Page 22 - July August 1998

CONSTRUCTOR’S CORNER...
BASEBOARDS
I HAVE KNOWN
Pt.2 Ken O’shea
The set-up shown is a light strong base unit, the secret is take your time, measure twice, cut once. In my case, if it’s before mid-day measure three times! Note the 18mm x 18mm pine moulding used along the bottom edge to stop it flapping. The B&Q 6mm ply seems really to be 5.5mm. It is the “behind the old Iron Curtain” birch ply, but half the weight of the awful Brazilian splinter plywood.
The 19mm x 19mm cross struts not only add great strength, but help if a base- board unit is dropped. They always seem to fall on a corner!
It is very important that the endboard with gussets is matched to the endboard for the next unit before front and back fascias are fixed. This is because it is easier to handle two endboards for fixing steel dowels, than to handle two complete base units.
It is important to put the cross struts as low as possible to avoid obstructing scenic work. So gussets should be at lower corners of base unit.
Resin weatherproof glue, 6 x 3/4” wood- screws are used mostly with 6 x 1” in other strategic spots. Brass screws are expensive but well worth the money. Do not overtighten as you will squeeze out most of the Resin W. Personally Philips screws give me the willies! Most of them are cadmium-plated which seems to rust through in a couple of years, especially if kept in an unheated garden shed, or garage. In the last couple of years, I am turning towards different sizes of suitcase catches, replacing coach-bolts where pos- sible, as they are quick release. Made by Cheny, not cheap, and never seem to see these at DIY Superstores, but I pick mine up at my old-fashioned cabinet supplies shop of Union Street Plymouth. I should imagine cabinet-maker’s shops, like the
foregoing are around in other areas. One thing I can guarantee, the latter do not keep pattern-maker’s dowels. These are a mystery, especially the ones marked 70, supplied to me when slipping back into EM mode which happens every three to four years.
P-M dowels only seem available through specialist societies like EM, S4, O 16.5 etc.
Tools - the usual DIY, jigsaw, clamps etc. Re: the 600mm x 100mm x 9mm end- boards. If these are taken higher, for scenic work, the base unit weight is sig- nificantly increased, especially if it is done at both ends. The best way over this is a 2” block of styrofoam on edge, with a facing of 3mm ply on the leading edge, cut according to terrain contour. One of my old layouts used this system, and trav- elled 24000 miles, in a container, to and from Western Australia, with no damage. ‘Nuff said!
Glues used:
For lattice work - “Liquid Nails Gripfast Professional”. For styrofoam (blue) - “Liquid Nails Solvent Free”.
Be very discerning reading the cartridges, as there are many other makes around.
Useful Address:
Red Dog Woodworking,
1 The Almshouses, The Courtyards, Parklands, Milton Keynes MK14 6AU [often advertise in MRJ etc.]
BASEBOARDS I HAVE KNOWN
If the following tip is seriously “old hat” it will probably end up on our noble Editor’s floor, so I won’t make excuses.
Extract from it what you need...
IF IT AIN’T
BROKE, DON’T
REPLACE IT
Model Tips from Ian Wheeler
I prefer to make use of the “stock” trucks and wheel sets, supplied with freight- and passenger car kits, unless they need to be replaced by a superior product. Setting up the truck and wheels can be important, though, judging by the many less-expen- sive cars I’ve had my hands on over the years.
Besides getting the back-to-back measure- ment right, ensure that the wheels are symmetrical on the axle (i.e. that each wheel is the same distance from the pin- point on the axle). In bad cases, one wheel may rub on the inside of the truck. Even if correctly gauged, an off-centre wheel set will tend to ‘track’ poorly and will probably not roll so freely. Adjusting this spacing needs fairly good eyesight but can cure “mystery” bad-runners, such as a Walthers auto-rack I recently “shopped”. Of course, there’s no cure for the occasional eccentric wheel: it must be replaced.
Always check for ‘flash’ on the trucks, especially around the axle boxes. I’ve been surprised at how many need a quick trim and surprised again at how many have escaped my notice until after I’ve applied paint.
On the subject of paint, I find that a coat of Howes Railmatch “Frame Dirt” does wonders for the entire truck assembly. It brushes on well, although spraying can be quicker and finer. I paint both faces of the wheels, the axle (between the wheels only), the truck bolster and the outside faces of the side frames. Picking out springs and brake shoes in a rust colour also seems to look right. I vary the shades at random.
I’m sure that investment in better-quality trucks and wheels is no bad idea but it pushes up the cost of cars by a hefty per- centage. Given a little care, some paint and a shot of “Grease ‘Em” in the axle boxes, I feel most ‘ordinary’ trucks will give excellent service and look just fine.
ORGAN
TRANSPLANT
The Editor
A strange little job came through the workshop a while back. I got rid of her and then tackled this problem with a brass HO V&T old-time 4-4-0, beautifully paint- ed by Rod Welch for his private road but suffering from erratic pickup problems. This loco had a Pittman open motor in the tender, driving the loco drivers via a not- quite-Carden shaft through the front of
22 ROUNDHOUSE