THE RAMCHESTER CHRONICLES

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Made a bit more progress on the BG this afternoon and I am now working on the brake cylinders and brake gear. This is not going as well as I expected as the brake cylinders supplied with the kit appear to be somewhat over scale. However by doing a lot of fettling I think that I can get away with them as they will not really be seen once on the layout..

 

 

 

Howard too has been a busy bee this afternoon too and has fitted the downspout and hopper to the station building. He will post a picture later on this evening.

Hi Rod,

 

I mix and match underframe parts as I am using my Limas

 

I use a combination of ABS and/or Peter Cowling parts so that they look right on the Limas - if you are not happy with what comes with the kit, then I can recommend these two suppliers for those parts. I also have some etch and plastic parts from Easybuild et al too - talk about Heinz 57!

 

Mind you when painted black and weathered such details scale down and/or disappear.

 

Looking forward to some more photos too.

 

Kindest,

 

CME

Edited November 6, 2014 by CME and Bottlewasher

[railwayrod]

I have considered using other parts and I may well do this. The only "problem" with this idea is the amount of time it takes to order bits and the delay created by the post office with delivery!

 

Howard suggested Peter Cowling as he used some of these parts on his LMS brake coach featured earlier on this thread.

 

Thanks again for your suggestions.

 

Rod

[HSB]

Here's a pic of the first downpipe in position:-

 

 

With regards to Rod's coach the diameter of the brake cylinders supplied scale out around 6" too wide. On checking Peter Cowling's list I note that he not only does brake cylinders but also the guards periscopes. These are also too large as well as the wrong shape in the Easybuild kit!

 

 

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Here's a pic of the first downpipe in position:-

 

DSCF0323 (675x800).jpg

 

With regards to Rod's coach the diameter of the brake cylinders supplied scale out around 6" too wide. On checking Peter Cowling's list I note that he not only does brake cylinders but also the guards periscopes. These are also too large as well as the wrong shape in the Easybuild kit!

Lovely work Howard!

 

On the parts issue, it's ABS or Westdale then - if you and Rod wish to replace them.

 

Kindest,

 

CME

[HSB]

Thanks, CME.

 

I have both the ABS and Westdale price lists and neither list BR vacuum cylinders or periscopes! I was quite impressed by the quality of the castings I got from Peter Cowling last year so I will recommend to Rod that he contacts him.

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Thanks, CME.

 

I have both the ABS and Westdale price lists and neither list BR vacuum cylinders or periscopes! I was quite impressed by the quality of the castings I got from Peter Cowling last year so I will recommend to Rod that he contacts him.

Hi Howard,

 

Peter's stuff is very good indeed - I have one of his CCT's.

 

Both Westdale and ABS sometimes need telephoning as they dont always stock and thus list those parts.

 

Adrian Swain is updating/reintroducing the Cavalier coach parts, yet as he is semi-retired I dont know how far he will go with such/cant remember the full story behind it all.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Kindest,

 

CME

[HSB]

I have now made the other two downpipes which have been temporarily pushed into position. Next session I will take them off again and paint them. I'm afraid I can't post any pictures due to problems with my computer!

 

[HSB]

OK, I've now solved my computer problems so here are a couple of pics taken today showing the new downpipes:-

 

 

[HSB]

I've now painted the downpipes and will fit them permanently next session. I can't believe the station building is almost finished at last!

I need to fit a few signs but the set that Rod has are a bit on the large size and seem more appropriate for Gauge 1. I will see if I can find some 00 ones I can use but I suspect they will all be too small!

I'm afraid that Rod had a frustrating afternoon as he managed to snap the end of a small drill off inside a ground-signal casting he was working on! Doh!!!

[railwayrod]

As Howard mentioned in his last post I had a problem with a broken drill which snapped off inside the hole. I was not happy with the vac cylinder castings on the BG so I decided to have a go at putting together a ground signal kit. This involved drilling holes with a no 76 drill in the frame which I managed successfully. The third hole was much more problematic as the casting at this point is nearly 0.25 inches thick with very little metal around the place where the hole needed to be drilled. All went well until I was about half way through when the end of the drill snapped inside the hole. There is not enough metal to drill a slightly larger hole through the casting so I am at a bit of a loss as to what I can do to overcome the situation. Has anyone got an answer?

 

I have contacted Peter Cowling re the parts I wish to replace on the BG and he has replied positively so I will be placing an order for the bits I need this week.

 

Rod

[HSB]

The downpipes have now been glued on so now it's just the signs to sort out although I think I may have overdone the birds**t on the roof!

 

 

 

 

[CME and Bottlewasher]

The downpipes have now been glued on so now it's just the signs to sort out although I think I may have overdone the birds**t on the roof!

 

DSCF0333 (800x467).jpg

Lovely work Howard!

[railwayrod]

Today I have ordered the bits and pieces that I require for the BG from Peter Cowling so as soon as they arrive I can push on with getting the floor finished.

 

Today I have been working on the head lights of my AEC truck but it has been very hard work. Still at least I have moved forward on a project which has been at a stand still for some time so maybe the BG has done me a favour.

 

Rod

[chaz]

As Howard mentioned in his last post I had a problem with a broken drill which snapped off inside the hole. I was not happy with the vac cylinder castings on the BG so I decided to have a go at putting together a ground signal kit. This involved drilling holes with a no 76 drill in the frame which I managed successfully. The third hole was much more problematic as the casting at this point is nearly 0.25 inches thick with very little metal around the place where the hole needed to be drilled. All went well until I was about half way through when the end of the drill snapped inside the hole. There is not enough metal to drill a slightly larger hole through the casting so I am at a bit of a loss as to what I can do to overcome the situation. Has anyone got an answer?

 

Rod

 

A broken drill in a white-metal casting? If there isn't a bit of the drill shank sticking out you have very little chance of getting it out. The bin awaits I'm afraid.

 

White-metal is notorious for this; the same property causes it to clog files. The best ploy is to lubricate the drill (spit is good!) and frequently withdraw it to clear the swarf.

 

Sorry I can't help more.

 

Chaz

[railwayrod]

Thanks Chaz for this piece of advice. I had similar thoughts on this but was reluctant to act in this way. Next time I will do as you suggest and spit on the drill at regular intervals LOL!

 

Rod

[HSB]

I'm going to put up a 'No Spitting' sign!!! 

 

We had another session this afternoon and I've been making up a 'way out' sign and assembling a bit more fencing while Rod's been working on his AEC lorry kit.

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Resin can be just as bad for this issue too.

[railwayrod]

Saw the Heart Specialist this week and he indicated that I was doing very well so much so that he need not see me again - I have been discharged from hospital! This was really good news and Maggie and I came out of the hospital elated. I still have to continue with my cardiac rehab but I now feel that I have reached another goal in my recovery.

 

I have placed an order with Peter Cowling for my replacement parts for the BG so will be able to continue with this model as soon as they arrive.

 

Rod

[puddlejumper]

That's really good news Rod, every day is another step on the road to recovery. Of course it means we can expect a significant increase in the modelling output ha ha ha

[railwayrod]

Hello Everyone.

 

Howard and I have had a further session this afternoon. He has been working on the station signs and on the new station fencing. I decided to clean all the track in readiness for a forthcoming meet in "Platform 2". I also took the opportunity to check that everything was working properly and discovered that on of the Peco point switches had become faulty. I am not too happy with these switches but am undecided what to do about them at present.

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Hello Everyone.

 

Howard and I have had a further session this afternoon. He has been working on the station signs and on the new station fencing. I decided to clean all the track in readiness for a forthcoming meet in "Platform 2". I also took the opportunity to check that everything was working properly and discovered that on of the Peco point switches had become faulty. I am not too happy with these switches but am undecided what to do about them at present.

Hi Rod,

 

Glad to hear of some preparations for fun.

 

Indeed certain types of Peco switch can be problematic - you arnt the only one.

 

Kindest,

 

CME

Edited November 25, 2014 by CME and Bottlewasher

[HSB]

We've had to replace several PECO point accessory switches over the last five years or so. They are not really fit for purpose. Unfortunately, as the point motors are clipped directly to the bottom of the points it would now be hard to change to another arrangement to change the frog polarity.

[railwayrod]

Howard is quite right when he says that it would be difficult to change to another system for altering the polarity of the frogs. The Peco point motors are fastened to the underside of the points and the switches clipped onto these. To undo the motors would require major work and would probably entail lifting some of the track. I am somewhat reluctant to attempt this as the layout generally works well and looks good (to my eyes). What is needed is some way of attaching a more reliable switch to the Peco motors in a fairly easy way. Any ideas?

 

Today the bits and pieces that I ordered from Peter Cowling arrived so my next task (once I have solved the switch problem - before the meet up) is to press on with the BG.

 

Rod

[ianwales]

Howard is quite right when he says that it would be difficult to change to another system for altering the polarity of the frogs. The Peco point motors are fastened to the underside of the points and the switches clipped onto these. To undo the motors would require major work and would probably entail lifting some of the track. I am somewhat reluctant to attempt this as the layout generally works well and looks good (to my eyes). What is needed is some way of attaching a more reliable switch to the Peco motors in a fairly easy way. Any ideas?

 

Today the bits and pieces that I ordered from Peter Cowling arrived so my next task (once I have solved the switch problem - before the meet up) is to press on with the BG.

 

Rod

 

Hi Rod

 

I would be tempted to disconnect the wire from the switch to each of the point frogs and re route them  to a frog juicer -

 

http://www.coastaldcc.co.uk/products/tamvalley/hex-frog-juicer-universal

 

you may find that you could accomplish that without disturbing the points and motors

 

Ian

[two tone green]

In my OO days I found the Peco slider type switch very unreliable but the microswitch type very good and only one needed adjustment in goodness knows how many years and this was due to one of the adjustment screws coming undone. Was fixed in under two minutes.