Peco Rail200

Two’s company

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.

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Raising the riverbed

Four of us made it to the clubrooms today.

Paul 🏅🏅and Mr C worked on the riverbed and river bridge on Cwm-carno, raising the riverbed to a more realistic level with foam.

Andrew N considered the most appropriate style of signal for the up starter and LBH pottered around with his Peco200 board.

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Hot Tuesday Evening

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.

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As the days start to shorten ….

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 »

Peco200 mania, etc.

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.

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Getting ready for Crewe – or not

Back to normal attendances this week and eyes are turning towards ABB’s visit to Scaleforum in Crewe with practice running sessions being run.

Mr Chairman fabricated a recycled sleeper fence to fill in the ugly gap between the garage and the chippie lean-to.

LBH has been messing around with laser-cutting again. First he purchased a Peco Rail 200 baseboard (despite him knowing perfectly well that this year we are celebrating the 218th anniversary of rail passenger transport). He also got three sets of stockbox inserts cut to his designs.

Then over a couple of days various circumstances changed the availability for the Crewe show. After a discussion on Friday we had to decide to withdraw ABB from the show – we just didn’t have enough bodies. It was not a decision taken lightly. At least we were able to give 3 weeks notice to the organisers.

Meanwhile over the last few weeks Wagonman has been getting on with this early GW brake van from a kit picked up at the Kettering show.

LBH is making progress with the cart for Tŷ’n-y-Coedcae. It seems a pity, although necessary, to cover up all the cart underframe detail.

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