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Ruffnut's Projects.

113221 Views 279 Replies 44 Participants Last post by  Ruffnut Thorston
Hi all, and welcome to my "Projects" place.

Here I will be putting some things for Ffrwd Locks, our "scale" model railway, also some other things that are in progress on the model railway front.

Photos will follow.....

Ffrwd Locks

I am at present re-modelling the main goods siding at Ffrwd.

I had become aware of a serious limitation of having the Cattle Dock at the end of the siding with the Coal Merchant's facilities between the dock and the "main line".

The end of the siding would be out of use if there was a wagon being unloaded at the Coal Merchants.

The original idea of installing a new point on the loop to serve a slewed connection to the Cattle Dock seemed a good idea, and I did cut the siding and loop tracks to install the point.

In the end it became only too clear that this wouldn't work.

I did install a PECO trap point at the Wrexham end of the loop though. The rest of the loop track was re-laid using some left over track and some pre-wired fishplates to provide some extra feeds.

The siding has been re-arranged to have the Coal Merchant at the far end of the siding, and a small Cattle Dock where the Coal Merchant was.

This has involved the demolition of the End Loading and Cattle Dock, and the Coal Merchants coal bins and office.

The siding has been legthened slightly with the removal of the End Loading Ramp, using some more left over track and some pre-wired fishplates to reinstate the feed.

A new Coal Order Office has been made from an old Airfix Coal Office. This has new windows, door, roof, and chimney. Mainly spare parts from the Wills Goods Yard Store Kit, with Wills Slate sheet for the roof. Signs have been made on the computer.

The Coal Bins have been re-built from the original parts. A new "bagging platform" has been constructed from the staging from the Wills Goods Yard Store Kit, with Wills Planking sheet from the Level Crossing kit for the platform, Evergreen Styrene strips for the roof supports and other planking walls, and Wills corrugated sheeting sheet for the roof. Bagged Coal is Merit/ PECO Modelscene Coal Bags. Spilled coal is shot blasting compound. Scales are scatch built, and various figures are in use (Langley and Merit/ PECO Modelscene /Slater's.)

Other Projects..

I have an older Hornby Railways R.410 Turntable. I have managed to source all the missing parts to make it work, and plan to make it a bit more workman like.

I have a Dapol (Ex Airfix) Turntable kit, which I plan to use.

The Dapol Turntable sides are too long as they are, and will need modifying to fit.

I have also got some PECO Plate Girder Bridge Sides, and will look at how these could be used.

All the parts are together, work will commence at some later time.
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Hi Norm.

The roof is OK, it looks a bit "newer" and better maintained than Mr. Sylvester's Bagging Platform Roof.

I have been working on the Turntable, more later.....
9
Hornby Railways R.410 Turntable with the Motorising Kit.

The turntable as Hornby Intended. When I aquired it it was rusty, and with all the gearing missing.



I managed to obtain all the gearing and a motor from Ebay. They came in three parts.

1. The big "Geneva Gear", a smaller "Penny" Gear, and a pinion on an axle that fitted the "Penny" Gear.

2. The silver "Motor Gear and Pinion". (From the Motorisation Kit.)

3. The X.04 Motor with a special "Turntable" worm. (From the Motorisation Kit.)

I don't have the original pinion gear with the square socket for the Water Crane, but don;t really need that!









Here is an idea for a quick and simple way to make the Turntable look better, well I think better!


PECO Girder Bridge Sides, fitted with a Blue Tack type stuff for demonstration. No other mods.





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6
The Airfix (Now Dapol) Plastic Turntable Kit.

This is a kit to make a very Great Western Railway Style Turntable. These Turntables are th e"Over Girder" Type, and require a much shallower "Well" than the "Under Girder" type, such as the PECO Kit.

First made by Airfix, the tooling is now with Dapol, and the kit is readily available.

This is an old Airfix example, fitted with contempoprary Tri-ang Railways Series 3 Track.



The underside of the base with the Airfix "Scroll" Logo.



The assembly upside down...



Top views..







This example has a corner chopped off the gear platform. The Vacuum Pipe and one winding handle have been broken.
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5
The Airfix Turntable and the Hornby Turntable together...

The Airfix Turntable is longer in the deck than the Hornby Turntable, so the parts cannot be used as supplied...

Airfix deck on top of Hornby Deck...







Airfix base rails on top of Hornby Turntable. This shows that the Rails are not able to fit in the Hornby Well.


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Hi Sarah,

You have been busy ! Are you planning to incorporate the final turntable, in what ever configuration that maybe, into your layout ? I have to say I like the over girder / shallow well configuration; but its amazing how much of a difference the addition of plate girders / other elements of different kits, makes to the overall appearance of the original Hornby turntable.

The other issue with the Hornby turntable I have found being its overall size, it needs / takes up a lot of space to fit into a layout.

Good luck with your ponerings / experiments. Also thanks again for the signs info. Cheers,

Norm
18
Modifying The Hornby Turntable, Part 1.

The base with the Turntable removed. The copper tracks connect the Table Rails to the Inlet Rails via two wipers under the deck.





I decided to try using the Dapol Kit parts as much as possible.

The wheel girders would fit if I cut sections out of the sides of the "Under Girder" section.

I then decided to remove all of the "Under Girder" section.





One of The Dapol Wheel Girders in place.



The Dapol Side Girders are too long as supplied. The exact length to fit the Hornby Deck would involve cutting one of the panels roughly in half, and this would look wrong.

A compromise is to cut the Side Girders on a Join. This maintains the correct look of the Girders.

One set of Side Girders shewing the cut out parts.



One cut set of Side Girders put together. There is a "ledge" on the outside bottom of the Girders that locates in the Dapol Base. This is filled using Evergreen Styrene Strips.









Both sets of Wheel Girders in place. The underside girders (as moulded into the Dapol Turntable Parts) are represented by more Evergreen Styrene Strips.



A Shortened Side Girder in place.



And the other side...



The deck on the base.



The walkway (As on the Dapol Mouldings) made from Wills Planking Sheet (Ex Level Crossing Kit.). The operating platform has been moved inboard of the wheel girder. A better place! (It would be in the way otherwise.)



More supporting Girders (Evergreen Strips...).



The Handrail, operating gear and Vacuum Pipe trial fitted. The Handrail is a bent to fit Hornby original.





More later..

The Turntable will not be on Ffrwd Locks. It is a stand alone project at the moment. (Possible mini MPD scene?)
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6
Modifying The Hornby Turntable, Part 2.

The base. More Evergreen Strip has been used on edge to represent the Turntable Bearing Rail.





The "Well" has been painted with Rail Match Concrete paint. The Rail in Sleeper Grime (rusty) (Most of my enamel paints are from a batch of Rail Match Pots I bought some time ago now!)

Following the "Great Western Way" book, the Girders are painted in GWR Dark Stone (The Framing, and everything else.) and GWR Light Stone (The Panels.).

The deck has been painted Sleeper Grime.

The handrail and operating gear trial fitted again.







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Hi again Sarah,

The T/T is looking really good after its paint job, great stuff, well done.

Sure you wont be finding it a home on the layout now, even at a squeeze LOL ?

Cheers,

Norm
That's the first time I've understood the "sleight of hand" intended by the Hornby design. Your conversion makes it clear and all of sudden I could almost use one on a layout.

Nice work


David
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21
Modifying The Hornby Turntable, Part 3.

The method for rotating the Turntable uses a "Geneva" Gear. In practice this has a "lump" on it which drags the table around 1 section. There is then a pause while the gear rotates until the lump engages again and move the 'Table on. The pauses give you a chance to stop the motor, and solves the alignment problem.

A downside of this is that the 'Table moves a section at a time, and cannot turn without stopping at every outlet, and on the R.410, which has fewer outlets, it stops in between them as well.

Another downside is that there is a large "ring" around the Turntable. Hornby make this look like Chequer Plate. (I have painted mine "Concrete" after sanding the moulding down a bit. It isn't perfect, but it does work...)

Hornby has modelled an "Under Girder" design. A pity they didn't copy Hornby Dublo, whose 3-Rail Manual Turntable was an Over Girder Type.

The other "problem" is the raised area with the "office" on it. This is necessary to accomodate the gearing and motor. (I intend to cover most of the raised area with a brick built Water Tower. Possibly using the Airfix/Dapol Tank.)

I am currently thinking of the Ranlaugh (?spelling!
) Bridge Yard outside Paddington Station as a basis for using the Turntable, as in Model Rail Magazine in 2011.)

More Photos.

More painting and trial fitting...







I have made a "Concrete" Buffer Stop for the exit position in line with the Raised Area to protect the Water Tower (Not yet built!).



More Concete Painting..



Testing...







Painting the track bases, etc. in Sleeper Grime.





The "Finished" Job. (Water Tower still to be built, but that is another story!
)



















Weathering is by a mix of Black, Brown, White and Green Acrylic water colours from a local Art Shop.
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QUOTE I am currently thinking of the Ranlaugh (?spelling!
) Bridge Yard outside Paddington Station as a basis for using the Turntable, as in Model Rail Magazine in 2011.)

That's Ranelagh Bridge Yard. Model Rail No.158. July 2011, pages 58-62. ("Masterplan" Series.)
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That's a very impressive bit of RTR- modding/ kitbashing!
Thanks, I am rather pleased with the end result.

I was inspired by another example in a copy of Model Rail....
Hi Sarah,

A brilliant conversion there. That has inspired me to do mine in a similar way. What glue did you use to add all the new parts?
Hi Ian,

Thanks.

For plastic to plastic joints I used Humbrol Liquid Poly. Plastic Solvent in a jar, with a brush.

To attach the metal handrail I used a bit of UHU Glue, and holes drilled in the walkway, brushed over with the Liquid Poly from underneath.
I'm humbled! That's top notch Sarah
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Sarah
Thats a neat job you've done there-at least you got your's to work.
I bought a second hand Peco job;Americanised it,put on finer scale railings,operators cabin etc-looks great-don't work tho'!
Most expensive bit of scenery on my layout,good job it's not vital to the operation of the shed area....
Steve
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All I can say is wonderful...

Regards
Great job done there.

Frame.
Thanks for all the nice comments, yes it does work, though is noisy at full power. I need to try it on a controller...

Following an idea from Norman, today I have been investigating the Tri-ang / Hornby Railways 3 arch Viaduct, to see if it could be used as the basis for a narrow canal aqueduct.

Would you believe that the recess in the "floor" to take the track (Originally that would be Super 4 Track.) is exactly the right size to take a scale 8 Foot Wide Cornflake Packet Card Trough?

The Trough in the centre leaves a suitable "Towpath" width on either side, though only one side will be used as such, with railings, the other side being paved, and with no railing, as at Chirk Aqueduct.

The short section I made inspired be to go for a full length "conversion".

Pics are still in the camera at the moment.
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