Scalefour Forum

Work on the chassis has progressed far enough for me to find that clearances are so tight that there is a risk of CSB wire rubbing the wheel rims - so the spacers between the inside frames are going to be split electrically. Pity I didn't see this coming as I should have fitted split axles to avoid ...

Thanks to all who have responded with useful and interesting information. I got to where I did for a number of reasons: - my inability to accurately mark the position for a small hole (on a good day getting witin a quarter of a mm would be a real success) - difficulty of "centre punching" ...

[quote="Guy Rixon" Please explain about "proper spotting drills", they sound very useful. I know what a centre drill is for and how to mis-use it for spotting. If there's a better tool for this where would one get it? Cheers, Guy[/quote] Guy, I've put a reply in the "Other W...

Having just done something stupid. and broken my small centre drill as result, I went on line to see about buying a replacement. In so doing I came across a spotting drill and I confess that I had not heard of one of these before and it did seem to offer some potential advantages. A great way to sta...

Some progress to report. The Birmingham Corporation Water Works wagon now has new running gear and the missing bits of strapping have been replaced, it has joined the Cambrian wagon waiting for a trip to the paint shop. I "finished" the drawings for the loco boiler mountings and these have...

BRUNEL wrote:Andrew,

.... what are the circular bits at the end of leaf springs called?

Derek.

I regret I've no idea what the names of the bits of the spring hanger assembly are.

When it comes to modelling these a couple of questions come straight to mind. 1. what's the best way of modelling the scroll irons? Andrew, I assume from your question that you're talking about the spring. Whilst it was a bit of a fiddle, I have managed to model the scoll by incorporating it with t...

Two links that may be useful - how to use a piercing saw and dimensions of blades.
http://www.guildofjewellerydesigners.co.uk/articles2/jewellery-making-techniques/462-the-piercing-saw
http://www.vallorbe.com/Download.php?f=documents/Scies_montures_gb_e.pdf

... Gauge_widening.pdf Regards Nice numbers here! Note the plain track gauge - if you model modern image and use P4 standards you already have some gauge widening. (I remember learning over half a century ago that London Underground and British Railways used different gauges. I've often wondered wh...

There are small scale reproductions in "A Pictorial Record of Great Western Coaches including the brown vehicles Part 1 (1838-1913)" by J. H. Russell; Oxford Publishing Company, 1972; SBN 90288803X. Most, but not all, of the dimensions are readable. The 6'4" bogie is on page 89, the 8...

As a change from working on signals, I've started to use some of the things learnt at Great Missenden together with helpful information from other parts of this Forum. As the weather has turned a bit chilly I thought I'd aim for some heat and set off on the road paved with good intentions... - do so...

All the signals were finally installed a few weeks ago, but functioning of several is very poor despite them working OK on the bench. Improvements will have to wait until after most of the scenery has been finished (next century??). fig1.JPG Don't copy this installation - there was room for point mo...

The Manchester Science Museum Beyer Peacock collection has a lot of general arrangement drawings of early locos: here's a link to an 1860 Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway 2-2-2: http://emu.msim.org.uk/web/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=15246 . And to a page around that period: http://emu.msim.org.u...

Jim, Many thanks, and especially to Euan, for the detailed analysis that confirmed some of my guesses and explained loads more. This will be extremely useful for several projects that are on my wish list. As I've had help from the USA on the CAD program I am starting to use, the next loco will have ...

I have a couple of modelling projects in mind for which I only have some side elevations, so I started looking through my files and books and was surprised that some information needed was consistently missing! With outside framed locos was there a typical dimension over the outside frames? I've onl...

The last time I travelled in one of these, or something similar, was when I was too young to realise that it would have been sensible to note the coach numbers as well as that of the loco! All I had noted was that the coach had 1 first class compartment 1 away from the guard's area. There were 3 of ...

There may be a more organic link, especially for anyone interested in modelling railways without mechanical traction....
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog_(horse)

I was determined not to do any more rolling stock modelling until after I had a few metres of track to test things on, and installed the things often left until last - signals. I've now reached the stage where this has been achieved so the workbench has taken on a new appearance. bench.jpg I've now ...

Tim V wrote:...to start on the main line ... was 3 minutes. Try that at an exhibition

That was in my mind when I made the original posting! Thanks Tim for finding some actual numbers.

In doing a bit of research at the NRM I got distracted and came across a bit that could make layout operators think. We are all used to seeing trains standing at a signal move off as soon as it is cleared (model and modern prototype) but with unfitted trains this was not always the case - instructio...

Eventually made it to York so had a look at the books suggested: thanks Stephen, they were fascinating. Unfortunately I have not found a detailed (dimensioned) drawing so I'll just have to do the modelling on the basis of the diagrams and photos found. Without doubt the results will be wrong, but so...

Mention of this thread has been made on the Welsh Railways Research Circle forum where I posted: ----------- For definitive information on the Furness locos one may care to note that the HMRS lists a general arrangement drawing: http://www.hmrs.org.uk/drawings/drawinginfo.php?id=17680 It's a shame t...

Steve, I wonder if you are looking at material that is too thick. Most mouldings I've come across are 3/8" thick, and a quick look at a GA drawing of an old LBSCR coach (from the HMRS) showed 1/4" - (length over mouldings being 1/2" greater than length over body) - so you should proba...

Neil,
Not being a LSWR enthusiast I don't have the book, but I'd bet you'll find useful information in "Southern Style" by John Harvey http://www.hmrs.org.uk/books/bookdetails.php?bookid=1038.

(I'm the HMRS webmaster so have an interest in promoting this book.)

My daughter's fiance has asked for advice on getting a lathe for work with various plastics, resins or hard woods - he's a model maker but not (yet) a railway modeller so is not after something for metal turning or working to high precision. I've only ever looked at small metal working machines (Uni...