Tenterden Town Goods - Re-opened as a Halt down the line

[sf315]

Hello Ernie

Good to see the layout at Lyddrail and the dinner on Sunday was superb.

I am enjoying reading about your exploits in O gauge. Keep up the good work.

My own journey is I am building a Parkside 21 ton coal wagon as a MDO and weathering my Lionheart minerals after lettering them MCO.

Waiting for my baseboards from my mate John.

Going to guildex in Telford in September to get more goodies. Are you going??

Steve.

[The Bigbee Line]

Hello Ernie

Good to see the layout at Lyddrail and the dinner on Sunday was superb.

I am enjoying reading about your exploits in O gauge. Keep up the good work.

My own journey is I am building a Parkside 21 ton coal wagon as a MDO and weathering my Lionheart minerals after lettering them MCO.

Waiting for my baseboards from my mate John.

Going to guildex in Telford in September to get more goodies. Are you going??

Steve.

Steve,

 

Thanks for the compliments.  Linda is to thank for the dinner, she's started looking for something to rustle up for next year.  Already booked the accommodation.

 

With O gauge I try and do something every day.  I'm not the best at internal discipline as you can see and jump about a bit.  But the layout itself is progressing.  I quite often get ideas at random times and like to try them out. 

 

I'd like to go to Telford but I'd come back with more stuff.  I'm waiting for the Dapol BR vans to come out.  Hattons have some of the 5 plank BR opens in the unpainted finish, I ordered one and it should be here tomorrow, also ordered some Dapol wagon wheels and screw couplings.  Like a kid at Christmas waiting for parcels...  I'm working on Saturday and Sunday so won't get too much done.  There is a Weltrol that I need to measure and model before it disappears.

 

Send some pictures of your weathering,

 

Best regards,

[The Bigbee Line]

I've got to sort out my tools for work at the weekend, but here are a few pictures of the gate:

 

The position will be at the end of the layout.  I'd thought of the gate against the backscene, but that is a bit if a cliché now.  Maybe the whole crossing, needs to be at a jaunty angle to the track and be on a slope...

 

First picture is the proposed position.

 

 

View from the sidings.

 

 

This is some sprue shaved off....

 

 

The shavings are placed over the joint and some solvent dropped on.  The shavings dissolve and fill the gap...

 

[The Bigbee Line]

I've become a bit of a buffer stop groupie, some shots from today.  The images are quite high resolution so you can zoom in if required.  I've also got shots from various other angles if anyone's interested.

 

 

 

 

[The Bigbee Line]

Instanters in a Sows Ear

 

Has my 30 minutes in the workshop this evening.  My self imposed project deadlines is to get a 3H 5 plank (sows ear) completed.  It needed the couplings fettled, brake levers sorting, top coat of paint and the weight sorted..

 

I started by filing the ends of a 3H steel link, wiping with Bakers Fluid then soldering.  When 3 of these links are together it does hang below rail level, but they're not a bad shape and good for testing my soldering...

 

Here's one in the vice after soldering:

 

 

I then bent an instanter and the top link from copper wire, all three were joined and the gaps soldered.  With bakers fluid the flow is better, need to have much less solder on the iron.  I then washed the coupling and gave a quick once over with a black permanent marker.  Here in the vice:

 

 

So in the wagon we have a before shot:

 

 

And here an 'after'....

 

 

Another after from another angle:

 

 

Finally coupled to a Lionheart Mineral...

 

 

I need to make something to allow me to bend a more realistic and consistent instanter pear shaped link.  I also want to try some 3 links with the narrower middle links as these 5 plankers would probably have had plain 3 link couplings

Edited August 13, 2017 by The Bigbee Line

[3 link]

Hi ,

 

Slaters do a good replica of the instanters imo, I'm not sure if they sell them separate as their website is not that user friendly when it comes to locating the smaller parts.

 

 

Martyn.

[The Bigbee Line]

Hi ,

 

Slaters do a good replica of the instanters imo, I'm not sure if they sell them separate as their website is not that user friendly when it comes to locating the smaller parts.

 

IMG_0260.JPG

 

Martyn.

They look a good representation of the cast steel middle link.  But at £8 a pair quite expensive.  Also I'm not sure when the cast steel link was introduced.  For me I don't really need many (the wagon I show on the post will actually get a 3 link) and have some peco links that are really nicely bent out of iron wire.  Other than the GW, I'm sure the others used a screw coupling.  Interestingly I call it a BR screw coupling as opposed to a UIC Screw Coupling (Quite different, and each type had different strengths, but I digress), what was the Screw Coupling called before BR.  I presume it was an RCH specification....

Edited August 14, 2017 by The Bigbee Line

[3 link]

 

£8 a pair....... crumbs I didn't know they were that expensive, I bet Mr White does not sell many of those.

 

As for the history of the screw coupling I would expect that apart from the RCH ones, there would be many types of screw couplings though out the era's all with different regional names.

 

Martyn.

[Deano747]

Premier list instanter couplings, PC613 at £2.75/pr. I have never seen or tried them so can't comment.

No connection, just a happy customer (of other items!)

 

Regards, Deano.

[The Bigbee Line]

Premier list instanter couplings, PC613 at £2.75/pr. I have never seen or tried them so can't comment.

No connection, just a happy customer (of other items!)

 

Regards, Deano.

Thanks, worth a shot.  Cheques or PO's only?  The website quotes 2013 exhibitions I'll make contact.

[The Bigbee Line]

Not much modelling today.  Was given 2 x 5 litre tins of Gloss Grey yesterday. Says it's single pack, so have tried a bit to see if it's dry.  Thought I'd top coat the 3H 5 plank, so rummaged in the odds and ends and found a tin of Humbrol matt grey, indeterminate shade.  It seemed quite thick when I put it on, but then seemed to go all thin and glossy......

 

 

Fingers crossed that it dries...

 

If it doesn't lighten when it dries I think I'll do one side with the pre-nationalisation lettering and the other side with black patches and white letters / numbers.  The body looks very crude in this picture.  Tempted to say, lets sheet it over, but by the time some crates are formed up as the load and secured by ropes,  it won't seem too bad, I hope..

 

 

[The Bigbee Line]

Wanted to try some transfers.  Don't get excited about the number, just took one from the sheet.  If anyone has a suggested number please let me know.  You can't see the buffer I snapped off.  I will put on a set of whitemetals I've got spare (the plastic ones were overscale anyway...)

 

 

As the body is quite crude I think I'll stick with the 'coarse scale' theme and make the brakework from cardboard.....  I have cut a dummy brake lever, seems to look the part.  Just need to find my tin on knotting (shellac)

[Deano747]

Thanks, worth a shot.  Cheques or PO's only?  The website quotes 2013 exhibitions I'll make contact.

 

Hi

 

In case you haven't seen it, you Email or download order form and post your order.

He will send an invoice with your item(s) No up-front payment. I've always sent a cheque.

 

Regards, Deano.

Edited August 15, 2017 by Deano747

[The Bigbee Line]

Busy with real wagons today.

 

Last night I added lead flashing under the 3H open up to 5oz, couldn't get more in...  Then added some rough and ready white metal buffers.  As a project this one is not cost effective, but useful to try things out on.  Shown here after the second pair of buffers were glued on and given some paint...

 

 

I will say that the weight really makes it feel like a real wagon...

[The Bigbee Line]

Three Link Couplings - Batch Production

 

Looking round for a suitable former I found this jig saw blade in my handy tool box.  The copper wire was first straightened by catching one end in the vice and pulling the other end in a pair of pliers.  It will straighten quite nicely.  The hold one end against the former and boldly wrap the wire round the former.  I then used a Stanley knife cut each link off.

 

 

The first batch has quite square corners, just like the former..

 

 

I took the file to the corners of the Jigsaw blade, surprisingly it rounded off quicker than I thought.  I'd imagined it was all hardened, but it must be just the blades teeth.

 

You can see that the links are now more rounded.  The squarer links were used next to the coupling hook.  The Dapol hook in particular as purchased is not thin and the first link doesn't swing on the hook.  I thin the hook slightly and a squarer link swings nicely.

 

 

I used a hook of thicker wire in the vice to hold one end of the coupling and another hook use to stretch it out ready for soldering.  Bakers fluid was brushed on and the links quickly soldered.  A touch too much solder, but easy and it flowed well.

 

 

On a test the links lifted easily with the magnetic tool.

 

 

Tested on a hook it had a nice loose action.

 

 

Here is the first production batch of 3 link couplings.  They all have 2 copper links and one magnetic link.  The black links are Peco and the Silvery ones are Dapol.  Ready to solder

 

 

After soldering and a good wash to make sure all traces of the Bakers Fluid has been washed off.  I need to get a suitable file and take off any excess solder.  If I make the effort to get the ends closer together before soldering and use less solder, there should be little of no excess to remove.  Not sure what the best way is to blacken /darken the links.

 

 

Encouraged by the ease that a batch could be bent and soldered I'm planning to create three bespoke formers;  Top link with one square end and one rounded end.  Middle link with a narrower overall width and a third former with both ends rounded.

[sf315]

Hello Ernie

Since you asked about my wagons and weathering here's a pic of how far I've got with my unfitted minerals.

They are Lionheart for the MCO and Parkside 21Tonner as a MDO.

Weathered using enamels and dry brushing and washes of all the horrible colours I could find in the box of paints. It's intended to airbrush the underframes but this will be done when I've a few more wagons built.

[The Bigbee Line]

Hello Ernie

Since you asked about my wagons and weathering here's a pic of how far I've got with my unfitted minerals.

They are Lionheart for the MCO and Parkside 21Tonner as a MDO.

Weathered using enamels and dry brushing and washes of all the horrible colours I could find in the box of paints. It's intended to airbrush the underframes but this will be done when I've a few more wagons built.

Nice.  Where are your couplings?

[Mike Huxley]

Nice.  Where are your couplings?

I would have thought that as sf315 hasn't sprayed the underframes  as yet, then they wouldn't be fitted until that's done.

[The Bigbee Line]

Today was 'Operation Tidy Up'  I have lots of those but usually end up shuffling rather than tidying...Today however I fitted a light above the work bench to be and re-arranged some shelves.

 

Found quite a few various O gauge couplings.  I had been thinking about looking at a Dapol Screw Coupling to end up with just a magnetic loop at the business end.  Confusion set in at that point as I thought that when I operated the 08 that the coupling was magnetic...  I took a brand new coupler from the packet and attempted to remove the link at the drawhook end, 'snap' the link fell into 2 parts, ######... 

 

 

A quick test with my test uncoupler proved that none of the coupling parts were magnetic.  I needed a Jewellers Loupe allowed me to inspect the parts. 

 

 

The link has small inward pointing spigots that engage in holes in the middle part of the link.  What to do?  Taking a Peco link, it was straightened and tested in the sockets of the middle part of the Dapol coupling, too big... 

 

 

The ends were then 'sharpened' with a file, rather like a miniature pencil.  Once they'd enter the socket, the link was bent.  Not the best shape, but good enough for a test.

 

 

 

Just need to see if the 08 coupler is magnetic, or was I imagining it......

 

[The Bigbee Line]

No modelling this evening, just some repair work...

 

I managed to tumble some paint tins from a temporary shelf above the layout...  Luckily the all remained closed, but one managed to catapult the 3h 5 plank about 4 feet to the floor.  Miraculously there was only minor damage, a hole somehow punched in the end and some bent buffer faces (just like the real thing)

 

The hole in the end and one bent buffer...

 

 

The bent buffers at the other end....

 

 

The piece has been glued back in and the buffers have straightened, thank goodness

 

 

[The Bigbee Line]

Todays to do list included moving the layout out of the firing line....

 

That and putting my various tins of paint in a more stable position were the aim for the evening.  However during the day I like to have something to fiddle with during the day as a stress break from work.

 

Todays stress relief was the reconstruction of a couple of 3H 7 plank wagons that came as semi built items in a job lot.  The only part missing is one wagon side.  That is not the end of the world and should not be too difficult to replicate from plasticard.

 

The kits looked like they had been built and given a quick flash over with grey primer, then put in a box and given a medium shake...

 

This one had one end and side in place..

 

 

With a full compliment of wheels, couplings and the rather large buffers..

 

 

I took the spare side and end, cleaned up the joint surfaces, not sure what cement had been used, but the joints came apart easily.  To ensure the 2 parts were square I clamped them to a piece of angle that had been a radiator bracket.  The bracket had to be tweaked to the correct 90 degrees.  The pieces were held in place by some cheap clamps purchased in B & Q.

 

 

 

I then removed the side and end from the wagon, squared off the joint on the end and joined those on a second piece of angle.  Stood next to the first 2 pieces.

 

 

Various wheelsets were painted

 

 

The evening saw the layout moved to a more sheltered location.  The narrow end sits under another shelf and the wide end is above the work bench.  This will allow it to function as a test track...

 

 

Looks like it's set on the cross London lines under the capital....

Edited August 21, 2017 by The Bigbee Line

[The Bigbee Line]

This morning I expected to join the two body sections making up the body.  One of the side / end assemblies from yesterday had not joined.  Somehow the solvent had been drawn between the metal angle and the two pieces and had not entered the actual joint.  Amazing as the stuff normally goes to all the places you don't want... 

 

So that joint was redone, then with the piece of angle in the vice, the other assembly was laid in position and the third corner cemented and pressurised with the weight of a small screwdriver...  The 4th corner is about 2mm out of true.  That will be put right when the first three corners have dried.  I'm thinking of adding a false floor that will allow a single thickness of lead flashing to be hidden inside the wagon and at the same time get it nice and square. 

 

 

One of the sets of wheels has spoked brass wheels with very flat spokes.  The axle journals are very thin and Peco wheelsets will not go into the brass bearings glued into the axleguards.  I tried glueing a piece of 40 thou square evergreen as a spoke.  Not difficult..  Am I wasting my time as it won't really show?

 

 

I think I'll put them in, shouldn't take more than a few minutes, then larrup them in paint.  Interestingly the Humbrol paint, recently purchased tin is quite thick, almost a jelly.  For wheels its OK, but would take some brushing out on a body....

[The Bigbee Line]

I'd got the 4 pieces; sides and ends of the 3H 7 plank mineral together and prepared to glue it back to the floor section.  The sides have four projections that engage in cut outs in the floor.  When these were in position the fixed end was too far back from the headstock....  So I will just shorten that end of the underframe by the requisite amount..  How strange, no wonder they were in pieces in the box..

 

Here is the opening end;

 

 

With the fixed end here:

 

 

 

The sides for the other wagon showing the misalignment as received.  They come apart quite easily.

 

 

Finally one of the 'funny' wheelsets with short lengths of evergreen stuck on the front of each spoke, then a good larruping of paint.  It was easy to do, just a couple of minutes, so think I'll do the others...

 

[The Bigbee Line]

This afternoons stress break was to shorten the underframe on the 7 planker..  This is how it looked yesterday:

 

 

Today after the hacking had been completed:

 

 

The end view; the oversized buffers have gone and also the over scale plate for the drawhook.  Various bits of styrene and being built up to complete the bottoms of the timbers on the wagon end.  Not sure their proper name...

 

 

Fingers crossed the solebars will go back on tomorrow...

[The Bigbee Line]

SOLEBARS

 

As previously mentioned on this forum the question of fixed solebars and the inability to easily remove and refit wheelsets has been raised.  I have thought that having one solebar detachable would be quite easy to accomplish.

 

I have not looked at the solebar spacing in relation to the real thing..  I know that some Southern Railway wagons were build with their solebars at a non standard width to use up a batch of wagon wheels...  Sound a bit like full size OO/EM/P4......

 

Here is a 3H Solebar / Brakework assembly stood of a flat metal surface.  The blue plastic is the frame material from a Dapol / Airfix Drewry Shunter (waste not want not).  It is cemented together with a couple of stacks of the same material to strengthen the joint.

 

 

 

 

The assembly will slot between the frame members under the floor.  When positioned I will drill 2 holes for small self tapping screws.  The hole in the blue plastic can be slotted slightly if required for adjustment....

 

You will note that the original builder had to make a chamfer on the inside of the solebar to get them to fit.......