Scalefour Forum

Hi Julian, I'm sorry the image isn't showing, the cera.net data centre seems to be offline this morning. Here it is: julian_tandem.png You can't assume the track in the 1950s was the same as 1902, it could have been renewed at some stage. However, it's very likely that a yard tandem would be using l...

Hi Julian, Sorry you didn't get the reply you were looking for on Templot Club. I got rather more involved in fixing the bug you found. I have found the switch toe mark to be the one detail which can reasonably be relied on in the historic OS maps. The tandem seems doable within the mapped detail, w...

Hi Julian, The best way to create a symmetrical Y-turnout in Templot is to use an irregular half-diamond template. Start with an ordinary half-diamond on the desired radius and adjust the K-crossing angle (F10) until you get the V-crossing on the centre-line of the approach track. Then shorten the a...

Generally they have much less slop than drawer runners and as a result I've found them much easier to mechanise accurately once the runners are set up parallel. the downside is that without the drawer runner slop you definitely do need to get them parallel! Hi Chris, If you do something like this, ...

All my stock I design to be able to go round a 4 foot curve, which is 1219mm. I have a question - what is the most space saving turnout with a minimum radius of 4 feet? I don't need it to look in any way prototypical Hi Julian, Templot has a setting for this: http://85a.co.uk/forum/gallery/2/2_2009...

Here's a 20-year-old article of mine which is still on the server: http://templot.com/info/slips.htm Explaining the working of single slip as part of a slip crossover: http://www.templot.com/info/slip2.gif Sorry it's so old, it could do with tidying up for modern browsers. cheers, Martin.

Hi John, The normal operation is that all the blades at one end move together. In the process the polarity of the V-crossing at the opposite end is switched over. And separately the same again at the other end. This applies to single slips and double slips. This is also the most usual prototype arra...

Here's an article about using your normal digital camera for online conferences instead of the usual selfie "up your nose" laptop webcam. It's a bit techy, but worth a read (if you don't mind reading white text on black): http://friedmanarchives.blogspot.com/2020/05/turning-your-camera-int...

As an aside someone once told me Catch points catch runaways (on gradients) Trap points trap idiots A catch point is the physical object designed to derail vehicles. Sometimes a single-sided catch point, sometimes a double-sided set of catch points. These catch points are being used as traps. Other...

In general I am not a great fan of crimped connections even though they are widely used in industry Hi Tony, I tend to disagree there. Crimp connections are widely used because they are more reliable. They are flexible and ideal for terminating flexible cables. Soldered connections are not flexible...

TV rental advertisements from 1960 indicate that an ITA aerial was free with the TV, but a BBC aerial was available at low rentals [-/6d per week in 1962], confirming that two aerials were required. https://telefusion.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/9/2/10925213/2411514_orig.jpg linked from: https://telefus...

Flymo748 wrote:From the utterly invaluable National Library of Scotland georeferenced maps:

Indeed so, and just a reminder that Templot can capture the map from the internet for you, and automatically display it as a background guide to track planning at the correct scale for P4:


Martin.

the original trackplan was prepared using the TRAX software in a book about making track. Unfortunately I had to upgrade my computer and now cannot run it Hi Jon, TRAX will run fine on Windows8-10, I'm running it on a fully updated Windows10 as we speak. The problem is with the installer program ra...

I asked him to think about what happens if you plug in one end, to which his reply was "Oh dear" and he was the the works nominated safety officer! That reminds me of an exhibition held at a school back in the 1970s. One of the stands complained that the hall mains socket which they had b...

Thanks to those who expressed an interest in this. I can report some progress -- plastic rail: http://85a.co.uk/forum/images/emoticons/smile.gif http://85a.co.uk/forum/gallery/2/2_111752_390000000.jpg Quite a long way from a proper BS-95R section, but probably as close as is feasible on home filamen...

Thank you Peter, yes I had spotted that feature in Templot. What I am still not yet certain of is which settings to put into it! Hi Neil, Stuart Hince has written a tutorial on setting up custom rail lengths and sleeper spacings in Templot. It's specifically for the GWR, so just change the numbers ...

As to evaluating pertinent unknowns before starting a project, I don't see how that could be considered as a negative attitude. I didn't want to indicate any bias by pointing out that I've been supplying plastic based turnouts for the past almost 20 years. But I have always replaced the plastic cro...

A few things I would suggest are checked out before investing too heavily in printed track. Hi Andy, Why always so negative? No-one is "investing heavily" in 3D printed track. What I'm doing is having a dabble with Templot and my 3D printer to see what it can do. No doubt others are doing...

Same thing with 3D-printing, which can we're told be made to make almost anything, but that doesn't mean it's the best solution. IMO rail is one of those things where it isn't. Hi Rod, Whether it's the best solution doesn't really come into it. Almost certainly it isn't. The question is, is it a fe...

Thanks all for the comments.

Yes I meant 00 RTR, for track testing. I've looked at the Protocab site, but they do only 0 gauge, and everything on there seems to be marked out of stock. I will improvise something in a permanently-attached wagon for testing purposes.

cheers,

Martin.

grovenor-2685 wrote:I think Ted Scannel can best answer that for you, he has been doing a lot of experimentation.

Thanks Keith. Does that mean you can't (yet) buy a radio control RTR loco off the shelf?

cheers,

Martin.

Cosmetics may be an issue also, how will you get a nice shiny metallic looking top surface? Hi Keith, The toughened PLA polymer is available in steel grey and silver colours (and rust brown for sidings). It has a natural sheen to it. I have already developed a technique to add a skin to provide a s...

Is the technology capable of printing rails with 1:20 inclination, or would it be restricted to vertical? Hi Noel, Yes, it's possible. In fact Templot can already print templates with inclined rail, showing the foot of the rail offset a fraction from the head. Whether it is worth doing is a separat...

Trials will be interesting. I suspect that the friction between wheel and rail will be excessive leading to flange climbing problems, especially with flanges anywhere near scale size. Thanks Keith. I was expecting the opposite -- problems with slipping and adhesion? http://85a.co.uk/forum/images/em...

Some discussion of Battery/Radio Control systems on page 3 of the latest S4 News (216) today. Such discussions usually mention the elimination of electrical wiring and loco pickup problems, but rarely mention the obvious follow-on -- the rails don't need to be metallic . I'm currently working on cre...