Making the brake

Here is a picture of my most ambitious garden railway rolling stock project so far. Its a bogie brake and its roughly based on one from Ireland which was featured in a picture in the wonderful British Railways Bylines magazine a while back.

The model is a real CHEAPSKATE PRODUCTIONS special, featuring a stripwood frame with planking and floor made entirely from lolly sticks. The door slides a K&S brass channel on this side, and in a wooden one on the other. The only other parts I have bought in are the wheels and buffers from Brandbright.


The bogies are the first I have ever made and there was a period of trail and error before the mark one was ready and involved the stretcher being made two narrow - hence the strange gaps, but I will fix this soon. Not the penny pinching bearing and domed tap washer pivot.... The hot glue fixing is only temporary.







The mark 2 has a correct length stretcher and a twopenny bearing - this one only rotates so there is no pivot. These are based on designs in an article in an old copy of "Sixteen Millimetre Today" magazine.

Mark 3 will feature wider stretchers to try and overcome the wobble caused by the narrow one, but there will have to be only one screw because they are allowed to pivot on the side screws.




The brake has now been tested on the line - there was a lot of "heart in mouth" during the test, but it survived and went around absolutely fine, so all they need now are dummy detail sides and painting.


The whole model is rather more impressionist than finescale, but once its detailed and painted it will be good enough. I'm sufficiently heartened to think about doing a bogie coach next.

More news on the brake as we go along.

Extending the line #1

There's been a lot of thinking going on, but have finally managed to thrash out a route for the extension - here is the first 12 yards of Peco Streamline SM32 laid out on the grass to approximate the route: This is looking from the top end back down towards the existing loop:










While this is looking up the opposite way: It is up too, but nothing too dramatic!










Finally, here's "Jesty" all steamed up at the end of the line, wondering where to go next I expect!










More pictures soon, as things have moved on already.

Steamy Picture

Here's an atmospheric view of "Fairlie's Patent" taking a train out of the station at Penrhyn, alongside the street towards the level crossing. It's a damp, grey day and the double Fairlie adds her own vapour to the atmosphere.

25th april 2006 10:36am