Les1952 Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 If you talking about the B4 sidetank, it could be worth unclipping the bodyshell and rotating the motor to it on its otherside. The trouble with the Arnold chassis is they have the habit of shedding gear teeth, so handle with care. Paul A. It is the green side tank that runs backwards- I'll try inverting the motor again, just in case I accidentally put it back the same way last time I did it...... What doesn't help with this one is that the body isn't actually fastened down with anything so occasionally comes loose. At least the maroon saddletank is firmly fixed. No real work done today, waiting for ballast to dry and glue to go off, so I just ran trains and watched them go by. Nice and relaxing. Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted December 22, 2012 Author Share Posted December 22, 2012 Side tank resolved I've had the side tank to bits again, marked what was the underside of the motor with a letter T (easy because it comes away from the chassis as soon as you take the body off) and reassembled it with the letter T upwards. It now runs the right way, so last time I "turned the motor over" I must have put it back the same way as it was before. Problem solved. A couple more bits of polystyrene glued down and a lot more waiting for things to dry. In the mean time I've been trying to sort out my 9Fs as follows- 92050 of first batch now has the centre spring conversion and the pony wheels from my weathered one and runs perfectly through all sidings. 92231 of first batch has original pony wheels and runs through the outer roads of each yard but not the middle three (reverse curve on Peco medium points too much for it) Evening Star runs perfectly through all sidings 92133 (?) weathered one without spring, now has pony wheels from 92050 and runs as 92231. I can live with that- all are useable. After New Year I'll try to get two pony spring converrsion kits, and two replacement pony wheelsets. Meanwhile a perfect runner meets a "two roads only" runner out front- both of these can be left to circulate the layout provided 92231 uses the outer fiddleyard roads. Note the wonky cab on 92050- this is the one Fred Hempsal reviewed in the NGS Journal when new- and a lot of people spotted the wonky cab.... Mr Simon is home for Christmas and naturally has a train to test- I wonder which of this pair it is....... Les 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted December 23, 2012 Author Share Posted December 23, 2012 (edited) Checking heights I've been spending yet more time waiting for glue to dry, in between spasms of Christmas shopping and carol rehearsals- earn some money for Grantham Operatic tomorrow evening by singing carols at a posh hotel's Christmas Eve dinner.... Today's music Freddy and the Dreamers, not loud enough to keep visitors away so I could get on, unfortunately. Some of the glue holding the ceiling tiles down is drying, so the bank down to the coal drops can go in. The front edge has been cut back a little here to give a bit more clearance to the running lines. First go at cutting out an arch for the underbridge- this side needs to be a little deeper as the road track under it slopes down to the front of the layout. Needs to reach down to the bottom of the expanded polystyrene- the other side is shallower, but that side has a proper parapet while this side doesn't (a reverse of the underbridge at Easington). The stuff underneath is felt-faced card, the first thing about the right size I laid hands on. Les Edited December 24, 2012 by Les1952 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted December 24, 2012 Author Share Posted December 24, 2012 (edited) All trackwork on the main line part is complete. There are no points out front on the lower part. I'll ballast it this side of Christmas, a boring task but one with low physical stress. I haven't, though the railsides on the underbridge board have been painted track grot, and the top level on this board HAS been ballasted (and most of it is still there after a good vacuuming.....) Such is life..... Merry Christmas one and both Les Edited December 24, 2012 by Les1952 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted December 26, 2012 Author Share Posted December 26, 2012 Post Christmas sillies. Some work done today finishing the painting of the rail sides and sticking a little more ceiling tile in place. This then degenerated into a Boxing Day running session, partly as I'd a couple of odd engines to test before finding their boxes and possibly offereing them for sale. View of the underside opf the board showing the SCART plug and lead- the third attempt at getting a suitable one. This one has heavy duty ribbon cable, is 0.5m long and has gold-plated plugs mounted straigt on the end of the lead- angled plugs proved difficult and the non-plated plugs and lead caused a voltage drop. Two test trains- a noisy V2 runs North with a fast train (this V2 is the double-chimney one which will stay at least for now) while the brass Erie Lackawanna SD45-2 runs the other way on a train- I said it was silly season. The SD45-2 cost an arm and a leg and at first wouldn't run through any pointwork. I eventually traced this down to the bottom of the fuel tank. this had a makers plate firmly attached which brought the bottom of the loco body to 0.5mm BELOW rail level. It now doesn't have its "Overland" plate, which is in its box. It still finds any bump in the track as the pilot is only 0.5mm clear of the rail. Time to go and sort some eBay. Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted December 26, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 26, 2012 Its coming on well - being a Horden lad I like the idea of an SD45-2 - it would have been better than seeing lots of EE Type 3s when the WD, Q6, 9F and J27s had stopped working the coal trains. I only ever saw Morayshire (preserved) when it ran through Horden after the S&D Anniversary get together. Keep up the good work! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 (edited) A new year, a bit of visible progress Still spending a lot of time waiting for glue to dry while running trains to soak test the track. Running has got to the stage where everything that runs into the yard without problems will also run out safely- the odd few that won't give a lot of trouble on other layouts and are in a queue for improvement. Progress with the bridge. The prototype has a change of brickwork at the height where the join is.. What doesn't show up in the photo is the parapet on the far side, which is complete- this side will be the one with the railings. In the background is a piece where the bank will have a brick wall included in it. The problem I have to address next is the four rows of bricks forming the arch itself- getting something I can bend to shape..... Much research still to do. Happy New Year to everyone. Les Edited January 2, 2013 by Les1952 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted January 2, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 2, 2013 For the arch you have the option of scribing individual bricks onto a plain arch of plasticard, using boiling water on a length of plasticard four bricks high and then holding it until it sets, or shapeways/etching/printing something and painting it to match. Arches are a pain. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 For the arch you have the option of scribing individual bricks onto a plain arch of plasticard, using boiling water on a length of plasticard four bricks high and then holding it until it sets, or shapeways/etching/printing something and painting it to match. Arches are a pain. That is what had worried me- then ringing Trevor this evening for advice brought up the name "Scalescenes". I've bought and downloaded their arches and windows sheet in dark red brick N and printed it off. There are arch segments of 4 brick high archway- I'll try those first (ignoring the fact it is actually five bricks high). I may have to print the sheet bit at different magnifications until I get the right radius but that isn't a major problem. Paper overlay on brick plasticard is mildly unusual, but if I can get it to work... Time to feed the cat. L Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 (edited) Ten days of steady, if slow, progress. hello again. There may not have been any posts for the last ten days, but there has been a bit of work going on- and a lot of trains run while glue has been drying. Where to begin? Starting with the drops- the ground level round them is about done, with just edges to chamfer before the plaster layer goes down. In the meantime I've knocked a railing off (not the first time) so will have some repairs to make before finally seating them. Plastering the embankments started today- I've started with a comparatively easy bit as I've not done any in years- Furtwangen Ost doesn't have banks, only walls. Insulting tape over the track is easier to clean off than plaster (says he hopefully..) There is an overbridge to go in just before the hole in the backscene at this end. - this one At the colliery end there will be a conveyor passing over the line to take stone to the beach- I've abandoned the aerial ropeway as I can't get a convincing route that doesn't involve wires stopping at the baseboard edge....... The underbridge went in the bin- or at least the front of it did. I messed up the weathering on the brickwork. This is Mark II, where I part-weathered the brick plasticard first (acting on advice from Trevor Webster). The arch stones are still to be added, but I'll do some more of the weathering on the bridge first. This angle also shows up the different parapets. Looking up into the bridge the bricks are a lot darker inside the real thing, so my cocked-up weathering here won't be noticeable. Still a lot of work to do, but a bit more promising than the first try. Meanwhile the contours in the hollow behind the underbridge are starting to take shape. This can't really be finished until the bridge goes in because of the angles needed. Also tackled- the final one of the clockwise exit points has been stopping slow-moving trains. I had put it down to flangeway clearances but after fettling there has been no improvement. Yesterday I tried running one of Furwangen Ost's diesel fleet. This stopped repeatedly before reaching the blade. Re-doing the wire that transfers power to the frog made no difference- nor did making sure the track is spotless. I've soldered a jump lead across the point, which should sort it all being well. It lands in the departure road at a point that has to be permanently live anyway- i.e. between the point and the fiddle yard dead section. Once the track is vacuumed and cleaned tomorrow I'll see if it has made a difference. Almost tea time..... Les Edited January 12, 2013 by Les1952 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) Snowy Monday- hibernating in the workshop. .....once the drive was cleared for the first time, that is. The plaster is well on the way to being dry so I've had a first go at adding a bit of colour to part of it- cheapo oil paints from Bookseller- recommended to me by Fred Hempsall. There will of course be a layer of scatter (or two) and there is a bridge, fencing and bushes etc to go on it, but the green makes an improvement in itself. I was thinking opf plastering the next section tomorrow, but that is a Rise Park working session, so it will have to wait until Wednesday. Exam marking starts on Friday (what a good time to go to Manchester for meetings) so not a lot will get done for the next month. Meanwhile I've put a balsa surface where much of the road surface is going to be. Pollyfilla here and there then plaster for the slope. While waiting for the paint and plaster to dry I've been attacking the "might work occasionally" box and discovered enough Peco Jubilee parts to make a complete loco. It has taken a bit of fettling but now runs adequately, and may yet improve. I thought it came with a green tender top but that hasn't surfaced yet. Lining and lettering this will keep me occupied for a while- the Hunt is waiting starting, the Cattistock plates are still on order from Modelmaster Jackson Evans. Plenty to do Edited January 14, 2013 by Les1952 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 (edited) Quiet time Afternoon, all. So, 11 days gone since the last post, something must have happened? Apart from three snowy days in Manchester at an exam meeting and a fourth getting there, followed by 4 days so far marking, not a huge amount. However- I have been down to Access Models and bought two more packs of plaster bandage and done much of the slope work. The areas in front of and behind the coal drops have been shaped and the coal drops embedded in. This should give an idea of the gradient up the hill from the bridge. The drops are glued in place and the gaps around them are getting their first filling. Guess who forgot to tidy away a pencil and a length of Dapol box track rubber before taking the photos..... Another view of the WD passing the drops. The road surface still needs a coat of polyfilla to bring it level with the coal cells, then more paint and coal...... The track into the cells (or rather the second attempt at it- I found after wrecking the first one that I needed to cut away more of the embankment than I'd thought). This at least will make the line to the drops a lot more interesting when it is finsihed. Two more weeks of marking then I've about a month before I need to get Furtwangen on its trestles again to sort before Sheffield show. Should be time to get basic colouring and the droppers for the power a bit nearer done. More later.... All the best Les Edited January 25, 2013 by Les1952 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 6 days of marking exams .... and not a lot done. However I've been taking the odd half-hour off and applying small areas of paint or polyfilla. The underbridge is ready to glue in place, which means I can put the formers in and make the slopes in front of it. More pics later.... All the very best Les 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) Getting plastered..... Gud 'arternune..... Showing my name again- AB Tiddy from the Navy Lark. That gets played in the evenings to keep the room clear while I'm on eBay. Here it has been the usual diet of Meatloaf and Quo. Had to dive into town for more plaster- horror of horrors! Access Models had run out. Finally got two rolls from the local art shop. Added two tubes of oil paint as the green and yellow ochre tubes have almost gone. These cost me as much each as the 16-colour box from the Book Seller...... Back to plastering and forward of the colliery line is now finished except for the cutting front on the main line. Showing the bridge in situ and the wall below the colliery blacksmith above it. Wheelchair user's view through the bridge. A lot of cleaning up and detaling still to do but the angle of the bridge feels right. Tomorrow is a Rise Park day so the plaster and the oil paint surface of the road to the coal drops can have an undisturbed day to dry a bit. Also arrived today three packs of NEM boxes for fitting to Dapol hoppers. I've made up the first two but the gap between wagons is horrendous. Next is to try mounting another two further back- it will mean removing the entire coupling box from the wagon but that shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'll post pics of the coupling mounts when I get a satisfactory specing. Meanwhile I'd better get some work done in case anyone asks me to contribute to Richard III's carpark bill......... All the best Les Edited February 4, 2013 by Les1952 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNCF stephen Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Nice progress there, I wish I was as disciplined as yourself in getting layouts built. I'll be interested to see how you get on with the Dapol couplings. I have a few sets but have found that their performance is a bit mixed. I am thinking of trying again with magnetic tape as opposed to the Kato uncoupler units (which are unsightly) or those powerful little magnets which are far too powerful for my needs. Good luck and keep up the good work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 (edited) Nice progress there, I wish I was as disciplined as yourself in getting layouts built. I'll be interested to see how you get on with the Dapol couplings. I have a few sets but have found that their performance is a bit mixed. I am thinking of trying again with magnetic tape as opposed to the Kato uncoupler units (which are unsightly) or those powerful little magnets which are far too powerful for my needs. Good luck and keep up the good work. Many thanks for that- it sin't really discipline- I'm semi retired which basically means that I work in the exam season as an examiner/team leader for GCSE, and in between I have a lot of days when I'm encouraged to work in the shed. It helps having a better half who takes the Nora Batty line of "every man should have a shed". She knows where I am and I'm not under her feet..... I've made a start on the Dapol couplings now those nice people from Liverpool have delivered the first batch of NEM pockets. Reference datum is a pair of hoppers coupled together with the Rapidos they come with. These have no problems with my colliery line coupled to anything that isn't a J94. When the NEM boxes are fitted according to the instruction manual they end up this far apart once the magnetic couplers are fitted. This simply won't do. The problem is that the pocket sits out beyond the buffer beam if the gauge is used to set the fore-aft distance as well as the height. Note also that I'm hamfisted enough to remove buffers if trying to get the old pockets off with a craft knife. If I use a side cutter for this job the buffers survive a bit longer. One of the brown pair dismantled again to show how much frame is left when the coupler pocket is removed. Hence the instruction to use epoxy to get a good strong bond. Today's epoxy gluings are setting overnight- I used superglue for the first few so I could pull them apart for adjustment. I'm now trying mounting the pockets a good deal further aft in order to shorten the gap. How far back will be decided by two things- can the coupler work past the buffers I've not already knocked off? and will the coupled pair propel happily round the bends at the ends of the colliery line. More pics when I've worked out how to do it. Tea time....... Les Edited February 5, 2013 by Les1952 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian b Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Hi Les, following this thread with interest! Today I fitted an easi-shunt coupling directly to an original farish MK 1 and got a fair result opening out the vertical gap by a mm on each side and securing a medium length coupling with a dab of superglue. At some point I've got some peco box vans to attempt and I'm not looking forward to that! The original farish locos look like they should be straightforward too and easily converted back should I need to sell. Magnet-wise the neo magnets do a fine job of uncoupling but I can't get the delayed action to work even using Dapol magnets! Ian B Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted February 6, 2013 Author Share Posted February 6, 2013 (edited) I'm fortunate in that I don't want delayed uncoupling- the magnets (Dapol ones in this case) will be in three places- one in each road at the mouth of the screens and one under the weigh plate on the weighbridge. There may also be one above the coal drops, though this one is on a slope so I'm still in two minds about fitting it. The screens are fed by hand from behind the backscene, so the uncouplers are there to ensure that only one wagon is drawn out of each road at a time. The one under the weighplate is there to act as the uncoupler for running round trains. The main line doesn't need them, though the RCTS special has them as this train also runs on Stamford East, though whether it still will by the time HDC hits the circuit is unknown at this time. Stamford East may have retired by then. All the best Les Edited February 6, 2013 by Les1952 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted February 8, 2013 Author Share Posted February 8, 2013 Friday 6th, first green colouring done The colour may be a bit variable, but at least putting it on the plaster has allowed me to get some idea of the slope. Now I can pause and think about how to add to this- where the fencing needs to be, and what is happening on each part of the bank before adding appropriate scatter etc. I've got remarkably little plaster or paint on the bridge (so far). Tomorrow is Doncaster show, so the shopping list includes railings for the parapet nearest the front of the board. The dark grey paint in front of the staithes has largely dried, so next week I'll be able to sand that flat and make a start on cleaning and detailing the staithes themselves. Trevor is coming round tomorrow as well, so I'll pick his brains about what to do with the front edge and the area on the bridge board behind the colliery railway. I fancy a row of terrace backs up there. Meanwhile the mark 3 version of the coupler boxes is done- this is a pair fitted with slightly shorter. Not yet down to datyum, but the maximun rake will be short so I might just get away with this distance. Much shorter and the axle starts to get in the way. I'll keep an eye out at Doncaster for a set of shorter coupler heads as well. Meanwhile a video showing the effectiveness of greening- a Hymek on a SLS special runs North passing the WD on a long train of fulls. That cat is telling me she's hungry again... Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Lambton58 Posted February 10, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 10, 2013 I've come to this layout a little late but I like the look of it. The colour may be a bit variable, but at least putting it on the plaster has allowed me to get some idea of the slope. Now I can pause and think about how to add to this- where the fencing needs to be, and what is happening on each part of the bank before adding appropriate scatter etc. bridge coloured.jpg I've got remarkably little plaster or paint on the bridge (so far). Have you thought about covering that slope with a motley collection of pigeon crees? It looks like it's made for them! Ralph Lambton58 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 (edited) I've come to this layout a little late but I like the look of it. Have you thought about covering that slope with a motley collection of pigeon crees? It looks like it's made for them! Ralph Lambton58 Many thanks for that- I hadn't, but that is definitely a runner for the left-hand end away from the colliery, to the left of the wall and out of shot. Above that end there's going to be a row of terraced houses (backs of) behind the colliery railway so putting pigeon crees on the slope in front of them certainly makes sense.. There will be some ash tipping on the bank nearer the locoshed and I've just sourced some concrete walling for the beginning of the cutting at the right-hand end. I had a long chat with the guy from P.D.Marsh (is that Mr Marsh himself?) at Doncaster show on Saturday about the conveyor belt kits he's bringing out later in the year- these will be customisable so I can get the conveyor line I want leading from the colliery to the beach. I also had a chat with Ray Evans who might have a solution for the underbridge railings. He's going to bring me some stuff to look at at Sileby show next weekend. I've just noticed- Lambton 58- do you mean this one by any chance? Seen at Derwenthaugh after leaving the Lambton system. All the very best Les Edited February 11, 2013 by Les1952 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon hudson Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Coming along nicely Les I agree some pigeon crees and what about a bit of Easington dog track.You will need some off shift miners walking the greyhounds!. Seriously I wish I could get some motivation on my layout,I just can't get motivated at the moment Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 Coming along nicely Les I agree some pigeon crees and what about a bit of Easington dog track.You will need some off shift miners walking the greyhounds!. Seriously I wish I could get some motivation on my layout,I just can't get motivated at the moment Many thanks, Simon. Good idea the greyhounds, but there isn't enough flat surface left for the dog track. I wonder where I can get greyhounds or whippets? I think I've managed to find a source of pigeons- just need to paint them (or pass them on to Mr Simon.......) Not a lot happening at the moment other than using the layout as a test track to get Stamford East's stock ready for Sileby show this weekend. At least it will give the paint time to dryn properly before I mess around any further. All the very best Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Lambton58 Posted February 12, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12, 2013 I've just noticed- Lambton 58- do you mean this one by any chance? NCB58winlaton.jpg Seen at Derwenthaugh after leaving the Lambton system. Hi Les Yes - exactly that one. Like the photo. It's the first proper model loco I've done Mr Flying Pig of this parish has been nagging me for years to post a photo of it!! It's a Dapol Austerity with a Brassmasters cab. I'll finish it one day (coal, weathering, maybe redo the lettering). For my purposes it's still an NCB Lambton engine for the simple reason that my long term plans involve Lambton trains running to the staiths at Sunderland. Why the Lambton? My grandfather worked at Harraton Colliery. "I had a long chat with the guy from P.D.Marsh (is that Mr Marsh himself?) at Doncaster show on Saturday about the conveyor belt kits he's bringing out later in the year- these will be customisable so I can get the conveyor line I want leading from the colliery to the beach." Could be Mr Marsh - I don't know him, but they're based not too far from where I live. Sounds an interesting development though All the best Ralph Lambton58 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Lambton58 Posted February 12, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12, 2013 You will need some off shift miners walking the greyhounds!. Whippets surely? And they're going to be tiny ! Have fun Ralph Lambton58 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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