What happened at your workbench today?
- Thread starter Henri
- Start date
I have some code 3 lead - but we weren't planning to come down to the west country 'til late Sept / early Oct and, to be fair, that also depends on the MIL (and whether she can remember that she's here)
The Interweb is wonderful, for this sort of trivia:
What is Code 3 lead?
Code 3 Lead Flashing is the thinnest and lightest of all roofing lead. ... Measuring just 1.32mm in thickness, it is typically used to create lead soakers on slate or tile roofs. Identified with a green label, Code 3 is only suitable for the lightest of applications
I.P.Black, Coal Merchant of Gernise End on the Claptowte Railway, needed a road vehicle in order to make deliveries in the Vale of Claptowte. During WWII the US Navy imported a number of 1941 model Plymouth Pick-up trucks, into the UK, for moving light stores about. In 1945 these were surplus to requirements and as it was not coast effective to ship them back to the US, they were sold off at knock down prices at auction. In order to lift them out of the ranks of countless ex-military vehicles being offered for sale at that time, an enterprising soul re-painted them in civilian colours. It was one of these that I.P.Black acquired, being ideal for negotiating the narrow lanes and isolated farm tracks of the vale.
Hence the following conversion that I am working on. The framing is 1.5 x 4.0mm plastic strip that has had the teeth of a razor saw dragged along it to represent wood grain. The name board is an offcut of plasticard. The bolt heads are 1mm self adhesive pearl gems. The next stage will be to paint the frame and add number plates. Modeltown are currently out of stock of their excellent resin coal sacks, with which the truck will be loaded.
David
Hence the following conversion that I am working on. The framing is 1.5 x 4.0mm plastic strip that has had the teeth of a razor saw dragged along it to represent wood grain. The name board is an offcut of plasticard. The bolt heads are 1mm self adhesive pearl gems. The next stage will be to paint the frame and add number plates. Modeltown are currently out of stock of their excellent resin coal sacks, with which the truck will be loaded.
David
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The '3' relates to '3 pounds weight per square foot'. Obviously it has little relevance in the metric system, which is why the building industry just changed to name to code 3 when we went metric in 1971. Many other items remained the same, eg. 8' x 4' sheets became 1220 x 2440mm, but manufacturers did take the chance to thin plywood down a little, eg. ¾" ply became 11/16" or 18mm, ¼" ply became 5mm, and so on. The strangest 'adaption' was plaster board which for a time was imperial size one way and metric the other, they seem to have got over that now and gone metric Length, Width, and Thickness.
I will not go into why in America they use the same names for units but they mean different quantities, eg. order in gallons in USA and you get 20% more than in the UK.
Anyway back to modelling.... Hope that throws a little light on things.
David
Like wot the man said, it's lighter than code 4
but I have the leftovers of a roll that I used for lead flashings on my porch. (Code 3 was OK 'cos it's not a watertight structure, just a canopy.)
Carn't remember what you wanted the lead weight for now
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For my battery conversion AnnieLike wot the man said, it's lighter than code 4
but I have the leftovers of a roll that I used for lead flashings on my porch. (Code 3 was OK 'cos it's not a watertight structure, just a canopy.)
Carn't remember what you wanted the lead weight for now
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Ah, OK, cut it into strips and stuff it in the boilerFor my battery conversion Annie
if you can wait that long 
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The story of this engine is convoluted and, of course, completely made up. It was "aquired" (i.e. stolen) from an American Army base near Stoke On Trent in 1946. Not many people know this but the Americans brought over lots of narrow gauge locomotives to support the war effort. In their haste to repatriate their soldiers and equipment, the TSLR actually managed to bribe some GIs to deliver it on one of their low loaders. Its a similar story to the other American locos that found their way here, subterfuge and wheeler dealing. All were aquired, in the euphoria and confusion after WW2.
Of course, in reality, I was browsing the bay of E and my finger slipped after my fourth bottle of Adnams Broadside. It came with slight damage due to the delivery service playing football with it, but nothing I cant repair. Its couplers were some form of Buckeye, possibly KD, but they had to go. Todays tomfoolery then is design and build new headstocks and put some sort of British coupling. In the future, it will be fitted with R/C and suitably mucked up.
Of course, in reality, I was browsing the bay of E and my finger slipped after my fourth bottle of Adnams Broadside. It came with slight damage due to the delivery service playing football with it, but nothing I cant repair. Its couplers were some form of Buckeye, possibly KD, but they had to go. Todays tomfoolery then is design and build new headstocks and put some sort of British coupling. In the future, it will be fitted with R/C and suitably mucked up.
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In a flurry of Bank Holiday activity, the ten wagons mentioned in post #523 are now finished (well, apart from the (hand) brake gear which will be fitted later.). The railway management have decided that they will be used as General Purpose vehicles, mainly to serve the proposed heavy electrical works. In actuallity, I have coloured the insides of the wagons four different colours, to aid with a shunting puzzle.
Brandbrights curious mechanism to lock the doors shut was not persued. Instead, for my sanity, I glued the doors shut and applied the Hal Farsed remedy for such things, which is bodge something that looks about right. The door catches are made of a circular, stamped piece of plastikard (holepunch) a loop of 1mm wire stripped of insulation and the pointy end of a toothpick. I am a bodge artist through and through.
Brandbrights curious mechanism to lock the doors shut was not persued. Instead, for my sanity, I glued the doors shut and applied the Hal Farsed remedy for such things, which is bodge something that looks about right. The door catches are made of a circular, stamped piece of plastikard (holepunch) a loop of 1mm wire stripped of insulation and the pointy end of a toothpick. I am a bodge artist through and through.
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Well Jasper, you did ask! this is my plan for the shed. I made the "mistake" of purchasing AnyRail a year or two ago and I have had much fun developing this. As I am close to binning work after 43 years on and off, (well I say work, being employed) I have decided against just sitting in front of the television until they come for me and try to do something constructive.
Tentitive operation: Two trains will arrive from the rest of the world, via the garden circuit, over the 90 degree crossing. These will serve the gasworks and the electrical engineering works adjacent. The E/Eng will be supplied via a wagon turntable and a loading dock to the left of it. Gasworks require mainly coal, but they supplied loads of different products so I can try to make operations as complex as possible for interest. The line will be treated as an end to end with the crossover #10 OOU unless there is a live steamer running. the shunting puzzle per se has yet to be designed, but I have tried to plan ahead with painting the wagons. After much messing about and tying myself in knots, two trains will depart to the rest of the world. Thats as far as I have got.
Years ago, I was a shunter on the real railway. I remember it fondly as easily the most enjoyable job I ever had. Hence my desire to repeat the experience now I have time.
As I am the wrong side of 30, by a significant margin, the track will be raised. I still have loads of things to think about but this is the start. I hope thats answered your question!
Tentitive operation: Two trains will arrive from the rest of the world, via the garden circuit, over the 90 degree crossing. These will serve the gasworks and the electrical engineering works adjacent. The E/Eng will be supplied via a wagon turntable and a loading dock to the left of it. Gasworks require mainly coal, but they supplied loads of different products so I can try to make operations as complex as possible for interest. The line will be treated as an end to end with the crossover #10 OOU unless there is a live steamer running. the shunting puzzle per se has yet to be designed, but I have tried to plan ahead with painting the wagons. After much messing about and tying myself in knots, two trains will depart to the rest of the world. Thats as far as I have got.
Years ago, I was a shunter on the real railway. I remember it fondly as easily the most enjoyable job I ever had. Hence my desire to repeat the experience now I have time.
As I am the wrong side of 30, by a significant margin, the track will be raised. I still have loads of things to think about but this is the start. I hope thats answered your question!
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Yes it has, thank you!
This is good stuff, John. A thoroughly enjoyable aspect of our many-sided hobby. Have fun developing it, and keep us in the loop.
You look as though you have got a good shunting puzzle or two in the Shed already. Try this one for size, one of the Stations on a through line at my last house. Stage right was under a board so tricky access though wagons in Road 3 could be placed and accessed quite happily, I think this had a capacity of 8 wagons. The loop at Road2 could only take 3 wagons as could Road 2 (Edit Road 1 typo) now a Train arrives form the right with 6 wagons for Road3 and has to depart to the right with 6 Different wagons From Road3. That will tax your shunting skills some. Oh line to the left is level (phew).
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