Eighton Bahn AKA testing testing RhB

Rhinochugger said:
So, while teaching my grandmother to suck eggs, I assume that you've checked that the skates aren't too stiff ?

I'm not into skate - my railway is a skate-free zone, but the thought just passed through my head :nerd:
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If anything the ones on the older Crock may be too slack, but the ones I have just changed were quite worn, so much so that at slow speed they would short out on the Piko curved points at the frog.
Guess at higher speeds the shorting didn't have time to trigger a shutdown.
Mind you the skate free idea is one to consider, at least on the bogie locos. I suppose the "hole" needs to be sealed to prevent ingress of debris.
 
Nodrog1826 said:
If anything the ones on the older Crock may be too slack, but the ones I have just changed were quite worn, so much so that at slow speed they would short out on the Piko curved points at the frog.
Guess at higher speeds the shorting didn't have time to trigger a shutdown.
Mind you the skate free idea is one to consider, at least on the bogie locos. I suppose the "hole" needs to be sealed to prevent ingress of debris.
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Skates are a double-edged sword. Not nice to look at, can sometimes cause problems over points, but help to keep the track clean.

I don't have any choice, as I don't have any LGB or Piko locos :nerd: but I prefer no skates ..................... I think
 
Has been said in the past, skates can be less troublesome particularly on LGB R3 points if they are bent up a little. They can if flat to the rail link the 2 exit rails from the frog causing a short circuit. I had one particularly troublesome point that i put some insulating tape on to stop the problem. Fortunately it was a not very often used point so was ok, but not a permanent solution particularly outdoors.
 
Compliments or otherwise aside, today has seen another session outside.

One thing that I had not done when I made those point return springs, was to test with the small box vans, so two of the five were pressed into testing service...

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...yep they work both hauled and propelled.

Then for some strange reason I did a low/slow speed test...

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...now there was a reason for it, to get to the bottom of a squeak on the older Crock, which was traced to the coupling rods, so a small bit of lubrication was called for.

Slow speed tests showed up a couple of problems, the coaches where hitting some of the dwarf conifers, so they were trimmed back where necessary.
Plus a stalling point was discovered, on my fancy shed (Darlo) branch pvc bridge circuit cut out. How it works is, if the bridge is removed for any reason,
a jumper cable is required to power the rest of the railway, but the bridge needs to be in place and connected up for the branch point and a short piece of platform line to become live.
I prevents a train taking the branch line by accident and driving off the end, as it's leccy dead, with the bridge in place the track is live, but it wasn't, so it needed to be rectified,
connections checked and cleaned up, continuity restored.
 
Today things got a bit crowded...

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...six trains running...

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...so much so that the PW squad took their train and went off and sulked on the branch line...

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...leaving the main line to the operating dept.,...

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...but eventually the PW team got their line possession...

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...I think it was just one of their photo opportunities. :rolleyes:
 
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Nodrog1826 said:
Today things got a bit crowded...

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...six trains running...

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...so much so that the PW squad took their train and went off and sulked on the branch line...

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...leaving the main line to the operating dept.,...

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...but eventually the PW team got their line possession...

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...I think it was just one of their photo opportunities. :rolleyes:
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Excellent, hope the curved point coped with the traffic!
 
A major change has taken place at the station, but you may have difficulty in guessing what it is...

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...some time ago when I did an earlier version of this work, I sliced through one of the railway power feeds, and today I found the buried ends of the lost damaged abandoned cable...

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...now if you still have not twigged ;) yet, then the works have also resulted in a new potential for photo opportunities on the spiral...

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...we now have a clump of four and three individual conifers replanted, in the hope they may survive, time will tell.
 
So after a short running session today which had it's good and bad moments...

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...the opened up station area gives a good view, but not everything is within the viewing area, and that is where problems occur, sort of out of sight out of mind until it goes wrong...

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...and no that is not a staged pair of photos, there was a thud and this is what had transpired as a result, I am not that devious enough to set it up and place the two barrels onto the grass.

But this evening it was water the re-transplanted conifers, and so...

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...well why not, do any of us need an excuse to justify running a train?
 
As I mentioned elsewhere on this forum, after months of lack of use, one of the set 10 platform lights (30 Leds in total.) was not working, so today has seen that attended to...

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But there was time to run a train or two, two been the word with frequent loco exchanges...

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...I am now thinking of some sort of signalling system, but maybe not of this colour variety...

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So this is hot of the press as in I am in the throws of tidying up.
Bit of a station referb, lights and main building roof re painted...

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The decision as to if i needed to dismantle the building was made for me when I picked it up.20240803_130412.jpg

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...yep it partially dismantled itself.


.
 
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Cu have glued plastic and ally angle inside, good plan but also some Silocone Sealant External variety will help at all the joints.
 
Yep it's a bit of a pigs ear inside, but the joints were braced with whatever I had to hand, and all silicone sealed as well.

Anyways it does not matter because no one will see it unless someone picks it up and the roof comes off.;)
 
DCC lighting upgrade today, the first two coaches I ever bought, had a bit of a lash up in the form of internal lighting, something I did before I decided to digital,
so there was no need for a on/off switch, no power no lights, but with DCC they were now on all the time, with frequent bulb replacements, as a result the coaches
sort of fell into disuse, so an upgrade I can switch on/off as required, has now been done.

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...so now rolling stock DCC numbers 101/2
 
So whilst I await a short digi light unit, which is either on back order, or may infact be discontinued. :worried: I have taken the decision to start the prep work on the lighting in the PW van/coach...

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...as i did not have enough black wire had to use an alternative colour, but these on the underside have now been blacked with one of those marker pens...

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...now the decision is to try and dress this as a either a stores/bothy or a welding workshop, with a simulated welding with a digi light function. Failing that I may fit amber flashing lights for when it it parked up on site as it were. So I am on the lookout for suitable props as it were, table/bench, chair, gas welding bottles and torch, tools and a couple of bods to set it up.
 
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Nodrog1826 said:
So whilst I await a short digi light unit, which is either on back order, or may infact be discontinued. :worried: I have taken the decision to start the prep work on the lighting in the PW van/coach...

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...as i did not have enough black wire had to use an alternative colour, but these on the underside have now been blacked with one of those marker pens...

View attachment 331401

...now the decision is to try and dress this as a either a stores/bothy or a welding workshop, with a simulated welding with a digi light function. Failing that I may fit amber flashing lights for when it it parked up on site as it were. So I am on the lookout for suitable props as it were, table/bench, chair, gas welding bottles and torch, tools and a couple of bods to set it up.
Click to expand...
If you are not going to scratch build the props 1-24 dolls house furniture can help but at a price. A round table can be obtained from a Piza box, often used to keep the cardboard sinking onto the top of the Piza.
 
Well still no suppy of the short lighting units, will get onto the supplier tomorrow and chase it up or ask for a refund.

But another project is in the offing, the fitting of a smoke unit to the diesel loco, parts ordered up and delivery pending, so better make a start on the job.

So with a mock up out of card, just to see where it will fit...

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...there is going to have to some sort of support bracket(s) fabricated, out of brass or aluminium, so that's a trip to somewhere local as the stuff I have in hand is too thick to bend the way I want it to.

But there has been another other job ticked off the list, involving the use of a rattle can of white paint...

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..even moved the boulders in the loop as part of the initial start of a rockery, with maybe a castle on the hill, who knows, just a thought...

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...But it's not all work, there has been time for testing...

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...two of the transplanted trees may not re take, but time will tell.
 
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