Upbech St Mary, Upbech Drove and Pott Row a journey through 00 and then into EM and 009.

[NHY 581]

9 hours ago, mullie said:

Still no passengers at Upbech St Mary, closure can't be far away.

 

 

A rather nice 4-4-0 at Upbech Drove.

 

 

 

Nah........closure is years away yet....now, if the painters suddenly descend, different story altogether.

 

Rob

 

 

[1466]

2 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

 

 

Nah........closure is years away yet....now, if the painters suddenly descend, different story altogether.

 

Rob

 

 

In a similar vein , an old joke .

A stationmaster lines up his team in a platform . An express thunders by and from the last carriage , an arm is extended with thumb upright.

”What’s going on ?”

Stationmaster replies “ You’ve just be measured for your new uniform “.

[mullie]

Operation King Edward has come to a shuddering halt. I have been building pointwork for around 13 years with very few issues but three of the points seemed to be gapped correctly but just kept shorting so up they came. All plain track was fine. 

 

At some stage in the near future I will get some Peco track and try again. 

[mullie]

Ordered the Peco track sooner than anticipated, as in just now.

 

I have ordered a right hand point and a Y to recreate my former box file layout in 009. I really enjoyed this layout, track plan was based on Carl's imports from the late Carl Arendt's site and was featured (I think) in the August 2011 Railway Modeller. So less track, I will see if I can marry the points up to my plain track before ordering any flexi.

[mullie]

These arrived today so I will experiment to see if I can still use the plain track I created,  not had problems in the past.

 

 

Will also investigate wiring as I don't like relying on point blades to keep power going .

[mullie]

Can anyone advise on how to wire these points to switch frog polarity please.  I haven't bought Peco track for years and 00 gauge code 75 had the wire that dropped down from the frog and it was easy to snip a couple of wires. Are these a newer design? They are electrofrog. 

 

 

Can I solder a wire to the frog, do I need to do anything else?

 

Thanks for any help you can give. 

[sb67]

Not sure if it helps but I'm thinking it's the same as small radius electrofrog Y points. If you hardwire the point blades you'll have to physically make a cut between the frog and the point blades. I've done it on said Y points but there's not much room to mess with and it looks like there's even less with those points. 

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/157365-peco-small-y-electrofrog-normal-y-point/

 

Not sure if this all helps, but hopefully points you in the right direction, no pun intended! 

 

 

[NHY 581]

Morning Martyn, 

 

I'm thinking @PaulRhB may be able to help you here. 

 

Rob

 

 

[PaulRhB]

7 hours ago, mullie said:

Are these a newer design? They are electrofrog. 

No they’re the old design and there are two options. As you say just put a wire to the frog but this means the blades are both the same polarity and any tight back to backs can cause a short. Shouldn’t be an issue but it makes them more of an issue with derailments. 
 

The full way to DCC adapt them is to cut the rails so the blades are common with each stock rail and the frog is separate as noted by sb67.
I would cut the webs underneath and strip 20mm off the end of some stranded wire, it’s slightly flexible still then and helps keep the rails fully in line. Solder it to the blade where the blue line is then to the stock rail and bend the wire down and snip off the excess, repeat for the other side. 

You’ll need a small cutoff disc in a rotary tool and a little at a time cut where the red line is so you break the little tab that transfers power from the blade to the frog. It’s very fiddly and I go slow so heat build up doesn’t melt the chairs. You can protect the rails either side with a bit of card if you tape the point down and tape the card with the end bent over the rail by a mm. 
 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by PaulRhB

[mullie]

9 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

No they’re the old design and there are two options. As you say just put a wire to the frog but this means the blades are both the same polarity and any tight back to backs can cause a short. Shouldn’t be an issue but it makes them more of an issue with derailments. 
 

The full way to DCC adapt them is to cut the rails so the blades are common with each stock rail and the frog is separate as noted by sb67.
I would cut the webs underneath and strip 20mm off the end of some stranded wire, it’s slightly flexible still then and helps keep the rails fully in line. Solder it to the blade where the blue line is then to the stock rail and bend the wire down and snip off the excess, repeat for the other side. 

You’ll need a small cutoff disc in a rotary tool and a little at a time cut where the red line is so you break the little tab that transfers power from the blade to the frog. It’s very fiddly and I go slow so heat build up doesn’t melt the chairs. You can protect the rails either side with a bit of card if you tape the point down and tape the card with the end bent over the rail by a mm. 
 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Paul, to be honest this is what I thought might be necessary. The Peco technical Bureau said solder a wire to the frog. I'm not sure this module will be DCC as the locos have very very  limited space for a decoder, I do want to keep things simple as modelling in EM is complicated enough. Much to ponder.

 

Thanks everyone.

[37Oban]

3 hours ago, mullie said:

Thanks Paul, to be honest this is what I thought might be necessary. The Peco technical Bureau said solder a wire to the frog. I'm not sure this module will be DCC as the locos have very very  limited space for a decoder, I do want to keep things simple as modelling in EM is complicated enough. Much to ponder.

 

Thanks everyone.

Hi,

 

I model in EM and I'm building a Scalescenes wharf boxfile model. It just dc and I built a short Y turnout, operated by w-i-t, using a dpdt switch which also changes the frog polarity.  Can't get much simpler!

 

Roja

[mullie]

Haven't posted an update recently, I've not been idol, just nothing worth photographing.

 

A pair of six wheel brake third carriage kits have been ordered from  Eveleigh Creations. That should keep me busy for a while.

 

Operation KE continues, I am currently fitting Greenwich couplings to a loco and a couple of wagons  as a  test and have already gone off piste from the instructions, typical!

 

The Peco points have been laid as purchased temporarily to see how they work, I'm not optimistic I will be satisfied so they will almost certainly see the mini drill and the soldering iron.

 

In other other news, the locals have found the station signs or something like them that were removed in the war. Although most were put back during the war, this is sleepy Upbech so we've waited a number of years. The signal box sign has also been reinstated, although the box looks very sorry for itself. Still, all the while the painters stay away, the line has a chance of staying open.

 

I did try and find a Great Eastern sign to buy but in the end bodged something from balsa.

 

 

[mullie]

First fitting of a Greenwich coupling,  this seems to work and this type of coupling will only be fitted at one end,  the other will have a hook .

 

 

[mullie]

Work continues though was interrupted by a very nice week in Funchal Madeira, well someone's got to do it.

 

This is the first run of the Rye and Camber loco on the layout to test things are working using DC. So far I haven't modified the points other than to install wire in tube with omega loops as the Peco over centre springs seemed incapable of throwing them fully. No lighting on this section of the layout.

 

 

Next stage is to fit the loco with a decoder, yes I have decided to try DCC with this section too. Looks like hard wiring a decoder is not too difficult in the Kato chassis so will give it a try. If unsuccessful, the decoder can always go in something else.

 

If the points cause a problem with a DCC installation then I will modify them. I'm in no hurry with this section and with the Eveleigh carriage kits arriving soon this is not a priority.

[mullie]

I go away for a week and look what happens!

 

 

Internal combustion has even made it to operation KE though the wagon looks very worse for wear. 

 

[mullie]

The etches for the six wheelers have arrived and look very nice.  They will be a challenging build and a number of parts will need to be sourced. 

 

 

The chassis etch.

 

I did consider the generic six wheelers that are available but having run butchered Ratio 4 and 6 carriages for the best part of a decade didn't seem to represent progress. 

 

These will take a considerable time to build I feel, likely to be interrupted by cold weather in the garage across the winter,  should really add something to the layout so worth it. 

[mullie]

An unusual view of the daily goods train returning from Upbech St Mary. 

 

 

 

For me, an advantage of EM is that this type of photo works much better due to the wider gauge track.

[jollysmart]

3 hours ago, mullie said:

An unusual view of the daily goods train returning from Upbech St Mary. 

 

 

 

For me, an advantage of EM is that this type of photo works much better due to the wider gauge track.

 

 

That really is a cracking view of the layout, it looks far larger than it is, the detail is extremely well  observed and as you say the EM gauge shows off to advantage, very, very nice.

[mullie]

Ladies and gentlemen I give you the current rolling stock of the Pott Row Agricultural Tramway, PRAT for short. This name has been shortened from the Upbech and Pott Row Agricultural Tramway or U - PRAT.

 

The first two have been seen before, I do have another van to build.

 

 

 

Next is an ex WD well wagon.

 

 

Finally a wagon built for RAF Fauld but someone at Upbech had a mate who managed to get hold of one, in other words it is too late for the line but I like it so bought one. Being relatively new it is not so battered.

 

 

Four wagons with a fifth to be built and little space for much more so a nice little project. All wagons are Dundas kits fitted with a Greenwich coupling at one end and a hook at the other, locos will be similarly fitted. Uncoupling is with magnets placed between the tracks, there isn't a delay function although on some wagons the loop often doesn't go straight down which creates a random auto effect.

 

I am going to fit a micro decoder to a Kato chassis, seems relatively straight forward so will give it a go. I did consider creating  separate topic for this module, it is part of the Upbech saga and will have a standard gauge part later this year so I have decided to keep everything in one place.

[mullie]

The narrow gauge wagons also have detailed interiors. 

 

 

 

The visible screw below became loose and had to be refined, soon to be disguised.

 

 

 

[5BarVT]

On 18/08/2023 at 20:07, mullie said:

Ladies and gentlemen I give you the current rolling stock of the Pott Row Agricultural Tramway, PRAT for short. This name has been shortened from the Upbech and Pott Row Agricultural Tramway or U - PRAT.

You’re not alone! Although this one had rubber tyres.

Paul.

[mullie]

The class 10 is seen moving a mineral wagon to the coal siding.

 

[mullie]

There won't be a lot of developments on the layout over the next few months apart from getting ready for the Poole show in October as I really need to turn my attention to building the 6 wheelers while the garage is warm enough. Work so far has included adding hinges, windows and ventilators to the sides and creating the tumblehome or turn under depending on your terminology. Here is progress so far after around 6-8 hours work. All done with multicore and plenty of flux, body assembly will use low melt so hopefully no details will come adrift. As usual I'm making this up as I go along, never really been shown how to solder.

 

Flash of inspiration was using Silver Tay lamp irons, those provided are fine if a little fiddly, the Silver Tay irons were really easy to solder in.

 

 

Here is my workbench, the card is to protect the door hinges whilst soldering from the rear, what did modellers do before blu tac, has so many uses? I don't pay for mine, simply reclaim the stuff used to put up Christmas decorations every year.

 

 

The tumble home was created using towels usually set aside for decorating (loads of that done this summer) and an old piece of curtain rod.

 

The soldering iron was a cheap one bought on Ebay, I was reluctant to spend a lot of money in case I didn't get on with soldering brass kits, it works fine.

 

A certain @NHY 581has been telling people what he has been listening to recently so here is my contribution. The Life live album by Thin Lizzy, I think I saw them on that tour, the extended version of Stop Making Sense by Talking Heads and Stevie Wonder's greatest hits has got me through this week's modelling, I do like digital sound!. 

[mullie]

Been on our travels again this summer.  Daughter number 2 is leaving Harrogate and moving back to work in London so we took an opportunity for what might be a last visit. Where we stayed was close to the station so we didn't use the car once we were there. 

 

Took a day trip to York,  the station is still an amazing piece of architecture,  I have been pulled into York by a Deltic back in the 70s and the HSTs were new. No locos were seen this time.

 

 

 

 

I don't know what the units are in the photos,  they were in Trans Pennine livery I think.

[Flying Fox 34F]

Hitachi Bi-Mode units.  
 

My last time on York Station was my first close up encounter with a class 68.  The ground and my chest were vibrating just from the thing idling!!!!!!!

 

Paul