richbrummitt

Not yet but I did have a productive weekend wiring up track. All the dropper wires bar the vees and wing rails are now in place and soldered up. I used up some stranded wire that looked small enough without being silly with flexible insulation. The wire (pre-tinned) is passed through a hole drilled adjacent to the rail on the operator side. The wire is bent towards and then parallel with the rail, fluxed and then helod underneath the rail whilst the soldering iron (with a small pointy tip) is introduced to make the join. You don't have to be super quick, but prolonged heating will require a couple of localised fixes to the sleepering. Apologies for the latter photograph where the focus is beyond the intended subject matter. Once painted and ballasted I think these will go unnoticed. Work was also started on getting the switch blades operative. I really wish I'd made these another way using a jig, but I am where I have got to. A trip to the model shop for some telescoping brass sections turned up a Farish Macaw B. This is a model I have eyed for a little while, but had been told by the man on the Bachman stand at Ally Pally that there would be a delay in supply whilst they made some more . I only managed to source one, but it is a nice model that compares well with the kit built Macaw (from an earlier diagram) I have. A quick swap of the bogies to 2mm SA association ones is made easy because the bogie retaining pieces just pull off, although the holes need opening out in the etched bogie stretcher to fit the chuncks on the bottom of the Farish moulding. The pockets for the stanchions on the outside of the wagon are a little thick when compared directly, and the tie down rings are also different, but it is a very nice model. I intend to produce a load like that depicted early in Russels Freight Wagons and Loads... There was a timber yard/saw mill at Wheatley and I suppose that sawn timbers could have feasably been transported this way.

The top looks a bit yellow (probably the lighting). My experience is that ballast is always darker once laid. I'd definitely try to go about re-colouring by flooding the ballast with watered down paint.

Dean was especially inconsiderate in this respect with the mounting of his bogies. Thank you. I keep having to re-fix them sometimes after handling. They stick out further than the fixing area is tall. What I should have done (and may still do) is have the hanger bend under the footboard and flatten it well in some pliers. That would require a locomotive. Watch this space.

I found it was easier to do shorter lengths. My rail is off a coil and I was cutting 2-3 44'6" scale lengths. Fully de-burring the rail is paramount to easy chair threading. You have to make sure to get them the right way around too! (The fat part goes to the outside, the more sloped part inside.) I cut them from the sprue first and bagged them according to type so that I could have just the few chairs I needed for each piece of rail at once. I found that the easiest way to thread was to hold the chair down with a small file or the butt of a pair of tweezers on the base of the chair behind the chair jaws. That way it is held quite securely and you can ease the rail gently through the chair jaws up to the holding tool. After that it is easy to slide the chair down by hand and thread the next one. Probably quicker to solder, if you aren't scared Sleepers with chair plates are the same depth so I am told. I quite like the look of Easitrac compared to my previous soldered track. Don't worry. If you don't ask you may never know.

I have another like this with a 6 wheel u/f. I think the remainder have the later (relatively speaking) grab handles that form a continuous circuit and these will probably be easier to do. The side stanchions are well formed on the frets that I have assembled and went in with a small amount of force. I could foresee that maybe these could be bent during assembly and opening up slots in etches is not so easy. I hate building chassis because I struggle to align the outer overlays once they do not locate on the bearings and they always seem to take me ages unless they are simple like the swan neck linkage with one side brake blocks so maybe I am not the best person to ask. They are not beyond your reach though. I think I would rate it maybe a seven. There is a lot to do, but it's quite achievable. The thin foot boards on the right hand van have been re-attached more times than I can count so I'd recommend you fit the L shaped ones.

I recall a photo in Stephen Williams Branch Line Modelling books that shows the inside of an engine shed. The lower part of the walls was whitewashed.

I think leaving the pillars suggests a much larger shed, otherwise it might be assumed that only the near wall is cut away (like you are viewing with your back to it). At the present time I personally prefer the viewing from inside the shed. With it's small size it might be best described as a working diorama. The amount of detail that one day will be present inside will probably be more interesting than the wagon movements! If you haven't read them already (or even just looked at the pictures) the GWR goods services books I think would be indispensable source material for you, especially part 2A. (I haven't bought part 2B yet)

Pre-grouping

I mentioned working on Masterclass brake vans in a much earlier post. The kits go together very well but then there are the handrails. I've been doing some other things to give me a break from bending and cutting wire before *ping* and it's out of the tweezers goodness knows where! I think you have become a seasoned model maker when you can make a valiant attempt to recover the small parts based on the sound of what they land on or against? I must have half a set of handrails in the carpet somewhere because it's often easier to start again. After about three evenings work the handrails are fitted to the first pair of vans. (It would have been much longer too if it were not for David Eveleigh's little wire bending etch and a couple of other 'jigs' that I knocked up along the way.) They are 20' variants and one has later style foot boards (from a refurbishment) The roofs are placed on for now because I still need to fit the brake standard and stove pipe. There are also many other details to add, but these aren't included on the etch so I can file the spares and scraps away and clear something else off the bench too. I have some later styles and also a 6 wheeler to do, at a later date. For now this pair allow me to finish of a couple of goods trains in a proper manner.

Haha. That's the tidy bit. I daren't show you my workbenches (just out of shot to the left). Andy, I didn't represent bridge rail in the sidings. Firstly because it's not available despite the fact large quantities could be used to construct fencing and cattle pens! Secondly after reading through source material again I suspect most of the yard was laid/re-laid after the conversion to standard gauge. Something will move soon Missy (and you can guess what ). I've boxed the controller and started wiring in anticipation.

Actually that's a lie because although last night saw the wagon turntable installed it is permanently fixed in line with the main siding. The outer slots are from when the turntable would have been broad gauge. Information that I have been able to locate suggests that the castings that formed the outer ring were hacked on site when the gauge conversion was made. The wood deck is removable for the moment to facilitate painting. It also requires the planking scribed in. The eagle eyed will notice that the crossing beyond has lost all it's rails. That is due to me deciding that they would not have been check rails in such a diamond and ripping them out. I need to re-fix just the running rails through in both directions. I'm still awaiting new raile supplies, but there are just the two sidings to finish laying now. I've sorted the wiring diagram (I think), and have started drilling for dropper wires.

After a frustrating Easter weekend trying in vain to produce TOUs to any design that might have the necessary pre-requisites I eventually figured something out. This has allowed me to get on with track laying. I'm not convinced that Easitrac is any quicker than soldered construction. It is undoubtably easier if you are scared of a soldering iron and will probably have improved appearance compared with solder blob chairs. However I am in no doubt that Versaline is the current daddy where appearance is paramount. This insight into the hobby room shows the mess as it currently stands. The project has consumed a whole 10m coil of bullhead rail and you will see there are still some areas needing rail. (The sand siding on the near left hand side, and the remainder of the back siding onto the near board). The whole of the main line is laid so wagons can indeed roll. Wiring and a control panel are next on the agenda whilst I await a delivery of rail.

I think there's a reasonable chance of a sensible offer it you were to place a 'For Sale' sign on it.

150 assorted hair clips, Rolson branded, from Maplins. About £2.99. I know them as R-clips from a teenage flirt with R/C cars. They are widely used for securing the thin lexan body shells. The cross drilled pins that they fit into were made on the lathe at work.

I now have the legs complete with stays and locking pins and I've had a clearout to allow the 'layout' to be installed in it's displayed state within the hobby room for work on the track and scenics. All the legs have adjustable feet on now too to compensate for uneven floors and my inability to cut eight legs to precisely the same length! I fitted a lower brace to the outer legs, improving stability, that meant the cassette ends had to be shortened a little. This was carefully calculated though and will still allow for cassettes with trains (a bit) longer than the platform to be accomodated. The legs for the cassette ends have to hinge in their centre to allow them to pass through between the outer leg bracing. Pictures should make much more sense: I am pleased with how stable the leg stays have made the structure. They are retained by R clips. There is a second set inside the legs that the stays are pinned to when folded. This shows the folding of the cassette leg. It has a locking hinge where it joins the cassette end. These are neat but have some play and despite being stiff I wouldn't recommend them as the sole means of leg fixing/bracing for a whole layout. You can also get an idea of the quantity of door catches that have been used to pin everything together when folded. A hinge in the cassette end leg allows it to fit within the folded assembly. The hinge on the left has had the pin cut out and replaced by an R clip to lock the leg straight. There are still no parts that require removal for transport other than the R clips, which are re-used when folded. Electromagnets (seep) have been fitted to the track sub-bed being careful to ensure that if needed they can be replaced. The track sub-bed has in turn been fitted to the folding frame. Current efforts are focussed on switch operation so that track laying can commence. Getting this far seems like a major point has been reached, but it makes you realise how much further there is to get in the next three months.

It's the gwr type. I'm just finishing off another one that will be cut in half because it is the stop for the carriage shoot in the end of the platform where machinery and horses could be loaded.

Yes. This meant adding the plain chairs either side of the centre uprights before soldering to the stock rails. The other chairs where the rails is three+ rails width are slide chairs with the inner chair cut off and then slid under.

I haven't given up! This evening I've put together one of the new range of buffer stops available from the 2mm SA. The etch folds in half to make up double thickness portions. A Z-fold makes the alignment of the three 'rail' portions to be joined quick easy. A choice of wood (represented by six thickness' of etch) or rail cross beams are supplied on the fret, but nothing looks quite as good as wood as wood itself. Using wood for the cross beam also solves the problem of isolating one rail from the other had the etched parts been used.

The weather eased for a few days at the same time as I had booked some leave. I had hoped that the two would coincide and must have got lucky. As a result a lot has happened to the baseboards, but nothing picture-worthy. What I have done is organised a lot of items for the layout. I have had a couple of orders of baseboard fittings arrive. These are all now fixed so the boards lock and peg together when folded. When unfolded the feet are adjustable in height. After a large amount of corrections and re-thinks to fit everything in the 150mm of space between the folded boards there are just a few of items to sort: 1. Stays for the legs on the outer scenic boards; 2. Pins for locking the additional hinge in the fiddle yard legs; 3. Castors for ease of transportation, although these aren't urgent until things get heavier. As a result of the large amount of corrections to get to this stage has taken far longer than envisgaed and I still haven't got track to baseboard. This will happen soon. The turnout operating mechanisms and electromagnets need to fitted next, along with the switches to operate them all. I need about another half a day of decent weather to router the electromagnet locations in the underside of the trackbed before it can be fixed permanently. Track laying can then commence.

I'm pretty sure I saw a peco tank wagon kit in a box when I was clearing through my storage boxes at the weekend. You can have it if I find it.

As Nick says wooden clothes pegs are good. You can drill them to take a kebab skewer through a block of wood see here. Looks good so far. I would like one of those kits (the early styles) for myself You should persist in burning your fingers until you can hold the parts by hand to solder! This is not so easy on brass, but quite possible on nickel silver. My temperature controlled iron was one of the best investments I ever made. I have the Antex TC-50 and also a 25W iron but I tend to use the 50W most of the time. Get a variety of tips too. I find that if you keep wiping clean regularly with a sponge and don't leave solder to sit on the iron that I don't need to use tip tinner/cleaner. The one I do use I got from Eileen's Emporium, but I've lost the lid off the container so can't tell you what it is.

I looked at the layout list for the show and wasn't sure it was worth the trip, but it is now!

I'd love to see this if I can find you at Abingdon on Saturday. I have to get some of those LEDs! I'm undecided whether my ground signals should be like this, or the earlier rotating can type of indicator that the GWR used initially.

Quite a bit has happened in the last two weeks whilst rmweb has been on it's travels. The weather to go outside and finish the legs, extensions and bracing on the boards has still not been forthcoming. I booked a couple of days off work to get extra daylight and the heavens sent rain (and snow). So instead I've been building brake vans and getting a sore throat. More on them another time. I figured that to make the short diamond a jig was in order so I figured out a way to make it on my little lathe. I broke a lot of these The rails were fixed to angled sole plates, in turn fixed to the 24"x7" longitudinal timbers. These were cut in one shot from 4 thicknesses of 20 thou nickel silver and attached whilst the rails were in the jig. The whole lot was turned out from the jig without problem (yet!) I then cut for electrical breaks (and gauge in one direction because of my Heath Robinson approach to jig manufacture in this case). A rail broke away and the more I tried to fix the more parts fell off. I composed myself and accepted that I had to rebuild half the crossing again. I did this free hand with judicious use of blu-tac and a highly calibrated Mk1 eyeball or two. Chairs were added and the whole glued to the timber base. It just so happens that two Easitrac timbers laid side by side are the right width, and I doubt anyone will see a join between the running rail and check after ballast and paint. I am considering rebuilding the whole because although it appears to function well enough with stock running through I think it could look better?

After a more off than on January I've finally got my backside into gear. I realised that I was getting behind (that's if I was ever up to date?) and have set myself goals on a monthly basis. The first of these is to have the track laid and operational at the end of February. So far all the rails are in the blocked crossing area that makes up the east end of the platform. I'm really impressed with how it has come out, and running stock through it appears I only have one tweak to make where the gauge is over on the entrance to the loop causing the wheels to bind back to back on the check and wing rails. I need to get it down on the board along with some of the surrounding track to test it more thoroughly. An overall view: The switches are all early type (the introduction of flexible switches by the GWR was later) using a check chair as a pivot. If these turn out to wear excessively or become unreliable I will have to uproot the switch and pin it through the track bed or perhaps substitute brass chairs. They seem like they may well be up to the job as they are. I made a little jig to prevent filing the foot of the rail when forming the taper on the running face. You may notice that all the stock rails are joggled. Although tiny on the prototype they are very distinctive so I wanted to include them. I made myself a jig to do this so the joggle is a consistent size and distanced correctly from the rail break beyond the switch toe. Some other detail views: Incidentally the van standing in the long siding is the LNWR dia 88 association kit. Now I have to get on with the two connections at the east end of the yard and the very short crossing adjacent to the wagon turntable.