JustinDean

Thanks for all the responses! This is all very useful to a beginner such as myself. 
 

@micklner - they’re Sharman wheels. The rods are sat on the supplied bushes and they’re too long allowing too much side play. 
This will be the next step.

@cctransuk - these are bushes the connecting rods slide over. As per my comment above they need to be trimmed down. Thanks for spotting the ‘pimple’ - I’ll get a file on that!

@MrWolf - cheers Rob. Unlike the Dock tank I made earlier in the year the pins are bang on. 
@Rowsley17D - I think that’s a wise suggestion Jonathon. When I’ve shortened those bushes that will be the next step now. 
 

Jay

I’ve resized the balance weights on the wheels according to the loco I’m basing this on. 
Thanks for spotting that G!

using a broach I’ve opened out the holes on the connecting rods but still some binding occurring. I’m now wondering if there’s too much side play in the wheels. 
 

Ready and able for duty at Stafford next Sunday sheepman. 
DM details when you can.

Jay

On 13/09/2023 at 20:34, Middlepeak said:

Blunder is much too strong a word Jay! These things are there to trip us up. It's always down to the individual as to whether they take note of them!

 

G

These are going to be corrected when I have the luxury of time! 
There’s some binding issues on the connecting rods also. Quartering is bob on, so I’m thinking the holes need opening up just a touch. 
 

Jay

On 13/09/2023 at 18:23, Ramrig said:

Hi Jay

 

Who’s buffers did you order for your Gannets please? I’ve had one printed and need suitable buffers to complete.

 

Steve

Ay up Steve, I’ve ended up using Alan Gibson’s rendition of the RCH buffer. In all honesty I’m not entirely sure they’re correct but they were visually the closest I could find. 
 

Jay

10 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

 

Morning Tim. 

 

I've now finished this particular vehicule. 

 

Just the panda to do then a quick once over of each and they should be posted off tomorrow morning. 

 

Very enjoyable. 

 

Rob

Looks like he’s looking forward to it Rob. 
 

Jay

5 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

Some more cruel close ups of the Thames...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just needs someone to use their finger and write ‘clean me’ on that. 
 

Jay 

I know Rob @NHY 581 appreciates a decent scenic product so I thought I’d share this here :

http://www.martinwelberg.nl/products.html

Tom’s FB group is wonderful. I hope he doesn’t mind me sharing the link to the group; he can control who becomes part of it:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/922023228230482/?ref=share

1 minute ago, Middlepeak said:

Hi Jay,

 

Good to see progress and glad that you seem to have resolved the issues with the cylinders.

 

One thing you might like to check is the balance weights. These differed from loco to loco and from a quick look through my photos, the only one I can find with such large balance weights is 58850, and then only on the leading and centre axles, where the LNWR H-section spoked wheels were fitted.

 

Not sure which loco you're modelling, but worth checking - they are rather noticeable as things stand!

 

G

Oh !

Yep I’ve made a blunder there - thanks G!

I’ll resolve that when I have some time. 
 

Jay

Coupling rods are soldered up and on. A couple of tight spots despite the quartering being bang so I’m contemplating opening out the holes a smidge. 
 

While I wait for suitable buffers to turn up for the Gannets I thought I’d attempt to put all these little bits:

Onto the bigger bits:

I’ll report back later…..

Jay

4 hours ago, Tortuga said:

Right, I need some advice.

 

1) Having dispensed with the PECO spring mechanism, should I be using a self latching solenoid or would this one do the job?

 

2) If this one will do the job, will the auxiliary switch do for switching frog polarity?

 

3) If I need a self latching one, does anyone know if it’s possible to adapt what I have to be self latching? (I’d like to make use of it if possible…)

 

Cheers in advance!

The auxiliary switch is for polarity but I’m not sure about using non-latching if you’ve removed the PECO mechanism. Your point blades will essentially be floating and not locked in place. 
 

Jay
 

5 hours ago, Tortuga said:

One of the many photos posted on the Cromford & High Peak Railway Facebook group shows one of the J94s with ‘Gannet’ DM197392 branded ‘Empty to Parsley Hay’.

 

Does this indicate some ‘Gannets’ were held at Parsley Hay specifically for ballasting work on the C&HPR (and potentially on the Buxton to Ashbourne line as well)?

 

If so, arguments against getting a couple printed myself are growing thin on the ground!

Good question and probably a good idea to ask on the Buxton line FB group. There’s a lot of ex railwaymen on there who will most likely know the answer. 
 

Jay

2 hours ago, Tortuga said:

They look really good - and really delicate! Those sides are nearly translucent!

 

The hand wheels look very nice as well. What’s happened to the rounded bits on the chassis?

Yes the sides are quite thin but these are not as flimsy as the 4 wheel tenders I had printed. Far less brittle. As John says, the discs on the chassis are still there just sat behind the wheels now. 
 

Jay

The Gannets have been cleaned up, brass bearings and wheels added. Brakes, levers and hopper release wheels glued on. 
Buffers are on order and once they’re attached painting can start. 
 

What sort of couplings would these have used? They seem to be obscured on all the prototype photos I’ve found. 
 

Jay

1 hour ago, SteveyDee68 said:

Looking through some photos I took of the workshops and the pump house at “High Peak Junction” last year, have just seen that the “red” I remembered is much more of a maroon.

 

I’d tried several pens out on scrap wood fret to find a suitable colour and decided all were too dark and therefore went with a “red” marker pen … seems like I need to revisit with the darker shades after all.

 

Meanwhile … soldering? 🤔

The colour the woodwork has been painted in these days isn’t the same as they would have been. It was much closer to a buffer beam red that has been well weathered as can be seen here in a picture of the engine shed. 
 

Jay

34 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

Those sleepers still haven’t been used either though the ballast heap might’ve grown a bit!

 

Fascinating photo: I’ve not seen that one before, have you any further information?

It’s on the Buxton Line and railways of the High Peak Facebook page. 
Text reads:

”A busy day at Alsop-en-le-Dale on 26th May 1963. Photo taken by the late Ken Woolley from a train approaching the station at which a DMU is standing.”

Jay

Those chickens still going strong in ‘63

Jay

3 hours ago, Middlepeak said:

Interesting that said wagon is holding two empty containers of the type used to convey firebricks from the DSF factory at Friden. I've seen photos of these being loaded, but always wondered which route they took to get there. Now I know!

 

Thanks,

 

Geraint

So that’s what they’re for!

Always interesting to see wagon loads but I would never have identified what these empty boxes were used for.  
 

Jay

38 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

When and where is Stafford show?

22/24th September at Stafford showground. 
https://www.staffordrailwaycircle.org.uk/exhibbition-2023/

Rob is there with Bleat Wharf and I’m helping him out on the Sunday.  Reckon you can make a trip down the M6 Rob? 
 

Jay

15 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

Ah, you see, I “misread” the original photo and thought the circular “bits” on the side of the chassis were the hopper release wheels rather than a (?) backplate, hence my comment about replacing them with etched ones!
 

When you said you should’ve taken a photo of the wheels Jay, I assumed you meant it came with 3D printed wheelsets for some reason!

 

I mean, I have looked at the file, but it was a while ago and I’ve slept since then…

I guessed that was the case mate!

I’ve got some nice 51L metal

disc wheels for these. The wheel for hopper release is a separate print which will be glued on. 
As John says they are very light so will need weights and a load to conceal them. 
 

Jay

4 hours ago, cctransuk said:

 

Metal wheels are pretty much obligatory - but the wagons are still too light unless loaded.

 

CJI.

I’m thinking there maybe some confusion between the printer wheels for the hopper release on the side of the wagon and the actual wheels they roll on!

Jay

3 hours ago, KNP said:

Now for something completely different.

Can't remember where I saw it on this website but there had been some chat on speed blur.

So I thought I would have a go and it proved rather more difficult than first imagined.

Set the camera on aperture, speed 1/10sec I set the subject off moving along the track.

In this case I used my 48xx which is rather a good runner (must be one of the lucky ones!!), hand held the camera and tracked the loco focusing on the driver.

This was my best shot and I did give up after about 30 odd pictures, mainly trying to work out the correct setting.

Very difficult to keep level, steady and crosshairs in the same place to keep the loco in focus.

This was the best result.

Interesting experiment but not one I'm likely to repeat in a hurry.......

 

I think it’s safer to stick to a steady trundle!

Jay

12 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

Any bowing is undoubtedly printer / material in origin; the prints kindly supplied to me by the designer were free from any distortion.

 

The provision of a solid rather than an open-framed chassis is, IMHO, scarcely noticeable, and is desirable from the perspective of robustness.

 

The hardest part with these prints would be to operate trains of empties - they are very light and have nowhere to hide any weight.

 

CJI.

100% agree with all of that. I think if this had been an open frame it wouldn’t have come off the supports in one piece for starters. 
They absolutely need weights disguised by loads and that’s the plan. 
 

Jay