brightspark

Well...it seems not very much. The fine weather and the Olympics kind of distracted me. Plus hearing the news that I "shall soon have the oppurtunity to be working somewhere else" (another way of saying you are being made redundant) has rather surprisingly improved my health! My work colleagues and i have been given some training on job hunting and dealing with the closure of the site. One of the charts showed the various stages of depression that you go through. You know denial, rebellion all the way to acceptance. But for some reason all I can think about is how great it is that I won't have to do this job for much longer. And as I said my health has improved considerably. I always thought that i was allergic to work! So I have been out enjoying the Surrey and Berkshire countryside on my bike. (see "any road cyclist on here" thread in wheeltappers). However I guess that I really should seek a new income soon. Otherwise how am I going to afford next stuff from Hornby and Dapol. However enough of the real world and back to warm and comforting alternate reality that we place ourselves in. Progress on the signals has been intermittant. But we do have a possible show early next year and so a determined effort will be made over winter to get the disc signals planted and working. The survey of the Swaynton baseboards has of course revealed that we want to place signals and operating mechanisums only in places where there are baseboard joints. Note to all...really really try to plan for everything on your next layout. I have now painted the demonstrator signal in grey as it should be. The six signals for Swaynton have been painted in a darker grey with a black base. Photos of the prototype show the grey paint to have been 'rudely' applied, so I roughly mased the lamp and post assemblies to allow overspray. Here is a picture of current progress. The signal on the far left is the demonstrator. The next signal shows the disc in place, without the lenses and the brass weight below it. I have also been trawling through various forums, following the trail left by Waterloo, when he was asking if anyone sold these. There are a few nice photos of these under construction on the Scalefour society forum. I have heard tales that someone has even manage to get one illuminated! Anyway I now hold the stock of these so if want one or more PM me. OH well thats another evening not modelling. I am on the EMGS stand at the REC show at Woking this weekend (Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning). Come and say hello if you are there. I will bring along the demonstrator signal if you want to see it in the flesh. I guess that I had better think about what I will be doing on the stand. Perhaps I should shout out something like a barrow boy....hmmm, "C'mon, you know you want it wider!" I'll get me coat then. Andy

Well done. Looks perfect. My first attempt was awful. I still have though as a little reminder of my first big jump away from "shake the box" modelling. But did you enjoy it, and would you do it again? The tie bars are not that strong. The wire comes loose in the rubber tube. Our method is to solder two dropper wires onto the point blades to go through the baseboard. the are soldered to a PCB strip running in a curtain rail.

I hadn't considered Comet. I would consider a Hornby. But not being a West Country expert I wouldn't know which one to go for. However I do have an Airfix kit... Hmm perhaps I should do a blog or forum article in the Southern section before I hijack this blog entry. Ullypug, this conversion should work, so keep looking and thinking about it. It has to be something simple and therefore fixable.

I will confess that after doing the conversion that etched chassis look a lot easier. This is one of the reasons I am doing etched chasis and a Airfix/Dapol body for my BR 76XXX standards rather than convert a R-T-R. It also isn't just the chasis, but the work on the topside as well to bring it up to spec. I am planning to do Lapford, but only using the Hornby Body and tender. Chassis will be from the EMGS stores, Gibson or even scratch built. (by the way can anyone recomemend the correct tender to use for 1960 with Raves still in place). However the conversion does work. Not sure why you are getting binding on the cylinders though. the only problem we detected was the short throw of the Gibson wheels and you have covered that. Keep plugging away.

This is fiddly enough in 4mm. Fantastic effort.

Thanks CM. My Coombe Martin is currently hiding in it's box, so I have not had a close look at it. I knew that I had looked at the position of the scroll and have found where I went wrong. I was given a copy of a photo (I think it is copyright so I am reluctant to post) of Coombe Martin taken with the tender raves still in place. Pre June 1952. The scroll is in the lower position! You have to love these locos. The changes are often and subtle. CM I have sent you a PM

The glue may well end up on the tape. Plus look out for glue creeping under the tape. I would be tempted to drop the preglued plate into position and remove tape pdq to prevent that. If there is any spillage it can be cleaned off. "I'm afraid they are and you'll have to modify yours" I hate you now CM I think I disposed of my etched scrolls. I wonder if I can remove the Hornby ones so that I can reuse them? How much paint damage is there when the scrolls have been removed?

We decided that black was not a suitable colour as it takes the eye away from the model. I recall from my art lessons that strong dark and lights lead the eye to the start point in the picture. So we went for green. Agreed a dark green, but I think that this works because it is closer to the natural colour. However recently, having attended a few shows were there are no barriers (and we put up a perspex screen) I wondered if there was a better way. I think that the problem is that there is likely to be permanent way or features toward the front of the baseboard. Lets call this the structural baseboard. I was thinking that perhaps the area in front could be filled with a non-structural baseboard. I like the idea of an angle, but I was thinking of something springy with basic scenery (nothing breakable). Although you would still have that vertical drop at the front in whatever colour you desire it does move the foreground would be away from the model. This would also give a depth of field. Does this make sense? It sounds ok in my head.

I just compares the pictures of my CM against the photo on the link I set up. It is a bit low.

"Combe Martin was one of the locos that had the 'West Country Class' scrolls mounted higher up the body side than where Hornby have placed them, and being a bit fussy, I want to correct this. I've managed to remove the Hornby scrolls cleanly without any body damage and I've got some LFC etched brass ones to replace them, but they are tiny and difficult to handle and manipulate with fingers or tweezers. Can anyone suggest how to best fix them to the body side without making a mess ! My thoughts are either super glue or gloss varnish, but there's bound to be a smear of it left on the body side when positioning them. Will it 'chip' off when dry ?" Now I am sure that I looked at the height of the scrolls at the time, and had "one of the experts" look at it but they look quite low down. I just left the Wilton ones in place. Err are these wrong? For glue how about araldite? Not fashionable and often misunderstood. However these go off without any gases and are not so brittle which Cyno does. To apply mix up glue and using a cocktail stick apply a thin layer onto the back of the plate. I use a low tack masking tape to mark the position of the plate so you know where you are going to put it. edit; for spelling

Yes. But she doesn't get an outing very often having been the back up loco for the Belle. I have just changed the headcode so that she can run on the interegional. A task that she seemed to be doing in 1960. I found that she was spotted and timed on the interegional on 4th June 1960 (Locomotive Performance site). And found a picture taken on the same day on flea bay This is right in the target date for Swaynton, May/June 1960. The author of loco performance has also published his trainspotting logs. These record engine, length of train and time! Almost enough information to replicate not a typical day, but a specific day! However that would be getting off subject. I guess that I should add the numbers onto the headcode disc and open the sand covers. Is there a canvas cover between tender and the cab? I can never quite make it out on the pictures.

Hmm, I fancy doing a Lapford. It would have to be in the 1960 condition were the tender still has it's raves. Does any one have an idea as to which Hornby Tender I should use? Meanwhile here are a couple of shots of my Coombe Martin. This started life as a Hornby Wilton, but was converted to Coombe Martin using ashpans and R/H pipes by Albert. (well before Hornby bought out their Coombe Martin) The loco was also converted to EM and was used to prove that the EMGS conversion sheet made sense. If I can do then anyone can. Edit: to add on extra photo and to openly thank Jim Corbett and Douglas Smith for their help and encouragement in doing this conversion.

The front of the bogie is very neat. I fudged mine and hid it all under black paint. The single thickness front rod is an interesting idea. It is tight there even in EM.

Just a quick update on progress of the Westinghouse ground signals. This is a follow up from my last entry. The six signals are now mounted onto their bases. These are a piece of 8x12mm brass sheet that is then mounted onto a bit of square tube. Now to start the detail work Each signal post has a 'blind' fitted. There is proplem here in that the etch was supposed to have some bolt head detail. But it didn't come out on the etch. So I bent the tab the wrong way so that I have a bigger foot print for soldering. I don't think that the missing detail will be missed. There is also a nice etch that is folded up for the lamp hinge. In his "instructions" Douglas describes this as a fudge. I am hard pressed to think how it could be improved. On the first one (I'll call this build No1) that featured on the , had these details glued on. I think that they are a little delicate so I have started to solder these on. I think that this would be easier and neater with a resistance soldering iron (RSI) instead of the old faithful that I keep using. The other difference is that on Number 1 I followed Douglas's suggested instruction and fixed the pivot pin onto the weight. This goes through the hole in the support arm on the post and is held in position by a washer on the other side. Again this is glued on. I am not happy with this arrangement as pictures of the prototype show no fixing on this face of the bracket and it looks like the signal board might be fouling the washer so preventing it moving fully over. As if that wasn't enough I also think that the weight is a bit sloppy and doesn't move enough. So I have fixed a pivot directly onto the bracket and shall see if I get a better result with the movement of the weight. Finally I thought that I had better make up a board onto it's pivot shaft to check that I have the blind in the correct place. so that is No2 and No3 are well underway. Just a reminder that these "kits" are available to purchase. PM me or go to the Swaynton website, if you are interested.

Looks good. With regard to my comments on your last entry. The first picture really shows how far inboard the bearings are. On my conversion I filled in the gap between the bogie halves with some liquid lead held in with araldite. It adds sufficent weight to keep it on the rails. The original (that featured in the photos on the worksheet) is as yours and does derail at slightest fault on the trackwork. I shall follow progress with interest.

Yes a round hole is easier. But a square hole aligns the signal. An advantage of using 7/32" square tube is that it fits into 1/4" square tube. That is what we fix into the baseboard.

Hello again. This follows on from my blog entry 'what I did in June'. (edit: which seems to have dissapered from the dashboard when I posted this so here is a link) Last time I was here I demonstrated a working disc signal for Swaynton. (as well as a charming handbag. Go on buy a handbag...go on go on...) Anyway having built one it is now time to think about building the rest. It has been decided that we shall need six of these. The original plan was to have seven (or eight) but if you study the signal plans of Sway, New Milton and Hinton Admiral you will note that apart from an inconsistency as to where the signals are placed on three track plans that are basically the same, not one of them has a signal on the slip from the up-line back into the yard (and up lay-by). That is in front of 8 ,8 & 9 at each respective location. So the reversing move must have done by a hand signal from the box. The signals are also available as a “kitâ€. But this is using the term “kit†in a very loose sense. Lets say it is a collection of bits that will help you build a model. Anyway here is what is in a “kitâ€. Simply an etch and a cast post. The post is an “investment casting†commissioned by Douglas Smith for Swaynton. The next step is to figure out how to mount it onto the layout. All of the signals on Swaynton are mounted on a 7/32†square tube so that they can be removed. This stops things getting knocked when packing up at shows or during track cleaning and makes maintainance easier. The dummies are going to be particularly prone to damage so it is essential that they are removable. Here are the six signals with their posts cut off the sprue, the bases cut out and the short length of square tube. Bases are 12x8mm and tube is 10mm deep. How’s that for mixing metric and imperial! Now to solder them together. Here is the first one. Five more to go. (edit: to correct tube size from 1/4" to 7/32" see comments)

Is it really the end of June? At least the heating has gone off now. At the last report I was just about to head off to Chatham (pictured) with Swanton. Thanks to the Chatham MRC for organising a great show. A few people stopped to say hello. There was interest in the disc signal and I will post another blog entry showing progress. A couple of people expressed interest in the handbag but no one has bought one yet. I managed to take a little time out on the Saturday to visit the Dickens Fair in the town with SWMBO. There is a free shuttle bus from the dockyard to the town. Something to bear in mind if coming by Public Transport. Swaynton ran very well at Chatham, although the problem of the AJ couplings not working persists. At our post mortem meeting we took the opportunity to check the couplings on the electro magnet mounted to the layout. We also had another electro-magnet set up on a test track. The findings are that is possible to get a constant magnetic field with the two magnets. So we can use one as the standard for setting up away from the layout. We then tested various wagons. Here is what we found. The distance above the track is critical 1mm and no more or you start to lose the attraction. The armature wire, made from a paperclip, must be as close to 1mm as possible. Below 0,9mm and they just don’t have the attraction. We measured some wires as being 0,6mm. I think that I will be buying some 1mm Iron from Eileens. The dropper must be behind the wheel so that the coupling being forced down has a stop. We had one wagon that buried itself into the ballast! Increasing the strength of the magnet does not work as it attracts the steel tyres on the wheels. This pulls the wagon back and re-couples the wagon. The only other problem that I had was with my Airfix mogul 76009. As I took it out the box on Friday evening I found that the tender had become detached. Further investigation found that the fixing nut under the cab that also holds the body on had come adrift. After a bit of a struggle to get the screw out I found that the problem was worse. The nut was still glued to the plastic base, but the plastic base had broken away from the rest of the floor moulding. A temporary fix was made, but will need thinking about before our next outing. Oh well on with posting progress of the signal.

Here is a link to my workbench blog. It's all Southern related. Not bad for someone who is suppossed to be modelling pre-group Midland.

I have just got myslef a Hornby one...and was thinking that the half finished Ratio one still needs completing. Thanks for the inspiration to get it done. It's just when now.

I followed the EMGS sheet exactly as is. So the replacement drawbar was made as in Para 4.1 and Fig 4.1. For those that do not have access to the EMGS manual (it is worth joing the EMGS for this alone even if you model in P4 or OO) the drawbar is made from 0.020" brass* with centres at 15.5mm. Then used the original Hornby wipers, fixed with araldite to maintain the tender pick up. It has been suggested that the pin could be moved but this may compromise stength and reliability. *With hindsight we would now specify HH Brass.

Drain cocks by RT look good. I did mine with Copper wire. The one thing that I picked up from the Clag site was that it stated that the piston rods were almost fouling with the front of the piston block. We found that the piston was more likely to fall out the back! I wonder if there differences between batches of chassis. I think when Doug (JDS) did Ottery St Mary he had to cut away the rear pony truck as the whole thing was solid. RT, The EM sheet suggests cutting the Hornby brake gear in half down the center line and fixing it with a screw and washer was our solution. An etch would be more elegant. Andrew, are you going to shorten the drawbar as well? It is worth it. Andy

Having done the conversion to Create Coombe Martin from a Wilton (from the original notes by JDS) I have some further notes to add. This is because CM failed with a worn out chassis very quickly and another conversion "Ottery St Mary" by JDS also started to have some problems. These notes apart from the first should help overcome these problems. When glueing the front bogie try and add some liquid lead into the void. It really helps with the trackholding. Right now the problems we found. Look out for those Gibson Wheels!!! They have been in production for many years but no one has noticed that the crankpin throw is 4,5mm instead of 4,00mm! This wasn't identified when the manual sheet was created. The slidebars are just long enough to cope with the extra travel but piston rod barely enters the cylinder. We have added some additional glands of brass tube to ensure reliable movement. We have also found that my conversion (Combe Martin) suffered exceptional wear on the driving wheel bearings. We have not looked at the original coversion (Wilton) yet to see if the same has happened there. It sounds happy (no knocking sound). We also found that wear had occured on the bearings of another similar Hornby Conversion "Ottery St Mary". Out thoughts are that this wear could have one or more contributing factors. These may be; 1. The bearings are quite a way inboard, even for OO. (I have lost the note I had as to what was measured 12mm is in my head but could you measure and confirm?) But the widening of the wheel base may have just pushed the axial loading of the bearing too much especially if the coupling rods are tight or not quartered correctly. (It was an early build for me and I think that I might have done one or both of these errors.) 2. The bearings (when the models were stripped for investigation) were found to be able to rotate in their bearing holders. A simple fix is to glue them into position. This worked on "Ottery St Mary" but "Coombe Martin" was too far gone and required major surgery. 3. Lubrication. Make sure the bearings are lubricated with a light oil. I definetly didn't use a light enough lubricant. I now use Singer oil. Tip, if you can't get through a hyperdermic needle then it is too thick. The front end improves greatly with the addition of drain cock pipes and filling in the space behind the bogie wheels. Further fixes on Coombe Martin that I must do are. Add proper coal to the tender Add a canvas sheet between the cab and tender. Add crew.

Now in the past couple of missives issued from Brightspark Towers here in deepest Surrey (It ain’t all gin and jags you know), I alluded to an exciting new development on Swaynton and left a couple of clues that no-one had a go at guessing. What a shame...never mind. Anyhow here it is. Yes Westinghouse Dummies in 4mm scale...and they work. To prove it works here is a So I have built one...just seven more to go! Hopefully these will be installed onto the layout for our outings booked for next year. The signal comes in kit form and so we are hoping to be able to offer these for sale. I will post details on our website when we have sorted out how we are going to do it. This weekend we are showing Swaynton at Chatham. I will take the signal along if anyone wants to have a look. Mrs Brightspark has also been busy. She makes handbags for a hobby and has created this. Now how could any of you resist buying this for your better halves? Or in the case of the female members of RMWeb for yourselves. A nice girlie train handbag. SWMBO does several designs of bags using various designs of fabric and can make up a bag using whatever fabric you want. Here is a link to her Folksy page. Although we can’t sell at the show, I will bring along this example for you to have a look at. See you at Chatham and say hello!