Travelling Post Office coach and ground apparatus

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From design to realisation - a working model in 7mm

I'm hoping what follows you

will find interesting, as it was a challenge for me and taught me a wide range

of lessons in structural building and DCC. Full accounts of this project can be

found at: O Gauge Modelling on the GWR and there is a question for everyone at the end!




To create a travelling post Office, (TPO), for my O gauge railway seemed

a daunting task. I had the ubiquitous TPO coach on a Hornby




Dublo 3 rail railway and that really was the inspiration for the start

of this project in 7mm. There were those who said it couldn't be done, but

it can!




My Travelling Post Office coach is based essentially on the one at Didcot.

Sourcing the body and chassis for it was straightforward. Using Allen Dohertys’

Worsley Works Etching facility, he was able to provide a 7mm etch of the GWR

coach body. The roof, chassis and coach apparatus came from an LMS Mk1 TPO sold

by JLTRT, (perfect for my needs). As this was to be a fully working model some research

was necessary into practice and procedures and the usual books and internet

searches took place. There are also mail days run at Didcot Railway Centre and

Nene Valley Railway amongst others with videos on Youtube and this was enormously

helpful in putting my project together and more importantly making it

work.  The big challenge was how to control the coach working as the

train was moving and to have it work as prototypically as possible. As my

railway is DCC I organised the coach the same way as any locomotive. Not a

cheap option but one that would definitely work. I divided the project up into

three distinct areas:









1. Designing and building the ground gear, 2. building the coach and 3.

developing the DCC to activate the coach at the requisite time, (the most

potentially dangerous part!).









I have one straight stretch of rail on my railway where the ground equipment

could be positioned. It sits between a road bridge and a tunnel mouth. When the

mail train is scheduled to run it takes two people to handle it, (one to drive

and the other to act as postmaster). During the final trials in training

there were accidents, (traductors bent on tunnel mouths derailments of

coaches), because timing was crucial to expedite the bag process effectively.

My question then is has anyone else accomplished a similar sort of project and

to what degree of success?






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(Click to enlarge)

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This project was successfully completed some time ago now and has been documented in the O gauge Gazette. A complete rundown of this is also available on my web site at http://www.bpodmore.co.uk
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Had to watch this a few times, I don't do 'kettles', but this was well worth the watch, Hope you don't mind me adding it.

Avant d'accéder à YouTube

Last edit: by new04db


Kind Regards

Aaron

Kingsmead Station

©Aaron C. New
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Hmmm - link to my site works, but try these:
http://www.bpodmore.co.uk/


This should link to the wagon tippler project:
http://www.bpodmore.co.uk/Projects/Wagon%20Tippler%20Project.htm
This to the slip coach project:

http://www.bpodmore.co.uk/Projects/Slip_coach_project.htm
they should all link to the latest projects I've been putting together. Hope that helps

Brian
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