Penmaenpool (Llyn Penmaen)

[bgman]

I just heard from Warren Shephard.  He is putting together a 43XX/93XX kit for me which I should receive within the next week or so.  So my first express mixed traffic loco will soon be available for those Wrexham/Chester specials.  Wait a mo', did I say soon?

 

Paul

 

 

Coming along nicely Paul.

 

I'd be interested to know what you think of Warren's 43xx/93xx as I am interested in the same locomotive. I have been making his Dean Goods kit ( very slowly I might add ) and it isn't too bad to build although the instruction sheets are slightly lacking in some areas.

 

Nice work so far.

 

Grahame

[Focalplane]

Yes, Simon, there is a slight kink as you observed. I have run my rogue autocoach over it with no problem so I am hoping it will work out OK. I will have speed restrictions for all hidden movements anyway, but I am trying to get the track to be as smooth as possible. I may rework the kink once I have all the hidden track circuits laid.

 

As to the woodwork, Andy, it’s all a case of buying good tools! The cross cut power saw and new jig saw have been the main tools used and they have made a big difference.

 

I have great hopes for the mogul as I worry a bit about the Heljan model as I keep hearing about their gear problems on the diesels. I have one on order but will cancel if the kit works out well and I buy another one!

 

OK, off to sleep and dream about counting sleepers!

 

Paul

[Focalplane]

5 am and counting sleepers didn’t work! Another look at the kink and that yard of track will be relaid after before breakfast!

Update: done!

Paul

Edited June 6, 2018 by Focalplane

[Simond]

I have one of Warren’s moguls (with a Javelin tender, as I used a Warren tender for Tre Pol & Pen) in the cupboard. I’m sure it will be fine. I had put aside one of Bill Connell’s new motor/gearboxes for it but used it in the Duchess, so another one is on the Telford list, but given everything else I’ve started, “I may be some time”.

 

Best

Simon

[TrevorP1]

Finding these views of your baseboard framework very useful for future reference. Many thanks for showing Paul.

[Focalplane]

I had a long chat with Warren this afternoon (my Orange telephone uses wifi so no charges to countries like the UK) and we swapped histories about life in the Porthmadog area. Turns out Warren is from Coventry but thinks of Snow Hill as home!

 

The mogul is on its way but still needs wheels, motor/gearbox, etc.

 

Paul

[Focalplane]

Three days of silence because I have been busy extending the track beds, cork underlay and track.  At the moment I am in the process of extending the track under the Dolgelley side of the station, all the way up to the double scissor crossing next to the entry door.  This evening I bought the hinges for the doorway lift up section, as well as more glue for the cork underlay.

 

There are some other priorities on the horizon so progress may have to slow a bit.  However, I will post some photos when I have cleared the decks a bit.

 

Paul

[Focalplane]

A quick note on my approach to track laying.  But note that these notes may not be suitable for all applications.

 

I screw the plywood track bases to the uprights, using a countersink bit to "bury" the screws below the surface of the plywood.  I use Torq screws these days, having stumbled on them (by buying the wrong box) and also having a torq bit on my electric screwdriver.  The purchase on the screw head is much better than with crosscut heads and the driver can get a better grip.

 

I then cut the cork sheet (I am using 3mm thick sheet) in 50cm lengths and glue it down to the plywood.  I have found an excellent white glue which flows out of the nozzle more easily than the regular brand but takes longer to set.  It is suitable for humid environments though my railway room is dry and has a low temperature range compared with the average garden shed or attic.

 

I clamp the cork sheet down with a large array of clamps I have accumulated over the years (2 4" clamps are over 50 years old and are well traveled).  Modern clamp design makes for easier work.

 

Once the cork is glued I trim the edges (they look neater and also allow the edges to be checked for any potential lifting).

 

Next the track.  Again, because the room has low temperature fluctuations and low humidity, I can take some liberties not recommended for the garden shed or attic brigades.  I use Copydex, bought in a 500ml container with a brush in the cap.  I don't apply the Copydex to the cork, but to the underside of the track.  This means that I can drill through the track base for wiring without the rubber twisting round the drill bit and if I need to move the track slightly each section can be easily removed and cleaned up before re-gluing.  Rubber cement has some give in it, so some temperature expansion/contraction can be tolerated.  Again, I feel sure I have this under control.

 

I weigh down the track with full tins of paint, not too heavy but enough to bite into the cork sheet.  After the Copydex is dry the track is firmly in place.

 

All the track I have been laying so far will be hidden, so the sleeper spacing is not critical.  That will change when the scenic area is begun.

 

Paul

[Focalplane]

The Warren Shephard 43XX/93XX Mogul kit arrived this lunchtime.  The Royal Mail - La Poste combination worked well.  A quick look shows some nice castings and useful instructions.  I now need to order the wheels and plunger pickups.  Meantime, Bill Connell at Premier Components has quoted me the recommended Canon 1833 motor and 30:1 ratio helical gearbox and I will be ordering one very soon.

 

Paul

Edited June 11, 2018 by Focalplane

[Focalplane]

Another package arrived today, some red people from Modelu!  They really are very good.

 

This evening I started on the doorway section.  After a lot of thought I am not going with a hinged "trapdoor" but a simple lift out, place back, framework.  My thinking is that this will be more stable and as I am the only one moving in and out of the railway room I don't need the complexity of hinges.  I can always modify this later if I want to.  Wiring the section will probably use some phosphor bronze sheet I have in my "I might need a use for this one day" box.

 

I keep thinking I should take some photos but to be honest there really isn't very much to photograph.  Unless you like seeing screws driven through softwood?

 

Paul

[bgman]

The Warren Shephard 43XX/93XX Mogul kit arrived this lunchtime.  The Royal Mail - La Poste combination worked well.  A quick look shows some nice castings and useful instructions.  I now need to order the wheels and plunger pickups.  Meantime, Bill Connell at Premier Components has quoted me the recommended Canon 1833 motor and 30:1 ratio helical gearbox and I will be ordering one very soon.

 

Paul

 

 

Hi Paul, 

 

Pleased that the Mogul arrived safely.

 

May I be bold and ask for a photograph of what you get in the box please ?

 

Grahame

[Focalplane]

Hi Paul, 

 

Pleased that the Mogul arrived safely.

 

May I be bold and ask for a photograph of what you get in the box please ?

 

Grahame

 

Grahame

 

You may be so bold, but I am off to bed just now!  In the next few days I will open up the boxes and snap those pictures!

 

Paul

[Simond]

Paul

 

Doorway lifting sections always seem a bit of a challenge and I was quite delighted to see Anthony Ashley’s solution in his Conwy & Bangor model, which is here; http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/71151-north-welsh-coast-railway-welsh-dragon-rail/page-1

 

There’s rather a lot of it, both in reality and metaphorically, but I think I may have a link to the lifting bit somewhere. I’ll try to find it, because it’s an elegant solution - in effect he built a counterbalanced vertical drawer that slides up vertical rails in the ends of the fixed baseboards. It’s doubly elegant in there is no drop for valuable stock to fall off as the sides of the lifting section block the ends of the fixed bit, and you can walk through without bending down.

 

Magnificent as the model is, I couldn’t hack N gauge!

 

Best

Simon

[bgman]

Grahame

 

You may be so bold, but I am off to bed just now!  In the next few days I will open up the boxes and snap those pictures!

 

Paul

 

 

Thank you Paul very much appreciated, sleep well.

 

G

[Simond]

Found it

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/71151-north-welsh-coast-railway-welsh-dragon-rail/?p=1683253

 

Enjoy!

 

G’night all

Simon

[Focalplane]

Paul

 

Doorway lifting sections always seem a bit of a challenge and I was quite delighted to see Anthony Ashley’s solution in his Conwy & Bangor model, which is here; http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/71151-north-welsh-coast-railway-welsh-dragon-rail/page-1

 

There’s rather a lot of it, both in reality and metaphorically, but I think I may have a link to the lifting bit somewhere. I’ll try to find it, because it’s an elegant solution - in effect he built a counterbalanced vertical drawer that slides up vertical rails in the ends of the fixed baseboards. It’s doubly elegant in there is no drop for valuable stock to fall off as the sides of the lifting section block the ends of the fixed bit, and you can walk through without bending down.

 

Magnificent as the model is, I couldn’t hack N gauge!

 

Best

Simon

 

Simon

 

Just off to the sleeping chamber, so I will have to view this thread later.  When you think about it, if I am the only likely visitor to my railway room for the foreseeable future then any risk taking is going to be my responsibility.  If I start getting visitors I will have to rethink the plans.

 

Thanks, Paul

[Focalplane]

Simon

 

That lifting section is quite something!  I have scanned the thread and realize that there are people out there with even bigger plans than my own!  But like you I don't think N Gauge is a scale I could live with, my fingers are too stiff for the fiddly bits.

 

My lifting section is, by comparison, incredibly simple and took an evening to design and fabricate.

 

First, the doorway without lifting section:

 

 

Next, with the lifting section in place:

 

 

And a close up of the simple alignment system:

 

 

Paul

Edited June 13, 2018 by Focalplane

[3 link]

Evening Paul,

 

Below is the lifting section on my layout, very basic but it works. As for the safety aspect ie:- to prevent locos and rolling stock from nose diving onto the floor. On the hinge side I have used parts from an old standard lamp, the spring terminals touch the two brass plates to create a circuit once the section is in place. If the section is raised the locos will stop even before it enters the short tunnel. The hinges themselves are standard kitchen door hinges, the fact that they are adjustable is a bonus.

 

 

 

On the other side, I have used a micro switch wired to the frog of the first turnout on the fiddle yard, when the section is open the circuit is dead and there is enough distance for the loco to stop before the drop even the ones with stay alive chips or large flywheels fitted have been catered for.

 

 

 

A bit crude, but so far it works without any problems.

 

Martyn.

[Focalplane]

Martyn

 

That looks very good, nice and simple and you have added the safety measures that I have yet to give much thought to!  I like the idea of using a kitchen cabinet hinge.  Ironically I spent this afternoon assembling kitchen cabinets from Leroy Merlin (very similar to IKEA).  The second floor of our "village house" has a large room with a sliding glass roof (verrière) and a small kitchen area which we are upgrading.  It isn't an ideal space for a model railway because it gets hot in summer when the roof is closed and cold in winter, so track expansion-contraction would be an issue.  Down in the dark ex-home cinema railway room it is still cool as a wine cellar even though summer has arrived while in winter it is much the same temperature and humidity.  I had not given this much thought until we moved in but it could be a real blessing.

 

Moving tyo a different subject, that of track and rails, I have noticed that Peco rails and C&L rails are slightly different.  They may be the same rail height but pushing a Peco SL10 fishplate on a C&L rail is not easy.  Today I started to mount the Marcway double scissors and discovered yet more dissimilarities.  I have had to add thin balsa strips to the sleepers of the Marcway track in order to raise it to the level of the Peco and C&L tracks.  I am re-using some C&L track from Legge Lane and have decided that this track would be ideal for the two tracks on the lifting section in the doorway as there will not be any fishplates at each end.  The result of this decision is that trains will pass over Peco, C&L, Marcway and back to Peco track when crossing the doorway.

 

Paul

[Focalplane]

A quick update.

 

I am spending most of my temporary bachelor time decorating, finding I can leave the place a mess while the paint dries!  So the railway room is on the back burner.  However, I have been in touch with FB Systems in Bessan and they are running a special on Tortoises, so tomorrow I will drive over to pickup a dozen and also check out their stock of non-gauge stuff (they don't do Echelle 0).

 

Meanwhile I was wondering what to do with the stack of cork sheet trimmings and decided to try out the liquidizer I normally use to make velouté soup in the winter:

 

 

I am hoping this could be a good supply of ballast but I think I need some appropriate sieves to filter the right grain size.  At university I had a set of high grade sieves in the sedimentology lab which would come in very useful but alas they weren't mine to keep.  Perhaps the local garden centre can help?

 

Grahame, I haven't forgotten your request for photos of the Mogul kit, I'm just a bit busy with paint rollers and brushes!

 

Paul

[Andrew P]

Brave man with that Blender buddy! but a nice idea.

[bgman]

Hi Paul,

 

There is absolutely no rush on the photographs, other work needs to be done so whenever you have the time that will be more than fine.

 

Kind regards

 

Grahame

[Simond]

Guys,

 

Sorry, being dim, I’ve got one. Here’s a few photos to whet your appetite!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lovely etches, solid, not at all flimsy, stampings for the smokebox, firebox and smokebox door, lots of lovely brass castings. Premier rods.

 

Need to add a set of Slaters hornblocks and a Premier helical gearbox.

 

The tender is behind my Tre Pol & Pen, and the Javelin 3000g tender will go behind the Mogul.

 

Any questions, give me a shout,

 

Best

Simon

[bgman]

Guys,

 

Sorry, being dim, I’ve got one. Here’s a few photos to whet your appetite!

 

FAC142FB-5C17-4A85-8828-330185862B77.jpeg

 

51FAD0B7-7E16-427B-BC1F-5F798E8E1E7B.jpeg

 

1B7B6FDE-2E43-4E3E-B571-72B5FE9B9104.jpeg

 

67A8DF80-8B9D-4D35-8165-D415BF04A43C.jpeg

 

1CAB7CCE-D7B0-4F25-8EC5-F0E1E190BD87.jpeg

 

Lovely etches, solid, not at all flimsy, stampings for the smokebox, firebox and smokebox door, lots of lovely brass castings. Premier rods.

 

Need to add a set of Slaters hornblocks and a Premier helical gearbox.

 

The tender is behind my Tre Pol & Pen, and the Javelin 3000g tender will go behind the Mogul.

 

Any questions, give me a shout,

 

Best

Simon

 

Oh ! Dear !

 

Now I'll have to go to bed thinking about that !

 

Thank you Simon very much appreciated.

 

Grahame

[Focalplane]

Simon

 

Thanks for showing the photos!  I have checked the contents of my boxes (the kits come in boxes that can be used to store/carry the finished models) and I see only one item missing - the tender's plastic brake blocks.  The quality of the castings and pressings is indeed superb, the only white metal castings being the tender's axle box covers.

 

Can you identify the Slaters' code for the leading bogie wheel set?  Is it 7839?  I will need to get an order in to Slaters for the hornblocks and plunger pickups as well.  I did notice that Warren advises that the frames have not been etched with holes for the pickups so it will be important to drill those out before starting on the chassis.

 

Off to FB Systems this morning for the Tortoises.  Their opening hours are only 9:30 - 12:00 and 15:00 - 18:00, Mondays through Fridays only.  The shop is full of European and some North American HO and located in a 'grange' (barn) of a back street in the village.  Most of their business is mail order, but they are always welcoming and helpful.

 

Paul

 

Edit to add:  They are also open Saturday mornings in July!

Edited June 19, 2018 by Focalplane