Tewkesbury Shed and Quay Branch Exhibition Layout in EM Gauge.

[lezz01]

So I managed to get a couple of hours in the railway room today and finished jig building.

Starting with modifications to the coupling rod jig. I've added 2 more holes, one for the knuckle joint to hold the end that doesn't have a crank pin boss shown here with a 0.7mm drill in situ and the other 0.5mm seen here with a Peco track pin so that all 3 components line up properly.

You will also note the pin to the right which is actually a bit of shank that I cut off a 1.6mm drill. This is to give me a guide for opening out the holes in the coupling rod crank pin boss to accept the Gibson crank pin bush which are of 1.5mm OD. It's seen here in the next photo with a rod in place.

The next series of photos show the axle marking jig to help with quartering Gibson wheels. You start by placing an axle in the jig thus.  Then you press down on the axle so that it can't move and draw a line with a very fine maker like so.

You then turn the axle around in the jig and using a square for reference turn the axle until the line is vertical like so.

Then mark the other end of the axle.

Now you have an axle with a straight line on each end with the lines at 90 deg to each other giving you a reference to help set the quartering on plain axles. Simple but effective.

So that's all the jigs I need to start converting and building locos in earnest.

More soon.

Lez. 

Edited May 4, 2023 by lezz01

[lezz01]

So we spent the last week in North Wales. It was very relaxing and we managed to squeeze in a trip to the Bala Lake Railway.

Lots of Hunslet Quarry engines with and without cabs and they also have a very nice Kerr Stuart.

Holy War was on duty.

I was lucky enough to be invited into the signal box.

Happy days!

Holy War running round the train at Bala.

Then off we went back to LLanuwchllyn.

Past the workshops.

..and back into the station.

..complete with a very nice canopy. 

What more can a chap need mountain lakes, a beach so compacted you can bowl spin on it and a touch of steam to round it all out....oh and the castles of course what inner "little boy" doesn't love a castle? 

Back to the modelling soon.

Lez.

 

 

 

[lezz01]

Another hour in the railway room saw me finish the coupling rods. Soldered together and cleaned up they look rather nice I think.

I was a little worried about riveting them together but a tiny countersink on the back and a little squeeze in the vice brought them together with no issues.

After a final clean up I've fitted them to the chassis and she runs. There's a little tweaking to do as there is a tight spot running forwards but she runs backwards very well but she has a little stutter going forwards. So I'm going to strip her down and recheck the quartering, paint the wheels and make up some balance weights I might paint the chassis while I have the wheels off as well and maybe add tender pickups. 

More soon.

Lez.   

[1466]

On 04/05/2023 at 19:21, lezz01 said:

So I managed to get a couple of hours in the railway room today and finished jig building.

Starting with modifications to the coupling rod jig. I've added 2 more holes, one for the knuckle joint to hold the end that doesn't have a crank pin boss shown here with a 0.7mm drill in situ and the other 0.5mm seen here with a Peco track pin so that all 3 components line up properly.

You will also note the pin to the right which is actually a bit of shank that I cut off a 1.6mm drill. This is to give me a guide for opening out the holes in the coupling rod crank pin boss to accept the Gibson crank pin bush which are of 1.5mm OD. It's seen here in the next photo with a rod in place.

The next series of photos show the axle marking jig to help with quartering Gibson wheels. You start by placing an axle in the jig thus.  Then you press down on the axle so that it can't move and draw a line with a very fine maker like so.

You then turn the axle around in the jig and using a square for reference turn the axle until the line is vertical like so.

Then mark the other end of the axle.

Now you have an axle with a straight line on each end with the lines at 90 deg to each other giving you a reference to help set the quartering on plain axles. Simple but effective.

So that's all the jigs I need to start converting and building locos in earnest.

More soon.

Lez. 

Fascinating thread on workshop practice .

May I ask how you adjusted your cross slide table , please ?

Apologies in advance for my next request. I thought/ dreamed/ hallucinated that you gave a link to a supplier . I’ve gone though your posts several times but can’t find it . Can you give me steer , please ?

Thanks

Ken 

[lezz01]

Hi Ken.

I got the cross slide table from a supplier on eBay there are many options as to table, vendor and indeed price. I believe mine was around £36 when I brought it. I just searched and a couple of pages came back ranging from 22 to 280 in price. The lower priced one's are similar to the one I have both in price and quality. I fitted mine to the workstation baseplate paying attention to the measurements front to back and side to side to ensure that it was square on to the baseplate and it is indeed square on the workstation baseplate. However I have just discovered that I wasn't quite diligent enough as there is an error with relation to the vertical axis so I need to investigate this and remedy the situation as it has already cost me a Alan Gibson conversion set for the 3F as the crank pins are all at an angle. I got a new set at last weekends railex and I may be able to save the wheelset. The AG conversion wheelsets do not have holes moulded in for the crankpin only a dimple. I shall sort that out in quick order it's most likely an error in the post as it is just held on to the baseplate with a single bolt and just needs to be trued up properly with a engineers square when being tightened up. Once installed the table requires adjustment as it has quite a lot of slack and is unlubricated as it comes. The first job is to lube it up so wind it all the way in and all the way across on both the X and Y axis and give it a liberal application of oil into the exposed surface of both sides of the two dovetails. Then wined the table to other extremes of the two axis and lube the other ends of the dovetails. once it's lubed up you can adjust out the slack with the three screws in each axis provided for this purpose. Start by releasing the locking nuts and then wind in the adjusting screws with the Alan key provided this will lock the table, then, starting in the middle wind the screw out half a turn and lock the locknut with a spanner. Repeat with the two outer screws and check that the table will move freely with as little play as possible and repeat with the three screws on the other axis. Chances are you won't get it perfect first time and so you just repeat the operation as much as necessary until you have a nice snug fit that still allows free movement with as little slack as possible and that's it job done. Check the vertical axis with a square on the bed against a suitable rod held in the collet of the drill a 1/8th drill is perfect for this but put the drill bit in the wrong way around so that the shank of the drill bit is exposed, this is the bit I forgot to check but shouldn't be a big problem to sort out. If it's out of true then if you can't adjust the pillar you might have to shim the table with washers or brass shims until it's square to the vertical axis and that should be that. I hope this helps if not PM me or we can sort out an online team meeting and I can talk you through the prosses.

Lez.                       

[1466]

1 hour ago, lezz01 said:

Hi Ken.

I got the cross slide table from a supplier on eBay there are many options as to table, vendor and indeed price. I believe mine was around £36 when I brought it. I just searched and a couple of pages came back ranging from 22 to 280 in price. The lower priced one's are similar to the one I have both in price and quality. I fitted mine to the workstation baseplate paying attention to the measurements front to back and side to side to ensure that it was square on to the baseplate and it is indeed square on the workstation baseplate. However I have just discovered that I wasn't quite diligent enough as there is an error with relation to the vertical axis so I need to investigate this and remedy the situation as it has already cost me a Alan Gibson conversion set for the 3F as the crank pins are all at an angle. I got a new set at last weekends railex and I may be able to save the wheelset. The AG conversion wheelsets do not have holes moulded in for the crankpin only a dimple. I shall sort that out in quick order it's most likely an error in the post as it is just held on to the baseplate with a single bolt and just needs to be trued up properly with a engineers square when being tightened up. Once installed the table requires adjustment as it has quite a lot of slack and is unlubricated as it comes. The first job is to lube it up so wind it all the way in and all the way across on both the X and Y axis and give it a liberal application of oil into the exposed surface of both sides of the two dovetails. Then wined the table to other extremes of the two axis and lube the other ends of the dovetails. once it's lubed up you can adjust out the slack with the three screws in each axis provided for this purpose. Start by releasing the locking nuts and then wind in the adjusting screws with the Alan key provided this will lock the table, then, starting in the middle wind the screw out half a turn and lock the locknut with a spanner. Repeat with the two outer screws and check that the table will move freely with as little play as possible and repeat with the three screws on the other axis. Chances are you won't get it perfect first time and so you just repeat the operation as much as necessary until you have a nice snug fit that still allows free movement with as little slack as possible and that's it job done. Check the vertical axis with a square on the bed against a suitable rod held in the collet of the drill a 1/8th drill is perfect for this but put the drill bit in the wrong way around so that the shank of the drill bit is exposed, this is the bit I forgot to check but shouldn't be a big problem to sort out. If it's out of true then if you can't adjust the pillar you might have to shim the table with washers or brass shims until it's square to the vertical axis and that should be that. I hope this helps if not PM me or we can sort out an online team meeting and I can talk you through the prosses.

Lez.                       

Thanks, Les , for your comprehensive and useful reply . Appreciated .

Ken 

[lezz01]

So I've sorted out the problem of the Dremel workstation NOT drilling vertical holes. I've spent an hour in the railway room on it and it was being caused by two separate issues. First the top of my cheap machine vice is uneven the moving jaw is 2mm higher than the fixed jaw so resting a wheel on the top of the jaws is guaranteed to produce a non-vertical hole. Easily sorted by not resting anything on top of the jaws for now whilst a new one arrives in the post. Secondly the plastic tool holder fitted to the top of the pillar was pushing the top of the vertical slide that the drill fits in out of true and because I've fitted a cross slide table the slide has to be high on the pillar so I've moved that to below the slide above the cross slide table. The work station now drills vertical holes and I have checked that with a square so happy days.

So now I intend to fit a new set of wheels on the 3F and I have a plan to save the wheelset with the wonky holes either with a two part epoxy and a syringe to force the glue into the crankpin holes or doing the same sort of thing with UV activated super glue and then re-drilling the holes.

However I first have to fit my new filter and retrofit bottom drain to the koi pond which I meant to do today but I wasn't feeling at all buildy and I have to do a bit of woodwork to make the new filter fit in the space that the old filters are in and it's much bigger both in diameter and height and I need to move the shelf that the air pumps sit on up quite a bit to fit it all in.

More soon.

Lez.        

[lezz01]

So I've spent the afternoon replacing two spin clean pressure filters with a much bigger squeeze clean pressure filter. I didn't get around to fitting the retro fit bottom drain as this job was enough for me on a very warm day in North London. It's also not a straight forward job as I have to adapt the pump I have as it isn't designed for it but as it's a 20,000 ltr/hr variable flow pump I don't want to replace it and I've seen people use the same pump for this so it must be possible. 

Here's the new filter in all it's glory.

When you compare it too the old filters you will see how much bigger it is than the two it's replaced.

It's a much better filter all round.

More soon.

Lez.   

[1466]

On 03/06/2023 at 19:28, lezz01 said:

So I've sorted out the problem of the Dremel workstation NOT drilling vertical holes. I've spent an hour in the railway room on it and it was being caused by two separate issues. First the top of my cheap machine vice is uneven the moving jaw is 2mm higher than the fixed jaw so resting a wheel on the top of the jaws is guaranteed to produce a non-vertical hole. Easily sorted by not resting anything on top of the jaws for now whilst a new one arrives in the post. Secondly the plastic tool holder fitted to the top of the pillar was pushing the top of the vertical slide that the drill fits in out of true and because I've fitted a cross slide table the slide has to be high on the pillar so I've moved that to below the slide above the cross slide table. The work station now drills vertical holes and I have checked that with a square so happy days.

So now I intend to fit a new set of wheels on the 3F and I have a plan to save the wheelset with the wonky holes either with a two part epoxy and a syringe to force the glue into the crankpin holes or doing the same sort of thing with UV activated super glue and then re-drilling the holes.

However I first have to fit my new filter and retrofit bottom drain to the koi pond which I meant to do today but I wasn't feeling at all buildy and I have to do a bit of woodwork to make the new filter fit in the space that the old filters are in and it's much bigger both in diameter and height and I need to move the shelf that the air pumps sit on up quite a bit to fit it all in.

More soon.

Lez.        

Hello Lez

following your example and support , I’ve invested in a Dremel pillar press and Cross slide table . Maybe “invest” isn’t the description my wife would use .

i haven’t assembled the Dremel yet , but was struck with the similarity of  the drill end of my Dremel mains drill and a Lidl Parkside battery drill . Perhaps there is an industry standard as both have a similar moulded ring around the collet holder . It seems they may be compatible… I may have to shorten the Parkside’s moulded thread  slightly . If it works , I’ll be pleased . I need the grunt of the Dremel for some jobs but the slower speed of the Parkside appeals for some jobs .

Regards

Ken 

[lezz01]

Hi Ken.

The Dremel certainly isn't the answer to everything. I have two other options if I need something slower and I found that the Dremel isn't great for cutting rail as it's too big so I use one of the others for that.

Regards Lez. 

[lezz01]

So the postie brought me a new engineering vice today which unlike the other one has parallel jaws and after fettling the pillar as documented above the Dremel workstation now drills vertical holes.

Here is the new vice fitted to the workstation. The big orange knob is a quick realise button which is actually very handy. 

As you can see I've opened the new wheel pack I got at Railex. This time I've marked the dimple in the wheel with a gold marker so I can see the dimple when I'm drilling the wheel for crankpins.

This time not only did I drill the hole in the right place it's also nice and vertical.

Success vertical crankpins.

I know that the two on the left look a little out but I've put a square on them and they are vertical.

So now I'm gonna strip down the chassis again and fit the new wheels and try to save the other set.

More soon Lez.       

[MrWolf]

New tools is always good, more new tools is even better.

[lezz01]

So postie also brought me another little eBay item I brought on Sunday. It's a part built Johnson 0-4-4T. It was advertised without instructions and only 3 photos 2 were of the box and one of the part completed loco sitting on the box. So I asked the vendor if he would post a few more pics of the other parts so I could see what was missing, after a bit of faffing around he sent me some more pics but they were of a 1F and after a bit of back and forth eventually he sent me some more pics and said that he had another kit of the same and all the bits were mixed up but would sort it out for the winner. Me as it happened!

Now it didn't look complete but there looked to be enough there to build a nice loco so I was quite pleased to get it for £42. 

Here it is. As you can see it's a bit of a hybrid but nothing I can't sort out. It also has a set of Gibson frames and a set of Ultrascale wheels. 

I was quite happy with that as it stood. However what was also in the box was this little beauty.

Yes it's another Johnson 0-4-4T this one is completely untouched and 100% complete.

BOGOF Happy HAPPY days. I asked the vendor if he had made a mistake and he told me that they were part of a job lot he'd picked up and as he had done quite well out of it he couldn't be assed with the rest. Not only that but he'd also done quite well on the 1F and he was happy with that and wished me happy modelling. So 2 loco kits 1 set of Gibson frames and a full set of Ultrascale wheels all for £42.

HAPPY HAPPY DAYS!!!

It has to be my best every deal ever on eBay.... and people on here recon eBay is C**P.

Lez.

 

[MrWolf]

That's a great result there Lez.  I don't know why people say eBay is crap, I've had some great stuff from there for very little money and made surprising amounts on items that I didn't think would sell.

Yes there's some overpriced rubbish on there, which can be amusing, but nobody is forcing you to buy it!

[lezz01]

I know Wolfy. There's one of these Craftsman kits up there right now for, wait for it...£275....I mean really? Like WTF. I have 4 of these to build now and I haven't paid more than £150 for all four of them, two of them had nice motors and gearboxes and 3 of them had wheels as well, one of them has one built chassis and another untouched chassis etch with it. There's a Falcon Brass 1F that's been up for sale for about 3 years now for £95 that's never going to sell when it's up against MPD and Craftsman versions of the 1F that go for less than £60 with wheels and motors. Like you say no one is making you pay for over priced stuff on eBay if it's too much you just laugh at the vendors and wait a couple of weeks and buy things for a quarter of the price it's as simple as that. People who bag eBay out don't really understand how eBay works so they bag it out at every turn totally missing out on all the good points of the system. I've been been buying and selling on eBay for years and years. I've only overpaid for one item and I've never made a loss on anything I've sold and I've always had 100% feedback. eBay rocks as far as I'm concerned.

Lez. 

[Enterprisingwestern]

8 hours ago, lezz01 said:

So postie also brought me another little eBay item I brought on Sunday. It's a part built Johnson 0-4-4T. It was advertised without instructions and only 3 photos 2 were of the box and one of the part completed loco sitting on the box. So I asked the vendor if he would post a few more pics of the other parts so I could see what was missing, after a bit of faffing around he sent me some more pics but they were of a 1F and after a bit of back and forth eventually he sent me some more pics and said that he had another kit of the same and all the bits were mixed up but would sort it out for the winner. Me as it happened!

Now it didn't look complete but there looked to be enough there to build a nice loco so I was quite pleased to get it for £42. 

Here it is. As you can see it's a bit of a hybrid but nothing I can't sort out. It also has a set of Gibson frames and a set of Ultrascale wheels. 

I was quite happy with that as it stood. However what was also in the box was this little beauty.

Yes it's another Johnson 0-4-4T this one is completely untouched and 100% complete.

BOGOF Happy HAPPY days. I asked the vendor if he had made a mistake and he told me that they were part of a job lot he'd picked up and as he had done quite well out of it he couldn't be assed with the rest. Not only that but he'd also done quite well on the 1F and he was happy with that and wished me happy modelling. So 2 loco kits 1 set of Gibson frames and a full set of Ultrascale wheels all for £42.

HAPPY HAPPY DAYS!!!

It has to be my best every deal ever on eBay.... and people on here recon eBay is C**P.

Lez.

 

 

Don't tell @hayfield!

 

Mike.

[MJI]

11 hours ago, lezz01 said:

So postie also brought me another little eBay item I brought on Sunday. It's a part built Johnson 0-4-4T. It was advertised without instructions and only 3 photos 2 were of the box and one of the part completed loco sitting on the box. So I asked the vendor if he would post a few more pics of the other parts so I could see what was missing, after a bit of faffing around he sent me some more pics but they were of a 1F and after a bit of back and forth eventually he sent me some more pics and said that he had another kit of the same and all the bits were mixed up but would sort it out for the winner. Me as it happened!

Now it didn't look complete but there looked to be enough there to build a nice loco so I was quite pleased to get it for £42. 

Here it is. As you can see it's a bit of a hybrid but nothing I can't sort out. It also has a set of Gibson frames and a set of Ultrascale wheels. 

I was quite happy with that as it stood. However what was also in the box was this little beauty.

Yes it's another Johnson 0-4-4T this one is completely untouched and 100% complete.

BOGOF Happy HAPPY days. I asked the vendor if he had made a mistake and he told me that they were part of a job lot he'd picked up and as he had done quite well out of it he couldn't be assed with the rest. Not only that but he'd also done quite well on the 1F and he was happy with that and wished me happy modelling. So 2 loco kits 1 set of Gibson frames and a full set of Ultrascale wheels all for £42.

HAPPY HAPPY DAYS!!!

It has to be my best every deal ever on eBay.... and people on here recon eBay is C**P.

Lez.

 

 

Jammy

 

I have been after one for a while, but not paying over 200 for one!!!!

[MrWolf]

21 minutes ago, MJI said:

 

Jammy

 

I have been after one for a while, but not paying over 200 for one!!!!

 

Even if you had sufficient disposable income and sufficient desire to own one, I think that any right minded person would feel a little ashamed of paying way over the odds for something that has no practical value.

 

Although there is a theory that the perceived value of certain things is in possessing something that others don't.

 

In my case both the logic brain and bank balance rule my purchases.

 

That and the possibility of being chased round the garden by a slightly unhinged girl armed with a sword...

[lezz01]

36 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

That and the possibility of being chased round the garden by a slightly unhinged girl armed with a sword...

Well yes that'll certainly concentrate the mind won't it?!

Lez.

[MrWolf]

8 minutes ago, lezz01 said:

Well yes that'll certainly concentrate the mind won't it?!

Lez.

 

It certainly does. But you might be surprised by what I do get away with buying!

[MJI]

59 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

Even if you had sufficient disposable income and sufficient desire to own one, I think that any right minded person would feel a little ashamed of paying way over the odds for something that has no practical value.

 

Although there is a theory that the perceived value of certain things is in possessing something that others don't.

 

In my case both the logic brain and bank balance rule my purchases.

 

That and the possibility of being chased round the garden by a slightly unhinged girl armed with a sword...

 

Since I am after two different 044T, may just get LRM one only

[lezz01]

I think that you are after an LMS 2P are you not? If so you may find this eBay item of use Martin.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324513738716?var=513573837026

Lez.

[MJI]

4 minutes ago, lezz01 said:

I think that you are after an LMS 2P are you not? If so you may find this eBay item of use Martin.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324513738716?var=513573837026

Lez.

 

Rough print, not bothered.

 

Just collecting small engines of that sort of area.

 

Got 40540

Want 41900 58071 and 41157

 

In the works are railcars 33 / 38 and a Swindon Inter City set for Snow Hill to South Wales.

[1466]

27 minutes ago, MJI said:

 

Rough print, not bothered.

 

Just collecting small engines of that sort of area.

 

Got 40540

Want 41900 58071 and 41157

 

In the works are railcars 33 / 38 and a Swindon Inter City set for Snow Hill to South Wales.

Are the railcars a 3D print or a cut and shut a la MRJ number 6 ?

[MJI]

28 minutes ago, 1466 said:

Are the railcars a 3D print or a cut and shut a la MRJ number 6 ?

 

White metal kit of one car and a modded Lima for the other.

 

The layout is more 1980s and most steam locos are very clean. But I do like a few older ones.