bertiedog

They have been making this pattern with Imperial and metric scales for some time and a previous one I had fell apart from the set screws rusting away, but the current ones are another maker, and are far better made. The other one, by the way was fully repairable with new screws fitted and re-tapped. The reason the screws rusted was the corrosive flux fumes from soldering the track.

Do consider using a proper wood glue like Titebond,or Resin W, rather than just a general purpose glue like PVA for extra strength. As said pinning is only there to align things as the glue dries. If pinning is needed the modern way with an electric or air nailer is best as the head is driven in below the surface leaving little or no mark, easily filled afterwards if it shows. If you have no clamps large enough for the object, and it has cut out joints as in the shots, then you can use luggage straps to pull the parts together, or cords around the work with a twisting rod in the loop to tighten the cord. If you have no other way, then use wood screws in pre-drilled holes to secure things together whilst the glue dries. Remove screws afterwards and fill holes. Hand nailing should nor split modern ply, but one misplaced blow will risk damage that will need attention to repair the surface. Stephen.

Any dates or news on the early livery versions?

I have several other sizes on order via ebay from mainland China, but they are listed as about a months delivery. They are the though plated glass fibre type, but as shown as delivery in November, whereas the bought ones came by return post from the UK

Yes, there are cheaper, if I waited weeks for FE delivery, and for controllers the through plated can give issues on current if the hole has no wire through it to bridge the pads between front and back. Stephen

The boards arrived in the post for the UF circuit, proto board 5x7 one side pads around the holes at 2.54mm pitch, which takes most standard components without bothers. SRBP based, not fibreglass, at 30p each. The only thing not too on these boards is have mains anywhere, connections far to close unless the copper pads are removed, giving insulation gaps, but best not to bother, put mains on separate isolated boards. this board only requires 16VAC A plug in breadboard can be used to work out the layout, but with a simple circuit just provide +/- and in / out and work along the circuit diagram direct on to the circuit board itself. I cut standard heat shrink sleeves for the components, and for the backside connections surplus component wire or copper wire in heat shrink or sleeves. As soon as all the bits are here, into production and testing. Stephen

Only coal looks like coal, but be careful with the glue, some PVA can alter the whole look and leave a nasty colour change. I use gum arabic glue, (art shops), it leaves the coal unchanged in appearance once glued down, and dries out quite quickly. Stephen

After saying these were Chinese or Hong Kong, I noticed another seller lists these as Indian made, and it's noticeable most of the Chinese made are now plastic in this price range. Checked over this morning I found the two screws that retain the tail end cover over the spike for depth were loose, and needed a spot of Loctite added to ensure they stay in place. The tiny screws that hold the slides in place can have a spot of varnish added over each one , so that you can adjust or clean up the head later on. Loctite might be too permanent! The varnish also stops flux etc from rusting the set screws, which are not stainless. Can't fault the accuracy, tested with an old set of metric slips, the standard is way beyond Model Railway needs.

Most of the parts have arrived or been found from storage, just case and protoboard PCB to arrive. The case is an aluminium extrusion with screw on ends in black, no transformer inside unit, feed by a16 vac supply. Couple of extra LEDs to show state of controller, and possibly an electronic meter on one of the units. I have yet to try one of the module meters on a pulsed output, it may need a bit of smoothing to give a reasonable output figure. Two slightly different versions, and a CD discharge unit in the third box. Computer printed transfers can do the lettering and scales etc., easy on the black anodised finish. The two units plus the CD unit come to about £12-15 the lot. I also have a PWM type controller already, and that will be cased the same for comparison. Has anybody tied the very inexpensive ready to use Chinese PWM units? 12v to 24v in, 0 to 12 out, that are sold on Ebay, some under £3 or so? I assume they run at mains frequency, so may hum a bit with some motors. I will get one to try out , as they are difficult to duplicate at the price! including double sided boards and heatsinks etc. Stephen

At least they are away from the trend from the FE to make the cheaper ones in plastic. Some previous metal ones in the cheapest range were stampings, and not stainless steel. The outside of the jaws can be filed to make the tips the flangeway thickness, use the small diamond files or grind them. They are definitely not made to the finest grade finish, but if there are very slight burrs etc, a spot of very fine grit emery will remove the rough edges. Stephen

It seems that a new maker is active on Ebay from China, new all metric Stainless steel Verniers for under £5,(99p post) and not a trace of plastic or stamped out steel parts. I use these for track laying, gauging and point construction, being Stainless Steel it will take heat and is quite hard steel. They are metric only, but have a generous Vernier scale that's easy to read. The seller is UK based as well, so by return delivery. Checked out as accurate on test slips, may need the screws on it tightened up and checked, but at the price a real bargain. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-150mm-Vernier-Caliper-Gauge-Micrometer-Stainless-Steel-Measuring-Tool-UKShip/261839966949?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

The release for the LMS 3F is meant to be on or after the 28th according to Hattons at the moment, so only a few days away. They do not say if all liveries are released at once in the email news.. Stephen. Correction the 27th is on the site now.......

....with the same grand efficiency of the Pecketts, shops never getting them and customers without goods????

Programming a PIC easy? for whom? not only dealing with the code but design of the functions, software for the PC, leads, connection boards, power supplies. If so easy then publish a full description, of a working controller, with all steps to make it work, with full details of all parts needed. The bits and pieces may be cheap, but it is the whole package that gets cumbersome with digital solutions where an analogue circuit suffices.

Well, dug through the storage boxes and with that and a couple of ordered items two of the controllers to the "dated" SCR type will be built in the next few days, about £10 worth for two, (I always order/find a few spares anyway) As usual, the cases will cost more than the electronics these days...Ohh... for the days of Edgware Rd and Lisle street electrical discount junk shops! Decent Ex services cases for penny's...... It's not as much fun on Ebay as digging through Smiths stockpiles to find military grade equipment like panel boxes for TSR2's !!! or panels from Bluestreak! If you found anything cheap and interesting you usually had to fight off Derek Meddings from Pinewood Studios, or the Gerry Anderson crew making the sets for the latest TV puppet productions! To rub salt in the wounds you can still see the good items they bought in the old shows! Stephen

Many thanks, looking forward to the publication of a valve based controller based on your design, will it brew the coffee as well?....only kidding.......would help heat the railway room.....anybody for a DCC valve based controller? Stephen

Progress poor due to illness, but getting better now, and a little expansion to the basic design to cover using the new Barclay locos from Hattons. The through line will be extended to a loop, with the rest a terminus line as designed. Getting in to new baseboard at present, and some more track laying, still delayed for the new Peco bullhead points! The track is available, why not the basic l/r points?, they were announced ages ago and time is rapidly slipping by. New controller under construction, tested out today and all works, now needs a good sound casing, preferring aluminium extrusion mini hi-fi boxes if possible. Stephen

This is not a criticism of a particular loco, or even one member, but a comment on the haulage issue of some kits and chassis, especially in relation to 040 types. The mention of the vertical motor mounting a lack of haulage cannot be connected, it makes no difference where the motor is, apart from the obvious that it should be within the wheelbase. What goes wrong is the squareness and level of the chassis. This does not mean the chassis is cock eyed, the out of true can be as little a one or two thousandths of an inch. It happens more with etched kit chassis than any other, The chassis, even sprung, has the axles out of parallel, and in effect is only standing on two wheels, with the third just keeping it in balance on the track. To check this when it is such a small amount is difficult, it needs a flat test plate, fitted with a ground top section of track tested flat with dial gauges, to the surface plate. The loco is stood on and the chassis is checked for movement with a dial gauge as pressure is applied to each area over the wheels. No reading should occur, and if all is well then dismiss out of true. But over the years I have tested dozens of "bad haulers", and all had slight issues with squareness of the chassis. Springing does not protect you, the wheels may all have different pressures on them, unless the compensation is well set up. The chassis could have been well built in a jig etc, but it seems what happens is that the act of finally fitting the body and screwing up tight can still distort the frames enough to ruin the haulage. It is worth checking a bad hauler most carefully, slackening the retaining screw, adding shims, or twisting the chassis to cure the problem. The Hornby Peckett is a good example, it hauls well, and passes a surface plate test with flying colours, no distortion at all. Note the wheel tyres are in contact with a true surface, on the flanges, and it assumes the wheels are concentric with the axles. A related problem with Model Engineer live steam is one or more of a set of wheels not being the same diameter. This causes constant wheel slip, and the loco just will not haul. Skimming the wheels to the same dramatically increases the haulage. Stephen

Gosh....anything else to comment on in only the first couple of days of an accelerated release announcement.....it will be here before some of the dust settles down.....! The underside of the boiler being the chassis block is really not much of a problem, to cut it away would reduce the weight right where it is needed, and might risk showing more as a visible joint as per several other recent offerings. Keeping it as flat means easier painting etc, and the area involved is very small, and cluttered with pipes and the main springs. One end of it would have to be hiding the gear train anyway, so if made round on the underside, only about half could be done anyway. From the pictures etc., it all looks fine, with all the detailing that would be expected on a modern production. There is plenty for individuals to do themselves to add more or make an exact prototype example. I very much doubt any more weight needs to be added, based on the Hornby Peckett haulage and performance. The availability of two rivals, the Barclay and the P class may well affect sales of the black Peckett as they will be sold in the same sales period, and put pressure on Hornby to get deliveries right for the fully liveried versions later next year. The Dapol B4 is looking a bit out in the cold at present. Stephen.

If there is a full set to do, and drop in bearings, and Ultrascale, then polish the axles, and add the micro knurled ends, dab of loctite and push home in quartered position, job done. Same for Gibson, but they are a tighter fit than Ultrascale anyway. With any pinning leave till running tests, then drill and pin. Stephen.

By the way, the real danger to smooth running is not side to side wobbles, but eccentricity, which ruins the electrical pick up reliability. Even a few thou can force an 060 to rest on the track on just two wheels, rocking slightly as it stands still. One old K's I repaired in the trade had almost 1/16 inch wobbles on all axles, looking horrendous when run up side down, but just glide along the track in practical use! But one wheel out of concentric, and all smooth running is impossible as it thumps it's way along the track. It also ruins the pulling power. Stephen.

Only the tiniest drop inside the bore, placed there by a pin or wire, just a trace is all thats needed, as it sets when air is excluded after pressing home, any left must be washed away to ensure it does not get into places it should not be! No need to hurry with Loctite, it remains fully liquid until the air is not in contact. In theory superglue will work, but you may get it set too soon, and the grip on the plastic is not quite as good. Also Epoxy glue will work, but it should be a long set high strength type, not the softer five minute type. Stephen

It is near impossible to get a good finish to ruin the push on action of both the Gibson or the Ultrascale types, whose mounting standards are about the same. Such fine grit polishing does not affect the diameter beyond a few microns here or there, maybe about 1/10 thou at most. The rest of the grip is due to the flexibility of the plastic, pushed home forcing the boss to expand and grip. What is not needed is any kind of digging it to the plastic at all, as once stared it is a permanent scar in the bore. I always add a tiny spot of Loctite anyway, and this air exclusion glue will do the final fixing touch job. However in the real world there are makers tolerances, the axle may be a bit undersize or over, and the centre moulded bore may be a little out of diameter, and also contains"draw", a minute tapering of the hole to allow the die to withdraw after moulding. So if the axle is a tight fit as pressed, then all is well, if it goes to loosely then the axle end requires raising the surface with a file, the axle is placed on a cutting mat, and a fine Swiss file is pushed down on the end area, and rolled back and forth till a nice matt micro knurled look appears. It will be about a thou larger than before and still slide on, but also has a good grip with the loctite. This assumes the axle and the bearings drop into a kit chassis or home produce item, where such a chassis accepts drop in wheelsets. Other chassis may need a different approach altogether, to get the order of assembly right and logical. On a set, to perfect the quartering, any axle with a push on wheel will shift under moderate force, but still grip correctly for normal use. If all the axles have had the micro knurling done on them, then such correction is near impossible, so be more careful and use the quartering jigs with care during pressing on! I must on reflection done many thousand of wheelsets, all makes and types, such as push on Romfords, and screw fitted Hamblings, plus screw retained Gibson and Ultrascale, plus hundred of corrected K's wheels. Most are basically true to use, but it is very easy to loose course and end up with wobbles or eccentricity large enough to affect the smooth running of the locomotive. No such thing as an off the shelf loco wheel thats perfect, but in my opinion the Ultrascale or Gibson are the best, if the boss in the middle is bored out in a lathe, and a brass bush is fitted with loctite and then the bore is done by boring out and reaming the hole. The hole is smaller than the 1/8th axle and the axle end is reduced to match. The wheel slides on easily, and the lot retained by a 10ba bolt into to the axle end. They are nipped up to get grip with loctite, which remains liquid long enough to set the quartering. But this requires a lathe, and most modellers do not have one, so using the tradition push on method remains the answer for most people. Stephen.

Decidedly a good announcement and also a much shorter lead time to the retail release of the new Barclay 040, and the new P Class. In the not too distant future perhaps then a small 060 industrial type? It would also perhaps be nice to have available an undecorated version as well, with no plates or name plate fitted. It looks from the underside shot Dave provided, that P4 conversion would be easy, as there is a spacer making up the centre line of the cylinder to the connecting rods centre line. With the minimum sideplay needed, the rods could be spaced near prototype distance apart, and although tight, it should just fit behind the crosshead ( but might need changing to metal ). Order in and awaiting the delivery news. Stephen

The Codar Company were an Amateur Radio Enthusiast company that branched off into Model Railways controllers and power supplies in the mid 1970's. The circuit published is the main product that they did at the time. They also used the same circuit without a meter fitted, and a duel model. Stephen