dc309
Seasoned Member
Posts: 146
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Post by dc309 on Oct 27, 2018 20:52:06 GMT
I’ve been looking at photos of the real Dougal today. I think there is a lot of room for improvement to make the model more like the prototype.
I looked up to see if I could visit Welshpool to see Dougal and take photos and measurements. All well and good, but... they’ve sent it to Taiwan! A bit far to go I think!
I’ve started looking at the rods. I think that WLLR have modified the loco over the years as there are things that differ between Dougal, Jack and Ralph (two other locos of the same design). The plan is to make the big ends the same, which have split bronze bearings with a gib and cotter, instead of the solid rods and bushes.
There are a few other things that I can change, but I’m looking forward to getting some details onto it.
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Post by Rob on Oct 27, 2018 21:26:19 GMT
It's infectious Dan. Once you start looking at the full size and realising the tweaks you can make to improve the model there's no stopping!
Why was Dougal sent to Taiwan?
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dc309
Seasoned Member
Posts: 146
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Post by dc309 on Oct 27, 2018 21:30:34 GMT
Hi Rob,
Definitely infectious... it brings out the OCD!
From the W&LLR’s news page.
“Narrow-gauge locomotive normally resident at the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway is to visit the Far East as part of a new co-operation agreement between the mid-Wales line and the Taiwan Sugar Corporation (Taisugar).
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0T ‘Dougal’, built in 1946 to work at a gasworks in Glasgow, and acquired in 1969 by the W&LLR’s then general manager, will be spending around six months in Taiwan, during which it will be a star guest at a major festival in December.
The initiative is the result of a twinning arrangement that has been agreed between the W&LLR and Taisugar. Similar to an agreement signed in 2017 between the Welsh line and the Alishan Railway, another major line in Taiwan, the twinning promotes long-term mutual co-operation and exchange between the two railways.
The Taiwan Sugar Corporation once owned more than 40 mills around the country, but as sugar production has declined it has diversified into other areas, and Taisugar now operates five short heritage railways at former mills that it owns.
Part of the agreement will see the W&LLR providing the benefits of experience gained in more than 50 years of tourist railway operation to Taisugar, while the return benefits will include technical assistance, particularly in the maintenance of 1979-built Diema diesel loco no 17, which the Welsh line purchased from Taisugar in 2004. Cross-level tourist promotion will also be undertaken at a time when the UK is becoming increasingly attractive desitnations for travellers from the Far East.
The W&LLR board has also agreed to Taisugar’s request to send Dougal to Taiwan on a six-month loan, in order for the loco to appear at the annual Sugar Festival in December – the major celebration of the sugar industry’s year. The theme of this year’s Festival is to be ‘Taiwan and British Railway Culture Exchange.’
While basically in working order, Dougal has not run on the W&LLR since 2013, when significant and expensive boiler work was deemed necessary. As the loco’s small size prevents it being used for passenger traffic, it has remained out of use since with the line’s limited resources necessarily focused on the front-line fleet.
A member of the W&LLR’s engineering team will travel to Taiwan to oversee the locomotive’s unloading and a technical inspection by Taisugar. The sugar company has indicated that depending on the results of this inspection an offer may be made to carry out work on Dougal to bring it up to operating condition. No work will commence until the W&LLR has been fully consulted and agreed to what extent, if any, restoration should be undertaken.
All costs of Dougal’s visit to Taiwan are being fully met by Taisugar, and there will be no call upon the resources of the W&LLR at a time when the railway is fully committed to both current maintenance and future development of the line.
W&LLR chairman Steve Clews has welcomed the agreement with Taisugar, and the bold move to send Dougal to Taiwan. “We are already seeing benefits from our twinning agreement with the Alishan line and we would expect similar benefits to both sides from an agreement with Taisugar, particularly in the areas of promoting tourism,” Steve said.
“As Dougal is currently unable to work on our railway, the visit to Taiwan will enable the loco to make a major contribution to both cementing our growing relations with Taiwan and in promoting the W&LLR to the increasingly important Far East tourism market.”
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dc309
Seasoned Member
Posts: 146
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Post by dc309 on Nov 3, 2018 18:15:13 GMT
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dc309
Seasoned Member
Posts: 146
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Post by dc309 on Nov 5, 2018 18:00:39 GMT
Little bit more progress today - I’ve drilled the holes for the cylinder covers. All that’s left to do on them now is to drill the holes for the steam passages.
I'm totally lost now on sharing photos. Could anybody give any advice please?
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stevep
Elder Statesman
Posts: 1,070
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Post by stevep on Nov 5, 2018 18:38:46 GMT
Look in ‘What I’ve done today’ page 153 for my description, and page 155 for Brian’s excellent screen shots of how to post pictures.
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dc309
Seasoned Member
Posts: 146
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Post by dc309 on Nov 5, 2018 18:39:45 GMT
Thanks Steve. I’ll take a look!
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dc309
Seasoned Member
Posts: 146
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Post by dc309 on Nov 5, 2018 18:49:59 GMT
Photos are now showing. Thanks stevep !
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Post by simon822 on Nov 5, 2018 21:17:42 GMT
Hopefully Dougal will not be gone for too long, and will be back in traffic very soon. I do miss having fun driving her! Last trip I drove was all the way from llanfair to Welshpool with a couple of wagons and a brake van.
On an interesting note I see your 2 cylinders are the same, if you look closely at the real ones you will notice that the fireman’s side has a flat on the outer face which the drivers doesn’t. Not sure if this counts as details, but it is one of the many oddities on the engine. One thing I would not copy is the slightly off beat valve setting which made starting heavy trains in the wet very difficult, but great fun!
Hope you enjoy your model as much as I have the real thing,
Simon.
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dc309
Seasoned Member
Posts: 146
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Post by dc309 on Nov 6, 2018 17:37:57 GMT
Hopefully Dougal will not be gone for too long, and will be back in traffic very soon. I do miss having fun driving her! Last trip I drove was all the way from llanfair to Welshpool with a couple of wagons and a brake van. On an interesting note I see your 2 cylinders are the same, if you look closely at the real ones you will notice that the fireman’s side has a flat on the outer face which the drivers doesn’t. Not sure if this counts as details, but it is one of the many oddities on the engine. One thing I would not copy is the slightly off beat valve setting which made starting heavy trains in the wet very difficult, but great fun! Hope you enjoy your model as much as I have the real thing, Simon. Hi Simon, Hoping to go and see Dougal when she’s back! Interesting to read your comments about the cylinders - any idea why? I’ll have a closer look at the photos. Once I’ve finished the loco, I’d like to make a few wagons to go behind it - what would be a typical load for it at Welshpool?
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Post by simon822 on Nov 6, 2018 18:04:51 GMT
There is a big difference between what she can pull round the yard to what we take down the line, especially down the golfa bank (over a mile of 1 in 29 decent), where it is the baking which matters. The following clip shows a wagon and the brake van between Cyfronydd and Castle. This was really a positioning move for the stock rather than a serious run: youtu.be/f_NJNM2Mem8Round the yard is much more fun, this video shows a driver making it look very simple, which I can vouch it’s not: youtu.be/PCGTWbWuePMI would suggest 2 bogie or 3/4 4 wheelers and a brake van is a reasonable load. She has done 2 Zillertal Bahn coaches to Cyfronydd but this would normally be 1 at gala. Try searching YouTube for Dougal and either Welshpool or llanfair, you will find lots of amusing video. Hope this helps? Simon.
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dc309
Seasoned Member
Posts: 146
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Post by dc309 on Nov 6, 2018 20:32:15 GMT
Thanks for that Simon.
Do you know if there are any books or drawings of WLLR stock available? A quick Google search doesn’t throw up anything obvious - just wondered!
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dc309
Seasoned Member
Posts: 146
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Post by dc309 on Nov 10, 2018 18:59:23 GMT
A bit more progress today. I've got the front cylinder covers machined and drilled, along with the associated holes in the cylinder blocks both sides. I've also positioned and drilled the holes for the steam passages. I put the covers up in the chuck and got the OD to run true, then I machined the spigot. Turned it round grabbing on the spigot, then machined the OD and the back face to size, including the 1/16" lip the sits inside the bore.
I then drilled the 6 holes on the 1.625" PCD, 4mm diameter, holding on the spigot on the front of the casting.
Popped the covers back in the lathe to machine off the spigot. I also drilled and tapped 2 holes in the centre, so I can put oil into the cylinders.
The hole for the steam passage. There isn't much inbetween the two from either side, so I was a bit worried that I was going to machined into the opposite hole! I couldn't see all the way through when I'd finished I've got to drill the passageway down to join the side holes up to them next, then plug the top. The drawings aren't very clear - Does this mean a screw plug or would it have to be soldered in etc? Once I've done that, there is only the rear covers to complete the cylinders. My box of castings is slowly changing to a box of machined parts, which is very satisfying!
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uuu
Elder Statesman
your message here...
Posts: 2,814
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Post by uuu on Nov 10, 2018 19:31:32 GMT
Jessie has a screwed brass plug.
Wilf
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