Robert Shrives

Crikey start the froth pumps ! 

On a better note 4 boxes of spoils turned up minutes ago from Parcel  force - met the handler for first time of a least 6 IRM deliveries - wonders never cease.  And to report a much better box and tightly packed with bubble sheet and card filler - Normal service from warehouse restored thanks to all involved after the ballasts and gypsums arrived in lacklustre packing.

Good news in that the beet boxes and Bells containers from the wagons build now have wheels !

thanks Gents.  

Sorry !!  Just amazed at suddenly getting paperwork from the bunker !  Stay calm and drink tea ( other stronger beverages obvs available.) 

3 minutes ago, Warbonnet said:

Hi Robert,

A Class isnt due till April/May 2021. Sorry!

Cheers,

Fran

That clears it up then ! Shopify info ahead of its self as it notes it is being packed - in China then !!  I can calm down - if you want to cull this thread then do  so to stop boiling of the froth ! 

Robert   

Hi Well just in time to haul the Gypsums notice this morning from the Bunker that  A class going to dispatch.  Well a pleasant surprise and as always a big thanks to all involved.

Robert   

My N version took a lot of filling and a second one sits haunting me or perhaps taunting would be better.   A fun build of something seen widely on the notwork.  I look forward to progress.

Looking good - a slow correcting build can be more fun that a drops together.  The gun should scare the local ducks on the pond!  Not sure the research book will help much with this one. The wine should help iron out defects after a couple of glasses..   

Well  I realised with a bit of cleaning the etched Worsley bodies were heading towards painting - underframes need more to get ride height couplings and under gubbins fitted , bogies to be on the trailers some Bachmann spared B4 bogies I found in Cheltenham models last year - erratic supplies mean I do tend to buy to horde - not sure if it counts as panic buying!

couple pics  they had Precision paints single pack etch paint dusted over and the a coat of Halford`s Ford Ivory rattle can  as a basis for doing the as delivered livery.  I admit to having some plastic sides from Bratchell models to do another but they are still flat pack.

The MIR barrier wagon kit proved to have a generic ISO container and not the type on the Ammonia trains so I had what I thought would be redundant and built to use up a couple of hours between other jobs - you have to make your own domed ends but  a dapol tank end or a resin / 3D print options out there.  They sat unpainted until a few days ago when a chance viewing of some older footage on Utube I saw a bit of footage of the Foynes- Sligo fuel train and to my eye - a bingo moment so out came the matt black can. Given the coal container cannot be that hard a model ... If Mr Richard  Roache is reading !!  Another use for a 20 foot chassis..

127 as back drop and a Dutch EGV that is in the thinking pot siding/ naught step pending grills  Upside down chassis is a Mk2 EGV  with MTK castings hopefully glued on . 

some pics of what could be called progress !  Chassis modified to take new motor mount and as a futher upgrade chopped out most of the lima weight box - a Hornby traction weight in fuel tank and 90g in the old weight retainer - this will make a good mount for the PCB.   

9 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

I'm sure that there is another thread on this, too. I wonder if a mod would be kind enough to merge the two threads?

If there is yes please makes searching easier in the future...  R

4 hours ago, mmie353 said:

I only saw this today for replacement for Lima and Hornby motors, https://www.strathpefferjunction.com/product-category/ringfield-motor-conversion-kits/lima-replacement-motor-kits/ wonder if it would be any good to anyone that has a Lima 201

 

Yes but it does still retain the "pizza cutter" wheels which are ok on code 100 track but code 75 and not a lot of cop. The conversion kits look good value and also  trader does useful other bits like black tac cable retainer.   

Well thanks gang !  12 Gypsums collected from Post office today - I was posting some crimbo cards and it seemed rude not to drop in and check, Parcel farce (force) not helping with no advice of having to pick up but now I know the score I can work around.... ( 1st world problem of course! ) 

Wagons in boxed sleeves and traveled with out loss of any bits and bobs, loads a nice touch as well.  Bank balance in self inflicted tatters but you only buy models once !

Robert   

As a quick job while paint dried on a 450 body set I took the old lima  trailer bogie apart to remove old wheels and fir some Bachmann 14mm wheels- of course this led to drilling a 0.8mm hole and fitting a bit of brass wire to make a shorting pin so one wheel and axle live - to work the pickup.  The bogie is slightly upgraded as it has Lima  fitted pickup strip bearing on two wheels to help pick up on the traction tyre fitted  but with finer flanges and thinner wheels will need a further upgrade but at least half the chassis is basically upgraded  (the easy bit of course!)

Well further musing this morning.  The Hornby 66 spares I got from Peters spares arrived today.  It raises the question on bogie sizes - the real 59 and 66 had same bogie wheel base at 13` 7" , but an quick web search does not throw up the 201 measurement.  

As it stand the 66 bogie does not fit the lima chassis without a bit of cutting 

Taking the MM201 I can see its bogies are shorter as well... so given that will be spot on back to the drawing board a bit perhaps.

FWIW what prompted the 66 was the article in the December Rail Express  -models section about upgrading the Hornby / Limby 66 with lights - £20 . The 59 lighting rig shown out of stock but of course has the family double headlamps - email sent about how suitable the 59 rig would be. 

In UK attempts to "glitter" the unglitterable  is the focus of image managers and consultants to keep the "wheels" of industry turning. calling 800 class Azumas leads to Motezumas revenge and the Hull trains fleet of unsuitable express trains are Paragons which of course nicely mutates to Parody...       

When Arriva departed the scene on the Welsh Railways the Transport for Wales controlling body spent more than few quid expunging the Arrivaimage with  little bits of tape  on trains and with wide vinyl tape on station signs - and really  badly applied in the Cambrian coast stations I passed.  Now the signs got another layer when Transport for Wales decided on an image, which might have been an omen as recently TfW has dumped Serco and taken line operation underdirect rule - same managers  of course many ex Arriva employees who were slated for not running brewery  tours very well....  

Thus all this needs expensive publicity and imaging campaigns while the public want a safe on time arrival and at best a seat with fares as cheap as possible.   I feel sorry for Ireland if the same manics are now steering your railways!!        

So true, my S&T friends like to tell me but the concept of : one train in one section at one time. is beautifully simple. It is just the doing of it and ensuring should anything fail accidents are avoided that exercises the gods of complexity and record keeping !  Modern signalling allowing for improved braking and increased traffic volumes also means  giving drivers route information as well as speed/ braking advice. The increase in speeds on a fixed sized network also means drivers at more risk of simple  human errors so now signalling includes warning devices for drivers to manage and at best stop the train with full service or emergency braking at many signals that protect potential conflicts.

It is quite an overlay of subsystems - The graphic of Swiss cheese is often used to describe the still imperfect state and that if all the cheese holes line up then incidents occur. It has overtime grown and now many holes are down to the most imperfect beast - the human.   

The Stanley Hall series of books on railway safety are a good place to start. You can ask signalling engineers but of course they speak in tongues! and want to keep the naughty boys out of the grail!! 

Robert 

On 12/1/2020 at 6:50 PM, murphaph said:

Anyone know when the last ballast wagon lost its CIE roundels?

Hi not entirely helpful but I guess when the rust won!  

Hi "UM" is up main route, routes to 299 signal - which then has a theatre display for 5 routes ( plats 4 - 8  256 signal you picture has 5 routes  available  so a few more to see yet !  I guess the only platform no it can  show is 10 as it "reads towards" other signals for the platforms but the diagram in the  IIRS journal I have shows it routes to down main. Up branch and middle road  last two are towards the tunnel.

The green suggests 299 signal protecting platform is showing a single yellow and a platform.  This will be a yellow as it is reading towards the buffer stop fixed red- effectively an unnumbered signal.

Robert   

The two steps back one forward this morning, my yellow offering to the 80 gods is the wrong shell it is 752  but this got some differing mods when converted from loco hauled to demu  stock - the passenger door at leading end got BR suburban style small vertical windows - same on BR 310 / 312 stock- which was handy as Southern pride had a end of line brass 310 body set. " Just a case of letting in" a bit of brass into the bodyside !  More later hopefully but morning taken up with more 5408 spraying - happy now and the earlier buffet mods have has primer and second filling sessions.

Stripped paint of 5 shells ready for 80 class  or gen brake works and cleaned off the EGV with the paint runs  and wrong black stripe. It was a good job as shell is hardly clean and I think any masking tape use would have caused disaster.      

The other sandite prep task this morning a bit of a scaling fudge as I have used Southern pride bogie inner mouldings at 8`6" to hold the MIR resin MK6 ish bogie frames  and now as Darius spotted on his 80 build the cast bogie sides are bomb proof thickness so these have had 1.5mm sawn of back by hand .. labourious but first one matches the thinner resin version. I plan ( strong words sorry ! ) that the two yellow power cars on the sandite will be dummies so using the Southern pride  bogies does mean free wheeling vehicles, the powered one will be in the 3000 style body at least only have to paint one!   

True who would be a storesman !  Great without the public wanting stuff  and the other staff . Stores run perfectly Sunday night with lights out and nobody in !   Thanks for getting stuff back out quickly and of course it helps the cash flow for developing the next project 

Good to see , I do wonder how you keep finding these extras - I guess the Warehouse is that large even the automated pickers miss things  or is that with no lighting in the rear part of the east wing ( haunted and nobody likes going there) that some brave soul ( red tee shirt!) is sent on a mission and the surviving ones make it to the bridge with a box or two.... 

I am sure they will fly off esp the empties having come to light after I cut the food budget and sold my left leg to get the blackish Friday sale offer - which was very good.

regards and getting coat ..

Robert         

What I have found is that airfix bogies and triang B4 and Southerpride B5  all take peter spares  PS108 12.6mm wheels on 25.6 long axles a dream.  PS33  out of stock which do lima bogies but expected soon  

Fitting Kaydee no 5s to lima chassis I found these really good 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fast-delivery-M1-4-x8mm-20-off-Truss-head-Phillips-Nickel-plated-selftap-screw/3242478 

and ordered 40 more just now along with some others for stock.

1 hour ago, Georgeconna said:

nice one, Better ship my lot in one batch, They sent them separately the last time losing me cold hard cash.

If it happens again I'll go to Hattons and use the Trunk option.

Hi A while back RoS tried the same with me and a quick conversation got an apology and refund on one item as a good will gesture.  Hattons before Trunking did same when two packers send individual parcels on same day.  

This is 5408 again after makeover no xx! Dealt with etch end gaps - nearly and filled the gutter gap which was very obvious. A primer and orange but on very close inspection the end joins still open up little.

Close up of end of EGV showing tomix exhausts.

The etch sort of provides for the foot steps - but the end slots only half etched - a few careful dremel cuts and scoring of etch with hook bladed scorer and these folded out, fractionally short but certainly better than nothing. Of course this left a gap in the body shell,  30 thou strong back visible on other side and a bit cut  to fill slot. I was quite pleased with this improvement.  Clearly "kit" had no instructions by this stage - if ever.

RSS1800 in UK money or 546 in the NIR version of the pound!  A Lima Air con MK2D as donor. Windows blanked and filler applied several times hopefully the last as a couple of joins refuse to die! Another old age mod going back three many years! But with annual leave and long weekends of work giving 21 days away from the real one allows quite a bash. 

finally 548  the NIR version of the TSOT. It did occur how close the RR blue was to NIR bumble bee blue, it would be possible just to slap on a decal - but for that lovely feature of a lima coach the rasied bead used to form the white"line" in banger blue liveries for the printing process.- Tampo printing moved on so far now not required, a few minutes per side with a scaple blade used vertically to scrape -and does not dig in soon removes the "feature!" Window hole filed square to make blanking easier. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Window-Fillers-for-Bachmann-OO-scale-Mk1-Coach-conversions/233776130  But these might be adaptable - MK 2 air cons also available  certainly useful for  GSV conversions! before the boys do one - as it were! 

On the bench for later are 8 lima mK2 floor pans to get Kaydees fitted , two pads 10x12mm centrally behind buffer beam, slight scrape of bottom of beam on central 12mm and a second overlaying pad makes mounting - I got some "truss head" self tappers to provide a mechanical anchor for the No5 but it could be glued.  Should say of course pads are 1.5mm thick. No 5 coupling stash to take a hammering later.  I plan that when a chassis gets allocated to a body then any undergubbins can be added as required.   

Hi 

Hattons advised 127 on its way. 

Robert