Elmham Market in EM

[James Spooner]

Yesterday evening it was blowing a hoolie and pouring with rain, which acted as a deterrent to me making my way out to the garage and contemplating wiring. Accordingly the only progress was assembling the two Peco point motors to their bases and fitting the double micro switch assemblies on the top.

Today was much calmer (although still pretty wet in the afternoon) so I ventured out and had a (I hope!) satisfactory evening wiring everything up under the control panel, jointing the panel to the trunk wiring to the other end of the attic and then contemplating geometries for track laying to fit the two sidings in to the corner of the attic. I think I can squeeze 26” from buffer stop to fouling point on the shorter siding, which will just be long enough to take the Stratford St James push pull train (measuring a tad under 23” buffer to buffer). The other siding, for the Stratford St James pick up freight, will be over a yard long so plenty long enough. Tomorrow I hope to finalise the track geometry, work out the location of the point motors and wire them up, then test the circuits, before cutting into the running line and lifting and laying track.

Whilst up there I took a few photos of the fiddle yard control panel with the new sidings now marked in and a couple of overall shots of my den. Looking at them I can only apologise for the atrocious mess I seem to have created up there. My only excuse is that generally I’m the only one up there and if I don’t mind too much then - so what?! Every now and again I do have a spring clean and I think one is possibly overdue!

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

More progress in the garage attic this evening. I have completed the point motor circuits as well as the circuits to illuminate the green LEDs and tested both so I am happy I have two working motors all wired up. That done, I took the plunge and cut out a section of plain track and laid the first point. I am now setting out the second point and the critical far siding. It looks as though the curvature might be tighter than I had initially hoped, to get the Stratford St James push pull set in, but the leading driving trailer (which has most resistance to curves due to its Dean style bogies) seems to go around the track as set out quite happily so I’ll run with it. Hopefully tomorrow I will get time off for good behaviour and lay the cork underlay and remaining track - possibly even connect the points to the motors and test… who knows?! Some photos attached.

Nigel

 

[David Waite]

Hi Nigel
Great to see you progressing,
I was wondering what is the temperature range in your attic throughout the year?
David.

 

[James Spooner]

Hi Nigel
Great to see you progressing,
I was wondering what is the temperature range in your attic throughout the year?
David.

Hi David,

Thanks for your encouragement. The temperature range is quite extreme. In winter it can go down to -5C and in summer it can go up to +30C or possibly even more. I try to ameliorate the lower end with some thermostatically controlled oil filled pipe heaters (the sort of thing sometimes used in greenhouses) but the upper end is what it is, unless I instal air conditioning.

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

Bit of a mammoth couple of sessions this weekend (in between walking the dog, clearing out a pile of junk from the garage ground floor and cooking the Sunday roast). Essentially I finished the two sidings in the fiddle yard designed to cope with the Stratford St James traffic and tested it to ensure it was all fully operational as intended.

That testing threw up a number of issues, some my mistakes in wiring etc and some maintenance matters where joints had become unsoldered etc. I worked through all of them and (fingers crossed and, no doubt subject to Murphy’s Law operating) it all seems to work.

One siding will take the G5 and push pull set and the other a J15 and eight wagons plus brake van (the pick up freight for Stratford St James) so I am content. The run round loop at Stratford St James can only cope with a train of that length anyway. If nothing else it was a useful Christmas/New Year break exercise that has significantly improved the operational characteristics of the layout. Some photos and a couple of videos attached.

Nigel

 

[David Waite]

Hi David,

Thanks for your encouragement. The temperature range is quite extreme. In winter it can go down to -5C and in summer it can go up to +30C or possibly even more. I try to ameliorate the lower end with some thermostatically controlled oil filled pipe heaters (the sort of thing sometimes used in greenhouses) but the upper end is what it is, unless I instal air conditioning.

Nigel

Wow -5C so cold my bones are aching just thinking about it perhaps you should have modelled live steam (smile)
I like the +30C that sounds nice providing there’s a breeze I use a fan to circulate the air when needed the lowest temperature I recall in my attic I think was around 7C.
David.

 

[James Spooner]

Wow -5C so cold my bones are aching just thinking about it perhaps you should have modelled live steam (smile)
I like the +30C that sounds nice providing there’s a breeze I use a fan to circulate the air when needed the lowest temperature I recall in my attic I think was around 7C.
David.

Yes, -5C is a bit nippy but a previous owner of the house installed a very effective fan heater that takes the chill off very quickly when I want to spend some time up there on a cold day. Just put it on, go and make a cup of tea and by the time I’m back it’s adequately warm!

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

My modelling time over the last couple of evenings has been spent sorting out a number of minor tasks that I had been deferring whilst I got the Stratford St James push pull project put to bed (including the associated trackwork that Nick and I identified when working through the trial running session before Christmas). A couple of Hornby Gresley compartment coaches have now been converted to EM and been close coupled with three links on the set ends. Henrietta also has a playmate converted to EM.

This evening I played around with some bits and pieces to make demountable sugar beet loads for open mineral wagons (there was a lot of sugar beet traffic in the area, mostly focused on going to the refinery at Bury St Edmunds, so that gives a plausible outward traffic flow for Elmham Market). Surprisingly a German company makes HO scale sugar beet granules so I bought a couple of packets (and I think that’ll last me a lifetime!) so I experimented with some plasticard, bluetak, acrylic paint, cut some sponge to support it and am reasonably content with the results. Photos attached.

Nigel

 

[robertm]

A real piece of luck finding ready made sugar beet. I had to laboriously make my O gauge beet from DAS clay. Pics attached of some open wagons and a Studebaker truck that I recall from my childhood at Felsted. No E Anglian autumn scene is complete without sugar beet in evidence.
Nicely captured.
Bob

 

[James Spooner]

Yesterday evening some friends from the local EMGS group came around and we gave the new set up a good work through. We just about managed to work through the full sequence in a little over two hours (we could have taken longer with some of the shunting but time was moving on). By and large it worked quite well, given it was a first time.

One or two faults decided to show up on the day (having worked perfectly up till then - isn’t that alway la the way?!) and one or two improvements are needed to aid the fiddle yard operator (who, I think, has the most stressful role in the operation) so I now have a list of items that need sorting.

Modelling is going on the back burner for a few days while I do some bush whacking on the Ffestiniog Railway to get rid of some of the Christmas excess as well as improve the views for later in the year.

Nigel

 

[Dave Holt]

Good luck with that. I'm following progress on a couple of forums and look forward to seeing the resultant views on the Snowdonian, in April.
Dave.

 

[James Spooner]

Good luck with that. I'm following progress on a couple of forums and look forward to seeing the resultant views on the Snowdonian, in April.
Dave.

I might see you there…

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

I’ve spent a lot of time away from the modelling workbench over the last week and a half. Firstly a successful bushwhacking weekend in Wales, a quick turnaround at home then two nights in town for some dinners, home then off to visit daughters and their families in Norwich, so any modelling has been more in the way of sorting out minor problems, wagon building and the like.

On the wagon front, last October several of my offspring bought me wagon kits for my birthday. I was making a Parkside (ex Ratio) Southern plywood box van and it was going together quite well. Largely assembled I decided to superglue some liquid lead inside to provide a bit of weight then went with the boss for a dog walk. Imagine my horror on returning to find that I had glued the body onto the chassis with a very pronounced lean to one side. The superglued liquid lead had very firmly set by this time so I put the assembly to one side whilst I pondered its future.

Matters rested there while I got home and pushed forward with the push pull project. Earlier this week my eyes kept going back to that lop sided van gazing reproachfully down at me from its shelf. With a scalpel I managed to separate out the plastic pieces but the superglued lead wouldn’t budge. I attacked it with a dremel but that wasn’t very effective either. Eventually I chain drilled holes into the edge of the solid mess and, in doing that, dislodged the gaps until I was able to cut a clear way through. I then had to tidy up the edges and refit, then glue back together straight. Still a bit more tidying up to do and replacing some of the more fragile components that suffered in the surgery, but I’m past the worst. I have been attending to some other part completed wagons too, before taking them all to the air brush for some bulk painting. Photo attached of the current state of play in the wagon works siding…

Nigel

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Hello Nigel
On Watkins Wharf, we’re always muttering and chuntering about the failure of humans to evolve with a graticuled grid available to their sight lines. I don’t know how many times we’ve positioned OAFA (Once And For All) the likes of door bangers and strapping, believing them to be vertical, when a revisit shows it to patently off whack. It sounds like you’ve made a good save, though.

I do like your Works siding, by the way.

Cheers

Jan

 

[David Waite]

Hi Nigel
Thats bad luck I can imagine how you felt.
l‘m sure I’ve heard somewhere that there is a product that is available for dissolving super glue.
David.

 

[NHY 581]

Morning Nigel,

Can't help but notice the 2.4.2T chassis lurking there. I've developed quite a soft spot for Great Eastern F tanks. Which variety is this and what's the source ?
We're unlikely to see one RTR ( ! ) and I would contemplate a kit if one was available.

Rob

 

[Tim Hale]

“Surprisingly a German company makes HO scale sugar beet granules”

Hi, can you share the name/details of the company, please. Thank you

Tim

 

[simond]

Hi Nigel
Thats bad luck I can imagine how you felt.
l‘m sure I’ve heard somewhere that there is a product that is available for dissolving super glue.
David.

acetone works. I'm sure the story of the helicopter is on here somewhere. Unfortunately, it probably dissolves everything that is stuck with the superglue too.

yup...

4mm - Jan's 4mm Workbench

Hello @jonte Thank you. Coming from someone who can make weathered wood ‘talk’ I’m very chuffed. I actually made a note of what I used, this time. The wagon was repainted in BR Early Wagon Grey (Railmatch acrylic). The Slaters instruction say the Midland Grey So anything goes, really :). I...

www.westernthunder.co.uk

 

[James Spooner]

Hi Nigel
Thats bad luck I can imagine how you felt.
l‘m sure I’ve heard somewhere that there is a product that is available for dissolving super glue.
David.

Hi David,

Yes, thanks, I do have something that seems to be some sort of solvent designed to dissolve superglue. I didn’t have it in Wales with me and by the time I had got home and gained access, its effect was less than I had hoped. A lesson learned anyway!

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

Morning Nigel,

Can't help but notice the 2.4.2T chassis lurking there. I've developed quite a soft spot for Great Eastern F tanks. Which variety is this and what's the source ?
We're unlikely to see one RTR ( ! ) and I would contemplate a kit if one was available.

Rob

Hi Rob,

Yes, you are quite correct, it is the old chassis for a Gibson F5, which I replaced a year or so ago, when I scratchbuilt a flexichas version (and if you have the patience and scroll back much nearer the start of this thread, you will see I have described how I made it). I also have an old Nucast/Stephen Poole F4/5 and an unmade Gibson F6, so need another couple of chassis. I made enough components for two chassis but Peter Stanger of 52F models (who also designed the G5 I made) has kindly offered to amend an etched chassis he originally designed for Herbie (George) of this parish, so watch this space! It may also be Nucast Partners have reintroduced their kit.

Nigel