Chuffnell Regis

[Graham T]

Here's the first bogey completed.  It runs nice and freely, which is a good sign.  I'll build the other tomorrow, and then see if I can get them to play nicely with the coach itself.

 

 

Edited November 27, 2023 by Graham T

[MrWolf]

 

You don't want to know how long it took to find the clean version!

[Fishplate]

13 hours ago, Graham T said:

evidence of a leap forward at Chuffnell Regis.  My first successful attempt at low temp soldering, using some scrap whitemetal and brass etch. 

 

Coach is looking great Graham.

 

Half the problem with trying something new is the self doubt that it's bound not to work. I've found things often work out better than one anticipates. 

10 hours ago, Graham T said:

Here's the first bogey completed. 

7 hours ago, MrWolf said:

You don't want to know how long it took to find the clean version!

 

From the difference in time on the posts, maximum three hours ? Hope that helps? I like a challenge 😁

[Compound2632]

On 12/11/2023 at 21:05, BWsTrains said:

 

In that regard, to quote from the usually reliable http://igg.org.uk/rail/7-fops/fo-cattle.htm 

 

"Cattle were sometimes moved as a block load up to the end of the railway's involvement in this traffic in 1975 but most cattle wagons travelled in small numbers attached to goods trains (occasionally to passenger trains on branch lines, these had to be XP rated vehicles of course). They would generally be found together at the locomotive end as this meant the loco could take them directly to the cattle dock on arrival where the animals could be fed and watered. Also, as cattle wagons were often fitted with vacuum brakes, marshalling them at the head of the train, whether full or empty, meant their brakes could be used.

 

Sorry, coming to this a bit late, but I think the above is a bit confused, despite the usual reliability of that site, in respect of cattle wagons working in passenger trains. Such vehicles would have to be either vacuum* braked or piped; in the former case, their brakes would be operable whether the wagon was marshalled at the head or tail of the train. I'm not sure exactly what the rules were on piped vehicles at the tail of the train - if they became detached, they would not be automatically braked. Rules may have changed over time. A difficulty with running a cattle wagon at the head of a passenger train in the winter months would have been that, as far as I'm aware, none had through steam heating pipes. 

 

*Westinghouse, in some areas.

 

On feeding and watering, there were Rules made by the Board of Agriculture under various Prevention of Disease (Animals) Acts, notably that of 1869, that governed how long they could travel before being fed and watered, and got up if down. This only really affected long distance journeys and the companies had certain stations at which suitable facilities were provided. I don't think this would have been done casually by setting cattle wagons off the train into the cattle dock of a wayside station, except in an emergency. 

 

As to marshalling at the head of the train, my understanding is that this was to avoid too rough a ride for the animals in a loose-coupled goods train, rather than for convenience in shunting. Cattle wagons had screw couplings, at least from around the turn of the century.  

[Graham T]

I built the second bogey, and did some testing.  Mixed results...  

 

The coach doesn't like being propelled through some of my pointwork, but I think that's down to my appallingly bad track-laying (hence the need for CR Mk II).  Being pulled it moves just fine.

 

 

It also runs very freely, as you can see from this short video (sorry about the poor focus).  This clip also shows of course another fault with CR Mk I, in that it's not level!

 

 

So, I think the next step will be to add the underframe bits and pieces. and I also need to give some thought to couplings.  I'm not completely happy with the magnetic solution that I've been using on my other corridor coaches, and am thinking about switching to the Hornby close couplings.  Unfortunately the bogies on the Wheeltapper coaches have no provision for a NEM pocket, so I will need to come up with something creative...

 

 

[88C]

MJT do etched brass generic NEM coupling pockets, I have used them on some Comet bogies. Look on the www.dartcastings.co.uk website.

 They need a bit of planning to fit them but if you can do that coach you will find a way.

 

 

Brian

[RobAllen]

27 minutes ago, 88C said:

MJT do etched brass generic NEM coupling pockets

Assuming that I've found the right part on their site, I do like this comment in the downloadable instructions:

"It is anticipated that resourceful modellers might find alternative ways of using the tongue."
 

[MrWolf]

8 minutes ago, RobAllen said:

"It is anticipated that resourceful modellers might find alternative ways of using the tongue."
 

 

 

'Nuff said....

[Graham T]

41 minutes ago, 88C said:

MJT do etched brass generic NEM coupling pockets, I have used them on some Comet bogies. Look on the www.dartcastings.co.uk website.

 They need a bit of planning to fit them but if you can do that coach you will find a way.

 

 

Brian

 

Thanks Brian, I'll take a look.

 

[Graham T]

3 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

 

'Nuff said....

 

You beat me to it!

 

[Graham T]

I got a little bit more done to the coach this evening.  First added some ready painted Preiser figures; they're HO but I don't think that will matter too much.

 

 

And I've also made a start on the underframe.  Just fitted the trusses and battery boxes so far.  Rather annoyingly, one of the spring hangers (?) was missing from one of the bogies, as you can see in the photo above.  I'll have to see if I can fabricate something to replace it.

 

 

 

[Graham T]

All the underframe parts have now been added.  A couple of stout lengths of plastic rod are supplied with the kit for the brake cylinders, but they were too deep, and I wasn't able to get a good enough grip on them to trim them down with a razor saw, so I opted to replace them by raiding the spares box.

 

 

And a view of everything in place.  I've no idea if this is even remotely accurate but it's what the instructions told me to do!  I still have to figure out a way of re-instating the missing spring hanger on one of the bogies.

 

[Tortuga]

Thin piece of wire drilled into the end of, and hanging down from the spring, then put a small blob of filler on the end of the wire, leave to dry, then file to shape?

[BroadLeaves]

On 27/11/2023 at 20:18, Graham T said:

Here's the first bogey completed.  It runs nice and freely,

 

 

 

Well, that's a good result, and definitely not one to be sniffed at!

[Graham T]

3 hours ago, Tortuga said:

Thin piece of wire drilled into the end of, and hanging down from the spring, then put a small blob of filler on the end of the wire, leave to dry, then file to shape?

 

That sounds like a good plan (and is actually similar to what I had in mind - honestly!)  Except I was thinking about using a scrap of whitemetal for the "blob".

 

[Graham T]

The missing spring hanger has been replaced - for a blob of whitemetal it looks ok from normal viewing distance, I think.  Next step is some more paint, then to add the lamp irons and rails to the ends, before I tackle the sides...

 

 

[Tortuga]

Looks better than the “blob” of whitemetal at t’other end of the bogie and pretty indistinguishable from the two in between - good work sir!

[Graham T]

31 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

Looks better than the “blob” of whitemetal at t’other end of the bogie and pretty indistinguishable from the two in between - good work sir!

It’s not the sharpest of castings to be fair!

 

[Tortuga]

As long as it passes the normal viewing distance test, it’s fine!

[Neal Ball]

I’ve been away / intermittent WiFi for two weeks - what did I miss?

 

In a quick squint through…. I think I saw Cattle; Tongue and Bogie…. Anything else? Phew caught up, good show 😎

[Graham T]

14 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

I’ve been away / intermittent WiFi for two weeks - what did I miss?

 

In a quick squint through…. I think I saw Cattle; Tongue and Bogie…. Anything else? Phew caught up, good show 😎

Welcome back to Chuffnell R Neal! I’m away for a week now with work, so I’m afraid there won’t be much going on here.

 

[Neal Ball]

36 minutes ago, Graham T said:

Welcome back to Chuffnell R Neal! I’m away for a week now with work, so I’m afraid there won’t be much going on here.

 

 

Have a good week away Graham.

[longchap]

On 03/12/2023 at 13:24, Graham T said:

Welcome back to Chuffnell R Neal! I’m away for a week now with work, so I’m afraid there won’t be much going on here.

 

 

Well done Graham and wrap up warm wherever you're going. Hopefully this means you're no longer quite as inbetween jobs.

 

 

Edited December 5, 2023 by longchap

[John Besley]

On 02/12/2023 at 12:27, Graham T said:

It’s not the sharpest of castings to be fair!

 

Of cource if you turn that boige away from the normal viewing side you'll never notice it anyway 😉

[Graham T]

On 03/12/2023 at 14:35, longchap said:

 

Well done Graham and wrap up warm wherever you're going. Hopefully this means you're no longer quite as inbetween jobs.

 

 

 

Thanks Bill.  It was a good week of work, and might hopefully lead to some more next year, but there's still nothing definite on the horizon...