Jump to content
 

Liddy

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    262

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Liddy

  1. Liddy
    It's too easy, isn't it? Still, I find it fascinating; a smooth, quiet running Dapol Class 50 was a pre-owned bargain and another piece of luck enabled a body-swap to pre-TOPS Blue, just like I remember tearing past the swings and slides at our Rec'. I'm now in the habit of using Digitrains sound files, but they didn't have a Zimo Next18 small enough at the time. I nearly went with Legomanbiffo as his projects are sublime, but didn't want to confuse myself with ESU and Zimo protocols! Luckily Youchoos had the hardware and Digitrains did a reblow.
    And here it is on speed step 4 with volume at 40/255, turn the volume up and enjoy.
     
     
  2. Liddy
    Hi,
    Well, I'm happy with the mechanics and electrics, final testing was completed tonight and everything works (sound deadening/wire-in-tube/frog juicer) Now I can concentrate on the scenery; I have a Scenecraft 'Great Central Goods Depot' which should set the scene nicely, abeit a little worn/unkempt. I think it looks like the one at Quorn and that one is not as low, being attached to a platform on the 'porch' side' and from an archive photo, having a small loading platform on the road vehicle side. (If I have that wrong, please, please, correct me) An ancient Peco road-over bridge recovered from a previous layout is being hacked to produce a bit of a scenic exit and will need integrating with some sort of raised roadway. A hardstanding will be needed as I want to suggest forklift operations.
     

     
    Provision for a cassette or extension.
     

     
    Frog juicer with red/black input top right, track power red/black middle right and frog feeds in green.
     

     
    Bent Wire-in-Ballpoint pen ink reservoir tube.
     
    A one minute video hosted on YouTube shows the track being tested 
     
    With the Peco road-over bridge narrowed, skewed and positioned, I drafted the roadway and track down to the yard on mount board and cut it out. Fettling it to fit/suit the location was a very enjoyable - back to teenage modelling exercise. I made a little 40 degree repose 'gauge' to check embankment slopes and hacked some polystyrene packing to support the roadway.
     

     
     
    I kept going and glued most of the elements in place. A tiny test board has been made with an offcut of track to test ground cover techniques.
     

     
    Hi, Thanks for dropping-by.
    Some progress as I'm trying to keep going. The bottom of the ramp has been cut into the yard surface to try and make that transition smooth. I've added polystyrene to create an embankment supporting the road. Trying to give an impression of slightly uneven ground with the formation and yard having been levelled. Some photos to illustrate my my thoughts.
     

     

     

     
    I'm still moving the bothy around and thinking it might need a weighbridge.
     
     
     

     
    When I fitted the bridge I used a Farish BR 12T van to test for clearance - unfortuately a my Farish locos are taller, so about an hour was spent lifting it slightly and realigning the track. All good now.
     

     
    As per my strap line I have been working on some detail, as the inside of the bridge is visible to the curious I have cut up the unused wing walls to create interior walls and highlighted to myself that I need a solution to the interior faces of the road walls!
     

     

     
    I have been distracted by collecting rolling stock! Now I'm back to scenery. The bridge needs finishing at the baseboard edge, the road needs widening, the road profile made fitting spear facing nigh impossible, the road went straight in to the background and I've been putting it off untill I had two things; a brainwave to carve foam board to correct the road contour and found more wing walls dead cheap on a second -hand stall (plus a Hornby milk tanker!).

     

     
     
     
     
     

     

  3. Liddy

    Beyond the Baseboard

    By Liddy,


    Lack
    Looking back, I am a serial baseboard builder. I enjoy the woodworking and I'm happy with the results. My last effort was a simple working diorama plank with scenery (see profile photo) now home life has settled down again I'm having another go. This time trying an Ikea Lack shelf with an N gauge inglenook (Boomerang generation (sad consequence of the pandemic) mean my space is restricted again.
    Starting with a 110cm shelf, because it fitted over my bench I realised that by rationalising my books/magazines and cutting the bookcase down to size I could add a 30cm unit to make space for large radius points. By gluing the shelves together I could use the bracket rebate in the 30cm unit to help hold the backscene board.
     
     
     
     

     
    A simple inglenook has been laid out with a road overbridge to disguise the left end and trees to hide the right-hand end. Buildings will be minimal to help the sense of space, a fantastic Harburn Hamlets Railway office, a Kestrel platform and hopefully a scratch built Goods shed as per Llangynog. I have some Woodlands scenics trees but at £13 for 5  I'm going to have to learn to build trees.
     

     
    11th July Update
    TBH I wasn't comfortable with the arrangement above, so I've been moving things around. Now I'm much happier with the look I'm trying to achieve. As you will see below, the open end of the board (because that's the view when you walk in the room) now has a P&D Marsh level crossing. Like the header photo the line will disappear into a tunnel at the far end, so I can extend my sidings to the max. The tunnel is possible because the road climbs initially as it crosses the line and then for the whole length of the board. This is freight only, saving precious inches over a platform and allowing more room for vehicles.
     

     
    The Bothy now guards the yard entrance, the base for the Goods shed will come towards the camera a couple of inches and the centre track will terminate where a coal merchant still operates at the far end of the yard. Track will be laid on foam track bed to absorb wheel noise.
     

     

     
    UPDATE; I must be my own worst enemy, I haven't done any work or added to the blog in months, but my thoughts haven't stopped. I decided that I didn't like what I was creating and in my head went back to Square 1. I joined the N Gauge Society and N Gauge Forum to read others stories, I decided to use Easi-shunt couplings and played with them, I decided to make do without buildings and not to fence the layout. Though I still think the Artitec Warehouse https://www.artitecshop.com/en/goods-depot-1160.html in anglicised form has great potential. I stopped buying rolling stock unless it had NEM coupling mounts and started selling my Farish BR Bauxite goods wagons. There was much playing with AnyRail to find something that is practical. Eventually the wallpaper for the backscene was glued-on, a curved corner created (filled with lightweight filler) the first layer of foamboard glued and the trackplan stuck down. 
     

     
     
     

     
    Working with the printed track plan on the baseboard was really useful, it gave a great feeling for the space left for roadways/hedging/trees etc. I'm really pleased with this.
     
    A second layer of 5mm foamboard has been lightly glued to the rear of the trackplan and Woodland Scenics foam roadbed lightly glued over the track image. I'm trying to eliminate motor-geartrain-wheel to rail noise as much as possible. Good progress was made today, it shouldn't take long to fill-in with foamboard to the front edge of the baseboard. Also, I need some thin card overlaid on the backscene board now to smooth the ripples in the corner.
     

     

     

     
    I've re-printed the trackplan of the points to locate them exactly, not a big deal, but with hindsight as the roadbed is so wide I could have just drawn the outline of the whole trackplan and filled it in with roadbed, saving the printout for re-use. Having positioned the points, I will take my time to lay them carefully, add the wire in tube and fix them down.
     
     
     
  4. Liddy
    Taking note from the inspirational 'Off the Beaten track' blog I'm building an O gauge wagon kit before diving into 7mm. I chose a Slaters BR Shocvan, adding Slaters own sprung W-irons to get the best possible running. I'm painting the wheels as rusty on the backs and oily dust on the fronts.
     

  5. Liddy

    Fingers crossed

    By Liddy,

    I'm at it again. Lots of thought has been given to operating a small layout, I am determined to have a loop for shunting wagons. My latest plan is shown on the left and was created with Anyrail software.(Clicking any of the images will enlarge them). The photo below shows progress to-date. Essentially there is a single running line with a loop and 3 sidings for; coal (or special wagons), arrivals to the store and a departures/storage siding.
     

     
    Part of the thinking is to operate as a standalone board with small locos plus 3 or 4 wagons and also to use 'scenic' fiddlesticks (ground textures and backscene) to allow the use of longer locos when space permits. Currently my effort is concentrating on the loop and points, they've been assembled with rail joiners and lightly soldered. I'm trying to decide if re-spacing sleepers on the plain track is worthwhile.
    This layout is aimed at shunting BR goods wagons from the 60's and early 70's including the odd gunpowdervan and palvan. Couplings will most likely be modified tension locks to the Brian Kirby method.
    All comments welcomed
     

     
    I'm delighted to be making progress. Both children have left home and redecorating/re-furnishing the largest spare room as a proper guest room then released the smallest bedroom as a 'Train' room. I've installed a pasting table (modified with longer leg braces to get it flat) and making genuine progress. This link shows testing with a Black Beetle motor bogie and a 9V battery to check rail joints/track alignment/electrical continuity.
     
     
     
     
  6. Liddy

    Let's try again shall we?

    By Liddy,

    Hi,
    Thanks for dropping-by. For those that have read my previous ramblings, I had to shelve the 3-board project, all the track was laid and running beautifully, but the space left for platforms was too small and the sheer volume of buildings and scenery was too much, I only ever managed a nibble at the workload, so progress was too slow to keep me happy. It was going to be a slow project and that means not fun. I did a cracking job of track-laying, so recovering track was a careful, yet sometimes brutal job. I want somewhere 'scenic' to run my stock.
    I've always admired micro layouts, so I bought a copy of Paul Lunn's book and read it from cover to cover.
     

     
    The layout idea Retro Railcar caught my attention and so I got together some track on a sheet of card and had a play.


     
    Then drew it up on Any Rail (ideal for this job of planning and refining ideas)
     

     
    I got worried about getting the sector plate tracks to line-up, so I tried without the hidden kick-back sidings, obviously that limits the amount of stock, but I want to get a scenic layout running, so simplicity is vital. My next iteration made the sector plate simpler, but that made for a large non-scenic right hand end
     

     
    I drew up AnyRail schemes to use a 3-way point at the fiddle yard end of the scenic layout and do away with the sector plate.
     

     
    But now the simplicity has gone, shunting the kick-back siding needs too many moves and is severely limited by any stock in the lower left siding and including an off-scene track (head shunt?) will add extra length.
    So, I decided a single-slip is needed.
     

     
    OK, Single-slip acquired, now to refine the track lengths, it would be easy to make the layout longer to accommodate a 'good' length of train, but I want to keep it to 4 square feet with a short loco and 2 wagons in the platform road clear of the right-hand point and 4 wagons fitting inside the loop, if I can squeeze a short Type 2 diesel and 1 wagon in the platform road even better.
     
    Buildings/structures
     
    I want to keep these simple to maintain momentum, a packed-earth passenger platform on the lower left with a stone retaining wall, a corrugated waiting shelter and lamp hut (and a lamp) will face across the lines to a basic goods lockup on a short platform. I thought I'd try to hide the sector plate behind a basic creamery, but still apply scenic textures to the sector plate to give the layout 'depth'. I would really like a coal siding, does anyone have a suggestion where it could go, I originally thought lower right, but it wouldn't disguise the sector plate.
    Edit; I've been planning rolling stock moves in my head and I've realised that with the current plan the goods road will have to be empty to shunt the creamery, so I need to swap passengers for goods and put the halt platform upper left and goods siding lower left.
     

     


    A simple halt with shelter has been mocked-up in card, designed to only just hold a 2-car DMU it needs further shortening because it overlaps with the wharf and I have to get rid of the shelter to further simplify it. If I was running a railcar I'd go for one of the tiny jetty style platforms, but this will have to host a Class 121 so it will be overgrown to make it visually smaller.


     

     


    I've abandoned the idea of a creamery, I did some research and figured that I'd have trouble making a convincing structure in the space available and it wouldn't do enough to disguise the sector plate. In it's place I've decided to build a wharf inspired by Marsh Sidings so I can run some coal wagons to be loaded with small mine coal.


     

     


    Overall view to show the halt shifted to the left, the goods platform will only handle 1 or 2 wagons, but might yet have an end loading dock for variety.


     


     
    I've mocked up the goods platform to get an idea of how it looks, I haven't got much space and I want to keep it simple, I want a Goods lockup, probably a pre-Grouping outside framed van body.
     


     
    The passenger platform was too large, so part of the plan is to make it overgrown and to blend it into the landscape, I've added a paper 'skirting' at the back to help create the illusion in the mock up.
     


     
    The roadside bank (rear-right) enabled lorries to reverse off the road and tip into wagons, the ground cover will be worn down by vehicle movements, so dusty ground, low grass and scrubby weeds, I'm thinking it will need weathering powders and fine dust. The backscene can be dense, low relief trees very appropriate for the location.
     

     
    Work has started on the baseboard, I decided a sector plate was needed for the runaround so the picture below shows the underside of the sector plate end.
     

     
    I constructed a simple cassette to enable trains to run onto the layout (although it should be operable in a simple way without the cassette) and to enable trains to be changed off-stage

    The backscene boards have been sanded and painted, (curved corners are needed) the boards are clamped in place to check look and fit.

    The right-hand point, single-slip and the track to the sector plate have been soldered together to guarantee alignment, note the super-hot micro blow torch it makes getting enough heat into the joint a breeze, but you need to be hyper alert.

     
    A metre rule was used to align the track with the sector plate.

     
    I've hit a 'snag', having aligned the platform track with the sector plate and let all that set overnight, the geometry for the loop is badly wrong, it would need an 'S' bend to work. But I have the remedy in shortening the sector plate by 6", filling-in the resulting gap, extending the platform track and giving a few more degrees swing to the sector plate. Not a disaster, I know what to do, I don't like damaging what I've done so far and I will need several hours set aside to ensure a good job.
  7. Liddy

    Lancaster Road

    By Liddy,

    Lancaster Road has been abandoned
     

    I feel like I'm making progress, today the track laying was completed, the wiring needs finishing to the coal siding but that's only 2 wires. The coal siding is the one with the weights on and the opposite siding running towards the camera is for the end load dock, long enough for a GUV or 1-plank wagons or low-macs or with a crane ideal for unloading conflats and bolster wagons. Some testing is in order to check smooth running and electrical continuity, then it's the wire-in-tube for point control.
     


  8. Liddy

    Desperation

    By Liddy,

    I am desperate, I am practising building in P4, meanwhile I have just got to get something running, I've drooled over the sublime Shell Island, the wagon sidings on Canada Road, the running of trains on Abbotswood Jct. and the magic of Frampton. I've drawn inspiration from the atmospheric Cardiff photos of BR2975 (Thanks for sharing) Roath Goods and Bracty Bridge. So, I've set the scene and drawn a trackplan on Anyrail, the operation would involve cassettes at each end, probably longer than the micro, with the rear siding shunted by invisible locos (heard but never seen) and trains emerging from the front siding when given the road to cross the bridge and traffic on the running line in both directions. Now I could do with some feedback, I'd like to add a semaphore for the exit from the siding, but being realistic it would be off-scene to the left. I've had one bit of input that said simply " can you make it smaller?" Well thinking about it today I reckon I can, the sidings at the back can be closer than prototype and the terraces can be singles tucked right in at the bottom of the embankment and if I change the tall town pub for a corner shop then the embankment doesn't need to be so high and the bridge will be low but with the road dipping underneath. Thanks for any comments

  9. Liddy

    Scenery and madness

    By Liddy,

    Hi,
    So the starting picture is one I took recently on a ramble hoping to capture a country lane and hedge to give me inspiration and guidance on making my own.
     

     
    I'd been into a model shop and nearly bought hedges, but realsied that even when bought I'd feel compelled to add detail, foliage, variety so decided to experiment and got out all my various bags of flock etc.
     

     
    I went for variation in colour and texture I think it needs long grass at the bottom of the hedge to help blend in to the road verge and maybe a gentle blow over with some dusty shades to try to tie it all together.
    Any comments appreciated
  10. Liddy

    Ressurection

    By Liddy,

    I started a couple of years ago on a simple shunting plank, as space is short and I wanted somewhere to run my stock. There is a simple oval in the loft which works fine for running-in, but with Peco code 100 and only space for short radius points it is clearly a toy train set. I wanted to create something with scenery and work towards 'finescale' appearance. I'd like to work in P4, particularly as I like the 'spindly-ness' of the wheel treads on P4 wagons giving a strong impression of prototype wagons. Anyway, a plank was duly constructed with plans for an industrial setting at the back of a factory with a loading platform and run-around loop and a couple of sidings all in 6' x 8"! Well it would fit in the space I had behind the 'struts' for the roof trusses, but it was a PIA to wriggle it in and out and I was frustrated by having to work between the roof trusses.
     

     
    But I got to grips with DCC and even DCC sound and experimented with Kadees with sliding under-track magnets and had all the points working beautifully with 'stick-in-hole' including PL-15s switching the polarity to live frogs.
     

     
    So far, so good. But working in the loft was really anti-social and at 6' long it wasn't portable and being only 8" deep although I worked on low-relief background buildings it just wasn't satisfying. So this weekend it got dismantled with a mallet.
     

     
    I knew I had to build something smaller that would fit on the bench in the utility room for ease of use and something lighter, more portable. I read what I could about sector plates and decided that was the answer to operating interest and read what I could about using foam slabs as baseboards. I've been inspired by Mossley Terrace and decided that simplicity was the key to success, so I've chosen not to have any points, just rely on the sector plates for switching tracks. I figured that as this was another experiment I could re-use the code 100 track and re-cycle any materials that were in half-decent condition. So, this afternoon I collected a pile of bits from the garage and laid them out on the bench to gauge lengths etc. The following pictures should give you a good idea of my progress to date. I've yet to construct sector plates, but my plan is to create 2 different sets of sector plates, one for use within the constraints of the bench length and a second set twice as long for when I use the full length of the kitchen work surface to enable me to run longer rakes of wagons and through trains.
     

     

     

     
    The odd shape (thank goodness for the adjustablity of a B&D workmate tm)
     

     
    is from a need to work diagonally across the bench, a desire to not have any corners in the background, only needing to accommadate sector plates at each end and some ideas discussed on the 2mmSA VAG when I worked in 2mm about 'organic' shapes.
  11. Liddy

    Nearly there

    By Liddy,

    Progress. I've been stalling over how to hold down/at right spacing/move the switch blades on my attempt at a P4 point, today saw the switch blades trimmed to length, connected to a tie-bar and a start on gluing down the switch rail chairs. I'm pleased with the look of it, not prototypical, but a vast improvement on Peco and a fish van ran through the point smoothly. I will add the check rails next and then finish gluing down the chairs I left loose as I tweaked the rail to gauge. Ah, I must add power feeds too.
     

  12. Liddy
    5-plank wagon conversion
     
    So I got a bargain on an online auction, it was dark grey with 'loco wheels only' markings, but with a 'coal load' glued into it, I have to admit I was more than a little disappointed. Originally (before I found the 'coal') thought it would go into store for a steam era idea, but gouging the load out would still require making-good afterwards, so now I've decided it needs a new identity.
     
    First some bauxite paint, then a simple renumber
     

     
    then a tarpaulin sheet for the body
     

     
    next a revamp for the underframe, wheels, brakes, vac cylinder, tie rods etc
  13. Liddy

    Lancaster Road

    By Liddy,

    I've started work on a new layout, this has had a lot of thought put into the design, I pulled together a collage of prototype and model pictures that inspire me (including Chapel Wharf, Carron Road, Acacia Avenue, Canada Road) I built 3 boards each 3'6" x 1'. Board 1 is the centre board and features 90% of the crossings (to simplify control) and a parcels dock (as a reason to run parcels stock), Board 2 is primarily scenic with the half-station and coal siding. Board 3 is still under consideration, it will certainly have an urban un-gated road crossing, possibly with an industry (creamery as an excuse to run 6-wheel tanks/oil storage tanks for oil tanks) or keep it simple with a few sidings for a short rake of ballast wagons plus vans & opens awaiting departure.
     

     
    I've used peco streamline track and as I've re-considered the design I've tried hard to keep it simple to speed up construction, so what was going to be a half-station like Worcester Foregate with cantilevered canopies becomes just a brick back wall, no buildings and just a footbridge to hide the hole in the back scene.
  14. Liddy

    Track detailing

    By Liddy,

    Having laid all the track on Lancaster Road, I've started detailing it before ballasting and platform edges get in the way. Firstly, some C+L fine scale fishplates which look under-sized on code 100 rail, but I reckon with painting will look better than no fishplates. Where I feel safe the track won't move before ballasting I've removed the rail-joiners to improve the appearance. I have a list to work on including the wire-in-tube (I've cut the web between sleepers to get the tube in the right places), cosmetic point-rodding, (primarily for the cross-overs) point levers for the sidings, painting rails, sleepers and details.
     

     
    I've been adding scenic materials to a trial piece of track, grey/brown painted sleepers, rust painted rail, Green Scenes ballast, 4 mm 'summer' static grass, a strip of grass mat and very fine sand-dust. I'm pleased with the result, but, there's too much grass on the track and the grass is too bright and too long, so I've bought some 2 mm 'winter' grass for a further trial.
     


  15. Liddy
    I like the inside-framed ex-GWR Siphons in BR blue as parcels traffic and found a bargain Lima model yesterday in GWR brown. I have Bachmann BR Mk1 bogies that will suffice until I can source the correct pattern. It's had a bath so I took a 'before' photo. The screws holding the body on were difficult to access behind the bogies but they're out now without any damage.
     


     
    As the lettering needs removing I tried meths on a cotton bud, but it took the paint off and left the shirtbutton logo, so I scratched the markings off with a blade and decided to strip all the paint and make the most of the fine moulding of the louvres.
     


     
    I've shown an original bogie on the left and a Bachmann Mk1 on the right.
  16. Liddy

    Wagon fettlin'

    By Liddy,

    I have a couple of days off work to make sure I use up my holiday before year-end, this has resulted in 2 mid-week days, daylight and some relative peace (wife at work, son and daughter fully occupied) and a couple of hours working on wagons. I've been very impressed with Michael Clark's etches for brake gear and I'm particularly keen to address the brakes on an ex-LNER/BR fish van a Parksidekit in the guise of an Express Parcels van, the kit linkages, levers and vees look under-nourished. Trying to make up Michael's brake hangers and shoes was fiddly, so I cheated with MJT clasp brakes, now I'm onto the more satisfying bits of linking vee's and brakes together with rigging.
     
    I also decided to improve the brakes on an ex-GWR 12 ton van in BR bauxite a Bachmann RTR model and found intially to my growing horror that I was cutting more and more bits off the underframe before I could start re-construction, but I'm sure now it was worthwhile. Fitting the P4 wheels needed the backs of the W-irons sanded down and the axle holes very carefully drilled a fraction deeper for the pinpoints.
     
    The header picture here shows something of my goal, the van is the Parkside kit and has been fitted with sprung buffers, I know they're not the right pattern as they are Bachmann loco buffers from a spares pack, but they're good enough for me for now. The coupling is an etched instanter to HO scale very kindly given to me by a fellow modeller. Again, it's not right as it's too small for 4mm and looks fragile, in my view, instanters are large heavy bulky couplings and these just aren't big enough, I have a packet of Exactoscale to try, but even though they are from the pro's in the business they still don't portray the 'mass' of the real thing, I may tin them to 'bulk' them up and see if that makes a better representation. Anyway, the header image shows the fish/parcels van and an 08 on a tight curve with the coupling at full stretch and the inner buffers in compression which is something I want to see.
     
    These pictures of the 12T RTR van show the extent of original detail that needed removing (brake hangers/brake blocks/brake rigging/cross-shaft Etc) and the new P4 wheels fitted together with new brake hangers/blocks cut down from the MJT clasp brakes and fitted into 1.6mm holes drilled in the floor to get the shoes to line-up with the axles. The brake blocks have been drilled for the brake arms.
     

     
    The round white dot in the lower right quadrant of the underframe in this picture below is the tip of the cut-down brake hanger showing where the hole is drilled to fit the MJT brake hangers/blocks.
     

     
    This next image shows how it is possible to get the brake blocks very close to the wheel.
     

     
    I've made up brake arms and added Vee's to the underframe, now I'm adding brake levers and GWR pattern 'saw-tooth' brake guards, I had trouble knowing where to locate the top of the brake guard, but there is a tiny 'nib' on the right-hand end of the sole plate in just the right spot (just out-board of the shortened side stanchion) the stay to the w-iron was shortened by half and twisted half-a-turn to allow it to lie flat. Most awkward has been getting the profile of the long brake lever right, the sketch in the instructions is vague, so I've used Geoff Kent's excellent '4mm Wagons part 2', you can see that the initial angle from the vee is too large, I shall tweak it tomorrow, I'm pleased I could do the tiny 'return' on the handle end. A note on the brake arms; I've measured the RTR underframe and as far as I can tell it is a 40mm wheelbase, so spot-on, but I'm disappointed with the resulting angle of the cams on the cross-shaft, I expected them to be less acute, so on my next version I think I'll shorten the brake arms and re-drill the brake block end.
     

     
    btw The white splodges are primer on the brass
     
    Shaping brake levers
     
     
    My worry over shaping the brake levers for the ex GWR 12T van are over, I tweaked the first one and then drew a plan view on squared paper with some dimensions and from that I found it straightforward to shape the next one. Here is my finished lever.
     

     

     
    And the plan with dimensions
     

     
    5-plank wagon conversion
     
    So I got a bargain on an online auction
     

    it was dark grey with 'loco wheels only' markings, but with a 'coal load' glued into it, I had originally (before I found the 'coal') thought it would go into store for a steam era idea, but now I've decided it needs a new identity.
    First some bauxite paint, then a simple renumber, then a dummy load, then a tarpaulin sheet for the body

    next a revamp for the underframe, wheels, brakes, vac cylinder, tie rods etc
  17. Liddy
    I found it very difficult to get into the Kernow 1361 to hard-wire the decoder, it is beautifully designed and engineered with very fine tolerances and superb fit of parts, I had to study the exploded diagram carefully to identify where the join is between parts. The instructions say remove 2 screws in the coal bunker to remove the cab roof to install crew and speaker. In fact you don't need to remove the screws, they don't help at all. To remove the cab roof you have to carefully tweak some self-locking plastic tabs fixed to the rear edge of the roof and engaging with the coal bunker doors/shovelling plate. Anyway, some very careful disassembly later it was down to the running gear and I un-soldered the pcb to hard-wire a Zimo MX 648 sound decoder (shorter than an MX649 because there isn't much length in the smoke box/boiler with the wiring as well) and test ran it before re-assembly. It needs more running-in, so I need to progress on my rolling road next so that it can run whilst I work on the micro layout for it.
     

     
    The rolling road is a great tool, wish I'd invested years ago, I've laid a length of EM track as the machine screw ends sticking out under the cradles are too far apart to fit within 16.5 mm track gauge (a strange oversight in design) and I've had to loosen the roller bearings as they came from the factory screwed so tightly to the cradle that they didn't revolve (again an oversight) The loco has had 2 - 3 hours running in each direction and has quietened-down a lot, I've oiled-round coupling rods and axles where it shows on the diagram, I plan to grease the brass worm too as I'm sure that is creating some of the noise. A crew is being painted and a little more weathering is needed.
     

     
    I've installed a sugar cube 15 x 11 speaker in the coal bunker with a tiny chamber that started at 5 mm deep and ended at 3 mm with edges rounded and base thinned to enable it to fit in the bunker. Some test running showed that the volume needed turning down and if I can get it changed, I'll alter the short whistle sound to a toot!
     
    Here's a short video on my YouTube channel
     
    https://youtu.be/WqE1c46r62c
     
    I've added the crew to the cab
     

     
    The 1361 was hitting the nose of a short radius point on the diverging route on the new layout, wagons ran through without any problem, so I added a 10 thou sliver of plasticard to the check rail with butanone and it works!
     

  18. Liddy

    Traders store

    By Liddy,

    I recently bought a Scenecraft OO/HO 44-180 Traders store and I'm very impressed. I was looking for a goods shed for a micro layout and most Ready-to-Plant is just too big. The plan is for a small rural yard, essentially a 'loop with 2 sidings'. RTP structures have been chosen to help maintain momentum on the layout build.
    The size is ideal as a temporary store for odd items not collected on the day of arrival. The tiny rail-side platform is at the right height for a standard BR 12t van. I will be adding a tiny corrugated porch over the platform as shown in a couple of prototype photos and bedding the 'legs' into the scenery.
    If anyone has any detailing or weathering suggestions I'd be most interested.
  19. Liddy

    BR Blue Class 37

    By Liddy,

    Bought a 37/0 off ebay, very pleased as it has a V4 Loksound.
     

     
    My preference is for proper headcodes, partly nostalgia and partly because it gives a train an identity in my mind. It came with 'domino' headcodes so I popped one out ....
     

     
    I removed the paint, but still felt the transparent headcode glazing was too small, looked at photos and got conflicting impressions and still felt they were too small, so I made a start on proper headcode windows. Bits of sweetie box acetate are ideal.
     

     
    A further bonus with this loco was that the owner had commissioned a model shop to put in headcode and tail lights!
    I still haven't figured out how to dim them, but I find this new 'extended' CV set very confusing.
     

     
    OK, so I've installed new glazing and headcode, I'm not happy, the superglue has 'misted' the glazing, so I need to replace that and the headcodes have 'spotty' backgrounds due to using a fancy paper, time to re-print. I'll post again when remedial action has been completed.
    P.S. Yes, I know about the lamp irons, shawplan versions are on my shopping list for when I've finished handling the makeover.
  20. Liddy

    Plodding on

    By Liddy,

    I managed to visit the Wyre Forest Model show at Worcester today to see Foundry Lane close-up, many thanks to Mark for being so welcoming and taking time to explain his construction to me when he was clearly very busy keeping trains moving for his audience. It was a treat to view close-up and inspired me to do some more baseboard construction when I got back. So in keeping with the principle of simplicity I fitted a brace/stretcher/end-piece/sector plate pivot board to the No.1 end. btw Only the upper piece of 2 x 1 (longest side horizontal) is attached, all the rest are packing pieces. How I wished I had a sash cramp.
     
     

     
     
    I think I will add some form of end-plate to help keep everything square, I suspect it will just be a rectangle of scrap ply.
     
    A small step, but at least it's another step towards completion.
     
    btw Saw 'Unit Models' at the show today, not aware of them before, very interesting selection of resin detailing items, usual disclaimer, no connection with the business, just impressed with the display.
  21. Liddy
    I am a huge admirer of Neil's Shell Island and greatly admire the simplicity of his 'less-is-more' backscene, but I'm a colour-blind dunce when it comes to art, so for my own backscene I'm going to need something solid and physical. Much of my inspiration for an urban setting has come from Hendre Lane, Anderstaff Yard, Mossley Terrace and Thorne Yard. I particularly like the blue brick retaining walls, but feel that for credibility they can't be very high and as I feel something like 15" height is needed I believe some sort of 19th Century industrial warehouse atop the wall is called-for. I spotted a likely candidate today and took a couple of shots with the phone for proportions, windows (nice basic steel frames) textures and details e.g. mossy drain pipes, leaky gutters, weathering streaks Etc. I'll load them here as a reference.
     

     

     

  22. Liddy

    Momentum

    By Liddy,

    As this is an experiment I've discarded notions of clever construction and in an attempt to maintain momentum have gone for hi-grab/non-solvent/building glue of the no-sharp-pointy-metal-things-that-you-nail-wood-together-with type.
     

     
    It's expensive stuff, but it may also rescue my bodyboard.
     

     

     
    The next stage has to be traditional carpentry to hold the ends in position and support the pivots for the sector plates. I'm planning on a nut & bolt through washers glued to the sector plate for simplicity. Anyone got any advice?
×
×
  • Create New...