly less one way, slightly more t'other) which I'm fairly happy with, given that I haven't lubed anything, adjusted the brushes or set the air gap yet. So it looks as if I'll be getting an attractive and well running N2 for an outlay of ~AU$60. That includes purchase price, transfers and magnet, which were the only things bought specifically for this project, and all postage charges. Not the bargain of the century but not bad for a 00 loco built to a very high engineering standard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 About 0.3A is to be expected running light. A spot of oil on the bearing should make the difference. With four Dublo coaches, she should do five laps of a Dublo oval (8 curves and 2 straights) in 30 seconds. This is the specification for a new model; repaired ones were permitted a second more. Seeing the age of the models I allow them a bit more again. Some examples still meet the spec. however.... I find that Humbrol satin black enamel no. 85 is a near perfect match for Dublo black paint. (I've just finished my last tin or rather it dried up on me ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagaguy Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 About 0.3A is to be expected running light. A spot of oil on the bearing should make the difference. With four Dublo coaches, she should do five laps of a Dublo oval (8 curves and 2 straights) in 30 seconds. This is the specification for a new model; repaired ones were permitted a second more. Seeing the age of the models I allow them a bit more again. Some examples still meet the spec. however.... I find that Humbrol satin black enamel no. 85 is a near perfect match for Dublo black paint. (I've just finished my last tin or rather it dried up on me ) Be careful with Humbrol 85,it used to be called coal black & was a superb paint for locos & electrically operated signal bases.the new version is more like a gloss finish,i did complain to Hornby about it some weeks ago but never got a reply.Test it on a piece of scrap material first. Ray. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Fleece 30 Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 I agree Ray, when it was coal black it had a different shade and I used to use it as a separate black on smokebox's, footplates and cab roofs on a black loco as here. I am not surprised Hornby never replied, over the last couple of years I have written a few times about their "Humbrol" paints without reply. David (I've just finished my last tin or rather it dried up on me ) How often do you use it? I can go through a couple of tins of this a year. Garry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 omis David How often do you use it? I can go through a couple of tins of this a year. Garry Garry A couple of tins a year seems about right! The last one seemed to have a sealing problem. Despite closing it tightly, it kept forming a skin. I tried inverting the tin and it then decided to go 'bitty' as well.... I now need to find a local supplier. I have a good supply of matt black however. When we moved to Essex, Basildon Homebase had a quantity at 50p a tin.... David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagaguy Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Talking of paint,i got a rattle can of Ford Sahara beige from Halfords yesterday for Hornby Dublo stations & platforms.I found an old Airfix platform Kiosk in my box & sprayed it,the shade is as near as dammit to meccano beige.I`ll post a pic when it`s finished. Ray. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Is that a stock colour or is it only to order at a premium price? I have a few items that a repaint would not hurt, but have never been able to get the colour exactly right. Dublo colours (and Trix come to that) seem to be very elusive. Their version of BR wagon grey needs a touch of green rather than the blue of the real thing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagaguy Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 Hi David,they have to mix it for you.It`s £14.99 for a 300ml aerosol. Ray. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Fleece 30 Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 A lot of people used it for station and signal box repairs or new items for a long time. I did a modern Hornby shelter and painted the roof orange (Humbrol) a few years ago. Unpainted shelters were about £1.50. The colour was also good for matching Dublo Custard on their coaches then about 18 months ago it disappeared from all shelves so must be discontinued and why Ray got it mixed. I got an exact match made for the coach and wagon roofs too and you could not tell the difference. The name I gave it was grey/green as that is what the chap called it who mixed it for me. Garry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagaguy Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 Aha,another one who can`t sleep,since being retired 10 years ago,i have to confess that surf the internet into the small hours.I found a way of getting reasonably priced D1 island platforms,i buy them on Ebay,normally abot £5-£10 each,mill the rivets off the underside of the platform,fill the resulting holes & smooth off & Voila,i have another platform extension,the only downside it has is that i now have a surfeit of ramps .I also get more waiting rooms.I`ve managed to get one train around half the layout but the peripherals keep getting in the way!!!,still,it`s enjoyable. PS.Forgot to add that i should have bought Halfords Satin finish laquer at the same time but they are only 10 mins.from me.I don`t think you can use Acrylic paints on Humbrol enamel though. Ray. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Fleece 30 Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 Hi Ray, yes I am often on in the early hours, not just me though our 4 year old went down for breakfast at 3.30 while Jackie was making a cup of tea earlier. I do a lot of model thinking at this time of the day (should that be night?) and have been known to go to the shed to check something. Sometimes though it is intentional to try to photograph planets etc. I too have a surplus of ramps etc for the same reason as you. Even taking off the main buildings as well as island ones to get plain platforms. Certainly a lot cheaper lol. DON'T use any acrylic on enamel paint. The solvents in enamel will peel the freshly applied paint/varnish very quickly. I once read after a few days it is okay, wrong, I once tried it after a couple of months and it still stripped it. For that reason all my varnish is enamel. It is okay with enamel on acrylic but not the other way. I did have to plan the order of colours on my coaches though and put light in top of dark. The blood colour was acrylic and custard was enamel so after masking off the red a fine matt white was used to help the yellow cover. There is a clip on YouTube showing an Exley being done. Garry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 I did find an island platform once, that had already lost the waiting room . I never got round to filling the holes through - a carefully placed piece of luggage or a passenger.... It's in posts #9 and #13 here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/28222-dublo-layout/ The opposite platform is the plastic one intended for 2 rail track with a bit of packing to sort out the height. The terrace of houses are in a box somewhere, still waiting for the window frames.... The dip at the end of the platforms is not my baseboard manufacture (though it was rather ropey, being 'temporary'* as I intended to install a lifting flap!), but the result of a large box falling on it - it still ran and we were moving shortly so it only got partly remedied. The bald patch under the palm trees did get done and the Matchbox Bedford 'Evening News' van did get a coat of paint though. * How many temporary things have become permanent..... Not really relevant, but I came across this while searching for the link above. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GMR-Models-Articulated-LNER-6-coach-set-3x-twins-for-Hornby-Dublo-3-rail-Lot2of2/311611073898?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D36561%26meid%3Dc05a1acb0e944f22b7d3ea3bf78b8f2f%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D1 0%26sd%3D182127404978 Rather nicely done (better than the one I did years ago!), but, pedantically, the real sets consisted of artic. pair (Bk/3rd + 3rd), a composite or two (not articulated) and a second artic pair 3rd + Bk/3rd. The Dublo LNER models correctly represent this (their Bk/3rd and 3rd have consecutive numbers - pre-war these were articulated) and the composite is a separate coach. The 3rd never appeared in BR livery, only the composite and Bk/3rd. I've often considered making a BR articulated pair, but strictly it would involve relettering and I have yet to achieve perfect touching up to tinplate. Does anyone know anything about the BR history of these coaches? I assume they remained as articulated pairs and received standard crimson and cream, less faux panelling as the real coaches were steel bodied. The matching full brakes were wooden - there are vinyl overlays available on eBay to make one of these, but the artwork represents a 61' 6" coach, rather than the more appropriate 52' 6" one. I am making one from a rough example (it was adorned with a beat-up litho, which had come partly unstuck), but it has only got as far as a coat of teak paint (Yet another don't hold your breath project!). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Fleece 30 Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 So very true David. * How many temporary things have become permanent..... David/Ray Here is my little Hornby shelter in Dublo colours. I used Humbrol orange but others have used Lada orange, BMC blaze and Peugeot Seville Orange. Garry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted May 26, 2016 Author Share Posted May 26, 2016 Well, tonight I found an hour to make a bit of progress. I put the pony wheels back into the bogie frame, set to the same b-to-b as the drivers, as measured with a vernier caliper, stripped everything out of the main chassis again, applied a drop of oil to each bearing, cleaned out the brush tubes with an interstitial dental brush, stuck it all back together in accordance with Ron Dodd's how-to videos and hooked up the battery charger and ammeter. 0.24A running propped up on the bench . I'm chuffed to bits with it, considering where I started. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted May 26, 2016 Share Posted May 26, 2016 Sounds good! Dublo back to back should be 14.2mm, but it is not too critical. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted May 26, 2016 Author Share Posted May 26, 2016 Sounds good! Dublo back to back should be 14.2mm, but it is not too critical. The drivers measured 14.2 and I got the ponies pretty close. They roll without complaint through a Peco Code 100 small radius turnout so I reckon they're OK. Now I jut need to get hold of some track (or 3-rail my kid's old Thomas layout) so I can actually run it . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted June 17, 2016 Author Share Posted June 17, 2016 This might be the last post for this thread as the N2 is pretty much finished. Here's a pic of the repainted body sitting on the serviced chassis, just to round things off. Since the pic was taken I've fixed the front coupling and so body and chassis are firmly united once again. I've just bought some track on Ebay so, hopefully, in a week or two, I'll be able to run the little beastie properly. I've some suburban coaches, hopefully with enough good parts between them to make one decent compo and one decent brake. Now, how do I get Dublo tin coaches apart without butchering them......? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Fleece 30 Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 The roof will come off by gently pressing the sides in near the top centre. The sides are folded at the top for the roof lip but then the roof has folded lug to clip into the sides between their folds. Some suburbans unfortunately have to have the whole body removed by straightening the lugs under the base as their roof has lugs folded over the side lips. Main line coaches also have a support plate in the centre to prevent the sides being pressed in too far. With care it is not too difficult. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 The short tinplate suburbans come in two basic types (ignoring the colour - there are SR green ones and also the SD6 type). One has printed windows and a clip on roof (similar to the Gresley coaches which were designed about the same time*) and the other has transparent windows and the roof is fixed with tabs. The tabs can be gently prised up and then the whole thing comes apart. *Apparently the suburbans were drawn pre-war and it was intended for them to be articulated. Presumably this explains their short length. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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