Lancaster Green Ayre - The Barn Owls have returned.

[jamie92208]

Thanks very much for that. I will be googling later.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Evening all and I hope you are all OK.  We've been on lockdown here for 6 days and it has it's upsides.   Even though the boss has kept mentioning the G word (gardening) I have been able to get into the shed and actually do some modelling.  I want to get the 2F and 2-4-0 finished but need to clear the work bench.   So yesterday and today I got stuck into the two ABS LNWR 5 plank wagons.   Yesterday I actually managed to fir the four wagon ends with Adrian Swain's patent design of sprung buffers made from drawing pins and brass tube.   This evening I went back into the shed and after working out how to press the bearings into the white metal axle boxes  I tack soldered the first wagon together.

It still needs a good bit of work but it actually rolled down the track and went nicely through a set of points. I haven't used Adrian's favourite corrugated plastic for the wagon floor but have used a piece of thin ply.  I need to find a scriber to convert the pencil lines to planking lines.

This shows the aforementioned patent sprung buffer arrangement.   All in all I was rather pleased when it ran sweetly.   It now needs finishing off and the second one sorting.

 

Jamie

 

 

Edited July 30, 2022 by jamie92208

[MrWolf]

Good to see you soldiering on, it's made me look at the pile of kits and slightly battered second hand items I have here. Not very exciting, but I have no excuse to avoid fitting 3 link couplings to everything I have now and progress is good. The UK lockdown means that today is the last day for a while that I have been able to hurtle across the old greyhound bridge out of Green Ayre on the motorcycle and wish there were still trains on it instead.

[jamie92208]

Nice to hear from the County Palatine.  I hope you stay well.   Good luck with the 3 links.  If I could find the frets I really ought to use some of the time to fit my autocouplings to the wagons that need to be shunted.  After much deliberation  and experimentation I decided to go for Spratt and Winkle, mainly on strength grounds as I have quite a few heavy white metal wagons.  I bought the neccessary stuff from Andrew at Wizard but the frets are buried somewhere.  Perhaps they will turn up.  The extra laser cut gates and fencing items are now en route from Poppy's  and the tender for the 4F has been ordered.  Also a pack of bow pens bought on Ebay arrived yesterday so I have no excuse not to line out the 2-4-0 apart from idleness.

 

Hope you all stay safe out there.

 

Jamie

Edited March 24, 2020 by jamie92208

[bbishop]

Jamie,

I make a rectangular brass floor and solder it to the sides and ends.  Then the ply floor is glues on top.  Bill

[jamie92208]

More time spent in the shed today and I managed to get the second LNWR 4 planker together.  That called for a celebration so they were taken to the layout and the nearest loco was purloined to give them a run through some pointwork.

 

Not the most appropriate loco but it did the job.

311 was the first loco that Tony Bond built for me.  The I posed them in the goods yard.  

 

They ran rather nicely and will certainly not need weight.   One is to be lettered LNWR and the other will have the illiteracy symbols.  It was nice to actually run a train for a bit, albeit a rather short one.

 

Jamie

Edited July 30, 2022 by jamie92208

[roundhouse]

Jamie

 

You may already be on this Facebook site but didnt see your name, so just in case. Some superb images of Green Ayr and the route of the elctrics although some sad ones after closure.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2513168135663356/?multi_permalinks=2514308678882635%2C2514142902232546%2C2513957092251127%2C2513933422253494%2C2513799922266844&notif_id=1585463779022598&notif_t=group_activity

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, roundhouse said:

Jamie

 

You may already be on this Facebook site but didnt see your name, so just in case. Some superb images of Green Ayr and the route of the elctrics although some sad ones after closure.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2513168135663356/?multi_permalinks=2514308678882635%2C2514142902232546%2C2513957092251127%2C2513933422253494%2C2513799922266844&notif_id=1585463779022598&notif_t=group_activity

Thanks very much for that Ian.  I joined a couple of days ago and have made a few comments.  How unlike me.....

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Another day in lockdown so some more modelling after other orders had been obeyed.    The two LNWR wagons are now in dark grey and I have even made an attempt at making the interior of one look like faded deal using grey paint and a dark earth wash.    This cleared the workbench. yesterday I did a lot of tidying up looking for some Spratt and Winkle couplings.   No sign of the two new etches but plenty of other things turned up.  

 

However once the desk was a bit clearer I started to reassemble 3182, the Mercian 2F.  This was painted in the summer but has not been put back together.  It actually ran unpainted in November 2018.  First off was fitting the wheels to the loco.  That went fine till I tried to turn the rear set and the crank pin heads fouled on the overlay plates that represent the ashpan.  Another bit of poor design.   A bit of work with a slitting disk got that sorted.  It's the bright areas in this photo.

That was then painted over.  The motor was then installed, and once I'd identified the loose motor lead I proved that it ran working via the pick ups from the track.   Of course I'd got the two leads the wrong way round but that was sorted PDQ and it ran as a 4-2-0 single OK.   Rods were fitted and it ran OK once it had loosened up.   I still need to do a few jobs like putting the crests/ numberplates/ MR on the bufferbeam/ buffers and also fit the backhead, crew, coal and cab roof.   However I couldn't resist this photo.

It's starting to look OK at last.

Oh and a big thank you to Rail-Online he's PM'd me to say that I've fitted the axleboxes on the LNWR wagons upside down.  That's another little job to sort.

 

Jamie

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2022 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

A bit more got done during the day.  In the morning I spent some time gluing various plates onto the loco and tender.  As they were on different ends and sides I had to wait for the araldite to dry on each before moving on.  In the afternoon it was time to get some coal into the tender.  As a humble goods loco I don't feel that a tender filled with the tender piled high with large lumps.   I have a coffee jar half full of carefully washed coal from Prince of Wales Colliery at Pontefract.   However that's all quite large stuff obviously fit for Lordly Compounds and other express locos.

 

I did have a large lump of coal donated by the Middleton Railway.   I decided to wrap it up in a towel and hammer it, this was the result.

I then needed to sieve it but didn't have a sieve.   However I had a brain fart and made one out of an old vegetable can using a drill press.   It did the job.

There is plenty of dust and small coal left for further goods locos.  Some coal was then put in the tender including a bit round the filler.  Photos show quite a bit in that area. The evening sun helped to light them. I even had a tender capacity plate.

I didn't have time to put everything together but it's coming on.

 

Jamie

Edited July 30, 2022 by jamie92208

[lezz01]

Nice Jamie. It's very nearly there isn't it!?

Regards Lez. 

[Dave Hunt]

Looking good Jamie.

 

Dave

[Compound2632]

21 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

I did have a large lump of coal donated by the Middleton Railway.   I decided to wrap it up in a towel and hammer it, this was the result.

 

I then needed to sieve it but didn't have a sieve.   However I had a brain fart and made one out of an old vegetabe can using a drill press.   It did the job.

 

Thank you for that. I've been staring at my lump of coal* wondering how to grade it once smashed with the lump hammer, without contaminating kitchenware beyond redemption (mine). I'll be drilling by hand, unfortunately.

 

*On and off - rather more off than on. Certainly not continuously you understand.

[jamie92208]

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Thank you for that. I've been staring at my lump of coal* wondering how to grade it once smashed with the lump hammer, without contaminating kitchenware beyond redemption (mine). I'll be drilling by hand, unfortunately.

 

*On and off - rather more off than on. Certainly not continuously you understand.

As a fully paid up member of the cowards club i decided that I dare not ask the domestic authorities for the use of kitchenware especially when there is no escape from supervision at the moment. Needs must.

 

Jamie

[lezz01]

I'm the cook so I just took the sieve and brought a new one. Well if you were married to Mrs. Z you would have brought a new one too. I actually have a small set of kitchen implements that are used for modeling so I don't get into any strife over using baking trays to dry mud in the oven, annealing brass in a frying pan, melting lead in a saucepan that sort of thing. I also have a coffee grinder and that is so useful I can't even begin to tell you.    

Regards Lez. 

[Compound2632]

2 minutes ago, lezz01 said:

dry mud in the oven

 

That'll be your modelling oven, I presume?

[jamie92208]

Well another day and a bit more progress.   I got the axleboxes back on the two LNWR wagons, the right way up this time and got the ironwork painted.   On the loco I managed to find the missing buffer and got the tender assembled and oiled.  Two missing sandpipes were replaced on the loco chassis and I made a start on painting the backhead detail and cab interior.   Once todays paint is dry I can carry on with that tomorrow.  I also need to find the salter balances for the safety valves.   They are probably with the mountain of 12BA steel nuts from Slaters crankpins that is somewhere.  

 

In other news we actually had  a postal delivery today and there was a nice surprise for me.  A Ragstone Models 3500 gallon Johnson tender kit to go with the 4F.   That does lift the spirits, only 10 days after I ordered it.

 

Jamie

[lezz01]

47 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

That'll be your modelling oven, I presume?

What SHE don't know don't hurt me. I do have a gas burner but no oven. Now if I could find an old Baby Belling...........!

Regards Lez. 

[MrWolf]

33 minutes ago, lezz01 said:

What SHE don't know don't hurt me. I do have a gas burner but no oven. Now if I could find an old Baby Belling...........!

Regards Lez. 

What she don't know she will probably use her vivid imagination for, be warned!

[lezz01]

Sounds like you know her LOL

Regards Lez.

[jamie92208]

A bit more got done today in between other tasks.  More of the cab interior has been painted, couplings, salter safety valves and whistle attached.  Can anyone tell me what colur the horizontal beams on the safety valves should be. The uprights are of course brass.  The wagons are now ready for lettering though I've now discovered that the D84's didn't carry the illiteracy symbol. 

 

The post also brought somthing good today. The new fencing panels and gates from Poppy's.  

 

Hopefully more tomorrow.

 

Jamie

[Dave Hunt]

Black.

 

Dave

[Compound2632]

22 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

The wagons are now ready for lettering though I've now discovered that the D84's didn't carry the illiteracy symbol. 

 

Could do. Large-scale production of D84 started in 1907; the large LNWR lettering was adopted from Feb 1908; the diamonds were omitted from wagons painted after 1910 [C. Northedge (ed), LNWR Wagons Vol. 1 (Wild Swan, 2001)]. Wagons with diamonds as well as the LNWR were still common enough after the grouping. LNWR Wagons has a photo taken at Garston Docks c. 1909-10 which shows two D84s with diamonds and LNWR lettering - Nos. 24014 and 30642.

 

Lettering is:

Top plank, centred above the axleboxes: 10                           TONS

Middle two planks: L N W R evenly spaced, with N W filling the full width between the door hinges

Second plank from bottom: diamonds, positioned above the end-most spring shoe.

 

Of course there were many D84s built after 1910; these would never have had the diamonds.

Edited April 3, 2020 by Compound2632

[jamie92208]

Thanks very much for that Stephen.  I will trawl the transfer sheet that I've got to try and find the right ones.  What a marvellous  resource RMweb us when you no longer have access to a club library.

 

Jamie

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Evening all.   A red letter day as day 18 of lockdown draws to a close.   I did manage to spend a good bit of time modelling today.  The morning and a bit of the afternoon was spent putting transfers onto the D 84 wagons.  Very faffy job, especially the individual numbers.  However the results were worthwhile.  I was also bobbing across to the shed and doing little jobs to the 2F. The end result was worth it.

 

The wagons will be formed in the transfer freights from Castle to Green Ayre so I decided to pose them on the Castle Branch. After tea I even managed to get across and run the new train down the branch and back up and all three ran well though the loco needs a good running in session.

It's very satisfying to see the results of about 18 months work actually running.  I think I need to clean the track as well.   The loco still needs a few finishing touches.   I don't have any crew at the moment and until I know what working the loco is going to be on I can't fit lamps.  I really must paint the edges of the cab roof.

 

The wagons look good but I need to find some loads for them.   I'm now looking at the 4F and really must try and get the 2-4-0 finished.   Somewhere in a crate is my scratchbuilt 5 coach close coupled clerestory suburban set.  That really could do with being sorted out as well.   Where am I going to get the time from.    

 

Anyway if any of you are on Facebook there is a new group called " The Lancaster to Morecambe and Heysham Electrics"

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2513168135663356/?multi_permalinks=2519263745053795&notif_id=1586014001290181&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic

The above link should take you there.   Whilst I've nothing better to do I've started writing about the history of the electrification and posting photos of the engineering drawings.  I'm trying to do an update later on each afternoon.

 

Jamie

Edited July 30, 2022 by jamie92208