Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Testing

A question was asked from the peanut galley during the weekend re running 2mm finescale wheels on NMRA standard track. Now, while I had done finger push testing with bogies through various bits of track work, I had not done any 'live' testing' so to speak. So, tonight I gave it a crack. I used 1431 to push my R wagon through a variety of points to see how things went. First up the points on the main that have been modified to allow the use of Peco wheels. This was a fail with the wheels picking the frog. However, on the tighter NMRA standard points everything seemed to be fine. I also took this picture on the code 40 point.


Its quite pretty, and my inner finescaler is almost approving (but not quite. hes a bit of a bastard like that). I think its going to work OK on the Waihao Forks layout.

10 comments:

Am_Fet said...

Phew (said the man commissioning the layout).

Anonymous said...

Excuse my inner pedant - if you are going to use 2mm finescale profile wheels then you really need to adopt the track standards as well. The flangeway gaps and check gauge are part of a whole system. With steamroller wheels you can get away with a multitude of sins but as tolerances get closer then it starts to get harder.

Just my twopennorth - absolute admiration for what you're achieving here.

Kev

Motorised Dandruff said...

kev, thanks for the comment.

I agree with you theortically, but I've also found that finescale wheels will work on NMRA standard track in real life. the standards are not actually that far away from each other.

The other problem I have is that if I do work to finescale standards for the track, it limits me to just finescale wheels for everything, including all the Atlas and Kato mechs I own. Last time I looked I was not made of money.

Amateur Fettler said...

Hi Kev,

Yep, pretty much what he said...there is nothing I would love more than to work to 2mm standards (and if I ever decide to do a Pommy layout that is definitely an option....Banff in the 1970's with the Dapol class 24 in blue....yum....). I also would like "visiting" stock to be able to run as well, so thats why the news that the NMRA standards will run 2mm wheels is so well recieved. I can still populate the layout with locos and wagons to finescale standards, and then Herr Druff can ruin it all by plonking an Ed in the middle of the Waihao Forks yard and having a play with that.

Andrew Hamblyn said...

Those look superb together, well done.
Nothing wrong with having wheel treads a scale 4 foot wide :-)

AH

Anonymous said...

If it works then go for it guys - just keep the back to backs tight on the steamrollers and you should be able to tighten up the clearances so that you don't lose your nice slim wheels.

There is some seriously stunning work here. Of course your CB probably needs the steamroller wheels for accuracy.

Now the thought of a 24 at Banff set me drooling - I'll raise you a 24 at Blodwell Junction in EM with a selection of hoppers. I can't even contemplate 2mm finescale due to an excess of thumbs although, if I ever did I reckon it would have to be a rendition of Dent set deep in the landscape about 1970.

Kev

Amateur Fettler said...

Stoppit Kev, you'll have me coming over all faint... :-)

Seriously, having grown up with a hornby trainset my mind is better tuned to the English prototypes rather than the American....which explains why there is that Lima J50 to do something with in the lab. Cant decide between a Bachmann 57XX chassis or making a go of it with EM parts.

Anonymous said...

If you really want a Bachmann (actually probably Mainline) chassis I'm sure we can come to some arrangement involving postage or a clandestine meeting as I have 2 from which I only require the upper works to sit atop a comet chassis. The Lima J50 is hardly worthy of such attention though - best kept as a reminder of the bad old days and go Great Western with the aforesaid Pannier!
I may well find myself in the capital on the 14th for work.

To continue the drooling a Heljan 27 arrived arrived chez kev last week and it is rather nice. To be done up as an English version pre-68 like the ones my dad snapped in Leicester a while back! That said, it may be the beginnings of something South-West Scotland-ish.

Kev

Amateur Fettler said...

Kev, drop me a line through the Head Druffs email elsewhere on this blog, I'm sure we can come to some equally beneficial agreement.

Anonymous said...

line dropped as requested sir. Did I tell you an unrefurbished 50 arrived in the same week which really needs a lessees plate, a 4xx number and denaming.

Kev