trains12

CME With reference to your above comment on white glues I have been building my own track in 4mm and 7mm scales using copperclad for the last 40 odd years and use the procedure of gluing the track and points down by coating the area where the track is to be laid with white glue and then placing the trackwork onto this and checking all alignments and holding it down with some notice board pins and then covering it with the ballast and leaving for 24 hours and then vacuming up the surplus. Originally I used to use Polybond white glue and Resin W but over the years I have come to use plain PVA glue in 5 litre tubs. In all that time we have not had any problems with rotting or corrosion of the copperclad. What we did find was if you use Resin W exterior quality wood working glue you could not remove the trackwork without totally destroying it. Using all the other glues we have found that they are flexible and if the trackwork has to be altered or renewed then to lift it it only needs to be soaked with water over a few days and left to soak through and then with care the track and points can be relifted and reused. Resin W exterior has a chemical added to it which prevents the ingress of water and so cannot be lifted by this means. Copydex does the same as PVA but is slightly stronger and a lot more expensive. This technique has been used on all my layouts (You can follow the threads on the bottom of my post and see the construction of track for them) and also on layouts that I have been commissioned to build to name 2 on the RMWeb, Tywern Sidings and Kinmundy without any problems at all. One thing 30 - 40 years ago I used to use Evostik on Dunlopfix to glue the cork down but one day I was gluing 15 sheets of 3'x2' cork down on a new layout when Wendy heard me singing and laughing in the workshop. Upon investigation she found me totally high from the fumes of the glue as the windows were all sealed. It took me a few hours to recover from this and from that day forth I have used PVA glue to glue the cork down. One other point as regards noise I have found that there is very little difference between using copydex or PVA. In 4mm & 7mm scale I lay cork down where the track is to go but about 1" - 2" wider than the trackbed and then a further layer which is the width of the trackbed with the chamfer. The thickness of cork used is dependant upon the scale. I am not saying that this is the correct way but over the years it is how I have come to do it and I have been both in magazines and at shows been complimented on the appearence of my track but as usual everybody has their own way of doing things. Hope this has been useful Peter

Hi Martin Thanks for that will look into it. Peter PS did you get my e.mail over the legs.

Hi Neil They look as if the are made from white metal but I know that they are not, what ever it is it is very soft. While fitting the new set nearly bent one of the rods. I dont know if anybody makes a set of brass or nickle silver replacement sets.? Peter

Hi Jinty Thanks for the comments. Have just finished puting on new con rods on the 08 today and have just tested it . OK. Still have not sorted out the LED's yet but they are waiting till after the colwyn Bay show in two weeks time with Watermill Halt. I will have a look in the Study Centre to see if I have anything on Talyllyn Junction and let you know. I am thinking of have a operating day down at the unit after the show which will be open to everybody to come and as Wendy say's "play trains". It will be over a weekend. Will let you all know when. Might even put up the '0' gauge outside. Cheers Peter

Hi All Well the LEDS have gone on a back burner for a few weeks while work is done on Watermill Halt to make ready for the Colwyn Bay Show in two weeks time. The other item being done is the new coupling rods have arrived for the Class 06 from Peter's Spares, as always excellent service from them. Have had to order a nut spinner now due to the fact that I can't hold the dam small nuts. Old age comming on now. This should be up and running in the next few days. Also some work has been done on the research vessel with the fitting of the internal LED It is now at the stage ready for painting but true to form the weather has changed and the powers that be has said I cannot spray inside and its to cold to do it in the barn so it will have to wait till the sun comes out again Peter

Hi Stewart Thanks for the comments and also your pm. At present the installation of the LED's has stalled. Andy P and myself built a mock up of what we wanted and this worked perfectly using bi coloured LED's - red & green - so that the direction you were going in from the point was green and the other direction was red. When the point was changed the colours reversed. Have wired all this into the control panel now but for some reason when one of the push buttons is pressed we are getting a red and a green coming up on the 2 LED's. But when we press the other button to change direction we get nothing. Stripped it down again and each individual LED works but join them all back up, press one button, point changes you get green for the direction you want to go and red on the other direction. Press the other button to change the point and nothing happens on the LED's. Spent all day Friday and part of this morning but to no avail. Does anyone have any ideas on this? Is it because I am using 2 push buttons? Should I go to on- centre off- on with a spring switch to return to the centre off position? Hope someone can advise ar call Cheers Peter

Hi All Just two shots of the state of play so far on the wireing of the LED's into the control panel. Peter

Hi All Andy P called in yesterday to see me and we spent a nice day discussing railways and also made a start on Bridge of Muir control panel for the fitting of LED's to show the direction that the points are set in. Hopefully this will be completed in the next few days and will help to stop taking an engine out of the station with the point set against it and causing a complete short on the system. Will take some shots of the work in hand and post them. Many thanks Andy for coming, really enjoyed it it gets very lonely up here in the sticks. Peter

Hi Mike I know that in steam days at certain depots the mail coaches with the nets were turned on turntables so that they could be returned with the nets on the out side I remember seeing this once at Longsight shed near Manchester before the stock was taken back into Manchester London Road (Later Piccadilly) Station before going on the Manchester to London Run. Peter

All the ones that took video's and photographs at the show and so far havent seen any posted yet? Peter

Hi All Have been checking out the 08 to find why it jamed in the points. It appreas that the problem is the Kadee couplings are sitting to low, and are fouling on the frogs and the rail at the points, even through they have been set to the kadee setting gauge. All the stock will have to be rechecked again. On another tact, has anybody taken the body off a Hornby pullman Observation car.I have obtained one and want to strip it down to repaint in maroon like what was used on the West Highland line, but at present cannot get the body off. Cheers Peter

Hi Mick Many thanks for that. Very Interesting Cheers Peter

Hi All Here are two shots of the Class 08 . Peter

Hi All Well have been down to the unit to-day and the temp. inside is still warm and the bridge decking has come up again but only by about half an inch. Will start work on this in the next few days. In the mean time have sorted out the stock and put it all away. One small item that was damaged was the Class 08 which ran away when the hand sets reset them selves. It got jamed in one of the points and has totally smashed up the con rods in fact on onside it has snapped them in half so will have to try and obtain a new set. Any ideas where to obtain a spare set? Will take a shot today and post the damage. Peter

Hi All Well I have been looking at the layout today and the report is as follows. Both the joints going into the fiddle yards at each end have distorted and will need to be relined. Joint above the hydro power station, one side of the rail has expanded and pushed the track out of gauge so will need to be reset. The bridge deck which has lifted has also pushed the length of track coming off the viaduct has expanded coming into the first point at the station end and has pushed the left rail up off the copper clad so it will have to be lifted and relaid. I think with hindsight that some of the problems are down to me not allowing enough expansion in the joints so when this warm weather has come the rail has to go some place and so it has to give some where. On the point operation we need to have a better method of showing which direction the points are set. If the road is not correct and you send a train towards the point as soon as it has passed the gap in the rails it will short out the DCC supply to the point motors and everthing stops. Will need to do some more reading up on this. It will come and all be corrected before the next show The Hornby one in October then Hartlepool. In the mean time if there is anybody around here in North Wales that would like to come and help with this it would be most welcome. In the mean time a few more shots of the layout taken at the show. Cheers Peter

Hi All. Well before I go into the woes of the layout I first of all must say a big thank you to Barry, Paul, Mike and all the others who helped to put on a GREAT SHOW at the Great Central show It was Fab. Hotel was Fab, Food was Fab and the company was fab. Dont know about the beer not really a beer drinker. Also must thank Andy for his help on Sat. & Sun.. Anyway back to the layout. It was rubbish. No thats not really true. The problem was that on driving down on the thursday it got rather cooked in the rear of the van. The bridge deck again buckled with the heat as did a few of the joints and this caused some of the many problems over the weekend. The other problem was the floor which at one end had 8 inches of packing uder the feet to make it level but also when the public walked along it caused it to bounce with the result that stock was coming off the lines. Anyway have arrived back home rather tired now so here are a few shots. Will give a futher report in a while when I have sorted out my blood sugars.

Hi Andy looking forward to seeing you. If you have anything that you want to run on the layout bring it along. See you on Saturday andy. Peter

Hi David I use a cutting board made of granite that I obtained from Morrisons for £9.99 for use as a flat surface for building wagons and other items on . Well worth the cost its about 15inches by 12inces Appox. Dont know if they still have them. Did not realise that you had started this thread. Dont forget if you need any help on the research side you are welcome to come and use the Railway Study Centre library. Will follow now with interest. Cheers Peter

Hi All Well the layout is all packed up and ready to load up tomorrow into the van for the trip to the Great Central show on thursday. Looking forward to it, last year apart from the hotel it was a great show with much effort put into it by the lads. If there is any body out there who would like to have a go at operating we are short of one on theFriday, but any time will do if you are free you will be most welcome to have a go. Cheers Peter

Hi Mike do you have any more shots of the cable drum. Am thinking of doing a model of it. Is this the new line from Beauly nr. Inverness down to Falkirk then into england? Cheers peter

Interesting in that David Hunt does not mention it in the book on the two locos as he lists all the trials that were done with the two locos. Have also check in The Study Centre library in other books wihich the two engines are listed in and have found no reference to them going over the S& C. They both were used on the west coast route to Glasgow and onto Perth before doing trials on the Southern. Peter

I too seem to remember seeing somewhere that they had been on the S&C for trials. I have read through David Hunt's LMS Locomotive Profiles No 9 but cannot see any mention to it. Peter

Hi All Well been down at the unit doing a few small jobs on BoM and found the short on the end of the station Just a wire and a dry joint touching onto another section of the copper clad. All working OK now. What is a problem is that the road/track bed has lifted up by about 30-35mm from the cross girders with the sunlight shinning on it. We have now moved the bridge board into the shade and it is returning back to normal. I hope. Just have to fit a few new adjustable feet to the last two boards and then it is all ready for loading next week for the show. Now to finish off the stock. Cheers Peter

Hi Iain The layouts are down at the shop unit in the Barracks at Nantlle whereas the Study Centre with the library and workshops are just outside Llanllyfni. Unfortunately we have a major problem with the library at present as it is in a bit of a tip due to the floor collapsing under all the weight of the books and drawings etc. If you ever want to call please give me a ring as not always at the Unit as semi-retired now and do most of the work in the workshops at home. Will pm you with my phone number and address.(Have you seen the model I am making of Dorotheas beam engine in my 'layout without a name' thread?) Regards Peter

Hi Stewart Thanks for your comments, still feel awful with it, reported it to the nurse but she said you shouldn't get any side effects basically. At present my readings are still around what they were before I started it. Anyway enough of that! Even though I was born and bred in England I feel very close to Scotland and enjoy it immensly. On my mothers side my gran and all her relations were all Scottish. 2 of my great uncles served in the Black Watch and it was pure fluke that my mother was born in England instead of Scotland. Spent early my early life and teens holidaying all the time in Scotland up to 6 - 8 weeks at a time in and around Kirkcudbright. Once I cross the border into Scotland I always feel at home. Will have to try and meet up at a show or if you are in this area call in and see me. My next shows are Colwyn Bay with Watermill Halt in July and then with Bridge of Muir at the Hornby Great Electric railway show and then Hartlepool. All the best Peter