RMweb Gold queensquare Posted April 19 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 19 With TM going to the SWAG RMWeb day this coming Sunday I thought it worth showing the progress on the ex-SECR O. The loco and tender chassis went together pretty well although the tender frames are several mm too long for some reason although the wheelbase is correct so I just cut them down. They are shown, along with the wheels, ready for painting. Once painted I temporarily popped the wheels in using bits of plastic tube so I could check clearances. For the drive I’m going to use one of the new Association 30:1 gear blocks. I’ve not used one yet but Tony Gee brought a Dean goods he’s fitted one in to Missenden and it ran very nicely. The body has only got as far as the basic footplate, cab and smoke box front - the boiler is just a bit of tube cut to length and is still loose. Overall it all fitted very well, the Stirling cab proved to be nothing like as tricky as I had feared. I marked the centreline on both the cab front and roof/side strip, clamped the former to my bench, lined up the scribed marks and tacked it in place, using a bit of wood to form the curve. Jerry 7 1 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
65179 Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 Looks good Jerry. How are you going to secure the gearbox given the holey chassis? Simon (trying to get Adam West era Batman out of my head) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted April 20 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 20 (edited) 31 minutes ago, 65179 said: Looks good Jerry. How are you going to secure the gearbox given the holey chassis? Simon (trying to get Adam West era Batman out of my head) Thanks Simon, The current thinking, (and as usual Im making it up as I go along!), is that the gearbox will be trapped rather than fixed which will hopefully keep it centred around the drive axle with the minimum of friction. The idea is to add insulating cheeks to the inside of the chassis frames from either plasticard or double sided pcb to represent the firebox sides and prevent the gearbox from moving laterally. A strip across the bottom where the ashpan would be will stop it rotating. The fact that the gearbox is connected to the motor by a UJ will mean that a couple of thou of movement in either direction is of no consequence as the all important relationship between the worm and final drive is fixed. We shall see!! Jerry Edited April 20 by queensquare 8 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted April 20 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 20 The other unfinished item( there are plenty to choose from!) that I will be taking to Taunton on Sunday is my little Ford railcar which hasn’t seen progress for at least a couple of years - mainly because it’s ridiculously small and has so far had two failed attempts at making it go without filling the entire body with mechanism. There will be a third attempt but not for some while. Jerry 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
2mm Andy Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 This film of the real thing (well, a replica) popped up recently. Andy 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium t-b-g Posted April 20 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 20 16 hours ago, queensquare said: With TM going to the SWAG RMWeb day this coming Sunday I thought it worth showing the progress on the ex-SECR O. The loco and tender chassis went together pretty well although the tender frames are several mm too long for some reason although the wheelbase is correct so I just cut them down. They are shown, along with the wheels, ready for painting. Once painted I temporarily popped the wheels in using bits of plastic tube so I could check clearances. For the drive I’m going to use one of the new Association 30:1 gear blocks. I’ve not used one yet but Tony Gee brought a Dean goods he’s fitted one in to Missenden and it ran very nicely. The body has only got as far as the basic footplate, cab and smoke box front - the boiler is just a bit of tube cut to length and is still loose. Overall it all fitted very well, the Stirling cab proved to be nothing like as tricky as I had feared. I marked the centreline on both the cab front and roof/side strip, clamped the former to my bench, lined up the scribed marks and tacked it in place, using a bit of wood to form the curve. Jerry It seems odd seeing my name crop up on a 2mm thread but I am enjoying my little excursion into the small stuff. The Dean Goods took much fiddling about to get it to run. The main frames and a home made gearbox were done before it came to me and after several attempts to get it to go, the arrival of the Association gear box was very timely and all the problems went away fairly quickly. We gave it a test run on Yeovil Town last night and it seems fine. It has crossed my mind that the gearbox, as it has holes in the gears and the frame that will take a 1/8th inch axle, might be useful in some tiny 4mm scale locos too. I ended up removing a flywheel that was between the gearbox and the drive shaft coupling. It didn't run quite true and the loco was smoother without it. The space freed up in the firebox will allow more weight to be added. Here is a snap of the Dean Goods, almost finished now. Just crank pin retainers and balance weights to go, unless I have forgotten something! 17 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D869 Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 2 hours ago, t-b-g said: The Dean Goods took much fiddling about to get it to run You've got the hang of it now so the next loco will be easier. Nice job BTW. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium t-b-g Posted April 20 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 20 45 minutes ago, D869 said: You've got the hang of it now so the next loco will be easier. Nice job BTW. Thanks. 99% of the difficulty was in taking over something that had been started by somebody else. The tender was built and the loco mechanism started. Sadly, there were all sorts of problems with things not being as straight and parallel as they should be. If (and it is a big if!) there is another one, it will be done starting afresh. I didn't have a problem working with the size of the bits, just that what was done already wasn't quite right. Even the tender outside frames needed replacing as they were pantograph milled (very nicely) from quite thick material and set so close to the wheels that they wouldn't go round freely on straight track and any sign of a curve, even a large radius, caused it to come off the rails. Most of my modelling is in 4mm (EM Gauge) but I also dabble in 7mm. Trying to add 2mm on a regular basis is probably spreading myself a bit too far. So there won't be a 2mm project from me but I don't mind helping Laurie Adams out a bit on Yeovil. We do have a lovely photo of a Dean Goods on a Yeovil Pen Mill to Taunton passenger train approaching Yeovil Town and it looks like a 3 carriage set with at least the leading carriage being a clerestory. The other carriages are not visible enough to see what they are. So my next foray into 2mm might involve a visit to the Worsley Works range to obtain some etches for some carriages. 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted April 21 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 21 28 minutes ago, t-b-g said: Thanks. 99% of the difficulty was in taking over something that had been started by somebody else. The tender was built and the loco mechanism started. Sadly, there were all sorts of problems with things not being as straight and parallel as they should be. If (and it is a big if!) there is another one, it will be done starting afresh. I didn't have a problem working with the size of the bits, just that what was done already wasn't quite right. Even the tender outside frames needed replacing as they were pantograph milled (very nicely) from quite thick material and set so close to the wheels that they wouldn't go round freely on straight track and any sign of a curve, even a large radius, caused it to come off the rails. Most of my modelling is in 4mm (EM Gauge) but I also dabble in 7mm. Trying to add 2mm on a regular basis is probably spreading myself a bit too far. So there won't be a 2mm project from me but I don't mind helping Laurie Adams out a bit on Yeovil. We do have a lovely photo of a Dean Goods on a Yeovil Pen Mill to Taunton passenger train approaching Yeovil Town and it looks like a 3 carriage set with at least the leading carriage being a clerestory. The other carriages are not visible enough to see what they are. So my next foray into 2mm might involve a visit to the Worsley Works range to obtain some etches for some carriages. Its a slippery slope Tony, I hope you keep sliding! Jerry 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted April 21 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 21 17 hours ago, 2mm Andy said: This film of the real thing (well, a replica) popped up recently. Andy Thanks for posting Andy. Unfortunately the film highlights my problem - its basically a greenhouse on wheels with knowhere to hide a mechanism! That said, if I ever get it to work getting a sound file shouldnt be a problem! Jerry 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bécasse Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 (edited) 1 hour ago, queensquare said: Thanks for posting Andy. Unfortunately the film highlights my problem - its basically a greenhouse on wheels with knowhere to hide a mechanism! That said, if I ever get it to work getting a sound file shouldnt be a problem! On the West Sussex, they sometimes ran with a lightweight 4-plank open wagon between them. Mounting a Tramfabriek motor low in such a wagon, covered by a "tarpaulin", with an ersatz tender drive to each railbus might just provide a solution. Scroll down to third photo Edited April 21 by bécasse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted April 22 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 22 Bit more progress on the O this evening. The boiler was cut, the firebox sides bent down and a piece of tube turned to form the smoke box wrapper. The boiler and fittings are just balanced for the benefit of the camera. Jerry 18 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted April 23 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 23 (edited) A line up of the TM stud waiting to be cleaned and serviced in readiness for the layouts first outing in over two years, SWAG RMWeb day in Taunton tomorow, Jerry Edited April 23 by queensquare 12 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kylestrome Posted April 23 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 23 7 minutes ago, queensquare said: A line up of the TM stud ... A Steam Gala at Tucking Mill! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted April 23 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 23 .......... and on its wheels. I was asked on today's 2mm Zoom meeting about livery. It will be apple green, like Holly the Hudswell Clarke in the TM picture above with NSLR on the tender and possibly simple red lining. I've not decided yet if it will be named although I do have some more nameplates in stock which Bob Jones kindly did for me - more family members. Jerry 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tapdieuk Posted April 24 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 24 Jerry thank you for entrusting me to run some of Sunday services on Tucking Mill. A leaked letter from the NSLR board regarding the Sunday service......... Dear Sir While undertaking my Sunday afternoon stroll in the valley, I observed no less than 3 separate trains running on NSLR. All hauled by each of the company's locomotives and the S&D tank loco on hire. The Somerset and Dorset will be requesting additional steaming fees for their Locos. I must remind you these large mainline locos are only to be steamed on the days requiring the transfer of goods via the steep Midford Junction line to the exchange siding with the Somerset and Dorset. They both have greater coal and water consumption than the Native fleet. I need not remind you that any unnecessary steaming of locos is a frivolous waste of coal, water, paid employees to crew them, and not to mention the wear and tear to both locos and track! An update on the light weight Rail buses is requested. The Colonel was quite insistent that they were ready to roll when the board acquired them for the line. Although he omitted they were gravity powered and only good for a one way down line trip! Have you and the men had a chance to install the replacement belted transmission? The board would like to observe the frugal fuel consumption as claimed by the Imperial Rubber Band Company who supplied the replacement transmission. The Board do appreciate the work you and the men put in to the running of the NSLR. Apart from the lapse of judgement mention above, the board have been impressed by the steps taken to reduced derailments, and increase punctuality. Mr Smith has notified us that he requires an additional 2 trains in the week to enable a large order to be dispatched by the end of the month. I have already notified the Somerset and Dorset, the wagons should be in the Midford exchange sidings by Monday noon. Yours Sir Arthur Burningfoot-Mathews Chairman of the Board North Somerset Light Railway 5 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted April 25 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 25 11 hours ago, tapdieuk said: Jerry thank you for entrusting me to run some of Sunday services on Tucking Mill. A leaked letter from the NSLR board regarding the Sunday service......... Dear Sir While undertaking my Sunday afternoon stroll in the valley, I observed no less than 3 separate trains running on NSLR. All hauled by each of the company's locomotives and the S&D tank loco on hire. The Somerset and Dorset will be requesting additional steaming fees for their Locos. I must remind you these large mainline locos are only to be steamed on the days requiring the transfer of goods via the steep Midford Junction line to the exchange siding with the Somerset and Dorset. They both have greater coal and water consumption than the Native fleet. I need not remind you that any unnecessary steaming of locos is a frivolous waste of coal, water, paid employees to crew them, and not to mention the wear and tear to both locos and track! An update on the light weight Rail buses is requested. The Colonel was quite insistent that they were ready to roll when the board acquired them for the line. Although he omitted they were gravity powered and only good for a one way down line trip! Have you and the men had a chance to install the replacement belted transmission? The board would like to observe the frugal fuel consumption as claimed by the Imperial Rubber Band Company who supplied the replacement transmission. The Board do appreciate the work you and the men put in to the running of the NSLR. Apart from the lapse of judgement mention above, the board have been impressed by the steps taken to reduced derailments, and increase punctuality. Mr Smith has notified us that he requires an additional 2 trains in the week to enable a large order to be dispatched by the end of the month. I have already notified the Somerset and Dorset, the wagons should be in the Midford exchange sidings by Monday noon. Yours Sir Arthur Burningfoot-Mathews Chairman of the Board North Somerset Light Railway Brilliant, many thanks. Jerry The large number of locos in steam on Sunday were the result of a visit by a new and enthusiastic engineer to the line. Whilst I would agree that the number was excessive under normal circumstances this can perhaps be excused as the companies stock needed a thorough test after a long hiatus due to the recent pandemic which severely restricted the companies activities. Im pleased to report that all the locos passed with flying colours, as did the new operator. The opening up of a new shaft, increasing coal production further up the Cam Valley has foced the company to invest in a new (sic!) and powerful locomotive of the six coupled, tender variety. The new workings are expected to enter full production in time for the increase in demand next winter and the new locomotive will hopefully enter traffic in time for the next time the public's gaze will be focussed on the line in November. As for the Ford railcars, the company works manager is still scratching his head over the best way to proceed but remains hopeful that a solution can be found, 6 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted April 25 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 25 SWAG members day was the first time the layout had been out for two and a half years but Im pleased to say everything worked well. Many thanks to Will who drove all the way to Taunton for the day and took to operating like a duck to water. A very enjoyable day, Jerry 11 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
65179 Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 Jerry, Great to see Tucking Mill out and about again. We now need a Tucking Mill through the years montage to show how the layout (and the belly ) has developed. Best wishes Simon 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted April 25 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 25 (edited) 1 hour ago, 65179 said: Jerry, Great to see Tucking Mill out and about again. We now need a Tucking Mill through the years montage to show how the layout (and the belly ) has developed. Best wishes Simon Thanks Simon, will this one do for starters - Camrail/Larkrail 2011. Im not in the picture but I recognise a couple of people who are! Jerry Edited April 25 by queensquare 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
65179 Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 1 hour ago, queensquare said: Thanks Simon, will this one do for starters - Camrail/Larkrail 2011. Im not in the picture but I recognise a couple of people who are! Jerry I can't believe how little grey hair there is on my head in that shot! Simon 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted April 25 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 25 2 hours ago, 65179 said: I can't believe how little grey hair there is on my head in that shot! Simon Sam’s a bit bigger now as well! Jerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Alister_G Posted April 25 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 25 Hi Jerry, It was great to chat to you yesterday, and Tucking Mill was looking splendid. Here's a couple of photos I took: Al. 13 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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