Bethesda Sidings

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
Looking good. I was wondering if these chassis and motors allow enough room for fitting a DCC sound chip and decent size speaker? (I usually gut the cab and bunker to make more space).
I'm not a DCC user, Larry, but there is a bit of room within the loco body and I've also removed the weight from the bunker (to ensure that I could glue the cab sections back together, although I will probably replace it with some lead in due course).
 

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
Waiting for traffic to arrive off the Vale of Radnor Light Railway:
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Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
I've found it necessary to reduce the width of the High Level gearbox, that comes as part of the kit. It's already quite a narrow gearbox, at about 7.5mm or so, but even that wouldn't fit between the brass bearings on the driven (rear) axle:
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I first of all removed one of the gearbox sides and re-fitted it about 1mm further inwards, using some 10BA bolts and nuts to hold it in the right position for soldering:
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When I was happy with the alignment, the side was soldered back onto the main gearbox and some additional strengthening pieces added:
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The gearbox now fitted!
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Now waiting installation in the chassis and test running etc.:
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AJC

Western Thunderer
Nifty work, Tim. Presumably this is primarily because you're working in OO here? I've done something similar a couple of times (for the same reason) in EM to get the hornguides in on my Gibson O2. Even then, I had to make the bogie compensation beam ride on the boss of the gear! Works though.

Adam
 

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
Presumably this is primarily because you're working in OO here?
Hi Adam,

Yes, you are entirely correct, the problem only arises because this is being built in OO. If I'd known prior to soldering the hornblocks in place, I'd either have sought out some of Chris's slimmer bearings (I may even have some somewhere!) or at the very least, filed the normal-width bearings down sufficiently.
 

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
It's almost finished, after a few extra angst-ridden sessions trying to get it to run consistently smoothly and agonising about the pick ups.

Work remaining to be done on the loco body (apart from painting and weathering) largely consists of adding to top front lamp iron and reinstating the rivet detail around the cab roof area, that was lost when it was being converted to a 74XX (this will be done using Archers transfers), plus the vacuum and steam heat pipes:







 

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
In case anyone hasn't seen these on RMWeb, here are the videos I took of Bethesda Sidings last week, in connection with the RMWeb 'Virtual Taunton Members Day' last weekend.

1) 14XX shunting the yard -

2) Pannier bringing local goods in and interchange with light railway J72 -

3) Diesel sequence, with Class 14 bringing local goods in and 'Planet' diesel shunting traffic for the light railway -

4) Military train arriving with 3F and Army loco shunting yard -
 
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