TFW’s workshop

[Tim Watson]

As an aside, a friend has just turned up this guide photo of Chiltern Green.

Had darker hair then, but I’d only been married six months at that time.

Tim

 

[Susie]

Richard Barton's S scale layout 'Arcadia' which was at the show at Alexandra Palace the other week has a backscene pinted by Ivy.

 

[Tim Watson]

I think Stan Garlick’s backscene was her best work.

S Scale Model Railway Society Gallery 14

One can see where the inspiration for CF’s backscene came from…


Tim

 

[Osgood]

So you do use the big hand from the sky for uncoupling then......

 

[Tim Watson]

After a fairly tricky few days, my second scratch built loco has had it’s second major overhaul, 43+ years after it’s first appearance.

The loco was stripped down and any wear assessed. The loco construction was written up in a ridiculously early MRJ - the front end compensation was removed long ago.

It has been fitted with a new Portescap 1212 motor with a home made brass U/J as the original Mike Bryant plastic moulding (made by Geoff Jones) had cracked.

The brass pins were silver soldered into the knuckle and then drilled to allow the shaft through.

The second shaft was also replaced as the original steel had worn; as can be seen by the shouldering on the left. The new shaft is from a twist drill, so well polished. The long arm gives fine adjustment of the worm and worm wheel. This loco was made in the days when Association gears were nearly always eccentric: the teeth on the 64DP gears had been ‘adjusted’ to mesh truly.

The engine has been put back together and will hopefully perform OK on the NLR at Thornbury this weekend. It certainly always had a fair turn of speed with a 6V motor. Once it’s all proven then a trip to the paint shops beckons for the tired edges to be touched-in, some tweaks to the cab and the sandbox linkages reinstated.

Tim

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

As an aside, a friend has just turned up this guide photo of Chiltern Green.

Had darker hair then, but I’d only been married six months at that time.

In the days when Model Railway Exhibitions were centrally located rather than in out of town venues. I assume the extended evening Tuesday to Friday opening hours increased footfall from office workers heading home before catching their trains.

Dig the wardrobe and hairstyles - says late 70s early 80s without the date.

Obviously a posed photo but nothing changes throughout the years - prodding at the track .

Nice piece of history.

 

[oldravendale]

In the days when Model Railway Exhibitions were centrally located rather than in out of town venues. I assume the extended evening Tuesday to Friday opening hours increased footfall from office workers heading home before catching their trains.

I remember going to the exhibition with a friend and his father after work for him and school for us and it was always busy. I remember the exhibitions at Central Hall with great fondness. Booking space for exhibitions in central London was quite inexpensive even in the early '70s to '80s. I used to book the Abbey Community Centre in Marsham Street, Westminster, for a monthly railway film show to publicise the Main Line Preservation Group which became the GCR. We could afford to do it on the basis of contributions and we had a kitchen at our disposal as well. Happy days!

Brian

 

[Tim Watson]

CF on show at Thornbury.

An excellent show without being too crowded so everyone could see the layout without a struggle.
We have added a new frontage to one of the buildings at the show. I happened to photograph the last remaining contemporary building in Vale Royal a few days ago.

I took a rubbing of the relevant building on the layout.

This was then passed on to Ben Weiner who processed it into a new facade, with two Club members immortalised.

It has a really useful effect in this area of the model. In other news, the Kirtley well tank hasn’t yet got going on the NLR. It’s quite tricky sorting out ‘new’ engines on a layout at a show, so we’ll try it out tomorrow morning.

It was lovely talking to visitors at the show - it’s what makes it all worthwhile.

Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

We had an excellent weekend at the Thornbury show. I managed to get this video of the Kirtley WT and many other engines at work.

The driver’s view down the layout takes some beating.

One of the aspects that really worked well was that we were completely open at the LH end. We always try and engage with the public at shows and we let quite a few people come behind to take a look. This seemed to be very popular and allows people to take a close look at locos and stock - and our brass strip track of course.

The new scenic efforts were quite subtle, really, but did make it a bit more interesting in the hinterlands.


We are forever trying to streamline set up and take down. We were loaded and in the van at just over two hours on Sunday.

Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

After two hours dismantling and loading the van looked like this.


Phil Parker took this excellent picture of the Kirtley well tank.


The sign of things to come is shown by the Sonic Models J50 - they don’t get much better than that. It was great meeting Sam Leung, the proprietor, at the show.


Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

The reason for the quiet time on CF, post Thornbury, is that the Showman’s Road Loco ‘Frederick’ has had new tubes fitted, new plugs and a major front end overhaul with gold leaf lining re-done.




This is all ready for a trip to Cornwall for the Boconnoc Rally (28-30th July). Anyone who wants to come along is welcome - Frederick cooks a mean bacon roll on the shovel and makes an excellent cup of tea.

I will be taking the 2mm workbench with me, but haven’t decided what to do yet. I will have two granddaughters with me as well, so don’t expect too much!

Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

After a very pleasant few days tutoring at the Missenden Abbey Modellers summer retreat, the tender of the skittle alley has made some progress.

The front arrangements are quite different to what I’m used to - a bit like a BR standard in total, but that will become more apparent a little later.


The etchings produce some of the components, but it needs a bit extra to complete the job, in fact a bent up bit of Chiltern Green rail.



The sub assembly was located at the front, with a slightly increased opening for the drive shaft and then sweated into position.

There would definitely be a step on the LHS to allow the fireman to reach his stowed fire irons so that was made with a scrap of 10 thou nickel silver. It was made to fit across the opening, being wedged in and soldered, but with a break line filed into the strip.


This was then bent up and fractured leaving the step behind. The rivets on the etch could have been embossed from behind, but it was simpler to leave them as dimples rather than pimples. The beholder will still interpret them as rivets…


The loco and tender now look much more in proportion, especially with the excellent correct pattern coal guards etched in N/S by Bob Jones. The two-component lifting lugs on the top of the tender were also fitted: they are quite insanely small!


Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

The Skittle Alley now has the beginning of an elegant front end with the frames, running plate, piano front and smokebox step made. The frames and piano front are removable, to aid painting and lining in the quite complex NER livery.


The prototype is very simple design, but has a tricky front step.


The piano front was milled from the same piece of brass used for the smokebox saddle.


The curved front was carved in using pink stones and a large abrasive rubber polishing point.



It was then cut off and rebated on the underside to fit the running plate.


Meanwhile, the tricky little front step has a 6” diameter curved support and so this was made by drilling a 4mm-deep x 1mm diameter hole in some brass.



This was cut out, squared up and made to fit a recess cut into the piano front.

The two components were silver soldered together, taking care to heat up initially the large component from behind (silver solder saves problems with subsequent heating).




The frames were cut out from nickel silver, sweated together and then separated: there were no lifting holes in these engines when first built. The front running plate is a separate piece of steel. Why steel? It chemically black very well.


The assembly for holding everything in the correct place, whilst soft soldering the frames to the piano front, was quite tricky. The frames were pushed against the rebate previously formed in the smokebox saddle by means of a toolmakers clamp. The small front end clamp is an orthodontic device for expanding growing palates. Black marker pen anti-flux prevented bits being soldered where they shouldn’t, as can be seen. The sides to be joined were tinned and also the top of the piano box, so that the soldering iron tip had some solder to help transfer heat - a ‘dry’ iron is quite inefficient. With plenty of liquid flux and the iron cranked up to 450 deg C, the joint was soon made!



Painting and lining the frames will be a good deal easier with them dismountable.

The separate running plate will eventually be soft soldered on to the brass base; previous use of silver soldering makes this all together more straightforward. The running plate is awaiting holes for the lamp irons.



Quite a picture-heavy long post this one, but it starts to make the engine look a bit more elegant.

Tim

 

[Mick LNER]

Beautiful work , I am so glad I have a one in 4mm to do !!

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Glorious, as ever. Wonderful.

Cheers

Jan

 

[Grahame Hedges]

Stunning work.

 

[garethashenden]

Where does the name Skittle Alley come from?

 

[Tim Watson]

Where does the name Skittle Alley come from?

The engine men gave them that name because of the immensely long boiler. They were also known as the 4-6-2 class on the NER - not very specific, but they were the only ones they had.

Tim

 

[garethashenden]

Oh! A skittle alley is a bowling alley, if you’ll allow me to translate into American. Now the same makes sense.

 

[Rob R]

Two nations divided by a common langauge ...........