14.2mm gauge point kits from British Finescale

[whart57]

After reading about the new range of turnout kits Wayne Kinney of British Finescale has produced in OO and EM, I approached Wayne about producing a 3mm scale turnout. Wayne was willing to do so and with backing from the 3mm Society he has now produced the first user test kit which has arrived at my address. This test kit has the components Wayne manufactures but owing to us not supplying him with enough Society bullhead rail it does not have all the pieces. The bits made from plain rail will on this occasion have to be supplied by me.

 

 

First impressions are that this is an excellent piece of work. To demonstrate that I have used a USB "microscope" camera to take a close up. Wayne probably doesn't expect reviewers to do this but I think his work stands up well to this close review

 

 

Likewise the machined point blades look very good in close up

 

 

I am expecting a delivery of rail imminently, so when that arrives I will start on building this.

[bradfordbuffer]

31 minutes ago, whart57 said:

After reading about the new range of turnout kits Wayne Kinney of British Finescale has produced in OO and EM, I approached Wayne about producing a 3mm scale turnout. Wayne was willing to do so and with backing from the 3mm Society he has now produced the first user test kit which has arrived at my address. This test kit has the components Wayne manufactures but owing to us not supplying him with enough Society bullhead rail it does not have all the pieces. The bits made from plain rail will on this occasion have to be supplied by me.

 

 

First impressions are that this is an excellent piece of work. To demonstrate that I have used a USB "microscope" camera to take a close up. Wayne probably doesn't expect reviewers to do this but I think his work stands up well to this close review

 

 

Likewise the machined point blades look very good in close up

 

 

I am expecting a delivery of rail imminently, so when that arrives I will start on building this.

Look forward to updates....are thay going to available through society or British finescale direct?

BF needs to be thanked as if thay work well thay will sell ....not in huge number but steady and it will encourage others to take plunge with the snow ball effect...how does sleeper base compare with society 14.2 track base in the looks department?

 

[whart57]

38 minutes ago, bradfordbuffer said:

how does sleeper base compare with society 14.2 track base in the looks department?

 

 

Best let one of Wayne's pictures sent to me tell that story

 

[Wayne Kinney]

35 minutes ago, bradfordbuffer said:

Look forward to updates....are thay going to available through society or British finescale direct?

BF needs to be thanked as if thay work well thay will sell ....not in huge number but steady and it will encourage others to take plunge with the snow ball effect...how does sleeper base compare with society 14.2 track base in the looks department?

 

They will be available from both, but members will get a little extra discount from the 3mm society.

 

Here are a few images, one showing it with one of the society sleeper bases:

 

 

[bradfordbuffer]

1 hour ago, Wayne Kinney said:

They will be available from both, but members will get a little extra discount from the 3mm society.

 

Here are a few images, one showing it with one of the society sleeper bases:

 

 

Brill looks good....wallets at the ready!

[NCB]

Like the look of these. From the pics there looks to be a well thought out means off attaching the switch blades to the tie bar.

 

These combined with the existing plain track should give a very straight forward way of getting started in 14.2mm gauge.

[whart57]

I have now built the test kit. It took under an hour, though fitting into a layout will take a bit more time.

 

First the bad news - you still need a soldering iron     

 

 

The good news though is that you only need it for soldering the electrical connections.

The first step is to solder a dropper wire to the underside of the cast crossing. Some other electrical connections have to made later, but that dropper is so that the polarity of the crossing can be switched when the point blades are switched. Standard live-frog electrics, as applicable for DCC as it is for traditional DC.

 

That electrical work takes about five minutes.

 

The next step is to cut the switch blades to the exact length. There needs to be a small gap between the switch blades and the cast frog, British Finescale recommend twice the thickness of a standard paper sheet. A little bit of fettling and filing is required here as the switch blades are supplied something like a quarter inch over length. However as the rail slips easily and smoothly into the printed chairs of the point base it's no problem to take it out and put it back two or three times in order to achieve the right length.

 

With the switch blades fettled to the right length and inserted into the point base, the tie bar can be fitted. The design here is excellent. The tie bar fits into a channel in the web between the sleepers that allows it to move left and right without twisting. The point base is flexible and as the switch blades are on slide chairs for the last centimetre or so it bends back easily to allow the soldered pins of the switch blades to be inserted into tiny holes in the tie bar.

 

The only thing I would say here is that you need good light for this. Good eyesight too as the holes are very small. Absent good eyesight a magnifying class is helpful.

 

 

 

We are now about 35 minutes into the job.

 

The next job is to slide in the main stock rails. As the ends of the switch blades are planed to a very fine point there is no work required on joggling or recessing the stock rails. Plain rail can simply be slid into the chairs. Plain rail can also be used on the other side of the frog. About five minutes work.

 

 

The final task is to fit the check rails. I cut two 40mm lengths of the Society BH rail, used a three cornered needle file to score a groove about 3mm from the ends, slid the rail into the chairs and then tweaked the ends slightly

 

Now you are ready to test the point by rolling stock through it.

 

 

Wayne needs to be congratulated on his work. I've built a few points in my time, soldered copper clad jobs, chairs slid on to rail jobs, even ones built using an etched base and this is the first one I have built that did not require any final tweaking and fettling to have stock pass through without bumps and wobbles. And I have never built one so quickly either. This looks like becoming the most significant advance for 3mm fine scale since the production of the Society sleeper bases twelve years ago.

 

The next step is to stick the point to a board, wire things up and run a loco through under power. I hope to report on that next week.

[NCB]

Looks excellent. Couple of questions.

• Have you checked it using the Society's 14.2mm fine scale track gauge? Just from the pictures my guess is that it would be fine.
• Out of interest, do the shortest timbers match the plain track base sleepers for length? The latter are scale 9' but with markings to reduce them to 8'6" length. So not a big problem if they don't.

Nigel

Edited August 6, 2021 by NCB

[bradfordbuffer]

3 hours ago, whart57 said:

I have now built the test kit. It took under an hour, though fitting into a layout will take a bit more time.

 

First the bad news - you still need a soldering iron     

 

 

The good news though is that you only need it for soldering the electrical connections.

The first step is to solder a dropper wire to the underside of the cast crossing. Some other electrical connections have to made later, but that dropper is so that the polarity of the crossing can be switched when the point blades are switched. Standard live-frog electrics, as applicable for DCC as it is for traditional DC.

 

That electrical work takes about five minutes.

 

The next step is to cut the switch blades to the exact length. There needs to be a small gap between the switch blades and the cast frog, British Finescale recommend twice the thickness of a standard paper sheet. A little bit of fettling and filing is required here as the switch blades are supplied something like a quarter inch over length. However as the rail slips easily and smoothly into the printed chairs of the point base it's no problem to take it out and put it back two or three times in order to achieve the right length.

 

With the switch blades fettled to the right length and inserted into the point base, the tie bar can be fitted. The design here is excellent. The tie bar fits into a channel in the web between the sleepers that allows it to move left and right without twisting. The point base is flexible and as the switch blades are on slide chairs for the last centimetre or so it bends back easily to allow the soldered pins of the switch blades to be inserted into tiny holes in the tie bar.

 

The only thing I would say here is that you need good light for this. Good eyesight too as the holes are very small. Absent good eyesight a magnifying class is helpful.

 

 

 

We are now about 35 minutes into the job.

 

The next job is to slide in the main stock rails. As the ends of the switch blades are planed to a very fine point there is no work required on joggling or recessing the stock rails. Plain rail can simply be slid into the chairs. Plain rail can also be used on the other side of the frog. About five minutes work.

 

 

The final task is to fit the check rails. I cut two 40mm lengths of the Society BH rail, used a three cornered needle file to score a groove about 3mm from the ends, slid the rail into the chairs and then tweaked the ends slightly

 

Now you are ready to test the point by rolling stock through it.

 

 

Wayne needs to be congratulated on his work. I've built a few points in my time, soldered copper clad jobs, chairs slid on to rail jobs, even ones built using an etched base and this is the first one I have built that did not require any final tweaking and fettling to have stock pass through without bumps and wobbles. And I have never built one so quickly either. This looks like becoming the most significant advance for 3mm fine scale since the production of the Society sleeper bases twelve years ago.

 

The next step is to stick the point to a board, wire things up and run a loco through under power. I hope to report on that next week.

Absolutely brill....thanks for review so far....have british Finescale hinted on how much of a range will be available? When it said cast frog expected gem like frog! This frog looks very well in pictures...

Just what is needed for 3mm.

[whart57]

Right, I think this is what people want to see

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vRZxaDbPmNTjnyQH86Rtulq6yj9DmMZn/view?usp=sharing

 

Just a short video of the 3mm scale point having something run through under power

[NCB]

Looks very smooth!

[bradfordbuffer]

On 08/08/2021 at 19:57, whart57 said:

Right, I think this is what people want to see

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vRZxaDbPmNTjnyQH86Rtulq6yj9DmMZn/view?usp=sharing

 

Just a short video of the 3mm scale point having something run through under power

Where....when....how much..?

Looks a smoth ride.

 

Edited August 10, 2021 by bradfordbuffer
Typo...fat finger

[Richard Edmonds]

Are there any details on this turnout at all. If it’s an 8 then for me it’s going to be a big deal 

[NCB]

4 hours ago, Richard Edmonds said:

Are there any details on this turnout at all. If it’s an 8 then for me it’s going to be a big deal 

Believe it's a B6. However, if it's successful wouldn't be surprised if other configurations are produced. Wayne seems to be doing that in other scales.

 

Get the impression the base is 3D printed. Is that right? If so, can see it opening up a lot of cost-effective options.

[whart57]

On 10/08/2021 at 19:12, Richard Edmonds said:

Are there any details on this turnout at all. If it’s an 8 then for me it’s going to be a big deal 

 

It's a B6. The choice is a compromise between accuracy and space, as nearly all layout design is. Yesterday we had a Triang Merchant Navy fitted with 14.2mm gauge wheels gliding through the curve though and a bogie coach.

 

If this goes well then we will be pestering Wayne for other geometries

 

Yesterday too we went over the point with a digital micrometer to check against Society standards. Faultless. The only thing out of spec is that the curved section is 0.3mm over-gauge, but we deem that a soupçon of gauge widening there is a good thing.

[whart57]

On 10/08/2021 at 23:34, NCB said:

Get the impression the base is 3D printed. Is that right? If so, can see it opening up a lot of cost-effective options.

 

It is. That's what makes this project feasible.

[Richard Edmonds]

On 12/08/2021 at 19:35, whart57 said:

 

It's a B6. The choice is a compromise between accuracy and space, as nearly all layout design is. Yesterday we had a Triang Merchant Navy fitted with 14.2mm gauge wheels gliding through the curve though and a bogie coach.

 

If this goes well then we will be pestering Wayne for other geometries

 

Yesterday too we went over the point with a digital micrometer to check against Society standards. Faultless. The only thing out of spec is that the curved section is 0.3mm over-gauge, but we deem that a soupçon of gauge widening there is a good thing.

Thanks Wim interesting about the Merchant Navy as that is the largest that I would have a use for. 
still thinking that these points are a big game changer though. I can make points but these just look too good to not use

[NCB]

Does that mean you can get Boxpok wheels for 14.2mm finescale?

[whart57]

5 hours ago, NCB said:

Does that mean you can get Boxpok wheels for 14.2mm finescale?

 

I believe it is a personal project of John Walker's

[bradfordbuffer]

On 12/08/2021 at 19:35, whart57 said:

 

It's a B6. The choice is a compromise between accuracy and space, as nearly all layout design is. Yesterday we had a Triang Merchant Navy fitted with 14.2mm gauge wheels gliding through the curve though and a bogie coach.

 

If this goes well then we will be pestering Wayne for other geometries

 

Yesterday too we went over the point with a digital micrometer to check against Society standards. Faultless. The only thing out of spec is that the curved section is 0.3mm over-gauge, but we deem that a soupçon of gauge widening there is a good thing.

hi any update on point kits

 

[whart57]

On 08/10/2021 at 21:56, bradfordbuffer said:

hi any update on point kits

 

 

If you have been following the thread on the OO and EM point kits you will know that Wayne has had to do a redesign to secure the future of these kits and to make the manufacturing process scalable. That has affected the 3mm scale point too, hence there is a bit of a delay.

 

We were working towards having a small number of kits available at the West Byfleet meeting but that is now not possible. New timescales should become clear in a week or two

[NCB]

Don't think there's a problem with his redesign of the common crossing; think it's just as workable.

 

Think it's a pity about the switches needing the fiddly bits added. I've shoved a comment on the thread asking him if he could rethink. One of the big attractions was that the switch rails and tie bar came ready to use with no additional work needed.

 

Would suggest you get another (updated) kit to see what you think of it.

 

Cheers

Nigel

Edited October 20, 2021 by NCB

[Wayne Kinney]

Hi Guys,

 

'All Rail' version of the 3mm B6, which replaces the version that uses 'cast' crossings:

[whart57]

For those Society members intending to be at the West Byfleet meeting on November 13 I should have examples from Wayne to show.

[NCB]

On 02/11/2021 at 14:53, Wayne Kinney said:

Hi Guys,

 

'All Rail' version of the 3mm B6, which replaces the version that uses 'cast' crossings:

 Looking very good Wayne. Can't wait to try them.

Nigel