A snapshot in time. A glimpse of the Plettenberger Kleinbahn in 1/22.5 scale.

Krusty · October 04, 2013, 02:20:39 AM

Thanks Volker.

Hydrostat · October 04, 2013, 01:12:25 PM

Hauk,

thank you. I haven't seen that rail modeled before; maybe most people think of rolling stock when talking about railways. But the tracks are all the same interesting to me.

Let's have a look at the switch leading to the bridge.

Foto: Albert Middermann, Slg. W. Groote

Fortunately there's a very similar "Bochumer Verein" switch at the Sauerländer Kleinbahn, which came to the museum from the former "Hohenlimburger Kleinbahn".

Foto: Wolf Dietrich Groote 2012

Even the installation plan (of a right hand switch) still exists as hard copy.

I made a scale drawing in Freehand and mirrored it.

So I could iron a laser print on a piece of birch plywood.

I do the soldering on another print. Meanwhile I use a thick copper foil between wood and the solder parts to avoid the plywood from catching fire.

So the plywood is the basis for the switch and my workplace for soldering and mounting the parts. Don't mind the "sleepers". They will not be visable later on. Here you can see the combination of Peco code 250 and angle section 3 x 3 mm to form the grooved rail.

Fixing the parts for soldering on a piece of aluminium.

If you look carefully at the prototype picture, you can see a completely visible piece of rail at the setting lever. To imitate that I sanded down the rail base and soldered a piece of angle section in place.

Making the switch blades:

A bit burnishing:

Detailing the blade:

The insulation is cardboard, drenched with CA. At the prototype there's a joint so I insulated all rails wether necessary or not.

Is there anybody interested in a SBS for making German style frogs?

Cheers,
Volker

Ray Dunakin · October 04, 2013, 09:03:38 PM

Nice work! I don't know if I'll ever have the skills and patience to attempt scratch-building a switch.

Is there any trick to soldering the aluminum? I was under the impression that AL is difficult to solder.

finescalerr · October 05, 2013, 12:47:51 AM

Impressive. -- Russ

Max Corey · October 05, 2013, 04:43:28 AM

Nice work.

I notice differences between US style, the main ones being rails on the inside through the points area and the special rails. Different but similar tie plates. I like the cast iron box over the mechanism that moves the point rails which can hide whatever you use to move them. I have always liked making turnouts/switches.

Hydrostat · October 05, 2013, 07:20:30 AM

Ray,

thank you. I think you have the skills

. If you get used to soldering a bit it isn't difficult at all. I don't use any mill, only files, jigsaw and a grinding disk with the electric drill. Unfortunately my English isn't too good: The aluminum is the jig to make the soldering - because it doesn't connect with the soldered parts. But you can solder aluminum. It only depends on the right solder and soldering fluid. Here you find a nice range: http://rexin-loettechnik.de/index-e.php. I didn't test it, but I did a lot of soldering stainless steel (see the link below in my answer to Max).

Russ,

thanks!

Max,

this is a special switch for use in streets (for streetcars and so on). At the museum they'd use it outside a street. And this one is very special, as it uses flat bottom rail instead of grooved rail. The usual switches look very similar to the US style switches. Biggest difference is the blade, which has another appearance in the States. And you have/had cast frogs including the guard "rails", a sort that wasn't used in Germany at all. If you're interested in that topic please have a look at http://www.buntbahn.de/modellbau/viewtopic.php?t=10977. It's in German but maybe you can use Google to translate it. Would be nice to see some of your switches!

Cheers,
Volker

marc_reusser · October 14, 2013, 12:12:48 AM

Really lovely work.

Hydrostat · October 18, 2013, 12:12:23 PM

Thanks, Marc.

The first switch is finished - at least in relation to the rails and visible iron parts.

Those are the pieces for the switch box,

which is installed here. The cast cover is lasered cardboard.

At the prototype there are distance blocks with ribbed surface at the frog and the blades end, because it's not possible to cobble those areas as the stones would be too small.

I made the ribbed plates from various PS strips, which were glued to a plate and then cut out as needed.

Here's the next piece of jewelry:

Um, excuse me, wrong picture:

And the switch plan.

I started some testing for rusting the rails. This one was burnished and then sprinkled with water a few times, but I think there's room for improvement. The rust is too bright (as it is on new rails, which just started to rust). Next test will be without burnishing. Anyway I'll have to preserve the result with mat lacquer to prevend furthermore rusting once it's installed.

Cheers,
Volker

artizen · October 18, 2013, 02:11:59 PM

The whole layout is jewellery!

finescalerr · October 19, 2013, 12:39:50 AM

Most adequate. It pleases the eye. -- Russ

Max Corey · October 19, 2013, 08:56:48 AM

Excellent workmanship. A beautiful turnout/switch.

You asked to see. These are little (On30 or HO) using code 70 from Rail Craft, now Micro Engineering. The 1/2" thick foam the ties are cemented to is perfect because it is tough and firm yet easy to work with and sound deadening. Too bad I don't know where to get more. The frogs are the hardest part made from rail soldered to thin brass. I try to solder jumper wires to the outside so train wheel flanges don't bump them. I can usually hide the wires like here where it is pushed into a groove in the foam. The frog is powered by a spdt slide switch connected to the end of the Caboose Industries ground throw. Gonna be making more soon.

Max making paper mock-ups of two structures in MI today.

Hydrostat · October 31, 2013, 01:57:49 PM

Thanks, Max. Interesting pics. I wonder why you don't solder the wires to the bottom of the rail base? You wouldn't have problems with flanges and they were nearly invisible.

This is the inside of the switch mechanism. A spring and a switch for frog polarisation are still missing.

The prototype of the second switch was made by Both & Tilmann. This company used another mechanism to move the blades. The prototype of the switch is from Hohenlimburg (another town - another railway), where I could take some photos during research in a company's archive to find drawings of Plettenberg Rollwagen (yes - we did. Just for teasing you a bit

). I liked it and so now it's placed in Plettenberg. Call it artistic freedom.

Those switches are set turning around a key instead of shifting a lever.

So I needed a key.

I hope the pictures do explain how I made it. I found a steel piece of an old micro tool with inside thread that i filed square. The piece was in the vice and I used the drill chuck to move the file up and down.