The Bigbee Line

Chaz, Nice pipes. I like the subtle details that can be found on industrial buildings. I've not done any structures yet in 7mm and am looking forward to it. Years ago I did some down pipes in HO. I used plastic rod for the pipes and wrapped 2 turns of this wire from flex to represent the collared joints. Not too bad if you don't look too close... Need to read through the rest of your thread, many thanks.

Nice. Where are your couplings?

Three Link Couplings - Batch Production Looking round for a suitable former I found this jig saw blade in my handy tool box. The copper wire was first straightened by catching one end in the vice and pulling the other end in a pair of pliers. It will straighten quite nicely. The hold one end against the former and boldly wrap the wire round the former. I then used a Stanley knife cut each link off. The first batch has quite square corners, just like the former.. I took the file to the corners of the Jigsaw blade, surprisingly it rounded off quicker than I thought. I'd imagined it was all hardened, but it must be just the blades teeth. You can see that the links are now more rounded. The squarer links were used next to the coupling hook. The Dapol hook in particular as purchased is not thin and the first link doesn't swing on the hook. I thin the hook slightly and a squarer link swings nicely. I used a hook of thicker wire in the vice to hold one end of the coupling and another hook use to stretch it out ready for soldering. Bakers fluid was brushed on and the links quickly soldered. A touch too much solder, but easy and it flowed well. On a test the links lifted easily with the magnetic tool. Tested on a hook it had a nice loose action. Here is the first production batch of 3 link couplings. They all have 2 copper links and one magnetic link. The black links are Peco and the Silvery ones are Dapol. Ready to solder After soldering and a good wash to make sure all traces of the Bakers Fluid has been washed off. I need to get a suitable file and take off any excess solder. If I make the effort to get the ends closer together before soldering and use less solder, there should be little of no excess to remove. Not sure what the best way is to blacken /darken the links. Encouraged by the ease that a batch could be bent and soldered I'm planning to create three bespoke formers; Top link with one square end and one rounded end. Middle link with a narrower overall width and a third former with both ends rounded.

KESR rebuild of Terrier A1 tank loco as an 0-6-0 tender loco using parts from an Ilfracombe Goods. The story line is that in the 1930's when things were bleak financially the loco foreman at Rolvenden had a quandary. He needed a loco with a bigger water capacity than a terrier and decided to couple it to the spare tender from an Ilfracombe Goods..... Would he have removed the tanks from the terrier, or kept them as an aid to adhesion? The water capacity was 500 gallons as built, the Ilfracombe tender was rated at 2000 gallons so would give 4 times the range. Thoughts / Comments please...

Just thinking. How about using one as a basis for a very small 0-6-0 tender loco. An LBSC version of the Ilfracome Goods. Them sold on to the KESR.

Busy with real wagons today. Last night I added lead flashing under the 3H open up to 5oz, couldn't get more in... Then added some rough and ready white metal buffers. As a project this one is not cost effective, but useful to try things out on. Shown here after the second pair of buffers were glued on and given some paint... I will say that the weight really makes it feel like a real wagon...

Wanted to try some transfers. Don't get excited about the number, just took one from the sheet. If anyone has a suggested number please let me know. You can't see the buffer I snapped off. I will put on a set of whitemetals I've got spare (the plastic ones were overscale anyway...) As the body is quite crude I think I'll stick with the 'coarse scale' theme and make the brakework from cardboard..... I have cut a dummy brake lever, seems to look the part. Just need to find my tin on knotting (shellac)

Good afternoon, In this day and age you don't get to see much timber being fitted to wagons, other than in preservation. I have been lucky in that in my time I have seen what goes on in an old fashioned wagon works. Here is a picture of 217060940467 a 'Ferry Tube' having its 'Revision' in Toton Wagon Shops. 20th February 2002. Yoy will notice the woodwork that has been replaced. I suspect that the timber not replaced was original. The replacement timber may not be rough but it does have texture. It had been sawn to size in the shop. The floor boards were quite rough and a different timber to the sides. Here are some pictures of an ODA 113146. A patchwork of colours, the close up of the data panel shows where the paint seems to have lifted the grain. The lettering bears witness to the texture on the surface. Not sure how I'm going to tackle that on the Dapol 5 plank open. The sides need painting so will think about what to do to add that characature of grain and surface texture.

Not much modelling today. Was given 2 x 5 litre tins of Gloss Grey yesterday. Says it's single pack, so have tried a bit to see if it's dry. Thought I'd top coat the 3H 5 plank, so rummaged in the odds and ends and found a tin of Humbrol matt grey, indeterminate shade. It seemed quite thick when I put it on, but then seemed to go all thin and glossy...... Fingers crossed that it dries... If it doesn't lighten when it dries I think I'll do one side with the pre-nationalisation lettering and the other side with black patches and white letters / numbers. The body looks very crude in this picture. Tempted to say, lets sheet it over, but by the time some crates are formed up as the load and secured by ropes, it won't seem too bad, I hope..

Thanks, worth a shot. Cheques or PO's only? The website quotes 2013 exhibitions I'll make contact.

I'm pretty certain that the Senlac was Ro-Ro only. It would look nicer with 2 tracks on the link span...

The point blade is the switch. Not for me as I like to have a light action on the points, just enough to hold them over, maybe not enough to keep them switching consistently. As you say you don't seem to have any problems, well done.. "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din", Rudyard Kipling.. Take that as praise not sarcasm..

I agree that it is only required in certain circumstances. If not fitted in loco sidings and you stable a DCC loco, as soon as you throw the points against that siding the loco will loose power as both rails are then the same polarity.

They look a good representation of the cast steel middle link. But at £8 a pair quite expensive. Also I'm not sure when the cast steel link was introduced. For me I don't really need many (the wagon I show on the post will actually get a 3 link) and have some peco links that are really nicely bent out of iron wire. Other than the GW, I'm sure the others used a screw coupling. Interestingly I call it a BR screw coupling as opposed to a UIC Screw Coupling (Quite different, and each type had different strengths, but I digress), what was the Screw Coupling called before BR. I presume it was an RCH specification....

Do you switch the live frogs? or are you relying on blade contact to do the switching? If you do, what switch do you use, Thanks

Cyril Freezer always drummed this one in. If you do not insulate beyond the frog you can get a short circuit in certain circumstances, especially a loop. See my crudely edited example

Yes there should be insulated joiners on both sides of the frog/crossing. Good diagram though.

Instanters in a Sows Ear Has my 30 minutes in the workshop this evening. My self imposed project deadlines is to get a 3H 5 plank (sows ear) completed. It needed the couplings fettled, brake levers sorting, top coat of paint and the weight sorted.. I started by filing the ends of a 3H steel link, wiping with Bakers Fluid then soldering. When 3 of these links are together it does hang below rail level, but they're not a bad shape and good for testing my soldering... Here's one in the vice after soldering: I then bent an instanter and the top link from copper wire, all three were joined and the gaps soldered. With bakers fluid the flow is better, need to have much less solder on the iron. I then washed the coupling and gave a quick once over with a black permanent marker. Here in the vice: So in the wagon we have a before shot: And here an 'after'.... Another after from another angle: Finally coupled to a Lionheart Mineral... I need to make something to allow me to bend a more realistic and consistent instanter pear shaped link. I also want to try some 3 links with the narrower middle links as these 5 plankers would probably have had plain 3 link couplings

I've become a bit of a buffer stop groupie, some shots from today. The images are quite high resolution so you can zoom in if required. I've also got shots from various other angles if anyone's interested.

My thread to cover the construction of random wagons... Hopefully I will get better at it... Good evening, Worked most of the day, was able to take a few pictures for my main thread. The modelling highlight of the day was the Hattons parcel waiting for me when I got home.. Inside was the BR 5 plank, steel ends, unfitted in a finish to represent unpainted wood. For me the jury is out on the rocking solebar on one side. I think the principle is fine, but as noticed on a lionheart wagon it seems to need more weight in the wagon to make it work properly. I note that the wheels have pinpoint axles and a finer flange than the Dapol Spoked wheels that arrived in the same box: I have grown to like the parallel tubular bearing over the pin point that is the norm in 4mm. (As an aside I remember articles by Bob East where he turned down the ends of Hornby Dublo axles and used a piece of PTFE tube for a bearing, funny how things stick in your mind...) The couplings must be the Lionheart style; nice links, not sure about the hooks. Might be styled for function, but I prefer the pure Dapol Hooks as in their Screw Couplings, especially when compared to the real RCH hook. Lionheart style Dapol Screw Coupling RCH Drawbar Under the headstock is a box. Is that a mounting for a Kadee coupler? . My moans aside, a very nice model. It comes with Moreton Brakework i.e. 2 blocks only. I intend to fit another set of brakework and a vacuum cylinder. It will get a repaint (bauxite as a base), with maybe some subtle wood graining added as the planks seem very smooth. I did look for a previous review, but couldn't find anything. If I gone over things already covered, please excuse me. 4266 2510 4346 2610 4720 3110 4929 0211 5016 0311 5203 0611 6525 2003 - 7758 10-09 8218 071018 8489 281018 9825 221218 10348 311218 10408 010119 10547 030119 10672 10777 05012019 11006 0901 11182 1201 11263 1302 12867 0303 15061 1604 - 17747 17-08 18036 23-08, 21563 24-12, 22437 7-1 22866 11-01 23060 12-01 23225 13-01 23739 15-01 24118 19-01 25494 05-02 25867 09-02. —- 26960 01-03 - 28495 13-03

If you want people to help you resolve your difficulty you must give all the information regarding wiring etc. Make a diagram of the track, show all insulated joiners and all feeds, plus how each DCC80 is connected to the track.

I've got to sort out my tools for work at the weekend, but here are a few pictures of the gate: The position will be at the end of the layout. I'd thought of the gate against the backscene, but that is a bit if a cliché now. Maybe the whole crossing, needs to be at a jaunty angle to the track and be on a slope... First picture is the proposed position. View from the sidings. This is some sprue shaved off.... The shavings are placed over the joint and some solvent dropped on. The shavings dissolve and fill the gap...

Steve, Thanks for the compliments. Linda is to thank for the dinner, she's started looking for something to rustle up for next year. Already booked the accommodation. With O gauge I try and do something every day. I'm not the best at internal discipline as you can see and jump about a bit. But the layout itself is progressing. I quite often get ideas at random times and like to try them out. I'd like to go to Telford but I'd come back with more stuff. I'm waiting for the Dapol BR vans to come out. Hattons have some of the 5 plank BR opens in the unpainted finish, I ordered one and it should be here tomorrow, also ordered some Dapol wagon wheels and screw couplings. Like a kid at Christmas waiting for parcels... I'm working on Saturday and Sunday so won't get too much done. There is a Weltrol that I need to measure and model before it disappears. Send some pictures of your weathering, Best regards,

Level Crossing Gates Todays diversion from real life is the shortening of Level Crossing Gates. I have a picture of some gates on a crossing near Framlingham. Just like the Peco gates but only 3 bays long. They also have intermediate horizontal bars not the mesh. First stage is to shorten the gates... Taped to the end of a square for alignment whilst the cement dries. I know they are a little OTT for the KESR, but I like crossings...

Most buffer stops have elegantly bent legs, with a multitude of variations. Some modern sets have plates joining straight sections of rail and some have the legs going straight into the ballast. I have a picture of some (but can't find them at the moment). I have been thinking about having a go, also wanting to try soldering with bakers fluid. Soldering experts are reaching for their crucifix now.... If washed thoroughly afterwards it should be ok... Here's my first efforts... An additional angled rail will be added outboard of the angled rails fitted. Plus some squares of brass where the buffers make contact.