Garden Railway Forum

I would like some advice from the very knowledgable members please. Which of these checker plates would be the best for the project I am doing, I think most of you will have guessed what it is I think

I have had to do A and B because of the Vacuum Pipe that is on the loco.
Sorry for the quality of photo A, it has decided to merge with the background.
It is about 20mm x 13mm cut out of the full plate and both A & B are longer by 6mm at 41mm long.

Anyway which would do you think is right.

A.



B.



C.


This will show you which ones they are.

From left to right. A B C

I'm no expert on the loco in question, but B looks the best to me.

Rik

Is that for a tender for your loco Rod?

If it is, I reckon you've got an Option D - put the vac pipe on the back of the tender instead, and have a full-width fall plate between loco and tender... That's what I'd do, I think...

Andrew.

Thank you Andrew for you reply. I don't have the confidence to take the pipe off and reposition it, but I will have a go. Are they easy enough to do, maybe I could move it on the loco, would that be acceptable. Not knowing were things should be on locos is a big problem for me.

You will have to wait and see mate......

Rod, the pipe is a whitemetal casting and attached with superglue at the top and bottom ....
If you slide a sharp blade between the buffer beam and the casting it will easily separate.

edit ...... I suppose you should remove the rear buffer beam too as it wouldn't be between loco and tender. This is a Roundhouse overlay fitted by means of the bolts visible in the picture which removes the centre buffer too, so a new connection would be required.

I know what you mean, I don't like messing about with expensive steam engines either!

If it is for a tender, then I think the real thing (eg Prince, Palmerstone, Linda and Blanche on the FR) would have the big curved flexible brake pipes on the front of the loco and the rear of the tender, ie where they'd be connected and disconnected from the rest of the train on each run. I don't know the details, but I'm pretty sure there's a much simpler (shape-wise, anyway!) semi-permanent connection of brake pipes between loco and tender, that most people don't bother to model!

Andrew

Peter Butler wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:20 am Rod, the pipe is a whitemetal casting and attached with superglue at the top and bottom ....

IMG_2315.JPG

If you slide a sharp blade between the buffer beam and the casting it will easily separate.

edit ...... I suppose you should remove the rear buffer beam too as it wouldn't be between loco and tender. This is a Roundhouse overlay fitted by means of the bolts visible in the picture which removes the centre buffer too, so a new connection would be required.

Thanks Peter.
Would it take some paint off though, if it does which is more than likely, would you happen to know what is the name of the paint colour mate. You get so much difference in shades of red don't you.


Just seen your edit Peter, I am not too sure about taking the buffer beam off permanently really and looking at photos of models which are without beams or a more simplified one on the loco, for me look bare and ugly. That's me though and I don't want to upset people who have these type, but I want mine to look more like Roundhouse intended. I hope I haven't opened a can of worms with this, it's just my interpretation of a loco with a tender.

I'm no expert on these matters Rod, but I believe the loco would look odd with a red buffer beam and chain link coupling between it and its tender. A black plate on the loco would be less conspicuous. The overlay can be removed without damage by removing the nuts from the inside. It can be kept complete and undamaged for re-fitting later. There is another (original) buffer beam underneath the overlay which can be painted black.

Peter Butler wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 9:38 pm The overlay can be removed without damage by removing the nuts from the inside. It can be kept complete and undamaged for re-fitting later.

Or it could go on the back of the tender, so your loco's matching front and back? Might get away without having to remove the vac pipes that way, just leave 'em attached to the overlay?

Hi Rod,
I think Andrew and Peter are right. The buffer plate would go well on the back of a tender, and make the train look 'whole', rather than cobbled together. A fixed linkage would also be an idea between the loco and tender (i.e. a solid bar, able to pivot at either end) so that it moves as one articulated unit. Former member LMS Jools ahs just fitted a slomo to a similar set up. Unfortunately I can't find a good picture of the tender/loco arrangement, but there is a post on the 16mm Association facebook page.
Whatever you do, I'm sure it'll work well Rod

Andrew wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:38 am

Peter Butler wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 9:38 pm The overlay can be removed without damage by removing the nuts from the inside. It can be kept complete and undamaged for re-fitting later.

Or it could go on the back of the tender, so your loco's matching front and back? Might get away without having to remove the vac pipes that way, just leave 'em attached to the overlay?

Peter Butler wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 9:38 pm I'm no expert on these matters Rod, but I believe the loco would look odd with a red buffer beam and chain link coupling between it and its tender. A black plate on the loco would be less conspicuous. The overlay can be removed without damage by removing the nuts from the inside. It can be kept complete and undamaged for re-fitting later. There is another (original) buffer beam underneath the overlay which can be painted black.

Hi Peter & Andrew.

It did look to be the answer to what is now it seems is getting into a dilemma. I don't have a small enough spanner to take the bottom cover off where the electronics are located to get at the nuts. I really don't want to use an adjustable because of the danger of damaging the paint work, which I don't have any to touch up at the moment and finances being as they are, I can't get any too repair any possible damage.

So for the time being I am carrying on with my original idea and see how it goes, but it will be done sometime in the future.

Lonsdaler wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 10:30 am Hi Rod,
I think Andrew and Peter are right. The buffer plate would go well on the back of a tender, and make the train look 'whole', rather than cobbled together. A fixed linkage would also be an idea between the loco and tender (i.e. a solid bar, able to pivot at either end) so that it moves as one articulated unit. Former member LMS Jools ahs just fitted a slomo to a similar set up. Unfortunately I can't find a good picture of the tender/loco arrangement, but there is a post on the 16mm Association facebook page.
Whatever you do, I'm sure it'll work well Rod

Hi Phil,

I will be posting on my thread the build I am doing shortly and you will be able to see what I have done to. You may be impressed, you may not mate..

Hi Rod,
I've PM'ed you.

Lonsdaler wrote: ↑Wed Jun 23, 2021 1:19 pm Hi Rod,
I've PM'ed you.

Hi Phil,

Not got your'e PM mate.

I have now finished the build to some extent and it is now going on a separate thread in "Projects"

Thanks to everyone who have replied to me and gave me some very valuable help with their far better knowledge than I could ever hope to have.

FWLR wrote: ↑Wed Jun 23, 2021 2:03 pm

Lonsdaler wrote: ↑Wed Jun 23, 2021 1:19 pm Hi Rod,
I've PM'ed you.

Hi Phil,

Not got your'e PM mate.

Duh! Technology. Wrote the message then cleared out sent messages folder - must have deleted it! Try again