LNERGE Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 I have a fairly extensive model railway and am able to put together some pretty authentic formations etc. The whole layout is track circuited and signalled with each section having asymmetric braking etc I can easily run four trains on each line despite different speed settings or length. If I shunt or offer conflicting routes everything comes to a stand at the protecting signals etc. All very good fun make and certainly fun to watch. My eight year old wingman has mastered control of all this and clearly enjoys operating the railway. The problem is I think he is missing out on some of the fun of a tabletop trainset. I remember the hours of fun I had with mine at that age. I had the Triang operating ore wagon set and Mail coach and these brought some animation to the operation. We really haven’t got room to have another model railway in the house so any working system like the operating ore wagon is going to have to be on my layout. The first obstacle is the wagons themselves. The Steamroller wheels seem to object to my track. Changing the wheels isn’t as simple as with other wagons. I’ve come up with a crude solution that allows newer wheels with acceptable performance. The old axles are pushed out and discarded. A small length of brass tube is pushed into the axle box hole and trimmed off allowing support of the new axle With a little lubrication I find the wagon will start to roll on my gradients if released. I consider this acceptable performance with regard to friction. There is a significant change to how the wagons run on the layout too. Now to my self induced problems… I used second hand wheels from my spares box. Some had been modified with conductive paint to make the axle live for pick up purposes. I simply didn’t pay attention to this. All was going well then suddenly the was smoke and a bright light appear under one wagon. The insulation on the axle actually melted. it turns out the route of the short circuit was via several wagons and their metal couplings and metal chassis and was quite intermittent. Investigations revealed this problem existed on several wagons but had only manifested itself on one. With this problem with the wheelsets cured I decided to fit plastic couplings on some wagons to remove any chance of bringing the asymmetric brake sections. They are proving difficult to find for some reason so only a few have been done. So far the rake of hoppers seems to work nicely. Next is to find a site for the unloading facility. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted February 28, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 28, 2022 If you use 2mm Id brass tube you can solder a pin point bearing in the end, so when pushed in you will have an even freer running chassis. Mike. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted March 1, 2022 Author Share Posted March 1, 2022 (edited) I finally got to a toy fair on Sunday and was able to get a few more hoppers. Unfortunately they all had the early Triang couplings so a bit more involved to update. Also I’m having difficulty finding couplings and the ones used are longer than I’d like. Edited March 1, 2022 by LNERGE 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted March 1, 2022 Author Share Posted March 1, 2022 The hoppers on test.. https://www.flickr.com/photos/32297024@N08/51911610926/in/photostream 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halvarras Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 ISTR on another thread about rewheeling these older Tri-ang wagons with cast metal chassis that Peco 'Hardlon' bearings (R-15, £2.26 for 25 from Peco direct) may be a solution worth considering, and would permit the fitting of standard pinpoint axle wheelsets. Tack them into the axle holes with a less-than-instant setting glue to adjust them to run freely, then when set stick a bit of filler in the axle holes, file smooth and paint over (please note, I haven't done this myself so it may not be quite as simple as this, but it's what I would at least look into). Bachmann coupling availability is an ongoing problem, I usually stock up when they're about - the NEM straight plug-in couplings are often (not always) a quick fix for those droopy Heljan items! Right now I could do with some more short screw-on ones (36-025 I think?) and elsewhere on RMweb some wagon kit-builders are also seeking these, but last time I looked it wasn't clear when the next batch are due..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 There are also the Transcontinental bogie ones ! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted March 1, 2022 Author Share Posted March 1, 2022 16 minutes ago, Mark Saunders said: There are also the Transcontinental bogie ones ! I did see just one of these at the toyfair on Sunday. I was out with the full tribe and forgot to go back for it once they started nagging to go. I will give one a go in due course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium SR71 Posted March 1, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 1, 2022 1 hour ago, LNERGE said: The hoppers on test.. https://www.flickr.com/photos/32297024@N08/51911610926/in/photostream 10 yo me would have loved that. Although I remember the mess I made with 2! Depending on the load you have to modify the inside to stop it occasionally jamming the door as I recall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted March 1, 2022 Author Share Posted March 1, 2022 1 hour ago, SR71 said: 10 yo me would have loved that. Although I remember the mess I made with 2! Depending on the load you have to modify the inside to stop it occasionally jamming the door as I recall. What to use as a load is going to be a question. I seem to recall black plastic beads, possibly a raw material pellet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium SR71 Posted March 1, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 1, 2022 Yes that's what I had. Where it came from I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 They are probably plastic "beads", the raw material used for injection moulding. Hornby would obviously have this in the factory, as we had in my previous life! Might be worth visiting a haberdashers for some small, black, plastic beads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hodgson Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 Cat litter? Unused, obviously ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted March 1, 2022 Author Share Posted March 1, 2022 30 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said: Cat litter? Unused, obviously ! Definitely something not hygroscopic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Like the nice solid sounding clunk's as they pass over the paintwork. Regarding loads I have a tub of 'coloured mineral' used I think for the bottom of fish tanks. Bought years ago from I can't remember where unfortunately. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium uax6 Posted March 2, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 2, 2022 I re-wheeled various triang bits and bobs using the brass tube idea about 30 years ago now, and it worked really well. We used to use scale ballast as loads for them, fed from a hopper made from an original shaped Fairy Liquid bottle cut in have, with a crude cardboard 'valve' to turn off the flow. Add a shark ballast plough (with lots of weight added) you can have a nice ballast train. You might want to re-strict the opening of the doors though! Andy G 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, great central said: Like the nice solid sounding clunk's as they pass over the pointwork Regarding loads I have a tub of 'coloured mineral' used I think for the bottom of fish tanks. Bought years ago from I can't remember where unfortunately. Sorry double post, meant to edit a smelling corruption! Edited March 2, 2022 by great central Add sentence 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 They do sound rather chunky. They are growing on me. Thoughts turn to getting them painted etc. Grey with rust is first choice and a fictional private owner inscription. My search for a site for the unloading facility has been narrowed down to somewhere on the lower level of the layout. Unfortunately they seem to object going there. This section was an afterthought tunnelled down after the bulk of the layout was built. The next time I can get to run the railway I’ll investigate. There is rather a lot sticking out the side of these wagons and it’s possible something is catching. They travel the rest of the layout with ease including both return loops. The lower one is a bit tight on clearance for some stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted March 3, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 3, 2022 26 minutes ago, LNERGE said: They do sound rather chunky. They are growing on me. Thoughts turn to getting them painted etc. Grey with rust is first choice and a fictional private owner inscription. My search for a site for the unloading facility has been narrowed down to somewhere on the lower level of the layout. Unfortunately they seem to object going there. This section was an afterthought tunnelled down after the bulk of the layout was built. The next time I can get to run the railway I’ll investigate. There is rather a lot sticking out the side of these wagons and it’s possible something is catching. They travel the rest of the layout with ease including both return loops. The lower one is a bit tight on clearance for some stock. I don't think you're trying hard enough, in the days of long ago, mine went on one side of a 6 x 4 board, a saggy one at that, including the ramp! Mike. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 A setback after this running session. I can’t get round 11 hoppers and a brake van in the run round loop on the lower level. Everything is arranged with uncoupling ramps etc so operation down there doesn’t need the big hand. I guess one hopper is going to sit around in a siding. The wagons made several journeys between the upper and lower levels with no problems. More to the point the train wasn’t too heavy for a single class 25 to bring back up. I wonder how much difference there will be with the hoppers loaded? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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