The BNR (another way)

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No need these days the 73s especially the Ultras seem to spend their days well away from the jiuce.

[GeraldH]

No third rail planned, the 73 is running on diesel which might also explain its limited haulage . An extension might be on the cards in the next year or two though...

[GeraldH]

The workshop's been a bit quiet over the summer months with staff enjoying some time off in the sun. Apart from routine maintenance, staff have been tweaking bogies .

It was noticed that one of the Hornby Speedink wagons, which brings in freight from the mainland, was behaving erratically. It turned out the the moulded spring which centres one of the bogies had snapped off. Staff managed to drill into the end of the assembly and glue in some sprung wire to make the bogie self-centre. When re-fitting the wheelset, one of the securing clips snapped off creating another job. After some head scratching, it was decided the fill the hole in the chassis with Milliput and attach the bogie using a self-tapping screw. The tightness of the screw turns out to be critical, too lose and the coupling flops up and down, too tight and the bogie will not rotate. A wide washer just below the screw head also helps to reduce unwanted movement.

IMG_1991.JPG (68.08 KiB) Viewed 2746 times

Work has also been going on upgrading the bogies on one of the line's shortest Triang coaches. The old wheels were removed and replaced with metal 10mm ones from Peter's Spares. Bearings for old axle boxes were made from recycled timber (matchsticks). The old Mark 2 couplings were removed by making a vertical cut either side and the resulting gap filled with Milliput. Some additional material was then glued onto the outer edge of each bogie to provide a base for the newer Hornby couplings. Once trials are complete, the bogies will be off to the paint shop.

[Hymirl]

1:76 with 16.5 mm gauge which rather fortunately seems to come out at 4 ft 1½ in

How very convenient for your fine scale railway modelling!

Just finished the thread. I love all the conversions and swap jobs and modelling without breaking the bank (excepting 'accidental' locomotive purchases!)

[Mountain]

The one Replica model I have has had no problems in 20yrs, and my Mainline Collet goods ran until the bearings were worn right through with just one replacement armature, I also have a very early Bachmann 0-6-0 split chassis mechanism which is showing no signs of wear or the dreaded swelling plastic wheels, so I must be darned lucky.

Good news. Peters Spares now sell replacement axles for Mainline locos and they also sell replacement insulators for Triang wheels if they start to crack with age. Its really good that these are now available as spares.

[GeraldH]

1:76 with 16.5 mm gauge which rather fortunately seems to come out at 4 ft 1½ in

How very convenient for your fine scale railway modelling!

Just finished the thread. I love all the conversions and swap jobs and modelling without breaking the bank (excepting 'accidental' locomotive purchases!)

Thank you. There are definitely ways of reducing the cost of the hobby with a little creative use of everyday items .

[GeraldH]

The line has some pretty steep gradients and this can cause problems with five coach mainline services. There is a particular problem at the top of the gradient on the mainline, just outside the junction where locos often started slipping. Management sent the track gang out to investigate.

After a bit of digging, they discovered that there was a hump in the vertical alignment. It seems that when the line was constructed, a join in the track was located exactly at the point where the gradient changed. This was done to make reconstruction easier should there be any earthquakes in the future (should the layout need to be moved). This hump was in fact an attempt to create a transition was near the top of the gradient to prevent a kink in the vertical alignment, which could cause derailments. The gang manged to slightly improve the alignment and reduce the hump, but concluded that it would have to stay due to the long wheelbase of some of the line's locos.

[Mountain]

You may need to introduce a HV vest policy for your workforce....
And some track detonators. (Caps? Are paper caps still made these days?)
Like the scenes. Very nice.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Looking good, when I first saw the speedlink wagon, I thought you'd bought a 'Pacer'

manna

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You may need to introduce a HV vest policy for your workforce....
And some track detonators. (Caps? Are paper caps still made these days?)
Like the scenes. Very nice.

Of course paper caps are still made today, but you will need to take your birth certificate, explosives licence and certificate of competence in shot firing, before they will sell them to you

[Mountain]

Really? I remember staying a week at a farm where my aunt and uncle lived. My cousin and I walked the ¾ mile farm track to get to the village and we called into the shop. The only thing we could afford were a couple of rolls of caps so we went back with the caps. Out of Gordon we started to tear off a cap at a time and drop them in with my aunts chickens. There were about 25-35 chickens if I remember. They would peck and BANG! Then another would peck... The poor things became frightened to eat!
We went to bed early (About eight... ) and it was still light outside as it was summer. As I tried to go to sleep I could still hear those caps going off.
Then a couple of weeks later my aunt and uncle was over and I heard my aunt comment about her chickens had stopped layingand she didn't know why. We did know why but darent say anything!

[GeraldH]

The BNR's loco department has always had a weakness for Mainline and Bachmann split chassis locos, despite their well known shortcomings and they recently convinced management to invest in two new steam locos. The loco department have become quite adept at prolonging the life of these locos, but some are beyond even their capabilities. The first to arrive was a Mainline Collett Goods, which did not appear to have been run since it was constructed, as it still had the original congealed factory grease inside. A good clean, lubrication (plastic safe) and application of graphite powder to the axles has turned it into a good runner by Mainline standards.

The Jubilee was supposedly in the same condition, but it turned out to have a cracked chassis block and part of the valve gear hanging off. This has now been returned and the loco department suitably chastised. Management are still looking for a tender loco that can take 5 coaches up the bank and negotiate the odd first radius curve on the line. The engineers prefer locos that are fairly robust, with a ready supply of spares and easily separable tenders. There are consequently rumours that a Black 5 could be on the way...

[GeraldH]

G'Day Gents
Looking good, when I first saw the speedlink wagon, I thought you'd bought a 'Pacer'
manna

Thank you. There was a Pacer on the line, but it caused no end of trouble. The engineers probably spent more time on that than on any other piece of rolling stock. In the end they gave up and it was sold.

[glencairn]

An interesting layout. I like it.

Glencairn

[GeraldH]

The need for diesels during the winter low season means that the BNR's paint-shop have sped things up to clear the backlog. Two of the BNR's best running diesel have been out of action since last winter awaiting modifications and repainting.

No 3 is a Lima Hornby hybrid running on an 0-6-0 chassis and is one of the BNR's earliest locos. It originally had a Mainline J72 chassis, but that became unreliable and crews were not happy with the limited space in the cab. This was replaced with a Hornby Toby chassis, but this had to be replaced due to corrosion issues. A second Toby chassis was then fitted. The loco in this form always seemed a little unbalanced and so it entered the works again for modification to the chassis mounts and some other improvements.

No 9 is a modified Hornby Class 06 with a replacement, more controllable, power unit (Johnson 111) and changes in weight distribution to improve haulage on the line's steep gradients.

No 11 is a Bachmann Junior diesel with the addition of suspension to the rear wheel set, an improved exhaust and changes to the weight distribution. Visibility through the cab windows has been enhanced and access to the front engine doors improved.