Wright writes.....

[Tony Wright]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Weren't you ever sent to the stores for a bag of holes? Where do you think they came from?

 

Only some?

 

One good point is to join a club, which of course you did! See you at St Patcham this year?

Of course, it should be all, John.

 

Not all modellers I've helped, either by offering advice or by hands-on assistance, have been young. Some are as old as they'll ever be, now. They've subsequently died!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

[Mark Laidlay]

4 hours ago, DougN said:

Not many I would suggest... You have Puffing Billy from Belgrave (is this still in Melbourne it is becoming a suburb) any day!,  then Mornington Railway (again very similar) only on the 27th though, Queenscliff Railway, again on the 27th. Then a little  further afield the Goldfields railway (only on Sundays).  I think sunday is a challenge to do more than 1 as it is almost 2 hours round the bay from Mornington to Queenscliff!

I wouldn't count Queenscliff as it mainly uses "foreign" power but Daylesford and Healesville should be on the list.  But the context of question applied to heritage railways in NSW, not Vic.  Victoria has 5 heritage railways using VR power on the correct gauge, NSW has one using NSWGR power.

Edited August 25, 2023 by Mark Laidlay

[Woodcock29]

6 hours ago, DougN said:

The gentleman to the left of John is Brian Frary (dec).... i know that jacket anywhere.  Its now been 2 years I have been battling with his estate. Not sure who the man is to the left of Brian... I suspect a BRMA member 

Doug the chap to the left of Brian looks like former BRMA President, Harry Howell. May he also rest in peace maybe watching trains at Stafford?

[Jesse Sim]

5 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Jesse,

 

I have an idea I gave you a motor. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

I was going to argue but I might lose out on my accomodation…. 
 

No, in all seriousness, i wouldn’t accuse you of selling me anything that was a dud. All in jest. 
 

I can’t remember if I paid you for the motor and the B16 wheels or just the wheels. 
 

Doesn’t matter anyway, I’ll get her running. 

[Tony Wright]

1 hour ago, Jesse Sim said:

I was going to argue but I might lose out on my accomodation…. 
 

No, in all seriousness, i wouldn’t accuse you of selling me anything that was a dud. All in jest. 
 

I can’t remember if I paid you for the motor and the B16 wheels or just the wheels. 
 

Doesn’t matter anyway, I’ll get her running. 

Good afternoon Jesse,

 

What type is the motor? 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Chamby]

16 hours ago, Jesse Sim said:

 

Do the letters FO mean anything to you? 

 

14 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Furka OberAlp?

(Locos of said railway did run around with said abbreviation applied as part of the livery).

My best chance of getting a post in on page 3000.

 

My first thought also, though my puerile sense of humour was more tickled by the nearby Centovalli Railway, that carries the abbreviation logo of the Ferrovie Autolinee Regionale Ticinesi...

 

https://images.app.goo.gl/nwB2Z7wQuWVfPf2bA

 

 

 

[MJI]

22 minutes ago, Chamby said:

 

 

My first thought also, though my puerile sense of humour was more tickled by the nearby Centovalli Railway, that carries the abbreviation logo of the Ferrovie Autolinee Regionale Ticinesi...

 

https://images.app.goo.gl/nwB2Z7wQuWVfPf2bA

 

 

 

 

Just do a search and see a lot of farting buses

[Tony Wright]

Thanks for the Railtec Transfers advice regarding numbering/lettering the repainted siphon. 

 

Unless I'm missing something (which is highly likely), it seems that only GWR-style brandings are available.

 

Can anyone help, please? 

[Jesse Sim]

8 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good afternoon Jesse,

 

What type is the motor? 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Morning Tony,

 

It is a DJH combo.

 

 

[Craigw]

16 hours ago, Mark Laidlay said:

 Victoria has 5 heritage railways using VR power on the correct gauge, NSW has one using NSWGR power.

Mark, 

I think you are mistaken here. While it is not used on a heritage line. NSW has the only VR steam power running on the correct gauge :)

 

Regards,

 

Craig W

[Tony Wright]

8 hours ago, Jesse Sim said:

Morning Tony,

 

It is a DJH combo.

 

 

Thanks Jesse,

 

Given the time when it was fitted, it's probably a Mashima motor attached, rather than DJH's own. If so, it's easily replaced; though you'll probably have to take the gearbox out. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Jesse Sim]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks Jesse,

 

Given the time when it was fitted, it's probably a Mashima motor attached, rather than DJH's own. If so, it's easily replaced; though you'll probably have to take the gearbox out. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

I’ve done some further testing and I believe it could well have been the DCC chip. 

[Tony Wright]

Dear friend, Ray Chessum, has donated some items for sale; all proceeds going to CRUK.

 

These include....

 

 

A pair of Jidenco GWR six-wheeled tool/signal vans. £10.00 each.

 

 

A Jidenco M7 and a Falcon Brass (which Jidenco became?) Beattie Well Tank. Both these are complete and un-started. £25.00 each.

 

 

A Jidenco LSWR T6, complete and un-started. £35.00.

 

 

A Jidenco LSWR 'Paddlebox'; complete, though (clearly) started (and well-made so far). It appears to be complete. £30.00.

 

 

A trio of Roxey etched-brass coach kits (two IOW). 

 

These are complete and un-started (no wheels). The last prices I've found for Roxey bogie coach kits are around £60.00, so £25.00 each for the bogie pair and £20.00 for the six-wheeler.

 

Anyone interested, please PM me. Near-offers will be considered.

 

Thanks in anticipation, and thanks Ray. 

[Tony Wright]

19 minutes ago, Jesse Sim said:

I’ve done some further testing and I believe it could well have been the DCC chip. 

Good morning Jesse,

 

Really? 

 

My prejudices continue to grow!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

Readers might recall my finishing a (yet another!) DJH A1 some four months ago..........

 

 

Pretty standard, really.

 

 

Fitted with a second-hand Portescap (liberated from a wreck of a loco), it ran very well, though slower than what's normally expected from the 'Rolls-Royce' of loco drives. Since it was extremely powerful, I left it as it was.

 

Until............

 

Yesterday, when Ray Chessum dropped off the kits he's donating, we ran a few of my new locos; including the A1. It really was very slow, and got slower - though it still hauled its train. 

 

After Ray had left, I tried it again; only this time I got a short circuit, then nothing! The Portescap motor had died! 

 

So............

 

 

 

 

I took out the dud and installed a new Portescap, and away she flew (you'll have to believe me from these stills). 

 

Has anyone else come across this Portescap issue? Going slower and slower, then dying? 

 

It has nothing at all to do with DCC, of course (60158 will never be chipped in my lifetime!). 

 

Anyway, I've junked the Portescap motor, but removed the gearbox and 'worm'; the reason being that the gearbox itself (being old) is super-smooth and quiet, and I'll use it to replace a noisy (later) gearbox. 

 

 

[Michael Edge]

The commonest cause of death in Portescaps is a failure of the rather flimsy brush gear. They are little wire fingers and if they fail they can tangle up and cause a short. If the gearbox is a quiet one it's worth changing the motor and bevel pinion for another one.

[Michael Edge]

I meant to say keep the bevel pinion from the dead motor and put it on the replacement.

[Tony Wright]

2 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

The commonest cause of death in Portescaps is a failure of the rather flimsy brush gear. They are little wire fingers and if they fail they can tangle up and cause a short. If the gearbox is a quiet one it's worth changing the motor and bevel pinion for another one.

Thanks Mike,

 

'Bevel pinion', that's the right description - not 'worm'. Glad you knew what I meant. 

 

Yes, I intend to use it as you suggest..............

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Tony Wright
to add something

[Bernard Lamb]

Anyone taking up the challenge of the Beattie well tank should get hold of the copy of MRJ where Ian Rice built one. From memory this kit falls into the 'Curate's Egg' category.

Bernard

[30368]

1 hour ago, Bernard Lamb said:

Anyone taking up the challenge of the Beattie well tank should get hold of the copy of MRJ where Ian Rice built one. From memory this kit falls into the 'Curate's Egg' category.

Bernard

 

How about the Paddlebox and Adams 4-4-0 Bernard? I suspect more bad than good egg?

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

[Ian Rathbone]

Tony’s latest A4, clean but not too clean.

 

 

I just need to finish the V2 now.

 

Ian R

[davidw]

53 minutes ago, Ian Rathbone said:

Tony’s latest A4, clean but not too clean.

 

 

I just need to finish the V2 now.

 

Ian R

Another proscale?

[Jol Wilkinson]

3 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Readers might recall my finishing a (yet another!) DJH A1 some four months ago..........

 

 

Pretty standard, really.

 

 

Fitted with a second-hand Portescap (liberated from a wreck of a loco), it ran very well, though slower than what's normally expected from the 'Rolls-Royce' of loco drives. Since it was extremely powerful, I left it as it was.

 

Until............

 

Yesterday, when Ray Chessum dropped off the kits he's donating, we ran a few of my new locos; including the A1. It really was very slow, and got slower - though it still hauled its train. 

 

After Ray had left, I tried it again; only this time I got a short circuit, then nothing! The Portescap motor had died! 

 

So............

 

 

 

 

I took out the dud and installed a new Portescap, and away she flew (you'll have to believe me from these stills). 

 

Has anyone else come across this Portescap issue? Going slower and slower, then dying? 

 

It has nothing at all to do with DCC, of course (60158 will never be chipped in my lifetime!). 

 

Anyway, I've junked the Portescap motor, but removed the gearbox and 'worm'; the reason being that the gearbox itself (being old) is super-smooth and quiet, and I'll use it to replace a noisy (later) gearbox. 

 

 

The Pentroller was developed by Stuart Hine to provide a suitable controller for Portescap motors. 

 

Portescap coreless motors apparently don't like certain types of feedback controllers and have very delicate brush gear as Mike alludes to. In particular the "frequency" of the feedback controller can cause problems with premature brush wear and failure. I have Pentroller and Modelex controllers and have had no problems but it may be that heavier usage than I have given my models may cause controller "mismatch" to have an impact. The Pictroller from Malcolm's Miniatures is a more recent version of the Pentroller.

[MJI]

3 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

The Pentroller was developed by Stuart Hine to provide a suitable controller for Portescap motors. 

 

Portescap coreless motors apparently don't like certain types of feedback controllers and have very delicate brush gear as Mike alludes to. In particular the "frequency" of the feedback controller can cause problems with premature brush wear and failure. I have Pentroller and Modelex controllers and have had no problems but it may be that heavier usage than I have given my models may cause controller "mismatch" to have an impact. The Pictroller from Malcolm's Miniatures is a more recent version of the Pentroller.

I have one rg4 and it works ok with a safety minor but forget the commander,  need to try on the gaugemaster d sometime.

[MJI]

One of Tony's sell offs from a few months ago.

 

Jusr inside to do now.