trustytrev

They do however have stock of ones with a stayalive

 

http://www.ehattons.com/67146/Hattons_Model_Railways_Ltd_DCR_8PINSA_01_8_pin_harness_4_function_1_1Amp_decoder_with_back_EMF_with_Stay_Alive_see_descr/StockDetail.aspx

Hello,

        Try herehttp://test.ehattons.com/Zone/DCC-and-Power?DefaultFilters=StockStatus=InstockANDOnOrderANDTemporarilySoldOut|DCCPowerProductType=DCCPower&SelectedFilters=34=1000697&OrderBy=14&PageID=0

trustytrev.

Gordon

 

I think there are far more than 230 people watching, I guess there are many like me who wave not pressed the follow me button. Keep up the great work. I am looking forward to seeing the trackwork finished on the bridge

Hello,

         Where does one find this button?

trustytrev.

Hello Gordon,

 I guess if you've seen one turnout you've seen them all, but at least something has been put together.  Somehow seeing and feeling a test chassis running smoothly across complex formations does it for me.  One of life's simple pleasures.

 

 

Seeing someone recreate something that shows the flair style and confidence of those engineers of yeterday never fails to impress and interest me.

trustytrev.

Hi horsetan it's sill red, but the camera dose not help it is darker.  The rest as about to be sprayed with red primer,.I have been practicing with the bow pen and will put up some pics if i ever get the lining right what ever happens i won't use fox transfers again don't like trying to lay one on top of another 

Hello,

         I think it is your camera.It looks more like Ford Cardinal Red (Cortina IV))than Leyland Damask Red(Triumph Toledo/Maria etc)Very common colours in their day for the vehicle repair industry and both as different, next to each other.

trustytrev.

Hello,

the LNWR probably sourced the bricks reasonably locally. So whatever is used on other buildings of a similar period would also have been used for the signal box base. I'd be inclined to go with the goods depot colours.

 

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the LNWR manufactured most of its own materials in house where possible.For instance signal cabins,bricks,bullhead rail,signals,rolling stock, locomotives,wooden station building panels and even workers housing.Far more than any other railway company before or since.I believe they used red english bond brickwork on cabin locking rooms whenever brick built.I have seen a number of colour examples using red brick which also include blue engineers bricks at the base and for the arches of the locking room windows as well as the bullheaded bricks along the lower course of panels,Examples can be seen which are curently in use in various regions of the  former west coast main line if you look close up as the details are hard to make out otherwise.LNWR portrayed by Jack Nelson and A Pictorial Record of L.N.W.R. Signalling by Foster, Richard D may have been the sources.There are others which include colour images of LNWR boxes.Look forward to seeing more of your work.

trustytrev.

Hello,

        I was looking on this page http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/64977-bakewell-peak-district-line-br/page-4 when I thought about the 7mm slaters stone sheet.Compare the courses on the model image with the courses on the real bridge image.Looks spot on course and scale wise to me.

Well the bottom three courses in the bridge arch.

trustytrev.

Spent all morning looking at retaining walls as they are such a major part of ET.  Those of you who have followed the ups and downs of the past few years will know I have used Slaters 7mm Dressed Stone and Cotswold Stone sheets as the basis of all stone walling.  They have always struck me as slightly oversize but I feel it was an acceptable compromise as some of the walls on earlier versions of ET were pretty large.

 

One of the problems I have is really not knowing just how big stone blocks would be on walls that were perhaps 20-30' high.

 

I've followed Larry's Standedge thread for months now and know he went through similar things, so I ordered some Wills Coarse Stone sheets to play around.  This first attempt took a couple of hours to build and paint, but once all the sizes are set, I normally create a productions line to make 20 or so in one go to save time.  The Wills product is 4mm, but the downside is smaller sheets so butt joins have to be made vertically and there is a height mismatch that can be hidden with a string course that is actually lower than the next level up.  I don't feel this is a real issue as it's difficult to see both sides of the wall as they are just 6" or so from the back wall.

 

The upper level parapet wall is coming out around 4' tall, but again I have no idea what this height would be in real life.  Any ideas?

 

This version of ET has much lower walls with just 82mm height difference between the levels, so I believe the 4mm sheets are probably the way I shall go.  I'm going to play around with the pillars this afternoon and see how they pan out.

 

Any clues you can give about block sizes and parapet wall heights would be greatly appreciated.

 

IMG_5288.jpg

 

DSCF5074.jpg

Hello Gordon,

                       In 4mm scale `1 9" is equivelent to 7mm.Looking at some of the more massive railway construction,using stone courses at that size are not uncommon.It is not untill you get close up that you realise just how massive they are.Does the 7mm refer to 7mm scale or the equivilent scale size or has it become blurred over the years?.If one looks at ballast size the same sort of confusion  occurs between N OO and O guage ballast use on models.Most construction using stone have substantially smaller stone courses at the top.

trustytrev.

trustytrev.

Morning all....

 

A whole week of wiring, painting and ballasting has left me with one semi completed board where something actually runs! Yippee!

 

It may only be an N2 running under DC power, but it works and that is a good sign. Ballasting really is a pain, particularly as I've made a change and gone over to Woodlands Scenics Fine ballast and now the whole floor seems to have taken on a crunchy persona as no matter how much care is taken, granules find their way to all parts of the room.

 

 

Right now it all looks a bit grey and things that I read, say grey is not the right colour. The pic from Tony Wright in Gilbert's thread didn't help either as here the ballast looks positively buff in colour, although it may be a lighting issue.

 

 

Looking in Jeff's thread there are also some very good ballast shots and this one is certainly towards the grey spectrum, albeit with a pinkish overtone. No doubt once weathering is applied to the ballasting, it will take on a far less grey appearance, so very early days yet, but I would love someone to come up with a ballast that more closely resembles the true colouring. Has anyone tried the buff or brown fine ballast mixed with the grey?

 

 

I've yet to add the ballast edging and cess and then have to decide what to do with the infill. This board will now probably be pushed to one side awaiting decisions on retaining walls and tunnel mouth/overbridge to disguise the access to the storage roads, but it has also given cause to possibly rethink the whole issue of access over the stairs from underneath the board.

 

It made me very aware of how complex the wiring has become and in turn, how access to the Tortoise motors has become more difficult. Manageable on the floor, no problem, but 10' above your head and on the stairs may be another issue.

 

I've spent the last couple of days thinking about this and accept it would probably makes sense for plain track only to be over the stairwell, so where do we go from here? It has been raised on here before and at the time I didn't think it possible, but when faced with the reality of the situation, it does focus the mind. Thankfully nothing would be wasted and everything made to date can be swung round through 180 degrees. The difficulty is the shed area which would have to be redesigned and made to fit into a space that didn't foul up the stairs and yet still allow access to other parts of the layout.

 

So this is what is now on the board. The storage yard moves from one side of the room to the other and the stairwell board now moves into a more sensible position. Above the stairs will be just two mainline loops that have been realigned to give a little more visual interest. The shed itself had to be relaid completely but fits fairly well with access via a headshunt/trailing crossover.

 

The jury is still out on this one as despite my track record, I hate changing things, but my head is telling me it will make far more sense and I'll certainly be far better off should anything fail in the future.

 

As always I'm grateful for any views....within reason.

 

Would it not be possible to build some sort of removable light weight platform for using on the stairs when work needs doing?I am sure producing some sort of platform that folds up would be quite easy with your level woodworking ability.

trustytrev.

Good to see RMwebbers offering helpful and practicable advice!

Hello,

A few strategically placed gas holders?

trustytrev.

Hello,

How do you do the see through glazing on the arm spectacles in 4mm please?

trustytrev.

Hi Trev,

 

Is this Gordon's pic which you mean?

 

Are your jigs the same as these? I suspect the reason for confusion is than not everyone has the same jigs when explaining how they use them.

 

 

 

Martin.

trustytrev.

Hello,

I have started another post for the use of the jigs as I don't want to be responsible for taking Gordons topic off course.

Sorry Gordon.

trustytrev.

Hi Trev,

 

I've never actually seen these jigs. If you could post some close up photos of them, we may be able to work out how they are intended to be used.

 

regards,

 

Martin.

Hello Martin,

I found this link which clarifies how to use the switch plaining jig.http://www.grindham.co.uk/evolve_main.cfm?stage_id=3There is also reference to the crossing filing jig as well.Unfortunately it doesn't go into detail with regard to the filing methods.

trustytrev.

Hi Trev,

 

I've never actually seen these jigs. If you could post some close up photos of them, we may be able to work out how they are intended to be used.

 

regards,

 

Martin.

Hello Martin,

There is a picture of both crossing filing jigs on Gordons Eastwood town at #680.I am stil looking for the switch planing jig I saw somewhere.

trustytrev.

Hello,

I realise there are numerous different ways of building track and Gordon has kindly shown us how he does it.Having bought the EM crossing and switch jigs I was hoping to see an explanation on how one does it using the instructions in the EMGauge society manual as that remains a mystery to me.The confusing instructions are possibly why so many people use differing methods to acheive the end result of flowing trackwork.Even using the jigs no two people seem to use them in the same manner or as per the instructions.My curiosity about the official way to use the jigs remains and my bafflement remains undiminished.

Thanks.

trustytrev.

Hello,

on the side that does not touch the stockrail they leave the bottom intact and only file the top of the rail level with the web

I think this is where my confusion has arisen.The EMG society switch blade planining jig has a guard for filing just the top of the rail leaving the bottom untouched.

I think that has helped clarify my understanding.

Thanks

trustytrev.

Hello Gordon,

RE:Switchblades.Yet again your method makes it so simple.

The next step will be to plane up the switch rails, fit them in position and make up the tie bar. I used to hate filing the taper on switch rails and disasters include catching the file on the end of the blade and folding the blade like a concertina, or filing it to a point, slipping and stabbing my thumb or fingers with a few mm of nickel silver rail. Applying some logic to the problem, I 'engineered' this jig and it works perfectly. Blades can be done in a few seconds and injuries have reduced considerably.

 

A piece of scrap wood has been marked up with the planing length for both B and C switches. Both the rail and the block are clamped to the bench and a few seconds with a half inch medium file can easily make the required taper. Once you have done that, make sure you remove all burrs etc from the edges and check for a smooth surface, particularly on the bottom edge, as this has to slide across the other sleepers. Likewise, I should have said to make sure there are no burrs on the other sleepers, as you will often find a small lip on pcb sleepers where the cutting tool has lost its edge.

From your description it appears you only carry out filing to one side only for the planing angle.

I obtained the EMGauge society planing jig which has instructions in the EMG manual advocating a number of filing processes.(Confused again)

So the question is it just as simple as filing one side clamped to a board for the specified planing length as you make no mention to the rail foot?

Thanks.

trustytrev.

Hello Gordon,

ut I prefer to use these jigs available from the EM Gauge Society. This jig covers crossing angles of 9,10,11 and 12. There is a smaller one to cover 5,6,7 and 8. This particular turnout is a C10, so I have filed up one end using the correct slot.

Could you clarify your method of filing using the jig please.I have read the EM society manual and there is mention of first filing the rail then bending it then filing it again on the other side in the jig.I find this discription rather confusing especialy where one needs to clamp and file etc.Then it is repeated for the second rail.

trustytrev.