Simplex 'Tin Turtle'

spikey faz

Western Thunderer
As posted elsewhere I have recently purchased one these ex-Wrightlines kits from DJParkins.

I suspect progress will be slow due to work commitments, but if anyone is interested I'll post my progress here.

I know very little about these little workhorses, so bear with me if I make some silly mistakes!

This is going to be one of the narrow gauge Simplexes that was converted to standard gauge. Mine will hopefully be to Scaleseven standards (or at least my interpretation of Scaleseven!). :p

20211105_162543.jpg

20211107_150431.jpg

Mike
 

Osgood

Western Thunderer
Just found it thanks to Ian.

Here it is.
Heather - during your visits to Monks Eleigh, did you ever see the tin turtle in action?
If so could you offer a description of its performance?
I'm just trying to get a feel for how the Tenshodo Spud that Martyn used might perform - looking for a nice slow crawl, not worried about hauling more than one wagon.
 
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Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
did you ever see the tin turtle in action?

I only had the chance of one visit, sadly. I’m sure Michael drove it up and down a bit for placement in frames and so on, but I don’t recall running properties I’m afraid. I was a bit preoccupied with other things at the time.
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
I'm just trying to get a feel for how the Tenshodo Spud that Martyn used might perform - looking for a nice slow crawl, not worried about hauling more than one wagon.
In mine, the spud runs well. Being a spud it takes a few volts to start and then takes off (open frame motor syndrome) but it is controllable and will crawl along once started, and it does have an impressive top speed. It will also pull plenty of wagons. I used the Tenshodo wheels which are RP25-Code 88 so finer than they should be for S7 but it has never had a problem staying on the track.
 

Osgood

Western Thunderer
Thanks Overseer.
Tenshodo have recently brought out coreless motor versions of the Spud, but not (yet, and maybe they won't) in the 28.7mm wheelbase.
 

Marc Dobson

Western Thunderer
I'm watching this with interest as I have a prat built one, which I started years ago and gave up as I couldn't understand the instructions.

Marc
 

spikey faz

Western Thunderer
There is always the possibility of making your own chassis in this sort of configuration. With a 28mm wheelbase, some gearmotors will also fit between the axles in parallel to the second shaft.

That looks quite clever :cool:. Where did you get the motor, gears etc from?

Mike
 

djparkins

Western Thunderer
I'm watching this with interest as I have a prat built one, which I started years ago and gave up as I couldn't understand the instructions.

Marc

Indeed - I fully agree. Adrian's instructions were an extension of the man himself. On some kit instructions he has sideways hand writted notes with arrows entitled 'things I forgot to mention'. Modifying instructions was hard for him in most cases, as for a long time the text was run off on a gestetner machine, the master having been typed as a stencil!

We will be changing each instruction sheet over time [as kits are re-introduced] to CAD with expolded assembly drawings colour-coded by construction material, and with photo-references culled from Adrians vast amount of reference material that was passed to us when we purchsed the ranges. But it will take time.

DJP
 

spikey faz

Western Thunderer
Indeed - I fully agree. Adrian's instructions were an extension of the man himself. On some kit instructions he has sideways hand writted notes with arrows entitled 'things I forgot to mention'. Modifying instructions was hard for him in most cases, as for a long time the text was run off on a gestetner machine, the master having been typed as a stencil!

We will be changing each instruction sheet over time [as kits are re-introduced] to CAD with expolded assembly drawings colour-coded by construction material, and with photo-references culled from Adrians vast amount of reference material that was passed to us when we purchsed the ranges. But it will take time.

DJP
For what it's worth I quite like the 'old style' instructions that Adrian wrote! :eek:

Don't get me wrong, your proposed updated instructions are definitely the sensible way forward, but Adrian's notes do make me smile. :)

Thank you for making these kits available again.

Mike
 

djparkins

Western Thunderer
For what it's worth I quite like the 'old style' instructions that Adrian wrote! :eek:

Don't get me wrong, your proposed updated instructions are definitely the sensible way forward, but Adrian's notes do make me smile. :)

Thank you for making these kits available again.

Mike

Thanks Mike,

I grew up with Airfix kits [I'm still growing up, and with Airfix kits!] and so I kind of liked the way Airfix used to backup what was shown on the exploded diagram/s with a confirmatory text. I'm not so keen on the current just diagrams and symbols method they use, which I imagine is designed to be international and not so language-dependent. But with Adrian's instructions you mostly have to 'imagine' the diagrams from the text! But I agree they are highly entertaining, as were the posts that got him banned from notable online forums!

As an aside, I loved the Airfix railway wagon kits and their Drewry shunter + Kitmaster stuff for the coaches and some locos - and by the age of ten or eleven most of my rolling stock was kit built, thus helping me avoid getting taken down that dark RTR road!!!
 

Eastsidepilot

Western Thunderer
Just found it thanks to Ian..........


Heather - during your visits to Monks Eleigh, did you ever see the tin turtle in action?
If so could you offer a description of its performance?
I only had the chance of one visit, sadly. I’m sure Michael drove it up and down a bit for placement in frames and so on, but I don’t recall running properties I’m afraid. I was a bit preoccupied with other things at the time.

I noticed that 'Monks Eleigh' is to be sold along with stock, which stock they don't say, at a Vectis auction in December. Someone, if they don't already realise is in for a shock as it's advertised as O gauge :confused::rolleyes:.
Two loco's I built for it, as far as I'm aware went to Canada.
Thread hi-jack over :D

Col.
 
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