Scalefour Forum

I'm sure you're managing fine, Howard. It's just occurred to me that I now supply lace pins so the valve gear can be assembled without soldering the pivots - I've described this elsewhere but let me know if you want more details. Ivan, many people get on fine with jigging the axles and the principle...

I have fitted Ultrascale crankpins to many Gibson wheels and, as you've discovered, it's important to use a minimum depth of counterbore (the 1.25 location diameter). The Ultrascale drg used to show it too deep but I haven't looked recently. I followed these dimensions on my WD and found, like you, ...

Yes, you'll see why I redesigned the chassis to get rid of the dreaded jigging operation that I could never get to work properly, either. Of course it all depends on what you're prepared to accept as clearance in the bearings but I detect that you don't like too much slogger, either, Mr Bellerophon....

Who, what..... I just happen to have drg of V1/3 smokebox handles - the rear boss is 2 1/2" and front 1 5/8" diameters. Lengths 2" and 1 3/8" with 1/4" washer between. Rear handle is 1 1/8" dia at top and 1 1/2" at lower rounded end and set vertical. Front handle i...

That finally makes sense after all these years.

DaveB

In my model engineering days I was told an advantage of the rear toolpost was that the cutting force is applied to the bottom half of the headstock bearings which would be less worn and therefore less prone to chatter during this sometimes challenging process when a wide cut is being made. They didn...

There's significant gaps in the generally available information on NER ND lattice signals which has long been a frustration, particularly width of decks. The lamps certainly were bigger than further south but the chimney was more modest than your drg. Have you seen John Wright's signal drgs in Model...

They seem a good idea but the grain looks as if it goes the wrong way - surely not?

DaveB

There seemed to be some real whoppers around the NER ND but I've never seen any specific information on these lamps. You've probably seen the signalling catalogues with pages of lamps so it's difficult to know if it's something new or it's in the system already. I haven't seen your lamps, Mark, but ...

Well I always assemble my valve gear with filed down lace pins and there's no solder goes anywhere near any of the pivots. Much safer. Forked joints, though. Biggest trap is not getting enough swing at the joints, particularly the pair at the top of the combination lever and the combination lever/un...

You'll see, too, that the LQ arms are longer and narrower than was "standard" elsewhere. Classic NER.

Mr Tatlow will do you some nice brass finials, I'm sure.

DaveB

You might modernise the drive by dropping the ratio to 30 or 40:1 and, with a more modern motor, relying on a good controller or DCC for low speed control. A further reduction in noise could be made by separating motor and gearbox and connecting them with a Cardan shaft, motor mounted in bunker on r...

It would seem, on reflection, that by sticking a couple of bits of lead flashing inside each side of a Gresley 8w tender, I've probably created perfect condition for an inside-sprung tender to wobble - it's almost a large balance wheel. A loco with it's more central lump of lead is perfectly stable....

I've also found inside framed tenders try to wobble when they house the motor and normally use outside wagon type springs. Perhaps Adavoyle stock had more damping and possibly softer springs so it would have more effect. A sagging csb might be a better set-up as the wire would slide in the supports ...

As long as it's comfortably longer than a class 5, like the photos.

DaveB

My usual way of tackling such is to turn the axle holes into 2mm wide slots and fit springing. You'd also need to file the axleguard inside faces to give a min width of 23.5. Might such an approach be possible in this case? More details if promising. Mark Tatlow mounts his centre wheels on a tube to...

I expect they put the wagon in the sdg any way they could but the photos show there was space for the loco which was really my point. That Clan Goods has some ominous holes where there should be rivets holding the beam on. Duncraig platform is a fine place for a picnic on one of your jaunts, Julian,...

Hmmm! 9" sounds a bit tighter than the real thing. Surely the engine has to shunt a wagon or 2 into the siding without entering the shed, it will be the big operating event of the day. Looks like it could in the photos. It will be an interesting model. If you want a second station, Julian, I me...

In the small photo above, the shadows give us something - the Black 5 seems to be quite close to the shed doors and there's a good working space in front before the turnout starts. Operationally, this is the important thing.

Some very exotic grounded bodies, too.

DaveB

Can I point out that your blades are still not opening far enough - only about 1mm. The prototype opening was 4 1/4" or thereabouts so you need almost half as much again for safety.

DaveB

Well, the Forum's been quiet for a while so a good old suspension question should liven it up. Here's how it is: a sprung vehicle will always run quieter than a compensated one, although the nature of the springing may just be the resilience of plastic bogies or indeed flexible compensating beams so...

I did discover, while looking for a B12 GA, that GER drgs were difficult. Apparently someone "saved" a load of GAs (bought them) when the works were being closed and these have ended up as a detached collection in a museum in East Anglia - Norwich, possibly. Can someone take up this story,...

Pretty soon after starting to buy them, I lost faith in the accuracy of kits, although will admit there's been a considerable improvement since those days. I avoid the usual modellers' scale drawings which I regard as a form of censorship - somebody takes a real, reliable drawing, redraws it to our ...

Weren't they called "sleepered" turnouts, they were on the NER, although I believe "turnout" is a modellers' word? Isn't "interlacing" something else to do with overlapping pointwork? You might also have a timbered crossing with the rest sleepered due to a replacement a...

Sorry about the lack of a speedo brkt - my Hornby body had one (but I've cut it off recently to do "Sassaby"). Not sure if I have information - I did one for the K1. Boiler bands are always an issue with plastic bodies as they should be around a thou' thick and 0.7 wide wide with 2 lines o...