orford

Here is one of the re-lettered/re-numbered cars after application of HMRS transfers following the methylated spirit removal process.

I have done loads of these with complete success simply by using methylated spirits (the purple stuff) on a cotton bud.

Mine is finally in service after the interruption of something called Christmas. Now noisily hauling trains on Orford.

Finally got my new Hornby B12/3 this morning, after more than a few arguments with the Post Office who originally delivered it to completely the wrong address. The DCC and sound is now in and working noisily and it's already starting to look a little different to when it arrived 9 hours ago - bits added, re-numbered and re-liveried to suit my very early BR period. Unfortunately something called Christmas now intervenes, so coaling and weathering is going to have to wait for a week or so. But I'm impressed with it so far.

One thing I forgot to mention for the benefit of anyone thinking of trying the 'L' shaped loops, as on my own magnetic TL's. You may have noticed that where the new steel L-shaped dropper wires are soldered to the original hook's dropper, there is a slight 'overhang' (red arrow on picture). This is both deliberate and important as (a) it limits the degree of 'rise' of the hook by hitting against the underside of the loop and (b) also prevents the hook getting jammed in the 'up' position. This overhang only needs to be about a millimetre or so. Oh - and just for fun, did anyone notice the fireman in the loco has a cigar in his mouth ??

Exactly CME. The close ups were done for the video to show them working. Maybe I should have added that under normal layout operating conditions one's eye is drawn to the wagon as a whole, the movement, the scenery through which the train is running - and so on ...and it is perfectly true that after a while you do not even notice the couplings, especially if painted black - but keep the paint well away from the 'hinge' and the face of the loop). True - they do show up on photos (although a useful doge with them being mounted below the buffer beams is that they can easily be photo-shopped out (is that cheating?) In truth - it depends on what you are doing and what you want. If I had the time and money to model the LNER main line in 'O', then I would be inclined to go for appearance as the number one priority and keep the original three-link couplings. But our joint layout (and my future personal one) are both essentially shunting layouts - and the first of these will be for exhibitions. In these circumstances, OPERATION is far more important to me than fvisual accuracy - hence the need for auto-couplings. - Don

FINAL SET-UP VIDEO Here is the final video, as promised, showing the magnetic TL couplings working in the configuration which we finally settled on ('we' being myself and a friend, jointly building 'Cratchett's Yard'). Also a picture (sorry poor quality) showing how we set the loops in relation to the buffer faces - BUT, as mentioned above, we have some decidedly 'silly-radius' curves on Cratchett's Yard - a tad under 36". With 4' 6" minimum radius or greater, the loops could certainly be mounted flush with the front face of the buffers. Finally, CME asked what sound system was in the loco. Well, none, actually - other than the sound already factory-loaded onto the Zimo MX645 decoder when you buy it. The MX645 comes with several sound files pre-loaded, both steam and diesel and as this one seemed to suit this particular loco quite well, I have not bothered to source something more bespoke, or to change it. Here is the final video............. https://youtu.be/ZCju_zictNE

CME - Don't worry about the positioning of your loops in relation to your buffer heads. With minimum radius curves such as yours it won't be any problem to have them flush, or even slightly behind the buffer heads. Even less of a problem if all your buffers are sprung. Ours have to cope with curves of slightly less than 36" in some areas, so need to be positioned slightly ahead of the buffers. In addition we have several locos and wagons on which we glued the buffers up solid - and even extended them out in some cases when we were trial-fitting Dingham couplers, so we have lost the 'sprung buffer' capability too. But I'm sure your positioning will pose no problems whatsoever. Mark - Where precisely you mount them is entirely up to you. We just decided we wanted to retain the ability to still use the original hooks to couple non-TL-fitted wagons into trains from time to time. We also felt the wagons look slightly better with the original three-link hooks still in place. But either way works absolutely fine. Still haven't got round to doing the 'final' video yet but I will do so ASAP and will put it up with some more pictures. - Don

Here is an 'intermediate' video to be going on with. This is NOT the final configuration but does show the revised operation using one rectangular magnet set lengthwise along the direction of the track (and passing through one sleeper as described above). The couplers are still mounted too high in the original coupler slots on this clip and as noted above, these have now been lowered to a final position immediately below the buffer beams. When this 'Mark II' clip was shot, I was still experimenting with dropper lengths..........and you will all no doubt be pleased to learn that the 'three links' on the loco (which can be retained for appearance sake) have now been replaced with non-magnetic ones to stop the loco getting an erection every time it passes over a magnet ! https://youtu.be/_zIZz63Ngfk

Showing coupler as described above mounted immediately below buffer beam. Incidentally, these have been tested from a running point of view down to 30" radius and will happily 'couple up' and 'uncouple' on 36" radius curves. The head of the original TL's 'loop' is positioned about 1-2mm ahead of the buffer faces (it's not critical but this gives a fairly prototypical spacing between two vehicles). This distance could be reduced slightly for 48" radius curves or greater, or increased slightly for less than 30" radius ....but then most O gauge locos won't look at that, so that's pretty academic. We do have some 36" radius minimum curves on 'Cratchett's Yard' and this dimension is fine for our purposes. I'll do a new video tomorrow showing the final designin operation.

CME and Mark, etc: I've developed it much more since that video was shot............that was really just an early experimental thing. It's much improved now.. The couplers are now mounted lower, under the buffer beam, which allows the retention of the original O gauge 'hooks' above (although not the links), so that wagons not fitted with auto couplers can still be coupled in the train using their three-links if required. On the video the new couplers were just temporarily stuffed into the wagons original coupling slots. Also on the video I was using TWO rectangular magnets at each uncoupling location lying across the rails either side of a sleeper, which gave some strange behaviour - but have now settled for a single rectangular magnet (thanks Mark, for the source, some time back, by the way). This is mounted length-wise between the rails and along the same direction of the track, necessitating the bridging of one sleeper via a slice cut out of the centre of that sleeper. When all is ballasted over with grit, weeds, etc., it doesn't show that the magnet passes right through a sleeper! CME, the drop-links are formed from Lincs Auto Coupling steel wire (after all I had plenty of it) and they are just bent to a simple 'L' shape 12.7mm (1/2 inch) by 10mm. The longer side is soldered to the bottom of the tension lock's own dropper, reaching back under the wagon and the shorter 10mm leg forms the new vertical magnetic dropper. I will post some close ups (and do a new up to date video) tomorrow, which should make all that clear. Since finalising the design and geometry, I have found them to be 100% reliable. I have not yet had a coupling or uncoupling failure and I have not yet had a single instance of 'unwanted' uncoupling. As a result, the decision has now been taken to use these on both 'Cratchett's Yard' (an exhibition layout being built jointly with a friend) and on 'The Brickworks', which will be my own next layout. - Don

Just going back for a while to the use of 'OO' couplings adapted for magnetic operation on 'O-gauge' stock, here is a short video of some trials I recently carried out. They operate very successfully, although I have still not found the best magnets to use. I am trialling these as I have encountered an unexpected problem with Lincs couplings which was not evident when I originally used them with great success years ago ...............these days I am into 'industrial' O gauge, rather then 'main-line' and this means short wheelbase locos with long overhangs at the ends, together with silly-radius curves (a tad less than 3 feet in some areas). I am finding that Lincs Auto's don't work under these circumstances due to the swing out of the end of the locos which simply swings the hook completely out from behind the hook of the towed vehicle. Something I didn't anticipate (although to be fair, Richard Syms does quote a minimum radius, which I should have taken more notice of). But I am quite liking these things so far (please ignore the three-link/Dingham lash-up twixt loco and first wagon. This is merely to illustrate the coupling/uncoupling between the two wagons). On the first run, no uncoupling is wanted. This works fine. On the second run, the uncoupling acrtion is shown, etc., etc. So far they are proving 100% reliable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB9L0j_iY24&feature=youtu.be - Don

Hi David. Yes - That one is REALLY excellent. Fabulous detailing and paint job. Mine is little more than just a repaint and rather more work-worn.

I drill a 0.5mm hole through the sleeper using a pin vice, cork base and right into the MDF board, then tap in a Peco track pin. Once the track is painted and ballasted the pin can then be removed and the hole is so amall it will not be seen.

Well David - Remember if you do that one, you have to cut the chimney down in height. And since it's turned brass, it is a bit challenging! - Don

Oh - It will get worse than that with time. Here is the prototype loco which I used as inspiration for it. - Don

Thanks Ian. Much appreciated. You don't by any chance have his email address as well do you? I managed to lose that as well. - Don

If anyone is still subscribed to this thread, I recieved an e-mail from Lincs Auto Couplers the other day informing me of a change of address to (I think) the Bournemouth area. Unfortunately, I have managed to lose the e-mail and just wondered if anyone could remind me of the new address? Thanks in hope. - Don

Here's another of the little structures from 'Beaver Creek'. All the buildings were constructed from built-up real stripwood framing, overlaid with 'planks' cut on the mini table saw, essentially as per the prototype.

Sorry Steve - You're obviously thinking of something else. Beaver Creek was a permanent fixture (like all my layouts) and never left home. - Don

Just by way of a further bit of variety and since I keep referring to the fact that much of my modelling has been of American prototype - Here is the woods engine house and water tank on my now defunct 'Beaver Creek Lumber Co' layout. Almost everything on this layout was scratch built, including the track...........and rails and wheels apart, almost all of it from real wood. These are buildings in typical USA backwoods style. Much of the scenery was technically edible, consisting in great part of dried herbs, seeds, Shredded Wheat - and other sundry stuff of the same ilk.

Was the Americans Whitney K Towers and John Allen who first got me interested - which probably explains why around 30 or so years of my 40-odd years modelling was American railroads (although these days I'm pretty much 100% British prototype). Allan Downes has ALWAYS been an inspiration when it comes to buildings though.

Scoobyra - So far as I am concerned, feel free to nick as many ideas as you like. That's how to learn and that's what this forum should be all about...helping others. And after all, they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - so go for it. - Don

Forgot to mention that the UK Supplier for Testor's Dullcote is 'EDM Models' of York. They have an excellent Mail Order service and also attend many exhibitions. Dull Cote comes in packs of 3 cans. Link here to the relevant page on EDM web site........... http://www.ngtrains.com/Pages/Glues/gluestools.html#Potions

On the varnish issue - for buildings, I have sworn for decades by a couple of coats of Testors' Dull Cote (now called Testor's Spray Laquer), the spray variety normally, although they also do a brush-on version for those times when it's preferable or necessary. It dries absolutely flat / matt and to date I have had no problems at all with fading... although the train room gets virtually no sun at all. I use this stuff on virtually everything so long as it needs a matt finish - buildings, people, wagons, painted scenics, back scenes, even the ballast & track (but obviously clean off the top surfaces of the rails afterwards). Locos too if I want then really mucky and flat. It's a hangover from 30 years of modelling USA narrow gauge stuff, where Dull Cote is generally considered de-rigour, so I just carried it on with my British modelling. Dries hard in minutes. Great for fixing 'chalk' type weathering powders as well. Certainly works for me. - Don