The Bigbee Line

Small would be ok. What IT skills are needed to program?

Nice picture. Trying to ID the wagons. They look like the JRA 33706790xxxx wagons, do you have a better shot?

Technique - Practice makes perfect or You learn by your mistakes... Not sure which is applicable, but my soldering has improved, only slightly. The production of 3 link couplings with the correct sized copper and paperclip wire has gone into batch production. The jig saw blade former can take enough wire for 9 links and a paperclip makes 4 links. So 4 sets of couplings and a spare copper link... At first I was putting quite a bit of solder on the tip and using that to transfer the heat to the link, then I found that the side of the tip was fine, but when I pulled the iron away it pulled away a tear of solder. That took quite a bit of cleaning off. Tonight I discovered that if I again used the side of the iron, but when the solder had flowed, slide the tip downwards away from the point. This had the effect of leaving the smallest amount of extra solder... Here is my Haynes Guide.. The batch of links from today... A cruel close up of a soldered link before fettling. The solder is slightly wasted at the joint, might be useful to allow the link to slip through the gedges slot..

That sounds all too familiar....

Paperclips - Great suggestion by 'Sir Douglas' After the suggestion by Sir Douglas I found under my nose a pack of Tesco Paperclips. The same size as my copper link material........... Harder to bend and needs more tweeking to get nice straight links, but spot on...

Long out of use. But when in use it looks like it was clipped for one route. The 'blobs of stuff' on top of the other rail are Motak, the lubricant from traction motor gear cases. Other than the fact it never dries, it would make an excellent glue as it sticks better than s4it to a blanket.....

This afternoon I decided to look closely at the buffers. I thought they were plastic and considered drilling out the bases to use the Markits heads. Looking at the back of the headstock I thought I could see a round shank. So nothing ventured, nothing gained, tried moving one, after much slight twisting, turning etc out it came. Quite hard going but they are metal castings..... I know they had buffers and their will be a proper distance between them, but were talking trainset curves here and I do like coaches in a set to look like a set and not individual coaches. The coaches can be moved quite close until the vacuum pipes almost touch. I took the Hornby/Roco type couplers from a Maunsell coach. One clipped into the NEM pocket, the other would not go in. Being Mr Impatient I clipped the NEM legs and got it in the pocket. The hugh gap was terrible. No pictures of that. I will try various NEM joiners I have, of will fabricate one to hold the distance as in the picture above. Then test run on some tight curves This is how I'd like them to look... Saving the Markits buffers for another job....

We could play the my scar is bigger that your scar, but mines the equivalent of 4 aces.... No pictures of wagons please....

Take it easy.. In 2010 I spent a week in intensive care. was off work for months, modelling was to taxing mentally and physically for some time.. But it is good for the soul. Share some pictures... Regards Ernie

DOOR BANGERS When assembling some RCH hooks last night I noticed that there were some useful pieces amongst the scrap brass. They looked likely candidates for door bangers on Mineral wagons. I bent one and tried it for size. Seems to look the part. I'll paint it tonight.

Thanks. I will look for some paper clips of 0.9mm. Where did you get yours?

I've posted in the main layout thread, to late to put it on the right thread... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/124772-tenterden-town-goods-uncovered/page-4&do=findComment&comment=2919643

3-Link Couplings Tonight I was determined to find some copper wire with strands as near as scale I could find. A search revealed some at 0.86mm, I had scaled the links at 0.9mm so that would do. I had a length to aim at and the shank of a jig saw blade was spot on... I just rounded off the square corners. Here are some links wound and partially cut through.. The first one of the night was assembled with a Slaters (I think) soft iron link at the end. Here as soldered... Here after a little fettling.... I added it to a Parkside Slope Sided Mineral. Not too bad.. This is one of my useful modelling aids. I find 'close work' more like 'guess work' without such an aid... This is the wire wound on the former. I can get 6 links at a sitting... Cutting them off one at a time with a craft knife.. I discovered that it's best to start at one side and work the cuts across. That way you end up with a small gap between the ends of the link. It's easier to form to the final shape and solder than when close up. Here I'm half way through the cutting. A heavy duty blade is best with a slight wiggle as the press down. A batch of 6 lined up ready for soldering. This link has been lined up on the former. The gap shown seems ideal for soldering. I hold the link in some pliers on the side opposite the join, brush a little Bakers Fluid in the join, the apply the iron with a medium blob of solder on the end. Hold steady against the joint, at first nothing happens, then the liquid fizzes, then the solder flows into the joint, slide the iron away, job done. This is a view showing how the link is formed. You can actually squeeze the link 'flat' against the former with pliers. Here is a link after soldering, ready to be fettled with a file. I found it better to file along the link rather than across to take off most of the surplus. Finishing off with an action like you were filing your nails.. A not too focused shot of a fettled coupling. The links are then washed, dried and put in a jar with some coarse sand. Some vigorous shaking seems to smooth the surface a little, might be my imagination.... This is the finished product.. I use the best of the 2 copper links as the middle link, that one in most visible.

A few posts ago there were some comments regarding the slide chairs and the blocks fitted. Here are some pictures of blocks on a bullhead turnout.. Here is the Toe end of one of the switches showing how it stops at the end of the slide chair, ensuring support for the thinner end of the switch. Note the base plate and it's insulated joint to allow track circuits to function... Finally the Z bar that stops the switch rail moving fore and aft. Flat bottom has a block bolted between the stock and switch rails. Historically I had an involvement in laying track work at the Botley end of the workshops at Eastleigh. The point work was purchased as a kit of second hand parts. I did not realise there were regional variations in how the chairs were laid out.... Just like when planning a model railway it was difficult to fit all the point work in and we ended up with the equivalent of a radius 2 curve at one point

I think you mean Parkside. SR Diagram 1771 Ballast Wagon. Lasted from 1928 to the 1990's. Apparently the second plant down was a metal channel and made the doors very heavy. Numbered 61945 - 62004

The best cure for the carpet monster is to tile the floor. Our ground floor has been tiled throughout, European style, thoroughly recommend it. What you notice is the amount of dust etc that normally would disappear into a carpet... The down side is that an impact from height can damage models........ Previously the mentioned technique of viewing from ground level with a strong light CSI style, works quite well Thanks Ernie

Andy, Thanks for the clarification, much appreciated. I might have missed it, but is there a list of likely effected models? I apologise it already provided. Thanks Ernie

Avoiding the 'he said, she said' posts etc how about this as a possible positive way forwards..... Ask nicely if Hornby could release the drawing of the chassis blocks that have had the problem historically and are no longer produced by Hornby. Then get quotes to make these by some other process as aftermarket products allowing anyone the chance to replace items damaged for whatever reason. I will email Hornby today and ask the question.....

If and its a big if, suppliers were forced to supply spares for models long out of stock, it would immediately hike prices as this all needs to be paid for. Your getting what you pay for. In the real world of real railways some spare parts are just not available, suppliers do not make loads of extra's just in case. So if a key component fails it may be curtains for one of the fleet. It becomes a 'Christmas Tree' for the rest. A few years ago I purchased the last shoe beams as fitted to the 2-HAP bogie. Even if you wanted you could not replicate exactly the item, the tropical hardwood is an endangered species and the glue used in the assembly is banned because of health issues etc. You become the master of the 'work around'. If this was a problem with the real railway a 'special check' would be issued to get a true picture of the extent of the problem. I would like to know the true percentage of production that has been effected. Options would then be explored to mitigate the risk and a recovery plan, if required, put into place. With the chassis mentioned is it possible to fabricate, from plasticard if necessary and add metal bushes, machine from solid or maybe scan and 3D print... Maybe this thread should be for positive suggestions only....

A family member a few years ago found a suitcase hiding in the back of the loft. It contained tin soldiers and military vehicles that were pre WW2. To cut a long story short he was advised to sell them before the wheels fell off literally. So it's not a new problem. Maybe there is some merit in storing body and Mazak chassis separately if long term storage is contemplated. Interestingly US outline diesels by Proto 2000 came packed as such. In that case it was because impacts during transit could wreck the model due to the inertia of the heavy metal parts.

I have too many flat bottom turnouts in my current stock that need using up so will try to resist the Bullhead turnouts. My thought is that the 'medium' would be the next most useful edition with either a single slip or three way to follow. If you need something at all exotic, build it or get someone else to do it. I had a need for a single turnout for US outline in HO. It was for a backwoods branch line in the South East US. I contacted a guy in the states and he built me a No.8 in code 55.... I couldn't make such a good job and it avoids the necessary compromises from Peco code 83. Peco have done well with this point and well done Mr Peco.. Here is the Code 55 HO turnout, very impressive..

I've just ordered 12 from Markits. The chap was most helpful.

Back to the original topic, birdcage coaches... Is there a supplier of these buffers, ideally with a metal sprung head? I would line to fit some and during 'tight curve' operation, have the inner buffers in the 'retracted' position. I know they didn't retract in reality, but it will allow me to close up the space between coaches. Metal heads on their own would be OK. If Hornby did the heads for their Van B it would do. Thanks

The latest instalment was a long time coming. The layout got buried during a monster sort out. I must not use it as a storage shelf, unless I use it to store wagons getting the 'wagon shop' treatment. I have a facia with an LED strip of lights, so that could be installed, hanging from the shelf above. I can then light the layout and have a home for the facia. I have to do a little work underneath the board and while that is being done I'll drop the brackets to give another few inches headroom and put a sheet of thin ply or hardboard behind to back the scene...

This is the Hbfins 'Ford Van'