SteveyDee68

Exactly why I ended up trying to replicate the bridge, JiLo, as I have been doing likewise! Couple of days away from modelling (including watching the hilarious Book of Mormon as a birthday gift from a friend) and returning to the project have immediately thought to move the side struts so they intersect higher, to allow a strengthening girder beam to be slung between them and clear stock. That may not be prototypical or even needed, but it is another step away from the Pola original! Also, measuring along the arc of the curved section will tell me how long the sections upon which the bascule rolls need to be! As a regular contributor to the Gnatterbox forum says in his signature, "hours of fun!" Steve

So, I couldn't stop! Having quickly measured the cross pieces on the tank, I determined this was the bridge deck too. Cut out card as necessary, replicated the side and used Deluxe Materials Rocket Card Glue to quickly assemble the mock up. There appears to be a cross girder in photos, so that was quickly added too. Couple of items of stock posed to get a feel of the general proportions... Feels like a step forward!

So, here's a mock up of the bridge side made by a combination of drawing around the original part and a bit of measuring together with counting the panels on pictures. Hopefully this looks about the right length. Looking at the cross section, the centre panel (marked X on a couple on the mock up) is the centre of the beam, with a second overlay (shown shaded) to make the "flanges" and then a third overlay to create the vertical edges of each panel plus the top rail. This is repeated on the opposite side, except that the vertical dividers do not go all the way to the bottom - I assume they line up with the base of the bridge, allowing depth for the bridge deck. I apologise for any incorrect terminology of the different parts - if anyone wants to correct me, I'm here to learn! Anyway, that's enough for now. From this, I can quickly create a second cut out side, and use the existing weight container to calculate the width of the bridge. After that, it is back to studying the dozen photographs and packaging artwork images I have saved to put together the rest!

Hi Keith Paul passed me the remains of the bridge in one piece. In order to start measuring the side pieces, I cut the top off the counterbalance box to discover the weight inside. It was - I think - part of the original kit, as there's is a moulding on the inside of the counterweight box that it sits inside, to hold it on place. I won't need suchlike for my model, as I do not plan on making it work. I appreciate your suggestion of the Wills girder kit; Paul had cut away the end of the lift bridge section to make a girder bridge for himself (if he had only known the eBay value, eh?). From what he's said, I don't think he ever had the rest of the bridge, and had picked up the lifting section at a swap meet in a bag of bits! Given that I have the panels up to the centre point, and photos to be able to gauge what size and how many panels are missing, building the girder from scratch from card or styrene might be easier than modifying other items. Certainly when I have completed the drawing, I will make it available here for anyone who might want to make use of it. I may even post pictures of my own build, if I think my efforts are up to scrutiny! Cheers Steve

Hmmm - good to know! Wonder if I can persuade ModelRailwayScenery to produce a laser cut kit then?! In the meantime, the "bit of bridge" that Paul let me have has been split apart so I can make a drawing of the bridge. The rest will be created 'by eye' using those dimensions as a guide plus the photos I have access to. It may well end up as a double track bridge ... that would make it different from the Pola kit, at least! What I won't replicate is the baseplate connecting the two sides of the bridge.

As a long discontinued kit, I wonder if there would be a market for a similar, non-working version cast in, say, resin? Or perhaps in card? Or laser-cut card, even? Seems to me that there are lots of folks who like to build harbours - plus look at all the suitable motive power now available for dockside layouts! Or would there be issues of copyright and/or intellectual property rights? Steve S

Well, I just found one from Trainz , an eBay seller on www.ebay.com However, at a cool $100 + $32.42 shipping + $31.82 import charges, I think I will pass and continue with my plans to replicate it! Shocked? You betcha! LOL Steve S

Update: Paul at The Locoshed has located some bits in his bits box from which I will make some drawings! Thanks for all the information, pictures etc - I shall show/share my efforts in due course! Steve S

Never too many! I find the different settings inspiring! When planning my dockside layout, I had in mind two opposing inglenook plans to provide shunting challenges (then realised the complexity of wiring up for two interchangeable controllers and thought 'one engine in play until I switch to DCC!'). The shortening of longer sidings by the placement of non-moving stock as per Hillside Depot's Drew's Sidings is a brilliant way of disguising/setting up the 5-3-3 formula in longer sidings - that is what I plan to do on my (eventual) layout! Also, I plan to have an inglenook set up "buried" in a loop off an oval for my cousin's boys to play with: 3 wagon plus loco "headshunt", 5 wagon loop length, two 5 wagon sidings but reduced to 3 wagons by crane placement, cattle dock/van unloading etc. That way, a train can be left looping whilst shunting takes place. The younger boys will simply play trains, the oldest can be given the inglenook challenge to complete! That plus a loco shed lane - there's three boys, and each of them has their own loco! Good luck with your layout - make sure you share!

BBC2 programme “The Repair Shop” has an actual Emmett train being repaired tonight! First item on the programme! The LSSR!

Hi Thanks Emma - I must learn how to do that for future reference! I have been told that the outside cylinder 0-6-0 is more likely to be a Fowler than Stanier design, but most probably a dock shunter, so at least I got that bit right! Hopefully someone was able to pick up a decent loco for a fair price. Steve S

Calling O gauge modellers... Two eBay listings finishing soon (next 9 hours), incorrectly listed as OO gauge and so not much interest! 85A Models 0-6-0 Hunslet tank loco (green) - NB untested! Item No #264405603951 Kit-built metal 0-6-0 BR shunter - NB untested! Item No #264405614311 Seller cannot determine the maker of the kit - I'll describe it as an outside cylinder possibly Stanier/LMS dock tank loco, finished in early BR livery and numbered as 47162 No connection with the seller, but she is unable to end or modify the listings to correct the information. If I had some spare pennies right now...! Steve

Thank you David and 34theletterbetweenB&D for your responses. I suppose what I have in mind are the Manchester Ship Canal Hunslets, with their sloping tanks, albeit much smaller locos overall. Thinking cap on, as I'd like to do something "brutish" as opposed to British!! LOL The Lima loco was an impulse purchase for my cousin's boys but I do like the sloping tanks! (This freelance lark is strangely addictive ... currently pugbashing a Lima 0-4-0 American "switcher" into a kind of four wheel variant of the SR USA class dock shunter! Interesting times...) Steve

Hi Bay of Fleas has a Lima J50 body mated with a Bachmann 0-6-0 chassis. Looks good but seller has no info. Can anyone suggest what might be a suitable chassis to do this? Realise it won't be "accurate" but intend to turn it into a heavy industrial tank loco anyway! Any other suggestions of suitable RTR chassis welcome! Cheers Steve

Tom if you still want metal tension lock couplings, PM me with your address and then I will send you an envelope full of them that I've taken off stock and have no need of (actually can't think why I am keeping them!) Steve

Thanks Dave R - great name for a dock shunter!

Thanks Neil for the link - that's a bobby dazzler of a chassis replacement! Looking at the Bay of Fleas, it would seem everyone is trying to flog their old Dapol and Hornby Terriers as you suggest, but at prices only a crisp twenty off the price of a new Hornby Terrier! Would seem to be trying to recoup most of the cost of upgrading to the newer model! Will have to watch for the bargain prices! Steve

Thanks for all the information - now I know what to look for, I can see what everyone means! What is great about this hobby is that there is always something new to learn. Steve

Thanks for showing this - it is what I want to do. But where is that suppressor thing on your motor?

I am showing my ignorance here, but as this apertains to a "pugbash" perhaps someone may be able to help.... I have acquired a Hornby 06 with the intention of cutting down the chassis for my Playcraft diesel shunter (that I recently posted about). Removing body, footplate and motor clip spring leaves me with this: I undid the screw underneath to discover it simply releases the casting that the motor sits on top of... And lifting the motor off I have a chassis with free running wheel sets... And I can now see the power pickups pressing against the back of the wheels... But I cannot work out how the power is transferred to the motor! I can see that the top of the pickups extend into the plastic "saddle sides" that the motor sits in. As there are no wire connections to the motor, I assumed that meant that the motor must be somehow isolated down the middle (for positive and negative). But the motor casing goes all the way around in one piece... I am therefore very confused! I want to remove the plastic side pieces so that the chassis fits into the width of the body of my Playcraft shunter... but how do I then get power to the motor? Also, by losing the horrible clip (again to reduce the horizontal width required for the motor) I need to secure the motor to the metal block it sits upon. Can I use "no more nails", silicon glue or similar or does power need to flow across that joint? Loathe to make a start until I understand what the implications are, so any advice would be very helpful. Don't think I've seen it mentioned here before, probably because it is so basic that nobody thought it needed remarking upon! Thanks in advance for help with this. Steve

John - I have acquired a Hornby 06 for its chassis. Did you use the wheels and wheelbase as supplied, or did you shorten the spacing between axles and/or change the wheels? Steve

My dad spent years upgrading his Lima 4F ... first a new boiler, then he altered the tender, next he chopped the cab to size and created a proper backhead. Decided he didn't like the wheels - cut out all the spokes, detailed the under frame. By now, wasn't happy with the boiler fittings - white metal replacements came along, and then suddenly it was completely in bits again as he corrected lots of details he had previously ignored, including new wheels, before suddenly a brass chassis kit appeared which he painstakingly (emphasis on pain) built, gradually creating his own bespoke "Lima" 4F - I say "Lima" because I'm not sure how much was left at the end! Dad is in a home, living with dementia. He's lost his skills and forgotten his knowledge. I have someone doing repairs to his locos that are beyond my skill set but one thing puzzles me ... what happened to his 4F? It's vanished! What I thought was "his" 4F turned out to be a brass built 3F! He must have worked on it for 25/30 years to get it to a state where he was happy with it but at the end of the day, at day one, he traded his entire Fleischmann HO stock for a Lima 4F, some Lima mk 1 coaches, a few wagons and some (Lima) track and was more than happy with his loco. All the best for your 4F journey, however far down that road it may take you. Steve

I stripped a second hand BR green painted Dapol 57 in brown Dettol - paint came off a treat, left with a grey plastic and nice smelling body shell. Tried the same on a Lima 59 which had been painted the same way by the previous owner - after 24 hours, the paint had lifted slightly. After 48 hours, rinsed and scrubbed and it went "sticky" and "stringy". Gave it another 12 hour's dunk ... still sticky, scrubbing etched the body work, and the exhaust set into the roof had warped! Result? Bought a replacement 59 body off the Bay of Fleas. Definitely the case that different manufacturers, models etc react differently. In future I am sticking with the more expensive but specially formulated products. Good luck!

Anyone looking for a Triang dock shunter for a bash? The same seller (gostude) has a "Triang Hornby R253 BR Red 0-4-0 Dock Authority Shunter No 3 Mint Boxed np" for a bargain price of £69.50 - with free postage! My local model shop has one at £32 that I have seen (and heard) running as sweet as a nut, and he has to pay VAT, business rates and tax yet his price is half of this example ... must be the box that doubles the price! Perhaps this should be in the eBay madness thread, wherever that may be?