Hi John,

Neat.

Nigel

Quote of the week.

"If you are tight you file to relieve that, too loose and there is sod all you can do."

Bossard. Who else ?

Amazing point work John.

Allan.

Right, everyone write that down and post it on the fridge.

BTW, I have it on good authority that you are a genius Allan, Mike Harris said so in Model Rail. :pathead

John

Mike Harris was paid to say that. It cost me a hundred bucks.


 Allan.

LMAO!   :tongue

For my latest turnout I wanted to see if I could avoid filing a rebate in the stock rails.  After having a chat with some guys on RMweb and scrutinizing pictures of real track, I came up with this:



I mentioned earlier the notion of "set" for the curved stock rail.  You can read the link above for more on that.  The stock rail pictures has been given a set.  This is a slight angle in advance of the switch blade tip.  In this case the angle starts just past the third chair.  The blade is supposed to be planed to match the contour of the set so that wheels transition from the stock rail to the blade without a bump.  I think I've done although the blade is a bit over planed.

There is no set in the straight stock rail.  From pictures it appears to me that the blade tip is contoured to fit inside the web of the stock rail:



You can see I think how the blade tip tapers to be the same width as the stock rail web.  This gives the wheel a smooth transition with no gap for the flange to get caught in.

You can also perhaps see the set in the curved stock rail where there is a distinct angle starting at the black mark.  I made the angle by resting the rail on two pieces of scrap rail and whacking it with a flat screwdriver and hammer.

John

Next weeks Quote Of The Week in advance.

 " I made the angle by resting the rail on two pieces of scrap rail and whacking it with a flat screwdriver and hammer"


Precision engineering by my mate Bossard.


Allan.

:roll: :Happy :cool wink

Hi John,

Precision engineering with the Manchester screwdriver at its best. Nothing like a good thwack to set things right. Music to my ears.

You can keep the angle of the set down a bit by planing a tad off the foot of the running rail. Gets it nice and snuggly.

Nigel
.

I am very happy to have learned this.  I've been bugged for a long time about how the prototype did it.  I made a Y turnout today, putting whacking a set in both stock rails.  The blades fit very nicely.

John

Not many people need to know this John but the first and only point I ever made was out of plasticene because it was  just after the war when the world was skint and nobody could afford engines AND trackwork.

Point blades were never easier where they were just squeezed flat between finger and thumb. Of course the whole set up was of the purest crap imaginable but so was my one and only loco - a thing knocked up out of a tin can by my  uncle and soldered together with sticky plasters !


Later I progressed to Triang which was even worse !


Allan

Allan, it seems to me you should be writing a book about all this.  You do realize that now the story is on the interthingy, the whole world will know. :hmm

Anyway I always say that anyone who tries to do something deserves some credit.  :cheers The man who hasn't made a mistake hasn't tried anything.

John

Allan....so you could afford plasticene .....

Nah, just mugged the next door kid who had loads.

Allan

Thought so  :mrgreen:

Yesterday, I received a parcel containg some road vehicles:



The Land Rover is new from Oxford.  The Mini is Corgi and new.  The others are also Corgi but "pre owned".  The moving van and PO van were just too good to pass up.

I daresay Allan will have a story.

John

[user=565]Brossard[/user] wrote

I daresay Allan will have a story"

John

Of course.


Had a removals van just like that- a Bedford it was - and on hills I could walk faster. First job was a house removal from Romford to Lands End. It took a year.


The others all wrecked one way or another though the Land Rover didn't give up so easy but a meeting with a ten ton truck on the Southend Arterial finally saw it off.


Allan

Good Lord!  What a mine of info you are.   :HappyBTW the van pictured is also Bedford.

John

They look excellent John, I could be tempted although I suspect all but the small bedford van would be far too late for my 1920's30's period.

Yes probably right Rob.  Oxford do have some very nice things - eg the Austin 7 pictured earlier.  I'm always on the lookout for period vehicles, they make nice vignettes.  I'm on the hunt for a Bedford single decker bus.

John