Garden Railway Forum

Beware! Acetylene forms explosive acetylides with the copper in brass. Depends on the grade of brass used. Using copper pipework for reticulating acetylene is an accident waiting to happen. In the days of carbide lights in railway carriages, the pipework would have been iron. However, acetylene cyl...

I wasn't familiar with this gadget - am now. I was thinking that some sort of miniature lawn aerator would do the job - this is somewhat similar. What's a lawn aerator? I cut the grass around here with a sprayer filled with Roundup......... I was thinking of something like a miniature star wheel dr...

I finally by some miracle have moved to an area that there is a live steam club in town. Shop, people to help me build my first steamer of some sorts, everything. Mention of 4 3/4" and 7 1/2" suggests you are in the US. The rest of the english speaking world uses 5" and 7 1/4". ...

I'm a glutton for punishment - each block gets around 20 jabs with the screwdriver ....... Not found a way of automating that process, yet. Very impressive stonework. The buildings in the background look good as well. Have you tried a pounce wheel to texture the block faces? Although with the comme...

Think I may have wires crossed, I thought that valve timing was the position during the cycle that the valve moved Yes, valve timing is all about the point in the cylinder stroke that the valve opens a port. Moving the valve on the spindle makes one port open early and the other open late, relative...

No it can't, not unless you want to take the wheels off ! Someone that doesn't really know what they are doing can easily screw up the valve timing on a basic series Roundhouse loco, by removing the screw connecting the valve spindle to the eccentric rod and then rotating the valve spindle. Which i...

I do hope running them gives you some pleasure as well as building them. Actually, I'm more a frustrated engineer and not much of an operator. Never have been, even when I worked in HO. My pleasure comes from the research, making the parts, bolting them together and getting the result to run nicely...

'steam trains in your garden' by brain wilson, good book That book is what got me into this..... Now back in print and available in the UK from Camden and in Oz from AME. http://www.camdenmin.co.uk/collections/books-published-by-camden/products/steam-trains-in-your-garden-due-2nd-april It does assu...

Looking at your photos of the loco during construction it seems a shame to paint it with all that lovely shiny metal work :) You're not the first to say that. A couple of friends suggested just clear coating it and placing it on the mantelpiece....... I wish Roundhouse would produce their cylinders...

ge_rik:112377 wrote:I am in awe and deeply envious of your modelling/engineering skills.

Don't sell yourself short Rik. You've built a very convincing miniature railway and also operate it, something I'm very unlikely to do.

Graeme

The genesis of this model goes back a long way, as I had planned to build a Brian Wilson "Eric' when I first retired. Other projects got in the way, but I finally started it early this year over the Australia Day long weekend in late January. The model that eventuated is a modified 'Eric', base...

I too would be interested to hear suggestions about plugs and sockets between stock. I use the arrangement shown in the photo below on my railcars for lighting trailers, or for connecting them in multiple unit as the occasion demands. They are based on IC socket strips, which plug into themselves a...

I just thought I'd share with you how I've gone about my latest conversion from track power to battery in case it's of interest. Always of interest....... ;) The RCS hardware I use is also Deltang based, but Tony wrote his own manuals and wiring diagrams, which are a bit easier to follow I found. I...

But I think for small items or soldering brass pieces on top of each other (for example, cabin spectacle plates onto bodywork) would you tin both sides first with solder and then use a 100w soldering iron? You may find the pencil type of torch easier to use in confined areas on a brass body. I use ...

I assume that when the cranks are fitted, the axle slop will be dealt with? Should I turn up  bronze spacers to centre the wheel sets anyway? The axle sideplay is designed to be controlled by the flycranks. You could fit spacers for 32mm, but it removes the option of changing the gauge if the need ...

Every part finished is another step towards a running loco. I've not built anything with slip eccentrics, but my Roundhouse loco fitted with them is a bit of a pain to operate. There's less bits, so I presume it takes less time to build. I've built two locos with Stephenson gear and that is now my c...

These have also been sitting around for some time, first as unmade kits, then waiting to be painted. Originally intended as a train for a small diesel loco which didn't happen, they were put together earlier this year as a load for the Aster Krauss loco. Technically they are a bit oversize for 15mm ...

Did you fit bearings to your LGB bogies? No, I didn't bother as LGB use acetal, or a similar low friction polymer, for the sideframes. I just make sure the axle journals have a good surface finish and I fill the bearing with Labelle 106 grease before assembly. Grease stays in the bearing, so they d...

Andrew:111506 wrote:Such a distinctive vehicle too - what would it have been used for?

Louvre vans were commonly used in Aust. for perishable traffic such as foodstuffs, etc., as well as anything else likely to be damaged travelling under a tarpaulin in an open wagon.

This one is based on the VR ng design.

Graeme

This model follows on from the bogie stock built last year. It was built over Christmas, but has sat around unpainted until recently. Now the latest loco is finished and I've sorted out the problems with my compressor, this one has been painted and lettered. The bogies and under frame are standard w...