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Post by drjohn on Dec 7, 2009 10:22:46 GMT
Hi Allen
Don't worry, bandwidth permitting (bearing in mind I''m in a 5th world backwater) I will do a video of a complete run round the track (which incidentally is all but finished today) for my own satisfaction.
Cheers
DJ
P.S. However, night before last, I slipped on a mat and took a tumble on the concrete step going up to my bedroom - broke a couple of metacarpals in my right hand, chipped a bit off the top of my tibia on the left knee and gave my skull a real walloping, so I'm a bit restricted at the moment - cleaning teeth and wiping the bum with the non-dominant hand is not easy especially when I can't walk - beer drinking though, I'm totally ambidextrous. ;D
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nigelh
Involved Member
North Cyprus
Posts: 89
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Post by nigelh on Dec 7, 2009 15:10:30 GMT
Wow John - you don't do things by halves, do you ! Do hope you get back to 100% fitness soon.
cheers
Nigel
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russell
Statesman
Chain driven
Posts: 762
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Post by russell on Dec 8, 2009 10:13:49 GMT
Sorry to hear that John. I know how you feel. I've been banned from the workshop for the last two months as a result of back problems - suffering withdrawal symptoms.
Get better soon and enjoy the beer!
Russell.
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Post by Tel on Dec 8, 2009 18:36:19 GMT
P.S. However, night before last, I slipped on a mat and took a tumble on the concrete step going up to my bedroom - broke a couple of metacarpals in my right hand, chipped a bit off the top of my tibia on the left knee and gave my skull a real walloping, so I'm a bit restricted at the moment - cleaning teeth and wiping the bum with the non-dominant hand is not easy especially when I can't walk - beer drinking though, I'm totally ambidextrous. ;D Hmm... are you sure you weren't indulging in a bit of over enthusiastic Scrabble playin'? Repair soon! |
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Post by drjohn on Dec 10, 2009 0:51:00 GMT
Many thanks for the kind words - I may be crippled, but my guys are still at it - almost there - should be finished by the weekend. Continuing from the last pic I posted.  DJ As the track nears completion, I limped round today - bloody hell, I've been a bit ambitious - this is a track for a full size Pacific class - I doubt the Simplex will get round without a few beers and a stop for water and coal -   Editted at 4.46pm ( 8.46 UK) Track will be finished for sure tomorrow, including grinding the sharp edges off the rail. My job with my broken hand an f**ked knee is to make the wheels of the driving trolley rotate independently, then Sunday will be the big steam up - left handed driving Lol! |
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Post by modeng2000 on Dec 10, 2009 15:34:43 GMT
Good luck DJ, it's only pain.
John
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Post by jonkett on Dec 10, 2009 17:41:20 GMT
Keep going, as i said to my self after chucking the motorcycle up the road, "It won't hurt when the pain stops" However £583 for the top bit of fairing brought tears to my eyes.
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Post by Allen on Dec 10, 2009 22:05:54 GMT
That's a bit expensive £583 for that and i thought parts for my Harley Davidson was expensive.
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Post by drjohn on Dec 11, 2009 4:30:10 GMT
Maybe my target date for a Sunday steam-up was a bit premature - just been round the track on the driving trolley, and it derails itself at 3 places due to the unevenness of the track, so I will have to put suspension as well as independent wheel motion on the trolley.
Tomorrow, once I've sanded the sharp edges off the rails, I'll push the Simplex round to see if it can cope. A long walk!!
Pictures will be posted as and when.
DJ
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nigelh
Involved Member
North Cyprus
Posts: 89
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Post by nigelh on Dec 11, 2009 5:49:32 GMT
More fun than walking the dog, John??
Hope it goes well - would like to hear how far round it is - in miles !!!!
It's looking really great
cheers
Nigel
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Post by jonkett on Dec 11, 2009 16:21:52 GMT
That's a bit expensive £583 for that and i thought parts for my Harley Davidson was expensive. Aprilia SL1000 Falco' the price you pay for Italian motorcycling. Sorry for hijacking the thread. |
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Post by ilvaporista on Dec 11, 2009 17:54:51 GMT
Sorry to hear about the 'slight technical hitch' with the Director of Works. The best thing is to sit there with a cold drink and comtemplate the next steps.
Here's to a 'Speedy' recovery, or should that be a Simplex recovery.
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Post by drjohn on Dec 12, 2009 5:46:23 GMT
Thanks Adrian for your sentiments. Track is now complete apart from sanding off the sharp edges which is in progress between the rain storms (we have a tropical depression sitting off the south just now).  I will take some close-ups of the lift-out gate tomorrow once the cement is dry. Then I will push the Simplex round by hand to make sure it doesn't derail, also with water in the tanks to see how long it takes to pump the boiler up to level. Getting really exciting!! DJ - happier than pigs in excrement! P.S. Odd how lathes are strictly right handed - a real bugger trying to do a bit of turning left handed today!  |
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Post by drjohn on Dec 12, 2009 10:47:15 GMT
Somebody asked a bit back, how long is the track in miles - it's 240 Metres which by my calculation is about 1/6 of a mile, and at a relatively scale speed, will take almost 5 minutes to circum-navigate - doesn't sound long until you sit and try to count 300 seconds - quite a nice length of run.
DJ
Incidentally, with my canny Scottish calculations, I have only 3 feet of surplus rail steel, which at today's price, is very gratifying for the sporran! ;D ;D
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nigelh
Involved Member
North Cyprus
Posts: 89
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Post by nigelh on Dec 12, 2009 14:33:08 GMT
Cheers, John - it was I who asked. A fantastic length (!).
Is it an optical delusion or is there really quite an incline on the track in your last picture??
Great news about the surplus steel - good to have just a bit of "spare" around!
Very interesting point about "right handed" lathes - I wonder if any left handed ones were ever produced??
I pressume that would mean the headstock would be on the right hand end of the bed - gosh, how weird!
Hope you broken bones are mending slowly - did you patch your self up or ask one of your lads to get you plastered??
Nigel
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steam4ian
Elder Statesman
One good turn deserves another
Posts: 2,069
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Post by steam4ian on Dec 12, 2009 20:51:49 GMT
G'day DrJ
Aren't you plastered all the time? ;D ;D ;D
Time to add my greetings and urgings that you take it easy and get mended soon. Use the time to build a passenger truck or two, the lads deserve a ride.
The track is looking good and should give the Simplex a nice run, it's about half the length of SASMEE 5" but without the grades.
My firing reminds me of an old Cornish joke about the stoker who was sacked. He couldn't understand why? He burnt twice as much coal as the others.
Regards
Ian
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Post by drjohn on Dec 12, 2009 23:47:30 GMT
You're correct Nigel, there are some serious hills on this track! And Ian, I do sometimes misjudge and have an occasional lucid moment! ;D ;D As promised, here's the lift-out gate  The orange pipe in the middle is filled with reinforced concrete and serves two purposes - it supports the weight of the loco and passengers over the 6 foot span and it also has a tie-down bolt to stop the removable section coming out of place.  At either end, I've welded bits of steel on the outside to keep the track in line.  So it's a question of merely undoing the one bolt in the middle and the whole section just lifts out. DJ |
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steam4ian
Elder Statesman
One good turn deserves another
Posts: 2,069
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Post by steam4ian on Dec 13, 2009 3:10:06 GMT
G'day DrJ Very impressive although I think your lift out section is a bit minimalist. I wouldn't want to see Simplex in the dirt.  A small positive about your enforced layup, it is allowing the concrete to cure, Regards Ian |
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Post by drjohn on Dec 13, 2009 4:09:53 GMT
G'day DrJ Very impressive although I think your lift out section is a bit minimalist. I wouldn't want to see Simplex in the dirt. A small positive about your enforced layup, it is allowing the concrete to cure, Regards Ian As we say while lying in the heather waiting for the mating haggi - fools an' bairns shouldnae see a job half done! ;D ;D It may well be I have to add a wee bit of reinforcement, but the testing is going to be delayed until later in the week as I have to go to bloody Cebu again. The plan with the bridge is also to double up as the steaming bay as I can derive power from the dirty kitchen behind. It's also the only bit of the track where I have access to the underside of the loco and can drop the fire there. DJ |
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Post by drjohn on Dec 13, 2009 7:44:42 GMT
OK, so I put the Simplex on the track this afternoon and pushed it round by hand. No derails, but 4 tight spots that will need a bit of attention. One lap filled the boiler to almost the bottom of the gauge glass with the bypass fully closed, so that gives me some idea of water feed. When I ran it on compressed air on the stand in Malaysia, it had the boiler up to half gauge glass in less than 2 minutes which shows how much faster I was running it off-load. Just a pic for your edification -  Looks a bit nose heavy, but it's on a downhill, and when it's pulling, the nose will rise! DJ - fairly happy despite the broken bones. |
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