HSB Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 The first section of the new platform front has now been glued in position and the next section is well under way. 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 The next section of wall has now been assembled and is ready for painting next time. Rod has just finished assembling the buffers for his 'vanfit' and plans to paint them before fitting them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Came across this old mill in South Devon. Thought it might be of interest to modellers. I can just see a narrow gauge track curving around from the left in front of the building. Rod 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
asa Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 It's certainly inspiring Rod. A nice wee project recreating that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Howard and I had a further session this afternoon and a little more progress has been made. He worked on the platform wall painting the brickwork so the second section of this wall is now ready for fitting. He also did a little bit of ballasting where we had to dig out the original ballast to enable us to insert the new wall. In the meantime I continued with the vanfit which almost got the better of me. This Slater's kit belonged to our late friend Frank Ewen and had been lying in a drawer in his shed for several years. As a result the brass etches for the W irons had gone very mouldy and were covered in "Verdi grease". I spent nearly an hour cleaning up the first W iron at which point I decided to buy a new fret from Slater's. However in a fit of madness I said out loud "Frank, if you are up there looking down on me what do I do with this lot" A few moments later the word "Viakal" came into my head. I remembered that I had a long forgotten can of the stuff somewhere in my workshop so a hunting I did go and low and behold there it was at the back of the top shelf. I duly poured some into a clean jar and after cutting out the various pieces of the fret I dunked them into the liquid. After a short time and a little bit of agitation of the jar I lifted out the pieces, dried them off with a cloth and gave them a light rubbing over with a fibreglass brush - and - hey presto they are as good as new. This technique proved to be a very successful one and while it is not a new idea I pass it on for the benefit of anyone who has not used or heard of the stuff. So the buffers have been painted and the W irons are ready for assembly during the next session. I will post a picture next time of progress to date. Rod 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 (edited) HOT OFF THE PRESS Reports abound today that the Ramchester Branch is to close. A spokesman for the Ministry of Transport said that closure plans have been discussed for some time now and as the branch only operates on a few occasions it is no longer viable. Protesters have until 12.00 mid day today to register their concerns which will be taken into account. If no such protests arrive before the deadline then the line will close at the end of the month. To date no such objections have been received. Minister of Transport. 01/04/2015 Edited April 1, 2015 by railwayrod Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 (edited) ?!!! Edited April 1, 2015 by HSB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 Ramchester Residents Association have begun an angry protest march! Things could get very ugly! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DLT Posted April 1, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 1, 2015 I heard that the branch might be used for the testing of new high-speed train toilet discharge systems. Apparently the next generation of higher-speed trains will not now be fitted with on-board toilet storage tanks on order to keep the weight down, but will revert to the system of trackside discharge. Higher speeds wil affect this, and various methods are under development. Local residents whose allotments and gardens border the line are being consulted about the advantages for their rhubarb growing..... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 (edited) I heard that the branch might be used for the testing of new high-speed train toilet discharge systems. Apparently the next generation of higher-speed trains will not now be fitted with on-board toilet storage tanks on order to keep the weight down, but will revert to the system of trackside discharge. Higher speeds wil affect this, and various methods are under development. Local residents whose allotments and gardens border the line are being consulted about the advantages for their rhubarb growing..... Having been trackside when HST's went by we were always taught to look away as the HSTs were set up for their toilets to vent to air/ground (trackside discharge) - yuk! I was also tipped off to let others open the doors when getting on-board a HST as all that 'weathering' up the sides of the coaches isnt just brake dust and road dirt......again yuk! I also was relief negotiator for the 'Litter Clearance Contract', for litter read, yuk again (as most of it wasnt litter it was loo-roll and other matter - discharged in stations)! HOT OFF THE PRESS Reports abound today that the Ramchester Branch is to close. A spokesman for the Ministry of Transport said that closure plans have been discussed for some time now and as the branch only operates on a few occasions it is no longer viable. Protesters have until 12.00 mid day today to register their concerns which will be taken into account. If no such protests arrive before the deadline then the line will close at the end of the month. To date no such objections have been received. Minister of Transport. 01/04/2015 Interesting Rod, I hope it doesnt really mean closure!? If it does please accept this Post as formal protest LOL! Edited April 1, 2015 by CME and Bottlewasher Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddlejumper Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 It's possible i could be tempted to step in as an anonymous wealthy benefactor and save the line from closure...........damn I'm not anonymous am I?? I'm not wealthy either but hey ho, I too would like to register my formal protest Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 (edited) All this talk of HST's discharging effluent into the environment is enough to make one puke. No matter we all have to do it sometime whether it be on an HST or in our own bathroom! Well there we have it. There have been a number of objections to the closure such that the Minister has decided to reprieve the line for an indefinite period. Thank goodness for that. Just a spoof folks, after all it is April 1st!! Rod Edited April 1, 2015 by railwayrod 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DLT Posted April 1, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 1, 2015 So the talk of converting it into a Guided Busway was just a wicked rumour... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 (edited) This afternoon the staff of the Ramchester branch had a get together and in view of the indefinite postponement of the closure of the line decided to continue with construction. Howard has now fitted the second section of the station wall in place and has the third section well on the way. This will leave only a relative short piece to complete the job. There will be a further mammoth task to complete before the "renovations" are finished. This is the cutting of 15 feet worth of paving slabs to size and the fitting of a front edge to each slab. Phew!! The vanfit has also moved forward a little with the W irons folded and ready for the fillet of solder along the etched folding lines. The buffers have now been fitted to the van ends and despite me loosing one of the tiny springs (I have a packet of spares) the job went well. Next post I will put on a photo or two to show progress on the van and I know that Howard will do the same with the station wall, so watch this space. Rod Edited April 1, 2015 by railwayrod Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Guided Busway - this rumour has been circulating for some time now but.... However I have heard that the powers that be are planning to power all the steam trains with electricity. Can you believe that? Rod Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 (edited) Guided busways? - Does this mean I'll be able to use my bus pass to get to Ramchester? Anyway, enough of this April Fools Day nonsense; here's a pic of my progress on the platform wall. I left a short section near the joins at each end unpainted in case I needed to use a little filler or plastic cement after it was fixed in place. The next section is now complete and ready for painting and I have made a start on the final shorter section. Edited April 3, 2015 by HSB 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 All this talk of HST's discharging effluent into the environment is enough to make one puke. No matter we all have to do it sometime whether it be on an HST or in our own bathroom! Well there we have it. There have been a number of objections to the closure such that the Minister has decided to reprieve the line for an indefinite period. Thank goodness for that. Just a spoof folks, after all it is April 1st!! Rod Hi Rod, Thank goodness for April Fools jokes One point of note, shouldnt it be '...make one vomit...' and not '....make one puke....'? Happy Easter to one and all. CME Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Quite right CME. Happy Easter to you and your good lady and to anyone else who is reading this. Rod Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 A quick update as to what has been happening at Ramchester since my last post. Howard has done some more work on the station wall which is coming along fine I am pleased to say. It is not a five minute job and he has steadily worked on it each time we have a session. His biggest job remaining is the cutting of the paving slabs and the fitting of the front edge to them - all 15 feet of them!! I have done a bit more work on the vanfit and the buffers are now in place. The W irons have been folded and a fillet of solder added to the etch lines . They now need a clean up to remove excess solder and then I can get on with the fitting of the springs to give the van a fully sprung chassis. I have attached a picture of progress so far. Rod 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 On Good Friday Maggie and I wandered down to Torquay Harbour where two local lads were undertaking a fund raising feat for the RNLI. They had designed and built this contraption with the intention of cycling across Torbay from Brixham to Torquay. Their machine was for two people but one of our local councillors had a similar machine for one person. To make it more interesting and to give it a more competitive edge two runners set off at the same time together with a local MP and partner on a tandem to see who would get to Torquay first. There was a stiff breeze against the lads and the tide was going out making the crossing extremely difficult. However the two lads dept at it and won the race in 1 hour and 40 minutes. They raised over £2.000 for the RNLI which was really good. Two photos are attached. Rod 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 (edited) A bit more work was done on the platform this afternoon with a further section of wall painted and glued in place. Some more work was also done on the short final section and as I have decided to reduce the size of the paving slabs along the edge from 3' x 3' to 3' x 2' I have cut down the existing card slabs at the rear of the platform. As the rear wall of the platform cannot normally be seen I will leave it as it is. Edited April 7, 2015 by HSB 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Today we have both been making progress on Ramchester. Howard has continued with the station wall which is now about 80% complete. The last section has had the brickwork stuck on and should be ready for painting next session. I have continued with the vanfit and have assembled the 4 W irons and their springs although I managed to gum one of them up and lost one of the tiny springs. Anyway I managed to ungum it and I had some spare springs in my tool box so all was well. I have also made a start on assembling the body. Great Stuff!! Rod 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 The final section of platform wall is now in place:- I will touch up the join next week and continue making the paving slabs for on top. I have made about three dozen so far with quite a few more to go! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 A bit more work has been done on the Vanfit. The main body parts have been assembled and the W irons have been put together. I have also added the micro strip to the chassis beams as per Slater's instructions. Next job is to finally clean up the W irons and they can then be fitted to the chassis. Here are a couple of photographs to show my progress. Rod 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 (edited) A bit more work has been done on the Vanfit. The main body parts have been assembled and the W irons have been put together. I have also added the micro strip to the chassis beams as per Slater's instructions. Next job is to finally clean up the W irons and they can then be fitted to the chassis. Here are a couple of photographs to show my progress. Rod Hi Rod, Nice work. May I ask, are those the 'sprung' 'W' Irons, that are optional extras from Slaters? I didnt find out about those until I had built two Salters kits as is (using the plastic 'W' Irons) - not that it matters too much as they are only short wheel-base vehicles and as they are typical 32mm gauge, so there is plenty of 'slop' present. Thanks, kindest, CME Edited April 12, 2015 by CME and Bottlewasher Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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