The Furness Valley Railroad

[chaz]

Part 2 of the harp switch stand saga - fitting

Some of the following is obvious but I include it for completeness.

 

I use 0.5mm wire to connect the harp to the turnout. If you are going to use the harp to drive the point blades you might need thicker wire. I blacken the wire with Casey's Brass Black (see previous postings for details and precautions). The tie-bars on my jig-built points are made of PCB so the wire can be soldered directly to the top surface without needing a hole.

 You will need to bend a right angle in the wire to pass it through the lever - keep this end fairly short as there is not much "wiggle room" to get it into the hole. If like me you have had to drill a hole closer to the pivot to increase the movement of the flag you will need to bend the wire again to get it to pass smoothly through the slot in the switchstand. Once the two bends are done pass the straight end through the slot in the side of the harp (from underneath) and then juggle the bent end through the hole in the lever. You don't need to bend the wire over after it passes through the lever - it is very unlikely to come out. I put two gentle bends in the wire outside the harp to get the wire down level with the top of the tie-bar. Leave the wire overlong at this stage.

The next step is to fix the harp in place. I drill one of the four holes first. I use a 0.7mm drill in a pin-chuck, positioning the harp and then starting the hole. One the hole position is established I remove the harp and finish drilling the hole through the extended tie and the plywood baseboard top using a Dremel. A 0.7mm hole will grip a dress-maker's pin so I fit the harp and pin it in place.

 

 

Now I mark the other three holes by starting the drill in the pin-chuck, making sure that the harp doesn't move. Then I remove the harp and finish drilling the three holes. The harp is now replaced and four dress-maker's pins pushed into the holes to hold it snug.
I throw the point to the "main" position and adjust the flag on the harp so that it is vertical. Then I cut the operating wire so that it overlaps the tie-bar by 2-3mm - it mustn't be so long that it hits the stock rail when the points are thrown.

 I take the black finish off the end of the brass wire (you can use fine emery, wet and dry paper or a needle file) and then, ensuring that the point blades and the harp flag are in the "main" position, solder it to the tie-bar. If any adjustment is needed the solder can be melted and the wire moved slightly. What I aim for is the lever to line up with the notches in the top of the harp.

 

 

The last task is to paint the heads of the pins and the bright solder.

The last photo' shows that the longer extended ties have allowed me to position the harp with plenty of clearance for passing trains.

Chaz

Edited July 3, 2017 by chaz

[chaz]

Video showing the switch stand in action.

 

https://youtu.be/HypAI_Sn-vw

 

I may have fitted this one too early as there is no ground treatment or even ballasting yet. If I need to remove the harp I only have to release the solder joint and pull out the four pins.

 

Chaz

[Loconuts]

Thanks John. Already asked Paul about it previously, Said I am just as quick to order direct. I am going to the narrow gauge convention in Denver later in the year so I will be pre ordering a suitcase full of stuff to bring pack from various suppliers!!!

 

Now back to Chas' super modelling!

 

Leigh

 

Hi Leigh

 

Just remember you will only be able to bring back £300 worth, not like the EU. Also remember your luggage weight of 20Kgs. But I still say lucky you for being able to go if Mr Trump lets you in!!!!!!!

 

I wanted to go to Colorado later this year for the Railroads but the management thought replacing the windows and doors would better.

 

John

[chaz]

I decided to put a couple of boarded walkways (not sure what the American term for these might be) to give passengers easy access to a passenger train if it were to arrive on the passing siding. I removed the depot building to give access while I put them in.

 

 

Interesting effect - the boards - which are exactly the same colour as the platform deck, from the same batch of stained ply' - look a different shade; just the effect of the different alignment.

 

 

The flangeway gaps between the boards and rails are a tad greater than the flangeways in the turnouts and the ply' is slightly lower than the rail-tops, so a test run with #7 showed no problems...

 

 

...except that some of the freight cars have "saggy" couplers and the curved tails strike the edge of the timbers - not good! How do I adjust them so that this doesn't happen? I think there is a simple way to adjust the curvature of tails with a pair of pliers - but I can't remember how this goes.

 

Chaz

Edited February 3, 2017 by chaz

[Jeff Smith]

Kadee has a special pair of pliers that can be used to bend the trip pin either up or down but two pairs of needle nosed could be used - one to hold the pin where it comes out of the coupling jaw, and the other to bend the pin up or down....

 

Incidentally, I did some experimentation to compare the standard Bachmann coupling with the equivalent Kadee Whisker coupler and couldn't find any significant difference. The main advantage with Kadee is the range of lengths and heights. The cost is roughly the same, at least in the US.

[chaz]

Err, something went wrong - disregard this posting

 

Edited February 3, 2017 by chaz

[chaz]

Kadee has a special pair of pliers that can be used to bend the trip pin either up or down but two pairs of needle nosed could be used - one to hold the pin where it comes out of the coupling jaw, and the other to bend the pin up or down....

 

Incidentally, I did some experimentation to compare the standard Bachmann coupling with the equivalent Kadee Whisker coupler and couldn't find any significant difference. The main advantage with Kadee is the range of lengths and heights. The cost is roughly the same, at least in the US.

 

I have heard it said that the Bachmann couplings couple more easily and the Kadees uncouple more easily - or is it the other way round? And don't the Bachmann ones break more easily?

Edited February 3, 2017 by chaz

[Zomboid]

In my experience they kind of work together, but not really. Bachmann couplers feel lower quality than kadees, so I standardised on kadees, but i find that they're not that easy to get apart with a skewer. Could be my technique though.

[shortliner]

In my experience they kind of work together, but not really. Bachmann couplers feel lower quality than kadees, so I standardised on kadees, but i find that they're not that easy to get apart with a skewer. Could be my technique though.

This may assist  http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/113990-uncoupling-kadees-the-stick-becomes-an-uncoupling-brush/

[chaz]

This may assist  http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/113990-uncoupling-kadees-the-stick-becomes-an-uncoupling-brush/

 

That's a very useful tip, Shortliner, thanks. I feel a raid on the bathroom cabinet is in order....

 

I have been struck down by some severe back pain which is curtailing my modelling activities by we must soldier on. wimp!

 

I bought some RJ12 cables and today, through a haze of agony ( Now come on, don't milk it) I linked up a couple of Lenz socket panels (LA152) with two 5 metre lengths and hooked them both up daisy chain fashion to the "slave" socket on the Multimaus box of tricks. I was pleased when the MM handset worked fine even with 10 metres of cabling between it and the socket. 

 

When I feel able (wince) I will take the cables down under the floor. This will involve cutting holes large enough to allow some stiff wire to be fed through as a messenger to pull the cables through. I will probably use some old ring main cable which should be stiff enough to push through. The joists below the floor are close enough together to guide the cable and make hooking it up through the target hole feasible.

 

The first section of cable will run to a LA152 on the central peninsular, the second one on to Stoke's Ferry. If I make the holes under the baseboards, behind a supporting leg then simple cover plates should seal the holes once the cables are in.

 

I have a couple of old Lenz LH90 handsets which I don't use - I plugged one of these in to one of the DIN sockets on a connected LA152 and was pleased that it worked perfectly well with the Multimaus system. So I have a couple of other handsets should I want them. They are not ideal for sound equipped locos - they only have 4 function buttons (other numbers can be selected but it involves too many button presses to be practical).

 

Chaz

Edited February 3, 2017 by chaz

[Loconuts]

I have heard it said that the Bachmann couplings couple more easily and the Kadees uncouple more easily - or is it the other way round? And don't the Bachmann ones break more easily?

 

Hi Chaz

 

I have found in my experience that it is best to stick to one brand of coupler. The Baccy couplers are loose in the mounting box and tend to hang down.

 

Also if you are going to manual uncoupling you do not need the tails as they are only useful for magnetic uncoupling.

 

The coupling properties are dependant on the face of the coupler pulling the cars together when under tension. So if you mix the couplings the angle on the two faces may not match and will tend to uncouple. The AMS coupling is notorious for this.

 

A little bit of graphite dust on the working parts of the knuckle works wonders, this needs to be done on a regular basis dependant on use. I would also get a Kaydee height gauge to check to coupling height as having them all at the right height helps with reliability.

 

John

[Jeff Smith]

The Bachmann couplers are plastic. The older ones had plastic jaw springs which were prone to breakage. The current ones have small coil springs. The Kadee Whisker couplings are all metal.

 

The Bachmann V side tippers are metal and live chassis as I discovered when I replaced the Bachmann couplers with brass wire loops to simulate link and pin close couplers. I made up three into a fixed rake but had one reversed so they immediately shorted out.....

[chaz]

Hi Chaz

 

I have found in my experience that it is best to stick to one brand of coupler. The Baccy couplers are loose in the mounting box and tend to hang down.

 

Also if you are going to manual uncoupling you do not need the tails as they are only useful for magnetic uncoupling.

 

The coupling properties are dependant on the face of the coupler pulling the cars together when under tension. So if you mix the couplings the angle on the two faces may not match and will tend to uncouple. The AMS coupling is notorious for this.

 

A little bit of graphite dust on the working parts of the knuckle works wonders, this needs to be done on a regular basis dependant on use. I would also get a Kaydee height gauge to check to coupling height as having them all at the right height helps with reliability.

 

John

 

Thanks John, I have a Kadee height gauge and somewhere a little puffer bottle of their powdered graphite.

 

"The Baccy couplers are loose in the mounting box and tend to hang down." Yes, it is noticeable. I wa wondering if there was anything that could be done - a very thin packing washer inside the box to take up some of the slack. I may try a slip of 5 or 10 thou' plastic sheet and see if this effects a cure. I'd rather not have to convert all the stock to Kadees - that's going to be a bit pricey!

[Loconuts]

Thanks John, I have a Kadee height gauge and somewhere a little puffer bottle of their powdered graphite.

 

"The Baccy couplers are loose in the mounting box and tend to hang down." Yes, it is noticeable. I wa wondering if there was anything that could be done - a very thin packing washer inside the box to take up some of the slack. I may try a slip of 5 or 10 thou' plastic sheet and see if this effects a cure. I'd rather not have to convert all the stock to Kadees - that's going to be a bit pricey!

 

Your telling me, I have converted all my stuff to Kaydee's. But I am using the 0n3 knuckle rather than the HO.

 

John

[Jeff Smith]

Your telling me, I have converted all my stuff to Kaydee's. But I am using the 0n3 knuckle rather than the HO.

 

John

The On3 couplers are actually designed for scale On3 coupler height and the trip pins are too low for On30 which uses the standard HO height.

[chaz]

The On3 couplers are actually designed for scale On3 coupler height and the trip pins are too low for On30 which uses the standard HO height.

 

So one either modifies the car to get the coupler at the right height or removes the trip pins?

[Loconuts]

So one either modifies the car to get the coupler at the right height or removes the trip pins?

 

Hi Chaz

 

It is the former, all mine are set to 0n3 height as my stock can run on 0n30 and 0n3 being mainly San Juan, AMS and MMI. I chose 0n30 as there are not too many 0n3 layouts in this country.

 

John

[chaz]

Hi Chaz

 

It is the former, all mine are set to 0n3 height as my stock can run on 0n30 and 0n3 being mainly San Juan, AMS and MMI. I chose 0n30 as there are not too many 0n3 layouts in this country.

 

John

 

John, does your stock travel much to other layouts?

 

I think I may just replace any Bachmann couplers that sag. Is there a Kadee that will fit the Bachmann coupler box without modification?

 

Chaz

[Fettster42]

The Kadee whisker coupling fits in the Bachmann box fine.

[chaz]

The Kadee whisker coupling fits in the Bachmann box fine.

 

Thanks for that. Can you tell me the code number of that coupling please?

 

Chaz

[chaz]

Sometimes it takes a while for the penny to drop...

 

I was going to connect up some outlet sockets for the DCC handsets by connecting them down under the floor and had bought a couple of 5 metre cables with this in mind. Standing looking at the layout, having installed the socket plates (Lenz LA152s) I had a light-bulb moment. A quick measure up with a tape and I had an easier alternative. The cables were an easy fit in two horizontal "U"s around the baseboards, rather than two vertical "U"s under the floor. In fact both cables had a bit of slack.

 

 

Pictured above is the Multimaus "box of tricks". MM users will know that this handset - the master - must not be unplugged. The grey cable looping back is off on its way round the room.

 

 

This is the socket plate installed on the peninsular board. It won't see much service until I lay some track there.

 

 

The second LA152 is positioned at Stoke's Ferry - half way along the long straight so that a handset with a 2 metre cable will reach the entire length.

 

Chaz

[Fettster42]

Thanks for that. Can you tell me the code number of that coupling please?

 

Chaz

 

The #148 is the equivalent of the #5. But you can also get long and short, over and under shanks as needed, depending on your needs and how accurate the box you are fitting it to is set.

[Loconuts]

John, does your stock travel much to other layouts?

 

I think I may just replace any Bachmann couplers that sag. Is there a Kadee that will fit the Bachmann coupler box without modification?

 

Chaz

 

The answer to that question is no not now, the stock and locos are too fragile and bits have a tendency to fall off in transit. I am taking the same view as you, a fixed layout and the stock goes on it and stays on it. Also a lot of British modelers use Peco track and the MMI Locos and San Juan stock will not go through the switches, hence the reason I did not join in with the SGC module group. We have a Canadian in the Bearwood group who is working to the same standard as myself but he lives in Somerset so is still a fair way to travel.

 

As you are a 7mm modeler with an exhibition layout (Dock Green) you know all about standards and building to them. The same goes for the American layout. The NMRA publishes standards which can be downloaded, these cover wheel, track and coupling standards, well worth getting. There are two 0n30 standards, one covers what you are doing and the other covers the standard I am working to. But based on advise I have received by very experienced modelers on the other side of the pond is stick to one type of coupler and not mix or match.

 

John 

[chaz]

Has anybody else noticed the restorative effect of Tamiya acrylics on brushes? I needed to slap a quick coat of yellow paint on something this morning and grabbed a brush which was a bit past it, being rather stiff (the ghost of some coats of enamel lurking among the hairs). After a little work I went to the sink and washed out the brush and noted that the hairs were now as soft and flexible as they had been when the brush was new. Maybe acrylic thinners would make excellent brush cleaner?

 

Apologies if this is old-hat - I have never seen it remarked upon before.

 

Chaz

[chaz]

Maybe use a solid state relay. Should switch much faster than a mechanical one.

 

It seems that this is not a straightforward proposition. I went on line yesterday and checked out dozens of solid state relays nearly all of which proved to be SPST in configuration. The only ones that weren't were DPST - no good as polarity changers. However I did find this website...

 

http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/174995/creating-dpdt-solid-state-relay-with-fets

 

This appears to be someone who is wanting to do exactly what I want to do - but is forced to try and build one from discrete components - although a definitive answer has not yet been posted for him.

 

This leads me to conclude that a dual frog juicer would be a sensible solution (why try to reinvent the wheel).

 

If a conventional relay is too slow for DCC use (and I will test this soon) - would a frog-juicer do the trick? This website claims it will and downloading Tam Valley's manual confirms it.

 

 

http://www.digitrains.co.uk/ecommerce/dcc-accessories/circuit-protection-and-power-management/DFJ003U-dual-frog-juicer-universal.aspx

 

http://www.tamvalleydepot.com/images/Dual_Frog_Juicer_Manual_v2.1.pdf

 

Chaz

Edited February 7, 2017 by chaz