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TurboSnail

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  1. TurboSnail
    Slight flaw in the baseboard I've made - the front centre is warped upwards by about 5mm relative to the ends. While not a massive issue, this is supposed to be a shunting layout, so any wagons running away of their own accord will not be a good thing. I think this has happened from being stored poorly, as well as being lightly built to facilitate house moves and so on. If I'd built the front a bit deeper, I'd have got away with it.
     
    To try and counteract this, I bought some aluminium angle, which as it turns out, is not stiff enough to bring the wood back into line. I might be able to fashion the spare angle into legs for the layout, but clearly I need another solution to straighten the board out.
     
    Any ideas?
     

  2. TurboSnail
    I'm taking a break from CAD, to do some CAD...
     
    Plans always look great on Anyrail, but I wanted to check how it looked in real, 3D life before committing to plasticard, so I've mocked up a few of the layout buildings in cardboard. And it turns out, this was a good idea, as a few things have been tweaked. Not massively, but enough that the originally planned version would have irritated me had I rushed in without checking. 
     
    Plus, messing about with cardboard is just good old fashioned plain fun 
     
     
     
  3. TurboSnail
    I've made it to 50 days of modelling! I certainly wasn't expecting to get this far, but it's been a good challenge so far to get some progress done every day, no matter how small. Times have been tough for me personally (though related to work, not directly as a result of lockdown or isolation) and a bit of creativity each evening has helped keep me sane, so in an odd way, it couldn't have come at a better time. The blog runs a day or two behind real life in the event that I miss a couple of days, but so far I've managed to make something worth sharing (in my opinion) every day. 
     
    Personal highlights? The Sentinel project - it looks better than I thought it would, and for one of my first attempts at properly weathering a loco, has come out well. Also, the coal wagons have turned out well, the controller that actually works (3rd time lucky!), and the backdated Ruston 48DS, the latter being one of those rare projects where almost everything went right first time.
     
    I'll try to keep up this blog for a bit longer, and I'm hoping to focus a bit more on the layout building and scratchbuilding/bashing stuff, I love my CAD and 3D printing but I appreciate most people don't. 
     
    Onward!
     

  4. TurboSnail
    The CAD drawing stage of this project is over, and it's ready to go to print! Before anyone points it out, there are brakes, I just haven't bothered to add them to the virtual assembly! I'll need to do a bit of maintenance on my printer first to try and make it behave itself.
     
    Is there anything else I'm missing off this model? I hope not, the number of features and rivets etc. is making it run in the lowest graphic settings possible, and my processor still feels like it might melt!
     

  5. TurboSnail
    I've been spring cleaning today, only minor modelling progress! So instead, here's a few new loco kits I did the CAD work for, a couple of variants of Manning Wardle H, and a Hudswell contractors loco. All fit the Hornby Peckett W4 chassis (which reminds me - I need to get a couple more of those when finances allow!).
     
    Early and curved cab versions of the Manning Wardle H - the curved cab version is my personal one, with a few tweaks so it's unique. Needs the chassis painting, lining and a good weathering though. And a proper dusting off! The other models pictured are both made by Andy, so I can't take any credit for them. 
     
    If you're interested in any of them, see here: https://hardyshobbies.co.uk/product-category/locomotive-body-kits/
     

     

     

  6. TurboSnail
    I showed the (almost) complete loco in yesterday's post, last night I finished editing up a video of how I built it, so if you're interested please do take a look. It's exactly the sort of project I needed - a lot of what I've done lately has been fiddly to set up, or used expensive parts, or just taken a long time to do, this one was refreshingly simple and quick, probably done in under an hour if you don't count painting time. 
     
     
  7. TurboSnail
    Nearly finished on this project - a flight of fancy, based on a larger version of the early narrow-gauge 20hp Planet locos. Needs weathering, but otherwise done, fits the chassis well too. It's been a nice, fun project where I haven't had to worry about how accurate I'm being, it probably won't see heavy service once the layout is built, but worth it for that left-field option.
     

  8. TurboSnail
    I finally plucked up the courage to paint the footplate and other black sections of this loco by hand - it's come out alright, I suppose. I had to go back over some of the lower frames to cover up the overpainting, but hopefully that will hide behind some weathering later on. It'll probably be another couple of weeks before I can face doing that!
     
    I need to pick an appropriate colour for the dumb buffers too - any suggestions?
     

  9. TurboSnail
    Following on from yesterday, I've assembled the mount and motor unit, with the new compound gear. The previous version had a 3:1 gear ratio, multiplied by whatever the original Hornby gear ratio is. The revised version is 4.6:1, so it should make a noticable difference. This motor also has a rear shaft for a flywheel! Now I need to find a loco to put it in...
     

  10. TurboSnail
    So a few days ago, I mentioned how the original version of this mod wasn't working properly... well, now it is! Having tightened everything up, and given it a bit of oil, it's working. It's not hugely slower than the original, but it will get tamed when the heavier bodywork is put back on, the plastic chassis is very light on its own. But you can see from the old motor mount just how much smaller this motor is, which will allow me to build some less chunky locos on it. Now the question is, do I still need to finish the second version with lower gearing?
     
     
  11. TurboSnail
    PCB now assembled, and it seems to be working! Once I remembered to alter the code (some things are in slightly different places than they were on the breadboard prototype), the PWM control seems to be working ok. The throttle is a little bit unreactive, though I can solve that with more code (fun!) and by using a proper power supply instead of the fairly flat 9v cell I was testing with.
     
     
  12. TurboSnail
    The measuring thingys that I posted a few days back have turned up, and it looks like I've actually got the measurements right! This is one of those things that does jobs that other tools could do much better - but is handy to have around to call on at a moments notice. I've already found the axle/wire identifier useful for trying to find the 1.5mm wire that I know I have somewhere...
     
    I expect it will come into its own when I get round to making buildings, that's what the scale ruler, the centre finder and the scaled person are on there for. Just quick reference rather than precision engineering.
     
     

  13. TurboSnail
    Some more progress on the SER brake van, I'm now into the slow and fiddly bits, specifically the frames and brake gear. I have to decide at this point how it will be assembled, and I've gone for separate solebars and separate brake shoes. I think this will be the easiest way of assembling it and removing from the printed support material. The roof is also separate, there's not a lot of interior detail going on (just the partition), but that's easier to scratchbuild than to try and do in CAD (and get all the small details to print reliably).
     
    Feedback welcome!
     

  14. TurboSnail
    I had a bit of difficulty with the previous version of the Hornby 0-4-0 regearing project, in that the gears were a little too close to the chassis and some flex in the mounting allowed the bracket to move a bit, causing tight spots in the mechanism. It was also a little speedy. So, everyone knows that when you have a problem to solve, the easiest way is to make it more complicated, no? I've test printed a new version with an additional compound gear in the train, and hopefully this version will be a bit slower and more stable.
     

  15. TurboSnail
    For those who don't follow all my other various threads (and who can blame you), I do lots of CAD work for the Hardy's Hobbies range of industrial loco kits alongside my own loco and wagon kits. They've just announced another one, their first non-steam loco, this Howard 8-ton shunter (it might be a 10 ton or a 12 ton, I can't find a definitive answer online, and can't get out to do proper research!). It's a development of my version of the kit, but has the advantage of using the Ruston 48DS chassis, whereas mine uses a custom chassis that I haven't quite got working perfectly yet! As such, it is a little bit compromised with a slightly larger bonnet than before, but it still looks the part in my opinion, and the running qualities of the 48DS chassis should be worth it.
     
    Check out the rest of the range here.
     

     
    Now it's your turn to play spot the difference! My version on custom chassis in blue, a test print of the Hardy's version in red. (I mean model differences, don't say 'the colour'...). Answers below the picture in small text.
     

     
    Answers: 
    Hardy's version has smaller wheels (10mm vs. 12mm) TS Design version has smaller bonnet TS Design version has a slightly longer wheelbase Hardy's version has a small motor cover in the cab
  16. TurboSnail
    My modelling workbench chair is one of those cheap office chairs, with a gas strut providing the lifting mechanism. I've got a sinking feeling that the gas strut has a leak...
     
    I rediscovered a couple of old projects (while looking for bits for another project), the NER Class H (later Y7) and the AEC shunter. Cue some faffing about curing intermittent pickup issues, and a short while later, the H is running happily up and down the test track on a 9v battery (video below). Nice and slow and smooth, too.
     
    The AEC is a different story, the chassis sort-of works, but has nowhere near enough traction, being 2-wheel drive. The body is already very heavy, so I can't add more weight to help it. This means a chassis redesign to make it 4wd, not too hard, but will take time.
     

     
     
  18. TurboSnail
    Started putting together a mod for the Hornby 0-4-0 chassis to make it fit a much smaller motor, and hopefully make it slower as well. It seems ok so far, all fits, but not that smooth. Partly as I don't have the proper gears for it yet, so have substituted 3D printed ones.
     
    If this works, then there are a couple of potential bodykits I could make for it that wouldn't have been possible otherwise, with the big motor in the way.
     

  19. TurboSnail
    Among many other things I've got on the go at the moment (many, many things) is this SER brake, later SR diagram 1553. Variants covered diagrams 1552 to 1557. I needed a brake van that had plausibly been relegated to lesser used branch lines by about 1910, and this one seemed the ideal candidate as they were pretty widespread and numerous. 
     
    CAD progress is good, I have wheels in stock and the other bits needed, so hopefully it'll be a good project. Not looking forward to doing the brake gear, that will be very fiddly (both on CAD and in real life!)
     

  20. TurboSnail
    With that rather unwieldy title looming over this post, I thought I'd revisit the O gauge plan from a few days ago, copied again below. Why would I bother making this layout as a minimum space O gauge, if I could fit more in the same space in OO? This question was nagging me, so I thought about what I could add that would increase the reliability, interest and fun factor of the layout. 

    Firstly, I love tiny locos. Manning Wardle Class B/C, small Rustons, Planets etc. Short, fixed wheelbases tend to have pickup issues so why not try out R/C? This wouldn't be possible in OO, but might just be able to squeeze into an O gauge version of my MW Class B.
     
    Secondly, the small size allows access to all areas of the layout, which in turn means things like working point levers, scale shunter's pole for uncoupling etc. Maybe also moveable cranes, adding a puzzle element to the layout. Start with a train of empties, rearrange it and fill a few specific wagons with produce in the process. Maybe one crane down by the wharf/quayside, another up in the top left by the production facility of whatever this enterprise may be.
     
    Finally, having R/C control could mean having other elements to add to the puzzle. A working road vehicle to load, for example, or a shunting tractor replacing a loco. 
     
    Of course, this is all pretty fanciful, I haven't yet built the other micro layout and will have no space for another until I move somewhere bigger! But planning things like this is fun when you haven't got the motivation to do any physical modelling.
     

  21. TurboSnail
    Fresh off the printer, a quartet of SECR tenders for a customer. These are from my OO scale F1 and B1 kits, resized to N. This is a bit more complex than just multiplying by half, as all the walls need thickening up to make them strong enough to print properly. Still, I think they've come out well enough!
     

     
    Stats:
    Print time: 3hrs 40min - much quicker to print in N gauge!
    Cumulative pushup counter: 3925
  22. TurboSnail
    I didn't finish work until 1am last night, so not much modelling got done...
     
    So instead I'm revisiting an old plan for a micro O gauge layout. The Peco track version shown is 1350x350mm, but I reckon I could make this smaller by making my own track - it's only planned for tiny industrial locos and wagons, so with tighter curves could be under 1220mm long, and hence fitting on a standard bit of ply. The aim was to make an O gauge layout fit the sort of space you'd get a OO gauge micro layout in.
     
    It would of course, be the loading area of some kind of small industry. Other than that, I haven't really put much more detail into it. It's an ambition for the future, this layout!
     

     
    Stats:
    Layout: standard inglenook 5+3+3
    Max loco length: 125mm (small Manning Wardles etc.)
    Cumulative pushup counter: 3775
  23. TurboSnail
    Making the most of the good weather, by painting the backscene outside. The first stage is painting the whole thing white, and I've already managed to cock this up in at least two ways. Firstly, by trying to paint it with a spray can - this hardly stuck at all, and would have taken several cans to get any decent coverage. So a tin of all-surface matt white was acquired instead. Second problem, insufficient sanding before application. This left some rather obvious woodgrain in a couple of places, I could have done with some wood filler too. Oh well, it's getting a good sanding between coats and that'll have to do!
     

     
    Stats:
    Number of stuck bugs removed from drying paint: oh, loads. They seem to love it!
    Cumulative pushup counter: 3625
  24. TurboSnail
    I should probably explain my choice of components for the controller a little bit. It's a mix of SMD and through-hole, normally you'd go one way or the other, but I felt in this instance it'd be better to compromise. As such all the resistors, caps and LEDs are SMD to reduce the number of holes in the PCB, hopefully making it look neater. The same goes for the 2x 15-pin headers holding the Arduino on. The rest (switches, terminal blocks etc.) are through-hole, as that's what is readily available and cheap. This hopefully confines most of the messiness to the outer edges of the PCB.
     
    The other thing I'm quite happy with is finding a throttle potentiometer with a centre-detent - on of the biggest issues I have with my current 'proper' controller (a Morley Vector, otherwise excellent) is that you can't tell by feel alone when the controller is centered, and therefore off. This leads to occasions when you think you've turned off the power, when in fact it's still on and your loco is sat on a dead spot, so that as soon as you knock the boards or move the loco (to uncouple it, for example), it takes off again. Having a simple notch so you can feel the off position should solve that nicely.
     

     
    Stats:
    Total component count: 23
    Cumulative pushup counter: 3475
  25. TurboSnail
    A more detailed look at supporting all the models I printed yesterday - I've been asked by several people for a bit more detail on this, so here it is... A bit of a marathon, this video!
     
     

     
    Stats:
    Success rate of these models: 90% (two small failures)
    Cumulative pushup counter: 3175
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