4mm Llanfair

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Okay thanks Mike. It's the spraygun that makes the difference., but carrying the "portable" compressor across the lawn isn't recommended on a regular basis.

I wanted some neat GWR buffer stops, but hit the buffers with one manufacturer only producing 7mm (and why not) while another website left me in the dark as how to place an order. Peco get the business as usual.
 
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Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Thanks Dave and Adam. I recognised the Lanarkshire page and so I checked my statements. I had ordered from Lanarkshire models after all. Old age thing...! Sorreee. :(
 
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LarryG

Western Thunderer
Fitted point rodding this afternoon to manually activate the turnouts...

WEB Points 4B.jpg

Round brass rod was soldered to the point end. The other end was looped and soldered shut. Peco nails are rodding guides...
WEB Points 1.jpg

All nine points activated. The ends at the baseboard edge will be hidden under shallow embankment eventually. Still to be fitted are electrical changeover switches to change frog polarity...
WEB Points 4.jpg
 
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Phil O

Western Thunderer
Larry,

Some of our older club layouts used double pole slide switches, with a hole drilled through it to activate the turnout and change the polarity. we started off drilling the hole along the axis of the switch and using BA nuts on the wire to set the turnout throw and then drilled the hole across the switch and introduced a rough and ready omega loop into the actuating wire, at the switch end.
 

simond

Western Thunderer
I’ve seen that before, it works well, and ensures switch and blades Move together.

it fits the KISS philosophy!


Edit due to bluddy smellchequer
 
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simond

Western Thunderer
I sympathise. I’m younger, yet have very little motivation to go out to the garage & do stuff this afternoon.

It seems we have autumn already, despite the disappointing lack of summer…

despite which, Phil’s suggestion is a good one.
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
What I found was if track is laid in new clean ballast, it is easily weathered with a spraygun to whatever condition we want afterwards. It's like painting a loco ex works before weathering it. When I think back six years or more to when I used dark brown ballast everywhere, it was small wonder my layouts looked terribly depressing.:)
 
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simond

Western Thunderer
Despite my inertia, I did spend some time motorcycle-fettling, and the weather got better, and the recalcitrant bike started to behave properly. A worthwhile step.

None of which is relevant to Larry’s layout, the development of which I am very much enjoying.

one of these days, the weather will be so hideous that I’ll start modelling again….
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Despite my inertia, I did spend some time motorcycle-fettling, and the weather got better, and the recalcitrant bike started to behave properly. A worthwhile step.

None of which is relevant to Larry’s layout, the development of which I am very much enjoying.

one of these days, the weather will be so hideous that I’ll start modelling again….

Have you seen the forecast for Saturday Simon? I expect you back modelling first thing and your layout to be completed by sundown. :p
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
My own 'bag' used to be a half-cab bus, the engine purring beside me and the gearbox singing a merry tune ~ preferably an AEC Regent. The prewar Daimler COG5 is chockful of childhood nostalgia for me, but I never felt comfortable with pre-selector gear change. Sadly I'm too old to drive PSV's now but my trusty Kuga makes driving interesting.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
It seems we may all be modelling this weekend! Weather alerts all across France.

Larry, really enjoying your blow by blow account of track laying and ballasting. A proper basis for a promising layout. Every bit tells a story.

My own modelling has been held up by internet issues but there will now be time to press on with the revised track laying at Moor Street which will greatly improve future operations. For my ballast I am thinking of taking all the old ballast rescued from lifting the area around the old turntable and grinding it up in the food processor, grass, weeds and all. I have no idea what it will look like but given the cost of it, it is hard to just throw away. Probably its best use will be for the out of the way corners of the station and yard.

The photo of the Ivatt mogul at Corwen is very much in keeping with my memories of Oswestry, except, of course, the condition of the loco! One of the class, an ex 89A loco p, is now at Strathspey, just about as far away as it could be from the Llanfair area!
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Just read your “Preselecta” comments. I now have direct comparisons between the two 1930s options, the Riley crash box and the Armstrong Whitworth preselacta variant of Wilson’s surprisingly elegant invention. The crash gearbox easily lives up to its name when the double declutch fails to mesh the gears, but there is little power loss once engaged. The Preselecta box, on the other hand, whines a lot but this whining seems to use up some of the power that the 1087cc engine puts out. Hills can be a struggle but changing down is easier.
 
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