Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 Evenin all, More progress with the Linked Traverser to be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9hfQe_iECg&feature=youtu.be One of the two barrel wire strainer assemblies can be seen with both left and right hand threaded studding. A close up of the Plymouth fiddle yard traverser end detail can be seen with the traverser in its most extreme position on the Plymouth side....this is to check the extent of protective guard required in an exhibition situation. The shallow T sections are the work of the angle grinder/fine slitting disc....the cradle is still the mock up version but serves its purpose. The protrusion from the bottom of the traverser channel is one of the spacers, it has a 0.3mm brass shim to widen the channel and allow the traversers to move freely along. The end plate of the 1st Plymouth FY frame is in place. 2mm thickness aluminium sheet will be used to stabilize the cradle across the frame. The channel for the traverser is in its approximate position but needs 'flatting' across its top surface and mounting yet. Strip steel has been sourced today for the moving parts of the frame beneath the traversers. This is already oxidising and is likely to be the earliest candidate for rustproofing then priming and finishing in BR (SR) coach green. A bright and sunny morning today resulted in a picturesque walk along the old Leek & Manifold light railway trackbed between Waterhouses and Wetton Mill (closed in the 1930s). The whistle of steam engines can now be heard in this area again with The Churnet Valley extension to Cauldon Lowe and yet better....their ambitions towards the old Waterhouses station. More progress with the LT today has seen the main channel assembly completed (spacers fashioned and all drilled and bolted together). 'Flatting' started immediately and is almost finished with both traverser T sections being a smooth sliding fit. However, the new reprint of 'The North Cornwall Railway' by the Irwell Press arrived and coincided with an offer on Timothy Taylor 'Landlord' at the local Morrisons....needless to say all modelling activity has been abandoned for the rest of the day!! Todays progress has involved the production of parts for the two traverser cradles and finishing the angle grinding/slitting of the 2nd traverser T section base. Head scratching focussed on the best technique to use for the centre pin arrangement on which the cradles/turntables rotate. Planning for the Autumn trip to North Devon and North Cornwall is advancing with the ordering of sheets 190 and 200 in the Cassini 1919-1922 series. A visit to Woody bay station on the expanding L&BR is on the cards too. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Mornin' all, The Mk 1 version of the traverser mechanism can be seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN-DUhe1m0c&feature=youtu.be There are numerous ways of 'going about' this stage, I usually employ basic/readily available components and develop/enhance any parts/areas which demand it. The least desirable aspect of my choice being the threaded studding biting/jumping on the 4 corner braces across the width of the frame, I've filed the thread adjacent to each brace (it serves no purpose in these areas anyway) to reduce the effects of this and applied a small amount of grease to reduce friction. The combination of these techniques has minimised the issue and the mechanism now works freely and smoothly with little noise. For the mechanism of the Barnstaple side traverser I'm planning to source 2 diameters of brass tube which are a slide fit one within the other and the smallest having an internal diameter which is a sliding fit over the thread of the studding, this will offer a simple bearing for each point at which the rotating studding is supported. The nuts at the two extremes of the studding are threadlocked/loctited to the studding and simply maintain the position of the thread. The bolted link between the left and right handed threads enables the assembly to be easily dismantled if/when required and avoids the need to threadloc/loctite the barrel wire strainer to the studding...again assisting with servicing/maintenance. More importantly the principle of the Mk 1 works and the rotating motion of the studding is producing linear motion which I can use via a slide mechanism to operate the traverser. Experiments are progressing on the offset crank which will convert the initial 1ft max linear movement of the linkage along the frame into an efficient (as few rotations of the studding as poss.) but gentle 2ft + of movement that will move the traverser from one extreme of the fiddle yard to the other. A lovely sunny evening (rare as hens teeth at the mo) recently offered the chance for a stroll along the former Cromford & High Peak railway from Parsley Hay towards Friden then along the bridle path link towards the Tissington trail (former Buxton to Ashbourne railway) at Hartington. Following the trail back to Parsley Hay completed the circular walk. The embankments and cuttings on these stretches are very impressive. Headscratching topics at the mo include the double track curving girder bridge planned for the Plymouth route to span the river. I've only found a few pics of double track prototypes (inc. Tamerton Foliot and Cowley bridge) but each appears to have a part of the bridge structure (girder/beam support) between the two running lines. I assume that this indicates that the width of the deck supports for this style of structure are limited and that this strengthening support is an important feature. This may preclude the planned crossover (on the bridge) for TG. A similar style of structure is the bowstring example used for the Tavy viaduct, this doesn't have the between tracks part of the bridge mentioned above but does have the arched sides and spanning trusses over the railway. See http://www.flickr.co...n69/4786646604/ The style of bridge for TG on the Plymouth route may need to be a truncated version of this (stone support pillar at each end with a pair of cast iron caissons in the river and 2 100ft bowstring spans across) in order to place the essential pointwork in its designated position. Any thoughts anyone? Modelling two rebuilt West Country pacifics (using the Hornby model as a starting point) is proving quite an adventure. I initially ordered nameplates from Fox transfers for 34031 Torrington (rb Dec 58 then allocated to Exmouth jnc for a short time afterwards) and 34096 Trevone (rb Apr 61 and a long stayer at Exmouth jnc). The plates arrived and are simply lovely esp. Torrington with its crest. Knowing from bitter experience that nothing in P4 is straightforward I enquired on the SEMG e-forum as to the style of tender paired with 34031 when it was first rebuilt. Courtesy of Jeremy English I discovered that the tender was almost unique (surprise, surprise), hadn't been modelled by Hornby (even though they had modelled four) and that the route to modelling same involved acquiring a Hornby Dublo or Wrenn example from one of their rebuilt WC's. PDK (brass tender kits) haven't developed this kit even though it is listed on their site. I tried the obvious tender only approach on Google, drew a blank and moved onto the non-runners, again hoping to nab the tender....also no joy. I managed to reserve a working example of 34005 Barnstaple in the end but will only be using the tender body. The donor loco for 34031 will now be 34045 Ottery St Mary with the Hornby Dublo tender body becoming united with the frames of 34045's tender (useful early rebuild tender body from 34045 becomes spare). Meanwhile, 34058 Sir Frederick Pile will change identities to 34096 Trevone (again careful checking of tender types). The Hornby Dublo loco only (34005) will obviously be unrequired. Summer 1959 onwards, when the Meldon viaduct was strengthened, will be the opportunity (rebuild dates permitting) to run the two locos. Both 34045 and 34058 were ordered from Olivia's trains yesterday and arrived this morning. Aluminium work at the mo is focussed on providing protection for the slide mechanism in the Linked Traverser by fitting T section stretchers at the 2 ends of the LT and in the middle, at a height below that of the slide.These stretchers will also have locating holes for the 3 adjustable legs/supports. Another solid afternoon on the LT has seen various components produced for the slide mechanism and perhaps more importantly a clearer understanding reached as to how to produce a viable prototype mechanism. 10mm thread coach bolts have been given the angle grinder treatment and will act as pivots in the offset crank arrangement. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 Evenin' all, More progress with the Linked Traverser at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dhrijXoKUM&feature=youtu.be There are now stretchers lower than the slide height to protect the potentially vulnerable mechanism. Also, 3 mounts have been added to which the slide assembly will be bolted. The threaded drive will move the linking arms/centre sliding centre bar (all sliding edges have been flatted against the wet & dry and now slide freely across each other). The centre slide will link to a cross bar/pivot arrangment to move the sliding traverser along. M10 coach bolts will form the pivots. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 Evenin' all, Another solid day of progress working with Colin on the LT has seen it 'on its feet' for the first time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNUcZVSkOkk&feature=youtu.be The method of securing the adjustable legs to the main frame has been modified to improve rigidity and save costly and unnecessary dowels. The tripod arrangement of 3 legs wasn't sufficient with this large frame and the usual 4 legs one at each corner approach has been adopted. The slide mechanism worked first time and the links to the pivot and traverser will complete the motion for the Plymouth fiddle yard side. This frame will be fitted with the two spirit levels seen in the clip (one in each plane). The threaded operating shaft for the Barnstaple side mechanism will extend through the opposite side of the frame and have an operating handle on each side. The narrow operating space between the two yards will accomodate the Plymouth yard operator with the Barnstaple fiddle yard operator working from the outside. The challenge of converting the 6 inches of actual lateral movement (I've deliberately kept the links from the threaded drive shaft long to avoid the risk of them 'locking') in the mechanism into the required 2ft + to service each of the fiddle yard roads and link up with the adjacent traverser is an interesting one. I'm looking to have the actual drive for the traverser moved by a scissor link of longer lengths (crossing all the way over to the opposite side of the frame) which will provide more reaction to each rotation of the operating handle. If this proves too much then a 'same sides' motion approach will be adopted (there is plenty of scope for adjusting the length of travel simply by changing the length of the links in the mechanism). An early test now will be to fit the appropriate Plymouth end plate onto the mostly complete fiddle yard frame in order to test the LT with a linking frame. I'm getting rather hungry now to get some track onto these frames and see something run! Latest item of rolling stock on order for TG is Hornby M7 30023. The sole duty for many years for a tank loco through Coleford jnc was an Eggesford trip freight originating at Exmouth jnc, this then returned to Crediton (thankyou to David Vidler for detailing the working). Fortunately, I have at least one reference picture of the train. Current aluminium work includes preparing the traverser slides for slugbusting, dowel fitting and similarly slugbusting the cradles. The thickness of the section of the traverser caused a kink as the cutter passed through and some straightening/filing/flatting ensued but all is well now and the first cradle is rotating easily on top of its traverser. The next step is to decide on the shape and size of the 2mm aluminium sheet which will span the width of the LT, act as a support for the rotating cradle and offer some degree of stock protection. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 link Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Hi Dave, Just a quick note to say how much I am enjoying your topic, very belt and braces and certainly well thought out. ATB, Martyn. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 Thanks Martyn....it can be a bit 2 steps forward and 3 back at times but all in all it is rewarding and experience makes progress easier. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 Evenin' all, More progress with the LT at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzRCTXo4qbU&feature=youtu.be The first cradle support has been 'angle ground' from 2mm sheet aluminium at 2ft diameter. The disc was filed to finish and centre drilled to take the dowel acting as centre spindle. The cradle won't be fastened to the disc so the cradle will rotate over its surface, this will allow the disc to be secured to the LT frame and contain the spindle/mount assembly. The whole will be supported on both frame sides to keep it level. Other than the sister cradle/disc the frame will deliberately have no flat surfaces to guard against stock being placed in hazardous spots. Crucial considerations now include devising a safe method of work (for the stock) to ensure that whichever error is made the stock doesn't end up falling to the floor. Measures will include ensuring that the operator has to be in immediate attendance by using push and hold (limited voltage) power supply buttons. Cushioned stops on each of the fiddle yard roads so that even if the dead electrical section doesn't safely contain trains running into the fiddle yard then there is still no further risk to the stock. Tilt and hold openers will then allow a move from the chosen road towards the traverser, similar devices will contain the stock within the traverser cradle. Prior to partially enclosing the slide mechanism of the traverser with the turntables I've treated all steel parts (braces, slide components) with Rust Remedy. The next job is to prime and topcoat same in Phoenix BR(S) Coach Green. Latest stock to arrive has been the two rebuilt West Countrys mentioned above and an M7 by Hornby. 30023 was supplied by Pufferwillies of Sheffield and once rewheeled will become 30668 of Exmouth jnc shed. The loco will feature on the Exmouth jnc to Eggesford and return trip freight. Fortunately, Ultrascale offer a complete set of P4 wheels for the M7 but P4ing the WCs looks like a challenge. There are at least two detailed accounts (one in RM Web) of using the Alan Gibson conversion pack, issues include inaccurate crank positions causing too long a throw on the cylinder slide. The Hornby bearings appear problematic too, with inadequate support for the P4 wheelbase. Definitely some fun to be had in this area. Recent progress on the LT includes carefully painting the slide mechanism, the paint getting drawn into some of the small gaps of the slide by capilliary action and resulting in some dismantling, cleaning and re-assembly. The main slide for the cradles/turntables has now been secured in position, it has an amount of adjustment available for ensuring the track gaps relative to the Plymouth fiddle yard track ends once testing gets underway. The pivots and links for moving the traverser along have now been inverted because there is more space lower in the frame. Operating the traverser mechanism was causing an unacceptable amount of rocking of this frame, therefore, two diagonally mounted struts have been fitted between the bottom of two of the legs and the underside of the frame on the opposite side. This has minimised the problem and once several frames are bolted together the issue shound disappear. Current headscratching centres on the method of supporting the turntable disc across the frame and devising a way of preventing the cradle from coming off the spigot whilst rotating. The restricted power supply to the turntable will probably be via brass slip rings positioned above the cradle. A day trip on one of the few sunny days recently took us via Ellesmere, Lake Vyrnwy, Bala, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Conwy, the Denbigh Moors, the horseshoe pass and Llangollen. A couple of our forthcoming fundraising coach trips for local churches are via these often narrow roads and checking the routes in the car brings much more peace of mind (and a chance for a nice day out) than taking a full sized coach blindly into the unknown. The width, setting and surface reflective qualities that I'm aiming for with the river on TG are well illustrated in this view of the Torridge near Weare Giffard http://www.flickr.co...N00/5105167416/ plate glass looks to be the likely candidate at the moment. Nick Allsop has kindly offered his Hornby unrebuilt Bulleid for the project. 34041 will become 34054 Lord Beaverbrook (long stayer at Salisbury and 1963/64 resident of Exmouth jnc). Nameplates ordered from Fox. A used copy of the Richard Derry book (Irwell Press) on the West Country/Battle of Britain locos has been ordered via ABE to assist with the fine detailing of the 3 West Countries. A reorganisation of the workroom space to allow the first 3 baseframes to be worked on in situ/easily fitted together for testing is underway. Setting up the first frames in the conservatory and dismantling them for moving back to the workroom has highlighted the need for a pair of supports/stands for individual baseframes to be supported upon whilst the legs are fitted/removed. Delicate negotiations with higher management (she used to use part of the workroom for sewing and flower arranging) have gone well and the worktables with the plate glass reference surface have now moved well along the room, allowing space for the first 3 frames to be erected at the far end. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 Evenin' all, An idea of the current motive power situation for TG can be gained from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX8PtPEJv8I&feature=youtu.be most of the locos are awaiting P4 wheelsets. The donor Hornby Dublo tender has now arrived and can be seen adjacent to 34045 (starting point for 34031). The amount of work required to prepare these for operation on TG is considerable. It took a while to source the Preiser HO unpainted sitting figures (for detailing the coaching stock), most retailers saying that it was over a year since they had had any to sell, however, I didn't give up and some determined 'googling' bore fruit with two sets of the 120 figure packs now 'crossing the pond' from the United States. The new Preiser catalogue still features them as set 16328, yet European retailers seem to have none and the company has yet to answer my e-mail. Preiser responded to my e-mail late August and said that they don't supply direct to the public and that I should contact Gaugemaster in the UK. I'd previously heard that the number of packs of unpainted figures produced is deliberately limited to ensure sales of the more expensive 'painted' figure packs. The response from Preiser and the above situation with all U.K. retailers, with which I spoke, would seem to confirm this. Aluminium and steel work at the moment is associated with the linkage design and production for the traverser/turntable cradle drive. Various experiments are proving valuable in terms of learning how to achieve the most efficient result. Having 3 frames in various stages of construction correctly positioned relative to each other is useful, suddenly a layout is starting to emerge from an ad hoc collection of aluminium sections. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandbridgejct Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Hi, I've been reading your thread for the awesome aluminium engineering - much more elaborate than my own basic attempts at bracing a sheet of plastic glazing material with lightweight aluminium channel. I've a question about your track layout, which I'd better raise now or hold my peace on. Is there a prototypical explanation for the S curve through the station, or is it merely aesthetic? I'm sure it will look great, but I'd have thought the main tracks could connect up on a more gradual single curve and that that's what the real railway would have done. With the branch platform on one side and the goods yard on the other, the constraints necessitating the double curve are not apparent at this stage. I'm sure you've already thought it all through, but said I'd ask just in case. Good luck with what promises to be a magnificent layout. Alan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted July 27, 2012 Author Share Posted July 27, 2012 Hi Alan, There is no single prototype for this, more that it is a welding together of my interests in the former LSWR routes of North Devon...but I shall do my very best to ensure that it makes sense. I will however admit to designing parts of the landscape around a track formation that I'm longing to see the stock negotiate. One option on the yard side of the down platform is a stream in a floodwater channel flowing down to the river, with the station and main line perched on the solid rock beyond. The proposed setting has changed several times already and quite likely will evolve further before the first rails are laid on the scenic section. The end result will suggest that the railway engineers made best use of the natural terrain when driving the railway through this difficult landscape. I'm planning for the railway to be occupying the only reasonable ground available and for all else to be quickly dropping away or rising up, hence the idea of open baseframes rather than flat boards. Thanks for the encouragement. Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 Evenin' all, There are several aspects of the first 3 frames coming together at the moment. The turntable slide on the LT is clamped in place whilst the end plate is fitted to the 1st Plymouth fiddle yard frame and the relative heights of the cradle and fiddle yard cork surface are matched. However, the cork surface cannot be fitted until the aluminium sheet deck of the yard frame has been cut back to allow an extended cradle to be fitted which will overlap the yard frame as it swings into place, with the top of the cradle matching the top of the cork. Additionally, the cork surface on the yard frame will need to be 'flatted' before the final height measurement/adjustment of the cradle can be made. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOABkJ-kR-8&feature=youtu.be The turntable is sliding laterally with ease at the moment, the guide slot keeping the line of the turntable but because the weight is on the two outer slide rails friction around the slot is reduced. This bodes well for the turntable drive moving the assembly along once the remaining links are fitted. The turntable spindle has been drilled and pinned to prevent the turntable from lifting off its mount. The cradle will now rotate on the disc which will move laterally with the drive but not itself rotate. This allows the drive to be fitted to the underside of the disc at the optimum point for the travel of the mechanism. The clip also shows long strips of 60 grade Oakey sandpaper on the glass reference surface for 'flatting' the turntable disc. Supports for the 1st Plymouth fiddle yard frame are being fitted in the workroom, in such a way as to minimise their obstructing work on other frames but allowing the first 3 frames to remain erected for completing, testing and fettling. Head scratching topics at the mo include how to achieve a 'billiard table' level finish to the cork sheet track base on each frame and maintain a stepless height differential between frames. Experiments include a 6ft x 2ft 'levelling sledge' which essentially is a large flat surface of 2mm aluminium sheet with bracing on the back/top and constructed on the plate glass reference surface. Suitable grade wet & dry will then be held flat on the flat aluminium base with wide double sided sticky tape and the sledge will be towed back and forth until the first frame cork top is absolutely flat and level. Dilute PVA will be used to seal the surface of the cork. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 Aft'noon all, Current background work with TG includes researching the best route to a high grade Dapol Beattie well tank P4 wheel conversion, also a Hornby West Country P4 wheel conversion. The main stumbling block to the availability of either is investment. I'm looking at ways in which P4 Southern modellers can work together in the development of these two simply by paying for their wheelsets in advance. Other P4 modellers would also be able to buy them 'off the shelf' but at a higher price than by investing in the developmental route. I have the option of funding these alone and keeping the moulds but it seems much more sensible to reach an agreement between manufacturer and customers to share the cost. The Beattie will always be a niche market for P4 wheelsets compared with the more widely travelled and numerous West Country pacific, consequently the price for the WC wheels may be lower than that for the Beattie but the priority has to be to ensure that they are available to the P4 modeller. The two bulk sets of Preiser unpainted HO sitting figures for detailing the coaching stock and station platforms have arrived from the US. Latest reference books added to the library are 'The book of the West Country and Battle of Britain pacifics' by the Irwell Press and 'Bulleid locomotives' in colour by Rex Kennedy. This clip shows the latest state of play with the first 3 baseframes for TG. Latest arrival on the motive power front is Hornby WC 34041 Wilton, courtesy of Nick Allsop, which will now be transformed into 34054 Lord Beaverbrook, not 34107 Blandford Forum (Fox nameplates and crests ready). Thanks to 'Belgian' for pointing out the silly oversight of the narrow cab as well as the more easily resolved tender issue. Latest progress with the aluminium work is the fettling of the 1st Plymouth fiddle yard frame to ensure that the height of all stretchers is either the same or slightly higher than the longitudinals at any point. The end stretcher has been fitted with the extreme of the T section proud of the end plate so that the turntable of the linked traverser sits on top of it. The support rails for the turntable are adjustable in 2 planes, therefore the travel of the turntable can now be adjusted to be parallel with the fiddle yard track ends. Backing plates for the locating dowels have now been fitted too. The sheet deck can now be bolted down onto all stretchers. Headscratching topics include which contact adhesive to use to secure the cork to the aluminium sheet and whether it is better to bond the cork sections individually or else attempt all at once, using the plate glass as the levelling surface for the cork and with the frame inverted on top. The instant curing of the contact adhesive suggests that the single section route is more suitable. Higher management has called time on my promise to redecorate the groundfloor of the house, so normal service will resume once I've put the paintbrushes down. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR P4 SOUTHERN MODELLERS SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATIONS WITH ULTRASCALE HAVE PRODUCED A ROLLING PROGRAM FOR CONVERSION PACKS FOR THE Hornby WEST COUNTRY PACIFIC AND Dapol BEATTIE WELL TANK: THE WEST COUNTRY CONVERSION PACK SHOULD BE AVAILABLE DIRECTLY FROM ULTRASCALE MID 2013 AT A PRICE BETWEEN £90 AND £120, DEPENDING ON THE WORK REQUIRED/COMPONENTS NEEDED. THE BEATTIE WELL TANK CONVERSION PACK IS GOING TO REQUIRE CONSIDERABLE WORK/COMPONENTS AND WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO ARE PREPARED TO SHARE THE £1000 DEVELOPMENT COST AND PAY BETWEEN £90 AND £120 FOR EACH CONVERSION PACK, AGAIN DEPENDING ON WORK INVOLVED AND NUMBER OF COMPONENTS REQUIRED. THE RELEASE DATE FOR THE PACK WILL BE IN 2014 (I'LL MAKE THE DATE MORE SPECIFIC AS WORK PROGRESSES). THIS CONVERSION PACK WILL NOT GO ON GENERAL SALE, THEREFORE WORKING WITH ME TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN IS THE ONLY ROUTE TO GETTING HOLD OF ONE. I PROPOSE 1ST SEPTEMBER 2013 AS THE CLOSING DATE FOR PAYMENTS TO BE RECEIVED. I AM THE POINT OF CONTACT WITH ULTRASCALE FOR THE BEATTIE P4 CONVERSION. UPDATES ON THIS PROJECT WITH ULTRASCALE WILL APPEAR IN MY POST IN THE 'SMALL SUPPLIERS' SECTION OF RM WEB. CHEERS DAVE Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Hi Dave, It may be worth trying to solicit interest through a new topic in the Smaller Suppliers section too - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/forum/9-smaller-suppliers/ in case interested parties don't see the post within this topic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 Hi Andy, It will be on the Ultrascale website and in the Scalefour Society and EM Gauge magazines. I'm also adding replies to the previous posts on RM Web, I'll investigate your suggestion too. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Belgian Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Aft'noon all, Current background work with TG includes researching the best route to a high grade Dapol Beattie well tank P4 wheel conversion, also a Hornby West Country P4 wheel conversion. The current stumbling block to the availability of either is investment. I'm looking at ways in which P4 Southern modellers can work together in the development of these two simply by paying for their wheelsets in advance. Other P4 modellers would also be able to buy them 'off the shelf' but at a higher price than by investing in the developmental route. I have the option of funding these alone and keeping the moulds but it seems much more sensible to reach an agreement between manufacturer and customers to share the cost. The Beattie will always be a niche market for P4 wheelsets compared with the more widely travelled and numerous West Country pacific, consequently the price for the WC wheels may be lower than that for the Beattie but the priority has to be to ensure that they are available to the P4 modeller. The two bulk sets of Preiser unpainted HO sitting figures for detailing the coaching stock and station platforms have arrived from the US. Latest reference books added to the library are 'The book of the West Country and Battle of Britain pacifics' by the Irwell Press and 'Bulleid locomotives' in colour by Rex Kennedy. This clip shows the latest state of play with the first 3 baseframes for TG. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IomLMEPA45g&feature=youtu.be Latest arrival on the motive power front is Hornby WC 34041 Wilton, courtesy of Nick Allsop, which will be transformed into 34107 Blandford Forum (Fox nameplates and crests ready). Latest progress with the aluminium work is the fettling of the 1st Plymouth fiddle yard frame to ensure that the height of all stretchers is either the same or slightly higher than the longitudinals at any point. The end stretcher has been fitted with the extreme of the T section proud of the end plate so that the turntable of the linked traverser sits on top of it. The support rails for the turntable are adjustable in 2 planes, therefore the travel of the turntable can now be adjusted to be parallel with the fiddle yard track ends. Backing plates for the locating dowels have now been fitted too. The sheet deck can now be bolted down onto all stretchers. Headscratching topics include which contact adhesive to use to secure the cork to the aluminium sheet and whether it is better to bond the cork sections individually or else attempt all at once, using the plate glass as the levelling surface for the cork and with the frame inverted on top. The instant curing of the contact adhesive suggests that the single section route is more suitable. Cheers Dave Dave, No one seems to have picked up on your intention to transform 34041 'Wilton' into 34107 'Blandford Forum', or at least not in this thread of yours. The two were different beasts and the conversion is not going to produce an accurate model as 34041 was an early series narrow-cab 4,500 gallon tender machine and 34107 a late-series wide cab 5,500 gallon machine. Hornby actually do/have done a 'correct' 34107 (R2926) themselves, with a cut-down 5,500 gallon tender. If you want one with high sides ('raves') the only 5,500 gallon tender model they have produced with the original raves is 34078 (R2458) which would be suitable to renumber to 34107. Your Derry book will enlighten you with regard to the 'tender trap'. JE Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Mornin' JE, I was researching the tender issue in the Derry book but hadn't spotted the cab problem. Thanks for pointing that out. I shall need to get hold of a 34078 model at some point for the high sided tender and that will be the opportunity for 34107. Decorating of the groundfloor in the house now complete, attention re-focussing on TG once more. The calibrating of the stretchers on the first Plymouth fiddle yard frame is complete and a new slightly longer (to fit the overlapping frames) 2mm aluminium sheet deck has been angle ground from a fresh sheet. The 2ft diameter turntable disc has been finished. Countersunk 2mm machine screws with thin 1mm nuts ordered from Westfield fasteners for securing the disc to the T section guide. The next job is to bolt the sheet to the stretchers along the full length of the frame. Evo Stik 528 contact adhesive has been sourced fron Screwfix to secure the cork to the sheet deck. The new deck has now been machine screwed to the stretchers across the whole frame, attention now switching to the travel of the turntable disc/cradle across the width of the yard frame. The already low profile heads of the machine screws have been filed to a minimum height so that there is maximum opportunity to sand the cork absolutely flat. The guide/support rail for the turntable disc adjacent to the end plate of the Plymouth fiddle yard frame has been rendered unnecessary by the disc overlapping onto the end of the yard frame and has been removed. The disc is still supported in 3 places. With the first deck now secured a few tests for the sound quality of a train running over a hollow metal surface can be carried out. A length of flexitrack placed on cork sheet and weighted down then had a typical P4 hopper propelled along its length. The cork sheet obviously deadens the bulk of the sound and a double layer of cork minimises it. Insulated polystyrene panels cut to size and bonded between the stretchers on the underside of the deck will be another technique tested. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 Aft'noon all, Latest progress video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsL2LPNP6lk&feature=youtu.be Clips include the 'filed' button machine screws, reducing their profile to a minimum The aluminium deck filed flush with the end plate across its width. The cork sheet was then trimmed around the machine screw heads. The deck was then wiped/degreased with lighter fluid to prepare it for the contact adhesive. Contact adhesive was thinly applied to both the deck and the cork with a wallpaper stripping blade and the cork carefully positioned on the deck before being smoothed out to remove any air pockets. Heavy books are seen weighting the cork flat on the deck. The last view is of the traverser end of that frame with the deck ending short of the frame end ready for the turntable disc to sit level with the top of the deck. Checking the bonding of the first cork sheet almost 24 hours later revealed a very flat and securely bonded cork surface. I'd deliberately overlapped the edges of the deck with the cork so that it could be trimmed to fit exactly. Further sound tests with the flexitrack and hopper indicate that a second layer of cork will be needed. I'm inclined to steer away from the lined polystyrene beneath the deck as this will be the space for the point motors, signal actuation (on some frames), wiring etc. Instead, the use of silicone sealant around the joints between deck and longitudinals/stretchers should minimise resonance. Also, minimising sound problems at source i.e. on the surface of the layout is better than trying to muffle the whole layout. I'm marking the rail positions on the cork so that the holes can be drilled for the 12 volt supply to the rails. Plastic tube liners will be bonded into these holes to protect the wire as it passes through the aluminium and significantly reduce the risk of electrical problems at a later date due to chafing/shorting etc. Cork section 2 now trimmed, glued and weighted down. The glue which escapes onto the adjacent aluminium is difficult to remove once dried, so much more care taken with this one to avoid that. Latest arrivals from Ultrascale are the coach wheels for Maunsell set 27 or 179 and the T9 loco wheels. Just back from a week in the Padstow area. Lots of pics of TG related locos, stock and structures....I'll add a few video clips once the opportunity arises. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Evenin' all, This is a clip from our recent holiday in the Padstow area, the opportunity was taken to gather images and measurements for stock/structures on TG. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZQtkKjPtBk&feature=youtu.be The first scenes were filmed during the superb Bodmin & Wenford railway gala this last weekend, these were filmed from a 'toad' brakevan on a trip from Bodmin General to Boscarne jnc behind a Prairie tank. A couple of photographic runpasts were included at Boscarne jnc. 4247 is then seen leaving Bodmin on the second trip. These are followed by a couple of clips of the T9, 30120. Clips of various bridges, typical of the LSWR in the South West and other stock will follow. This clip includes the Beattie and T9 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRS6jyIRxWY&feature=youtu.be Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 Aft'noon all, Brass sheet and tube at the ready! This clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD3B9ckjFnM&feature=youtu.be shows the curving single track girder bridge at Landcross between Bideford and Torrington on the former Barnstaple to Halwill jnc line, now part of the Tarka trail. The river is the Torridge, tidal on this stretch. This will be the style of river bridge used for the Barnstaple line on TG. I will probably model the river as fresh water on the layout to avoid the large expanses of glistening mud seen on the tidal sections. The water surface will be plate glass with the bridge caissons sealed to its surface. More head scratching in this area for sure. More sections of the first cork layer are being progressively bonded down on the first fiddle yard frame. 'Flatting' of the first cork layer will probably be best acheived by inverting the frame onto sandpaper/wet & dry (secured flat on the plate glass surface) and 'towing' it back and forth. The cork sheet appears to be nicely sanded by 100 grade abrasive. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Prism Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Excellent videos, Dave, but have the ones in your message #95 been 'squeezed' widthwise by Youtube? That bridge is nice. Do you know the diameter of the supporting tubes? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 Hi MP, The videos are all in high definition and appear perfectly on the TV screen, however, I'm afraid that the 'U Tube' version is beyond my control. They do give those following my thread an idea of progress though. The bridge measurements for such as the caissons will be similar to those on the Plymouth line bridge (scaled down Tavy viaduct) for which some dimensions are given in the Okehampton line book by the Irwell Press. I had originally intended a more 'skinny' single track bridge such as the Barnstaple one on the Ilfracombe line but a 40mph speed limit demands something more robust. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Prism Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 I do wonder whether Brunel had a range of standardised caisson sizes, or was it largely left up to local contractors? I had originally intended a more 'skinny' single track bridge such as the Barnstaple one on the Ilfracombe line but a 40mph speed limit demands something more robust. Here's an early view of a single track 'skinny one' from the Forest of Dean, with some interesting baulk road and very light grey caissons: http://www.ross-on-w...ridge_kerne.jpg and another, in more poetic view: http://www.sungreen....r-Wye-1960s.jpg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 In the case of the Barnstaple to Ilfracombe line I understand that (un) available finances dictated the building of the line to light railway standards. The Exeter to Barnstaple and Plymouth routes would, I'm sure, have been built to main line standards throughout. Survivors of earlier bridging practices would have lasted longer on low speed, low budget branch lines. This may be the case in the two attractive pictures which you've shown. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Prism Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Survivors of earlier bridging practices would have lasted longer on low speed, low budget branch lines. This may be the case in the two attractive pictures which you've shown. That's a good point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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