Grim-up-North; Goathland, Queensbury & Bradford.

[St Enodoc]

16 minutes ago, Sasquatch said:

Moving on from loco maintenance and rebuilds the next obvious step would be to build one. (I'm sure we've got manna's attention). 

First a bit of testing and prep work had to done. My trusty old soldering iron station has two settings, alas the lower one still melts white metal. A quick rummage through some old drawers produced an old 35W iron but this still melted the white metal. 

The solution was to either run to town and purchase a light dimmer or try making a simple device to lower the wattage.

I quickly knocked up a box from wood scraps that would house a double size electrical box and a bulb holder. Utilizing a SPDT light switch and a double outlet I made a simple circuit which I could plug the 35W iron into. One outlet will give 35W and the other wired in series with the bulb holder would give a lower wattage depending on the wattage of an incandescent bulb screwed into the holder. Simple. To lower the temp at the tip of the soldering iron use a higher wattage bulb.

The next part was hardest. Finding an incandescent bulb! We switched to LEDs quite some time ago. However, I did find one 40W bulb which seems to do the trick.

 

The iron holder is from the other soldering station fixed via a nice hex head #12 screw and oblong washer.

To finish things off I hot glued a sweet tin to the base and cut a dish sponge to fit as a tip cleaner. The tin's lid will save me having to resoak the sponge every time I start working! (It's those little touches that make such a project most enjoyable.

 

I have made a start on the Little Engines LNER N1 kit. 😁

Watch this space to see how I tackle my first loco build. Any advice will be most welcome and discussion obligatory.

 

 Shaun

    

I used to have a rig like that before temperature-controlled irons became commonplace. It should work well.

[Sasquatch]

9 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I used to have a rig like that before temperature-controlled irons became commonplace. It should work well.

To be honest it's not the first one I've built! Different country different electrics!! Although I didn't have a workshop when I built the 240V version. 

[Sasquatch]

As per the instructions I began by opening out all the holes in the frames.

After all the smaller holes, the next step was to remove one frame and bolt the two together before opening out the holes that take the axle bushes.  Not having a 19\128" drill bit, I chose to put a triangular needle file in my power driver.   

 

So far so good.

[Sasquatch]

Squaring this up was a bit of a tricky affair. After borrowing a glass shelf from the Mrs. I ripped a couple of square Ecuadorian Mahogany strips to 6.5mm and use my caliper to make some spacer blocks exactly 26mm & 33mm equal to the gaps between the axles.

As per instructions, 3x 1/8" drill bits are used to place the bushes into the frames. 

The tricky part involved tightening up the screws! First two attempts seemed to have an obvious skew to the assembly.

 

 

Lastly, I checked the crankpin holes in the coupling rods matched as near as dam-it to the drill bit tips.   

The soldering Iron should have reached full temp while I was typing so here goes... 

[Sasquatch]

 

After the wheels had been fitted for the dry run, a slight tight spot was evident. This proved to be the right middle wheel which sat a little low also causing the chassis to rock a tiny bit. Enough to stop the front wheel set turning. I tried to resolder the offending bush to no avail, so opened up the inside of the bush with a couple of turns with the triangular file. Two spacer washers were also needed to clear the front wheels of the frame screws.

That sorted I tackled the pony truck.  Not content with the axle floating about in a sloppy white metal truck I decided to fit bushes here also. This involved drilling the assembled truck and using the hot iron with very fine solder which I fashioned into rings. The solder is so fine that it melts almost instantly so only a quick touch with the soldering iron was needed and the pony didn't melt.

Fitting the guard irons was actually the hardest part! It's not like plastic, cause your fingers get singed real fast!!!

 

Squatch   

[Sasquatch]

An N1 was what is needed for my choice of layout and I'll have to admit to jumping in the deep end with this kit.

Two evenings have been spent cleaning up the castings alone (still not finished either).

The kit came complete with motor and gears.

The DS11 seems to be a little too big and definitely doesn't work with the gears and motor mount provided on the fret. 

 

The motor will fit if it's slung low with the worm mounted at the bottom of the shaft. I must not forget to fit two thrust washers and the mounting plate can be filed down. What I'll attempt is to mount it on the rear axle bushes.

Some of the boiler bottom will need cutting away to clear the worm which will leave it visible but having looked at it there's really no other choice. At least this way, the Crownline backhead can be fitted along with a cab floor and crew.

 

 

Everything has been put into a plastic drawer to keep it safe from the cat and the carpet monster both of whom have a provocation towards confiscating shiny little bits-n-pieces. Also helps me see what's next! 

 

Glad I had the foresight to approach this step-by-step with dry runs. Many of the castings have had to be trimmed down and the footplate casting will also need some more filing to be sure it clears the wheels on curves. 

 

Squatch   

[Sasquatch]

Believe it or not after doubling the coupling rods and fitting the crankpin heads I actually had things running quite sweetly. It did take quite a bit of adjusting and lubrication to achieve though but doesn't it always with loco builds???

 

The motor was gently run in before fitting and the chassis pushed around the layout with a couple of locos a few times. It ran very smoothly and over point work without any problems. This morning's discovery however has thrown the proverbial spanner into the works. Numb nuts built it left-over-right! The insulated wheels go on the left. Right!

 

No loss, it had to come apart anyway. The brake rigging mounts were omitted on purpose and the thing will need a real good scrub with comet or such like in case my solder paste is corrosive!

 

A start on the body is well underway too. The bunker is assembled and all the other white metal bits have been dry fitted and dressed up.  

 

  

[richard i]

It does not matter which side is insulated as long as that side has pick ups and the non insulated has a wire from the chassis to the motor.

richard 

[Sasquatch]

10 hours ago, richard i said:

It does not matter which side is insulated as long as that side has pick ups and the non insulated has a wire from the chassis to the motor.

richard 

Hi Richard.

That's exactly what I thought!

Alas. The D13 motor only has one insulated brush, so that means the other side is live and influences the pole orientation!

 

Here's a funny story...

My little Bachmann 04 shunter has the word top written on the motor sleeve. Somehow the clear plastic sleeve is now upside down so when I serviced it naturally I put the motor back in top side up but it runs in the opposite direction to all the other locos! 

 

Good job I've got lots of patients. It did wear a bit thin mounting the breaks though. 

 

Regards Shaun

 

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by Sasquatch
thick

[Sasquatch]

Now the wheels have been swapped, the brakes fitted and adjusted it was time to tackle pick-ups.

After testing the running qualities with the chassis in the vice I found that current collection via the non-insulated side was very good so decided to fit a bus bar down the other side and provide sprung pick-ups to all three wheels. Two sections of copper-clad plate were  divided electrically in the traditional way, super glued in place and tinned with solder. I bent the pick-up bars in such a way as not to be seen from the side and took it for a test run...

 

 

 

...It's not the best runner, a little noisy but it did run around Dunster a few times quite successfully first try. No doubt it will run better with the weight of the body, a few adjustments, and a little grease on that worm.

 

Squatch. Looking forward to making up the body later today.  

Edited April 22, 2022 by Sasquatch
a

[boxerbayrailway]

Looking good Shaun,  gets me thinking about starting one of my loco kits.  However, the weather will be 

too nice this weekend,  have to head to the beach for some R&R.

Felix

[Sasquatch]

9 minutes ago, boxerbayrailway said:

Looking good Shaun,  gets me thinking about starting one of my loco kits.  However, the weather will be 

too nice this weekend,  have to head to the beach for some R&R.

Felix

Hi Felix.

The loco kit has been all consuming this week and was just the right thing for all those rainy days.

You know we keep talking about moving to the coast. It's starting to feel urgent as the only neighbors we're friendly with are packing up and selling. There's also been some logging recently and the logging company have put up no trespassing notices all over the mountain so I can't even take the dogs up there for a decent hike any longer.

 

Anyway, enjoy the beach mate. 

 

Shaun

[boxerbayrailway]

13 hours ago, Sasquatch said:

The loco kit has been all consuming this week and was just the right thing for all those rainy days.

You know we keep talking about moving to the coast. It's starting to feel urgent as the only neighbors we're friendly with are packing up and selling. There's also been some logging recently and the logging company have put up no trespassing notices all over the mountain so I can't even take the dogs up there for a decent hike any longer.

I'm sorry to hear that.  The no trespassing notices everywhere would annoy me very much. Looking forward to seeing the finished model.  So satisfying building one I'm sure,  I just need to utilize my time better to get going !

Felix

[Sasquatch]

Got the same problem with organizing time! We had to tidy up the garage today so that the cabinets could be put in there ready to fit under Goathland, so that, I have more space in the barn to build woodsheds and a chicken coop. There's so much wood piled up I feel inundated by it.

Next job will be to figure out the wiring at the castle junc. Then Goathland can be reassembled and the cabinets installed.

At least there's a goal. When all the woodwork projects are finished, I can build the last 30' stretch of that big mill town for Grim-up-North.   

 

Regards Shaun

[Sasquatch]

Apparently, we have both been taken down with suspected botulism. Should get the results today. I dunno, another week of modeling lost!

 

Squatch.  (Back on my feet already BTW).

Edited April 29, 2022 by Sasquatch

[aardvark]

Awful news - glad you're recovering.

 

Can't keep a good man (or woman) down.

 

[Penrhos1920]

I just thought I'd leave this here:

 

https://media.davidrumsey.com/rumsey/Size4/RUMSEY~8~1/185/13564010.jpg

 

you don't get much more tastey than that!

[Sasquatch]

6 hours ago, Penrhos1920 said:

I just thought I'd leave this here:

 

https://media.davidrumsey.com/rumsey/Size4/RUMSEY~8~1/185/13564010.jpg

 

you don't get much more tastey than that!

That's amazing. Thank you!

[Alister_G]

Heyup Shaun,

 

Glad to hear you are on the mend, and I'm going to have to catch up a bit on your loco build and read through carefully: I have a brass kit sitting in my stash for a Kitson saddle tank, and I really must pluck up the courage to have a go at it..

 

It's all looking excellent so far.

 

Cheers,

 

Al.

[Andrew P]

On 23/04/2022 at 03:03, Sasquatch said:

Hi Felix.

The loco kit has been all consuming this week and was just the right thing for all those rainy days.

You know we keep talking about moving to the coast. It's starting to feel urgent as the only neighbors we're friendly with are packing up and selling. There's also been some logging recently and the logging company have put up no trespassing notices all over the mountain so I can't even take the dogs up there for a decent hike any longer.

 

Anyway, enjoy the beach mate. 

 

Shaun

 

 

On 29/04/2022 at 13:46, Sasquatch said:

Apparently, we have both been taken down with suspected botulism. Should get the results today. I dunno, another week of modeling lost!

 

Squatch.  (Back on my feet already BTW).

What a bummer on both counts mate, but glad your on the mend now.

Edited May 3, 2022 by Andrew P

[Sasquatch]

4 hours ago, Alister_G said:

Heyup Shaun,

 

Glad to hear you are on the mend, and I'm going to have to catch up a bit on your loco build and read through carefully: I have a brass kit sitting in my stash for a Kitson saddle tank, and I really must pluck up the courage to have a go at it..

 

It's all looking excellent so far.

 

Cheers,

 

Al.

Brass loco kit. Sound like a whole new ball game! Guaranteed to be heaps of fun and challenging both at the same time. 

1 hour ago, Andrew P said:

 

 

What a bummer on both counts mate, but glad your on the mend now.

Thanks chaps. Poor Mrs. S. ended up in the ER room yesterday with some knock on symptoms. She did however return to work. I'm still not 100%, Probably from being stuck on the sofa for a week. Head's all numb a fuzzy and I keep getting dizzy if I try doing stuff!

 

The only modeling I've done is to make coupling pockets on a few older coaches so that I can get those Roco "non jiggle " couplers onto a couple of MK1 rakes. Thanks for the inspiration Andy.   

 

As far as walking the mutts is concerned I could write to the logging company as a friendly neighbor and ask for written permission to walk on their land. No harm in asking!

 

Regards Shaun.

 

 

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

Have unlimited internet coverage at the moment. First, please take it easy for at least a few more days, there's no real rush. Second, your N1 looks wonderful, I look forward to seeing it trundling around your layout.

 

manna

[jcredfer]

Goodness me, you have clearly, not had an easy couple of weeks and I hope you both get back to firing on all 8 cylinders very soon.

 

That's a good idea about the dog walking letter, although felling trees might affect the resulting reply.  You might be able to start a conversation about where and when a walk might be permitted.

[Sasquatch]

1 hour ago, jcredfer said:

Goodness me, you have clearly, not had an easy couple of weeks and I hope you both get back to firing on all 8 cylinders very soon.

 

That's a good idea about the dog walking letter, although felling trees might affect the resulting reply.  You might be able to start a conversation about where and when a walk might be permitted.

A bit of a tune up should do the trick. V8s are expensive when it comes to tune ups!  

 

They have finished logging for now and pulled all the heavy equipment out. The resultant clear cut is visible from over 40 miles away! It's a piece of woodland one could have got lost in back in January.

 

Hope you are well mate Regards Shaun.

[Sasquatch]

I thought it might be worth sharing how I did the coupling pockets on the old Mainline/Replica/Bachmann coach bogies.

 

Pull the bogies off and remove the wheels. (Harder than it sounds) Snap out the coupling hook and spring.

Begin by taking a razor saw and cutting straight across on a line with the front edge of the old coupling hook housing. Cut the loop off and save the rectangle of plastic for later. Then saw off the hook housing.

 

Using .060x.156" and .015x.060 styrene strip, make 4 pieces each 6mm long and glue the 4 little thin bits to the bigger ones. Cut a tiny corner from each one.

 

Using the razor saw I scraped the bogies to provide a key for the super glue.

Now stuck the four white parts in place thus.

Add the two black scraps saved gluing those across the top of the white bits.

 

When dry, using a 1.5mm bit in a pin vice drill out the back of the new pockets and clean up with a scalpel from the back.

 

A touch of black paint and you're done.

Any coupling type should now just be a nice push fit and you now also have the opportunity to swap them over or remove them for aesthetics. 

 

Squatch.   

 

Edited May 4, 2022 by Sasquatch
Typos