Coronavirus projects

[Peter Butler]

Ah, but is it gauge adjustable?

[ge_rik]

Ah, but is it gauge adjustable?

It certainly will be by the time I've sorted it out.......

As recommended on the first page, I read through all 30 pages of the assembly instructions and felt fairly confident that I knew what I was doing. So, I set to work! Only to discover that the instructions seemed to be for an earlier version of the kit - very few of the parts resembled those in the instructions. Undaunted I searched the internet for more relevant instructions. None was forthcoming, but I did find a video in which an employee of the Chinese company assembled a kit which looked very similar to mine. However, the video is double speed and there are no closeups of what he's actually doing so it's difficult to see which of the many small parts he's putting together. By pausing the video every few seconds and peering closely at the screen I've managed to reach about half way.

https://youtu.be/7RTm5zLa0ZY

There are some differences between the video version and mine and one of the main structural modifications they've made in the new kit to my mind is retrograde, so I'm putting in a couple of my own mods to improve it. For example, the threaded rods which spin to move the printhead in the Z (vertical) axis have no proper upper bearings - they just sit in holes in the plywood frame. I reckon they will wear very quickly which will eventually also affect the accuracy of the Y (horizontal) axis movements. I'm going to make metal bushes for the holes - nothing sophisticated, just a couple of washers bolted either side of the holes.

For a printer which costs around a tenth of the usual cost of a similar printer, I suppose it's inevitable it will involve some tweaking as MetalMuncher suggested. I'll keep you posted.

Rik

[tom_tom_go]

I hope you have not bought a white elephant!

[philipy]

Keeping fingers, toes, and other things, crossed for you, Rik.

[ge_rik]

I hope you have not bought a white elephant!

Not found one in the box, yet!

Rik

[Peter Butler]

I hope you have not bought a white elephant!

Not found one in the box, yet!

Rik

With luck you can print one soon.

[angr607]

Finally got round to finishing the track layout at the top station at the end of the bank. Having removed the points to fit a second run round loop at the other end, I finally got hold of the needed points to replace them. In this case, replacing a single siding with two!


Should be a good area for a engine shed with the main platform next to the fence. Just need to work out what to do regarding buildings that will last, fit in the area and not cost a fortune.... might even be able to run tomorrow which is a novelty as all my running this year has been test running for the business.....

[Snailrail]

I don't know about you, but I have found that nearly a month's incarceration has resulted in some unexpected and quite uncharacteristic productivity.
I suppose it could have gone either way. Sit on the sofa, watch daytime TV and turn into a gibbering idiot or get on and do something productive and have something to show for it at the end. So far I have certainly achieved more than I would have done in pre-covid times.

I've even read a couple of books !

I have made some good progress on my main project which had more or less ground to a standstill. More on that when I get round to telling the story. It will happen soon, honest !

But, as the weather has been so fine, it seemed wrong not to be in the garden working on the line. Until the end of last year my line consisted of two sections separated by a gap. Then I built a new section with a return loop at the end. This was separated from the other two sections by another, er, gap. This gap had to be filled so that I had a good length of track to actually run some trains. At this point I will add a photo of a bridge. I actually made this a few months back so is not a coronavirus project but
a) it shows the gap which needs bridging and
b) I'm proud of it

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I quickly realised that this bridge was unsuitable in that location as it is a metre long and no way would it stretch to two metres.
What I needed was a viaduct. This conjured up images of digging foundations, making moulds, mixing concrete to cast sections or laying some kind of brickwork. In short, the sort of hard physical labour to which I've become temperamentally unsuited in recent years.

I needed something easy and quick to build, lightweight but strong. Then, remembering another recent post on the forum, I got it. A timber trestle. I like wood.
Next question. As all the usual sources are closed can I find some suitable timber in the "it'll come in handy one day" pile to build said trestle. As luck would have it I found a little pile of identical pieces under the bench which were originally slats for the potting bench in the greenhouse. By sawing them lengthwise into different widths, apart from a couple of small offcuts, I had the exact quantity I needed to complete the project. What luck.

So here is the result of the last few days' work. I've called it Two Tree Trestle. We have two trees.
And to show my confidence in my workmanship, the heaviest thing I could find.

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[IanC]

The trestle bridge is a great solution and looks great.

[tom_tom_go]

Both bridges look great!

[ge_rik]

Great looking bridges. I know they were fond of wooden trestles in GWR and GER territories. Have you decided on a setting for your railway?

Rik

[philipy]

Have to agree with everyone else, both look great. Nicely done.

[LNR]

Yes great bridges, very nice work, you are rightly proud!
Grant.

[Snailrail]

Thanks very much.

Rik, the line doesn't have a particular setting or story to tell, I'm afraid. I know it's important to many people but doesn't bother me. I just wanted to create a line round the edge of the garden where I could run anything I wanted, wasn't too obtrusive, had a few interesting features and, wherever practicable, looked reasonably like a full size railway.

[Andrew]

Lovely trestle - the loco sitting on top of it's rather nice too... Didn't know the GER went in for them? Trestles that is, not Garratts, although I'm sure they'd look lovely in deep blue with red lining...

Cheers,
Andrew.

[ge_rik]

... Didn't know the GER went in for them?
Cheers,
Andrew.

Hi Andrew
They were nowhere near as impressive as those on the GWR, East Anglia isn't noted for its mountains.... However, they were cheap and the GER was always cash strapped. I know of one on the Maldon Branch, one on the Snape Maltings branch and there was even one on the Southwold. Small scale affairs, but built on the same principles.

Rik

[dewintondave]

Lovely railway pics in this thread!

[River Lin]

Hi all.
Just finished a PDF Models De-Winton i have been working on over the summer. I clad the boiler with rosewood (i think) cut from an old xylophone key, glued the strips on to the boiler and then cut three thin brass bands to length and rolled them around a Soy sauce bottle. I then taped the bands in place around the boiler before drilling 0.8mm holes through them and the boiler and gluing brass rivets into the holes. I then ground off the rivet ends that were sticking through inside the boiler.
For radio control, I installed a Locoremote receiver/controller and switch in the water tank, which was a very tight fit, and a resetting polyfuse between the frames. This RC works through a smartphone so no bulky transmitter is required.
I have now taken delivery of a PDF quarry hunslet. I will let you know how I model it.

IMG_20200924_211110.jpg (167.96 KiB) Viewed 5127 times

David

[Peter Butler]

Very nice model from a good and affordable kit. The quality of printing from PDF is excellent and needs some, although not too much preparation to give a perfect paint finish. I have built both of their Hunslet kits and they have been a real pleasure to do. My next PDF kit, which I am building and finishing for a friend, is the Double Fairlie.

[philipy]

That looks very nice David, the boiler cladding is lovely.
What mechanism does it use, is it part of thhe PDF kit?
Any chance of a bit of video showing it running?