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Next Year...

Started by cabbage, Dec 25 2018 11:58

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cabbage

Having nothing better to do with the time I havr sat down and begun to plan what I will do withy railway. I have decided that 2019 will be a year of completion.

1: I am going to finish building my Black Five kit.
2: I am going to finish Southern Magyar.
3: Finish all the wagons and coaches
4: Complete the signalling system.
5: Install the second line to produce twin track running on the CPR.

Parts 1&2 will have to wait for better weather as I will need to do brazing outside. I may be crazy but not enough to use a 7kW propane torch in the kitchen... The required parts are pn prder for Part 3 and the "Bring and Buy" stand may also be a source. I have a laser etcher and reprap to help make the parts. Building the "Westinghouse Type L" has been a time consuming process. I have modified IKEA Glis pencil boxes and fitted them with four DPDT relays. I have yet to start the "stuffing" with cables and terminators to provide the simple logic circuit required. The largest project for this year will be the doubling up of the line from the end of the drag strip all the way around the summer house and back to main house. Yes, my order has given both the plastic and Clif Barker a hernia lifting it!

This means that visitors to the CPR might be slightly concerned about wires etc hanging around the track, but they will be "dead" until after the last GTG at the CPR.

Regards

Ralph

Peaky 556

That's an amazing list Ralph, so have you contracted Santa's elves as of tomorrow to help ? 😀

cabbage

Tim,
The nearest thing I have to a helpful elf is either a couple of years older than me and wears cassock and vestment or his guitar smashing youngest son!!!

The main problem will be moving the 4.8metre long straight sections and aligning the curve segments at the back of the summer house. These are the only two person jobs that I foresee. A lot of construction work to be done on the deck on front of the summer house which is not what it was originally built for...

Regards

Ralph

cabbage

I have been ordering my bits and pices off eBay... I have started stocking up on the consumables and new tooling that I will need for this year. I am in the process of printing the parts and lasering the PCBs for my CNC router.

After having consulted AndyB I have opted to go with an ER-11 colley chuck system. This where it gets really WEIRD!!!

Getting the collets and the MT2 chuck was easy, however the "artificial intelligence" aspect of the eBay experience is *strange*....

When I ordered the 1 to 7mm collet set, the recommended purchase was a pack of 12 edible knickers. I ordered the 400w motor PSU and ESC. The item suggested was a lace trimmed corset. Yesterday I ordered the top and collet spanners plus a 1/4" and 1/2" bore collets. The suggested item was pink, glow in the dark and took batteries...

Hmmmmm.....

Regards

Ralph

Peaky 556

Well Ralph, it's well known these sites target your known interests!...😜

cabbage

Well some of the things in the new year list are starting to take shape. Cliff Barker has had a hernia inducing number of orders from me. The reprap has been working daily making carriage and wagon parts. Currently it is printing Oleos for the wagons at a rate of circa two hours per wagon. The timber for the the dual main line is being sourced and I have a quote for it - but the supply of Torx headed saw screws and cascamite has closed down.... For external work I prefer Torx as I have never split or smeared a Torx head. The remaining two coaches have their "double duck" canvas on order and I will need Aluminium roofing paint to complete the finish. Wheels are of course a problem. I normally order 10mm thick slices from Kennions but there may be a local option(?)

I am still awaiting better weather but at least the gas cylinder is not frozen to the concrete anymore!!!

Regards

Ralph

John Baguley

Ralph,

Have you tried Live Steam Models at Little Eaton for your materials. Only just down the road from you. I've had discs for wheels (larger ones though) cut by them. I get a lot of stuff from them.

John
Member of North West Leicestershire SME
Secretary National 2½" Gauge Association

IanT

They do have an interesting (and extensive) catalogue John - I've just downloaded the PDF.

Ralph - I don't know how this compares with Kennions but I've just ordered four 10mm x 50mm mild steel blanks from eBay (UK supplier) - £6 including postage. I had four plain (3.5" tender) castings I was going to use - but on closer examination one of them was smaller than the other three (different pattern) and it would have been very obvious after machining.

Regards,

IanT
Nothing's ever Easy - At least the first time around.

cabbage

Having spent the morning in the garden and pruned the right of way - I could now get some measuring done! The timbers will cost me £150 plus vat, not an unreasonable sum. The new Great North Straight is going to have to be seven 4.8m long modules with the Great Way Round being sixteen 0.7m long modules. Making the 4.8m long straight modules is going to be boringly easy and making the 0.7m facets a whole lot easier now that I have a band saw!!!

But it still requires a mountain of screws and a few kilos of cascamite...

If the weather hold I will think about ordering the timber. The only way is around the side and if the wind catches while I have got hold of it!!!

Regards

Ralph

IanT

It's nearly 13 degrees outside this afternoon here Ralph - I might even be tempted down the Shed...

Regards,

IanT
Nothing's ever Easy - At least the first time around.

cabbage

Now that the "right of way" has been cleared I can start on the major  earthworks. The first of these required tje felling of "the conker tree" which my (then) infant school Son planted to ensure himself a supply of conkers. Unfortunately Erik snapped part of the root system and it wobbled in the wind. So, starting yesterday afternoon I dug the chainsaw and soaked the chain in castor oil. Needless to say all the clothes need a boil wash but the tree is extinct!!! My Son expressed some sorry at the loss of "his" but brightened up when he was told that the logs would have mushroom spore plugs in them. I would like Shitaki but he would like Lions Mane. So I have ordered both.

Regards

Ralph

cabbage

Now that the AGM is out of the way I can start unpacking the bags and unloading the goodies that I stole from the Bring and Buy stall and the bags of stuff from Cliff Barker.

Track construction will not commence until after the woodwork and roofing felt have been sourced and constructed. Then we will learn - did I actuall buy enough!?!?

Regards

Ralph

cabbage

The wood has been ordered and will arrive sometime tomorrow (Wednesday). It will "rest" on the garden path as the treatment dries out of it. This often makes a 4.8m length  of plank around 10Kg heavier, I am not getting any younger!!!

When I built "Cross Lawn" I had planned a smallish Tyrolean style station for the PKP, MAV and KKStB locos to service. This would be two coaches and a loco long... At 1.8m long the station might be slightly too long as I would like a platform of the classic "snow bend" type!!!

Finish my mug of tea and cheese and onion rolls -then return to work.

Regards

Ralph

cabbage

The wood has arrived and I have spent nearly an hour getting it from the kerb to the back garden... The wood is very freshly treated, weighs a tonne per length and is now steaming in the sun on the garden path.

The first thing to do will be to cut the 16 sections for the corners. I normally use "glue and screw" to produce the sections. I have sourced my favourite M4*50 and M4*75 torx screws from Germany And they should arrive at the weekend. The Cascamite glue I will have to buy in two 1Kg ,qlots. The last time I was building I used 2kg but in the one tub. By the time I had got to the end of use it was definately past its best...

I am going to recouperate and sup tea and much ginger nuts!

Regards

Ralph

IanT

Ah Ginger Nuts! - one of your five-a-day essentials Ralph

(along with Chocolate Digestives, Kit Kats, Jammy Dodgers and Hobnobs)    ;)

Regards,

IanT
Nothing's ever Easy - At least the first time around.