Tricky

Join me! Always glad of company. R

Some progress made over the past couple of days on the trackwork. The two turnouts are built using C&L parts, but the templates were hacked about a bit to get them to fit as neither are actually straight; both are Y turnouts of sorts. So laying them in situ was the only way to go and definitely not following conventional practice, more trial and error. But if when siting down the turnout it looks right and flows nicely then it's ok. Hopefully more photos of both turnouts when they're finished. In the meantime, I hade to divert slightly off track laying to build the wagon turntable as I needed to ensure that the turnout and road feeding it lined up with the centre of it. This first photo shows the base of the turntable which was turned up from a bit of 9mm MDF, with a drill guide bush in the centre. The turntable itself is 18mm MDF which I turned most of the bottom face away just leaving a centre boss and outside lip as bearing surfaces. I imagine a bit of Vaseline or something will give smooth running. A drill which matches the guide bushes was used as a pivot. Just got to figure out how to attach some sort of gears and motor to the pivot to give slow turning. Haven't got a scooby as to how I do that....! Apologies, also haven't got a scooby as to how I rotate photos on an iPhone...!

Productive couple of days, the warehouse shell is more or less complete, apart from the roof. One, I'm not sure what it was made of and two, it can't really be applied until the building is fitted as the roofing needs to finish tight to the backscene. Also, Wenlock will be pleased to see that I at last managed to re-solder the crossing vees to O-MF gaps! I made my own jigs from scraps of mdf and ply, with a 1.5mm slip gauge, plus the odd Mark 1 eyeball to check everything is as it should be. Tomorrow, I will add power feed droppers to them before tacking them in place and adding the stock rails. As you can see the templates have been chopped up and tweaked in position as neither turnout is straight. Hopefully it will all line up and flow beautifully...! The plain sections of track coming off them have been fixed at the right hand end and then will be allinged with the crossings once they're in the right place.

Small steps today on the 3-plank. I've added a secondary floor on top of the original one to close the gap under the dropside. Also added some internal strapping which needs tidying up. Next will be ordering the sprung w-irons and attending to re-building the brake gear and other detail bits and

Thanks for all your positive comments. It is healing balm in itself! Feel like I turned a corner yesterday being able to get back in the workshop. Aim to do a bit more today and hopefully post later. Richard

Managed to make some progress today and finished the barge or 'lighter' as they were known. Quite a bit of modeller's licence went into it as I have no drawings or definite indications of colouring. My Main source of information has been from the Midland Record series. One thing I'm reasonably certain of is that it is on the small side compared to the prototype but this is intentional and I think once it's in its setting will look fine. All completely scratchbuilt mostly from wood, when the barge is 'planted' in the canal the central loading bay floor will get painted to blend with the rest of the barge and I will probably add a partial load of sacks and barrels.

My son-in-law did a few odd jobs for me today as I am slightly incapacitated. One of which was to fix the laundry drying rack which is on the top landing on a pulley system so you can pull it up out of the way. "Ah Freddie", I said, "I'm pleased you've mended the airer of its ways".

Looking back through your thread, thought you might like this:-

When I said earlier, I meant later...! I'm easily confused.

'Twas the picture in post 14.

This is my rendition on an ED wagon of the stop block which you've very helpfully identified as being from one of the earlier batches. As far as I could tell the canvas guard tucked under the solebar between the spring anchor points but actual fixing is impossible to know. The close-up photo above seems to suggest some sort of reinforcement along the top edge. I think this version (which won't be ED as I've got 3 already) will be the later drawing and I'll increase the ends of the headstocks to produce the sloping ends. Thanks for the clarification about the washer straps. I think I knew that really, don't know why I thought there would ever be individual washers! Blame lack of sleep....

....lots of probs posting with the iPhone it would seem...

I also found this photo: So would the strapping bolts just be a nut and washer on the inside? Sorry, can't rotate it on an iPhone!

I also found this photo: So would the strapping bolts just be a nut and washer on the inside? Sorry, can't rotate it on an iPhone!

I was hoping you would come to the rescue Compound! I don't know what the drawing number is that I have, or indeed what the Slaters kit is meant to represent. They are both in the train shed so can't get to them at the moment.

One thing occurs to me, is that I am going to need to apply accurate and convincing internal detail. I must confess my knowledge is scant: I could probably guess but would like to know if anyone can steer me in the right direction? Prototype photos seem as rare as hen's teeth. Come to think of it, I do have a Midland drawing of 8 ton drop sides but they tend to be so full of lines and difficult to interpret.

Ok then... By way of a re-cap on the drop-side 3 plank, the idea is to take the standard Slaters kit and adapt it so that at least one side will be able to hinge and drop but still be able to be fixed in the raised position. The experimental candidate was kindly provided by a well-known auction website and was I would say of average build quality. So nothing too tragic if it ends up consigned to the R&D department. A start was made to saw off the side with a razor saw and clean up the cut ends to represent the ends of the planks. My idea then was to make 4 hinge knuckles on pins. The pins insert into holes drilled up into the side. This first photo shows the knuckles being cleaned up in the vice. Next, the knuckles where glued up into their holes and kept in line with a length of wire. The tricky bit now is to make 8 hinge pins which get glued into corresponding holes in the solebar. This last shot shows it all fitted together but somehow ended up with quite a large gap between side and solebar. I think it will need filling with a thin strip of styrene. Conveniently though there is enough friction in the hinges to keep the side either up or down on its own. Next up will be to fabricate a representation of the catches and chains, together with refined details below solebar. I also fancy having a go with Slaters individually sprung axleboxes. Having previously stated that I didn't think it made any difference if a 7mm wagon was rigid, compensated or sprung, I think I am going to retract that rash statement! I think I am now forming the opinion that rigid or compensated both have a lurching motion whereas individual springing has got to be smoother in theory. If I get on well with this wagon, it would be a nice idea to roll out a program of upgrading the other stock. Not a massive task as I think at the moment this runs to about 15 in total - well, maybe not all of them then...

Thanks Ernie, my head says get on with it, my body says not yet!! What pictures would you like? Only keyhole so just 3 plasters, or were you meaning something else...?! Richard

Might not be as easy as I thought to even just potter today - have to take the stairs one at a time and that leaves me needing to sit down and catch my breath. Feels like my lungs just can't breathe deep enough. Still, my mind is active on what I will do once enough strength returns. Then I'll be able to get this thread going with some of its intended content...!

MR 3 plank ED wagon.

Hi all and welcome to my new thread. You may recall I started a few blogs a while ago but thought rather than ping off with all manner of individual blogs, just have one workbench thread where an attempt will be made to keep all this stuff under control. It will also encourage me to finish a few projects as mentioned in the said blogs. I do find it helps immensely to focus the mind when posting on here. All being well tomorrow I will be able to get back in the train shed for a bit as I am off work recuperating after having had an op. So gentle pottering is the order of the day. More annon.

Was discharged from hospital today and safely ensconced back at home. I have nothing but admiration for the doctors and staff of Tunbridge Wells Hospital but it's still nice to be home. It's only now I'm feeling better that I realise I wasn't very well for quite a time (Spike Milligan and Winchelsea comes to mind). A gentle week next week I think recuperating and pottering in the train shed when my nurse allows it (she actually was one!)....but thanks again for all your prayers/encouragement/positive thoughts! Unbelievably generous of you all. Moving on, although you may remember I started some blogs a few months ago, I think what I will do is keep the 'London' and 'Bristol' threads going but start a new general workbench thread, having been inspired recently by the likes of Jinty's thread and others. I think that will be easier for my tiny brain to cope with. Plus I feel more in the mood to tackle some outstanding jobs currently on the workbench now such as the Midland 3-plank with working dropside and the water tower for Monk's Gate that some of you may remember I started a few months ago and has languished in dust ever since. Ever onward...

This just makes me laugh....not helpful when I'm in hospital just having had my gallbladder out...!! But priceless all the same!

I have been known to catch myself snipping off all the spears from a Scalelink etch. But life really is too short... ...scandalous comment alert.... but.....did anyone else consider it slightly over-lit? I thought some of the colours looked a bit washed-out.