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2013 Spot-on (ish) Competition: Finish a Loco

Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 6:18 pm
by John McAleely
This year, we've decided to encourage CHEAG attendees to finish a locomotive for our spot-on (ish) competition. The 'rules' shadow those of this year's Armchair Modelling challenge for Scaleforum. We've relaxed both the P4 wheel requirement (we are a diverse 4mm-ish group) and the timings are adjusted to suit our meeting schedule. Those of us also entering the Armchair challenge will be able to enter both.

I understand Martin hopes to organise a guest judge, from outside our group.

Who's in?

Re: 2013 Spot-on (ish) Competition: Finish a Loco

Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 11:59 pm
by Carlos
Hi John,

Thanks for opening that thread.

I am working, very slowly, on my tank engine to Iberian gauge (22 mm in P4). During the week end I checked the castings from the kit and my box of parts and bits. The buffers are not very nice, white metal ones with the shank and the head on the same piece. But I found on my box some Slaters sprung buffers with the shank very close to the prototype, and very nice indeed (turned brass). The problem is the head, which is 4.8 mm instead of ~6 mm (18") as it should.
I asked Slaters about 18" heads and they have not that size.
So I would like to know if someone has an idea to "grow up" the head from 4.8 to 6 mm, maybe soldering a new head (or gluing, it is steel) on the top of the original one?

Carlos

Re: 2013 Spot-on (ish) Competition: Finish a Loco

Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 8:34 am
by Wizard of the Moor
Hi Carlos,

Wizard Models sell 18" buffer heads in steel. The spindle is 1mm diameter. If this is not enough then you can simply sleeve it with some brass tube.

I hope that you are able to post some photos of your loco on here as the build progresses.

Re: 2013 Spot-on (ish) Competition: Finish a Loco

Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 9:52 am
by Carlos
Wizard of the Moor wrote:Hi Carlos,

Wizard Models sell 18" buffer heads in steel. The spindle is 1mm diameter. If this is not enough then you can simply sleeve it with some brass tube.

I hope that you are able to post some photos of your loco on here as the build progresses.


Thanks for the help, James.

In that case, the spindle is a bit complex, being about 1 mm diameter, but with a bigger diameter section (that slides in the shank) and a thread to the end. The thread is for a nut that prevents the head to leave the shank (sorry for my poor English...).

Maybe I could glue brass tube to reproduce the bigger diameter section and also glue the nut or something similar at the end, instead of threading it.

Carlos

Re: 2013 Spot-on (ish) Competition: Finish a Loco

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 7:59 am
by Paul Willis
carlos wrote:In that case, the spindle is a bit complex, being about 1 mm diameter, but with a bigger diameter section (that slides in the shank) and a thread to the end. The thread is for a nut that prevents the head to leave the shank (sorry for my poor English...).

Maybe I could glue brass tube to reproduce the bigger diameter section and also glue the nut or something similar at the end, instead of threading it.

Carlos

Hi Carlos,

Or you could simply ask yourself if you are making life too complex...

What I mean is that the nut, and its arrangements must be related to the springing of the buffer. Do you actually need the buffers to be sprung?

It may depend on what type of coupling you want to use, or how tight the curves are that you want to use on your layout. However it may be that you do not actually need the springing effect (or it could be achieved on the wagon/coach it is coupled to) at all.

That means that the buffer can be entirely solid, and you only need to deal with the visual aspects, as you describe. This is just a thought on an alternative approach. The final choice is of course yours.

Cheers
Flymo
(always looking for the easy way out)

Re: 2013 Spot-on (ish) Competition: Finish a Loco

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 8:04 am
by Paul Willis
John McAleely wrote:This year, we've decided to encourage CHEAG attendees to finish a locomotive for our spot-on (ish) competition. The 'rules' shadow those of this year's Armchair Modelling challenge for Scaleforum. We've relaxed both the P4 wheel requirement (we are a diverse 4mm-ish group) and the timings are adjusted to suit our meeting schedule. Those of us also entering the Armchair challenge will be able to enter both.

I understand Martin hopes to organise a guest judge, from outside our group.

Who's in?


I've been meaning to post and confirm this, following my absence from last week's CHEAG meeting.

I'm in, with a London Road Models LNWR Sampson kit, finished in (roughly) 1895 condition.

I've managed as far as opening the instructions and "join part A to part B" to date. I think that i need to up the work rate a bit, as that was done six months ago!

Cheers
Flymo

Re: 2013 Spot-on (ish) Competition: Finish a Loco

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 12:59 pm
by Carlos
Flymo748 wrote:Hi Carlos,

Or you could simply ask yourself if you are making life too complex...



Hi Paul,

probably you are true, but actually I got captivated when I show that nice sprung buffers in action...

But I could really need sprung buffers, not very sure. But the curves on my prototype are very tigh, in my first wagon I pondered but didn't install sprung buffers and I will use screw couplings. Not a good combination maybe.

Anyway, if I get very fussed with that, a drop of epoxy on the Wizard heads and I will have beatiful non-sprung buffers!

Cheers,
Carlos

Re: 2013 Spot-on (ish) Competition: Finish a Loco

Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 5:54 pm
by John McAleely
Well, tonight is the night. We agreed a small extension late last year, and tonight we're all bringing our locomotives to see how we've got on.

I haven't finished my A1, but it has made much more progress knowing this day would come.

Re: 2013 Spot-on (ish) Competition: Finish a Loco

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 2:51 pm
by John McAleely
I had a great evening - thanks to all at CHEAG for making my return a welcome one.

We had asked Brian Page to act as a judge, and I understand he's come along to some meetings during the year to provide pointers during construction.

We had several excellent locos to enjoy, and Brian was careful to use a wide range of criteria to appoint a winner. Alan Edgar's scratch built irish prototype was a well deserved winner, and one my iPhone does not do justice to:

IMG_0569.jpg


IMG_0566.jpg


The field of entries was very respectable for our area group's size, and I think that some would not have come into existence without the encouragement of this informal competition:

IMG_0573.jpg


Reflecting CHEAG's broad range of interests, there are only three that sit on a P4 standard gauge test track - the others being to a personal finescale standard (not quite 00 or EM, but using P4 wheels) and Irish 5' 3".

Re: 2013 Spot-on (ish) Competition: Finish a Loco

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2014 7:04 am
by Terry Bendall
Looks very good and well done to those who took part. Hopefully we will see some better pictures in Scalefour News soon.

Terry Bendall