simon b

2 hours ago, Lee-H said:

Hi all,

were any of the T-stock ever painted red or were they always brown?

Thanks,

Lee

T stock were always brown as far as I have seen. The closest thing I can think of was seeing a red end on a Dreadnought brake coach once. 

That's great news, a permanent home opens up more opportunity's for the club. And they couldn't of picked a better site, it's only 5 mins from my house!  

2 hours ago, Titan said:

That could mean that the bogie frame is worn around the axles. When sufficiently worn they end up with the worm taking the weight, with the axle rocking on it. This causes the coffee grinder noise as the gears don't mesh as they should, and a wobbly body as the axles rock. Of course being Triang they still run, but in an unworn state the motors are an awful lot quieter and smoother. It also means that in a worn state they ride lower than they should which does not help your case either!

That's good info, thanks. This one doesn't sound that noisy but then it does have the old serrated wheels fitted, there is no obvious excess axle movement but difficult to tell without striping it down. I've got another motor bogie with the correct size of wheel coming, so will use the best parts out of the pair when I reassemble it. I could in theory shim the axles in the housing if there is wear in it.  

I'm not going to go to mad on upgrades as it is lacking alot of detail compared to the Bachmann version, but for the price it was worth buying.

1 hour ago, Michael Hodgson said:

 

Couldn't you just shove a couple of washers onto the bogie pivot to jack it up a bit?

Afraid not. The power bogie wheels are that small when it sits on the track, it looks like it's running along on the bottom of the axle boxes!

This pic should show what I mean.

1 hour ago, Captain Slough said:

it was commented on here once that the Airfix class 31 has the same axle and gear size but bigger, finer scale wheels and may be a direct swap, but thats a 40 year old loco thats also getting rare now. I've never seen that actually done

I had a look into that. The wheels are a little finer, but the axle and gear are a plastic version with a different number of teeth. It might be possible to swap the wheels itself but you would need to use a bush on the axle.

Hopefully I've got a solution now. I've just bought a spare motor bogie which has the smooth larger wheels fitted, so a bit of mix and match of the parts and a quick file down of the flanges should sort it out.

4 hours ago, kevinlms said:

According to this page, the wheels should be 3ft 6in or 14mm, so any wheels that are 15mm are too big.  3ft 6in are actually standard for many/most EMU/DMU bogies.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_205

 

Sorry to ruin your party!

They might be 14mm, the bogies are white metal parts glued together so I didnt want to try removing one at the moment to measure properly. In time I'll probably swap all the bogies out for something better, but for now I just want the motor car to sit level on code 75.   

Thanks, but I need to go with bigger wheels. The motor bogie wheels  look to be 11 or 12mm, so look very undersize compared to the rest at 15mm.

I did read that the triang class 81 was fitted with larger wheels so perhaps that's a solution?

Hi all. I've just bought what I think is an old MTK kit built class 205 DEMU on a certain auction site, and I need some help with its wheels. Going by the shape of the bogie sideframes the power bogie is from the Triang dmu, but it still has the original wheels fitted. The rest of the 3 cars have 15mm finescale wheels so the motor bogie wheels look very odd and undersized, what would be the best way to upgrade the triang motor bogie wheels?

On 26/02/2024 at 22:11, lapford34102 said:

My take on the 3 pointer idea.

 

This is a parcels based operation with a run-round via the fiddle yard. There's more here if anyone's interested.

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/178424-albert-street-parcels-oo-south-east-60s/#comment-5439807

 

Stu

 

 

 

I've just had a read of Albert Street, that's a fantastic little layout. Changing the lights is a very effective idea to date the period.

On 25/02/2024 at 20:10, snitchthebudgie said:

Here's my N gauge version, 4' long and a sort of cross between Victoria Park, and PMP's Shelfie 3.  The short track is long enough for a 2-car EMU, or some parcels stock.  The longest platform will take 4 or 5 coaches.  I've laid most of the track now (with British Finescale code 40) and next will be point motors and wiring.  I'm looking forward to the scenery, all inner city, with the station on brick arches.

 

Inner city arches, just my cup of tea! Is there a platform at the rea, or just the island in the middle?  Will enjoy following progress on your build.

14 hours ago, sb67 said:

 

Thanks Simon, the layout is called Docklands Sidings, very simple and with the ability to run a variety of stock. 

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/index.php?/topic/157858-docklands-sidings-opinions-sought/

 

Just looked and a lot of he photo's are not there, not sure how to replace them. I'll try and add some more pcs too.

Yes please, I'd love to see some recent pics. Will have to have a proper read through when I get a chance.

On 22/02/2024 at 19:06, sb67 said:

How did you get on with this @simon b? I've just found the thread, I used the same plan for my layout but extended the kickback siding into the fiddle yard and made it a run round loop. I found it gives me various ways of operating, either with the run round or just as the original was planned. It's a nice plan with a lot of operating potential.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that looks intriguing! Anything with blue diesels is a winner for me, any more pics or a layout thread on here somewhere? 

I've got a half started layout I made a few years ago before the house move (which is where the trouble started), which I think is a candidate for rebuilding into the Victoria park plan. This is currently on a 6ft x 18" board, but I think it could be shrunk down to fit the 52" long layout I'm aiming for. 

14 hours ago, nightstar.train said:

Hope this works. There are a few pictures going around Facebook of the Mk5s with the TPE triangles taken off. Look awfully bland, hope they get another splash of colour to relieve the grey with grey highlights. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=7784633851556380&set=gm.7152757344831383&idorvanity=573173142789869

Would look smart with a stripe of Chiltern blue, though they dont look that bad as they are. Is there a pic of the driving trailer anywhere, I'm curious how much of the blue around the nose was wrap?

3 hours ago, Mike_Walker said:

Oh but they are!  One issue with EMD locos fitted with what they call HEP (Head End Power) is that the prime mover has to run at practically full power to supply the train.  Both classes need to be kept running overnight to keep the trains' a/c and lighting working unless a suitable shore supply can be arranged.

Quite a few had a separate engine entirely for powering the train supply, in the case of the rebuilds of the E8/9 that meant 3 separate engines in the one body. 

The worst for it was the GE u34ch, they used to run at a constant 950rpm with the HEP switched on. Noisey !

Perhaps a separate ETH generator in the train is the way forward if the 68 silencer mods are not successful?

1 hour ago, spamcan61 said:

Shouldn't be too tricky to arrange a non latching connector type that would do the job. The idea these locos have to consume fuel and cause pollution (not to mention potential issues with the engine from  idling long term) 24/7 just to power the coaches is plain bonkers. I'm intrigued to know the engineering reasons behind that requirement.

I seem to remember such a system was in use somewhere on the network, it was advised to let it disconnect itself rather than unplug it.

Chiltern DVT were fitted with an ETH generator supply at one point, seems strange they don't use those still.

1 hour ago, phil-b259 said:

Point of order - Marylebone station only EVER had 4 platforms to start with! Yes the GCR, LNER and BR only ever had 4 platforms to play with.

 

Up until the 1990s Chiltern line modernisation by British Rail the span covering what is now platforms 2 & 3 merely covered the cab road (which is why platforms 2 & 3 line up with the large archway at the front of the station building).

 

As such the 1990s changes did NOT reduce station capacity - though obviously what they did do by getting rid of the cab Road and demolishing the 3rd bay of the train shed was restrict any easy expansion (although the decision to install carriage sidings on part of the land formerly occupied by the removed train shed did at least give Chiltern the option of building 2 new platforms a couple of decades later).

 

 

 

That's what I was getting at, we could of had 6 full length platforms instead of the awkward arrangement Marylebone is now. A very short sighted move, must of been good money selling the land off where they stood.

And yet they left the turntable in place the other side of the bridge.

Thanks, that explains it then! I was confused as I couldn't see a join in those pictures so thought it was one long body.

Hi all.

I'm doing some research on early freightliner trains and have come across something I'm a little puzzled by. On Paul Bartlett's excellent website are some pictures of what appears to be a 60ft flatbed body mounted onto a freightliner wagon, link here: https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brferryfreightliner Some of the other wagons also have the same body whilst others dont, so I assume that this could be removed from the wagon using the twistlocks?  Was this type of body used in normal freightliner trains or just the international wagons? Must have been a flimsy thing when not fitted to a wagon?

5 hours ago, Mike_Walker said:

The proposal for a new WSMR is being written around something like the 222s.  Loco operation is unlikely.

Thanks, since the idea was first mentioned I hadn't heard anymore about it. Interesting they want to use Euston rather than Marylebone, it's debatable which has any free capacity. Getting rid of the third roof span and it's platforms at Marylebone was a bit short sighted, in view of the lack of platform space it now has.

3 hours ago, AMJ said:

A possible, musical chair, is that the TPE 68 & Mk5s go to Chiltern.  The Chiltern 68's replace 67's on the TfW services.

Very possible, they should need no modification to work with mk4's.  Another possibility is the new incarnation of the Wrexham and Shropshire services, if they choose to go with loco hauled stock they could take the mk3's for a complete package.

1 hour ago, Mike_Walker said:

 If you read Chiltern's ITT for replacement stock you will find it expressly requires any winning bid to provide an otion that is quieter than a Class 68 which appears to rule those out with either Mk3 or Mk5 stock.

 

There is a an available exhaust modification which will quieten down a 68, easy to fit that to the TPE ones before they enter service.

1 hour ago, 25901 said:

Last I heard on the grapevine was there were thoughts of reformation of sets which would make sense for longer sets but would leave the some driving cars as dead money. And would they need any more 68s with what they have.

Chilterns 68's are not compatible with mk5's, so they would need the TPE locos.  How involved it would be to convert the existing end coach to an intermediate I'm not sure, but in theory you could run a driving trailer at both ends of a set.

3 hours ago, admiles said:

Has it actually been announced that the Mk5s are going to Chiltern yet or are people getting a wee bit ahead of themselves?

On 15/02/2024 at 10:41, simon b said:

Apparently Chiltern have now put a bid in for the the MK5 fleet with locos. More 68's is just fine with me.

1 hour ago, russ p said:

 

Bit of a shame the mk3s are going,  but good news that 68s will still be working.  The Chiltern ones are quite different to TPE ones so they will probably come back to DRS

 As I understand it the TPE locos will move down with the mk5 sets, Chiltern's 68's go back to DRS.  

2 hours ago, russ p said:

 

Is this to supplement their existing loco hauled stock or to replace it ?

This will replace the mk3 sets entirely, it will also free up some of their dmu fleet so hopefully they can get on top of the maintenance issues.