Robs workbench

[52D]

love the K1, i want 3 62011/21/50

[rob]

Back by popular demand I should think Morgan....it would be great to see the k1 build in more detail....a particularly well-proportioned mogul but outside my timeframe more's the pity!
Managed to keep going and have the pony trucks fettled and adjusted reasonably well...I'm not looking forward to the coupling fitting stage,always awkward with tension locks if the loco is to be expected to propel stock as well as pull it...
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[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

I'll have a wee experiment. I'll get back to you on this. An idea has just hit me with the force of a nuclear explosion!

[jwealleans]

Very pleased to see you back again, Rob. Looking at those wheels, that kit's been in someone's cupboard for a few years. They look like the J27 ones in my dad's build from 1975. No-one else has ever done an F1 kit, have they?

[45609]

Morgan....it would be great to see the k1 build in more detail....

More please Gents....

Duly noted Rob and Graeme. A new thread has been started here

Cheers....Morgan

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

I've had to think about this one. Do I post it on "my" thread or "rob's"? I think yours is the place. I also use tension locks but do not like putting them on my kit-built engines. They get a simple wire "loop" instead. Fine when hauling stock but not good when propelling.

Anyway, here we go.

I take it that this is the problem? The tension lock "underrides" the loop causing buffer locking on this Peco double slip.

Problem solved! The J50 on the same double slip, propelling the same Dapol kit-built coal wagon. Out of picture are another 5!

This is how it's done:

A piece of 2mm or so strip soldered onto the loop prevents the couplings underriding and causing buffer-locking. Trialled for several hours last night and with an inexperienced operator driving.

[rob]

Hi Jonathan,the F1 was bought new probably about 2004,its part of my hoard....I don't recall one here before either,wouldn't be surprised though if Morgan or Graeme have built one at some stage though .....as time goes by I'll hopefully be building some even more dated jobbies than this!...I think Nu-Cast had a stash of older Romfords built up when they changed hands because I have a good few of their kits from that period to build and its possible to see three different generations of wheel in one kit....say blackened RP25 tender,older unblackened for bogie or pony and the original deeper flanged unblackened for drivers!...it has that retro Ford Granada feel alright,I should build it while watching back episodes of The Sweeney for total authenticity!
BB thanks for the photos and description of your solution to overriding couplings,its a great strength of this forum that people are so willing to share across threads.....my issue is slightly different though as I'm using the older Dapol couplings as standard and its "steering" the pony truck under load is where I find difficulty...it needs enough swing to get around tightish curves without then causing trouble on point work and also needs to be held down on the track.....I've used strategically shaped and positioned guardirons to limit swing usually and washers etc to limit lift but it can be very time consuming...I know from recent experiment that I'm going to have to revisit my N7 on this issue.....
Hope to get some of the big castings fettled over the weekend,at least get it looking like a loco...

[manna]

G'Day Gents

I seem to recall 'Stephen Poole' made a 2-4-2 tank at one stage (70's) maybe a F1, but it had a rigid chassis.

BB like your solution, have to remember that one

manna

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Rob, it may be an idea to put the loops on the body rather than on the trucks.

My second kit was a Nu-Cast L&Y 3P 2-4-2T which operated a couple of years ago now on some eye-wateringly tight pointwork on a layout we were asked to run at Penmorfa. The loops underran the couplers as shown on my piccies causing bufferlocking when propelling but the pony wheels stayed on, it was the drivers that derailed. I intend to use my new discovery - it was you who set me off thinking about this Rob! - and report back. However, the point of this diatribe is that my L&Y has a very similar chassis to your F5.

Come to think about it, Mole End is more available. Watch this space!

[rob]

Spot on Manna,I looked them up,Nu-Cast did (or possibly still do) two 2-4-2's.One kit covers F3 and F4,first introduced in 1971 by Stephen Poole and possibly revised (chassis?) by Nu-Cast in the 80's the other F1,originally a Cotswold prooduct...this range went to Nu-Cast in 1981 apparently and may have had a milled chassis originally...the chassis I have is classic Nu-Cast to my eyes....!
The footplate has the letters MS moulded into the bottom,possibly the pattern makers initials?
BB my "bible" tells me the L&Y 2-4-2's were also Cotswold and preceded the F1...the L&Y classes are apparently quite similar in appearance.....?...anyway the kits are from the same DNA even if the prototypes were not!
Putting the couplings on the body was not something I'd thought of I will have a thorough look at that option it would be way easier and give a much more solid mounting if it suits the layouts curves....thanks for the suggestion,lets hope it works...
A decent bit of progress made on the major castings but still not ready for soldering....here they are just loosely assembled,no blutack or similar,a sign of good patternmaking first day though the moulds are clearly tired by now.....decent quality W/M as I've come to expect from Nu-Cast though you can see blow holes(excessive heat at casting or impurities according to Rice)on the Belpaire
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[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

The chassis looks identical to that on my L&Y so we've nailed that one down. I'll report back on Wednesday. It'll be running over Peco med rad points as well as a double slip and 3-way, all using the short rad curves.

[rob]

I'd appreciate that BB esp.as another issue I've noticed with putting the couplings on the ponies is how far back the wheels are set under the loco...it will involve unusually long extensions.I won't get much done for the next few days but might take a very rough look at how the chassis/footplate sits on my track if I get time....my radii sound about on a par with yours..cheers for that then,I'll keep an eye out for your results!

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Right - trials were run last night (that's my excuse - I was really playing trains!) with the L&Y and I can report complete success with short and long wheelbase wagons. I did have buffer locking with the coaches but investigation revealed that this was due to the long buffers I fitted on my Farish suburbans rather than anything else although it may be an idea to lengthen the loops. The metal strip worked just as well on this engine with l-o-n-g overhangs as it does in the 0-6-0s. The picture of the coach gives an idea of the problem - those buffer heads are nearly touching with the Mainline type coupler at full stretch. Must lengthen those loops...

Incidentally, without side control on the ponies, she wiggles beautifully when negotiating pointwork!

Now for the piccies:

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

As for the paint - ugh! Must re-do the black.

Pass the paintbrush! Oh, great. Now for the matt black....

[rob]

BB thank you very much for that suggestion and the photos to illustrate it in action...I blutacked the Dapol couplings to the footplate/chassis arrangement and pushed it with an LWB CCT through a few sets of pointwork.....it looks like it will work and save me a lot of time and irritation....

I wonder would it work on an 0-6-2 as well,though they tend to exhibit more rear overhang.....well worth experimenting with!