Search found 1531 matches

by GTB
Mon Jul 17, 2023 3:35 am
Forum: Garden Railway Technical Help & Advice
Topic: Reed switches and magnets etc
Replies: 8
Views: 3550

Re: Reed switches and magnets etc

You'll get more 'bang for your buck' by reducing the the separation between magnet and reed switch, than by adding more magnets. Magnetic field strength follows an inverse square rule as the distance varies, halve the separation and the field strength quadruples. Apart from magnetic materials like s...
by GTB
Thu Jul 13, 2023 1:15 pm
Forum: Garden Railway Technical Help & Advice
Topic: Airbrushes
Replies: 25
Views: 5621

Re: Airbrushes

I've been occupied with re-arranging my workshop and installing a new lathe. The new lathe has been commissioned and I'm back to normal modelling again. 8) Something that hasn't been mentioned in this thread is that if you mix your own colours and use paint types/brands that don't come in spray cans...
by GTB
Tue Jul 04, 2023 12:45 pm
Forum: Garden Railway Technical Help & Advice
Topic: Sprung point springs
Replies: 7
Views: 2813

Re: Sprung point springs

It is a bit stiff and although a heavy steam loco would probably go through OK, I'm less convinced that the little locos I use would be able to push against a spring. Thanks, that's why I've never gotten around to building and testing spring loaded turnouts. I had definite doubts that a spring soft...
by GTB
Fri Jun 30, 2023 3:00 am
Forum: Rolling Stock
Topic: Ffestiniog Bug Boxes and Flying Benches - first run around the garden
Replies: 30
Views: 7090

Re: Ffestiniog Bug Boxes and Flying Benches - first run around the garden

philipy wrote: Thu Jun 29, 2023 10:49 am I'm afraid that the maths of mechanics is way beyond me ( like a lot of things :dontknow: ), but I understand what you are saying in principle. Soooo..
There are large chunks of mathematics that are now beyond my ken.......

I'm glad the theory worked out in practice.

Graeme
by GTB
Fri Jun 30, 2023 2:11 am
Forum: Garden Railway Technical Help & Advice
Topic: Sprung point springs
Replies: 7
Views: 2813

Re: Sprung point springs

In Tom-tom-go's RWLR thread, on Page 9 he shows how he arranged the spring for his sprung points. I have it in mind to do something very similar but I'm struggling with what sort of spring to get, anyone got any suggestions? Making/designing springs is above my pay grade. Have you considered a fixe...
by GTB
Wed Jun 28, 2023 4:11 am
Forum: Rolling Stock
Topic: Ffestiniog Bug Boxes and Flying Benches - first run around the garden
Replies: 30
Views: 7090

Re: Ffestiniog Bug Boxes and Flying Benches - first run around the garden

The separation force appears to be in the region of 250g. Slightly crude measuring regime of hanging the pair of couplings beneath a digital luggage scale and pulling vertically downwards until they separate. Did it half a dozen times with a result between 240g and 260g each time. So I guess your t...
by GTB
Mon Jun 12, 2023 3:13 pm
Forum: Railways & Layouts
Topic: TVT - Start of Steam Operation
Replies: 65
Views: 35249

Re: TVT - Start of Steam Operation

It's winter hereabouts, but the long weekend has been a clear run between the cold fronts, so the backyard has dried out a little and a short test run was organised. I recently finished a short rake of unloaded log bogies to use up some surplus parts and the photo below shows them on a test run behi...
by GTB
Thu Jun 08, 2023 12:37 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Quick build to run rolling stock ideas
Replies: 7
Views: 3171

Re: Quick build to run rolling stock ideas

The reason for this post is we have built an N gauge layout in less than an evening on a 6ft x 2.5ft baseboard at work. Now with the 16mm stuff needing a bit of thought for a garden layout I'd like something similar that can be stored in a shed and pulled out to run trains. I'll try and add a photo...
by GTB
Sun Jun 04, 2023 2:34 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: NGG16
Replies: 68
Views: 13903

Re: NGG16

I have no idea what that means, even with the picture :oops: :oops: Since the yanks don't speak english, they call a flangeless driving wheel on a loco a 'blind driver'......... :roll: The prototype NGG16 has flanges on all driving wheels and will go around a 2 chain curve, so unless you are using ...
by GTB
Wed May 24, 2023 5:47 am
Forum: Locomotives - Live Steam
Topic: Little brass handwheels
Replies: 4
Views: 3860

Re: Little brass handwheels

Does anyone know if there is a business who supplies little brass handwheels, like the ones found on locomotives and in ships? I mean the kind upon which one of the spokes sticks out farther than the others. I'm not aware of any hand wheels that are available to directly fit RH gas valves, or other...
by GTB
Tue May 16, 2023 3:18 am
Forum: Locomotives - Live Steam
Topic: TVT - Mt Delusion O&K
Replies: 23
Views: 10226

Re: TVT - Mt Delusion O&K

I'm intrigued by the diagonal timbers on top of each load. Are they used to tighten the straps, somehow? The period I model is the late 20's, when Aust. was in a building boom, just before the Yanks lost the plot as usual and dropped everyone into the great depression. No straps back then AFAIK, ju...
by GTB
Mon May 15, 2023 11:51 am
Forum: Locomotives - Live Steam
Topic: TVT - Mt Delusion O&K
Replies: 23
Views: 10226

Re: TVT - Mt Delusion O&K

Old Man Aaron wrote: Sun May 07, 2023 11:11 am Straight out of a black-and-white album, nailed it.
Funny you should say that...............

O&K-29old.jpg
O&K-29old.jpg (188.96 KiB) Viewed 4254 times

Regards,
Graeme
by GTB
Fri May 12, 2023 9:27 am
Forum: 3D Printing
Topic: Not sticking ?
Replies: 20
Views: 6055

Re: Not sticking ?

Thealcohol will of course evapourate quickly, but I wonder if the Methyl Salicylate might linger and slowly build up? I don't know about that, I'm just thinking out loud. Methyl Salicylate (oil of wintergreen) is an oily liquid with a boiling point of about 220degC. Unless it forms an azeotrope wit...
by GTB
Mon May 01, 2023 1:10 pm
Forum: Locomotives - Live Steam
Topic: TVT - Mt Delusion O&K
Replies: 23
Views: 10226

Re: TVT - Mt Delusion O&K

The weather here is well down the slope towards winter, but yesterday dawned clear and calm, and as cold as charity. A good day to boil some water........... The O&K has been running in on the bench and had one test run on the track. The only speed bump on the road of progress was that somehow I...
by GTB
Sun Apr 30, 2023 12:44 am
Forum: Garden Railway Technical Help & Advice
Topic: IP Engineering Jessie origins
Replies: 16
Views: 4684

Re: IP Engineering Jessie origins

Ivan made a range of steel and white metal diesel models back in the 'oughties. Older versions of the IP Engineering website are archived in the Wayback Machine. This link shows the range in 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20061020193516/http://ipengineering.co.uk/page39.html Some photos aren't av...
by GTB
Fri Apr 21, 2023 12:58 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Sand Quarry Extension
Replies: 35
Views: 7305

Re: Sand Quarry Extension

I did wonder whether to change history even more by discovering deposits of silver amongst the copper at the mine. Might make for some interesting additional 'secure' train movements..... Silver is more likely to turn up with lead and zinc in metal ores, although it can turn up with copper. It's no...
by GTB
Tue Apr 18, 2023 10:10 am
Forum: Locomotives - Live Steam
Topic: Ooops! - I have bought this
Replies: 14
Views: 4061

Re: Ooops! - I have bought this

I'm intrigued when it says the loco has to be reversed "manually". Does that mean "pushed"? Yes, the valve gear is slip eccentrics, mounted outside. You push the loco in the direction you want it to go, which sets the eccentrics, then you open the regulator to start it moving. W...
by GTB
Tue Apr 18, 2023 7:24 am
Forum: Locomotives - Live Steam
Topic: Ooops! - I have bought this
Replies: 14
Views: 4061

Re: Ooops! - I have bought this

Phil.P wrote: Tue Apr 18, 2023 12:04 am I appear to have bought a live-steam loco:

Does anyone know the history of these loco's?
Welcome to the dark side...... 8)

This link to a page on Mark Horovitz's website gives a potted history of the Beck Anna loco.

http://www.sidestreet.info/locos/loco57.html

Graeme
by GTB
Sun Apr 16, 2023 9:39 am
Forum: 3D Printing
Topic: 3D printed motor block
Replies: 8
Views: 3220

Re: 3D printed motor block

When climbing my 1:40 gradients I was having to open the throttle to full power with a fairly modest train and even then it slowed to a crawl. Hmmm......... MFA-Como motors aren't easily available in Oz, so I've never used a 918D and hadn't realised they were so gutless. I can see why Piko motor bl...
by GTB
Sun Apr 16, 2023 12:57 am
Forum: 3D Printing
Topic: New project. Guess what it is....( De Winton)
Replies: 44
Views: 10435

Re: New project. Guess what it is....( De Winton)

Anyway, a few days ago I forgot about what had gone before First Law of Holes. 'If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.' I've got a couple of rolling chassis sitting on my bench slowly building up a nice patina....... Have you worked out how to fit a motor, ESC and batteries in the model? It ...