Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[St Enodoc]

33 minutes ago, 45568 said:

Hi John,

               I missed this when it was first posted, I thought you may be interested in my Cordon from Amanda's work.

 

I have had many wagons from Amanda, she was kind enough to print the LMS Ironstone hoppers from Thingiverse, as well as the Conflat LD and containers.

A 'Parrot'

Most recently she was kind enough to print the bogie Strip Coil wagons and loads.

 

I can thoroughly recommend her products, her postage costs are very reasonable, even overseas.

Also a quick thank you for your compliments on the Toplight coach, I am really pleased to see it go to somewhere it will get a good run on a very well presented layout!

Cheers from WA,

Peter C.

Ah, I wondered whether it might be you! Now we each know who the other is!

 

Yes, the Toplight will fit in very nicely on the MCL. As befits an old timer, it will only normally run in one of the Saturday Only holiday expresses but for the time being I've marshalled it as an extra coach in a different set so that we can see it in action before Pentowan is built.

 

I like the look of the Cordon. I haven't put mine together yet as again it won't really have a home until Pentowan is built. In the meantime, may I ask you a couple of questions please?

 

- what did you use to stick the parts together - superglue?

- does the model need any special preparation before painting or just a general clean up?

- I assume that rattle can spray paint will be suitable?

 

Thanks.

 

 

[45568]

4 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Ah, I wondered whether it might be you! Now we each know who the other is!

 

Yes, the Toplight will fit in very nicely on the MCL. As befits an old timer, it will only normally run in one of the Saturday Only holiday expresses but for the time being I've marshalled it as an extra coach in a different set so that we can see it in action before Pentowan is built.

 

I like the look of the Cordon. I haven't put mine together yet as again it won't really have a home until Pentowan is built. In the meantime, may I ask you a couple of questions please?

 

- what did you use to stick the parts together - superglue?

- does the model need any special preparation before painting or just a general clean up?

- I assume that rattle can spray paint will be suitable?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Hi John,

           The parts as supplied were very clean, I had a quick buzz round with a scalpel and needle file to clean up a few little printing tags etc. The base unit was sprayed using Tamiya TS-6 matt black, with a waft of TS-62 Brown to weather the underframe. The plank surface was hand-painted using ModelAir 71.042 Dark Brown. The gas tanks were sprayed with TS-48 Gunship grey to give a metallic look to the tanks. Vallejo rust was dry-brushed onto the underframe and very lightly on to the tanks to highlight.

I would have used superglue to stick them together.

Here is the other side.

The close-ups can be quite cruel, to the eye at normal viewing distance it is fine.

Like yours, mine mainly sits on a short track section in a station, admittedly on the ER (supposedly!), but it does look the part.

Cheers,

Peter C.

[5BarVT]

1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

Very interesting article but...

Some interesting ideas.  Because it’s in different ‘sheds’ the bell makes sense and clever to force TOL using the bell.

 

For ‘same room’ operation, my preference is Tokenless Block BR/WR style without bells and with modern electronics available to modellers it’s possible to do the automatic Train in Section quite easily. (Heathcote IRDOT if you haven’t got DCC train detection.)

 

Paul.

[St Enodoc]

A bits-and-pieces afternoon today.

 

I didn't do any more to the FCFSTB mock-up. I'll leave that until nearer the time that I'm ready to implement it on the layout.

 

Instead, I removed the hinged doors from Bill's lovely goods shed (with his permission!) so there is now enough clearance - just - for wagons to get in and out at both ends. I need to tidy up some of the brickwork and woodwork where the doors were attached and then I think I'll fit some Limited Clearance signs.

 

Next, I added some dummy sleepers to St Enodoc Down Siding (the camping coach siding) where it meets point 10B at the end of the Loop. I then painted the rails here and at Treloggan Junction, so I'm now ready to ballast those short sections of track. I want to do that, and touch up some more odd bits at St Enodoc itself, before starting to install St Enodoc's signals.

 

Finally I had another look at the baseboard edge between Porthmellyn Road and the lifting flap, to see just how much more I can remove to increase the width of the walkway between it and the long curve between Porthmellyn Road and Treloggan Junction. I think I've now squeezed out as much room as I can but I'll have another look before getting the jigsaw out.

 

So, as our old mate Brian Matthew used to say, that's your lot for this week - see you next week!

[acg5324]

15 hours ago, lofty.ian said:

Without wanting to appear a Luddite, I understood the bit about coupling toads but the tokenless gestures went right over my head too, perhaps because I wasn’t an engineer.

darkened room calls and maybe a beer

Lofty

 

I saw something about coupling toads on a David Attenborough programme….put me off my breakfast……I’ll get my coat!

[Tankerman]

2 hours ago, 45568 said:

Hi John,

           The parts as supplied were very clean, I had a quick buzz round with a scalpel and needle file to clean up a few little printing tags etc. The base unit was sprayed using Tamiya TS-6 matt black, with a waft of TS-62 Brown to weather the underframe. The plank surface was hand-painted using ModelAir 71.042 Dark Brown. The gas tanks were sprayed with TS-48 Gunship grey to give a metallic look to the tanks. Vallejo rust was dry-brushed onto the underframe and very lightly on to the tanks to highlight.

I would have used superglue to stick them together.

Here is the other side.

 

Like yours, mine mainly sits on a short track section in a station, admittedly on the ER (supposedly!), but it does look the part.

Cheers,

Peter C.

As one did at Truro for many years, if my memory serves it was only removed around 1960.

[St Enodoc]

While testing some stock that hasn't been run much lately, I found that the Dapol GRCW SPC has now lost all power through the sole remaining drive shaft. This is a known problem, so I'll take it apart and see whether I can superglue the dog clutch mouldings to the shaft. In case I can't, I've ordered some replacement shafts from DCC Supplies, the Dapol spares agents.

 

I also found that 1419 was slipping badly, even running light on level track. As you'll recall, it no longer has any traction tyres, so runs in effect as a 0-2-2T, but I was still surprised by this. There isn't all that much room for extra weight but I've squeezed about another 10g into the space above the cast weight between the tanks. I don't know whether this will make enough difference but I'll try it tomorrow anyway. If not I'll have to think again - possibly either fitting new traction tyres (which don't seem to be available at the moment) or biting the bullet and building the Comet chassis that I've got in the spares box.

[ian]

Quite a few modern RTR models seem to be designed for looks rather than functionality. The lack of spare parts just makes it worse.

 

Ah well, all part of life's rich tapestry I suppose. I'm sure you'll work out a solution to keep things moving.

[john dew]

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

While testing some stock that hasn't been run much lately, I found that the Dapol GRCW SPC has now lost all power through the sole remaining drive shaft. This is a known problem, so I'll take it apart and see whether I can superglue the dog clutch mouldings to the shaft. In case I can't, I've ordered some replacement shafts from DCC Supplies, the Dapol spares agents.

 

I also found that 1419 was slipping badly, even running light on level track. As you'll recall, it no longer has any traction tyres, so runs in effect as a 0-2-2T, but I was still surprised by this. There isn't all that much room for extra weight but I've squeezed about another 10g into the space above the cast weight between the tanks. I don't know whether this will make enough difference but I'll try it tomorrow anyway. If not I'll have to think again - possibly either fitting new traction tyres (which don't seem to be available at the moment) or biting the bullet and building the Comet chassis that I've got in the spares box.

Another possible solution would be to replace the tireles but grooved wheels from a donor non working 14xx - assuming you can get one cheaply? I was able to do that and , combined with a stay alive, it transformed its performance.

 

From my experience the more weight you can add the better

 

John

[St Enodoc]

7 hours ago, john dew said:

Another possible solution would be to replace the tireles but grooved wheels from a donor non working 14xx - assuming you can get one cheaply? I was able to do that and , combined with a stay alive, it transformed its performance.

 

From my experience the more weight you can add the better

 

John

Thanks John. Yes, I'm looking out for a spare set of wheels or a spare chassis but again they're not easy to find at the moment.

 

I think I might be able to squeeze a tiny bit more weight into the smokebox but I'll see how it goes without first.

[BWsTrains]

34 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Thanks John. Yes, I'm looking out for a spare set of wheels or a spare chassis but again they're not easy to find at the moment.

 

I think I might be able to squeeze a tiny bit more weight into the smokebox but I'll see how it goes without first.

 

John,

 

I watched out for an old Airfix 14xx and took its front axle as a donor. These come up as non-working models reasonably often so my patience was rewarded eventually #.

 

The axle swap worked very well, to improve running I added as big a stay alive as I could, I think from the running number that your model is just a few years before my 2008 release so could be much the same. Mine has a fair quantity of weight as you can see.

 

I further improved running by adding phosphor bronze wheel wiper wires all round. It is now a fine performer.

 

 

Slow running here:

 

And this back and forth across the most troublesome long insulfrog turnout (now desceased!)

 

# not before Hattons first sold me one which turned out to be a Kayser kit. That is still waiting for a conversion via new chassis / drive,

 

 

 

[St Enodoc]

2 hours ago, BWsTrains said:

 

John,

 

I watched out for an old Airfix 14xx and took its front axle as a donor. These come up as non-working models reasonably often so my patience was rewarded eventually #.

 

The axle swap worked very well, to improve running I added as big a stay alive as I could, I think from the running number that your model is just a few years before my 2008 release so could be much the same. Mine has a fair quantity of weight as you can see.

 

I further improved running by adding phosphor bronze wheel wiper wires all round. It is now a fine performer.

 

 

Slow running here:

 

And this back and forth across the most troublesome long insulfrog turnout (now desceased!)

 

# not before Hattons first sold me one which turned out to be a Kayser kit. That is still waiting for a conversion via new chassis / drive,

 

 

 

Thanks Colin.

 

Mine's an Airfix original body from early 1978 but it had a secondhand Hornby chassis fitted about 10 years ago.

 

Yes, I think it will be a case of seeing what comes up first - traction tyres/chassis/complete loco to strip the wheels out of.

 

The cast weight in your model is exactly the same as mine, which is why there isn't much room for more.

[BWsTrains]

22 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Thanks Colin.

 

Mine's an Airfix original body from early 1978 but it had a secondhand Hornby chassis fitted about 10 years ago.

 

Yes, I think it will be a case of seeing what comes up first - traction tyres/chassis/complete loco to strip the wheels out of.

 

The cast weight in your model is exactly the same as mine, which is why there isn't much room for more.

Interesting combination you have there.

 

One important consideration is that the Hornby chassis went thru several minor iterations over its life. Do you know which transplant you received?

 

The Hornby 14xx topic has a lot about fixing up balance issues as the design was modified (I'm being charitable here) with one fix creating other issues.

 

What I am sure of is that mine R2778 (4869 from 2008) was a sweet spot. Mine ran well as bought (2019) and better after mods I made.

 

There was a lot said on the Topic about fixing issues with a later release (R3117 I believe but you'd need to check). Changes made since mine deteriorated performance. Then in 2017, R3589 came out in the Railroad range, design was changed again and defied my best efforts! 

 

There is a risk that your transplant itself is the problem and changing drivers may not help solve the entire problem. most changes I'm referring to seem to revolve around how axles were suspended IIRC. A little research around 2017-8 might shed some light for you, pics most likely missing though. :(

 

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, BWsTrains said:

Interesting combination you have there.

 

One important consideration is that the Hornby chassis went thru several minor iterations over its life. Do you know which transplant you received?

 

The Hornby 14xx topic has a lot about fixing up balance issues as the design was modified (I'm being charitable here) with one fix creating other issues.

 

What I am sure of is that mine R2778 (4869 from 2008) was a sweet spot. Mine ran well as bought (2019) and better after mods I made.

 

There was a lot said on the Topic about fixing issues with a later release (R3117 I believe but you'd need to check). Changes made since mine deteriorated performance. Then in 2017, R3589 came out in the Railroad range, design was changed again and defied my best efforts! 

 

There is a risk that your transplant itself is the problem and changing drivers may not help solve the entire problem. most changes I'm referring to seem to revolve around how axles were suspended IIRC. A little research around 2017-8 might shed some light for you, pics most likely missing though. :(

 

Thanks Colin. I'm not sure which model number my Hornby chassis came from. It was secondhand about a dozen years ago but that's all I can tell.

 

When I fitted it, the loco ran like a nodding donkey as the spring on the trailing axle wasn't strong enough in compression. About a year ago, therefore, I took the spring out and built up a block of styrene sheet in its place, so the rear axle is now unsprung. The block is just thick enough to stop the loco pivoting on the centre (driven) axle. Everything was fine for a while after that until the traction tyres fell apart.

 

Although it ran a little better today than the other day, it's still slipping. I'll try a bit more weight but I don't think that will make enough difference, so I'll need to keep my eyes peeled for some suitable spares. No real rush, as it doesn't need to run in the sequence until Pentowan is operational (nor does the SPC) but I'd like it to ready for when it does.

[Barry O]

Evil stick traction tyres?

 

Just saying like.. 

 

Baz

[St Enodoc]

23 minutes ago, Barry O said:

Evil stick traction tyres?

 

Just saying like.. 

 

Baz

Possibly. Unlike the previous application, these wheels have grooves so something more substantial might be in order.

[St Enodoc]

Ballasting today.

 

I stared with the Down Siding at St Enodoc and carried on at Treloggan Junction. Overall, I dealt with about three yards of track and two of the three points at the junction. Next weekend should see the last couple of yards and the final point ballasted (rough ballast only of course - tidying up and cleaning will follow).

 

Photos when it's finished.

[acg5324]

21 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

While testing some stock that hasn't been run much lately, I found that the Dapol GRCW SPC has now lost all power through the sole remaining drive shaft. This is a known problem, so I'll take it apart and see whether I can superglue the dog clutch mouldings to the shaft. In case I can't, I've ordered some replacement shafts from DCC Supplies, the Dapol spares agents.

 

I also found that 1419 was slipping badly, even running light on level track. As you'll recall, it no longer has any traction tyres, so runs in effect as a 0-2-2T, but I was still surprised by this. There isn't all that much room for extra weight but I've squeezed about another 10g into the space above the cast weight between the tanks. I don't know whether this will make enough difference but I'll try it tomorrow anyway. If not I'll have to think again - possibly either fitting new traction tyres (which don't seem to be available at the moment) or biting the bullet and building the Comet chassis that I've got in the spares box.

Think we’ve some 14xx traction tyres at work….sold some to an Aussie on holiday this week…not sure how many were left. Let me know if you want them John.

Edited August 21, 2022 by acg5324

[5BarVT]

How about an off the wall (but possibly expensive) solution?

Motorise the auto coach using something like the replica motorised chassis and let it drag a free wheeling 14xx around.

Paul.

[St Enodoc]

18 minutes ago, acg5324 said:

Think we’ve some 14xx traction tyres at work….sold some to an Aussie on holiday this week…not sure how many were left. Let me know if you want them John.

Yes please! Two pairs if you have them - if not, one pair will be good.

 

Let me know what I owe you (HOW MUCH?).

 

1 minute ago, 5BarVT said:

How about an off the wall (but possibly expensive) solution?

Motorise the auto coach using something like the replica motorised chassis and let it drag a free wheeling 14xx around.

Paul.

Interesting idea Paul, thanks, but probably too much work. Both the loco (body) and coach have significant sentimental value too, each being nearly 45 years old.

[aardvark]

7 hours ago, BWsTrains said:

 

John,

 

I watched out for an old Airfix 14xx and took its front axle as a donor. These come up as non-working models reasonably often so my patience was rewarded eventually #.

 

The axle swap worked very well, to improve running I added as big a stay alive as I could, I think from the running number that your model is just a few years before my 2008 release so could be much the same. Mine has a fair quantity of weight as you can see.

 

I further improved running by adding phosphor bronze wheel wiper wires all round. It is now a fine performer.

 

 

Slow running here:

 

And this back and forth across the most troublesome long insulfrog turnout (now desceased!)

 

# not before Hattons first sold me one which turned out to be a Kayser kit. That is still waiting for a conversion via new chassis / drive,

 

Most interesting and useful: I see from your photos that your stay-alive is just an F-ing* big electrolytic capacitor.  I should have twigged early, but didn't. Electrolytics are standard components and can be bought relatively cheaply through electronics stores.

 

* F-ing is not a thinly-disguised swear word, as F is the internationally recognised abbreviation for Farad, the unit of capacitance.

 

[BWsTrains]

35 minutes ago, aardvark said:

 

Most interesting and useful: I see from your photos that your stay-alive is just an F-ing* big electrolytic capacitor.  I should have twigged early, but didn't. Electrolytics are standard components and can be bought relatively cheaply through electronics stores.

 

* F-ing is not a thinly-disguised swear word, as F is the internationally recognised abbreviation for Farad, the unit of capacitance.

 

 

As my video shows, even over a very long insulfrog, you don't need a huge or expensive capacitance. The one I have is 2200uF, ample to span the gap when combined with good wheel pickups.

 

Usually I test on a rolling road to see how much of a wheel turn the Cap will deliver when power is killed. A quarter wheel turn takes you a fair way in "crossing an insulfrog" terms :)

I'm looking forward to my all electrofrog future.

 

 

Edited August 21, 2022 by BWsTrains

[St Enodoc]

On 20/08/2022 at 20:26, St Enodoc said:

I've ordered some replacement shafts from DCC Supplies

...which arrived today. Excellent service from DCC Supplies, Royal Mail and Australia Post.

[St Enodoc]

Two pairs (one for now, one for Ron...) of 14xx traction tyres are now on their way from Yorkshire for a very reasonable price - thanks Andy @acg5324!

[acg5324]

7 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Two pairs (one for now, one for Ron...) of 14xx traction tyres are now on their way from Yorkshire for a very reasonable price - thanks Andy @acg5324!

No problem John, Debbie will be taking it into Haxby Post Office today.