Scalefour Forum

Original link asked me to register but after that seemed to want me to create a live stream.
Anyway, got it through Danny's link but it says that live chat is disabled.

I think it unlikely that the train would run with a fitted head, more likely the fitted wagons would run wirh brake pipes unconnected and the marshalling order just be based on the shunting requirements.

Thanks Keith for that useful tip. Regarding the subject of key direction in general, is it right that rails generally creep in the direction of travel, so keys are driven in against it? I.e. generally from the left. In the case of a single line or siding is there a custom/practice? See https://www....

The code 75 is the height of the rail, not the head width. The width does vary between makes, largely dependent, I think on the age of the die. I suppose the height will similarly vary as the tool ages, but should not get anywhere near code 85. A prototype 95lb bull head rail when new is 145.26 mm h...

Anyway ... beyond some experimentation I need to progress the layout design such that I can get some baseboards up and running. Still keen to see what might be possible using Styrofoam ;) Rod Cameron has expanded on his Scalefour News article with a topic on RMweb, a search for Lewes should find it.

I fitted my Masokits ones after laying the track, Wasn't particulary hard. I don't think fitting them to loose turnouts would be any easier.

Any wheel any size is here, https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=5419&start=75

You'll find it impossible to use a single triangular gauge as they have no sense of direction. I don't understand this statement at all, its up to the user to orient the gauge correctly on curved track, other than that where does direction come into it? I successfully built plenty of track with one...

Steam loco coal consumption on BR was very variable even between locos of the same class. I don't know the context of E S Cox's comment, but it was probably about making sure there was enough coal capacity to do any likely job, not about finishing the day with minimum coal in the tender. I thought ...

According to E S Cox, the reason that the BR Standards had a lot of variations in coal capacity was that it was tailored to the expected duties as having leftover coal in the tender then filling on top the leftovers degraded such that when it was eventually needed the quality and thus steaming would...

You can get relay boards on eBay very cheaply with 2, 4, 8 or 16 relays, its really not worth building your own. Just search for 'Relay Modules. eg. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5V-12V-or-24V-1-2-4-8-16-Channel-Relay-Module-Arduino-PI-ARM-AVR-DSP-PIC/262722739443?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item3d2b7e...

Plenty of numbers from 50 upwards available.

Thanks Noel. Have you got a picture of this. 73024 isn’t in any of my books. Which is why it’s the way it is. Mike From the Wikipedia the first 50 had BR1 tenders, ie without fall plate and hence doors and canvas bellows on the cab, same as the earlt Brits. Google images brought up the diagrams but...

The actual website may be more use than the facebook page.
https://five79.co.uk/4mm-Standard-Gauge-Kits/

JFS wrote:Edit:- See post dated Dec 16 2009 (is it really that long ago!)
Best Wishes,

Since this topic only started in November 2015 perhaps you could provide a link to the 2009 post.

From what I've seen on MERG using Arduinos seems to very quickly become a hobby in itself. I'm pretty sure there are Arduino sketches out there for operating Servos so if you can resist the Arduino take over might bbe worth a try. On the other hand MERG have servo driver kits optimised for operation...

I use servos with MERG Servo4 units and have for years now. Used as intended I have not had twitching problems. From what I have seen those problems are more likely on DC layouts than DCC.I have used microswitches for frog switching in a few cases but prefer to use relays. The chear chinese relay mo...

and here I found my fishplates (Brassmasters) were too long - partly because the chair keys each side of the joint were facing towards each other. Moral, make the keys face outwards here, even if that's not quite correct prototypically. Keys at a joint are always hammered in towards the joint, very...

Philip Hall wrote:Alignment of brakes etc is done with the wheels slid onto wooden axles (this is also how I work out sideplay)

Thanks for that Philip, not something I had thought of, I can see it being very useful.

Quote from one of the Mike Edge links I gave, This is more of an innovation now, an n20 motor and gearbox driving the trailing axle through bevel gears - paint on the motor shows that I forgot to mask it before spraying primer but it doesn't seem to have affected it. The gearbox frame is simply sold...

I can’t quite locate the model of n20 motor and gearbox - presumably it’s an eBay Chinese one? I have a small drum motor with enclosed gearbox driving my turntable very effectively. I gave a link a few posts back, most of the gearboxes seem to be designed for a 100 rpm output, but there are plenty ...

Of course, if you don't fancy the N20 motors with gearboxes that are in the MIke Edge link I gave you can just buy them and use only the gears. :) Still a good price it that's all you use. eg. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=N20+motors&_sacat=...

Another option is to use gearhead motors where the reduction is built in and you just need a bevel or contrate gearset for the axle. I think Mike Edge has illustrated this in his RMweb workbench. The drawback is that the driveshaft is in the maximum torque part of the drive so maximising the tendenc...

Is anybody objecting to those items as 'one word@ ?
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokebox
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1243/JILE_PROC_1939_029_042_02?journalCode=jila

There are about ten brick courses visible, plus a concrete top, which would produce a height of about 3ft above the top of the rail, which is about right to produce a gentle slope on the ramp when loading/unloading. On that basis, the fence is about 4ft high at most. I also think you are undercount...