katwigan

Manna, what are you doing with our state premiers cup ?

Just caught up with the latest efforts mate, going from strength to strength . As a bit of an aside going back to around post 160. Last week (the 17th) was the 40th anniversary of Australia's worst train disaster at Granville, when the train derailed and took out the bridge supports resulting in the whole 170ton concrete slab coming down onto carriages 3 & 4 with the loss of 83 lives. http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/forty-years-on-granville-train-disaster-survivors-victims-families-remember-20170117-gtsxzv.html ( Haven't tried a 'Link' before, dunno if it's right or not ) Keep up the Good work. Kev

Hi Tom et al, thanks for the ticks of support. Tom the trial is a comparison of two different treatment regimes, one includes Chemo and a couple of other chemicals while the other utilizes a drug that has been tried on other forms of cancer where it highlights the cancer cells to our own Immune system. Apparently we are all ( Don't want to scare anyone here !) constantly developing cancers and our immune system deals with them as a matter of course, sometimes though they manage to shield themselves from or go undetected by our immune system >>>>> 'Problem' ! Anyway enough of that, my Powerbase stuff from DCC Concepts (Perth WA) has arrived this afternoon so hopefully in the next couple of days I will get it fitted and tried out, Watch this space! 36 -41 - 36 degrees C over the next few days coming so too B hot to do anything too active, it's a good job Deb has lots of Papercraft hobby interests to undertake, so kick the air con on and hide in the craft (Train ) room! Cheers for now Kev

Thanks all for messages of support,ticks and appreciation of my various ramblings. Had some news from another oncologist on the far side of town today about a research trial they want me on that involves some chemical drug that costs around $100,000 for a year's supply. Fortunately paid for by the research sponsor not yours truly. I would have to trim the modelling budget to pay for that I am afraid . Ha Ha. Having read the 28page info sheet it would seem that other than a limb falling off anything else is possible as a side effect, of course absolutely nothing could happen as well, we shall see I guess. Thumbs up Kev

G'Day all, Hope you all had a good New Year, I shan't mention the weather as it appears a bit extreme( having said that we had 42.9C the other day, however even that pales compared to Sydney earlier this week where my daughter says it reached 47.1!!! Damn Sydney have always got to go one better. Anyway havent got much done on Wallgate over the last few weeks what with Xmas etc, I did however get stuck into building two units for two of the Granddaughters to use with their Shopkins stuff ( I am assuming that you have all that stuff over there) and a Lego compatible 'Space Port ' for one of the Grandsons. Avah Rose (6) is one of the GD's and the other one is Caitlin (7) ( therefore Caitlin Towers) they were both here when I brought them out to tell them that Santa had asked me to make them as the Elves had not had the time this year, they were occupied for about 1 1/2 hours during the afternoon, so big tick. When I showed Jackson (8) his Space Port with a similar story about Santa's Elves, He stood and looked at it for several minutes without speaking and I thought Oh! err failure, Then he said " That is Sooooooo Cooool" ! He promptly spent a good hour just setting up what little bit of Lego was around the place. One of his schoolfriends has since seen it and wanted to know where he got it from, Hmm maybe a business opportunity here, has any one got more Papier Mache packaging, a piece of rectangular downpipe, a jelly container and the lid off a spray container and some printed bits etc. Anyway I am back on the Railway now so things are moving again, hopefully the DCC Concepts 'PowerBase ' thingy is as good as the blurb says and I will be able to get the 8 or 9 coach business man's express up the incline without wheels spinning furiously. We shall see when it gets here from Perth, I will let you all know how it goes. Last part of the update , had some bad news for Xmas, the Dr. tells me that "IT" has returned only this time in my lungs, so I guess I am in for a bit of a fight again and FIGHT I will. Stay Warm ( or cool if reading in Sydney) Kev

I am looking into using Wire in tube in some areas myself currently, I intend to experiment using the teflon liner ( used for Al. wire normally) from a Mig Welder gun and perhaps 0.9mm or smaller steel mig wire. Having spent some time repairing Mig's for a living it wasn't until I was just about to retire that the thought occured and I realized how many miles of free hardware I had thrown away!!! I'll dig out the bits I have here and have a play, will let you know Kevan

Hi all, A bit of an update on latest activity, after doing battle with getting trains up and running again (still?) I felt like doing some modelling. So Westwood lane bridge got the short straw, the main sidewalls of which are made from photos of the actual bridge although the inner face of the walls has become the outer face but hey it's still based on and roughly in the correct location . It may also be a wee bit narrower than original but not by much, oh and the 4 + tracks of the West Coast mainline should all be on the same level. The Setts in this instance are courtesy of a Linka Compatible Mould ( shown / spoken about much earlier in the thread ) The rusty panels and vertical angles irons are from the original photos, I just used Gimp to skew (I think) the whole thing so it was on about an 8deg angle down as it crosses the tracks. I think (?) I still have the original 0deg print so if anybody wants a copy of either / both just holler. A view of the underside structure ( unfinished ) Similar shot but with flash ( eewwww ) The support beams that probably have a technical name are lengths of 4mm I beam and Channel wrapped in a print that I cobbled together out of suitable sections of the original bridge photos, as I think I have said before as a painter I make a good butcher. Bit of a montage showing the wrapping of a piece of beam, the wraps are printed onto sheets of A4 sized self adhesive labels. So far some of them are 5 y.o and have stayed put But if they do start to fall off you in the UK will hear the scream eminating from Oz as my whole layout will be about to undress! Temperature in the mid 30's C again today a week or so ago it was 35 one day and 18 MAX the following after the 'cool change' came in,To say it felt B Cold was an understatement. Enough Drivel for now! Cheers Kev

That is some fairly serious detail modelling there, just wondering though how the roof trusses are staying in position as i can't see any nail heads! Brilliant stuff ! Kevan

Loctite as most liquids do tends to distribute itself evenly, particularly around such a small dia. I should think by sitting the motor vertically that the concentricity would be probably be within original design spec's of the gear. Even if the worm is hard up against one side of the shaft it is actually only 0.05mm or 0.002" off centre ( about half the thickness of a normal human hair ) Kev

Loctite 638 is by their spec's good for up to 0.25mm or 0.010" clearance. A clearance of 0.1mm ( 0.0039") would be well within the capabilities of one drop. Loctite in it's various compounds saved significant downtime in the 35 years I worked as a maintenance fitter and subsequently as Maintenance Manager in Mitsubishi's Iron Foundry here in Adelaide. Just don't get it in things that are supposed to rotate ! Kevan

Isn't YouTube wonderful Apollo, that clip has prompted me to gather together a bunch of Frankie, Lonnie and a whole lot more that I will stream through into mum's rooms later on, she will enjoy that! Back on topic, the weather has cooled back down again and I have just checked the lifting flap 'clearances' the gap at one end has opened up to about 4mm! that's going to be one helluva clickety click. We ( Deb and I) are getting into the train room for several hours every day so hopefully things will be rather more productive than it has been over the last while! Cheers Kev

Onya Manna, A man after my own heart there mate! Must come for a drive up north one day. Kev.

Manna, The plastic bodyshell is going to be easier to cut and fit than the metal H Dublo body, thank goodness for the Dremel, ( Best thing I ever bought for my wife ) Kev

Hey Apollo, Only just had a look at your Nth American O gauge layout, can't say that American stuff has ever been in my sights but that is impressive I must say. Actually what is IMPRESSIVE is dragging a concrete garage around the country to put it in, now that is dedication! I have often throughout my life been reminded by my parents about the stack of 78rpm records that as a 4 yo I dropped while ' helping'. The lot of them shattered ( as they did) except the top one, Frankie Laine's version of the Rock Island Line which only broke in two. My dad glued it back together and is was then forever known as the Rock Island Click, obviously due to some small missing chip or misalignment. Kev

G'day Manna, according to this topic discussion on here : Bachmann Stanier mogulStarted by Sam*45110*SVR, May 23 2013 06:10 It sounds as though the Moguls did quite a bit of work in the London area, so no problems there then. Unfortunately never been much of a Whiskey drinker , have been known to get into the Vodka however. But you know what it's like when you build up a thirst on a hot day, it's a pain in the A when it then tastes B awful!! Cheers ( Humph! ) Kev

Hi APOLLO, yes I have been trying to add weight where i can in several locos, one or two have been reasonably successful but the two year old Hornby Black 5 is struggling with 4 coaches sometimes and has very limited space for extra weight. My old Mainline Jubilee can manage 6 at a push but sounds like an archaic piece of farm machinery in the process, I guess it is suffering from the split axle failure that plagues that breed. I have found several videos of before and after using the DCC CONCEPTS Powerbase system and for $35 to do about 5m of track and several locos looks like it would do the job nicely. How does your cross hatched track go with dirt build up? Too late now but have a drink for me, I had my first beer the other day since the radiotherapy finished 12months ago. It still tastes B....Y Awful. Damn Kev

Hi, a bit of miscellaneous rambling for an update. First up thanks Steve, the water tank is one of the few structures that I almost completed in one set of modelling sessions ( very rare for me ). Anyway, amongst other things I have been working on there is a rtr modification / build up of a Stanier 2-6-0 (purists etc please turn a blind eye for a while) that I had started some years ago ( certainly well before the Bachmann offering). That involved grafting a HD 8f body onto a 2-6-4 Hornby chassis, it certainly seems to have plenty of pulling power and the drive is nice and quiet, dimensionally it is quite close, certainly as acceptable in my eyes to any other ' Modellers Licence' atrocities that we tolerate ( eg 16.5mm) Having mentioned 16.5mm leads me a problem I raised elsewhere on RM, that is the relationship between b-t-b dimensions on older stock versus the latest offerings and then related to rail and particularly clearances through pointwork frogs etc. Some of the older stock that still abounds seems to have a b-t-b of around 14mm compared to recommended 14.5mm however the base of flange to base of flange is around 16mm on the older while it is only around 15.2 or so on the newer stuff. The question is running on code 100 is fine for older stock but seems to be a bit variable when trying to run the new stuff. Q is 14.5 still a viable standard for code 100 running or are the clearances on code 83 etc significantly tighter ?? Just a thought Having not yet plucked up the courage / wherewithall / or whatever to try making my own points I did have a go ( still in progress) of 'bending' a Peco long Diamond crossing for a better fit and while I was at it I am currently replacing / tightening up / converting it to live frogs. The photo shows it back in place on the layout for 'testing' purposes ( ie Am I wasting my time here?) Anyway thing are travelling through it rather more smoothly and with less jerky on/off's than the other one on the layout , so I guess I will go ahead and convert the frogs now. Adelaide has just had it's first warm days this season (>32 deg) and the lifting section that opened and closed ok on Saturday wouldn't shut on Monday, having removed another 1.5mm ( total of 4mm since original construction) I am not sure if the wood is expanding or has started growing again! Anyway having now put the air con on in the room it will probably shrink back and the trains will have to jump over the great divide! ( Maybe I need two 'bridges' one for winter and a shorter one for summer ?!?!? The second event of the 'heatwave' resulted in trains derailing on a 4' rad curve where previously none had done so, investigation showed that a combination of cheaper than Peco track , Heat and me obviously eliminating the end to end clearance on this section ( because it is attached to the previously mentioned diamond) resulted in the outer, smaller than Peco chairs breaking off on the outside of the outer rail for about 60mm or so, Instant increase in gauge by a couple of mm and subsequent derailment of anything passing! Problem identified , track torn up and replaced by section of Peco with expansion allowance ensured. B....y weather! B....y lack of attention to critical criteria actually. Anyway another question, Has anybody looked into / used DCC Concepts Power Base, I have just had a look at the concept (ahem) on their website and it certainly looks like it will solve another of my issues which is to get a Jubilee with 8 carriages up a 1:80 gradient withoput it slipping to a halt and doing it for a very reasonable price I must say. Must go and raid the money box I think, will let you know how I get on. Cheers for now Kev

Hi, I have tried out but gone no further with yet some rollers from 'Shapeways' that did a pretty decent job in Das Clay. I will be using them in the goods yard area on my Wigan Wallgate layout, This particular pair of rollers has the raised edge bead on it to produce the flange clearance that is evident, the other roller is then for outside the lines. I think they are available as a wider roller also, they allow you to follow a curved path quite easily, the main concern with them would be aligning each particular row at the start. I think lots of practice 'rolls' would be advisable tho'. https://www.shapeways.com/product/DUAVP7QSN/set-row-paving-with-border-h0?optionId=56707829&li=marketplace Hopefully that link works ok. Kevan

'Ere, I thought you said on page 1 of your thread that you were going to "lower the average a bit" - Well I am sorry but you seem to be failing in your desire! There is some great modelling on here ! Great Stuff. Kevan

Hi AyJay I used Woodland Scenics Deep Pour Water -" MURKY" in a water tower that I have just done, If you are looking at practically 'still ' water as in almost 'canal' like then I found the ease of use and the end result to be quite good. there are some other photos of it on my Wigan Wallgate layout thread As with virtually any method of using liquid a meniscus will form around the edges but in a river that couple of mil would be covered by overhanging grass etc anyway. Kev

I think with most of the spray mount type adhesives spraying on one surface only makes for a ' temporary' bond they all advise spraying on both surfaces for a permanent bond. But then you also only get one shot at positioning the material. Have you thought of using 3mm or 5mm foam board that has a self adhesive layer on one side ( much like self adhesive labels ) it's onlt shortfall is the requirement to reinforce it to prevent warpage, but it does make quite strong and light shells. Kev

Hi all, I am still continuing with the running reliability issues at the moment, including trying to rectify the two pronged issues of carriage derailments and the inability of either the newest Hornby Black 5 or the old original Bachmann Jubilee being able to haul anything more than 5 carriages up the hidden 1 in 80 incline at the back of the layout. The Black 5 appears to have the rear drive axle spring loaded, rather insufficiently or something it would seem. It could well benefit from some additional weight as resting a finger on top during loss of traction certainly improves the forward movement, but there doesn't seem to be much space inside. Any thoughts ? I suspect that the Jubilee just needs to be retired as currently it sounds something like an early 20th century Massey Fergussen(?) tractor that has a problem. On the carriage front I tested some of the stock by rolling them down the 1:80 and starting with the worst first ( that wouldn't roll down it at all!) I either replaced the original plastic wheel sets or 'cleaned' the pin points on the one's that already had been replaced ( either by me or A.N. Other ) Anyway the first metal set removed showed up looking like the photos below : I cleaned out the bogie axle seats with some iso alcohol and a reshaped tooth pick and having shredded several wet tissues I decided there was a better way and finished up with an offcut of cork underlay that did a sterling job of cleaning without any need of the aforementioned liquid or potentialy scratching the pin point. The last photo shows the polished up end of the same wheel set shown in the second photo. The end result of the cleaning was this formerly unmoving carriage careened off down the incline the moment I let go of it without needing the obilgatory push that it needed previously. The end result was that the Black 5 manages to get 5 up the incline without loss of traction, 6 if you don't mind a bit of wheel spin for a couple of seconds. Anyway it looks like I shall have to place my order with Santas kids and Grandkids to replace the aging Mainline Jubilee with something more capable. I am not sure how many carriages would have been behind Mars on the Liverpool to Newcastle train but suffice to say it was significantly more than 5. Wallgate platform could accommodate 8 plus loco with accurate driving so I would like to see at least 7 including the restaurant car ( prefer 8 tho ). Any thoughts on potential replacements anyone ? EDIT: The Black thumbnail is a result of an argument with a car door not from missing with a hammer! Kevan

Hi, Are you sure that the slates actually get smaller towards the ridge line, or is it a matter of perspective making it appear as such? As an alternative to Stubbies needle file to 'distress' the edge of the card, this little tool is something that the ladies that come to my wifes card making sessions all appear to have to distress the edge of the card. I will have to get back to you on it's effectiveness on roof slates. ( I have several sections of roofing to do but hadn't actually thought of distressing the bottom edge.) If you are not happy with painting the slate have you considered printing out a suitable photo of slates and cutting that up into strips. This is a photo that I have just put together as an example ,( doubled in length, by copying, and pasting a mirror image onto the end of the original after correcting the perspective a bit ) Or the other option using something like Scalescenes roofing slates, again this is one I was already fiddling with . The rows of two slates is such that the top row of one piece is the bottom row of the the next one up ( If that makes any B.. sense at all, I know what I mean anyway ) And then stuck down as per the method you are already using to produce Just a couple of thoughts anyway Kevan

Hi Ray, Thank you for your input, I hadn't thought about the restart confusion that may occur after one of my E / Stops was activated, however I guess a full power down of the system would then reset everything to 'Zero' before a restart was attempted so hopefully that would be manageable. I find the NCE E/stop appears to operate a little erratically that is for sure, sometimes it needs to be pressed about 3 times before there is an acknowledgement on the screen! I am running several brands of loco's but predominately TCS decoders and as there are significantly varying 'decelleration' settings due to trains varying between 30 wagon coal trains down to the 'Chorley Bob' which is a 2-4-2 with one carriage it became apparent that I would need all locos to 'stop' in the same short area hence the " turning off of the power supply ". I haven't looked into the mini-panel function at this stage although I probably should. I will proceed with my ancient technology for now and get the detection components in place that will be needed however I work this. Oh, Nice looking work on Virney Junction by the way, just had a quick trip through, I will have to go back and revisit when more time permits. Cheers Kevan

Hi all, I would like some thoughts in regard to a proposed Fiddle yard control method on my Wigan Wallgate layout. I am using an NCE Powercab with a 5A booster for control of the layout, a full lap of the layout runs to approx 275' and so far the 5A supply runs three trains with apparent ease (I haven't plucked up sufficient courage to attempt anymore at this stage, keeping track of three on my own keeps me on my toes !) The Fiddle Yard / Storage area is actually 2 parallel tracks of around 35 - 36 feet in length each that are located under the main board level. They have been layed with 3 isolating sections of roughly equal length giving me the capacity of holding up to 6 full length trains, ( there is also a similar arrangement on the other side of the layout ) My proposal is to follow a 'cascading' principal as described back in 2005 on a layout titled Lakeside my a chap whose name I appear to have lost, however. The principal of operation is to 'call on' the train in section '1' either by manual, timed or Section ahead clear method, when that train has cleared an appropriate 'Train detection point' the train in No 2 section would be called forward into section '1', stopping at the appropriate position by the activation ( or deactivation ) of a relay to switch the power to the track off. At this position the train in section '3' would be called forward into section '2' position, leaving section '3' clear for the next arrival from Wallgate. As there are 2 parallel tracks relays could also be used to alternate the settings of the points to call trains through in a varying sequence if desired. The rationale behind this is to allow me to carry on such shunting operations as required with varying trains arriving at various intervals. The Question : Does anyone see any issue as far as the controller and or locos are concerned with the track power being switched off / on in these areas. Given that the power would still be on to the rest of the track and when switched back on the trains would attempt to return straight away to whatever speed they were doing before stopping. I currently have installed an isolating switch and fuse between the track and controller mainly because an unsighted short last week resulted in the fuse on the 5A booster blowing given that the booster is on the supply side of the controller I didn't like the idea of blowing things up. As I run Wallgate by myself and I, the hand control and any 'incidents' etc always appear to be on opposite sides of the 20' sq room I will also be installng a series of 8 Emergency stops at appropriate positions around the layout ( A principal dating back to my 30 years looking after automatic molding lines in a foundry, and why I am proposing to use such antiquainted technology as relays! ) Thank you in anticipation Kevan