West End Workbench

[jwealleans]

I suspect the real problem here is a combination of excessive use - these get far more running than they're really designed for - and accumulated dirt. Not everyone believes in cleaning wheels and track and some of the layout is inaccessible without dismantling the perspex screens, which means we don't do it as often as it needs. Internal wiring should remove some of the potential current blockers. It certainly runs fine on my test track now.

[60800]

Well, here she is, as promised. I'm sad to report that shortly after this photo was taken, whilst running forward at a scale speed of about 75mph, she failed on me, well the tender did actually. When it's running the b***** thing sounds like when Blue Peter tore herself apart at Durham

I'm now running her in reverse with no load, usually works.

Any suggestions on oiling a hornby A4 tender?

EDIT: It's probably my fault she's scraping and squeaking anyway, she's been sat still in that platform for well over a month (in the exact same position as my signature photo!) and I've just thrashed her round the track with a full load of teaks

[Bill Bedford]

Any suggestions on oiling a hornby A4 tender?

Maplin's switch cleaner.

Though we've just found something in our local poundshop that seems to evaporate ANY grease and grunge -- don't know what it does to other stuff though.............

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Could be a touch of rust on the axles. Some 3 in 1, left overnight then cleaned off with the aforementioned Maplins switch cleaner but be sure to remove the tender body first, otherwise you'll remove the paint from the tender body. If you leave the oil on the axles, it dries out and gums the whole lot up solid. THEN you got problems!

[60800]

I actually think the tender needs weighing down a bit. There's enough muck on the wheels to allow traction (so they don't just slide along the track), but the axles are very stiff. The furthest I've got is disconnecting loco and tender, you're pushing your luck if you think I'm gonna dismantle 60009 any further

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Weight is rarely an issue with RTR models and, indeed, there are those who think a constantly derailing tender should be sorted by packing the tender with lead! Apparently, back-to-backs mean nothing to these guys...

I do repairs on model locos for our local model shop (Modellers Mecca), Blackout, so if you want, PM me and I'll return with my address. I got some ideas already. Reasonable rates guaranteed!

[mick b]

Check the wheels revolve freely. I have some on Horby tenders that catch the chassis mounting wheel holder. Easily cured by removing some of the chassis plastic wheel holder.
Check back to backs on the wheels.
Squeaking is the pick ups rubbing to tight on the wheels. I push the pick ups away from the wheels as they are not needed on the Hornby Locos which run fine just on Loco pick ups

[jwealleans]

Mallard returned to service on Sunday and after a small delay when the valve gear fell off on the first test circuit (loose nut on the centre driver) is back at work hauling the 'Flying Scotsman' set.

That plug on 60009 is just the same as the one on our T9. Does the loco run without the tender?

I had an afternoon at the bench today and got well on with the coaches.



The compo is now pretty much where it needs to be; it can come back for completion after the Sprat and Winkles are fitted in case any detail needs to be omitted.

I've started preparing the sides for the brake.



I have asked this over on RMWeb but I know not everyone reads that, so I will repeat myself:

I know a set of retracting steps were fitted to this coach and I have a good picture of a similarly fitted one by Dick Riley in Steam in East Anglia p 34. Questions are:

Are there any drawings of the fittings? Just to ensure I'm as accurate as I can be.

Were they fitted both sides? I'd assumed they were corridor side but this one is at the door to the rear compartment. I'm pretty sure I have a photo of the corridor side of one of these but can't locate it right now.

[60800]

Thanks for the help, I haven't attempted to run 60009 without her tender, I've never really passed a thought about it (It was always fun to watch an old tender drive loco's tender hurtling round the track though ). With regards to your repair service BB, I'm afraid I'll have to decline as 60009's staying where she is.... It's probably fair to say I'm quite protective of her considering it's my fault my Mallard's speedo (or whatever the thing is that's connected to the rear right driving wheel) 'sheared off'. I had to remove her body to get rid of a screw that had magnetised itself to the motor

Another pointer, 60009 only tends to squeak on the corners... unfortunatley the same can't be said for my K3 and B1 I seldom run them nowadays.

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up, Blackout!

Sounds like what you've got is a pick-up that's pressed too hard into the wheel. You may need to ease the middle pickups.

As regards the A4 without tender - if it has the 4-wire connection then no, it will not run without the tender. Daft design in my opinion, all to appease the digi users....

Sits back and waits for returning fire!

[boeing757]

Mallard returned to service on Sunday and after a small delay when the valve gear fell off on the first test circuit (loose nut on the centre driver) is back at work hauling the 'Flying Scotsman' set.

That plug on 60009 is just the same as the one on our T9. Does the loco run without the tender?

I had an afternoon at the bench today and got well on with the coaches.



The compo is now pretty much where it needs to be; it can come back for completion after the Sprat and Winkles are fitted in case any detail needs to be omitted.

I've started preparing the sides for the brake.



I have asked this over on RMWeb but I know not everyone reads that, so I will repeat myself:

I know a set of retracting steps were fitted to this coach and I have a good picture of a similarly fitted one by Dick Riley in Steam in East Anglia p 34. Questions are:

Are there any drawings of the fittings? Just to ensure I'm as accurate as I can be.

Were they fitted both sides? I'd assumed they were corridor side but this one is at the door to the rear compartment. I'm pretty sure I have a photo of the corridor side of one of these but can't locate it right now.

Hello Jonathan,

I did pick up on your request for details on retracting steps and may be able to give some info soon. I return home to Cyprus tomorrow having spent the summer(?) enjoying some Tiger Moth flying over here and have a couple of pics and a good freehand drawing of the steps in Cyprus which although no dimensions given I intend to use to build a similar brake in 7mm. I may need to pm you as my computer skills are zero.
All the Best
Bob

[jwealleans]

Cheers, Bob, I shall look forward to seeing those. The steps won't go on until I get the coaches back from the S & W engineer so I have a bit of time to make them up.

[jwealleans]

Mission accomplished with the coaches; rolling shells ready for the couplings to be fitted and trialled and then they'll come back for finishing off.



BT on bogies, buffers fitted to the outer end (I only had one packet so I'll have to pick up another from Andrew at Wakefield).



This is the set in the formation they appear in most of the Ian C Allen photos, so this is how they will run. They will have to be capable of being propelled as well as pulled - the complexity of the set arriving into Wickham Market is quite something - so they centre coupling is one of Bill's. I extend the pin and make it a fairly snug fit into a hole so it can't wander sideways when pushing. The corridor connectors will keep the coaches apart enough to stop the appearance of any coupling slack.

I gave myself a night off from the soldering iron during the week and finished off the final details on the French vans I want to have ready for Tolworth. I then painted them; one SNCF brown, one PLM red (I have photos of vans in PLM colours in England up to 1954, so I can argue that particular toss. The paint came from a supplier in France:





I'm not impressed, frankly: the coverage was poor and the paint very hard to work into corners. The brown is very close to SR freight brown so most of the van had a coat of that then the SNCF colour on top. The red is very garish (and there really are wagons that colour) but matt varnish and weathering will tone that down. I'll know for the next two to use colours closer to the final one as an intermediate coat.

Finally, having half an hour before dinner and the iron hot I started on this:



It says a lot for the accuracy and sound design of Roger's kit that it stayed together when essentially just folded up with a bit of superglue run along the seams. There's some nasty black goo inside it which didn't want to come off and it's taking some cleaning up to get the solder to stick, but we're on the way.

[boeing757]

Jonathan,
Back home now, PM me your email address and I'll send a couple of images of the steps to you.
Bob

[boeing757]

Doh!! Old age has finally overtaken me. After searching for the drawing of the steps I found it in these very forums in a thread on the Locomotives and Rolling Stock forum started by me back in 2010. It is currently on page 7. I also have a print out of a photo of a set of steps on what seems to be a Gresley brake from the same source.
As regards whether the steps were on one or both sides I can't decide. There is a picture of E62445E at Cambridge by R C Riley showing the steps on the opposite side to the corridor whereas in P Payes book The Bishops Stortfod, Dunmow and Braintree Branch (1st edn) p206 there is a pic of 62377 at Felsted (my former home) with the steps on the corridor side.
I reallycan't decide. On the above branch all the halts were on the south side of the track so steps were not needed on both sides, perhaps all branches with halts were similarly one sided so stock could be turned to suit a particular branch's layout.
I shall continue trawling through pics in the hope of finding photos of one coach from both sides which would settle this once and for all.
All the Best