The A5

[Steph Dale]

Simon,

Yep, a good counter to what I said. I've got the MF70 for that job. But I'll bet the TB220 and table are very good for accurate coordinate drilling.

Steph

 

[Martin Shaw]

Adrian
Thanks for your pointers, I probably didn't phrase it well but Meddings are well known, it was just that they are now a rarity. I will have a look at the secondhand market.

Steph
I'm sure the Proxxon is a fine machine but it's lack of lower speed ability is an issue.

Simon
Indeed so which is probably why I'm going down the mill route which will do the necessarily small amount of drilling.

Thanks for your thoughts gentlemen.

Regards
Martin

 

[Ian@StEnochs]

I would agree that a "new" good quality machine is probably outside the price range of most hobbyists, they have been priced out of the market by all the cheap imports. However I would disagree that a quality machine cannot be obtained for a reasonable price but you have to be willing to accept a secondhand machine. I would thoroughly recommend looking for good quality secondhand machines in preference to new machines.

One final one - a Fobco - current bid £27.
Pedastool Drill Bench Top Drill | eBay

The good thing with the secondhand machines is that if it doesn't suit you then you can probably bung it on ebay and get back what you paid for it.

I agree with Adrian, 2nd hand machines can be very good buys just beware of condition and inspect before parting with cash. If you like shiney then a repaint is not difficult.
I have a Fobco Star which I got 2nd hand. Excellent drill far better than the Chinese imports from the diy sheds. It is quite a heavy bit of kit even for a bench drill but rigidity is important.
Ian.

 

[Martin Shaw]

Ian
I'll keep an eye open for anything that comes up relatively locally. From Adrian's list last night the nearest one to me is in Wigan which is a 400 mile round trip. Still you never know.
Regards
Martin

 

[adrian]

Ian
I'll keep an eye open for anything that comes up relatively locally. From Adrian's list last night the nearest one to me is in Wigan which is a 400 mile round trip. Still you never know.
Regards
Martin

It wasn't a comprehensive list, just a selection, so you might be able to find something closer. That said if the right one is available it is worth it, I made a 360mile round trip to Glasgow to get my mini-lathe.

 

[Martin Shaw]

I appreciate that Adrian, 400 miles in my old van is to be contemplated carefully.
Regards
Martin

 

[Ian@StEnochs]

It wasn't a comprehensive list, just a selection, so you might be able to find something closer. That said if the right one is available it is worth it, I made a 360mile round trip to Glasgow to get my mini-lathe.

Was that the Cowells?

Ian.

 

[Martin Shaw]

Whilst I await a purchaser for the Finney kits, another problem has been solved. When I unpacked the new Ersa soldering kit and placed it on the bench it was immediately obvious that the bench had shrunk. Said bench, purchased from Woolworths in Partick circa 1982, as a kitchen table for my first flat in Glasgow has been wholly adequate up until now, something bigger was needed. I reluctantly made a trip to Swedish retail purgatory, to see if anything suitable was available, too flimsy, too expensive. A look online produced a similar response. Make something was the obvious retort, that is what we are all supposed to do isn't it.

After an orgy in the garage of CLS and 3" screws this resulted, the first of two. Topped by 3/4" ply which will be varnished "there's posh", one will serve for the mill and the other will be the new work bench. The original Woolies table will see further service holding up the lathe. I'm rather pleased with myself.

Regards
Martin

 

[Martin Shaw]

Those of you kind enough to read my meandering rambles about not much railway modelling, and disgruntled grumpy old man moaning at the state of the world,will remember the saga regarding drilling machines. Well I have done something positive. The new benches are in the workshop, they do need finished, tomorrows job. Meanwhile a very nice gentleman in East Anglia offered to buy the Finney A4 I had for sale, along with it's wheels. The cash was converted into this,


a Sieg SX2P drill/milling machine. As you can see, it is dismantled to clean of the preservative and general manufacturing residue, and whilst I recognise absolutely that it's a machine made to a price, it will do all I need for the rest of my puff. One could be dismissive of Chinese products, but unfairly, a traditional western machine of this size, apart from not being made, would be considerably more expensive, far more than I can afford or justify. Lacking beefy young acquaintances who might be prepared to hoist it skywards. another old g** is coming to help me install it in the workshop on Saturday. Progress I think.
Regards
Martin

 

[Martin Shaw]

There I was, sat in front of the telly, large glass of red in hand, stuffed from the very nice Cumberland sausages, and exquisite back bacon from Simon Howie of Auchterarder, watching Gardeners World and wondering why my garden looks nothing like the televised offerings. That nice Mr Don was demonstrating plant supports, bent up from wire. I thought to myself why is he making boiler handrails, and then realised he wasn't, but seriously he could well have been. The principle is exactly the same, and if like me you have discarded vast lengths of bent wire, it's worth a look. Nothing else railway happened today, which is poor I know, Muddy had similar problems.
Regards
Martin

 

[Martin Shaw]

I post this for no other reason than to celebrate my father who is 93 today. Happy birthday Dad.

A family photo from all but 60 years ago. As you can see I was far more interested in the train than paying attention to whatever my mother might have been saying.

 

[Martin Shaw]

Apart from todays family nostalgia I have made significant workshop progress. The new benches have been completed and located where I want them. The mill was grunted up to the attic on Sunday, and didn't my abdominal muscles tell me so. Yesterday was a beautiful mild afternoon and ideal for painting so each bench top was treated to four coats of acrylic varnish, polyurethane would probably have been a better choice, but it's really to protect against spillage so will do. The mill is in position, with no more than a mild backache, and the workbench has the vice ready so I'm pleased with progress. Tomorrow I plan to finish assembling the mill, adjusting the gib strips is easy enough but a hell of a faff. I still have to sort out storage of all the kits where they are accessible but out of the way, more shelves I suspect. I might even do something model related soon. It has been a good day only marred by the Westminster nonsense.
Regards
Martin

 

[FiftyFourA]

By the looks of that pile in the corner you're going to need alot of shelves Martin

Peter

 

[Martin Shaw]

Rotate 180 deg and it gets worse, there's all my own stuff as well.

 

[Martin Shaw]

I have had a very productive day, not least because SWMBO disappeared at 9.45 this morning, and apart from 5 mins at 12.25, and a phone call at 5.00 pm to indicate ongoing merriment in the town, she has left me alone to get on. The largesse has been gathered together , freeing up floor space for the lathe table,

and pictures have gone on the walls. I also made a start on the various boxes of stuff, hastily thrown in when we decided to move, and as yet untouched. Some went in the bin, some was rehoused in a better arrangement. The postman arrived exactly when Royal Mail said he would, it is going well, and new machine accessories were unpacked. I managed to resist this until afternoon tea, a 3" toolmakers vice that is just joyous to hold, let alone use, all v unnecessary I know, but quality stuff is so good. Also I had ordered measuring equipment so after tea I thought a test of the mill spindle runout would be useful.

It should really be measured on the inside of the taper but it came out no worse than half a thou

more than adequate for toy trains. Now being moderately chuffed with the days progress I unearthed a few boxes from the bottom of the 5 year old pile. In one was this, not so much a shelf queen as a buried and forgotten about princess.


A Majestic N15 which I started when my daughter was 14, she is now half way to 31, whoops. Tomorrow I am not going to sort anything, build furniture, muck about with machine tools, or anything else that detracts from moving the A5 forward a bit. Loud cries of relief throughout Thunderland I don't doubt. I am hugely uplifted by getting to where I now am, it feels like a weight has been lifted. Thanks for sticking with all this, all of you.
Regards
Martin

 

[Steph Dale]

I suspect I'm not the only one who's noted a subtle and probably rather decent speaker in the middle of your shot. I can't read the badge so I'm guessing it's an LS3/5 or derivative...

Nice to see your priorities are well in order!

Steph

 

[Martin Shaw]

Hi Steph

Wholly correct, genuine LS3/5As made by Rogers, that I bought probably not too far from 40 years ago. I can't remember what I paid for them but it was quite a lot of money for the time. Currently sitting on the end of an elderly Sony integrated amp and a Quad FM3. They still sound way better than some of the stuff out there today. Part of my career history was 10 years in the BBC Engineering Dept, when it still had such a thing, it was by a country mile the best job I've ever had. It was they who brought me to Glasgow in the first place and as it has worked out alright, I'm pleased.

That the speakers have migrated to the workshop has been caused by the arrival of these


courtesy of my Dad. Pretty serious stuff.

Regards
Martin

 

[Steph Dale]

Aah, lovely; I'm very fond of the Kef Reference series of speakers. They're the first serious speaker I had any contact with and I still think they're very good.

I'm now running large Spender speakers in the main system, but have recently bought a set of the charming and diminutive Rega Kyte for restoration and use in a second system. Although I love the big speakers, there's something very attractive about the sound of those few really good small boxes, like the Kyte, LS3/5 and CDM1 (to name but 3).

Steph

 

[Martin Shaw]

Whilst a discussion about hi-fi might well interest young Mr Dale and me, it's probably dull as ditchwater to most, so I'll move onto actual model activity.
The rear pony axlebox retainers were respotted on the frames, centre and tapping drilled and tapped 8BA. The first one went swimmingly but despite meticulous measurement the second one caused the axlebox to bind at the top of it's travel, so I replugged it and did it all again. Still no joy and I suspect the various disparate metallics in the area were allowing the drill to wander. In the end I took a file to the retaining bracket, brute strength and ignorance succeding once again.

I then basically assembled the frames, along with the bogie to see how it fitted the body,

The front fixing hole is drilled as close to the bogie pivot as I dared, but when tried is still half a bawhair to far forward. I think the answer is to open out the rear fixing hole a bit, it looks doable. For those not of the vernacular, a bawhair is a Glaswegian unit of measurement that has neither units nor scale and is applicable to any and everything. It is also the most useful get out clause.

I thought I might look at the uncoupled wheels, this is what you get

The axle protudes fairly unprotoypically from the wheel boss, so I bunged them in the lathe,

and this resulted, not perfect I know but somewhat better. Sorry it's out of focus.

Last night after the massive clearing up I couldn't find a couple of pictures. The oracle told me they were behind the dressing table, wondered when I would move them and asked why it had taken me so long. One of them is this prized possession,


The eponymous H.J.Cunningham lived a few doors up the road from my parents, and his youngest grandaughter Susan, took me to primary school when I was six or so. When he died his daughter gave me his signalling certificates and his 1905 SECR rule book. Of such things are memories made. Right I'm off to deafen the spiders, "Train to Skaville" by the Ethiopians will be the starting point. Goodnight all.
Martin

 

[Martin Shaw]

Yesterday morning over breakfast my good lady informed me that Tuesday is the 20th anniversary of our cohabitation, with just the merest hint that marking the occasion might be an idea. We did what a lot of Glaswegians do in such circumstances and went for a curry and beer, and very nice it was too.

During the afternoon I managed to sort out the front mounting spacer, some judicious filing to the rear end of the frames allowed it all to move sufficiently for the screw to engage the body without stress. Unfortunately the rear spacer now didn't line up, after some Anglo Saxon language I decided it was easy to remake it, the front one was unchangeable. The lathe, needed for this, was set up for the axle ends so I finished them and then faced a new mounting spacer.

Sunday dawned bright and I determined to have some wheels in today. I set up the frames to establish the axle alignment


It all looked ok so I soldered all the spacers in, blowtorch outside, which is far easier than an a soldering iron. This went well so I set up the driving wheels on their axles in the frames to see whether they all touched the ground, they did,

the front and rear bearings were soldered in, and the middle checked to see whether adjustment was necessary, it appears to sit quite happily. The crankpins are 2.9mm dia and the rods were drilled 2.4mm so they were opened out. The brand new drill set displayed decidely eccentric qualities, more things to sort tomorrow, meanwhile I found some other concentric drills and mounted the rods/pins/wheels. It would be nice to report that it all rotated sweetly, but it didn't. The LH rod binds at 3 and 9 o clock suggesting a horizontal disparity between axle centres so some clever measuring will hopefully high light what needs changing.


Having tried the frames in the body this is obviously an issue, I'm not overly impressed with the supplied crankpins, the ones from the original chassis were somewhat finer and will be substituted which will overcome the clearance difficulty. A bigger problem though is this


This is a bit fundamental, I think I have the wrong bogie frames. Another sort out.

I have to say this retrofitting is hard work compared to starting from scratch but I think I'm further forward than I was.
Regards
Martin