Garden Railway Forum

The first point is finished: IMG_3721.jpeg The rail is stainless apart from the point blades which are nickel silver, which is easier to solder reliably. I have used the same printed point lever I used the last time I made points. It seems to work and is quicker to make than the same made from brass...

I will follow this with interest!

Trevor

I think I have enough sleepers to complete this section Phil - so no hurry for more sleepers. I have spent most of the day in the workshop hiding from the rain - and I have almost completed the first point. It is all working so far as intended, although I have not tried to drill the rail for the cha...

That is a bit of a blow. I will keep an eye on my creations using their isopropyl washed resin. So far there has been no serious distortion that I can see. I have a wagon, a locomotive, some sheep and some buildings created for others sitting in the workshop. Some are unpainted. The temperature chan...

Looking good Trevor. I've never seen anyone actually dunk prints in Acetone before, although I have seen it suggested to suspend them in a sealed container with acetone in the the bottom. Be interesting to see how they perform in due course - I assume this is using ABS not PLA? I was wondering if t...

It has been a while since I have been able to get outside to do anything on the railway. Since we have had some dryer (well less consistently wet) weather I have resumed work on digging out for the extension. I didn't get as far as I had intended with it last year - I got distracted by a major proje...

ge_rik wrote: ↑Mon Feb 12, 2024 8:29 am I'm a sucker for clickety clack. A very attractive looking and sounding train.

Rik

Thanks for the complement! It has taken a while to get those carriages to run properly, but I am satisfied with the result.

Trevor

Progress on Palmerston has been delayed by a problem with the motor and the bevel gear drive. I have solved it and I thought it might be worth sharing the problem and my solution - in case anyone else has issues with these miniature geared motors (which I have been buying via eBay). So the problem w...

Milling the pockets for the bolt heads on the 5th strap: IMG_3672.jpeg drilling the holes 1.4mm: IMG_3667.jpeg and cutting it in half: IMG_3668.jpeg four more tapped and fitted together ready to bore to final internal diameter: IMG_3673.jpeg Soon be able to start on the eccentric strap rods to conne...

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...