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Focalplane

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  1. Focalplane

    Space - a new frontier

    By Focalplane,

    Sorry to plagiarize Star Trek a bit, but I have been thinking about the great outdoors and how the potential for a layout changes from the inevitable indoor designs that are constrained by walls, etc.
     
    The first thought that came to mind was "transition curves". So I looked up the definitions and formulae and realized that there is real potential for designing the graceful sweep of curves that follow the topography and have strong prototypical feel. There is nothing worse, in my opinion than the set track look of straight going into a tight curve. Outdoors means not having to do this.
     
    One of my restrictions will be a minimum six foot radius but in fact an outdoor layout doesn't have to have such a tight curve unless the lie of the land dictates. Graceful S curves can be the norm.
     
    But here is a question. Is it necessary or even wise, to super elevate 0 gauge track on curves?
  2. Focalplane

    Jinty Update

    By Focalplane,

    The Jinty (or more accurately named, considering the region, the Dobbin) has been on hold for a while as I had ordered some detailing parts. These arrived from Laurie Griffin and have now been added. The chassis has also undergone some tweaking and runs smoothly with no rough spots (the ones I had were related to those plastic sprues on the backs of the Slater's wheels; I thought I had removed them but not enough). I also opened out the coupling rod holes a bit just to smooth things out some more. I timed one smooth revolution of the wheels at 40 seconds on a low rheostat setting and this passes my test for the all important slow running capability. Who cares (except the grandchildren) how fast a loco can go in an engine shed environment!
     
    The body shell was given a final going over and washed in Cif and then given a quick bath in white vinegar followed by a rinse and blow dry on the loggia. Right now the dry local wind is blowing around 50 kph. From now on until the spray booth it will be handled with great care - no skin oil. Hopefully it will be Halfords Etch Primer time in the morning, assuming the wind drops.
     
    So, two last photos au naturel before the primer goes on:
     

     

  3. Focalplane
    Last week I took delivery of three IKEA kitchen base units. The doors to these units should arrive on Monday (tomorrow) because for some strange reason they are not available in the store (yet the end panels are). There seems to be no rhyme or reason for this.
     
    The base units are a new IKEA design, called, in IKEA-speak, Metod. The main advantage appears to be that the volume of storage space has been increased by lowering the base of the unit with shorter legs. Construction is typical of IKEA products and the three Metod base units were installed in next to no time. There will be no kitchen style work surface but the doors and end panels will make the unit an acceptable part of the living room (or sejour in French) I will add a safety lip around the layout eventually, along with a low backdrop which will likely be an arched blue brick retaining wall.
     
    Access for wiring, etc. will be through the cupboards with an upper shelf (there are two in each cabinet) defining and protecting the space below the layout. Below these shelves there will be lots of room for stock boxes, tool kits, etc.
     
    The actual layout dimension is now fixed at 2.4 meters by 0.6 meter. This will accommodate a basic small engine shed facility with a two road shed building, typical LNWR type coal hole and a simple ash pit facility. The integrated fiddle yard will be a simple cassette system by Metalsmith.
     
    When the doors arrive and have been fitted I'll post a photo. The combination of a very sturdy but attractive framework with built in storage for around €300 is hard to beat. (the price could have been less if I had chosen the entry level doors).
  4. Focalplane
    The remaining list of to-dos for the Jinty is now relatively short and I have sent off for various additional parts to add detail. The body can't be painted until these are fitted, so I have decided to open up another box acquired at Telford last month.
     
    This is a Sidelines LMS Period III Kitchen Car, Diagram 1912. Such coaches were used on the Wolverhampton-Birmingham-Euston run. Several of these were also modified to be part of the Coronation Scot rakes. Being a kitchen car with frosted/opaque windows on the kitchen side, the interior is relatively simple as it can't be seen, so this seemed like the best first kit to tackle. Later options will need seats, tables and curtains.
     
    So far I have formed the tumblehome and added some etches to the coach sides. All is going well.
     
    This coach, along with one I bought from Malcolm Binns (Sidelines' owner) earlier in the year will not feature on Legge Lane II but will be available to run on test tracks and, one day, my own outdoor layout.
     
    Edited a typo
  5. Focalplane

    IKEA Base Units

    By Focalplane,

    Today I visited IKEA in Montpellier and came away with three 800mm x 600mm base units. By 6 p.m. they were installed, providing a base for a largish diorama shed layout (Legge Lane II) as well as copious storage below. These are the new IKEA kitchen cabinets which provide a larger storage space than before.
     
    The central unit will support a 70 ft turntable, so I placed two sheets of hardboard with a 600m gap to simulate the space the turntable will fit:
     

     
    This photo shows the larger context:
     

     
    This is all rather lifeless, so I put the Jinty in its present form, together with a Dapol wagon, to show the scale:
     

     
    It seems I may be able to have four roads either side of the turntable, honouring a 6ft minimum radius. We will see if this works when I start serious layout design. At moment I am assuming only three. Four roads would simply justify spending more money and time on building locomotives!
     
    The doors for the cabinets are back ordered, a particular annoyance as I live over 100km from Montpellier, but the delivery charge would be higher than collecting them myself. I did try sourcing the cabinets locally but the various options simply didn't match IKEA for versatility or price. Having built three IKEA kitchen in recent years I have to admit they are excellent value with great backup when things don't quite go right!
  6. Focalplane
    As noted earlier, the current project is the Connoisseur Jinty 0-6-0T which is progressing nicely. I finished painting the chassis last evening while watching England lose to Australia (Rugby, my allegiance now switches to France et Les Bleus).
     
    It pays to plan ahead with 0 Gauge kits (as it does with 4mm but more so) and I now have two locos in the pipeline. The first is another Connoisseur kit, the LMS Fowler 4F. But after that I plan for something a little more exacting.
     
    The second kit will be a David Andrews LMS Compound. I have been in contact with David and will pay my reservation deposit when I get back to England later this month. This loco has outside cylinders but no outside valve gear. Reviews of David Andrews' kits are as positive as those for Jim McGeown's Connoisseur kits, so I am looking forward to building one of my all time favourite locos, having seen 1000 at York many years ago. By the 1950s the then long in the tooth Compounds were looking tired and shabby but mine will probably reflect an ex-works condition. Compounds were not usually associated with Bushbury so this will be a visitor, perhaps from Monument Lane 3E, just down the line and located where the National Indoor Arena is now.
     
    Here is the only remaining Compound, photographed at York NRM in the 1990s:
     

  7. Focalplane
    A really interesting website:
     
    http://locoperformance.tripod.com/edition07/eusbham.htm
     
    with several recordings of timings from New Street to Euston behind Bushbury Jubilees. Some of the 14 coach trains had a Black 5 pilot (note to self, that could be a useful addition to the roster!). Speeds in the mid 80s were not uncommon on these runs.
     
    I particularly like the following comment:
     
    "But the Bushbury Jubilees were no ordinary Jubilees: they were the elite. When I got to know them from 1955 onwards the allocation comprised 45647, 45688, 45703, 45709, 45733, 45734, 45737, 45738, 45741, and 45742. They were kept in immaculate condition, and performed accordingly (Well, mostly!)."
     
    Note that Polyphemus was one of them.
  8. Focalplane

    Moving into Phase II

    By Focalplane,

    The next few weeks should see the end of Phase I and the beginning of Phase II. Phase I is not going to disappear, just retire into storage. Phase II will begin to emerge from the planning stage on Friday.
     
    Meantime, the news is now out that my 0 Gauge world is expanding. I have for some time owned a Lee Marsh Jubilee, a present to myself as a result of a small bequest from my step father. This is one of Bushbury 3B's Jubilees, 45688 Polyphemus. So the emphasis is on Bushbury as a guide to locomotive choice, etc.
     
    The second locomotive on the roster is a Connoisseur Jinty (Fowler 0-6-0T 3F) and this is progressing nicely in the three weeks since I bought it at Guildex Telford.
     

     
    The layout will probably only have room for four locomotives, but with a cassette system this does not mean I am limited to only four - life would become rather dull! I have reserved another Lee Marsh loco and have every intention of building the Connoisseur Fowler 0-6-0 4F next (I have already bought the wheels).
     
    I am not going to detail the building of these locomotives, but will display an update every so often.
  9. Focalplane

    Two photos

    By Focalplane,

    The first is of an enclosed field which was once a vineyard, the vines having been cleared.
     

     
    The second shows a more mature enclosure with several pine trees:
     

     
    Either type of land "would do", the one providing much needed shade during summer, the other allowing for a clean canvas approach with the possibility of planting fruit trees (almond, peach and apricot).
  10. Focalplane

    Legge Lane II track plan

    By Focalplane,

    Quite by chance while searching for a rivet embossing tool my search engine turned up Metalsmith and the Midland Railway Centre products. The latter includes an 0 gauge turntable kit which would appear to be exactly what I need. This comes with a 500mm x 500mm installation module and there is also a motorizing kit available.
     
    So I started to think about a simple track plan and came up with one that would fit on top of three 800mm wide kitchen cabinets. This would give a total area of 2.4 by 0.6 meters. A cassette system for a large loco or tank engine plus wagon would be included within the area of the layout. The turntable would be in the centre module with the engine shed on one end and the coal and ash facilities at the other end. No points needed!! The cassette system would be hidden behind the two road engine shed. Here is the example frm Metalsmith:
     
    http://www.metalsmith.co.uk/fiddle_yard_cassettes.htm
     
    The kitchen cabinets would supply much needed storage space and I am seriously thinking about mounting the layout board directly to the open top cabinets, allowing access below for wiring, etc.
     
    Operation would be very similar to the original 00 gauge design with locos arriving and departing having been serviced. The layout would be a working diorama that could display a large number of cassette loaded locos. Though the initial roster would only number four locos and two wagons (one coal, one ash).
  11. Focalplane

    Early reconnaissance

    By Focalplane,

    Went for an afternoon stroll through the anticipated area where land can be purchased. Plenty of options are likely to arise, but being France no-one is actively advertising land for sale. Lots vary enormously, from cultivated vineyards and olive groves to derelict former agricultural land. Stone walls are in various stages of decay unless there is active agriculture, while the land itself is either cleared or wild scrub.
     
    The planning rules are quite strict as this is a protected area within a regional park. No habitation is allowed, while the type of structure allowed is likely to be a simple hut or shelter used by local farmers/vignerons when out all day before they owned motor transportation. No on line services are available, but rain water could be collected and a small generator would be necessary to run trains, etc.
     
    The climate is hot and dry in summer and cold and very windy in winter, so the "shoulder months" would be the ideal time to clear, build and run an outdoor layout.
     
    The height of a layout above ground level could be limited to around 50 cm, with the possibility of ground level track work as well (though this would be liable to splash back of soil during occasional heavy rain storms). Landscaping would be possible but nothing grows quickly without water!
     
    The weather was cloudy today and not suitable for photography, but I will attempt to post some photos in the days ahead.
  12. Focalplane

    Guildex 2015

    By Focalplane,

    My day at Guildex confirmed that Legge Lane II will be 0 gauge.
     
    The shed will be smaller than before (2 roads, not 4) and will be served by a 70 ft turntable, along with simple ash, coal and water facilities. The locos may only be four in number and in theory would be shared with my dream of an outdoor layout in France. Of course, the roster may well be larger if I continue to buy kits!
     
    Considering my age and the potential for further reduction in capabilities, I have decided to buy locos with outside valve gear and build kits that don't have such complexity.
     
    So my first two 0 gauge purchases will reflect this strategy.
     
    There were several very small layouts on display at Guildex which proves that 0 gauge does not have to use up a lot of space. I will be interested to see how small I can make Legge Lane II.
     
    Changing subject slightly, I made the observation that the best layouts on display were heavily populated with model people. A new company started by Alan Buttler, Modelu, is focusing on 3d scanning and 3d printing of people in various scales. The 0 gauge figures on display really look the part (though they need painting first).
  13. Focalplane

    Transition Curves

    By Focalplane,

    A bit more on transition curves. The wikipedia page has a very useful animated GIF:
     
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_transition_curve#/media/File:CornuSprialAnimation.gif
     
    If you imagine two such curves connected back to back then the result would be a sweeping "S" curve, just like the real railway! Without going into the math (I was never very good at calculus) it would appear that it is possible to work backwards from previously defined minimum radii, even drawing the curves by hand.
     
    In my working life I did a lot of hand contouring of maps - this technique often proved to be more acceptable than computer driven contouring (which tries to honor all the data all the time, even using smoothing and gridding algorithms). I have come to the conclusion that hand contouring is more acceptable because it uses a combination of three distinct radii that are built in to all of us - Simply put, the pencil is held in the hand and curves are made by rotating the pen using the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. In this way it is possible to emulate a Euler Curve.
     
    The next challenge would be to transfer the scaled down plan to the real terrain, particularly is the terrain is relatively rough. That now becomes a work in progress.
  14. Focalplane
    A quick update to followers and visitors. A change in plans required me to return to England for a couple of weeks. I left most of Shipston behind and took only the track components and the half finished Dean Goods upgrade with me. The Dean Goods tender is proving to be a good track tester at the moment but I do have plans to struggle with the lamp brackets again, having seen other peoples' excellent efforts.
     
    Living in two small residences does have its limitations - no extensive loft for a decent sized railway, no garden for an O Gauge indoor/outdoor concept that I have always nurtured - but I now have two small workbenches with Dremels, soldering irons, etc. which means that I only need to carry a small tool kit around with me. This level of organization still needs to be fine tuned but the good news is that if I forget a tool I can usually find a replacement quite easily. When flying, however, a tool kit of sharp craft knives, needle files, etc. does mean checked baggage.
     
    I see that C&L Finescale (Pete Llewellyn) has found a potential copper clad supplier with a relatively attractive price increase. He waits to see the quality of the trial product before getting too excited!
     
    I do find track building to be therapeutic and would recommend it to anyone interested in improving on the "over the counter" Peco, etc. track and switches. I will be offering my Peco switches for sale once the new Classified section is up and running. Some of these are brand new, some have been carefully lifted from an existing layout, but they are all stored in their original trays. PM me if interested!
  15. Focalplane
    Nowhere, it seems. But wait! The turntable and baseboards are in storage, the various locos in their boxes. Doesn't sound too good?
     
    No, it doesn't. Too many things going on and not enough space has meant that the Legge Lane project is on hold.
     
    But what may seem surprising is that it may become alive again but in O Gauge! The logic for this is explained in the latest posting to the sister blog
     
    Until then I will continue to report on the various OO Gauge locomotives under construction.
  16. Focalplane

    A quiet 4mm summer

    By Focalplane,

    I am sorry that there has been no entry on this blog for several weeks. I have been traveling a lot and all my Shipston stuff was left behind.
     
    But I have been trying out a new angle - 7mm track building. This has come about because I fear for my ability to fiddle with small parts required to detail 4mm scale models. Lamp irons were the first casualty and I suppose that, despite all the finger exercises and lens cleaning of my bifocals, things are not likely to improve.
     
    I have always admired 7mm (my older brother had a Bassett Lowke engine) and so decided to see if I could tackle a couple of C&L Finescale points. The standard point went together easily, so I became a lot more adventurous and bought their 3 way point kit. It's nearly finished and the process of putting it together did not tax either my fingers or my eyes.
     
    I have joined the Gauge 0 Guild and will be going to their Guildex meeting at Telford on September 5th to get a lot more hands on experience with experts and those who seem to make some excellent kits - Jim McGeown's Connoisseur Models has been highly recommended and his website really helps to make the transition.
     
    What does this mean to all the in-progress 4mm projects? Nothing - I will continue to work on Shipston and intend to complete it within the next couple of years. Legge Lane has taken a step backwards and gone into temporary storage. The various locomotive kits will continue to take up my time (and sometimes my frustration) but the the yet to be started kits may be sold (DJH City of Birmingham, Brassmasters 4F) to pay for some O Gauge stuff.
     
    I have to admit that the Shipston Branch would be a very nice O Gauge garden project but we'll have to see about that one much later in life. For a start I don't actually have a garden within which to build one.
  17. Focalplane
    I seem to be spending a lot of time getting nowhere slowly these days. But at least I have made some more progress on the Comet chassis.
     
    I have drilled holes for the Gibson plunger pickups and fitted six of them, including two against the trailing axle wheels. Fitting the nylon housing was difficult on the trailing wheels because of the outer frame, but at least I drilled the holes before soldering the outer frame in place.
     
    It seems the difficult part of fitting Gibson plungers is when it comes to soldering a thin wire to the bent "tail" of the brass plunger. Jim McGeown of Connoisseur Models says even 7mm plunger pickups need careful soldering, so I approached this job with some trepidation. However it went well as I decided to reduce the risk of melting the nylon (and fusing the plunger inside to it) by using low melt solder.
     
    On the downside, however, I managed to lose a grub screw from the gearbox and so cannot test the completed motion. Wizard's Andrew Hartshorne sells these grub screws so I intend to order a few "just in case". By the way, the grub screws are not yet listed on Wizard's web site.
  18. Focalplane
    I finally got around to spraying the King's tender with grey undercoat and it looked so good I thought, why not put some Halfords' black undercoat on top. It had been recommended as an alternative to the grey etch primer and I had bought a can of the black when, at one time, the grey etch primer was not available.
     
    The finish looks a bit like the paint on a 1:1 scale BBQ grill, certainly none of the fine quality of the grey primer. So out with the paint remover and back to square one. Large spray cans other than the Grey Etch Primer are out of my tool box. Life is too short. I will use a fine sable brush and Humbrol dirty engine black next time (which will be a few weeks from now.
     
    Fortunately I did not spray the Royal Scot tender as I think there is some low melt solder filling to do along joins. That will now get just the grey each primer as well.
  19. Focalplane
    Just so the entire world knows that something is happening, I can report that the Comet chassis for the Airfix 48XX (14XX) is moving along nicely.
     
    The only problem is the entire world in this case is not exactly heavily populated!
  20. Focalplane
    I have realized that this blog does also contain some reasonably detailed postings on various locomotive kits under construction.
     
    At the moment I have several on the go that have some connection to Legge Lane (i.e. they are not branch line locos), and the reason for having several on the go is usually because I either came to a temporary impasse or I am waiting on spare parts and materials.
     
    The restoration of the Wills Finecast King is slowly moving ahead. I have recently completed a completely new tender that adds brake gear. The original tender is still workable.
     
    And I have taken the Comet Royal Scot out of its box to continue construction. The tender is complete and I have made a start on the chassis and loco body. The driving axles are all sprung using the Comet system. The motion has been started. The basic body has been fettled and soldered. A lot of fettling!
     
    It's been very windy in southern France and the opportunity to spray undercoat has been denied (I have the spray booth mounted on my loggia when painting and the 80kph winds don't help too much). Perhaps this coming week I can spray both tenders with Halford's grey etch primer.
     
    Then I will add some photos, just to prove that something is happening!
  21. Focalplane
    A break from serious modeling over the past four weeks has resulted in some hard decisions. These relate to available space, my age and a re-jigging of priorities. The latter have been allowed to run wild with too many projects on the go. So the decision has been made to shelve Legge Lane for the time being.
     
    It will be resumed, of that I promise. And when I do return to it, the first thing I will be doing will be to replace the Peco track with either copperclad or C&L scale track. The turntable will possibly be re-positioned as well - fortunately it has been designed as a modular unit.
     
    The emphasis will therefore now be on the Shipston-on-Stour layout. Some of the Legge Lane locos will be guest visitors.
  22. Focalplane
    The venue of Shipston-on-Stour Branch is a relatively small apartment in France. And after nearly 70 years of life we have managed to accumulate a lot of stuff. Downsizing has been going on for years, but I think we are finally there and the space allocated for the layout doubles up as additional storage space below.
     
    The carpentry is basically complete, except for backdrop and a facia board. The following photos illustrate the design and construction methods used. The layout is portable, in four modules, three scenic and one fiddle yard. Though the latter will be "on show" as well, just behind the top of the sofa.
     
    I used MDF boards sold as skirting board material here in France. It is basically 10mm thick by 100mm wide and is strong and stable as long as it doesn't get wet. The frame is covered by sheets of polystyrene insulation board 20mm thick. This is quite easily damaged and one module shows what can happen when the local wind (La Tramontane) blows. It doesn't matter but it also doesn't look so good.
     
    Bracing is also lightweight and sufficient to support the styrene sheet. The overall weight of each module is therefore kept to a minimum.
     
    Module 3 was completed last week and is where the station throat will be located. It is also where the layout narrows toward the fiddle yard. Here are two photos of the construction:
     

     

     
    Next I started Module 4 yesterday and with no interruptions completed it:
     

     
    The modules are joined using baseboard alignment dowels (from C&L Finescale) and coach bolts:
     

     

     
    Next the legs were fitted (very simple affairs that can be removed for transport) and the four modules united on one wall:
     

     

     
    The entire layout can be taken down and re-assembled in just a few minutes. There will be some additional work done on the modules, including priming and painting, adding the back boards and facia boards, and I have bought some Dulux paint samplers to "paint" the basic earth below the eventual scenery.
     
    But track laying can now continue in earnest. Modules 1 and 2 have already some track laid and the basic wire droppers have been connected to the DCC bus.
  23. Focalplane

    Painting the Track

    By Focalplane,

    The link goes to a thread which I started with the purpose of gathering ideas for a painting protocol.
     
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/98315-paint-for-copper-clad-sleepers/?p=1862224
  24. Focalplane

    Shipston Re-united

    By Focalplane,

    I arrived back at our apartment in France before noon (interesting journey, but this morning's drive from Issoire was quite magical across a cloudless Massif Centrale).
     
    I vowed to just unload the car but in the end capitulated and gapped and filled some track in my French workshop, a loggia facing the setting sun. How very pleasant it is to work outdoors. I understand from the most unbelievable Met office that the UK is in for 3 months of good weather and I hope that is true. However, having once lived near Exeter where the met Office now resides, I can relate to many a day when they never looked out of their windows.
     
    Any Met Office modelers, make your comments below.
     
    My current priorities are several. The first to to make Module 3 which would complete the 9 foot long scenic section. This will also require some construction of the 4 foot long fiddle yard extension. The complete 13 foot long layout will fit along one wall of the "sejour" or living area. But first I have to move two IKEA Billy bookshelves and these need repainting as they are over 20 years old, have been pee'd on by a Yorkshire terrier (at the base) and are in a dark stain that is NOT exactly Mediterranean! So the days will be divided between furniture restoration, modeling and my other passion, French cuisine (don't ask, I may start posting food photos!) This does not include a vow to take regular exercise. The days are simply too short.
  25. Focalplane
    A quick update to say that my brief stay in England has allowed me to progress the track building and most of its is at least soldered if not gapped and primed. This coming week I return to France and will start on module 3 so that track laying can begin on the scenic part of the layout.
     
    I quick word of thanks to Martin Wynne and Templot for providing his software to take the strain out of track planning and building. That it even works on my Mac (with Crossover) makes this all the more satisfying (I have been a Mac user for 23 years and have a total and irrational fear of using Windows, even one of those virtual Windows programs on my Mac).
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