yaxxbarl

I did for a moment think it was a possible new layout project to be set in Cornwall!

So here is a sketch of the trackplan I have in mind - very simple with a mill/warehouse as a view blocker at one end with the goods shed at the other. Staging will be a two road sector plate at one end and a headshunt/fiddlestick on which coal or stone wagons can be left until they return unloaded. If there's room I'll probably put a crane in on the yard, originally for transhipment between canal barges and wagons, but now mainly used by road traffic. The small stub siding will largely be somewhere for brake vans or an occasional open. Finally, the warehouse on the left used to handle mainly canal traffic, nowadays it is rail connected and a dummy end of siding is behind it Scenically it'll be presented like a picture frame with a curved backscene, proscenium arch for LED strip lighting and 'wings' either side to help hide the ends. Cheers, John

I approve wholeheartedly of the taste in guitars and music here! Unfortunately I'm not going to get down to Uckfield now as I would have liked to see some of the old Rice classics - hopefully some of them may venture to The North in time. Cheers, John

Chris, I think steel dressmaking pins may do as well? On an old Fencehouses J72 kit that I looked at Bob Jones recommended them for the crankpins. Steel also has an advantage of being a lot less malleable, and therefore more rigid, than brass. Cheers, John

Yes - I'm familiar with the Wharf shed, indeed you can actually stay in it. I hired it for a Rambling group's weekend trip a few years back. The shed, or something very similar is what I envisage as a view blocker at one end of the scene to be modelled, at the other end trains emerge from behind a warehouse that used to be canal-served but is now rail served with some other old warehouses/factories at the back. John.

I thought, rather than clogging up 'What's on my workbench' it's about time I had a topic of my own - and this will be for the little layout I'm building which is inspired by Peak District railways such as the Cromford and High Peak and also the canals around my local area New Mills, hence the name being a bit of a play on that. It's going to be a fairly simple 'Cameo' sized affair based around a small canalside yard with a couple of sidings and through running to a coal yard, primarily LMS or BR(M) but also capable of handling some of the more ecelctic parts of my motive power roster. The Austerity I'm working on, 68012, is intended for this and it'll go with D2383, both of which worked on the C&HP.

That looks rather good - even with the temporary crank pins! Where did you get the loco from too - I've not seen 'Robert' listed in the main batch? Coupling rod wise, I've used the 08 rods off of the 3-205 etch with the rear portion shortened. Cheers, John

I've had a chance to do a bit more work on the J94 - firstly I still wasn't happy in the end with the coupling rods, so measured up and made another jig and soldered up another set - the previous ones had still been a tad too long. Once I did that I was able to get the running pretty much sorted to the stage that I could fit all the crankpin washers - the first photo shows where we're at now. I've also started work on the cosmetic side of the conversion. 68012 was one of the first J94s fitted with the raised bunker but this was found to be too high for coaling at Middleton Top on the Cromford and High Peak, so the raised bunker was removed. I had wondered if I'd have to put the hatch back in between the rear windows, but photos of the rear of 68012 show this plated over. The EFE raised bunker, when the raised bit is removed, leaves two holes in the cab back - these need to be filled in. Also the top of the bunker is solid, so this was cut out and a new bunker base and backsheet will be made out of plasticard to allow coal to be put in and show a bit of depth to the bunker. Next job after the cab will be the buffers and also seeing what I can do to the keeper plate to better represent the slope from the buffer beam down to the bottom of the frames at either end, probably using black plasticard.

Ian, Yes - they are an N Gauge set, the DCC Concepts ones, available from various places. On mine I widened them to be a better fit for finescale wheels by elongating the holes in the metal blocks containing the rollers to allow a little extra outward movement, though they will and still do work for N Gauge. They can be mounted on 2FS track, though they are better and less likely to move laterally if mounted on N Gauge track - to that end I have a piece of PECO N Gauge setrack glued to a spare piece of MDF and wired up purely for that purpose. Cheers, John

Thanks Jerry! For anyone such as yourself with a lathe I would go with Nigel Cliffe's initial thoughts in the VAG and consider making full replacement bearings as this does give the advantage of allowing a smidgeon more internal length for the muffs - I think 4.5mm long is just about enough but the more stub support the better. In terms of durability of my conversion it is early days but use in other applications suggests that that Loctite 638 is strong stuff so it looks promising for holding the bearing ends in - if not I can always upgrade the joins to a soldered one. Cheers, John

So... after getting an EFE J94 thoughts soon turned to converting it. On disassembling it, is soon became apparent that none of the currently available conversion bearings were going to work, due to the design of the axles, which is akin to those used on the Dapol 57xx - After measuring the inside of the bearing and the diameter of the narrow part of an association drive bush they were near enough a match, so thoughts turned to how to fit the drive bush in the bearing. I decided the narrow the bearing down to provide adequate room for the muffs, and fashioned a filing jig from a few bits of tufnol sheet I had to hand - This shows a, unadulterated drive bearing, a J94 chassis bearing, a filed down bearing and the filing jig. The hole on the lower layer of tufnol is sized to take the wide end of the drive bearing. I took some 3mm muffs, in the bearings they are a snug fit, far too tight for free rotation, so I reduced them in length to 4.5mm and in diameter to about 2.7mm, the diameter reduction done my sticking them on a piece of 1.5mm axle steel, putting it in a drill and then rotating it whilst using a file to 'turn' it down. For the geared axle I did similar, again reducing in length to 4.5mm, mounting a 20T M0.3 gear in the middle, mounting on a piece of axle steel in a drill and filing down the exposed parts of the muff to 2.7mm diameter. With hindsight I would use shortened Farish conversion muffs for the outer axles! I then was able to press fit the filed bearings in the EFE bearings from the squared/outer end of each, using a bit of Loctite 638 to help retain them in. I did have to turn a triangular file around the inside of the outer ends of the EFE bearings to help the filed bearings fit in, using a small vice as an improvised press to drive them home. I was then able to re-assemble the axle sets and mount them in the chassis for a test fit - This all seemed to work so far, even to the point of the centre driver rotating when I applied power to it on a rolling road. So, next to coupling rods - I used the old Farish 08/J94 rods on the 3-205 etch as a basis, reducing the length between the rear two wheelsets by the 'cut and shut' method I used for my Pannier Tank wheelsets. I was able to use the EFE rods to derive the centres and mark up a soldering jig made from an MDF offcut with cut-off track pins driven through at the centres. I quartered the wheels, mainly by eye and sheer luck, and then secured some crankpins in the wheels using Loctite 638, cutting them down on the rear two drivers due to lack of clearances between the mid footstep and the injector pipes respectively. At this point I threaded in the coupling rods - and realised I'd made my first set 0.5mm too long between the rear drivers, so I re-checked the jig and made a second set - this time they were right! Once these were fitted, a final bit of fettling to the quartering was done and I soldered some crankpin washers to the rear wheels, allowing for easy removal for painting. ...and here's the proof of this proverbial pudding - the loco in action on the rollers! It also sauntered nicely up and down the test track. It'll do for now anyway, it's enough to go on the demo stand at Stafford after which it will go into the paint and detailing shops to come out at Cromford & High Peak stalwart 68012, oval buffers and all! Cheers, John

Adam, Yes - I did think it was the etched ones you were referring to! I do have some of the plastic bodies myself - the main thing I'll be using them for is as scenic items, either as goods stores and mouldering away into the hedgerow deep in the countryside... Cheers, John

Adam, I've been looking into building one too to go with a couple of MR opens, all of which would have lingered into LMS days - it's the 2-342 you'll need. I have been wondering on the most expeditious way to sweat together the layers of etch on this - current thinking is to tin them with a normal iron then bring out an old Wolf 60W iron I save for such occasions... either that or a mini blowtorch. Cheers, John

Jerry, Yes - John's reworked Farish is rather good with a nice job round the cab! My 3d print one is progressing too. As for my EFE one I think I have a way to adapt the bearings to fit association wheels. Cheers, John

Matt, Simon, Duncan, Yes - I've retained the body headstocks too on my 16'6" vans when using the 2-361 DC chassis - on using a Morton brake chassis I'll be doing similar, though I'll probably need to trim off the ends of the solebars to bring it down to length. For DC stock this also applies to the 2-528 4/5 plank open wagon twin pack. Also, if you have them or can get back copies of them Rich Brummit did a couple of articles in the June/July and August/September 2014 issues of the magazine that expand on the instructions for 2-361 on assembly and usage of the DC underframes. I've got one more 9' DC chassis to do - saving the madness/complexity of the fitted DC till last, then a pair of 12' DC underframes for a pair of Mink Cs and a Morton underframe (using a 2-353a) for another 16'6" van. Cheers, John

After being gazumped somewhat by Bachmann/EFE with the Austerity Tank project and being busy with moving a layout from Keighley this week I've decided to make a start on my project to 'convert' a Farish 64xx into a Hawksworth 16xx tank. The initial concept was 'it'll be easy, just change the cab, fit smaller wheels and fittings and it'll be OK' however doing it has proved somewhat less easy. Firstly the cab, this is a 'cut and shut' on a Dapol 8750 cab, done with careful use of a razor saw, mitre block and craft knife. Next the tanks - the 16xx's tanks are shallower than the 64xx's so I decided the split the tanks/boiler from the footplate. This will enable many of the later stages, such as adding smaller splashers and new tank supports. The tank was reduced from beneath, luckily the new depth matches the depth of the internal weight. Also, most of the detail from the top of the tank was removed and sanded smooth. The 64xx chminey and dome were reduced in height too. Here's a few pics showing this - A combination of original Farish fittings for the safety valves, handrails, top feed and whistle with Dapol 57xx tank filler caps will be used along with bits of microstrip on the tank tops. I do have some photos showing the tank top from oblique angles but if anyone has any plans showing the engine from above they'll be very useful! Cheers, John P.S hopefully I'll get this finished before any other manufacturer announces they're doing an N gauge 16xx!

Simon, Yes, with that in mind my I'll now move my Farish (with bits of Dapol) 6400 to Hawksworth 1600 conversion/kitbash up in the build schedule! Last time I saw Rapido I was dropping hints to them like 'Well.... you've got all the drawings already from your 4mm version...' Cheers, John

...and on the very subject here's where my Hunslet is... Next jobs are rear lamp irons, injectors below the cab, saddle tank steps and holes for buffers. Cheers, John

Typically... EFE Rail are releasing a retooled N Gauge J94/Hunslet Austerity just as mine is well on the road.... but I shall continue. To be fair I was almost expecting this as EFE took on a lot of DJ Models' tooling and projects of which the J94 was one of them. Having had a closer look at the examples on the video it looks like combining the new body with an association chassis may be a good bet. Yours, in awareness of the inevitable comedy of the situation, John

Angus, Not as yet on this one, I will give that a go on the next one I do as I ordered two bodies - the first is probably too far advanced in detailing for soaking in white spirit now, the next though (which will become BR 68006) will likely get that treatment. I've got one of the offcuts of the first one that I'll try first. I'll probably still mark this one in a similar manner, though, as I find that scribing it with a pin or with the calipers of a vernier caliper gives much more accurate marking than a pen or pencil would and would still be more easily visible even with a white background. Cheers, John

Chris, Yes, thanks for posting this - I have been working from Don Townsley's drawings in an old issue of Model Railways Illustrated but this, as in a lot of works drawings, adds a lot of detail that you can almost read like a book. One thing at least, looking at the positioning of the valve gear it does explain the wheel spacing now! My model's up to having the handrails put on, I've done the main ones along the sides of the saddle tank, just working out how I do the ones under the tank now! One thing I did do for marking up the sides was, as the clear 3d print material doesn't show scribing or take pencil marks well, was to blacken in the area to be marked with a felt tip/sharpie pen and then use a pin to mark out where the handrails were going to do, a technique similar to that used by some to mark out metal for cutting and drilling. Cheers, John

Some work in progress shots of the new Austerity body - I've finished with the hacking bits off stage and now on to detailing - Main work thus far - Steps and Reversing rod from RT Models Etch added New Cab rear windows from trimmed down cab back on RT Models etch, RT cab front window etches applied and front windows on 3d print enlarged to match. New footplate from brass shim, with lubricator and lamp irons soldered to it before fitting Lengths of 1.5mm nickel silver strip glued under footplate for strengthening Replacement chimney using Farish J94 chimney Initial weights added in bunker (lead) and cab sides, cab sides are white metal bits which also act to reinforce cab sides. Safety valve aperture cut from tank, valves made cut from an N Brass LNWR Coal tank casting, also reduced in height and soldered to a piece of brass shim. Next jobs - Bunker - top beading + lamp irons Cab Beading Handrails Injectors under cab (assemble & fit) Add whistle (make from 0.5mm brass wire) Add remaining weights Add chassis spacers Buffers ...and then it'll be off to the paint shops for a coat of primer before cleaning up. Cheers, John

The layering was pretty fine - I went with the finest quality available and the only places I've really felt any roughness were on the saddle tank and roof, and a rub over with some ultra fine glasspaper has smoothed it out. I suppose the real proof in this pudding is in the painting, I imagine any layering I've not got yet will show up after a coat of primer! Cheers, John

Jerry, David, John, So I took the plunge and ordered a pair of Recreation21's 3d Austerity prints, and here's one with Farish body for comparison. Initial verdict is that, given some work on the body, there is potential. The underside of the boiler needs cutting away to accommodate the mechanism, and there is plenty room for lead sheet inside the boiler and the bunker. The bunker is an actual bunker too, so scope both for the lead weight and a suitable pile of coal on top. I'll be adding some 44swg wire round the top of the bunker to represent the beading round the top edge. On the print there's no representation of any lamp irons so on the bunker and elsewhere these will be added using scrap bits of nickel silver etch. The foot plate does bend easily, so this will be reinforced with some nickel silver sheet and some strips of scrap etch underneath. Length wise the body is longer than the Farish one, but this is because it is actually the correct scale size for 1:148 N Gauge, rather than being sized to fit the Farish 08 chassis/4P Chassis block. There will be a need for a suitable bit of packing between the association chassis and the buffer beams, I envisage this being sleeper PCB onto which I'll solder the DG couplings. There is raised beading around the front and rear cab windows, this will be cut off to allow the RT etches to be used. On the rear cab etch, if using the as-built round spectacle plates trimming the RT Etch round the edges will allow it to fit whilst preserving the slight overhang both front and rear of the roof which is missing on the Farish casting. A nice feature of the 3d print, that! For the BR/LNER bunker cabs a bit more modification to the cab back is needed, for the Cromford and High Peak examples sans bunker I'm going to splice it in 3 to keep the central door for access to the lamp iron intact. For the cab side opening, this is much more like the real thing though possibly still not quite round enough in the corners. I'll be widening the door aperture slightly and using some nickel silver strip to add the beading round the cab sides and I'll be adding in some handrails. The tank and boiler has no representation of the handrails printed on, which is actually a good thing in my book as it'll make marking out the holes for handrails much easier. Also, the printed steps will be cut off and those on the RT Etch used, together with the reversing rod and a spare N Brass lubricator casting will complete the footplate. The buffers will also be chopped off and replaced with brass ones BUT there does seem to be a representation of the bolts printed on so the buffer beams will, for now, be kept. Hopefully, I'll have something to show in a week or two/three's time... Cheers, John

John, I found the shims really useful for centring wheels on the axle muffs, and I recommend anyone doing anything with engines to get a set, even if they don't have a quartering jig. Cheers, John