Travelling Post Office coach and ground apparatus
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(In Topic #10633)
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From design to realisation - a working model in 7mm
I'm hoping what follows youwill 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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Ed
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Avant d'accéder à YouTube
Last edit: by new04db
Posted
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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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