murrayec

@brassnut Is that not dirt in the frog? I would try and clean it up with track cleaner and a toothbrush, also take a look at your wheels on stock and locos to see if they need a clean...

Eoin

Try this link

This image tells a great tail....

@Westcorkrailway

If this is the first chassis your going to do I recommend a good read of Ian Rice's 'Locomotive Kit Chassis Construction in 4mm' ISBN 1874103100 Wild Swan Publishing.

Every modeller should have this book and some his other works on their reference shelf.

Eoin

What a crazy image!

2 hours ago, brassnut said:

Hi all how can I stop derailing at the chage overs the frogs are a problem for me

If your using Hornby points this link may be helpful;-

Peco points are better, the air gap in the frog is smaller and the check rail is in a slightly better position, but small wheels can still be a problem!

Eoin

@burnthebox

Yes, the axles are generally 26mm point to point, but there are axles out there that are a different length!

26mm is the standard for OO Gauge.

Eoin

@burnthebox

Their all the same, they have to be to fit OO track!

The wheel flanges are all generally made to the same NEM spec- as in thickness. The wheels are set with a 'Back to Back' setting of approx 14.7mm, there are exceptions when working with old wheels that don't comply with the NEM specifications. Hornby used to make pretty thick flanges on their old wheels but they don't do that anymore.

Eoin

3 hours ago, David Holman said:

Thanks Eoin, exactly the sort of advice I needed. Hand tools it is then!

@David Holman

But do look at CAD for the future, I use Autocad & TurboCad for 2D drawings in the model building. Here is a link to a few videos introducing the beginner to Autocad;-

Eoin

16 hours ago, David Holman said:

Interesting. It was the scroll saw, not the table saw I'd been thinking about.

@David Holman

The Proxxon scroll saws are only for wood or plastic, it's very dangerous to try and cut thin metal on a reciprocating blade machine due to the up lift of the blade- any snag in the work will rip it out of ones fingers and god knows what else it will rip! 

The band saw blade only goes in one direction- down, against the table. The right tool to do this work.

Hanger do a scroll saw for cutting metal but is rather expensive at around £800.00 and it's a scary thing to use!

Eoin

6 minutes ago, David Holman said:

And here's railcar 2b departing...

Stunning model David,

That's the first time I've seen it moving!

Eoin

3 hours ago, Galteemore said:

I have wondered that too, David. Cutting through 60 thou of NS is not much fun with a piercing saw...I

I use a Cameo Silhouette cutter- its great for thin styrene, thick paper and vinyl. It can almost cut through .5mm styrene with multipal cuts. CAD is a requirement also!

Tin Van parts cut from .5mm styrene on the cameo, after a bit of cleaning up!

Eoin

3 hours ago, David Holman said:

 ''I occasionally find myself drawn to the idea of learning CAD,''  '' am wondering if one of those Proxxon saw tables might be the answer for cutting thin brass or nickel silver?''

Hi David

Learning CAD is the right step, it opens up huge possibilities in this craft. There is a learning curve to most of the programs out there, but after mastering a few of the basic commands the rest will follow and soon you'll be saying I should have done this before now!

A table saw is not the tool for cutting brass or NS sheet. If your thinking of a saw you need to look at a band-saw- best example for model building is the Proxxon MBS Micro-Bandsaw, which one can add accessories to like- diamond blade, HSS blades for cutting metal, coolant system.

The band-saw can also be used to cut out parts from sheet- like a piercing saw, though takes a bit of practice and constant attention to where your fingers are!

A bench guillotine is the other option for cutting sheet down to manageable size.

Eoin

Fantastic Ken

1 hour ago, fishplate7 said:

 I believe was produced, many moons ago, by the Model Railway Shop in Monck Place in Phibsboro, Dublin.

Just to clarify;-

This model is from a kit of parts made by Brendan Kelly, Brendan built 4 of these models a few moons ago from his own patterns for members of the MRSI club.

The Model Railway Shop did produce a kit of the GSR Class 800, but that was a different animal!

Eoin 

40 minutes ago, Noel said:

Hi Eoin. How did you find the cab door grab rails to remove? Some seem loosely press fitted, others seem almost glued in. Noel

They are super glued in, and as I said above;-

''Not the easiest job for the faint-hearted! The handrails are a bit fiddly, but the glue will eventually let go with slight lever pressure with a cocktail stick. Super glue remover can be used for softening the glue but it will also soften the paint! All came free for me without breaking''

Eoin

15 minutes ago, irishthump said:

Thanks again, Eoin.

Can the cab be removed without removing the entire body from the chassis?

I don't think so! the only way I was able to release the barbs was from underneath after the chassis was removed, also there was the difficulty with the boxes being in the way and I could not have sussed what was going on without removing the chassis.

The cab rear barbs do release when the cab body is squeezed on the outside, but the cab front ones needed a cocktail stick prodded in from underneath.

Eoin

'Cab rear' - I'm looking at it as bonnet front!

26 minutes ago, irishthump said:

can you  indicate the position of the speaker on the chassis by any chance?

The speaker is up front under the board;-

I was asked how to install a driver in the MM 121.

Remove the chassis by undoing the 4 screws, 2 in front of each bogie.

The cab is designed to slide up off the footplate/body after one removes the door handrails, there are 4 barb catches on the base of the cab which catch into the footplate. 

On this model the cab refused to slide up as the boxes clued to the body in front of the cab were catching it! I had to remove the footplate which again is held by barb tabs on the body into the footplate. The front handrails also have to be removed for this. I could then flex the parts and slide the cab up.

Not the easiest job for the faint-hearted! The handrails are a bit fiddly, but the glue will eventually let go with slight lever pressure with a cocktail stick. Super glue remover can be used for softening the glue but it will also soften the paint! All came free for me without breaking.

This is a shot of the OO scale driver I use in the DARTs! He's to big- way to wide, and not fitting into the space. I recommend using a HO scale driver.

Eoin

Due to the present situation this Sunday's Fair has been cancelled;-

Keep an eye on this thread for update

And some live action

The model is now complete.

The cab window frames and glazing were finally installed after the body was given two coats of satin lacquer.

The lads posing again!

Then final assembly to take a run on the rolling road.

I'll post up a short video soon.

Eoin

1 minute ago, murrayec said:

It can, depending on the type of controller- some of them allow for a DCC loco with ID 0 to run, but as you say they make more noise and not really recommended for long running as it can damage the motor!

The most likely scenario when one puts a loco on a DCC track and it makes loads of noise immediately is that it has no chip in it?  DCC track has a constant 12volts running- kind of! which can run the lights and make a motor hum but not run!

What you took out of the 201 to replace with the MM DCC chip could be the DC blanking plate? It's rather different to a DCC chip, as in very few components on it.....

Eoin

 

I did an edit on the post above and it came in as a quote? I was responding to the question on ''running a DC loco on DCC track''

12 hours ago, Thom said:

Would a DC train light up its lights and make lots of noise on a DCC track when the speed setting is altered.?

It can, depending on the type of controller- some of them allow for a DCC loco with ID 0 to run, but as you say they make more noise and not really recommended for long running as it can damage the motor!

Could what you took out of the 201 to replace with the MM DCC chip be the DC blanking plate? It's rather different to a DCC chip, as in very few components on it.....

Eoin

Thom

You say the two locos run fine on DC with the DCC chips installed! which means the chips may be OK, this would make me think- your accessing the locos with the Gaugemaster DCC controller may be at fault, also the fact the two locos are doing the same thing at the same time?

Does the Gaugmaster controller have an 'identify' option for a DCC loco on the test track? if it does use that to ID the loco and see if you can operate it and do the factory reset if required.

or

If you know the loco ID for certain!- when you do a factory reset (or any CV change) the loco should jiggle a bit with low volume clicks to tell you its doing something- did that happen in your previous factory resets?

If you get no jiggle n clicks your not programming that loco!

eoin