Yorkshire Square

What's on my workbench? Everything by the looks of it! About to embark on some pretty heavy (for me) scratchbuilding, I've been giving subtle hints out to family about what I might like for my fiftieth birthday. The drill stand, compound table and mock-Bergeon vice were all forthcoming; it helps not to be too subtle or you end up with socks and jigsaws. It all looks a bit pristine right now, but we'll soon put that to rights. You'll note there is still space for the coffee cup.

Thanks Jerry I agree that a rearmost motor would probably give me the best chance, not least as it allows me to have a flexible drive and makes the motor mount slightly less critical. There is (relatively!) loads of room in the tanks and boiler so the chip and lots of weight can go there. When I get to the 0-6-0T G3 I'll have to think again!

Hi Chris If I go with a flexible drive from the rear, the worm height isn't critical. Based on comments so far, I'll probably opt for the 8mm motor so the shaft will be c 4mm above the footplate.

Thanks Izzy. I did wonder about the final gear which will only have 0.5mm clearance above the track. I could use a smaller gear and rotate the lay shaft around the axis of the wheel so that the intermediate gears meet the worm. Food for thought!

Thanks for the responses guys. Yes, I think that I could use the larger motor and then position the chip over the worm mount. That seems like a way forward.

Tonight I have been doing a little planning for what I hope will be the first of several scratchbuilt locomotives for Hull Bridge. The Stirling F3 (LNER N13) was introduced in 1913. An 0-6-2T locomotive, the last example survived until 1956. Indeed 69114 was the last H&BR locomotive running on British Railways. In the time frame of the layout, the loco would actually be fairly new. As similar lower capacity loco, the F2, had been introduced in 1901, but they were mainly seen at the other end of the line working in the Barnsley coal fields. Anyway, I have been trying to rustle up a working drawing to enable me to fabricate the mechanical element of the model. I scanned the drawing in HMRS book Locomotives of the H&BR and blew it up to 8mm:1ft, the original having been 4mm:1ft. I then used the tables in the 2mm Handbook and my rudimentary drafting skills to get some idea as to where gears/motors etc would fit. After a couple of attempts I came up with this: The gear on the wheel axle is a 25T M0.3. At 8.1mm dia this should be okay with the 9mm driving wheels (I hope!). This meshes with a 14T gear on a lay shaft combined with a 30:1 worm/gear set. I was very taken with Tim Watson's method of mounting a worm shaft in a solid block screwed to one frame, so I thought I would incorporate that method. The ability to tweak the mesh slightly is attractive to me as a very non-technical person. The motor, a Nigel Lawton 6x12 could sit in the bunker and drive via a UJ shaft. This should leave the cab area fairly clear. A DCC chip will be mounted on top of the motor and the whole covered with a load of coal. I think my main concern is that the two shafts are quite off centre in relation to the short distance between them; c8mm for a 1.5mm offset. I see two possible solutions. 1. Slightly tilt the motor up and the worm shaft down. This might seem easy, but I'd need to be careful as to the worm shaft mount and it would probably need to be a different shape to avoid fouling. 2. Recess the left hand side of the worm mount so that the shaft can be shortened. I'd need to watch that I didn't make the mount weak in doing so. Does anyone have any thoughts? Have I made any obvious boobs that mean I need to start from square one? Thanks in anticipation!

Very nice!

Hi Izzy I just use masking tape and then hot glue on the inside of joint. Worked well with Masham and seems to be fairly resilient long-term.

Having defrosted from the lunchtime dog walk. I set to installing the track on the traintable. There is a third line to go in, you might just see the pencil marks. I also thought it would be nice to put a small headshunt off the nearside line. This will allow me to sit a loco on scene (when I have some appropriate ones made) without it interfering with train manoeuvres. It also makes a nice juxtaposition to the curved line which will ultimately enter a shed or building.

It was the one in the middle! He did it!!

Just a quick update for those of a Southern persuasion. I have just sold out of 2-370 SR Cattle Wagon 10'6" Chassis: I have lots of the suitable bodies 2-544: so I'm hoping the chassis will be back in stock soon. This looks an attractive, somewhat larger cattle wagon with optional ends, either solid or partially vented, included. You'll note that the chassis also includes an etched roof for the wagon. I'll let you know when we get more chassis.

Do they live in your phone?

Bill Rankin gave me a dozen or so industrial sewing machine needles many years ago. They're very useful for scribing and marking and can be rehoned quite effectively.

Oh, definitely 78! Could have been wax cylinder though...

Nearly???! Should have tried harder.

There is still a fair bit of hedge laying going on up north. A couple of my customers are practised hedge layers. A Yorkshire Hedge is a hedge where the farmer throws all his stones and small boulders (extracted from the field) along the base of the hedge forming a rough bank similar to what you describe Don. There are a couple at the end of our drive.

Thanks for the comments guys. Nick, I got away without locating pins on Masham, but that had copper wipers underneath to power the road in line with the layout. Currently the new table lip is too tight a fit into the groove. I'll need to carefully sand it; but not too much! David, I'm currently looking at a Class F3 0-6-2T (subsequently LNER N13) to run trains into the yard and a Class G3 0-6-0T (LNER J75) yard loco. As I am aiming for a pre-1914 period these will be unrebuilt with, as you say, no dome. This cabs will be a bit of a challenge with the sides curving straight into roof and the door opening extending into this curve. The F2 (LNER N12) was an initial thought, but these seem to have been almost exclusively used at the coalfield end of the line. That would have been the ideal as the F2 and G3 are basically the same loco with a bit tacked on the end of the F2. At some point I'll probably have a go at one of the 0-6-0 tender locos; one with an open cab is very attractive. Right, off to do some sanding and then track laying!

It's not surprising that the horses were dying if they didn't water them...

With the trackwork all laid on the scenic area, I turn my attention to the sector plate/off scene storage. This will hold three short trains which should be sufficient for the size of the scene. I knew that I would struggle to make a moving item such as a sector plate using foamboard. It just wouldn't be robust enough to cope with constant swivelling and the accuracy needed across the joint would be hard to acheive/maintain. I therefore decided to fabricate this from ply. The trackbed is 12mm high (two layers of 6mm foamboard. I had some 6mm and some 3mm ply to hand, so slowly but surely I drew my plans. One layer of 3mm ply for the base: A second layer of 3mm ply to provide a lip on the plate and a recess on the trackbase proper: A top layer of 6mm ply which protrudes over the 3mm beneath it, locking the sector plate in the vertical axis and providing a smidgen of friction so that there should be no need for locating pins (we'll see!): The sector plate is the same sandwich but the 6mm ply is short of the 3mm: This then slots under the trackbase and the plate is pivoted at the rear with a nut and bolt: As I will be using DCC all the tracks will be live and there will be no need for wiper contacts or anything complicated.

And a post from last week: Some more progress on the new layout. All the points are in place and I've nearly completed the intermediate trackwork. Just a couple of second rails to be soldered onto a few short lengths. Then on to wiring and a sector plate: Meanwhile I've been painting and lettering some 1887 RCH wagons. I figured that if they're around thirty years old, they'll be pretty grotty: