7mm King Street Goods

[Barnaby]

Playing about with the couplings and a wagon.  Looks like a small piece of plastic square section about 3mm thick will supply a glue pad and at the right height to align the hook.

 

I was going to cut a section out around the hook mounting plate but I think a 4mm hole along the hook centre line will make for a neater simpler job.  Some plastic filler can be added to fill in any gapping which once painted won't be seen, at least not by me.   

 

One problem I may need to over come is that the hook is magnetic, I was told it was non ferrous.  Now I do intend to add a paper clip extender to allow for some auto un-coupling moves.   This will work but I am a bit worried that the buried rare earth magnets could cause a slow passing wagon to judder as it passes over them, we'll see.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Barnaby

[Barnaby]

Been doing a bit of playing again today with some shirt button magnets, paper clips, a piece of track and a couple of wagons with the new Nem X9289 couplings fitted via blu-tack.

Seems to work well enough with 2 of the button magnets one on top of the other and placed mid sleeper.

Since then Mike he of Wellington Street fame has updated me with his coupling install.

 

I like the fact that he is using 3-links with the bottom one soft iron for attraction to the magnet.   I think this is a neat idea and will have a play tomorrow with it. Not sure yet how to get the 3-links to look in the pro typical position yet will cause the hook to raise when over the magnet.  At the moment if the 3-links are between the buffers then the hook will be pulled down?  Somehow I need to keep the 3-links in that position but have the magnet pull down from behind the hook pivot point and so raise up the hook.  

 

Think I better ask Mike for an "up the skirt" shot of one of his wagons showing how he has achieved this.

 

Best.

Edited October 16, 2016 by Barnaby

[Mike]

Been doing a bit of playing again today with some shirt button magnets, paper clips, a piece of track and a couple of wagons with the new Nem X9289 couplings fitted via blu-tack.

Seems to work well enough with 2 of the button magnets one on top of the other and placed mid sleeper.

Since then Mike he of Wellington Street fame has updated me with his coupling install.

 

I like the fact that he is using 3-links with the bottom one soft iron for attraction to the magnet.   I think this is a neat idea and will have a play tomorrow with it. Not sure yet how to get the 3-links to look in the pro typical position yet will cause the hook to raise when over the magnet.  At the moment if the 3-links are between the buffers then the hook will be pulled down?  Somehow I need to keep the 3-links in that position but have the magnet pull down from behind the hook pivot point and so raise up the hook.  

 

Think I better ask Mike for an "up the skirt" shot of one of his wagons showing how he has achieved this.

 

Best.

I'll take some up the skirt photos tomorrow.

[muddys-blues]

Good evening Barnaby, where did you purchase the Bullfrogs from ?

 

Best regards

Craig.

[Jintyman]

Good evening Barnaby, where did you purchase the Bullfrogs from ?

 

Best regards

Craig.

 

Pet shop, next to the Iguanas!!!!

 

On a serious note, they look very good, and a positive action.

 

Jinty

[Barnaby]

Hi Craig sad to say you have to get them from Canada but they are quick taking only 5 days door to door.  If I remember correctly the postage on the 8 I purchased was about a tenner but it is the only option if you want them as they only deal from their Canadian shop.

 

They are called Fast Track see here:- http://www.handlaidtrack.com/

 

Good luck

[Mike]

A couple of photos taken with my phone so not brilliant: There is an extension soldered to the counter weight part of the hook which the 3 link couplings are attached. When I get home I'll take c couple of shots with my camera,

 

 

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Playing about with the couplings and a wagon.  Looks like a small piece of plastic square section about 3mm thick will supply a glue pad and at the right height to align the hook.

 

I was going to cut a section out around the hook mounting plate but I think a 4mm hole along the hook centre line will make for a neater simpler job.  Some plastic filler can be added to fill in any gapping which once painted won't be seen, at least not by me.   

 

One problem I may need to over come is that the hook is magnetic, I was told it was non ferrous.  Now I do intend to add a paper clip extender to allow for some auto un-coupling moves.   This will work but I am a bit worried that the buried rare earth magnets could cause a slow passing wagon to judder as it passes over them, we'll see.

Hi,

 

In haste...

 

Most TL hooks I have encountered are none magnetic.

 

When experimenting with RE magnets and pieces of metal attached to the TL hooks I haven't noticed any judder etc. Also with the weight/presence of 7mm stock I wouldn't expect such as several modellers use similar 'auto-coupling' mods to TLs on their 4mm stock - without problems (that I am aware of).

 

Hope that helps - in great haste.

 

ATVB

 

CME

[Mike]

Slightly better up skirt photo.

 

[Barnaby]

Thanks Mike.

I thought your links were further forward than that.  Looks like all I need to do is shorten the paper clip I've got fitted [see photo below] and add the 3-links to its tail end.

I'll shorten the clip so that the links fall just under the front of the wagon as that should look quite good.

 

I'll give it a go later.

 

Thanks again.

Edited October 17, 2016 by Barnaby

[Barnaby]

Success, thanks to Mike's guidance.

I've made a temp mock up to test out the theory and kar-bunga it works flawlessly.  A added bonus is that I have been able to use just 1 of the shirt button magnets and not the 2 I needed before with just a paper clip wire.

 

Now to install all my wagons correctly with the couplings and to give some thought to where I need to place the magnets on the layout.

 

Errrr well I will do that after I have hoovered the house downstairs and up the staircase too.  The Station Mistress has spoken and may confiscate my shed key if I don't. 

Edited October 18, 2016 by Barnaby

[Barnaby]

Here's a short video of the action, it's a little blurred and shaky. https://www.facebook.com/mark.king.5015/videos/10208799942408546/?l=4993959150426291468
 

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Success, thanks to Mike's guidance.

I've made a temp mock up to test out the theory and kar-bunga it works flawlessly.  A added bonus is that I have been able to use just 1 of the shirt button magnets and not the 2 I needed before with just a paper clip wire.

 

Now to install all my wagons correctly with the couplings and to give some thought to where I need to place the magnets on the layout.

 

Errrr well I will do that after I have hoovered the house downstairs and up the staircase too.  The Station Mistress has spoken and may confiscate my shed key if I don't. 

Hi Barnaby,

 

Nice work!

 

Have you any more, close-up, photos, of the three links and wire set up (ie how have you attached the two)? Seems like you have leapfrogged ahead of me a little, my next task was to see how I could incorporate three links as a magnet element or cosmetic.

 

ATVB with thanks in anticipation,

 

CME

[Barnaby]

For CME.
 
Some crude sketching and a photo . . . . .  not sure if the vicar would not question that title.

I crimp the shaped paper clip to the hook stub and add a pin drop of cyanoacrylate glue to secure.

I found that to allow the hook to drop down onto the latching plate I had to bend the paper clip tail down slightly as I show, and you may have to tweak yours to find the sweet spot.

The 3-links have only the bottom one as magnetic and they hook over the rear end of the paper clip and held in place by closing up the paper clip but loose enough to allow the links to swivel.

 

I use a master wagon to set the couplings to which is set on the centre line of the wagon hook .

I dry fit the coupling Nem parts and fix in position.

Then I pull out the hook assembly from the pocket and add the paper clip and links, then reinsert them back.

You may require to adjust [bend] the link height or generally tweak the paper clip but this should get you some where near.

I'm using some shirt button rare earth magnets which just fit between the sleepers, but they are quite strong.

 

So far it's working well, thanks to Mike's assistance.   

[CME and Bottlewasher]

For CME.

 

Some crude sketching and a photo . . . . .  not sure if the vicar would not question that title.

I crimp the shaped paper clip to the hook stub and add a pin drop of cyanoacrylate glue to secure.

I found that to allow the hook to drop down onto the latching plate I had to bend the paper clip tail down slightly as I show, and you may have to tweak yours to find the sweet spot.

The 3-links have only the bottom one as magnetic and they hook over the rear end of the paper clip and held in place by closing up the paper clip but loose enough to allow the links to swivel.

 

I use a master wagon to set the couplings to which is set on the centre line of the wagon hook .

I dry fit the coupling Nem parts and fix in position.

Then I pull out the hook assembly from the pocket and add the paper clip and links, then reinsert them back.

You may require to adjust [bend] the link height or generally tweak the paper clip but this should get you some where near.

I'm using some shirt button rare earth magnets which just fit between the sleepers, but they are quite strong.

 

So far it's working well, thanks to Mike's assistance.   

Hi Barnaby,

 

Re your quip, I have a video (steady....not that type!    ) and nice guy on it, of shall we say advancing years (aren't we all), is giving some feedback/commentary, along the lines of as follows; 'I have been modelling for many years <as opposed to being a modeller of railways for many years> and back in the day things were fairly crude and a lot less effective....'. That always cracks me up as it colours everything else that he says and everything else then sounds like a double entendre. Perhaps its just me?? Ha, ha!

 

Thanks re the effort, photos and drawings - I think that I get it, looking whilst eating lunch   - I am also able to manually uncouple the TLs using a tiny RE magnet on a chopstick (hereunder). The over-size screw and nut will be replaced at a later date.

 

Thanks with kind regards,

 

CME

 

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Edited November 30, 2016 by CME and Bottlewasher

[Barnaby]

Moving the coupling department to the loco, an Ixion Fowler I have the problem of how to connect them to resolve.  I think I will follow the Dingham method but simplified to just the loop for the loco.
 
The options as I see them are:-
1/  fit a wire straight across and on top of the buffers.  easiest to do but I don't like it.
2/  choose one of the "HOOK CAPTURE LOOPS" [a],,[c] in the the following photo of a Dingham coupler. They are all made from bending a paper clip to shape.
[a] is the plain inverted u shape and would require 2 small holes drilling in the buffer plate to install. existing hook could remain.
  is the same basic shape but with the ends brought together and bent down and then back so as to fit under the buffer plate. so no holes but would add more metal on show. existing hook could remain.
[c]   is the same loop shape as but extending in a straight line horizontal with the loop.  This would require a small hole drilling just under the existing hook which could stay in place to help mask it.
 
I would rather not undo the loco base to gain access to the existing hook just incase I disturb any thing and using one of these loops wont require me to need any access there.
At the moment I'm favouring [c]
 
Off to have a little play with fitting in particular should I solder the loop closed and only have 1 arm of the loop extending under/ along side the hook.
 
Then I can check out some shuffle shunt moves {play} before getting back to the track painting and ballasting.     There's always something wanting to be done.
 
Best

Edited November 13, 2016 by Barnaby

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Hi Barnaby,

 

With my 03 - that's the reason why I abandoned the superb Winterley couplings as they are more suitable for older buffer-beams/draw-bars and not those deep type on 'modern' diesels - and the like, the same as Rod and Howard, I shall be mounting a 'goal-post' wire in between the buffers - not across them - mid way up the buffer-beam/draw-bar. Our mounting of the TLs is lower than yours and Mike's though, so Im not sure if a goal-post is an option for you, Barnaby?

 

BTW I like what you are doing - I have a set of inherited Dingham parts too - and yet I wonder if you may be able to simplify even further, ie similar goalpost arrangement that istn mounted across the buffer faces?

 

Kindest regards,

 

CME.

[Barnaby]

Thanks CME

I think the "goalpost" style is what I meant at 2a above, I called it an inverted U.

 

If I bother to unscrew the Fowler I could just fit the Dingham loop instead which would be neater again.  The loop for the hook is simple enough to do just unhook the spring draw out the hook then slide in the loop and re-connect the spring, job done.  But I want to leave well alone all the working sound & DCC bits, cluck cluck.

 

Best

[Barnaby]

Hey guess what?  After giving it some more thought I took CME and Mike's option of attach a wire across the buffers.  Not ideal but rule 1 applied.

I did this with a spot of hot melt glue for easy undo but evo-stk would do just as easily.  It's a thin wire and when painted will be nicely unnoticeable.

 

I've been shunting about trying to position the magnets for the schedule I have typed up.  I keep positioning them such that I would need to push them on to the correct location but of course there is no delayed action with TL's.

Well I do have some options to enable this but I want to use the KISS system, that's KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID so I have.

Some sidings are requiring me to have 2 magnets to achieve the desired shunt.  The spacing of the 2 magnets needs to be offset so both magnets can't work together ie when one magnet is uncoupling the other is positioned mid wagon and therefore it won't uncouple.  Sacre bleu, the .little grey cells are being tested.   

 

 

Best

Edited November 17, 2016 by Barnaby

[alant]

Hi Mark,

 

Pleased to read you are making progress. I had the same issues to work out multiple magnet positions in a couple of sidings using the Lincs system.

[Barnaby]

I've got the Lincs too but decided to go with the TL's as it was a bit quicker to fit. 

 

Time now to paint up the track lay down the ballast but first I need to think more deeply about what goods I will need buildings for and where.  It's becoming clear while practice shunting that I'll need to fine tune some of the track lengths and positions slightly to allow buildings to fit. This is no big deal as it won't require any point moving to accomplish and all the track is loose pinned just now as I'll be relying on the ballast to do the securing. 

 

I think shortening some of the sidings will also make it look like a goods yard while at the same time making some room for the buildings to live in which will add to the atmosphere.  I went for maximum track length all over the base board which now looks a bit too "table top like" and reduced the space for buildings.

 

Best

[Barnaby]

I've noticed how much axle slop there is on my wagons and I have also read in other posts on here about the same thing.  I had noticed how much the couplings could move out of line when viewed from above.

 

My fix was to cut some measured small lengths of glow-engine fuel tube, it's silicone rubber tubing.  I then cut them along their length and pushed the cut side over the axel shaft for it to close up, job done.  

I've found I only need to fit them to just one wheel set on four wheel wagons for it to straighten them up.

 

Best

[railwayrod]

Hi Barnaby,

 

I did something similar on my wagons but used a split washer, i.e. a washer with a slot in it which can be gently persuaded over the axle ends. This can be done without removing the wheelset if you are careful. There is also the problem of wheel slop as fine scale has a greater tolerance than the real thing. Hence the birth of S7 and latterly of 31.5mm track gauge. On my 04 diesel I drilled two very small holes in the skite at each end and fjitted a bent loop into them, simples!

 

Rod

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Hey guess what?  After giving it some more thought I took CME and Mike's option of attach a wire across the buffers.  Not ideal but rule 1 applied.

I did this with a spot of hot melt glue for easy undo but evo-stk would do just as easily.  It's a thin wire and when painted will be nicely unnoticeable.

 

I've been shunting about trying to position the magnets for the schedule I have typed up.  I keep positioning them such that I would need to push them on to the correct location but of course there is no delayed action with TL's.

Well I do have some options to enable this but I want to use the KISS system, that's KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID so I have.

Some sidings are requiring me to have 2 magnets to achieve the desired shunt.  The spacing of the 2 magnets needs to be offset so both magnets can't work together ie when one magnet is uncoupling the other is positioned mid wagon and therefore it won't uncouple.  Sacre bleu, the .little grey cells are being tested.   

 

 

Best

Hi Barnaby,

 

Whatever works best for you, but Im am opting for the 'goalpost' wire in-between the buffers not across them - nice to hear that you are making progress though and re. the other Posters' comments, by and large I concur, hope that helps with the 'repository of knowledge' so that no one else has to go down as many blind alleys as I have Ha Ha!

 

ATVB

 

CME

[Barnaby]

Yes I agree CME rule 1 applies in my railway room too.

 

The across the buffers wire was a fist fix to get the shunting tried and tested for the wagons.  It seems to be working quite well, very well in fact.

My dilemma was I didn't want to drill any holes anywhere on the loco but then I thought they would be so small that if I ever wanted to remove them a touch of paint would probably fill them in. 

 

As the goalpost wire looks much better I will probably be going that way when I get around to it.

 

Rod

Yes the split washer is basically what I have done, just made them a little thicker but the principle of fitting them is the same.  Of course doing this only removes the slop in the wagon but there is still more to be found between the wheel back to back and the track gauge, but it helps.

You say >>> On my 04 diesel I drilled two very small holes in the skite.  What is "Skite", having lived in Australia until I was 14, my dad is an Aussie the word skite means to show off, brag about yourself.

 

Thanks all, it's all useful stuff.

.