Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by Dwayne » Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:45 pm

Good looking yard for a railway. :thumbright:

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Fri Mar 29, 2019 6:42 pm

I have a favourite gardening fork which 'kem owt t'ark wi Noah' that I use for heavy jobs, mainly because the sleeve that holds the fork to the handle is actually long enough to stand some significant leverage being applied. Most modern tools quit at the third or fourth heave. My wife is also familiar with the nasty things I do to U.S. made Dutch hoes, such as jamming the blade down a crack and swinging off it until the blade assumes the proper angle. ;)

Peter in Va
Traffic Pattern? What pattern? Spuds out; grain in, but cattle, sheep and passengers are a lot less predictable.

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by Jbs » Sat Mar 30, 2019 11:42 am

I am interested to see how the walling goes together and what sort of foundations you need for them, They could be just the think for a project I have in mind.
John
Regards,

John Smith

Harrogate

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by Jbs » Sat Mar 30, 2019 8:30 pm

Hi Ian,

Thank you for letting me know how you go about the blockwork. It will be useful for a short run of walling I have in mind and will be of great benefit not having to mix concrete for foundations. I am trying to avoid any heavy foundation work in future, and as you point out, it can be easily changed. I am sure this method will also be of interest to others on here.
Looking forward to your photos of the work in progress.
John
Regards,

John Smith

Harrogate

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by IrishPeter » Sun Mar 31, 2019 4:09 am

A very similar sort of block system (but in proper units ;) not this metric nonsense) was used extensively at our old house to provide retaining walls in certain parts of the garden. Very effective and solid it was too despite the absence of mortar. When we costed it out it came in at about the same cost as orthodox block walling, but it was a lot less hassle. I seem to think that we did not use much in the way of foundations in Arizona, as the yard was a mix of very poor soil - mainly decomposed granite - and rock. It was a case of dig a trench, get the levels, and go for it as we were more or less straight on to rock! Here I would used four to six inches of stone followed with a couple of inches of paver sand which is similar to the what you are doing. Needless to say, I have my eye on it for any retaining walls I may need for the new railway.

Cheers,
Peter in Va
Traffic Pattern? What pattern? Spuds out; grain in, but cattle, sheep and passengers are a lot less predictable.

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by -steves- » Tue Apr 02, 2019 7:00 pm

The Oily Rag wrote: Tue Apr 02, 2019 4:24 pm Sentence 1. Further posts are on hold.
Sentence 2. I am using up my ration too fast.
Ian
Pretty sure there isn't and will never be a quota and the post was just one person's view point, their take on things and nothing was meant by it other than it was how they do things. Please do continue to post in your usual way as I like a good read and enjoy seeing other peoples projects and opinions :) :thumbup:
The buck stops here .......

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by TonyW » Wed Apr 03, 2019 8:00 pm

-steves- wrote: Tue Apr 02, 2019 7:00 pmPlease do continue to post in your usual way as I like a good read and enjoy seeing other peoples projects and opinions :) :thumbup:
So do I.
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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by Jbs » Sat Apr 06, 2019 6:48 pm

Not sure what has been happening here as I have been away for a couple of days, but I was really enjoying Ian's railway build.


John
Regards,

John Smith

Harrogate

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Sun Apr 07, 2019 5:36 pm

Hi Ian,

I'm pleased you've maneged to get things sorted.

How's the build coming on? I was very impressed with your work. The plan of your line is of a similar high quality and I look forward to seeing the line grow.

All the best,

Andrew
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"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Sun May 05, 2019 8:09 pm

It sounds like you are busy Ian. The effort put in now to get the track well engineered will pay off in the long run. It's fundamental to a successful railway. What you have done so far looks really good. I look forward to seeing more.

Andrew
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Fri May 10, 2019 7:45 pm

It looks well engineered Ian. Effort put into good engineering has to pay dividends in the long run.

Andrew
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"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by GTB » Sun May 19, 2019 1:19 pm

Oily Rag wrote: Sat May 18, 2019 5:44 pm Wheels first then shim if I am still pulling hair out.
Welcome to the wacky world of UK model railway 'standards'. If you think I'm being sarcastic putting standards in quotes, it comes from long fights over the last 50 odd years with UK made models in various scales. I spent this afternoon reprofiling wheels on one of my locos that was built by Roundhouse. In the best traditions of british engineering there were two different wheel profiles on the loco. Luckily the driving wheels were OK, or I'd be even ruder about it all....... :roll:

Which BRMSB wheel profile was used for your problem wheels? I assume O Gauge coarse from the description of the flanges. The BRMSB O gauge wheels have smaller flanges and narrower tyres than the G1wheels and would be likely to have problems with LGB turnouts.

The 16mm Association now recommend a wheel profile for both 32mm and 45mm gauges that is based on the G1MRA coarse standard, which traces back more or less to the old BRMSB G1 coarse standards. The Association website claims the SM45 wheel dimensions work on most commercial turnouts, including LGB.

I use the G1MRA coarse standards for wheels and track and have no major problems, but then I don't use LGB trackwork. As far as I can tell from the wheel drawings in his book, Brian Wilson uses the same G1MRA coarse standards. Accucraft may use the US NMRA standards which have slightly smaller flanges, but are otherwise compatible with the G1MRA ones.

You'll find the current recommended wheel profiles on the 16mm Association website. The G1MRA standards can be found on their website.

FWIW, I agree that doing something about the problem wheelsets would be the best choice, if you have the space in the frames for the wider wheelsets. The wider tyres on G1 coarse wheels will also mean less dropping into that gaping hole on LGB turnouts as the wheel passes from the wingrails to the nose of the V on the way through the v-crossing.

Shimming the check rails on the LGB turnouts would be a last resort I think, as it would take a fair bit of trial and error to ensure any changes to the turnouts doesn't then result in problems with the more modern wheelsets.

I've been going through the same thing lately while commissioning my new track. I haven't had to replace any wheels, but a few have needed the flanges reduced slightly and/or the back to back adjusted. For a while it looked like the O Gauge wheels on the old Motor Mule would need replacing, which meant major chassis modifications. That wasn't necessary thankfully, but the narrow wheels drop noticeably as they pass through the v-crossing.

Have fun,
Graeme

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Sun May 19, 2019 5:17 pm

Hi Graeme & Ian,

This is a proper 'dog's breakfast' isn't it?

You two are clearly better infromed on the technicalities (and practicalities!) of adjusting wheelsets, it's also clear that you understand the importance of the wheel/rail interface. With this in mind I hestitate to risk stating something which you are both very well aware of but......

One of the most critical dimensions in permanent way engineering, whether the track gauge is 7'-0 1/4", 4''-8 1/2" or 32mm, is the crossing nose to back of check rail gauge. This is entirely dependant upon wheel profile and back to back measurements. The succesful passage of a wheel set through the gap of the crossing neck rest entirely on mainting this within very narrow tolerances. A difficult propect for us with so many conflicting standards. I studied closely at this aspect of permanent way engineering when I was embarking upon my adventure into 16mm. I quickly realised the advantages of lying down in dark rooms!

Andrew
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"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by GTB » Mon May 20, 2019 12:06 pm

Soar Valley Light wrote: Sun May 19, 2019 5:17 pm I quickly realised the advantages of lying down in dark rooms!
The Aust. equivalent is 'Have a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down'.

British wheel/track standards in any modelling scale make a dog's breakfast look highly organised, although it's worse in the small scales....... :roll:

My knowledge of how wheels and track interact was very hard won.

The only truly universal turnout design I've seen in use are the ones where either the nose of the v-crossing moves, or the wing rails move, so the gap in the v/crossing is closed off. They can be hard to keep in adjustment and they look awful, but you have to try very hard for a wheel to derail in, or go the wrong way through, the v-crossing.

FWIW, if I couldn't make my own turnouts and wheels, I'd pick a single brand of commercial turnout as a standard, then choose compatible wheels, or ones that can be easily adjusted. If it means incompatible wheelsets have to be discarded, so be it, as the alternative is constant derailments.

Regards,
Graeme

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by GTB » Thu Jun 27, 2019 2:22 pm

Oily Rag wrote: Tue Jun 25, 2019 7:48 pm This is the upgrading and fine tuning of the Chinese Mini Lathe sold under a dozen or more labels across the World. So the the fouls weather time has not been wasted.
My Mini Lathe is working well, now, but doesn't have the grunt to part off 3/8" steel. I keep thinking about upgrading to the 180 x 400 model with a brushless motor, but haven't found the right size of 'round tuit' yet.

The original carriage shears are still OK, but I've replaced the cross and top slide gibs in brass, which worked out well, less friction and they don't need adjustment as often as the original steel ones.

Have you considered using angular contact ball bearings on the spindle? I was recommended to replace the original bearings with these and have had less problems with chatter and parting off tools digging in.

I found a lot of the problems I had when parting off was due to the top slide rocking under the high load. I changed the gib adjustment screws to cap screws and now use one as a lock to take up the slack in the top slide ways when parting off.

Regards,
Graeme

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by GTB » Sat Jun 29, 2019 12:22 pm

Oily Rag wrote: Fri Jun 28, 2019 7:47 pm At first approach the saddle component looked pretty dreadful and only contacted the bed ways in what can best be described as three and a half tiny places. Proven by the blue.
Outside my skill set..........

I was lucky I think, as all I've had to do to my lathe was to remove the red anti-corrosion grease and take off the burred edges. Having stripped it down for cleaning, I then had to adjust everything anyway, so I'm not sure what it was like out of the box. The slides still need adjusting now and again, but thankfully I haven't had to touch the shears.

I've never heard them called 'Joey blocks', I've always known them as gauge blocks. The mech test lab had a set for calibrating micrometers, etc. which we had to send out for recertification every few years.

Optically flat glass will stick together in a similar way to gauge blocks and I've seen lens assemblies that were put together that way without any adhesive.

Regards,
Graeme

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by GTB » Thu Jul 04, 2019 2:17 pm

I remember a conversation at the local ME exhibition a few years ago with a local tool importer who has a trade background (toolmaker I think). I was buying a milling vice off him at the time and he made the comment that importers that bought purely on price got crap, but if you chose suppliers carefully and bought to a specification, you got good quality. I still use the vice and still buy tooling from him.......

Your old Clarke 300 mini lathe was a rebadged Sieg C2, which is what I have. It's not a Colchester, let alone a swiss automatic and it has some design idiosyncrasies, but it does what I bought it for and has run without fuss for the last 8 yrs. The only parts that have been replaced are the head bearings, which were getting noisy. It came from Hare & Forbes, who have a generally good reputation for machine tools.

This new lathe you are fighting looks the same as the unbranded Ebay specials available here in Oz. I did a lot of online research before buying the Sieg and the problems you've got are the same as the ones reported with the early mini lathes when they first appeared. Maybe Chester buy on price.....

If you have to go to plan B, I'd be talking to Arceuro about a Sieg I think. The Optimum machines also seem solidly built and have a good reputation, although built in China.

I've been contemplating getting a Sieg SC3 and keeping the C2 set up for making screws. The Sieg SC4 would be better in some ways, but space is tight and I don't like the push button speed control.

re. the ballast. As you say, real railway ballast varies. As do the rocks in any given quarry, so even if your new supply came from the same hole in the ground it can easily vary.

Australian railways didn't like carrying ballast too far and each district had it's own supply. Mainlines were crushed rock, but branchlines were often gravel, or ash, or mine waste. Sand or dirt ballast wasn't unknown either.

Regards,
Graeme

ps. I modified an allen key to fit between the lead screw and shear cap screws so they can be nipped up if needed. It has turned out to also be useful for the top slide clamping screws as well, as space under the quick change toolholder is restricted when changing the top slide angle.

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by GTB » Sat Jul 06, 2019 11:49 am

Oily Rag wrote: Fri Jul 05, 2019 11:12 am Just looked at the OPTIMUM lathes. These are nice pieces of kit.
If the one you looked at is 114kg, it sounds like one of the 2304 versions. They are equivalent to the C4 in the Sieg range which is one of the machines I've looked at. With a 230mm swing and 510mm between centres, they are a fair bit bigger than the average 180 x 300 mini lathe, especially when you see them in the iron, as it were......

I looked at the Optimum prices in Euro, hooley dooley, there's some price gouging going on in the European supply chain. :shock:

Converting the euro price into pacific pesos and correcting for the different tax rates, I can buy an Optimum machine for 2/3 the price in the EU. Here in Oz, Hare & Forbes prices for Optimum machines are only about 10% higher than the equivalent Sieg prices from Ausee.

I didn't have the troubles you did changing headstock bearings, but they were definitely a press fit. I should have taken the bits to a friend's place and used his hydraulic press, but decided a 1 hr drive each way was a bit much for a 10min job. Hah.........

Regards,
Graeme

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by GTB » Mon Jul 08, 2019 3:31 pm

The 1503 is basically a Unimat 3 on steroids. I imagine one would rapidly get RSI in the right arm from winding the carriage back and forth. Their larger models from the 2004 up do have at least one nice feature not used by Sieg, the carriage handwheel is on the right of the apron, out of the way of hot swarf..........

Something about your lathe rang a bell, so I dug around and I think it was build by the factory that used to use the brand name Real Bull. Not a wise choice on the Australian market....... [urlhttp://en.realbull-machine.cn/][/url]

I think they build most of the mini lathes sold in the UK by Chester and others. Maybe yours was built on the first day back after Chinese New Year? They have ISO9002 certification, which just confirms my opinion of ISO9002.... :roll:

Anyway, sounds like a plan. Turning wheels will rapidly tell you if the headstock bearings need changing yet. I was always fighting chatter when turning the flange root radius on wheels, until I replaced the headstock bearings and started nipping up the topslide gib.

I hope that fitting wheels using your current profile solves your operational problems.

Regards,
Graeme

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Re: Chronicles of the Dirranbandi & Toowoomba Light Railway

Post by tom_tom_go » Mon Jul 08, 2019 3:42 pm

Real Bull, brilliant...

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