Elmham Market in EM

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James Spooner

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
I’ve been concentrating on maintenance on Elmham Market in advance of the local EMGS meeting. The irdots have been frustrating as the two sensors seem to creep together then illuminate permanently, which isn’t the big idea. Both yesterday and today I switched the mains on and both lights lit up. Protracted fiddling then got them working but the same happened today. Has anyone out there used them and have some good ideas for reliable operation?

As therapy from this I took one of my stock of ABS wagon kits and soldered it up. They are rather lovely castings and do give some weight to a train. Photo attached.

Nigel

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simond

simond

Western Thunderer
Never used an IRDOT but the same principle is easy to arrange with components and a bit of veroboard / stripboard. I did it to “zero” my turntable each revolution.

It is likely cheaper, but whether it’s worth the hassle is another question, of course.

Would a bit of thin wall brass tube pushed over the emitter or detector serve as a light shield?

atb
Simon
 
James Spooner

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
simond said:
Never used an IRDOT but the same principle is easy to arrange with components and a bit of veroboard / stripboard. I did it to “zero” my turntable each revolution.

It is likely cheaper, but whether it’s worth the hassle is another question, of course.

Would a bit of thin wall brass tube pushed over the emitter or detector serve as a light shield?

atb
Simon
Click to expand...
Thanks Simon,

Both the emitter and detector have long sleeves encasing them, which come up several millimetres beyond the actual pieces of kit, presumably to reduce the chance of light transference and I think that is the same as your suggestion. I am wondering whether something wedged between the emitter and detector might make them point slightly away from each other and cure the problem?

cheers

Nigel
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
Well, it might, but then it might also stop it detecting at all!

there isn’t a bit of cobweb or something is there?
 
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James Spooner

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
simond said:
Well, it might, but then it might also stop it detecting at all!

there isn’t a bit of cobweb or something is there?
Click to expand...
Good point! Got the vacuum out and I think there were some bits of sawdust that had dropped in to the sleeve surrounding the emitter/detector. It seems to be working now but something I will need to keep an eye on.

cheers

Nigel
 
James Spooner

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
So, apart from dusting away bits of sawdust, Thursday evening’s running session identified some maintenance issues that hadn’t previously presented themselves. In addition, it was politely pointed out that I had the brake levers on the wrong side (I blame the gravity train as brake were pulled up rather than pushed down and I had mentally transferred that to the six plank wagon - my story and I’m sticking to it!). So today, apart from some gardening between the showers, I have been hard at work on sorting out the new maintenance problems and have reversed the brake levers (as well as adding a wire crossing between the two levers).

NigelIMG_4954.jpeg
 
James Spooner

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
With this rain I have been attacking my stash of wagon kits. Another ABS LNER six plank unfitted wagon has been completed up to painting stage (the second one is 10’ wheelbase whereas the first was 9’). Now working on a fitted six plank and up to the stage of fitting the brake rigging. Sadly the rigging seems to have been designed for 00 rather than EM or S4 as the components don’t quite reach from brake block to brake block. I’m fettling some new rigging out of 1mm brass angle sitting in my stash and will then attempt an impression of brake gear and safety wires. A few photos of progress to date…

Nigel


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James Spooner

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
I have attacked the brake rigging on the fitted six plank today and it sort of got a bit like Topsy and just growed…. I fettled some rigging out of brass angle in my stash, then thought they would look a bit silly if they weren’t attached to something and so it went on until I finally added the safety hoops as well. Fortunately, before I did all that I looked in Taplow and realised I had added spoked wheels when they were generally built with three hole wheels, so swapped them out. The fitted wagons also seem to have screw couplings rather than three link so I added them too. It has now joined the queue for the paint shop…

Nigel


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AJC

AJC

Western Thunderer
All looks good - though the safety loops look a bit heavy to me: what gauge wire have you used?

Adam
 
James Spooner

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
AJC said:
All looks good - though the safety loops look a bit heavy to me: what gauge wire have you used?

Adam
Click to expand...
Yes, they were about 0.6mm diameter and I was wondering whether they are too thick. I might sleep on it and replace in the morning.

Nigel
 
James Spooner

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
I had determined to do some more scenery on Elmham Market and, to that end, had dug out some packets of Slater’s wire fencing posts (not their greatest product with mismatching moulds creating a bundle of extra work drilling holes and reshaping the posts). Whilst waiting for the paint to dry on them I had a look around and opened the box of an unmade Millholme models mucky duck I bought for £25 at ExpoEM last year. With my recent experiences with the ABS wagon kits and, on the basis that for £25 I haven’t got a lot to lose, I picked up the castings and started cleaning them down. This, really, can go either one of two ways… it can turn out to be a reasonable replica of the real thing or it can end up as a molten mass of wagon weights. Only time will tell… Being a coward I have decided to start with the tender and am currently cleaning the castings down. They are very pretty, I must admit!

Nigel

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Dave F.

Dave F.

Western Thunderer
Hopefully your Mucky Duck is an early one with good but heavy castings. I have built a few of these for customers over the years and the early ones in the pale green boxes were okay with some cleaning and straightening up but a later one had dreadful castings - lumps, bumps, dimples, porosity and internal corners that were full of metal where the rubber mould had lost it's sharpness, it was a lot of work.
Here is a Mucky Duck I built in P4 with a scratch chassis that a customer had until a suspect local builder pinched it whilst doing work in the house, only the box was left so the theft wasn't noticed till a few months later. I hope he found it difficult to sell on if he thought it was OO gauge!

Muckt Duck.JPG
Boiler bands need shaved down as the castings were heavy looking. Chimney and dome needed fettling so they sat nicely.

Dave F.
 
James Spooner

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
Dave F. said:
Hopefully your Mucky Duck is an early one with good but heavy castings. I have built a few of these for customers over the years and the early ones in the pale green boxes were okay with some cleaning and straightening up but a later one had dreadful castings - lumps, bumps, dimples, porosity and internal corners that were full of metal where the rubber mould had lost it's sharpness, it was a lot of work.
Here is a Mucky Duck I built in P4 with a scratch chassis that a customer had until a suspect local builder pinched it whilst doing work in the house, only the box was left so the theft wasn't noticed till a few months later. I hope he found it difficult to sell on if he thought it was OO gauge!

View attachment 225778
Boiler bands need shaved down as the castings were heavy looking. Chimney and dome needed fettling so they sat nicely.

Dave F.
Click to expand...
That’s beautifully put together Dave. I think mine might be towards the earlier end of production as the castings look pretty good and, so far, seem to fit together well. I’ll let you know as it progresses!

Nigel
 
James Spooner

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
Making some progress with the Ivatt 4MT tender. The main components have gone together quite well although I had to fill large gaps with extra solder when fitting the tender top. The instructions are pointing me towards the chassis next and I think I’ll fix the rear axle but create a bogie for the front two a la Flexichas, just to give it some flexibility. Photo attached.

Nigel

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James Spooner

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
With the dreadful weather today I have ensconced myself in my den and have now made the bogie for the front two axles and that all seems to work OK. Fitted more parts so it is now just the detailing to do on the tender. Some of these seem to have choices (water vents for the tanks for example) so I am going to have to do some more research. My intention is to make it as 43089, which was shedded at Cambridge for several years in the mid 1950s so could easily have traversed the former Stour Valley lines. I have seen a rather grainy photo of that loco later in its life, which has been helpful in identifying some variations (tablet catching apparatus and single chimney) but not others. I’ll do another trawl of my available photo albums and see if I can dig out any more photos. Meanwhile, here are some photos of progress to date.

Nigel

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