Eighton Bahn AKA testing testing RhB

[Nodrog1826]

As reported in the daily chat the rebuilt Croc is still crok, so it/we have been of on our travels, to P&S Hobbies in Scarborough to see if it can be fixed.

Fingers crossed, more out of a sentimental mode, as whilst it's now a bit of a shed, it was the first of the fleet.

 

[Nodrog1826]

It's been a almost two months since a sort of update.

The Crok has returned from it's trip to Scarborough, there was a fault on a function chip and a minor short on one of the motors, so it's all sorted now.

On the other Loco news front, MOW finally has after many a year been upgraded to sound.

The MTS chip, 3 position cab switch have been removed, the jumper socket isolated and a whistle/horn reed switch, sound chip and speaker installed. In effect a sort of total rewire.



The only casualty of the upgrade was I managed to blow one of the 5v orange/amber bulbs on the flashing roof lights. So the hunt is on for either a replacement or some method of colouring a replacement.

The Stainz in the first photo is in line for the fitting of a reed switch next.

 

[David1226]

It's been a almost two months since a sort of update.

The Crok has returned from it's trip to Scarborough, there was a fault on a function chip and a minor short on one of the motors, so it's all sorted now.

On the other Loco news front, MOW finally has after many a year been upgraded to sound.

The MTS chip, 3 position cab switch have been removed, the jumper socket isolated and a whistle/horn reed switch, sound chip and speaker installed. In effect a sort of total rewire.

View attachment 358876View attachment 358877View attachment 358878View attachment 358881

The only casualty of the upgrade was I managed to blow one of the 5v orange/amber bulbs on the flashing roof lights. So the hunt is on for either a replacement or some method of colouring a replacement.

The Stainz in the first photo is in line for the fitting of a reed switch next.

When I was Anglifying my 0-4-0 shunter, I had a similar problem, the loco was fitted with one red and one amber flashing light, as part of its Anglification, I wanted two amber lights. Try as I may, I could not find replacement amber bulbs anywhere, in the end I took a pair of clear bulbs and gave them a very thin wash over of yellow paint. Worked a treat.



David

 

[playmofire]

Humbrol used to do transparent paints in red, blue and orange. Another possible source would be suppliers of model boat kits.

 

[maxi-model]

Humbrol used to do transparent paints in red, blue and orange. Another possible source would be suppliers of model boat kits.

Humbrol,Tamiya and few others do ranges of "clear" paints, in the small tins and jars. Mostly acrylic but some are cellulose based, so check. Work a treat on both incandecent and LED (if not colour) lights. Great for detailing dashboard panel warning lights with a blob of chrome paint or polished white metal/bare metal foil/SS as backing. Available from most hobby suppliers on- line. Have a look here Google Search Max.

 

[viaEstrecha]

Humbrol used to do transparent paints in red, blue and orange. Another possible source would be suppliers of model boat kits.

Revell still does such paint in yellow and red.

 

[PhilP]

Another vote for Tamiya X-26 clear orange..

One thin coat, will also tone-down a warm-white LED, even more..

PhilP.

 

[Nodrog1826]

After the sort of success of yesterdays sound upgrade/install, to it was install a whistle reed switch to the Stainz. After all how difficult could it be, straightforward plug it in to the chip, unless it was an older one and it had to be soldered, which is what it indeed was.



It's getting a bit crowded inside that boiler shell/cab what with all the extras, sound chip/speaker/firebox glow unit/auto uncouplers front and rear, power back up stuffed into the dome and sides of the firebox, and now the reed switch.
It was an easy job to do. There we no difficulties in tinning and soldering the wires to the chip, no problems with one of the smoke element and firebox glow wires snapping, re connecting the uncouplers up the wrong way around or indeed the front light not working after I had put it all back together.
You would be forgiven if at times you thought I didn't have a clue what I was doing, well let's face it in mose cases you would be correct.

 

[FatherMcD]

View attachment 358904

It's getting a bit crowded inside that boiler shell/cab what with all the extras, sound chip/speaker/firebox glow unit/auto uncouplers front and rear/power back up stuffed into the dome and sides of the firebox, and now the reed switch.
It was an easy job to do. There we no difficulties in tinning and soldering the wires to the chip, no problems with one of the smoke element and firebox glow wires snapping, re connecting the uncouplers up the wrong way around or indeed the front light not working after I had put it all back together.
You would be forgiven if at times you thought I didn't have a clue what I was doing, well let's face it in mose cases you would be correct.

If I may ask, which firebox glow unit did you install and do you have photos of that installation? And the uncouplers? Were these mentioned in a previous post? Thanks.

 

[Nodrog1826]

If I may ask, which firebox glow unit did you install and do you have photos of that installation? And the uncouplers? Were these mentioned in a previous post? Thanks.

All the extras are Massoth products, the firebox glow uint was installed in a lazy way, I removed a selector switch from firebox and it basically shines out of the hole left.
As for the uncoulpers they are the not the newer ones with the chip built in, so they are run via a function chip.

Now somewhere on this thread there are pictures, ill trawl back and see if I can find which pages, if not they well be some photos on a hard drive somewhere.

Page 33, message 644, 10th Sept 2023 for the firebox glow unit.

Page 10 message 192 1st July 2015 for the auto couplers, but don't bother there are only three rather badly out of focus pictures.

 

[FatherMcD]

All the extras are Massoth products, the firebox glow uint was installed in a lazy way, I removed a selector switch from firebox and it basically shines out of the hole left.
As for the uncoulpers they are the not the newer ones with the chip built in, so they are run via a function chip.

Now somewhere on this thread there are pictures, ill trawl back and see if I can find which pages, if not they well be some photos on a hard drive somewhere.

Page 33, message 644, 10th Sept 2023 for the firebox glow unit.

Page 10 message 192 1st July 2015 for the auto couplers, but don't bother there are only three rather badly out of focus pictures.

Great! Page 644 shows both firebox and the couplers. Thank you!

 

[dunnyrail]

I just have to admire someone brave enough to tackle all that in Stainz and getting it all back together, notbthe easiest of jobs having pulled my pals one apart multiple times to chip it with each chipe ending up fried after some satisfactory running. My last Stainz is in bits in a box, will I takle putting it back together…….

 

[Nodrog1826]

A visit to the local Hobbycraft today, and I came away with some "glass" paint to slove the orange/amber bulb replacement. Now in order to get a "matched" pair, I painted/changed both of them...



...that black piece I thought was part of the burned out bulb, was infact a pin and socket that raises the bulb up into the lens cap...



...paint takes a bit of an age to dry, but if you think sideways, and it's warm and sunny outside, there is a way to speed that process up, so much so that I have now painted a couple of extras, because you know when I will need to one again, that paint will have gone off.

 

[Nodrog1826]

Running session was interupted by a bit of point maintenance, which included evicting mini snails that had taken up residence on the underside...

 

[Nodrog1826]

Ok it's hands up time, there has been a major disaster involving the older, recently repaired Crok, and why it hasn't been in the recent photos of late. It fell from height off the shed to layout (Darlo Branch) bridge, and has to put it bluntly been sort of written off. The chassis and the roof have not come off too badly, broken side cranks and a wrecked pantograph, the other with a slight bend and missing paint, did you know there are brass coloured underneath that silver paint effect. The body shell is cracked and the bonnet ends have taken a beating.

So 413, my first loco is no more, and after all the work that has gone into her of recent, (Scarborough trip for a full rewire etc.) it's a shame, but it could have been worse, if the passenger coaches had been dragged of the bridge with it, so a small mercy.

But all is not lost, component recovery a la Wigan Springs Branch Depot, but with a difference. How I do not here you ask? Well I have managed to get my hands on an older clam shell gearbox non runner crok for a sort of rebuild.





...this one came with a clip on activation magnet...



...now some time in the dark and distant past when I added extra pickups to the inner axle, I mentioned that it looked as if at some point it had been provided for as part of the origional design, I may have had my theory confirmed.

Anyways the rebuild goes on and I sort of have a bit of a Frankenstein's Monster of a loco at the moment and a whole lot of bits n bobs for the spares box.

I have also re visited my pantograph conversion and re done the cab bulkhead hole modification for the drive units, to look less obtrusive, more of an upside down key hole, than a massive retangular slot.
Whilst I am keeping the origional roof, the spare one will at some point need a pair of shorter slots cut out, as they are too long for the travel of the pantograph, (hindsight is wonderful.) but as my skills to make a pleasing job of it are beyond me It will have to wait until I can find some means of making a better job.



...that's one of the origional roof slots, more of a combination of a dog's hind leg and a pig's arse.

 

[Nodrog1826]

IT'S ALIVE, well almost, just a few minor bits to swap/change over, and it's done, just need to also figure out why I carn't get the chip prog lock to lock. It will be something simple probably yours truly. But for the curious or not so, here she is...



...she looks no different, and that is the whole point of the exercise, for the moment I am keeping the least damaged pantograph on, and you may be able to tell where I have attempted to re straighten it. Going to touch up the paint chips with a silver paint marker and see how it looks. So all that remains is to do the minor bits, then a component recovery for the spares box.

 

[dunnyrail]

Well done, not a job for the light hearted but you have had a fair bit of experience pulling your crocks apart over the years.

 

[Nodrog1826]

Well it's all done, even the prog lock is now locked, it was something simple after all, yep down to me. So the remaining pantograph has been touched up with a silver paint pen and the rest of what remains has been stripped down for spares. Basically it's all there, except for the body work, bonnets, one pantograph, a cab step, battery box, underslung pipe, three bonnet headlights, various handrails and a pair of coupling rods.



...the component parts/spares as broken down ready for storage, not sure what I will do with the clam shell gearboxes, may just open one up for a look see, but for the moment they remain in where they were in that photograph, in the shed. There are also some what appear to be 24v bulbs, well I tested one on the track and it didn't blow, but they are not much use to me, as I run with the 5v version...



...the old cut out cab bulkhead for the pantograph operating ram...



...compared to the new upside down key hole opening in the replaced bulkheads...



...one thing that has been thrown up is I need to revisit the location of the programming track, it's getting a bit of a stretch/struggle to reach, and place a loco onto the rolling road, and with the extra nose end weights, the Crok is heavy, or maybe I am just getting older/weaker..



...don't need that notice now, but the whistle reed switch test probe, will no doubt come in useful again.