Johnson044

Not sure which thread to post this. Imaginary Locomotives possibly not quite right because it actually existed - but it's pretty wild - this is a new one on me. I've seen an image of an American friction drive loco before but never come across one tried in the UK. Is it just me or is this completely bonkers? I completely see the logic and the difficulty of using gears but rather thought that friction was something to be avoided.

Oooh! Brilliant! Thanks so much for the tip- buying a copy now. Buckingham Great Central still a well thumbed favourite and - all sounds a bit like Craigshire too! I'd never twigged that Ambledon was a follow on from Amberdale.

A trial run to see how it might fit together.

Here are the insulated cylinder mountings. The keeper plates are just copper clad paxolin sleeper strips with simple wire scraper pick ups.

Cylinders are some brass ones with brass slide bars that I also picked up on ebay. The big problem for me was how to insulate them from the frames, so I made up some plastikard spacers screwed to both the cylinders and the frames by separate captive 10ba bolts. The motian plate is made up of N/S, with a section of copper clad paxolin sleeper in the middle, gapped to insulate. Crankpins are some lengths of brass rod that I had that someone had drilled and tapped 10BA. They are soldered to little slices of 1/4" copper tube araldited over the centre bosses to the wheels. This gives quite a strong little assembly. Rods are Mercian but I used only the front etch for the connecting rod and bought a set of rods and crossheads for a Hornby GWR 28xx 2-8-0 in 4mm, and ground off the plating and soldered them to the backs of the mercian rods. I used loctite to fit some short lengths of brass channel top and bottom. This was one of my "cunning plans" for re-using cheap 4mm parts but it's all been a bit convoluted. I've cut the original cardboard cylinders (which are simple tubes)so that I can spring them over the brass ones and preserve the lining out. I won't do that until I've painted the chassis and added brake gear though.

Here's the under works so far - in truth I started this a while ago and I rather ground to a halt with the chassis so turned my attention to the body. Basically as follows: I've assembled and altered some Mercian frames and rods for a 16" Barclay that I got on ebay. The frame profile is very different to the original though. I've cut the bearing holes into slots so I can have wheels permanently on axles and drop them in with keeper plates. Wheels are some ancient aluminium 3 hole ones that I've bored out to take shouldered 3 / 16" axles (to suit the Mercian frames) and insulated with Tri-ang top hat bushes. The motor is a tiny Faulhaber (it's a really light loco and as it's too big for 7mm scale I doubt if I'll ever ask it to haul much) with some Romford 40 to 1 gears bored / sleeved to suit.

Plus some other bits - springs from the Minicraft Vulcan 2-4-0T kit, a reversing quadrant and rod, some buffer beam parts from the Loriot, a brake standard that I've lengthened to suit the 8mm scale cab side sheet height and a chimney (I'll need to re-profile the base somehow to fit the larger radius of the saddle tank).

Living in Dover, a walk along just about any footpath near the White Cliffs usually turns up some bits of short brass tubing in useful sizes (ok - to be pedantic, none of them are truly tubes, as they all taper very slightly). Even so - here are some spectacle rims.

....a true scratchbuilder's scale!

Some gentle prising apart with a new scalpel blade. I've removed the handrails, which seem to be from plastic rod and I've started to try to re-introduce some right angles. Some 1mm x 2mm NS strip along the back of the footplate valances and some bits of brass to reinforce the cab corners and cure the distortion. I have had half an etch for a GWR Loriot kicking around for ages and this is a really good source of useful brass shapes. I've cur the biggest hole that I can into the underneath of the firebox for the motor.

It is indeed!

Very possibly- a valid theory. The same ratio as OO / HO and all the baggage that goes with all that! The Revd Parley made all his 0 gauge locos in the 1920's to 8mm to 1". Can't see the scale catching on though.

I'm using the odds and sods I've accumulated over the years (mainly from Ebay). As a starting point, I've a set of etches from a Mercian 16" Barclay, which will provide frames and rods, some aluminium 3 hole wagon wheels and some brass cylinders. i like the rewheeled Scalextric idea though!

I've been given this very battered loco by the original builder, who made it from card in about 1971. Very much fallen on hard times and almost at the point of no return so hopefully nothing to lose by attempting to repair. About 8mm to 1" from what I can tell but buffer centres are 0 gauge, so I'm going to see if I can make a working model. However, when placed against my Slater's Manning Wardle Class F the MW is tiny by comparison. The loco seems to be freelance, although there are definite Beyer-Peacock features - frame shape, safety valve on flat dome- and the paintwork is beautifully executed. I'm going to try to keep all of the crimson lake and lining / lettering and maybe the buffer beam lettering but reckon the black parts are fair game for a total re-paint. Conservation ethics are a minefield!

I saw the brass A4. Rather beautifully made. Here's a jolly thing.... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224949890832?hash=item34600eef10:g:l1wAAOSwPuxiYbpi

It's tempting. Hornby Nr 2 mech, early Nr 2 tender with the frames re-profiled to look a bit more LNWR Webb-ish and a simple front pony truck - but too many projects!

All its history is in the top half mil of the surface - the sort of thing that can only be created over time- It's a work of art exactly as it is!

I've also been given this little gem by the original builder, who made it in about 1971. It's cardboard, about 8mm to 1' scale and so badly damaged that it's almost at the point of no return. As it is so far gone I'm going to try to carefully repair and motorise this one and I'll probably put the project in the 7mm or industrial pages.

This little beastie followed me home from Alexandra Palace a couple of weeks ago. Couldn't resist it. Everything lines up with a Hornby Nr 2 mechanism and I did wonder about finishing it off but I think I'll leave it exactly as it is.

What's the plan for the final power transmission from worm on the motor to the axle? Sorry - you may already have mentioned this?

This is rather fun... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224842108002?hash=item3459a24c62:g:7GoAAOSwFl5iDWbs

...or motive power without axles, too.

Makes sense. Probably best to leave monorails or semi-monorails out of the picture, I think.

From Boulton's Siding, I should think. The model's an absolute delight. Love it.

The Whyte system is all very well but it doesn't tolerate misfits- at least not without some head scratching. The Portuguese semi-monorail could be perhaps a 1-1-2-1-1? Can't get the Belgian loco to fit though.