[Rhiwderin_Ray]

DOH !

Have run out of screws ! - well prepared as usual!

Also forgot about how to fix the two end battens! This is why the verticals usually go to the inside!!! May just have to rely upon glue!

 

[frame69]

You could always borrow screws from something less important in the house Ray,dressing table,kitchen cabinets,wardrobes?

Sun has appeared down here but Im already on my fourth glass of Export so a bit of armchair modelling/F1 qualifiying will have to do.

Frame.

 

[JimmyH]

I'm amazed how many screws I've gone through already, and my layout's only half-built!

 

[frame69]

Im a bit jammy in that respect as I seem to accumilate lots of everything for next to nothing. Sorry, I must look needy to most people,must be my un-kempt appearance.

Frame.

 

[Rhiwderin_Ray]

Bought a pack of screws and have finished the L girder spacers!

As can be seen the legs are held between a pair of spacers to help prevent some movement. (Only one pair of legs shown - there are 3 pairs plus 2 end pairs)

I will cut the top battens to size and secure over the next couple of days. After that I will probably buy some wood and some drawer runners to make up some stock drawers to fit between the legs.
Costing a small fortune but never mind!

 

[frame69]

Very nice timberwork Ray.

Frame.

 

[karly]

thats looking very professional indeed ray !!...i wish i could knock up something as clean cut as that.... good work man !!... im watching this with great interest

karly.

 

[spurno]

hi Ray
that looks very very tidy.are you sure you're not a chippie from a previous life.

 

[Rhiwderin_Ray]

Hi. No, I did serve an apprenticeship as a mechanical engineer though!

It was so dry this afternoon that I cut all the top battens for this module.

 

[Richard Johnson]

***I'd not fit those top battens yet. If you do you will miss some of the core clever reasons for L girders existence, and are really just creating a multi-layer egg crate baseboard!

The concepts behind L girger were (1) to span longer distances on big layouts without the need for many legs and (2) that all screws were put in from underneath so that things could esily be modified even after scenery was done and (3) that the top battens were fixed as you created the layout, only being fixed when the appropriate position was found AFTER laying out the track to be sure no batten was where it was in the way for point motors etc... (4) and finally to be largely re-usable and to keep baseboards flexible and changeable as layouts tend to evolve where there is space to do it.. so they should, apart from the creation of the L-Girder beams themselves, be largely GLUE FREE..

I can remember whenthe idea first saw the light of day as a concept and was hailed as a real step forward (it was conceived by US modellers). L girder layouts usually ONLY have trackbed or wood where the track is - its not really the way for flat top baseboards at all. (BTW, for a great way to make track bed fluid and natural, look up "spline trackbed")

For a nice UK based use of spline trackbed, look here: http://nigelburkin.wordpress.com/tag/spline-road-bed/

regards

Richard

 

[Rhiwderin_Ray]

Well having now run out of wood, I had a look through my books just to see what sort of locos were found on the line.

Colwyn Bay 14th July 1962 105 workings

Hughs-Fowlwer 2-6-0 (3)
Stanier Class 5 (65)
Rebuilt Patriot (1)
Royal Scot (7)
Jubilee 4-6-0 (7)
Coronation Scot (2)
Britannia (2)
BR Class 5 (11)
BR Class 4 (3)
Diesel Class 40 (3)
DMU (1)

Also some "strangers" from time to time including:-

Gas Turbine GT3
Ex LNER B1
Ex LNER K4

(Chester & Mold) Ex GWR Hall, Grange, Castle & Manor

Preserved locos

Caledonian "Single" 4-2-2- No 123
Flying Scotsman
Dukedogs (2)
City of Truro

So all in all, quite a good collection to choose from if I was to be totally accurate! (which I am not)

 

[Rhiwderin_Ray]

I decided to salvage my old layout tops, these are 1/2" MDF and will do nicely for the drawer side frames under the new layout. It will make it heavier but it is a permanent layout so the weight doesn't matter.

Dodging between the showers I managed to dismantle three boards today.
The screws were covered in polyfilla so I had to find the head of the screw, dig out the polyfilla from the slots with a sharp bradawl then unscrew each one. 28 per board!

The batten framing will come in useful too for risers on the new layout. Only one more board to go!

Arrived today, a variable temperature Antex soldering station off fleabay for £38 - it even works!

I have also been buying a fleet of cattle trucks - the first four arrived today too!

 

[Rhiwderin_Ray]

I have just measured up and have room between the main legs I have room for 14 stock drawers, each capable of holding a minimum of 9 locos per drawer.

Should be enough!!!

 

[KGR]

Your construction looks stronger than the Tamar bridge. Well done.

Regards, Keith.

 

[Rhiwderin_Ray]

QUOTE (KGR @ 10 Jul 2012, 09:29) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Your construction looks stronger than the Tamar bridge. Well done.

Regards, Keith.

Thanks Keith.

This is my first attempt at this type of construction and I have already made a mistake with the ends of the L girders! Never mind, I will make the other modules with the L verticals to the inside next time!

Luckily this is a permanent layout, so weight is unimportant because I do want to be able to have lots of stock drawers to hand.

If I were doing it again I would be tempted to use a frame of wood blocks sandwiched between two deep thin strips of ply. The risers are then made of the same thickness of wood which can be slotted into the gaps of the frame. However I think ply works out more expensive than timber!

Onwards and upwards. Will cut my old MDF boards to fit between the legs today.

 

[Rhiwderin_Ray]

All four boards cut now. So rest of the day off. Well designing the drawers!

Ply I think with foamboard dividers.

 

[Rhiwderin_Ray]

For info.

Because the garage floor is full of small hollows and pits I am using these T-Nuts and bots as levelling feet.

Drill a clearance hole for the bolt in the exact centre of the bottom of the leg then tap in the T-Nut. Add an extra nut to the bolt for locking in place.

 

[Rhiwderin_Ray]

A little progress today in between showers!

Spent a lot of time trying to fix my circular saw, to no avail. The power is getting past the switch so I guess the motor has packed in or there is a broken wire in it.

Anyway, I bought new wood for the legs and made up 6 new ones as some of the old ones were bowed and I need nice straight ones to fit drawers accurately.

Bought a sheet of 4ftx2ft MDF to build one drawer plus a set of runners. Since the circular saw is bust I will have to cut with my jigsaw and a straightedge.

Back to studying this afternoon!

 

[LFDRR]

Did you check the carbon brushes Ray?

I have a cheapy mitre saw and the brushes are tight in their slots so after a while stopped reaching the commutator. I took them out, and took some of the sides off them with emery paper, now they slide easily and the saw works fine.

Just a thought

Angie

 

[Big Dave]

Hi Ray this a very interesting thread of yours hope you got your saw back working

Dave