Back to Basics with Blink Bonny!

[notascoobie]

Good afternoon,

I use seperate bits on my Ersa soldering station - not because of cross-contamination of solders but because I prefer different shapes. I use a chisel for my general soldering with 145 solder and a thin pointed one for my low-temperature work. It's probably immaterial, but I'm happy doing it that way.

Without wishing to hijack the thread........

The soldering iron bits I use come with a hard iron coating and they're not cheap. They last a long time but eventually become pitted just like the uncoated ones. Now, question time. Has anyone tried cleaning up an old bit and re-coating with iron by electrolysis? I've seen a claim on an American site that you can use a solution of:

1 liter Ferrous (II) Chloride 0.86 Molar (11% conc),
240 grams Ferrous Sulphate heptahydrate FeSO4.7H20, and
150 grams Sodium Citrate Na3C6H507.

then use a cupful with an old iron washer as the anode at about 50mA to coat the tip.

Weird science but has anyone tried this? I've got a bag with a half dozen spent tips that I could recycle.

I'll get me coat.

Regards,

Vernon

[Blink Bonny]

I have taken the jump!!

Not as neat as I would like, but for a first attempt at this sort of thing, I am happy

First pic is of the practice pieces



and one of the project



will have another session later once I get off my backside sitting on the computer!!

Thanks BB, great tutorial

Ay up, Brian!

You are most welcome and its responses like this that make me feel its all worth it!

No progress today after I took a lump out of the end of my finger last night.


oOo

Brian

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

While waiting for piercings to heal, our cat decided to chomble my fingers in the night, so new punctures. Thanks, Jim!

Anyway, I've not been idle.

I reckon most of us will have a few Triang or Hornby Mk1s or their derivatives around and about the place. You can use the Keen systems close coupling cam system and, if yoou run train set track, you will need to. If, however, you use gentler curves then a cheaper, more Wallet-friendly system can come into play.

This is the typical starting point:

The gap between coaches is such that an Olympic long jumper would struggle. No, no, no! You could fit paper gangways and it would look like this:

Better. This will traverse train set curves but, to me, the over-long gangways jar as much as the gap did.

Above are the two types of bogie you will find. On the right, the current type. This is Chinese but the Margate vehicles from the 1980s on are similar. The bogie simply clips into place. On the left, the Triang original. In this the couplers and bogies are attached by eyelets. Changing bogies on these isn't easy, so a modification is called for. This is easier than you may think.

Simply drill out the eyelet in the coupling and replace with a Mainline type or Bachmann mini, according to perference. With the Mainline type in place, the coaches are now close enough together for one gangway to work. You can fix them with a small self-tapper but I find super glue works just fine. I use this system on my green 3-set on Mole End and they have withstood 2 exhibishes on a layout where fiddle yard operations are crane shunting by hand

More to follow....

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Part the second.....

There is the proof. These are, admittedly, my modified Thompsons but the gangways are the same length as the Triang ones. The Triang Mk1s will work in the same way.

But what about the clip-fits?

Firstly, remove the metal hook which just clips in but may need some force to remove. Keep some pliers handy. You may need them - I did. Then.....

Cut the pastic bar half way down the sides. Then....

Melt a piece of wire into the stubs with your soldering iron. Glue will not "take" on the plastic that the Chinese mould the bogies from

The Railroad Gresleys already are close enough coupled to need just the one gangway, as you can see. Even better, when mixed with Triang coaches with eyelet attached bogies, they still only need 1, but only if the Triang coach is fitted with shorter couplings.

However, have fun chaps. OK, Bachmann Mk1s and such like need just one gangway as they come.

[52D]

Close coupling certainly makes a big difference to the look of the coaches.

[Manxman1831]

I used to use Bachmann short and long shank couplings for my close-coupled Mk 1 Pullmans - coaches come supplied with long shanks so I simply replaced each alternate bogie in a rake. This worked fine until I decided to insert a Hornby 12-wheeler into the set and chose to use the fake pipes as a more permanent solution. I did have to build myself a jig (6ft long) to support the coaches upside down whilst I fit the 'pipes' and tilt them all onto the track at the same time. If I think I'll have pictures on my own thread if I think on and photograph the set-up.

[Saint Johnstoun]

I use the fake pipes to make up my rakes - I tend to have a main rake of say 7 bogies permanently coupled and strengtheners or catering vehicles to add on at the end as was want on some Scottish Region trains.

I have so far managed to get the rakes coupled without using any aids, simply by having them on one of my storage roads and carefully tipping them on their sides.

One item that modellers never produce is the gangway adaptor plates used to couple pullman gangwayed stock to LMS stock with screw couplings.

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

We tried the fake pipes on Old Mills and found them to be an unmitigated nuisance. They uncoupled seemingly at random and derailments were a nightmare! They were replaced with the original tension-locks, themselves not without problems, for the Sunday and, long term, with wire hooks and bars. Admittedly, this was a portable exhibition layout so the track is never as good as we would like.

I guess if you have a permanent layout with very good track, then they should be OK. However, I was trying to show how Hornby ones could be close-coupled withoout the Keen Systems jobbie.

[Saint Johnstoun]

It's a pity somebody doesn't do straight bar couplings with NEM ends to different lengths and this would solve the problem. It is noticeable that with rakes where some of the coaches have a different rolling resistance, expressly when going over points and crossings the fake pipe couplings flex and this is where some of the trouble lies. I have had little trouble with the fake pipes but the odd coach doesn't seem to like certain junctions on occasions. The mechanism now used by Hornby and Bachmann to allow close coupling but still negotiate curves and junctions can play up and this is more likely to be a source of trouble than the couplings themselves.

The Ideal solution would be a two part coupling with one half that slid on top of the other over part of its length. One would then just trim and glue the bars to the correct length and insert.

I must experiment!

[drmditch]

I have found that the Keen Systems Buckeye moulding (just the buckeye not anything else) works as a 'plug replacement' in the the new generation Hornby Gresley coaches. (Although I only use it in the corridor stock.) It is normally a friction fit, although on a couple of vehicles I have drilled and fitted a small pin. I run these trains as fixed rakes, as coupling/uncoupling requires a pair of long nosed pliers! They have normal Hornby couplings at the outer ends.

The later versions of the Bachmann 'Thompson' bogie have an inset coupling that can by removing the coupling itself and drilling a new p[ilot hole, be adjusted to give quite effective close coupling. I have not fitted corridor connections to these yet, but even without the gap between vehicles is no more than 2mm. Coupling/uncoupling is as normal for the hook and bar type.

Both these adaptions allow trains to go round my 24" minimum radius without problems, except for one particular Honby All First, which will insist on derailing on one particular point. I think this is more to do with the cam mechanism than the actual coupling, and I'm still working on a solution.

If anybody would like some pictures I will try to use my rather inadequate photography skills.

[Saint Johnstoun]

I use long nose pliers when inserting the fake pipe couplings into the NEM pockets. Where the real pain lies is that some Bachmann tension lock couplings don't like Peco uncoupling ramps and I have to resort to my uncoupling sticks.

[strang steel]

Ay up!

Part the second.....

<snip>

The Railroad Gresleys already are close enough coupled to need just the one gangway, as you can see. Even better, when mixed with Triang coaches with eyelet attached bogies, they still only need 1, but only if the Triang coach is fitted with shorter couplings.

However, have fun chaps. OK, Bachmann Mk1s and such like need just one gangway as they come.

Thanks BB.

These are excellent suggestions. I had tried cutting the plastic end bar off then shortening the coupler sides and trying to re-glue the end, but never had 100% success. It never occurred to me to substitute a thin piece of metal

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up, SS!

The plastic used by the Chinese will not "take" any glue that I've ever found and I've tried expoxies, several types of cyano and even contact adhesives. And yet it's relatively hard wearing. Amazing stuff.

[Saint Johnstoun]

Here is a simple solution using two damaged Bachmann NEM couplings cut back and some wire.

[mick b]

Simple version from Tony Wright not tried so no idea if it works ?

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index. ... tes/page-9?