scale three link information

Information on sources for hard to find or unusual items.
User avatar
jon price
Posts: 641
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:34 pm

scale three link information

Postby jon price » Mon Aug 08, 2016 10:58 am

Exactoscale scale three link couplings in NS are not now available from C&L, apparently because the cost quoted by suppliers would be unworkable in view of the limited customer base and usage. Does anyone have a copy of the original Exactoscale spec sheet (which I failed to downloadwhen they were all available) Has anyone seen anything comparable anywhere? If anyone has a cache of them they want to get rid of I would love to hear from them.
Connah's Quay Workshop threads: viewforum.php?f=125

User avatar
RobM
Posts: 1084
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 4:39 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby RobM » Mon Aug 08, 2016 4:49 pm

Jon….have you thought of making you own……….on Mount Woodville Works I needed some square buckles for the kilns and made a steel former and made them myself and it was not as difficult as I thought. The commercial 3 link couplings I have just catch the rail when passing over turn outs so I will be making my own when the time comes. Yup, the spec would be useful but a trip to a preserved railway will give the spec. Eileen's do NS straight wire.
Rob

User avatar
jon price
Posts: 641
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:34 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby jon price » Mon Aug 08, 2016 5:14 pm

I've considered this Rob. Would a rectangular bar be OK, or would I need it to be filed to the exact curvature on its narrowest side (given that the wire will naturally adopt a curve}. My only concern is that if I simply cut the wire across the wide side of the bar one long side of the link will be shorter than the other
Connah's Quay Workshop threads: viewforum.php?f=125

User avatar
Tim V
Posts: 2867
Joined: Tue Jul 29, 2008 4:40 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby Tim V » Mon Aug 08, 2016 6:24 pm

I think John Hayes wagon book gives tips on making your own three links.
Tim V
(Not all railways in Somerset went to Dorset)

User avatar
RobM
Posts: 1084
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 4:39 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby RobM » Mon Aug 08, 2016 6:25 pm

I used a largish nail as my steel source. You will need to first file an oblong according to the inside dimensions of the link then file the radius top and bottom. How accurate will you need to file the radius ?….as close as possible but how close will anyone get to notice! Again the same for a very slightly shorter side however you could modify the former with a slight 'bulge'…….

link.jpg


……the amount of 'bulge' by trial and error…..
Rob
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

User avatar
Lord Colnago
Posts: 403
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:42 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby Lord Colnago » Mon Aug 08, 2016 6:30 pm

Hi Jon,

Tim is right. Pg 149 of John Hayes wonderful "The 4mm Coal Wagon", shows you how to make a tool to provide your own three links. If you haven't got it, let me know and I'll try to put up a photograph of the page in question. The book is well worth having in any case for too many good reasons to mention here.

John.
The second best priest

User avatar
jon price
Posts: 641
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:34 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby jon price » Mon Aug 08, 2016 7:27 pm

I fear book purchase has to go through the accession committee, and is often only accepted if evidence of a de-accession to create space is provided. So a photo of the diagramme in question would be most useful
Connah's Quay Workshop threads: viewforum.php?f=125

dal-t
Posts: 654
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:06 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby dal-t » Mon Aug 08, 2016 7:30 pm

You can get ready-made formers in a variety of shapes like this one, not all are tapered but it's relatively easy to produce consistent sized links on a taper if you mark with a felt pen where the size is right. Wind enough wire to give plenty of links, moving the wound part down away from the sizing mark as you go, then saw through them all to give individual links (some mandrels come with sawing slits to make this even easier). Just remember never to open out/close up the radius once you have the links, they are joined by moving the open ends sideways then bringing back together. A little working with needle-nose pliers will make the join almost invisible but you can, of course, solder if you wish.
David L-T

User avatar
jon price
Posts: 641
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:34 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby jon price » Mon Aug 08, 2016 9:07 pm

Thanks David, this could save some time. I would need to flatten the sides, but then this would give me a solid stop rather than relying on tape.
Connah's Quay Workshop threads: viewforum.php?f=125

billbedford

Re: scale three link information

Postby billbedford » Tue Aug 09, 2016 7:54 am

If you want scale three link couplings there are these, or maybe you'd want some scale instantas.

I may take some three links to Wells this coming weekend so people can see them in the flesh.

User avatar
Guy Rixon
Posts: 909
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 6:40 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby Guy Rixon » Tue Aug 09, 2016 8:35 am

Bill, I have a set of these printed couplings in my D32 kit. I was considering fitting them in place of the (included) brass hooks and homemade links. You say that the printed couplings are "tested and found to be robust enough for most normal modelling situations". Does that include actually using them for haulage, or just as decoration?

dal-t
Posts: 654
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:06 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby dal-t » Tue Aug 09, 2016 8:46 am

Oh bother, once again that heartless Mr Bedford comes up with something I really can't resist, but it means going through the Shapeways/Useless Parcels Service nightmare one more time, just when I'd sworn I'd never subject myself to it again! Is there any chance those couplings might become available from a normal retailer (the sort that is actually able to send goods using a proper postal service)?
David L-T

User avatar
jon price
Posts: 641
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:34 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby jon price » Tue Aug 09, 2016 10:20 am

Excellent stuff Bill. This could save me a lot of faffing about (by which I mean time well spent in careful scale modelling of course) if they work for me. The hooks are superfluous as they are to go on one end of a Dingham coupler. Maybe some without hooks might get produced? Probably not as I suyspect this then becomes a diminishingly small market.
Connah's Quay Workshop threads: viewforum.php?f=125

User avatar
Lord Colnago
Posts: 403
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:42 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby Lord Colnago » Tue Aug 09, 2016 4:33 pm

Hi Jon,

As promised, a couple of photos of the relevant page from John Hayes' book. I hope they come out OK and that you can get the idea. If not, and you are visiting RailWells, let me know and I'll bring along the tool I made.

20160809_104549.jpg


20160809_104605.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
The second best priest

User avatar
jon price
Posts: 641
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:34 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby jon price » Tue Aug 09, 2016 8:03 pm

Thanks John

RailWells might be a bit of a stretch for me as we live by Hadrian's Wall. The tool looks fairly straightforward, though the cutting seems to leave a gap, and if you use Robs "bulge" profile it seems to me that the difficulty would be realigning the wire.
Connah's Quay Workshop threads: viewforum.php?f=125

billbedford

Re: scale three link information

Postby billbedford » Thu Aug 11, 2016 7:09 am

Guy Rixon wrote:Bill, I have a set of these printed couplings in my D32 kit. I was considering fitting them in place of the (included) brass hooks and homemade links. You say that the printed couplings are "tested and found to be robust enough for most normal modelling situations". Does that include actually using them for haulage, or just as decoration?


The plastic couplings are are more than strong enough to deal with normal haulage stresses. If there are any problems they stem from the plastic being somewhat brittle so it does not take kindly to branding or sudden loads. There should be no problem if used bt careful drivers, but drivers who snatch their trains can expect a prototypical broken coupling.

billbedford

Re: scale three link information

Postby billbedford » Thu Aug 11, 2016 7:19 am

dal-t wrote:Oh bother, once again that heartless Mr Bedford comes up with something I really can't resist, but it means going through the Shapeways/Useless Parcels Service nightmare one more time, just when I'd sworn I'd never subject myself to it again! Is there any chance those couplings might become available from a normal retailer (the sort that is actually able to send goods using a proper postal service)?


There is absolutely no chance these will be sold through any retailer. However I may be willing to supply bulk packs. These are likely to contain enough coupling for fifteen wagons and cost £12.50. I really don't want to start seeing out parcels that cost less than about £10.

billbedford

Re: scale three link information

Postby billbedford » Thu Aug 11, 2016 7:22 am

jon price wrote:Excellent stuff Bill. This could save me a lot of faffing about (by which I mean time well spent in careful scale modelling of course) if they work for me. The hooks are superfluous as they are to go on one end of a Dingham coupler. Maybe some without hooks might get produced? Probably not as I suyspect this then becomes a diminishingly small market.


They are what they are. If I were to have to cut off the hooks from the frets I have, there would be an additional charge.

dal-t
Posts: 654
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:06 pm

Re: scale three link information

Postby dal-t » Fri Aug 12, 2016 9:48 am

billbedford wrote:There is absolutely no chance these will be sold through any retailer. However I may be willing to supply bulk packs. These are likely to contain enough coupling for fifteen wagons and cost £12.50. I really don't want to start seeing out parcels that cost less than about £10.


Bill,

That's an offer I can't possibly refuse. PM sent (providing I've managed to get this BB software to work for me for once).
David L-T


Return to “Where to Find?”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: ClaudeBot and 0 guests