Dutch Scale Seven Group report nr. 13

After some months of silence here a new report  from the DSSG. There are some projects we are working on and that are making progress.

A small project was the rebuilt of a finescale GWR 0-6-0 saddle tank to the S7 standards. The kit was not designed for S7 standards so we had to change the measurement of the splashers on the footplate. We turned wheels into the S7 standard and replaced the first and third axle with a S7  axle and modified the power pickups. The middle axle with the inside motion was reused and we used Slaters’ filler rings to get the correct S7 back to back measurement. After this rebuild the engine was converted to DCC with a Lenz  DCC decoder. A challenge was to make the CPL GWR loco lights working. With a small SMD led fitted into the small brass CPL casting we got a working loco light. For this fine work you need to work with a magnifier to solder the small thin wires on to the 1mm x 1,2mm x 2mm SMD led. The CPL loco lights are relatively simple to convert into a working light.

CPL loco light housing, lens and very small SMD Led.



GWR 0-6-0 Saddeltank 2028 with working light.

In the GWR 0-6-0 Dean Goods Cor installed an ESU sound decoder with ESU power pack and speakers. After an experiment to find out what the best place will be for the location of the speakers we came to the conclusion that the best place is one speaker in the smoke box and one speaker between the frame plates. Important is a open chimney so you can hear the exhaust sound through the chimney. There is no speaker in the tender. In the tender we mounted the sound decoder and the power pack. The connection to the engine is made with an small 22 pins connector so the tender and engine can be separated very easily. For the synchronisation of the movement from the inside motion with the exhaust sound we will place 4 very small magnets in the big tooth wheel which is mounted on the axle in the ABC gearbox. An electronic Hall censor will pick up the change of the magnetic field and give synchronisation signals to the ESU sound decoder. For the sound we chose the SWD Pannier sound. There is no sound for a GWR 0-6-0 Dean Goods available. At the GOG 2012 Summer show in Halifax  Arnold and Cor spoke to an expert in DCC sounds and he told us the Pannier sound is the most nearby and so suitable as a Dean Goods sound.



ESU sounddecoder build in Dean Goods tender.

 The construction of the home Scale Seven layout  “Minehead” of Cor and son Joost is going forward with small steps. We produced a lot of wooden sleepers for the tracks and a lot of wooden sleepers with different measurements for the points. For the shape of the points we used the printed point drawings produced with the Templot track design program. A small part of the track is ready and connected to the Lenz DCC control system. The rebuild GWR 0-6-0 2028 Pannier tank was the first engine to run a few meters on the new Scale Seven layout “Minehead”.

GWR 0-6-0 Dean Goods at S7 point.



Joost building S7 track at the  "Minehead"railway.

 Arnold is busy building a piece of G.W.R Baulk road to display his future engines. After the conversion from broad gauge to standard gauge there was a lot of converted track in use at the stations and sidings. For this piece of display track Arnold will also place the square head bolts to make this track the most prototypical. It’s not an easy task but Arnold will pick up the challenge. When he has finished we will take a picture of his work and send it with the next DSSG report.

G.W.R Baulkroad.

Till next, 

Cor

Dutch Scale Seven Group report nr. 12

We had a busy time the last 4 months of the year 2011 which is why we didn’t have a report in the last S7 Newsletter.

But now there is time to write down all the progress and special things we did.

At two modelling shows we did set up the Scale Seven promotion stand. In October at the Dutch Nul weekend in Zutphen for two days where we had a lot of talk with serious 0 gauge modellers but they are still afraid to take a step forward to the Scale Seven standards. But we enjoyed the show and had a good time. This meeting is the only meeting for the Dutch 0 scale modellers. The second show where we set up our stand was the 0 weekend in Belgium. The Belgium 0 forum organized this small 0 Gauge show and we promoted the Scale Seven standards there on a Saturday. But the same as in the Netherlands the Belgium modellers stay where they are with the NEM or Finescale standards. But the promotion board we got from the UK Scale Seven group was an eye catcher at the shows. When everything goes well Ton will show his Scale Seven layout “Tripton at  Sea” at the Dutch Rail 2012 show in February.

Our modelling is going forward with small steps. Ton is hard at work with his GWR 517 Class engine and his GWR 0-6-0 Pannier.

GWR 0-6-0 Pannier detailed cab.

   And Cor did some work at the inside motion of the GWR Pannier tank Ton built.

Inside motion GWR Pannier.

And Arnold made progress with his GWR 'Paco' Horsebox diag. N8. This model is almost finished so Arnold can start with a new project to build. 



GWR 'Paco' Horsebox diag. N8.

Nice details at the doors.

 Cor’s work at the Cowan Sheldon crane is almost finished. At Cor ‘s house the Scale Seven railway is making a lot of progress and the project is still on schedule. At the end of 2011 the first part of the woodwork and wiring is finished and we started to build the tracks. All the tracks must be hand laid. We produce our own sleepers of real wood.

Three stages of track building.

Cowan Sheldon Crane.

The railway is build as a home layout  so we can’t  set up the railway at shows or exhibitions. We made a heavy wooden base with 18mm surface MDF boards as a basis for a strong and steady layout. Under the layout surface we mounted the standard DCC wiring  and in the front the Lenz LA152 connector units.  For the railway bed we used 3,5 mm hardwood multilayer and on the bed we glued the wooden sleepers.

As a prototype we used the Minehead station during the 1900 – 1910 period. A perfect guide to get information about  this station is the beautiful book “The Minehead Branch 1848-1971” .

And certainly we have a lot to do and still some unfinished kits in the drawer but we can’t resist the fine kits offered by the traders. Arnold bought the beautiful MOK Armstrong kit, Cor and Ton bought some kits to build wagons such as Iron Minks, Toads, Scorpion etc. We like modelling with brass so we only bought brass kits.

Till next,

Cor.