Il Grifone

I have a feeling early Romford axles were something SWG? (15 - 1.829mm). I think I have one of these in the UK, but since I'm in Sardinia at the moment its rather far away.

Ambulance goes past the front door making their usual din - Cue furious barkfest from our two! (Any excuse is good enough!). I call, "It's OK wooflies, it's not for us!" - instant silence! Now did they understand or had they just run out of bark? (The latter is unlikely - they have a plentiful supply....) (The cats of course were not worried in the least!)

The shaft diameter is 3/32", but I'm not sure of the gear diameter. I could, of course, use three gears with one on a layshaft. The result would run the wrong way, but that is easy enough to resolve (or ignore if I were to use it to power a double-ended diesel - not that I have one to power). Thinking about it, there is a Dock Shunter that needs a mechanism, but maybe it won't fit? I'll have to investigate the next time I go back to the UK. I should be there now, but my daughter has bagged the slot. Someone has to stay and look after the menagerie (see 'On Cats' and ' On Dogs threads').

You take it home of course!

I have two of these. One works perfectly and powers a late model CNR R.55*, but the other has stripped the two gears on the end, presumably through the screws not being tightened correctly and being allowed to 'chatter'. I bought it for the motor, but really would like to get it going. They are the same diameter as the ubiquitous axle gear fitted to most of the steam chassis, but have the teeth cut parallel to the shaft rather than diagonally as in the worm gears. Sourcing replacements is a problem, especially as these are imperial, whereas gears are almost universally metric these days. * Or whatever the catalogue no. is for this version,

The problem with tension locks is usually that they won't uncouple - i think of them as tangle-locks for this reason. It is essential that they are all at the same height above the rails for sucessful operation, Knuckle couplings will allow a small vertical tolerance as long as the actual knuckle is vertical. I agree that the Mainline type is superior and use these on the few items I have with tension locks. The Tri-ang TT and Peco 'Anita' are also OK but hard to find/expensive these days.

There shouldn't be any vertical motion (and no horizontal either since she appears to be in mid-gear - hard to see at that angle and speed). As usual the eccentric crank is set at the wrong angle! (ignoring the inclination of the cylinders.)

Update to above - the new kittens are actually tortoiseshell, ginger and white, black and white, and black. (Put it down to old age....)

We were feeding our cats this morning. Raphael (as in 'large') was busy scoffing his breakfast when kitten Gretel (as in 'small) decided that his food was also hers. In the end he backed off and left her to finish it. Obviously he got extra rations! Yesterday after taking a small dog to Alghero on the first stage of the journey to her forever home, we collected four more kittens* as temporary residents. They are isolated from the others for now, and are supposedly only here for a week, but.... * One tortoiseshell. 2 tabbies and a black. Panic! Scream from kitchen, "Raphael has brought in a mouse!" It turned out to only be a poor terrified shrew, which was rapidly taken back outside by yours truly. I trust it has the sense to make itself scarce! 😀

A couple of years between overhauls doesn't seem too bad to me! 🙂 I agree the early K's motors are OK, but the H2PM is rubbish. (IIRC they have the armature running in a bearing free plastic moulding?) That reminds me I still have a 44xx to get working. (She has the original press-on type wheels....)

I was referring to the specific diagram, where the shed is very close to the platform and there are always exceptions to rules.... I haven't checked all the examples, but: St Ives shed had a headshunt from the mainline at some distance from the station. Ashburton shed was accessed from the loop. (The short platform would have been used for parcels and milk loadng (and cattle on market days when the station was closed to passengers anyway). Bodmin shed was accessed from the platform, but the pointwork was close to the signal box.

The engine shed would be reached through a diamond from the loop in GWR practice. The facing point from the platform could have disastrous consequences! Ashburton was usually (always? I've mislaid my book!) operated by the 'one engine in steam' principle. This saves on signals, but is much less interesting to operate. Fly shunting was indulged in*. but this is a non-starter on a model. * The story goes that on one occasion this operation was misjudged and the wagons came to rest blocking the pointwork. Calling for assistance was unthinkable of course - they'd have never lived it down! The solution involved taking a spanner to the point locking gear. Shh!

Today's gift was half a lizard....

I've used the full size neodymium magnets in the past but they are really too strong. Nowadays, I use two 6mm cube magnets padded out with steel washers. These are about as strong as the originals and have the Grifone friendly attribute of costing a lot less than the full size neos. A couple stuck on the Tri-ang motor bogies will cure tired versions of these things. There are also ring versions (check the direction of magnetisation) which will fit around the screw in Tri-ang X.03s and X.04s. Tri-ang magnets seem much more reliable than Dublo or is that just me?

Panic! Dylan had caught a lizard! (see previous post for species). He was still at the 'playing with the prey' stage, so, since luckily the dogs had just been fed, there was a tin of food handy, A lump of dog food was obviously preferable to lizard, so he was distracted sufficiently for the creature to beat a hasty retreat and hide behind the plant pots. Edit. Kitten 'Tinkerbell' has just high-jacked my lap. The dogs are going to have to wait even longer for 'Walkies'. Kitten 'Gretel' has just arrived too and had to be removed from the keyboard - they seem to delight in walking over the 'Flight mode' button in particular and causing disasters! (Obviously the male kitten is 'Hansel'!)

There shouldn't be any problem as long as the wing rails are also dead (sufficiently to avoid contacy with passing wheels). Personally however, I would arrange switching for the frog, preferably with a separate micro switch to avoid relying on blade contact. Especially with the tight radius, power pickup needs all the help it can get.

Mummy's work is never done! As foster mums to three kittens we have experience. Luckily the cats and dogs all help in their own way, though Raphael didn't appreciate Tinkerbell tying to pinch his breakfast this morning and she received a cuff from his paw. (The kittens all like the adult food and help themselves despite not really being old enough for it.)

Distant memories suggest unpainted woodwork and a concrete plinth and drain under the track. (Concrete posts could be an alternative. The GWR was fond of using old bridge rail for fencing. Some was still in use at Newton Abbot at least until recently. I recall lines of redundant cattle trucks stored at Tavistock Junction marshalling yard. (My maternal grandparents had a house overlooking the yard. Pleasant memories of falling asleep to the sounds of pannier tanks shunting while visiting on holiday.)

I assumed (incorrectly - check first David!) that we were referring to the ealier version of the chassis. This appears to be one of the later Far Eastern products with the SSPP chassis. These are indeed less resistant to usage and need careful adjustment to work properly. The 'use and throw away' motor is definitely a retrograde step.

Checking, I find that Wickham trollies have 16" dia. wheels which is 9.331 mm. in 7mm. scale, according to my calculator. This would suggest something in H0 scale as a source. For example,Rivarossi U.S. freight car wheels? These are quite chunky and suitable for 0 gauge track. The plastic centres would allow reaming out for the inserts.

It looks like an unsuitable lubricant has been used in the past and it has gone hard. Normally these things are near indestructible, without 'enemy action'.

14.2 ± 0.1 mm B2B is correct for Dublo (or other) wheelsets with a 0.8mm flange. Peco Streamline was originally designed when these were still current*, with rather slack tolerances (which have been tightened up since). Is there sufficient side play on the centre axle? Asking anything to negotiate such tight curves requires a fair amount of side play. *Adopted by Tri-ang (later Hornby) of course following the takeover. I adjust back to back with a drill press. Once it's shifted, fine adjustment can usually be done by twisting a wheel on the axle. (Some will shift without the press - others are more recalcitrant!)

00 rolling stock axles are normally 2mm. The 10.5mm wheels might be a problem - most 4mm wheels are larger than this. Possibly Wrenn bogie wheels at around 10mm, though they are spoked?

Today's haul was quite prolific - Two shrews (carefully laid out side by side), one green lizard* and a locust! * This seems to be one of these - https://www.eurolizards.com/lizards/podarcis-tiliguerta/

I have one of those! She came from a boot sale at a Grifone-friendly price (Newton Abbot and £5 IIRC - it was something like 20 years ago!) was ear-marked for a repaint into SP 'Black Widow' livery, but way down the priority list, as I have several other F7As and the almost identical (externally anyway) F9As. I also have one of the Lima U.S.A. Alco 0-4-0T 'starter' locos in BR livery as 41312. I don't think there are any real 0-4-0Ts like this but I have seen a photo (once and I've never found it again) of a similar 0-6-0T.