Swanage (again)

Tell us about your layout, where you put it, how you built it, how you operate it.
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Serjt-Dave
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby Serjt-Dave » Thu Jan 02, 2020 3:35 pm

Excellent work there. Well Done.

Dave

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Noel
Posts: 1972
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby Noel » Fri Jan 03, 2020 3:20 pm

nberrington wrote:I am going for the overgrown look of the walls I saw near Norden.


Dry stone wall building and repairing, like hedge laying and scything grass, were skilled jobs, but poorly paid. Farmers might have someone working on the farm who could do one or more of them, or they might be done by itinerant craftsmen. Growing mechanisation from the later 1930s onwards, poor agricultural pay and the consequent loss of manpower led to the fairly rapid loss of such skills, exacerbated by changes in land use and available materials, plus the mobilisation of around 5,000,000 men during WW2 [hence 'Land girls' and POWs working on farms during the war]. Thereafter, repairs to dry walling often involved bodged jobs using mortar and flat coping stones [or none at all], or filling gaps with second-hand materials or wire fences.

That wall has probably not been maintained for at least half a century, at a guess. How likely it is that such wall would have looked like that pre-WW2 is an open question; contemporary photographs would be useful.
Regards
Noel

nberrington
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Thu Jan 09, 2020 2:24 am

Some work on platforms..
My order from Chooch finally arrived.

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nberrington
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Thu Jan 16, 2020 2:11 am

Scenery base coat of colour is on. I grant you in looks more like the Namib desert than Dorset. In needs it’s pastures, trees and bushes and wot-not.

As promised track work is next up.

Intimidating - just a touch....
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Le Corbusier
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby Le Corbusier » Thu Jan 16, 2020 6:55 am

Hope you don't mind me rotating these. Really enjoying watching how you develop this :thumb
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Tim Lee

nberrington
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Sun Jan 19, 2020 2:56 am

My initial sleepering was coloured prior to attempting to install. Unfortunately the ink and pastel makes a dreadful mess while you are working, so I backed up a tad - not liking the black fingers.

It’s been cold this week, so I got to do some modelling.

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Step one was installing the Pallatine models droppers.

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As per Ralph’s advice, I routed out suitable gaps for the feeders and the copper clad heavy timber at the baseboard joint... Timber Tracks bases were then glued in situ.

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My fancy dangle super cutter then made quick work of the webs.....

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All a slow and tedious process, but fun so far. This is going to take a while!
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petermeyer
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby petermeyer » Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:13 am

In the absence of any other instructions, I soldered wires to my droppers and bent them down through holes in the baseboard directly beneath the sleepers. All wiring is below baseboard.

nberrington
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Sun Jan 19, 2020 1:49 pm

Ralph can weigh in, but I gather one keeps the soldered connection under the ballast and then passes the wire through a hole. The idea being to keep the connection accessible - you can “dig it up” if need be anytime the Ministry of digging up the roads needs a project.

Martin Finney’s method was my initial plan - viz soldering a stiff copper dropper directly to the underside of the rivet. I tried a few ex vivo and struggled a bit.

I’ve also tried the Masokits version, but my origami skill are lacking. (Plagiarizing Dave Knight’s expression about fiddly bits.)

David Knight
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby David Knight » Sun Jan 19, 2020 3:21 pm

“ I’ve also tried the Masokits version, but my origami skill are lacking. (Plagiarizing Dave Knight’s expression about fiddly bits.)”

Not to worry Neil, I’m sure I stole it from someone else. I see you are having a heat wave in Winterpeg. On the plus side, at least the mosquitos are not out.

Cheers,

Dave

Philip Hall
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby Philip Hall » Sun Jan 19, 2020 4:54 pm

Your ‘super cutter’ looks interesting, more than just a knife blade. Can you please tell us more about it, and what it can do?

Philip

nberrington
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Sun Jan 19, 2020 5:51 pm

It’s an ultrasonic cutter:

https://www.micromark.com/Wondercutter

It was a gift ( nice gift) - they are super expensive. For the most part a bit disappointing, in that it won’t cut the things I want it to. Plywood and plastic no issue, but frankly stuff a sharp scalpel will handle.

It’s great for sprue and awkward spots. Misbehaves when hot. I’m still figuring it out.

The problem with cutting the webs in the Timber Tracks, is that any blade takes up space and pushes the sleepers. ( it does help test for loose ones.)

Ideally a tiny saw would be better, but I don’t think I have THAT long to live! I don’t want to leave them there, considering the effort I’m going to to make the track look right....

nberrington
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Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 2:15 pm

Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Sun Jan 19, 2020 5:57 pm

The nicest bit of kit I recently bought is this router attachment for my trusty old Dremmel:

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It wasn’t too expensive. I got mine from Lee Valley, a shop my wife tries to keep me out of.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/to ... tary-tools
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Philip Hall
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby Philip Hall » Sun Jan 19, 2020 6:25 pm

Thanks Neil,

As you say, very expensive, so I think I will do without it. the little router gadget looks more interesting though...

Philip

nberrington
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Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 2:15 pm

Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Fri Jan 24, 2020 2:19 am

The gangers were at work today.....

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nberrington
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Sat Jan 25, 2020 10:50 pm

Missing my haggis dinner tonight. I raided the cellar though and dug out a decent Islay to go with the task of dropper production:

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nberrington
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Sat Jan 25, 2020 11:16 pm

For the medically minded they do look a little like an IUCD.....

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ralphrobertson
Posts: 284
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby ralphrobertson » Sun Jan 26, 2020 12:36 pm

Ralph can weigh in, but I gather one keeps the soldered connection under the ballast and then passes the wire through a hole.


Hi Neil,

I was on holiday and only just picked up your comment. The basic idea of the droppers is to get the job of making holes in the baseboard away from the rail heads. Numerous times I have drilled alongside the rail only to find the chuck hitting the top of the rail when breaking through the wood so these droppers were designed to reduce the risk of that. They are based on the old Studiolith WCS (wiring connector strip) which some of us remember - that is if they got delivered! (Delivery was not one of Studiolith's good points if I remember - was it really 50 years ago).

Some nice tools there Neil, please keep educating us on what you can get on your side of the pond.

Ralph

nberrington
Posts: 575
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 2:15 pm

Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Sun Jan 26, 2020 2:00 pm

ralphrobertson wrote:.....The basic idea of the droppers is to get the job of making holes in the baseboard away from the rail heads. Numerous times I have drilled alongside the rail only to find the chuck hitting the top of the rail when breaking through the wood so these droppers were designed to reduce the risk of that.


I would have liked the holes a touch more lateral, but then I would have encountered my support struts that reinforce the plywood track bed.

When drilling the holes I protected the sleepers with a piece of clear acrylic sheet, so the pressure of an errant chuck would be distributed.

We do this in Surgery all the time - protect the bits that could get hurt in even the outside chance of the application of uncontrolled brutane.

David Knight
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby David Knight » Sun Jan 26, 2020 3:12 pm

Hi Neil,

Looking very good :thumb :thumb :thumb . What gauge wire are you using for your droppers?

Cheers,

David

nberrington
Posts: 575
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 2:15 pm

Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Sun Jan 26, 2020 6:08 pm

Hi David - the droppers are 18ga multicore (as far as I can recall - servo wire from the local RC store) the bus line is 14ga.

They are the biggest gauge that will fit though the hole in the Palatine models etches.

I’ve placed pairs of droppers every 48cm - usually adjacent sleepers - i.e at least 2 per each piece of track. (2 x 60ft panels).

allanferguson
Posts: 389
Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2008 6:27 pm

Re: Dorset 1937

Postby allanferguson » Mon Jan 27, 2020 12:04 am

I admire your choice of malts, though for sentimental reasons I try never to be without a Lagavulin. But the 21 year old!! Do you have a rich uncle?
I hope you don't do what I have been known to do ---- anoint the joint with the whisky and take a sip of the flux ……………

Allan F

nberrington
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Mon Jan 27, 2020 1:03 am

allanferguson wrote:I admire your choice of malts, though for sentimental reasons I try never to be without a Lagavulin. But the 21 year old!! Do you have a rich uncle?F


Hi Allan - my whisky collection is one of my vices, many years of self indulgent extravagance! It’s a smashing collection at the moment - I have a library vault that is now at capacity.

Anytime any of you are in my neck of the woods you are welcome to sample a few!

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petermeyer
Posts: 307
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Re: Dorset 1937

Postby petermeyer » Mon Jan 27, 2020 6:31 am

ralphrobertson wrote:...The basic idea of the droppers is to get the job of making holes in the baseboard away from the rail heads. Numerous times I have drilled alongside the rail only to find the chuck hitting the top of the rail when breaking through the wood so these droppers were designed to reduce the risk of that. ...


Maybe I'm missing something but for me it made sense to drill the holes before I laid the track thus avoiding any potential damage to the rails from drills.

nberrington
Posts: 575
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 2:15 pm

Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Mon Jan 27, 2020 11:43 am

petermeyer wrote:Maybe I'm missing something but for me it made sense to drill the holes before I laid the track thus avoiding any potential damage to the rails from drills.


It might make more sense from a work flow perspective to do it like that, as I found in situ soldering a bit of a fiddle.

My first concern was however to ensure the sleepers were dead flat and properly aligned. Too much noise in my head already to still get them wired up first.....

I might need to figure out the best system soon though, as I have a bit of track to lay!

nberrington
Posts: 575
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 2:15 pm

Re: Dorset 1937

Postby nberrington » Sun Feb 02, 2020 2:53 am

Some ballasting happening. A mixture of DCC Concepts light grey and Woodland Scenics Fine Grey with a touch of DCC Concepts Brown. I like the mix. Putting it down is a painstaking process....
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