COT Trackwork

Week Ending 24 August

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Paul🏅🏅continued his work on the halo attaching extra wooden blocks to provide support and a gluing surface for the facing material. Mr C worked on the final pair of turnouts fixing the stretcher bars in place.

Tuesday saw Mr Chairman continue with trackwork for Cwmcarno and Paul🏅🏅make more progress for on its halo.

Luke is building a Dick Kerr & Co petrol electric 40 hp tractor to 0n16.5, which will be finished in North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways (a forerunner of the Welsh Highland Railway) guise. As with many white metal kits it will need some fettling before the body sits level on the chassis.

And LBH completed the conversion of a B&MR all-third to ScaleSeven by the simple application of Connoisseur Models’ Sprung Suspension Units.

It is seen here perilously balanced on Frecclesham’s 0 gauge track, Tŷ’n-y-Coedcae being in temporary storage.

The end of August was the milestone for submitting photos of layouts for the Scalefour Jubilee Challenge, so we moved the layout into the main hall for a little photoshoot.

And while we were at it I couldn’t resist a look through one of the chapel windows.

Our resident Wizard continues to make progress with the B&MR Usk, and tonight she had a trial fit of the safety valve cover, prior to it being cast in brass.

And LBH was so dis-satisfied with his ballasting on the CoT turnout he decided to remove it.

Week Ending 24 August Read More »

Two’s company

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With the holiday season in full swing and other commitments only two of us made it the the clubrooms tonight.

Mike E has replaced the capping on the Depot roof with Tomato Purée tube foil, which is easier to form into the cap shape.

And LBH started the ballasting in the on the CoT (Chair on Timber 3d printed) turnout.

Friday was not exactly busy either. Andrew J decided on using card for the coping stones for Lyne Road’s bridge wall, our Wizard did more work on the 4-wheel tender before leaving for his third job as Dad’s Taxis. Robert cleaned the wheels on a Warship and Cl 37 whilst Wagonman got on with his project. Also he brought along some spare vehicle bits, so Mr C. cleaned them up and started to mock up the work/junk area for outside the workshop on ABB.

Two’s company Read More »

Hot Tuesday Evening

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So hot that only three of us made it to the club this evening …

Mike E brought along his depot from Hogwash and Baloney, now sporting a corrugated iron roof and interior detail.

Our resident Wizard has completed the ever-awkward curves on the tender for Usk and set the running level close to where its needs to be with facility for further adjustments if needed.

LBH decided he didn’t like the original stretcher bars on his turnout which used a 3d-printed base, so has replaced them with a new set using brass lace pins (bought from the late lamented Eileen’s Emporium) and added power droppers. The ‘chocolate block’ pieces have since been fitted under the board to provide a traction power busbar.

But a good productive time was had by all.

Away from the heat of the clubrooms Andrew N has been working on another Sharp, Stewart four-wheeled tender, this time in 4mm/ft to P4 standards.

Springs, buffers and couplings to be added after painting and lining.

Hot Tuesday Evening Read More »

Week Ending 5th July

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Having taken receipt of the the last two LMJ boards Wagonman put all three together as a start of the process of conversion into its new guise.

Modellers abhor a vacuum!

The space made available by the LMJ board’s removal was quickly invaded by LBH.

Paul🏅🏅 has assembled and painted a pair of shelves for Tŷ’n-y-Coedcae to hold coffee and the NCE Powercab.

Our Wizard is getting on nicely with the tender of B&MR ‘Usk’ (or ‘Wye’)

And to finish the Monday report a start has been made on the laying the track work on Cwm-carno, and following some helpful comments from sharp eyed readers of the entry on the Scalefour forum.

Tuesday was the first in July so we met on-line with a range of presentations. Mr C started us off with pictures gleaned from the internet showing LNWR 4 cylinder compound freight engines and 2-4-0s. Mike E had some pics of incredibly small shunting engines from Italy, though built in Germany. Steve Bell had yet more photos of the Cambrian lines, fascinating as usual, while Rod’s selection was from South Wales. Luke updated us on his latest project which utilises the baseboard for the Peco 200 challenge. Called Queen’s Wharf it is based on Towyn on the Talyllyn Railway. Finally Paul W showed us his scratch-built improvements to the tender of his 78xxx in 7mm.

On Friday there was a significant step forward on Cwmcarno with the first turnout to be laid. After careful siting and marking the position on Monday, the Evostic was applied and the main turnout stuck down and weighted in place with pieces of steel. We can now get on with laying the mainline through the station.

The second turnout in the view will have to be laid later as it needs aligning with this main turnout and exchange sidings crossover which has now been started.

Turnouts for the exchange sidings started.

Week Ending 5th July Read More »

The End of an Era

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To what do we refer? Little Mill Junction, the club’s super project, has finally been laid to rest – last two baseboards left the clubrooms today in the first step on their journey to a new home in Cheltenham, where they may be transubstantiated (is that the right word? Probably not) to a new and entirely different layout. Watch this blog.

The last boards had a proper send off with a toast of the now discontinued Little Mill single malt. There is a smidgen left for anyone who wants to say their farewell.

LBH, after procrastinating (playing to his strengths again) for a few meetings, has finally fitted a some stretcher bars to his COT turnout. They look a bit crude now but hopefully will look better once painted and lost in the ballast.

The End of an Era Read More »

As the days start to shorten ….

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Six at the club today, Andrew J working on the road bridge for Lyne Road and Paul S started the fabrication of a couple of shelves for Tŷ’n-y-Coedcae, ….

Rhobat continued work on his Hunslet Jazzer kit in OO from the CSP range.

Currently he is working on the footsteps, attaching a fiddly triangular strengthening piece with the aid of a jig he prepared.

Mr Chairman is finishing off the problematic area at the end of the terrace on ABB, planting this tree as a view blocker.

Paul W was using his scratchbuilding skill fabricating a brakeblocks and hangers for his 78000 Mogul.

LBH progressed with his COT turnout, completing filing up and then fitting the switch blades. Stretcher bar next.

Tuesday and it’s close to the time to lay the first turnout on Cwmcarno. Here Mr C and TAFKATYS sort out the method for driving the point blades (wire in tube from a remote servo) and how to go about the wiring (Drill holes later and solder the wires in) and checked for trackbed flatness.

As the days start to shorten …. Read More »

Too warm Friday?

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The hottest day of the year and only three of us ventured to the rather warm clubrooms. Mr Chairman gave some attention to laying the newly completed turnouts on Cwm-Carno and reviewing our options for plain track.

Wagonman completed the construction of a LNER-design Goods Brake Van, modified by BR as it was running in the Forest of Dean in the ’60s.

LBH started the building of a COT turnout by forming and fitting the check rails
next was filing up and fitting the rails that form the Vee
then the wing rails.
and finally for the evening the stock rails were formed and one blade (almost) filed up.

Too warm Friday? Read More »

Peco200 mania, etc.

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The Peco200 bug hasn’t affected everyone, but both Luke and LBH have decided to have a go. Both are being built to a scale of 7mm/ft and the available footprint is footprint is 750mm x 305mm.

Luke plan makes great use of the very limited space available combining both narrow gauge (16.5mm) and standard gauge (33mm) sections.

The design has its basis in the transfer facility at Tywyn on the Talyllyn Railway and rejoices in the name of Queen’s Wharf.

LBH’s use of the baseboard is much more modest as he is using his board as a test bed for 3d-printed COT (Chairs On Timber) track work. So far no more has been done than obtain the printed base.

The plan is to add some of the ScaleSeven Ready-to-Lay track when it becomes available.

Elsewhere, Mr Chairman was working on the turnouts for Cwm-Carno and Andrew J on scenery for Lyne Road.

Wagonman has made good progress on his GWR GBV side we saw it last month. The roof is loose and yet to be attached to the body.

Little construction work remains beyond adding the whitemetal fittings.

Mike E continues with the Depot for his Hogwash and Balony short line.

Discussions covered the colouring for the walls and the most likely prototype roofing material.

A delayed update on the Hogwash and Balony follows;

At the start of June Mike E confessed to a tracklaying error that led to the destruction seen in the 1st pic. The sweeping curves of the replacements show a great improvement.

Elsewhere on the line the tracks span the hog-wash on a typical wooden trestle structure seen in the later photos.

This is all built from basswood sections.

Peco200 mania, etc. Read More »

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