Track Jig

 First 3 metre length of straight track in the jig was made yesterday!!

Welded under the rails - with new rods!!! My old ones got wet ... again. Also used newly cut gauge gauges at 127.1mm, and every metal clamp I own.

All the sleeper/tie spacing (150mm) was carefully measured so I will flip the track back into the jig and weld on some locating guide plates for easy positioning of ties on the next length.

The jig will soon be a 4 way device: straight, 4m curve, left point, right point!!

Change of Project... Y Class

While nothing much is happening with the SRR, I have still been researching and thinking... Yes dangerous, I know. As a consequence I have changed aim and plans a little. As discussed the old VR Tait trains stick so much in my memory; I really want to build one... but as a 'Fast Parcels'. But first I need to build a 'diesel' (well really battery) electric.

While the F Class is a favourite, closely followed by T Class, I have just discovered/realised that the Y Class used recycled power bogies from the swing door Tait power units. So, if I design and build scale bogies I can use them on both!! The shorter distance between bogie pivots (compared with Y Class) will help me on (my) tight curves. So 4 m radius is a design spec.

Also considering scale: the majority of 5" gauge scale rolling stock is 1" to 1' ; 1/12 ; 1:12 so that will be the scale! Which also helps with the tight curve; compared to 1/10th...

Now a 4m radius is a circle of circumference of 25.1m. In 1/12 scale the bogie pivots centre is 0.516m or 0.02055 of the circle. So 360x.02055 means the bogie only need pivot less than 8 degrees between themor 4 each - tangential to the curve. With axle centres of 0.216m - on the curve the axles will be displaced a maximum of about 15mm each way. And so the design specs solidify...