Scalefour Forum

Re. the profile of the rail head as in the above pictures: Now, I am no engineer, but if Hi-nickel rail has a head profile which is incompatible with the profile of P4 wheels (i.e. too square-headed), would that not make a P4 profile wheel ride up on the root radius of its flange when the wheel is r...

Hello Rob, the colliery is looking great and the contrsction of the trackwork so quickly developed.

You are going to need more than that one wagon!

Colin

Le Corbusier wrote:

Colin Parks wrote: The common factor was C&L Hi-Nickel Bullhead rail (and yes, it was the right way up!).

Nah ... mine was steel rail

Ah yes. Bang goes that theory then!

Colin.

This is something disussed on a thread of mine while back. Despite appearances at the threading stage, the rail and chairs have gone down perfectly well onto plywood sleepers, with no subsequent problems - pretty much what Tim has said. The tightness was the same for both C&L and Exactoscale S1...

This is something disussed on a thread of mine while back. Despite appearances at the threading stage, the rail and chairs have gone down perfectly well onto plywood sleepers, with no subsequent problems - pretty much what Tim has said. The tightness was the same for both C&L and Exactoscale S1 ...

Ah, perhaps I should consider acrylic spray can colours rather than enamels. I did watch the youtube video of the Exeter West simulation. That signalman was treating the frame much more gently than the guy testing this frame's mechanical locking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw5dcI01kNo Presumabl...

Dave, Thanks for finding the information on lever numbers. Even knowing they were on the DCC Concepts website, it took me a while to find them! Howard, Love the picture of production line painting! I shall follow your method, but use an airbrush rather than spray cans to apply the paint, which I was...

Hello Tim,

One thing re. point 9 of your observations on the effect of MEK on styrene: use Humbrol Liquid Poly instead. (It has to be the Humbrol-branded solvent, there is another similarly named product.)

All the best,

Colin

The 'initial' Grampus looks great Ian! Just how many more are there to come?

All the best,

Colin

Hello Howard, Praise indeed! The locking frame will be a great challenge, which I am hoping to assemble to the point where the frame can be used to operate the switches, while I come to terms with the ins and outs of locking nibs and so on. In G A Pryor's book 'Southern Railway Signals', there are v...

It seemed best to put some photos here to show the stage that I have reached with my four lever frame assemblies. All the levers have finally been made. They fitted without more than the odd swipe with a needle file here and there. It is very satisfying just to operate the levers, which locate at ea...

Protocab sounds easy the way you explain it Tim! Re. the video: imagine if we spent time every day checking our PW. There would be fewer faults! I forgot to say how convincing your working point rodding is. It will save a great deal of sub baseboard work if you can get the rodding to function effect...

Hello Tony, Thanks for posting your Templot plan. I will have look at it later. The fact that you are only 1" out on the dimensions of such a large project seems quite acceptable. There is that person up in Scotland modelling Kings Cross and in an article he said the builders had made the inter...

Hello Tim,

Re. my comment on r/c and batteries, maybe I have misunderstood the way in which Protocab works. I thought that the locos used battery power in that system.

All the best,

Colin

Hello Tony, That all seems very complicated, but you have come around the full curcuit of boards with a remarkable degree of accuracy by the looks of it. In the picture of the boards which cover your designated 'flat area', is that going to be the fiddle yard side? Perhaps in due course, you will mo...

Hello Tim, The track weathering looks very good. What paint are you using for the rails? I have some Precision Paints 'Dark Rust' but it still looks a little orange in comparison with your colour. Re. the ballast train, is your chosen loco going to have enough space for the r/c equipment and battery...

A few process photos of the lever frame levers being fitted with piano wire drive pins. Needless to say I deviated from the instructions, having a slight concern that soldering a 1.4mm dia. rod into a 1.4 mm dia. hole would not allow sufficient space for the solder to flow. so I used a subtly over-s...

Thanks Tim. I think I have missed a few updates on your Monsal Dale topic, so will have look through that later.

All the best,

Colin

Hello Barry, After a rather unfortunate chest infection, seven days in hospital and convalescence I have just got around to posting a reply. The [outdoor] temperature range in Mid-Wales could now be said to be from -20 to 34C. The temperature range in my workshop where the test track resides is in t...

Good point Tony!

Guy Williams was quite self-effacing when I met him and saw his Pendon locomotives on display at a Bristol show. But once mastered, his rolling/bending technique definitely stood him in good stead for all those fine models he produced.

Colin

Well, if Tony says the inclination on his track is minmal or with none at all that is good enough for me! I suspect that the Hi-nickel bullhead rail that I have been using has too square a head profile to make any benefits of inclination null. Has anyone in an attempt to be 'getting it all right' (a...

Hello John,

The bridge is looking very convincing. The effort you have put into the texture of the stonework has certainly paid off.

All the best,

Colin

That sounds like a wise move John. There was/is a whole team involved in constructing the EM version of South Pelaw, it would take a very great effort to complete a project of that scale on your own. Then there is all the stock that you require. Even in 1971, there must have been quite a few trains,...

When I was at Pendon this weekend, I was told that Guy Williams used to roll up taper boilers in this way, the seam finished at a perfect joint for soldering. When onloooking tutees gasped in amazement and asked "how did you do that?" his response (as one would expect of a retired Headmas...

Hello Tony, Would I be right in saying that Sundela board is what used to be known (in the 70s) as soft board or fibre board? It looks like it. Back in the day, I had some base boards made with that material and even with coarse scale 00 gauge track there were problems - never again! I admire your t...