The Development of the WLR

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steamyjim
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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by steamyjim » Mon Jul 06, 2020 12:25 am

A bit more painting needed, quarter the crankshaft correctly and to sort out the drive system, but that's the Trevithick engine done for the coal mine. I've backed myself into a bit of a corner with motor/gearbox/drive options...

I think I'm going to use one of these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Miniature-12 ... Swvg9Xe8ac

But I can only fit gears of 1/2" dia or smaller in the space available, so still trying to track something suitable down. Rik, if you're reading this, where did you source the bevel gears for your railcar build please?

The easier solution would be to hide the motor in the fan and have that drive the engine, but think I'm going to build a version on wheels too so it's worth proving motor mounting out out with this. Should be able to knock most of it out pretty quickly now it's all designed!

There was a video, but YouTube have blocked it on copyright grounds for the music on the radio that was playing in the background...

Square nuts made from card...

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A coat of paint...

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ge_rik
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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by ge_rik » Mon Jul 06, 2020 7:53 am

Looks great, even better now it's been painted.

I believe I got the bevel gears from MFA Como
https://www.mfacomodrills.com/pdfs/918D ... es-PDF.pdf

But I've also used Technobots in the past, so I might have got them there
https://www.technobotsonline.com/plasti ... gears.html

I can recommend both sources

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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by FWLR » Mon Jul 06, 2020 9:43 am

What a brilliant build... Well done.

I like the nut idea out of card, what thickness is it :?:

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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by Peter Butler » Mon Jul 06, 2020 11:07 am

I love these early, Victorian style, engineering developments and structures, and you are making a superb job of building them.
Attached is a link to a 00 scale model railway, built by Mike Sharman, which includes incredible scratch-built locomotives and stock. It shows all kinds of lineside accessories of the period which could be incorporated into a 16mm scale layout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pquYCNKQy70
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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by steamyjim » Mon Jul 06, 2020 6:40 pm

ge_rik wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 7:53 am Looks great, even better now it's been painted.

I believe I got the bevel gears from MFA Como
https://www.mfacomodrills.com/pdfs/918D ... es-PDF.pdf

But I've also used Technobots in the past, so I might have got them there
https://www.technobotsonline.com/plasti ... gears.html

I can recommend both sources

Rik
Thankyou! I'll have a hunt about...
FWLR wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 9:43 am What a brilliant build... Well done.

I like the nut idea out of card, what thickness is it :?:
Thankyou!

The card was the first box I could lay my hand on in the workshop! I measured it today and it's 0.5mm thick. I also made the ribs on the cylinder of the Newcomen engine with it. The squares and circles were cut using the laser cutter, but I'm sure you'd find a leather punch that'd knock out the circles if you were to use the idea.
Peter Butler wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 11:07 am I love these early, Victorian style, engineering developments and structures, and you are making a superb job of building them.
Attached is a link to a 00 scale model railway, built by Mike Sharman, which includes incredible scratch-built locomotives and stock. It shows all kinds of lineside accessories of the period which could be incorporated into a 16mm scale layout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pquYCNKQy70
There's some wonderfully bizzare machines to take inspiration from in that period. That layout is a cracker, some fantastic details on it. That era is a very bright and colourful period, and everything is very pretty. Interesting to see widespread use of traversers in that period. I love the broad gauge on there too - would really like to run broad gauge in the garden! How I would love to see one of the replica broad gauge locos hammering down a good length of track!
Check out my steam and engineering youtube channel at...

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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by steamyjim » Mon Jul 06, 2020 6:50 pm

Didn't achieve a lot today - got this quartered up properly (the crank disk was slightly loose on the bush which was causing it to keep slipping) and with a drop of oil turns over lovely and smoothly.



And had a bit of a measure up of the available space to make a few modifications to the machine shop ready for laser cutting tomorrow...


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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by steamyjim » Tue Jul 07, 2020 7:37 pm

A bit of progress today. Had to tweak the permanent way a tad to get things to line up! I think the building that is still mocked up in card will be shortened an inch and narrowed by half inch to give a touch more clearance. I'm going to embed this section in cement like the engine shed so I want to be sure of clearances!

The tops of the buildings will stay removable with the roofs to allow lighting to be fitted. Talking of lighting, I'm planning to have the option to switch over to steam generated electricity to run the lights around the railway, but I need to clear the railway a bit further to get to that section of the line!

I wonder how you'd go about 'covering' the buildings. I'm probably going to do the lower section in blockwork like the engine shed, but I'm undecided on the upper section between wood panelling or blockwork.

Before I go making a set, does anyone have a set of level crossing gates they'd like to sell?
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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by ge_rik » Tue Jul 07, 2020 9:41 pm

I love the notion of steam powered electricity ......
But then, thinking about it, apart from renewables, I suppose the rest of our national grid is steam powered ...... πŸ€”

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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by steamyjim » Mon Jul 13, 2020 10:57 pm

Not a lot of progress as I was waiting on various bits to be delivered, and I've run out of suitable fence panelling to make block work out of, so I've been getting on with a few of my toy steam projects instead.

Anyway, today I got both sides of the fan casing planked and stained - tomorrow I'll add some beading to hold it all together and suss out what to do with the outside face.
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The motor and bevel gears to power it have also turned up...

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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by steamyjim » Tue Jul 14, 2020 6:23 pm

A productive day - major work on the mine ventilation engine and fan done. Detailing to be added tomorrow.

I may yet replace the motor with a lower geared one so I can run the motor at a higher speed. The counterbalance on the flywheel is 180 degrees out - perhaps positioning this correctly and adding some weight to it will help too.

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And a video...


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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by ge_rik » Wed Jul 15, 2020 8:23 am

That's brilliant! Is the wheezing sound deliberate or a happy accident?

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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by steamyjim » Wed Jul 15, 2020 9:07 am

ge_rik wrote: ↑Wed Jul 15, 2020 8:23 am That's brilliant! Is the wheezing sound deliberate or a happy accident?

Rik
A happy accident but a touch higher pitched than I'd like really but perhaps that'll change when screwed down. I'm not entirely sure where it's coming from, appears to be the motor/gearbox as when I disconnect the drive and turn it by hand there is no noise.

It's another of those things, like the coal mine where it'll probably hardly get used - only switched on when someone says "does the coalmine work?"
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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by FWLR » Wed Jul 15, 2020 9:36 am

Nice build and one that would great on any line.

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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by steamyjim » Thu Jul 16, 2020 10:55 pm

Decided I was a bit short of 'real estate' on this corner of the line, so added an extension in today.

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This area is to become a yard for the machine shop so wants to be filled in up to track level. Rather than use cement everywhere I cut some filler pieces to take up most of the area. The gaps in between will be filled with cement as per the engine shed area. Rooting around in my boxes of junk and I came across an un built GRS level crossing gate set. I'm a bit short of room for a double set to 'bridge' the double track but this arrangement with one set meeting on the diagonal like this works and keeps the space down. I have never seen a set of gates like this so the question is, is there a full size set of gates like this anywhere? If there isn't then I think I'm just going to have to apply Rule 1...

The 'real life' logic behind the single gate being that on the works side (furthest from the camera), the smaller gate post on the left would've been made removable (with the help of a good team of burly Victorian fellas) to allow trailers to be swung around in the yard. Note, the door on the left is practically useless for access from the yard in this position, so if you see in the CAD model earlier in the thread the two separate doors have been replaced by a large arched door on the right hand side.

Thoughts welcomed...?

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Also a touch more work on the ventilation engine. That's it for now on that, the crankpins and so forth all want shortening and nicer collars made, and a set of ladders at each end for access to the engine but I'll leave that 'til it's installed on the railway.

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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by FWLR » Fri Jul 17, 2020 6:31 am

I don't see why not for the gates, they look alright for me, has you say 'Rule 1'.

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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by Old Man Aaron » Sun Jul 19, 2020 5:16 am

Just caught up with this thread, and I must say this is really something different. Love it.
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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by Peter Butler » Sun Jul 19, 2020 11:19 am

I have been watching this from the beginning and agree with Aaron, it is something fresh in the world of 16mm. I too have a fondness for early railway development
and it is possible to create a whole environment around such ancient equipment and set it in any era since.
My 'heritage' line has such items from the past, preserved as museum pieces, so anything can be set against them, just as I please.....
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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by FWLR » Mon Jul 20, 2020 8:49 am

Anne and I went for a very short trip on that Loco when we went on our last holiday to visit the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. I can't for the life of my remember where it was though.. :scratch:

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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by Peter Butler » Mon Jul 20, 2020 10:48 am

As far as I'm aware Rod, the only railway operating a replica 'grasshopper' style locomotive is at Beamish Industrial Museum.
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Re: The Development of the WLR

Post by steamyjim » Wed Jul 22, 2020 10:23 pm

Thank you for the comments all! I've always loved ancient machinery, but I didn't fancy building a layout set in 1820 or so - everything would have to be scratchbuilt and I know that with my other projects I would never get around to finishing it. I guess the layout will be sort of 'set' around 1910 or so - although really I'm just modelling structures I like and finding somewhere to plonk them! I'm imagining the steam generating station to be in an Art Deco-ish style so that certainly doesn't fit with the 1820s stuff!

Peter - I love Anorexia, a play on Agenoria I assume?! What's she built from, one of those Minicraft Rockets?

Rod - I believe the Beamish replica locomotives run on standard gauge track (or are able to be converted) as I've seen certainly seen the Steam Elephant running on preserved lines.

As predicted, I got bored of the level crossing gates so onto the inclined plane from the coal mine. The plan is to imitate coal being taken from the coal mine, along to the water balance lift (the white cardboard structure), then up to the high level section Gn15-ish, and onto the blast furnace/ canal basin.

Wagons won't actually move between levels, it's all just going to be there and back shuttles, but the wagons will disappear from view to give something of an illusion.

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