Chuffer Davies

Hi, I have had a similar experience to you with regards Gibson wheels becoming loser the more times they are fitted to an axle but not to the point that they have become unusable. A critical requirement for me is to remove the burr from the axle's end before the axle is first inserted in a wheel. I do this by spinning the axle in a mini drill and chamfering the end of the axle with fine wet and dry paper. If not removed I find the burr can act like a blade and remove plastic from the centre of the wheel, both opening the hole and making it almost impossible to set the wheel square on the axle. The second thing to note is that the plastic has a memory and so although it may feel loose when re-fitted it will try to return to its original size. I find that if I go back later the wheel generally grips the axle more than when it was initially installed. Finally, and equally importantly when I carry out final assembly I always Loctite the wheel to the axle. I can't remember the last time a wheel so installed came loose other than when the centre boss has split which has happened a couple of times with Gibson wheels. Obviously I try to minimise the number of times a wheel is removed from an axle, probably half a dozen times maximum during the assembly of the frames, but I have never found the need to purchase a 2nd set of wheels because the first have become too loose. Regards, Frank

This sounds like an equivalent method to the EMGS shorting tags but not sure how well they would stand up to having the axles removed multiple times. Definitely worth considering though. Frank

Hi Wayne, What a shame.... I would have to agree that the castings are both a strength and a weakness in your product. The vertical alignment between the code 75 rail and the top of the frog's casting were slightly out on my three test EM points but it would have been a simple matter to run a file over the top to remove any step had it bothered me sufficiently. If, however, shrinkage and reliability of supply are going to become an issue then you are going to have to change your approach. Who knows, in years to come metal 3D printing of frogs and K crossings might become practical but that time is not yet I understand. Would it be possible to print the sleeper base of the diamond as two separate ends with some kind of clip in the middle to lock them together when pushed home? By starting at the middle of the diamond and sliding continuous side and check rails into both bases at the same time I would have thought it would still all come together neatly? Just an idea! Pre-machined rails definitely remove much of the complexity of building trackwork so these kits will still be enormously beneficial. Shame about the tie bars though, I particularly liked your current solution. The new approach is one I've seen used with varying degrees of success in the past so may become the most challenging element of the revised design for the novice builder. Keep up the great work..... Frank

Hi Mark, thank you for posting and for your last statement in particular. I completely agree with your comment regarding the use of brown label flux for steel rimmed wheels. Just so I’m clear in what you describe, does the loop turn through a full 360 deg, and is the wire still aligned so it is hidden completely by the spokes? I’m just struggling to picture what you have described. Frank

I received an email question today from a fellow EM gauge member with regards how I go about shorting out plastic centred wheels when building a split frame chassis. Rather than just email him back I thought I'd post my explanation on here in case anyone else either will find this of interest or has an alternate approach worth sharing. I am assuming that the questioner already has access to split axles and knows how to align the insulated gap to avoid shorts when mounting a gearbox. My apologies in advance for the out of focus pictures. I hadn't realised the problem until after I'd completed assembling my demonstration piece. When I build tender locos I employ the so called American pickup system whereby the live chassis of the loco picks up from the nearside rail and the live chassis of the tender picks up from the offside rail. The drawbar is used to carry current from one chassis to the other but is insulated at one end to avoid a dead short between the two chassis. In these models I use etched shorting tags sourced from the EM Gauge Society's stores to short the rims of the wheels to the their axles. This has been discussed in an earlier post near the bottom of page one of this topic. The problem with these tags is that they don't like being disturbed so when used I ensure the wheel to which they have been attached remains permanently on the axle. On a split frame chassis I need to be able to remove the axles several times during construction requiring me to remove at least one of the wheels on any given axle. To facilitate this rather than use an etched tag I instead use very fine (36 swg) phosphor bronze wire sourced from Eileen's Emporium as follows: The wheel is prepared by grinding two small hollows into the rim of the wheel directly opposite each other and 90 degrees from the crank pin. I also cut a fine groove across the hub into which the wire will lay so as to allow it to lie flat against the back of the spokes. I then attach a couple of clamps to the rim of the wheel to act as heat sinks whilst still leaving access to the hollows, and solder the wire across the back of the wheel. The surplus wire and solder is removed and the back of the wheel cleaned to remove any flux residue. This is particularly important with steel rimmed wheels. Once attached the wire is cut at its centre using a scalpel blade. The axle is now inserted in the usual manner at the same time forcing the ends of the wire down into the hub of the wheel. To avoid potential problems with the soldered joint/s subsequently failing in use the right angled bend at the point the wire exits the wheel is accentuated using a small bladed screw driver. As and when the axle is removed the wire will remain embedded in the soft plastic of the wheel's hub and in my experience any subsequent insertion and removal of the axle will not dislodge the wire and electrical conductivity will not be compromised. I would stress the importance of using fine phosphor bronze wire. I have tried using other materials but have found them too brittle with a tendency to snap when then axle is first forced into the wheel. Thicker wire has a tendency to compromise the alignment of the wheel on its axle causing it to wobble. Don't be tempted to use fuse wire, you will find out why the first time you get a dead short across the chassis. If anyone else would like to share their approach to shorting out plastic centred wheels I would be interested to hear how they do it. Regards, Frank

As planned work has started on construction of the J2s superstructure. The starting point is the footplate which, because of its complex curves, requires a cradle for its assembly. Unfortunately I have identified some errors in the etches but the good news is that none of these have been terminal and I have been able to bodge my way around the mistakes to create a usable footplate. Corrections have already been made to the CAD artwork, and because of these errors in due course I will need to test assemble a 2nd footplate to ensure that the changes in CAD have corrected the previous mistakes. A key learning point has been a need to modify my expected build sequence. I always thought that the front sandboxes would be awkward to assemble and this has proved correct but not in the manner expected. The reverse curve at the back of the sandbox's top face was where I expected to come a cropper but in reality it was actually quite easy to form aided by half etched lines on the underside to indicate where the curve needed to be made. The complication came with attaching the boxes to the footplate because the rear face of each box was obstructed by the dummy frames which had already been fitted. Off came the frames, on went the sandboxes and then back on went the frames. I must remember to update the assembly instructions.... This is how the footplate looks at end of play today: The footplate will remain in its cradle until I have fitted the cab after which it should be sufficiently rigid to allow the cradle to be removed. I can then test fit the footplate to the frames to make sure that the splashers align with the wheels. Perhaps a detail worth noting are the knobs on the sandbox covers. I have formed these from 1mm n/silver rod spun in a hand drill. The neck of the knob was made with a fret saw after which the top of the knob was domed with a needle file before finishing off with some fine wet and dry. Fixing the knobs in place was also awkward because despite being hollow I could not get my soldering iron bit inside the sandboxes to attach them. Instead I drilled down through the top of each sandbox and right through the footplate underneath. The knobs were made extra long so that they could then be soldered to the underside of the footplate instead. Tomorrow work will start on the cab... Thanks for reading, Frank

Indeed I very much enjoyed watching the layout. Sadly the limitations of the video prevented us from seeing the layout in its full glory but just being able to socialise around a model railway at last was pleasure enough. Thank to you all, Frank

Have you got an ETA for the link? Frank

That sounds like a good way to start the afternoon! Count me in….

With the J52 ready for painting I have been able to move on to the next project which is the test build of my prototype J2 etches designed earlier this year. With regards the prototype the J2 is not that dissimilar to the J1, the main difference being that the J1 had slide valves whereas the J2 had piston valves with tail rods fitted to both the valves and the cylinders. The piston valves caused the centre line of the boiler to be raised, and the tail rods required the front of the footplate to be extended forwards to bring the end of the tail rods behind the buffers. The rear of the J2's footplate was also extended backwards compared to the J1 but the rest of the frames and the footplate were the same on both the J1 and J2. I have therefore been able to lift 50% of the CAD artwork for the J2 directly from the J1's which hopefully will reduce the risk of errors. So far I have assembled the frames (chassis) including the modified High Level gearbox for the M-I-T drive system. One minor design error has surfaced (easily rectified) with regards failing to provide a clearance slot in the ashpan's sides for the CSB pillars but otherwise all seems well. I am pleased to say that the horn block spacing and wheel quartering has proved to be spot on. I have the luxury of owning an Avonside chassis jig and given the number of models I need to build for Clayton I consider it to have been a sound investment. The chassis follows my standard build approach: CSB suspension and American pickup (loco chassis live to the nearside). I can't power up the chassis to test it out until I have built the tender's frames but I have made sufficient of these chassis to be confident that this one will work with a minimum of additional tweaking. Here are some pictures of the frames as a reference for anyone building one of these models in the future as it is the intention to add the J2 to the LRM range of kits in due course. I have just started the test build of the superstructure and will provide an update when I've either successfully built the superstructure or have hit a point in the build where I can't go any further because I've made a major blunder somewhere along the line. Fingers crossed..... Regards, Frank

Hi Mike, What an unusual and quirky prototype. I believe that the NZ track gauge is 3' 6" so what track gauge are you working to in model form? Regards, Frank

Hi Micheal/Tony, Yep that’s precisely my experience as well. Very strange that the axles seem to be machined consistently too short. A spacing washer on one side seems to do the trick. Frank

Apologies for being a bit late in posting this but I've been waiting for a colleague to track down the following photo. The wire fencing on Hungerford was a real labour of love and took several weeks, if not months, to install because there is over 40ft of it. It was built using a combination of Peco fence posts, 5amp fuse wire for the staples and E Z Line elastic filament. The posts were first drilled and then staples were made by twisting fuse wire with a hook (made made from 0.4mm brass wire) to form a miniature screw eye. The staples was then glued into the post and when the glue was dry the backs of the posts were filed flat before painting. The posts were then planted, a board at a time, before 7 runs of E Z Line was threaded through the staples. Good lighting and magnifying spec's were critical for successful threading of the E Z Line. Whilst we were very pleased with the look of the finished product, particularly the way the wire mimics the contours of the land. Unfortunately it has proved problematic more recently because the E Z Line has started to perish and has had to be replaced in places.

The other questions I would ask are: 1. How big is the layout that this model is destined to run on and therefore how heavy a train is it required to haul? 2. How much height and width is there in the firebox? it may be that a motor can be installed vertically in the firebox with a vertical worm driving either the 3rd or more likely the 4th axle. The HL 13/20 coreless motor coupled with a Roadrunner Compact box will romp away with a 50 wagon or 12 coach train. Frank

Hi David, yes my understanding is that the plan to launch this as a commercial kit is still very much alive. I don’t think it is my place to announce who is planning to launch it but I know they monitor this thread so they may choose to comment themselves. shouldn’t be too long now. Frank

Hi Mike, This usually occurs when the original picture was taken on a mobile phone which was held upside down (yes they really do have a top and bottom). The way to correct this is to edit the picture on your PC and to re-save it to reset the orientation. Then you can edit your post on RMWeb and replace the photos. How do I know? Yep I've been there too. Frank

Hi Tom, I can't take the credit for the crispness of my etches other than the selection of the company to use. I am happy to recommend the services of PPD Ltd who can take the credit for the quality of the metalwork. They are not the cheapest but the quality is always good. As to the amount of time I can spend modelling, that is down to the rewards of a well earned retirement, on going Covid isolating and a supportive wife. Frank

Hello to all, It amazes me how quickly time passes and it is now 5 months since I last posted to my blog. I tend to spend an average of 3 hours every day designing or building models and so in 5 months I must have spent several hundred hours modelling, yet I have little to show for it compared to the likes of someone like Tony Wright who can turn a model around in significantly less than 100 hours. The first update I would like to provide concerns the Mogul. The EM wheel sets have now arrived from Ultrascale and I have been able to complete the build of the M-I-T chassis. The model is not complete but I have been able to carry out a proper test run and haulage test to see whether I have actually delivered what I set out to achieve. I am really pleased with the result. The model runs smoothly and quietly, is highly controllable across the speed range, and has far better haulage capacity than the out of the box model. On test the loco hauled 28 kit built wagons up a 1:50 gradient on a 4' 6" radius without slipping and 40 wagons up the 1:100 gradient. On the flat it hauled 50 wagons which was all I had available at club today. The model now needs weathering, lamps, fire irons and crew and it will then be ready for revenue earning service on Hungerford. Whether we ever actually get any more exhibition invites for Hungerford is an unknown but I live in hope, otherwise creating this model will have been for the enjoyment and challenge only. The other significant project I have been progressing since my last post in March is a J52 for our Clayton project. The history surrounding this project has been strange indeed. I first thought about building a J52 when I became aware that there was an etched kit sold under the Walsworth Models brand. Soon after purchasing this my good friend Geoff Tiffany told me that he'd built one of these kits and had experienced all sorts of issues with the dimensions especially the shape of the saddle and the length of the bunker. An examination of the kit confirmed what he'd told me which meant I would have to make the same corrections to mine. I then researched which J52's had been allocated to Bradford shed and discovered that the main one had been one of 15 locomotives built for the GNR in 1896 by Neilson & Co. These were based on Stirling's standard goods engine frame design with the leaf springs above the footplate. In addition both the front and rear buffer beams had 9 inch wooden extensions. The Walsworth kit did not include either of these features so further modifications would be required. With further modifications to allow the cab to be removed for painting and the installation of crew, it was evident that hardly any of the original kit would be used and so the decision was taken to retire the kit and draw up a new set of etches specifically suited to modelling the Neilson variant. I also decided that this would be a bespoke EM gauge kit for Clayton (for me really) so that I could avoid the additional research and effort required to design and test build a generic kit (in any of the popular 4mm/ft gauges), that could be used to build a wider range of J52 variants as necessary for a commercial kit. The model is still not quite finished as I'm awaiting a couple of replacement Gibson wheels and some castings from London Road Models, but its nearly there. The basic features of the model are, split frame and CSB suspension. A High Level 1320 motor sits vertically in the firebox and whilst the gearbox frame is included in the chassis's etch the gears are from a High Level Road Runner Compact+ gearbox. The bunker, saddle/boiler and smokebox are filled with lead to maximise haulage. Another couple of weeks finishing off the detailing and this will then (hopefully) be off for painting. My next job will be to test build a J2 using the etches I designed last year. Thanks for reading, Frank

Rather than using cigarette paper, once you have completely removed all the original solder then isolate the joint with aluminium foil. I always use this when soldering up the hinge on articulated coupling rods and it works every time for me. Frank

Today I was at long last able to carry out the long awaited haulage test of my LNER Q2. Those who are regular readers of WW will remember that after a disappointing haulage test prior to the start of the Covid epidemic the decision was taken to relocate its motor into the tender so that additional lead ballast could be placed in the firebox and boiler. The haulage test was delayed due to the sports hall in which our clubrooms are housed being closed by Bradford Council during the various Covid lockdowns. We only got back into the building for the first time a couple of months ago and since then we have been completing some re-programming of the bespoke digital control system before the layout could again be operated. I am delighted to be able to report that the test was successful. A train of 29 assorted wagons was hauled without issue up the 1:50 gradient on the 54" radius embankment. Next time I will add additional wagons to find out how many it will haul before it loses traction but this will be an academic test as there is nowhere to store a longer train on the layout. I recorded the event on the attached video. It is apparent that the driver must have had the regulator fully open because the train is moving at a significant (and probably non-prototypical) rate of knots.

It was only the 1219 unit that used a Faulhaber motor because Portescap didn’t have the 1219 in their range. The 1616 and 1624 motors were both Portescap as were all the gearboxes. As stated elsewhere I think Kean was/were involved in commissioning the range. Frank

Hi Chris, do you have an update on the J50 chassis please? Frank

Hi Chris, this is good news indeed. Here’s wishing you a smooth and hassle free restart. Best wishes, Frank

Hi Tony, Can I go dibs on the scratch built J50 please? Cheers, Frank

Excellent......