Mini Vlog #1

Working on a few items to reinstate Spicers Creek in the future. One of the primary issues is having the most realistic locomotives that I can create. Steam in a steamer is a prime example and I believe when combined with sound will take it somewhere, maybe.

The steam I have made some movement on so have produced a Mini Blog to cover where this has evolved to at this moment.

This idea is not solely mine, just the integration and component selection for the NSWGR locomotives starting with the 32 Class.

Enjoy and comment.

TRS in the UK has evolved this into an installation service and may be worth a look and search my ModelFXs September blog on Loco Steam. If you do you will see how this has evolved from my starting point.

This is a Mini Blog for the Mini Vlog #1.

Protocraft Couplers

With larger-scale modelling, a large layout is never a possibility what is, the attempt at greater realism with one of the biggest scenic elements being the track and rolling stock so it makes sense to attempt to recreate the operation as a method to make the layout larger but just doing more with the items we have at our disposal. 

One of the items that can add realism is the couplers and their operation. In real life, couplers are a manual task and would it not be nice to replace that?

In a previous blog Sound Car, a strategy was outlined for operational sound, so couplers are next with the common link a magnet. When using a Soundtracks Sound Car, a magnetic must be used to consist of the decoders, so using it to operate the couplers would be an operational linkage.

Magnetically operated couplers [# PC-1075] are available from Protocraft  in the USA and are assembled but based on the US prototype but meets my theatrical philosophy.

The first problem was integrating them into the rolling stock currently at my disposal. The first issue was coupler location and height that was addressed in a much earlier blog on couplers and their installation. The original couplers had a much smaller footprint than the Protocraft couplers so a complete rework was required.

The LCH were rebuilt as outlined in Vlog #1 with the coupler having specific issues requiring a large amount of styrene strip to pack them onto the center line of the car at the correct height. In conjunction with the 32 Class locomotive tender, a new coupler standard was now created that required modifications on the S, K and RU wagons, so the ruler was out.

Knuckle centerline from the top rail

The first to be modified was a Waratah S wagon, after a lot of measuring, it was decided to start with modifying the pocket to suit a ProtoCraft coupler pocket. This required removing all the cast-on details for the coupler details plus all the coupler base to the deck floor. This is messy and slow and would best be done with a small milling machine before assembly as it was difficult on an assembled car. 

Lacking this, the Ozito battery-operated motor tool fitted with a Dremel rotary cutter was a good backstop and this was covered in Vlog #2. 

The next task was to dress the modified ProtoCraft pocket then install a styrene strip and 2.5 mm angle on the sides of the pocket to blend it into the car. Finally, a 0.25'' wide styrene strip was used to pack the pocket to its final height and if doing it have 0.010''/0.015''/0.020''/0.030'' x 0.25'' on the workbench for this task.

The knuckle on the couplers is 5.6 mm wide so a 1mm +/- will be acceptable but with most of the cars at this time they are half that,

With this done the RU was modified and required similar modifications to the S with the K wagon being more straightforward with just the opening modified to suit the new couplers. Also, I have a 5000 gallon Tanker wagon and this was a lot of work requiring custom printed parts to integrate the couplers.

5000-gallon tanker

K Wagon

RU Wagon

With all this done it was time to tackle the tender of the locomotive and finally install a coupler in the front of the 32 Class HO style..!

LCH Wagon Rescue

Having 12 x O scale LCH coal hoppers, I understood that they had to be reworked, but I was not prepared for what was finally required to achieve a usable model.

Some of the issues are outlined in Vlog #1 but poor material, assembly, and fit were the main issues, with the assembly the worst. This design was never intended to be suitable for a factory assembly as there were no alignment pins for any of the parts and clearly these were a job for a modeller to assemble.

As the die was cast and after a number of false starts, a scheme evolved and is outlined here in more detail for anyone else desperate to try.

The series of photos below outline the materials used and the process used to upgrade the Bergs Hobbies O scale LCH.

NSWGR CCH Coal Wagon

Currently now working on an RSH conversion and will blog on that latter as this will require the manufacture of revised side frames and new end decks and these will be designed to suit the techniques and parts outlined here and in previous blogs.

These at the end are a standoff scale model and any others will generally match the LCH as if the RHS was raised to a higher standard it will amplify their faults, so in the end, the best place to hide a tree is in a forest..!

View the Vlog #2 - click here

The 0.06''x 0.02'' hot folded angles were trimmed to form a clevis

The 0.040'' sq is trimmed back to the hot bent angle. 

Installed at that length to keep fingers away from 

the superglue that was used to fix it as was the angles

Speaker for a Soundtraxx SoundCar Decoder

CCH O Scale

Sound Wagon

With the lockdown, I have been forced back to the bench and blog, I have not given up just had no time and will be dragged away again, but no reason to finish up a project or two.

Let's look at a sound-equipped S wagon to examine what may be possible.

The Soundtraxx SoundCar was selected over a custom ESU with its superior logic and function mapping. Overall a Soundcar supply enough sounds to do a decent job imparting realism to rolling stock plus it's magnetic consisting makes the building of a train relatively simple and prototypical.

The biggest issue if not using a Soundtraxx engine decoder is the ESU must default to on at startup because F8 must be hit four [4] times to place the Soundcar decoder into consist mode, if F8 is on for locomotive sound you will end up with the locomotive sound off and the train on with no way to have both on. Also if using magnetically operated couplers the wand has a dual purpose to open and close the couplers and operate the consisting of the train.

One advantage of these decoders as they use voltage to determine the speed of the wheels, while a disadvantage in a locomotive there is no requirement for a motor to supply the necessary feedback. Synchronization is not important so any disadvantage of this methodology is not apparent, overall a win-win

The car shown is a Waratah S wagon that was built to the manufacturer's instructions. A small amount of urethane was removed to facilitate the decoder and stay alive installation. If you wanted to do more than one this preparation would be best done before installing the wheels.

SoundCar decoder located at the top

Stay Alive beside the air cylinder

Pickups located on left

Tripod mount on the right

Both the decoder and stay alive had their insulation removed to reduce their profile from the viewed area but the underside will make a purist be apoplectic but in the end, it's modelling theatre and here sound adds so much to the theatre. 

Pickups were manufactured using 0.015'' phosphor bronze wire soldered onto copper-clad PCB which was pinned/glued to the frame and necessitated a stay-alive be installed.

This car is also equipped with a trialled tripod suspension system yielding a practical solution to the levelling of 4 wheel rolling stock. The Tripod is a post with a pivot and tube that holds the wheelset axle and is fixed to the car floor allowing this wheelset to roll latterly using brass guides fixed to the axle boxes faces to keep the axle aligned in the vertical and laterally. 

More details are to be found at the end of the Model RR Craftsman Vlog 1 on Rumble.

Why Rumble well the others are just too powerful and I find them morally objectional.