Ox Mountain Railway

[trammayo]

Hi Mick
My sympathies with the camera. I'm now on my third. I found the first face down in a pool of leaked superglue and discovered the two don't mix. The second bit the dust when I used it to take pictures when I rebuilt the stream on a wet day. Handling it with wet, gritty fingers wasn't a good idea! A grating sound when I switched off the camera and the lens got stuck half way in. I tried taking it apart to clean it and ended up severing a flimsy ribbon cable. I've discovered the hard way that cameras and garden railways are not happy companions.....

Rik

In my case Rik, it's the camera and the operator that's the problem! I'm sure I wasn't always such a clumsy get but, no doubt, family might say differently.

 

[Rhinochugger]

Hi Mick
My sympathies with the camera. I'm now on my third. I found the first face down in a pool of leaked superglue and discovered the two don't mix. The second bit the dust when I used it to take pictures when I rebuilt the stream on a wet day. Handling it with wet, gritty fingers wasn't a good idea! A grating sound when I switched off the camera and the lens got stuck half way in. I tried taking it apart to clean it and ended up severing a flimsy ribbon cable. I've discovered the hard way that cameras and garden railways are not happy companions.....

Rik

Just send me the old broken ones

 

[trammayo]

Following replies, I had a go this afternoon at altering the height of the Davenport Buckeye coupling on the front end. I chose the front in case things went wrong (I'm getting really good at damaging or breaking things!).

The multi-height, diecast, link and pin coupler is a dummy one. The top slot is cut out to allow the shank to pass through whilst the two lower remaining one are only shallow. I cut off the dummy pin and drilled through the jaws with a 2mm bit (held in a pin vice to give extra length so I would damage the front of the loco. Once I had drilled through, I tried the shortened shank of a coupling and made it fit. Then I went through with it in place and drilled the plastic end. A piece of 2mm gas welding rod was cut and I fashioned a simple pin.

You can see the difference in height between the original at the back ...





So now I have the other one to alter. The original couplings will be saved so that it can be returned to (almost) original condition.

 

[trammayo]

Next on the agenda (after some work in the garden ) is the swing bridge. Here's some pics of the damage I caused .....

A bit of a twist....


Where it attached itself to the trailer's back light...







I reckon I can sort it out with a little brute force (no ignorance needed). I have little sections of the lightweight angle so that should help. Just need to wait until Wednesday when our two sons arrive!

 

[Rhinochugger]

Following replies, I had a go this afternoon at altering the height of the Davenport Buckeye coupling on the front end. I chose the front in case things went wrong (I'm getting really good at damaging or breaking things!).

The multi-height, diecast, link and pin coupler is a dummy one. The top slot is cut out to allow the shank to pass through whilst the two lower remaining one are only shallow. I cut off the dummy pin and drilled through the jaws with a 2mm bit (held in a pin vice to give extra length so I would damage the front of the loco. Once I had drilled through, I tried the shortened shank of a coupling and made it fit. Then I went through with it in place and drilled the plastic end. A piece of 2mm gas welding rod was cut and I fashioned a simple pin.

You can see the difference in height between the original at the back ...

View attachment 254044

View attachment 254045

So now I have the other one to alter. The original couplings will be saved so that it can be returned to (almost) original condition.

But do you want to - now you can haul 1:22.5 cars in reverse and 1:20.3 stock going forwards

 

[trammayo]

True! But I'd have to buy 1/20th stock or convert 1/22 stuff

 

[PhilP]

Hey Mick, what happened!
Crackin' photo's of the Davenport. - That can't be right?

 

[trammayo]

Hey Mick, what happened!
Crackin' photo's of the Davenport. - That can't be right?

It's the exception that proves the rule

 

[trammayo]

Tested the new coupling yesterday evening ..... just right! Might do as Rhino suggested and leave it as it is now but, then again, might do the rear one!

Right Height




Possibly needs some lights if running cab first?

 

[trammayo]

Thursday afternoon saw me pondering the damaged bridge. The steel box section support structure was twisted. Whats more, the impact of the trailer had also shoved the bridge into the track at the side of it, resulting in damaged track (not too serious) and damaged supporting - as in smashed - trackbed. The latter will need new woodwork and mineral felt.

So, first things first, remove the bridge superstructure......





Leverage didn't work out, so to correct things I cut into the box section, which then allowed me to straight out the damage side. With things now parallel, I welded up the cuts. No.1 son, who was helping, got out the wire brush and then I got out the rattle can .....



The above pic shows the undulations in the track!

Whilst I went to check on the goats, No.1 had a further go at straightening out the damage portion of the bridge superstructure and, when I came back, we lifted the section back on the frame and he screwed things down. All I need to do now is put back the fishplate screws. Repairing the trackbed might be on next week's agenda - I might use decking boards instead of plywood.

Back together again ......



...... and the hedge needs cutting!

 

[trammayo]

Back in 2008, when I built my trailer, as part of the signage I painted a train on each of the end shutters .....

The train's loco was based on a LGB Denver, South Park & Pacific model - and that's a tenuous link with a recent purchase!

I did try and make up a livery that LGB had used, but my loco was just a battery model used as an "Emergency train" if anything went wrong with my track power.....


....and I put OMR (Ox Mountain Railway) on the tender. The loco ended up with a young boy who was fascinated with trains. So, skipping forward a few years, I had a Bachmann christmas loco which I temporally converted using inkjet printed names for the tender. As with a lot stuff that I run, the livery is incorrect but it suited me to hang a few freight cars on the back.



To be continued ....

 

[trammayo]

....... continuing.

I always look out for bargains - sometimes it might be a loco or other times it might be rolling stock.
Just over a month ago, I spotted these J&S coaches built from Bachmann kits. There were a few being sold as individual items and, as I had no DSP&PRR passenger stock, I acquired these three .....



Three for the price of less than a new one - it gladdens a Yorkshire man's heart! The only thing that didn't work for me was that the couplings had been detached from the trucks and fastened underneath the platforms (and not for the usual reason like shortening the space between coaches!)........





As can be seen in the the first pic of the coupling, one on each coach had been modified by screwing a piece of lead to the underside of the locking pin (probably to stop the jaw opening). The bonus of these alterations was that the trucks themselves had not been mutilated so it was case of unbolting the the mounting wood, turning the trucks round and affixing the couplings in the intended positions After that, it was testing time inbetween the rain showers.





I made a couple of stickers for the tender again (didn't get the shade of red right!) and I know the loco is in the wrong livery as it should be black but, for the moment, it will do me for now.



If I (ever) repaint the loco I will also redo the coach lettering!

 

[playmofire]

....... continuing.

I always look out for bargains - sometimes it might be a loco or other times it might be rolling stock.
Just over a month ago, I spotted these J&S coaches built from Bachmann kits. There were a few being sold as individual items and, as I had no DSP&PRR passenger stock, I acquired these three .....

View attachment 256550

Three for the price of less than a new one - it gladdens a Yorkshire man's heart! The only thing that didn't work for me was that the couplings had been detached from the trucks and fastened underneath the platforms (and not for the usual reason like shortening the space between coaches!)........

View attachment 256551

View attachment 256552

As can be seen in the the first pic of the coupling, one on each coach had been modified by screwing a piece of lead to the underside of the locking pin (probably to stop the jaw opening). The bonus of these alterations was that the trucks themselves had not been mutilated so it was case of unbolting the the mounting wood, turning the trucks round and affixing the couplings in the intended positions After that, it was testing time inbetween the rain showers.

View attachment 256553

View attachment 256554

I made a couple of stickers for the tender again (didn't get the shade of red right!) and I know the loco is in the wrong livery as it should be black but, for the moment, it will do me for now.

View attachment 256555

If I (ever) repaint the loco I will also redo the coach lettering!

I see no problem with the difference in colour on the tender, Mick. It doesn't clash with the other colours and drwas attention to itself.

 

[Riograndad]

Great buy Mick,well done and good news with those couplings and trucks

 

[trammayo]

Well its seems it is six months (or thereabouts) since I posted on here. I think post 1024 shows that things were not right after the trailer crashed into the bridge. The line that the bridge connected up seems a little damaged and I thought it was just a consequence of the crash. But it was all rot (as in decayed wood ). The huge amount of rain, experienced over the past few months, has accelerated things;-







So, having nearly drowned in apathy, I finally decided that I would need to something to do over the coming months of isolation. On Thursday, after an O.A.P. allocated time slot at the supermarket, I returned to town with my small trailer to buy some timber. It seems as though that trip was a 'just in time' foray as the Builder's Provider was going to shut it's doors to the general public!

Anyway, here's the result of my purchasing trip - six 4.8m tanalised decking boards;-



They were slightly too long to go straight from back to front of the garage so I had to lay them corner to corner. So that was Thursday.

 

[trammayo]

Friday saw mixed weather but I did find time to carry out some track lifting!



I'm hoping the loop foundations will do as they are. I used Torch-on felt for that!



The next job will be to detach the 'grass' and (maybe) move the rubble which supports the greenery! Looks like I will get chance today.

 

[trammayo]

So! Outside into the sunshine salvaging wood for composting;-



I had to use a saw to cut the longitudinal timbers but the ply on top was totally rotten. The mineral felt was brittle also. The return loop isn't so healthy either . The 'grass' apart from coated in pine needles, is as sound as a pound! So clearing up a little this afternoon and, hopefully, I'll rip down two lengths of the boards.

 

[Madman]

Mick, I'd like to make a suggestion. Instead of the rubble, supporting the Astro-turf, why not place something like a sheet of plywood there ? Of course it would have to be treated plywood. Or, some other non-routable material.

 

[beavercreek]

Hi Mick
You could visit a local signwriter/producer and see if they will give you some good sized offcuts of the 10mm stuff..it is hard, rigid and does not rot. you could use down to 6mm but it gets a bit flexible over long lengths.
I vist all of the local sign makers and rummage through their oddment bins quite frequently...in fact I did two days ago (keeping an antisocial distance off course and washing my hands!)

 

[dunnyrail]

So! Outside into the sunshine salvaging wood for composting;-

View attachment 263032View attachment 263033

I had to use a saw to cut the longitudinal timbers but the ply on top was totally rotten. The mineral felt was brittle also. The return loop isn't so healthy either . The 'grass' apart from coated in pine needles, is as sound as a pound! So clearing up a little this afternoon and, hopefully, I'll rip down two lengths of the boards.

Looks like the cooking fat is scouring the stones for rodents or perhaps small crawling semi aquatic creatures.