Nolwyn Valley Tramway

[FWLR]

Perfect Rik. That company has more choice than the many I have come across.

[Andrew]

What a fantastic little loco - I love it!

[Lonsdaler]

That's fabulous. Mamod use (or used to) a coiled wire like miniature curtain rod for the drive bands, cut to length and just 'screwed' into its other end. Certainly more durable than elastic - just cut to the length required and 'screw' the narrowed end into the other. https://www.mamodonline.co.uk/product-p ... 2-unjoined And of course, there is Delrin chain and cogs (Locoremote sells it, but I'm sure there will be US based suppliers). Whatever solution you come up with, I look forward to seeing the end result.

[drewzero1]

Neat little loco. You could start a trend.....

Rik

I'm just riding the wave. Mostly inspired by some models I've seen on Carl Arendt's site, stubby cars & trucks, and things like this:

(Note, this is not my work, just something that provides inspiration!)

Also the Small Controller has been watching a lot of All Engines Go lately, which has been stretching my limit for suspension of disbelief in locomotive design.

[FWLR]

Thats neat.

[tommygander1941]

The new Boot Lane Works Minty looks like it could be a good contender for your line, small and practical

[drewzero1]

Testing out the new cattle wagon after doing some electrical work on Thornas, and certain flaws in the design and construction of the latter are becoming evident with more running time. The frame and cab floor are both splitting around holes that should be at least reinforced and more likely bushed, the motor mounts need redoing, and the fly cranks are slipping. The shortcomings of 3D printed parts are really coming out-- though to be fair the loco was originally intended to be an unpowered prototype. A redesign of the chassis with motorization in mind is in the works.

With side rods damaged and removed, poor THORNAS struggles to shift just one cow.

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Not a whole lot to report outside. The patio is wrapping up and the pond is nearly situated. No sign of the trackbed elevation, though. Work has slowed with some big events toward the end of August, but is expected to pick up into the fall. Standards are dropping with the temperature such that by winter the outdoor projects will all either be done or 'good enough for now'!

[drewzero1]

The new Boot Lane Works Minty looks like it could be a good contender for your line, small and practical

Sorry I missed this earlier... It does indeed look like it would fit in perfectly. It sort of reminds me of a Kerr Stuart Wren, but with side tanks-- which I think look very nice and hide the motor well. I (I wonder if they ship to the US?)

[drewzero1]

THORNAS poses on a section of temporary track, showing off the new full service dairy train and the state of construction on the patio area.

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[philipy]

Thats a nice, neat looking, little train.

[ge_rik]

It gets better and better .....!

Rik

[drewzero1]

Thats a nice, neat looking, little train.

Thanks!

It gets better and better .....!

Rik

Also thanks! It means a lot to me from both of you.

I got so excited to play with track outside that I decided to spend a bit of time preforming the curved sections to fit the eventual plan. Might be jumping the gun a bit since I don't have the earthworks anywhere near finished, but the track plan is small enough to build in the dining room and bring out later. Need to finish forming a few more straight sections into curves and smooth out the track a little more, but this will hopefully allow me to run some trains and spot any major trouble points before completing earthworks. Next I think I'll mock up the ponds to make sure the curves are laid out correctly.

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[FWLR]

Now that is getting your planing to be somewhat closer than me I can tell you Drew.

Also an excellent idea and excuse to get to run trains in the house

[drewzero1]

Now that is getting your planing to be somewhat closer than me I can tell you Drew.

Also an excellent idea and excuse to get to run trains in the house

With the ponds in place, the track plan becomes a bit easier to visualize.

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Just finished the full loop including the traced mockups of the ponds, and I had just a foot and a half of track left over. Need to clean up the sleepers in a few places and need to fit some permanent rail joiners (just toothpicks for now). First full lap with and without a wagon went well except for some rough joints and a tangle with the local flora.

Not even outside yet and already vegetation is an issue. The infant has been trying to eat this same leaf all week.

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And yes, as a bonus I do get to run trains in the house. (Though with the kids' loops of HO EZ-track, Brio wooden track, and Tomy Trackmaster in the next room, some days it seems all I do is run trains in the house!)

[FWLR]

Brilliant layout Drew. I like the way you have put your mockups in the line. makes it more realistic and those veggies are a nuisance aren't they...

[philipy]

Drew,
Slight thread drift, but I keep looking at your "Thornas", which for some reason really appeals to me. I think you said early on that you designed and 3d printed it and I wondered if you might be willing to upload your stl's for it to our print files section?

[drewzero1]

Brilliant layout Drew. I like the way you have put your mockups in the line. makes it more realistic and those veggies are a nuisance aren't they...

Thanks! I was having a lot of trouble visualizing how the ponds would fit together with the railway, and was also very worried about having enough track. (I only have one three-foot section of stainless rail left over!) Now I know as soon as I get the ponds arranged and leveled, and the raised bed built up, I should have enough track to go around and have it in roughly the right shape.

I've heard of leaves on the line being a problem, but this is just ridiculous! Luckily the next day my daughter helpfully cleared the line... and then tried to eat the leaves... and also the track and train!

Drew,
Slight thread drift, but I keep looking at your "Thornas", which for some reason really appeals to me. I think you said early on that you designed and 3d printed it and I wondered if you might be willing to upload your stl's for it to our print files section?

Absolutely! I've kept all the files together with hopes to share when they're ready. As it's my first original locomotive design there have been a lot of kludges and hiccups along the way, and motorization was a bit of an afterthought for what I had originally intended to be a push-along toy. I've just redone the fly cranks and connecting rods after they were found a bit lacking and I'm going to take a look at the chassis and motor mount next.

There are also a few parts of the model that were altered from Thingiverse things: the smokebox, the coupling hooks, the bevel gears, and the wheels, so I'll need to check the licensing on those and possibly design my own replacements for some of them. Watch this space- or maybe that one!

[drewzero1]

Evening freight on the NVT tonight. We were enjoying the nearly-complete patio so I laid down the track temporarily and had our first outdoor running session. Still need to iron out a few issues with the track and some poorly weighted rolling stock, but Thornas put on a good show.

The stone wagons from page 1 have returned!

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Very happy with the speed and power, but could use some more weight to improve tractive effort.

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A couple of tealights were pressed into service as the firebox and brake van glow. I think I'm going to need to fit some lamps for nighttime running... What would Mr. Spectre have to say about that!

[FWLR]

Thats looking great Drew, the speed looks brilliant by the way.

[drewzero1]

Thanks Rod! Can hardly wait to see it in its proper place. The loco uses a 6V geared motor currently running at 3.7v from two Li-ion batteries in parallel... for now. (Variable speed remote control in the works, on the back burner.)

No pictures today but I spent a bit of time on detailing THORNAS. Modified a coal load from Thingiverse to fit the bunker, painted the rods and cranks and the nameplates, glued on the whistles and lamps more securely, and added a grain-of-wheat bulb out of a broken toy to illuminate the front lamp. Now I just need to have an evening running session again... for testing purposes of course.

EDIT: Parallel, not series!