Garden Railway Forum

The first 4 eccentric straps are complete: IMG_3663.jpeg They are a reasonably close fit on the eccentrics, but they do rotate - as in they will remain stationary when the axle rotates. I think they will be fine when they are run in. Of course having the eccentric rods attached and being connected t...

Creating the straps is long winded - there is little room for error! The first one I made didn't quite work out - but it did enable me to fine tune the process - so that the second one worked. So missing out the drilling and milling bit for the moment, the second one having its inside bored out to t...

Old Man Aaron wrote: ↑Wed Jan 24, 2024 8:34 am Hell of a process. Always a pleasure to see how you do it.

Trevor

Looking very good so far!

That point is progressing well. I like the way you have made the frog unit.

Trevor

Amazing railway!

It does make our efforts look insignificant, but I will just soldier on as best I can!

Trevor

I now have 4 completed expansion links: IMG_3649.jpeg and I have started on the eccentric straps. This is what I am trying to create: Screenshot 2024-01-23 at 18.51.49.png and a detail: Screenshot 2024-01-23 at 18.48.13.png I started off hacksawing out 8 off 25mm square blanks, and drilling an 8mm d...

Really impressed with the handrail knobs and other finer details. I tend to avoid 3D printing these because of their fragility. Rik PS Is the whole thing resin printed? This Sunlu resin is slightly flexible - perhaps resilient is a better word - and I am amazed at how much detail I have been able t...

Progress on t his has been slow - I am at the painting stage and the different layers need to dry properly. I did reprint the body again, and this time I am satisfied with it. The one major change I made was to remove the handrails and make a hole through the handrail supports to take a 2mm diameter...

Today I started to make the expansion links. I am making them out of 3mm thick mild steel, so that involved coolant oil, and one of my rotary tables. This one has a flat bed which I can fix metal strips onto. The metal was held down so that the centre of the strip was 42.5mm from the centre of the t...

Peter Butler wrote: ↑Wed Jan 10, 2024 2:03 pm They are magnificent beasts... wondering now whether I have room for two Garratts ?

Yes Peter - go for it - but this time a big one!

Trevor

The first bogie now has its valves fitted permanently (hopefully!). Each cylinder has its end covers fitted using a lock tight gasket fluid. The cylinders are also fixed to the frame using the same sealant. The valve stems are in roughly the correct setting, and it is all assembled: IMG_3629.jpeg Th...

I have not taken this any further wrt drawings - but the stl files for what I have done are in the files section. I did think about the drive shafts and I think there is a simpler solution. Each end of each carden shaft has a ball on it, and through that ball, a rod is inserted at 90 degrees to the ...

While I was waiting for the materials to make the valve gear from I started working on the valves: IMG_3620.jpeg Milling the slots into one of the 4 valves. A 2 mm wide slot to take a 2mm diameter valve rod, and one at 90 degrees to take the threaded strip which moves the valve. 4 valve operating ro...

While not necessarily what you are after - but a potential solution to the problem. My printer allows me to pause a print, change filament and then restart the print. I use that facility to use up part roles (but not always successfully). The only issue is I need to keep an eye on things to see when...

The sheep wagon looks good!

Nice to see it all in action - especially at this time of year.

Trevor

That really does look good. I am also creating stonework in the way you are - and it works really well. The water looks amazing! Mine has real water in it - which isn't that clever because it freezes in the winter, and splits the model. The float is also very effective - it looks just right. I am in...

I haven't tried printing things flat on the bed without a raft - but something like a ladder seems like a good subject to try it out on.

Trevor

Philip

That is brilliant!

Trevor

I have finally got back to this after a couple of months absence doing other things. So I have set the eccentrics on to their carriers: IMG_3617.jpeg The carrier is 15mm diameter and the eccentrics are 16mm diameter. They were assembled using bearing lock and quickly pressed against a block of brass...

As part of my railway collection I have a real coal model of Stephenson's Rocket. I'm confident it would burn but cost more than a whole bag of the raw material. IMG_8332.JPG I bet it would NOT burn! I have a bag of coal that I kept for too long - and it wouldn't burn - not even in a red hot fire. ...