National Coal Board - Royd Hall Drift & Royal Oak Sidings.

[Ruston]

Thanks for posting that Philip. It is very quiet in operation but I notice that you only have one loader though. Perhaps I'm trying to be too ambitious with one loader for each road?

 

I did a rough experiment, using a plastic Chinese takeaway carton, some crushed coal and a protractor and I found that even with such a slippery surface as the carton it must be tipped to at least 35 degrees before the coal will move by gravity alone (without help from tapping the container or vibration). So if I used just one road for loading I could make a single large hopper with 35 deg. sides, which would help the coal to flow and less vibration would be needed and for the spout only, rather like the one in PGH's video. In an attempt to fit 4 hoppers in the building and maximise their capacity the bottoms of my hoppers are only about 10 degrees so that's probably why they need so much vibration.

 

Trying to fit 4 loaders with such steep-sided hoppers would mean they could hold only enough coal for 2 wagons at the most.

 

After Stu's comments I shaved more material from the flywheel but it didn't make a great deal of difference and so I removed it from being mounted on the spout, turned it through 90 degrees and mounted it on the top of the hopper. This has really improved things and the motor can now run at a much slower speed and thus cause less noise for the same performance. I managed to fill 5 wagons and the hopper wasn't even fully-loaded. If I fill it to capacity then 6 or maybe even 7 is possible but I'll have to fit a lid to prevent spillage in operation.

Edited August 18, 2016 by Ruston

[wagonbasher]

Thanks for posting that Philip. It is very quiet in operation but I notice that you only have one loader though. Perhaps I'm trying to be too ambitious with one loader for each road?

 

I did a rough experiment, using a plastic Chinese takeaway carton, some crushed coal and a protractor and I found that even with such a slippery surface as the carton it must be tipped to at least 35 degrees before the coal will move by gravity alone (without help from tapping the container or vibration). So if I used just one road for loading I could make a single large hopper with 35 deg. sides, which would help the coal to flow and less vibration would be needed and for the spout only, rather like the one in PGH's video. In an attempt to fit 4 hoppers in the building and maximise their capacity the bottoms of my hoppers are only about 10 degrees so that's probably why they need so much vibration.

 

Trying to fit 4 loaders with such steep-sided hoppers would mean they could hold only enough coal for 2 wagons at the most.

 

After Stu's comments I shaved more material from the flywheel but it didn't make a great deal of difference and so I removed it from being mounted on the spout, turned it through 90 degrees and mounted it on the top of the hopper. This has really improved things and the motor can now run at a much slower speed and thus cause less noise for the same performance. I managed to fill 5 wagons and the hopper wasn't even fully-loaded. If I fill it to capacity then 6 or maybe even 7 is possible but I'll have to fit a lid to prevent spillage in operation.

Just thinking ahead if you do end up with multiple hoppers you may need to tape the tops together with gaffer tape or similar as spilt coal gets everywhere and starts to effect operations.

 

Andy

[PGH]

I only load on the centre of the three roads at the moment, which I find is quite sufficient.  I assume that in the prototype different sizes of coal would be loaded on each road, so you would need different methods of unloading wagons to keep the sizes separate.  When I get the end tippler working I might add another hopper and delivery chute to the nearest screen road. 

 

In your case by vibrating the whole hopper I wonder if you are actually tending to compact the coal rather than getting it to flow - perhaps the reason why its more difficult with the finer material.  I notice that your discharge "spout" is enclosed, increasing the size of this may help.  You can control the amount of flow with the vibration rather than the size of the outlet from the hopper.

In the above, arrangement B should give a better flow of material than A

 

If you wish to load on more than one road and are happy to use a single size material you could have separate vibrating feeding troughs from a single fixed hopper, thus -

Considering a fixed hopper with sufficient side slopes to discharge by gravity, bear in mind that where two side slopes meet at 90 degrees the valley angle (the line along which the two side slopes meet) is less than the angle of the side slopes so you would need to increase the angle of the side slopes so that the valley angle is at least 35 degrees (personally I would aim for 40 degrees) to prevent a build up of material in the corners.

 

One further thought - is your screen structure strong enough to withstand all this vibration ?

Edited August 19, 2016 by PGH

[Ruston]

Yes, It would be easier to load a single size but I've got it in my head to load at least two sizes of coal and have one loader for waste. The third coal loader would be for hopper wagons, which need greater clearance. Although the coal will all go through the same tippler at the other end the plan is to have takeaway containers under the baseboard. These will be slid out when full to refill the screens hoppers, so it's simply a matter of changing the container when tipping different-sized coal.

 

I'm sure the structure is strong enough to withstand the vibration. The brass 5x5 section is fairly strong itself but with the card and brick plasticard infill glued in the whole thing is quite rigid. I suppose the weak points are the legs but the hopper springs do a good job of insulating most of the vibration from the structure anyway.

 

I made the spouts covered because I was worried the coal would spill over but having seen yours in action I guess this isn't the case.

 

Tomorrow I will build another hopper and make some alterations to the design of spout.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

This might help with the scenics?

08679. Royston drift mine, early 80's.

 

Mike.

[Ruston]

More scenic work.

The track with the tar tank isn't connected to any other track and will be very overgrown with one of Bury, Thorn & Sons tanks, long-abandonded in the bushes. I might even distress the Slaters Manning Wardle and have it also on this isolated track - I may as well make some use of it as I doubt it'll ever run.

 

The wild bushes are from a company called Polak, a company that I had never heard of before but I'm impressed with them.

 

Water tank for the tippler shunter's shed.

I thought I'd go for something more conventional than an old tank wagon, or Lancashire Boiler. The panels are cast resin parts, which were bought from Invertrain and the rest is scratched using plastruct and 0.8mm brass wire.

Edited February 15, 2023 by Ruston

[Rob Pulham]

I love the tar tank Dave. Can I ask what you used to get the shiny tar spillage finish? I have a Slaters rectangular tank that I want to add some tar spillage to but I am struggling as to what best to use to create the effect.

[sir douglas]

i havent tried it but wouldnt an enamel black paint do it?

[Ruston]

Yes, that's it; black enamel paint. Paint the area around the filler then let it dry before adding thick runs with a small brush, letting them dry and layering more runs on. Putting on MEK or Plastic Weld on some of it makes it wrinkle and adds to the effect but, of course, you have to be careful not to melt the plastic!

Edited September 9, 2016 by Ruston

[Ruston]

The water tank is almost finished. It needs some piping and a control valve.

 

Shown in place but not yet fixed down. Under the tank is a platform, made of old sleepers (balsa strip) with corrugated iron to act as a coal bunker for locomotive use. I love making this kind of scene and it's one of the great things about industrial railways that you don't have to follow any particular railway practice or architecture. In fact the scruffier and the grottier the better and no one can tell you that it's wrong!

 

The isolated track is now almost completely hidden.

 

I had a moan some time ago about the prices of second hand O gauge rolling stock but I seem to have got lucky. The brake van on the right was bought a while ago, ready built for £25, which is the cheapest I've seen for one of these Slaters MR brakes. The one on the left was an absolute bargain at Telford. An unbuilt kit with all but the transfers, which I didn't want anyway, for just £15.

Edited February 15, 2023 by Ruston

[south_tyne]

Hi Ruston,

 

I'm really enjoying following your progress here, it is wonderfully atmosperic modelling. The screens building is superb! I think the engine shed will look spot on when it is fully bedded into the scene.

 

Keep the updates coming!

 

Cheers,

David

[Ruston]

Loco shed ready to plant. The inspection pit is a bit of an optical illusion as I am unable to cut into the baseboard itself so the area of baseboard on which the shed will be planted has been painted black.

 

Two of the Phoenix figures, now painted, that I bought at Telford. The miner with the safety lamp is presumably a pit deputy.

Edited February 15, 2023 by Ruston

[DanielB]

Dare I say that this is better than BT&S?

 

Loving it dude, keep it up!

[37114]

I haven't been on here much recently due to taking a break from modelling (Land Rover rebuild) so only just found this - WOW! Lovely layout Dave, the coal screen building is an impressive piece of work and love the latest photos, the composure of some of the scenes looks spot on. I also have massive shed envy...

[Ruston]

I haven't been on here much recently due to taking a break from modelling (Land Rover rebuild) so only just found this - WOW! Lovely layout Dave, the coal screen building is an impressive piece of work and love the latest photos, the composure of some of the scenes looks spot on. I also have massive shed envy...

Cheers, Rob. Ah, Land Rovers! I don't regret selling mine one bit. The Jaguar is much more comfortable, my hearing is no longer being destroyed and it does more miles per gallon!

[Ruston]

I have made a start on the wagon tippler.

 

PHOTO UNAVAILABLE THANKS TO PHOTOBUCKET MUPPETS

The tippler will have to rotate through 130 degrees in order to ensure complete discharge of the wagon loads.

 

 

PHOTO UNAVAILABLE THANKS TO PHOTOBUCKET MUPPETS

It is made from card and plasticard, with a brass axle. The white plastruct thing that looks like a goalpost is free to swing on the axle and holds the wagon in place when inverted. Plastruct has been used as a temporary measure to obtain the height and position of the fulcrum - brass will be used on the final version and the balance weights will probably be cast lead.

 

The Lionheart wagon and load shown weighs over 250g so the counterweights are full of lead sheet to reduce the load on the motor and gear train.

Edited August 11, 2017 by Ruston

[Geoff Cook]

Being that the chairs are the wrong way around should stop the wagon rolling

 

 

Geoff

[37114]

Cheers, Rob. Ah, Land Rovers! I don't regret selling mine one bit. The Jaguar is much more comfortable, my hearing is no longer being destroyed and it does more miles per gallon!

Wish I had sold it Dave in retrospect, Railway modelling is cheaper and arguably less frustrating, plus when something comes in a blue box it doesn't fall apart!

[Ruston]

Being that the chairs are the wrong way around should stop the wagon rolling

 

 

Geoff

I made up two lengths of rail with chairs on them and must have put them the wrong way round without noticing. I don't know why you think that will stop the wagon from rolling though?

 

 

Anyway...

 

 

PHOTO UNAVAILABLE THANKS TO PHOTOBUCKET MUPPETS

Tippler well made from card and tippler on temporary supports.

 

 

PHOTO UNAVAILABLE THANKS TO PHOTOBUCKET MUPPETS

Wooden guide rail and balance weight for the arm that holds the wagon in place when inverted.

 

 

PHOTO UNAVAILABLE THANKS TO PHOTOBUCKET MUPPETS

The hopper/chute in to which the coal is tipped. Made from plasticard and weathered using the salt and hairspray technique with polished Humbrol metalcote.

Edited August 11, 2017 by Ruston

[5050]

Being that the chairs are the wrong way around should stop the wagon rolling

 

 

Geoff

In the good old days, a lot of track had inside chairs and keys.  It was changed to make it easier for the linesman to walk his length and check/hammer-in the keys.

 

I'm liking this a lot Dave, keep up the good work!

Edited September 26, 2016 by 5050

[brianthesnail96]

The weathering on that hopper is ace- I assumed it was actually tin!

[5050]

Drybrook Road in the Forest of Dean had inside chaired track in 1948 on the main running line and original Severn and Wye flat bottom on the loop.  I wanted to try and recreate this on my layout but, as Simon has said above, the cant of the rail is all wrong using C&L chairs.  I've used 'standard' C&L instead as I'm setting the layout in an imaginary 1960 so it's been relaid by BR.

 

I agree I got the platelayer story the wrong way round.  I  knew there was a reason for something somewhere but went the wrong way with it. 

 

I'm currently sat in the corner with a tall pointed hat on.

[5050]

You could use ply and rivet (and even incline the rail correctly, if you wished) and then adde the C&L chairs cosmetically, the wrong way round.

Mine has a large D on it.

 

I like to kid myself that this is for my surname, or a mis-pronunciation of what my wife calls me ("Dunks"), but in reality...

Now that's a good idea regarding making the basic track with ply and rivet.  I might have a go at a short length to see if it works.  With P4 flanges there shouldn't be any problems with flanges striking keys.  I may have to 'adjust' the inside of the keyed side of the chair perhaps to counteract the 'lean' effect. Thanks for the idea!

[5050]

Now that's a good idea regarding making the basic track with ply and rivet.  I might have a go at a short length to see if it works.  With P4 flanges there shouldn't be any problems with flanges striking keys.  I may have to 'adjust' the inside of the keyed side of the chair perhaps to counteract the 'lean' effect. Thanks for the idea!

Built a short length as suggested and it seems to work.  I'll post it on the 'Drybrook Road' thread.

 

Sorry to hijack your thread somewhat Dave!

[Ruston]

Whether the chairs are the right way round or not, the tippler has just tipped its first wagonload of coal!

 

Pics tomorrow, probably.