G Scale Model Train Forum banner

Video of an Aster four cylinder compound Pacific loco

2K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  ferroequinologist 
#1 ·
My first attempt at making a video using my Fuji still camera of my Aster live steam Chapelon Nord hauling some J&M CIWL coaches. It was a very windy day so I apologise for the wind noise. You may notice that the filming is at the same location as on my earlier post about 'switching with live steam' but this time I changed scales to 1:32 French, quite different from my usual 1:20.3 American and swapped over the buildings and structures to get the right look. So have a look at my previous images to compare and you can see it's the same platform and track just different structures. Thanks for having a look as I thought this may be of interest and a bit different.
Russell
 
#5 ·
Thanks for your kind words Tom, and Pete that loco does look smart and so good to drive and those coaches are very heavy but despite working hard as a four cylinder compound there is little exhaust noise.
Yes David some more coaches ($$!) would be good but I do have three SNCF Nord 'rapide' coaches as well to go 'on the hook' that makes a nine car train but on my small layout it looks a bit funny as the train is longer than the straight sections, on your layout that would be great. The loco I purchased second hand all assembled and it had a hard life as some chrome had worn off the tyres on some of the wheels but Aster had replacements in stock. It has always run powerfully and smoothly so that's good as I don't look forward to tearing it down for an overhaul in the far distant future, not with four valve gears to deal with.
Russell
 
#6 ·
Hi Russell: that really looks great and very French. The Neuvy station if I remember from my HO days is a reproduction of one on the Bourbonais main line PLM from Paris to Clermont and Nimes; The layouts atmosphere is very nice with a good deal of planting. The idea of changing the structures to fit the prototype is a great idea and I may use it on my own layout, if you don't mind. keep your old wheelsets as the driver centers on the chapelon are Zamac and can get out of quartering by the heat generated by the firebox. I know of two people to which this has hapeened including myself. As these are some of the rare insulated Asters the driver tyre can come losse too! But it can be fixed, thats when you are happy to have bought a wheel quartering devise... Great to see a bit of france from down under, best,Simon
 
#7 ·
Thanks Simon, the station is a scaled up copy of my HO Jouef station model kit, I liked it so much I decided to re-create it on this layout and the freight shed is a freelance build to fit the small space as is the water tower. The wheels that were worn when I got this engine were strangely only the front bogie, trailing truck and tender wheels, the drivers are still OK so fingers crossed for any future problems. Any advice to minimise heat transfer onto the driving wheels that I could do.
Russell
 
#8 ·
My first attempt at making a video using my Fuji still camera of my Aster live steam Chapelon Nord hauling some J&M CIWL coaches. It was a very windy day so I apologise for the wind noise. You may notice that the filming is at the same location as on my earlier post about 'switching with live steam' but this time I changed scales to 1:32 French, quite different from my usual 1:20.3 American and swapped over the buildings and structures to get the right look. So have a look at my previous images to compare and you can see it's the same platform and track just different structures. Thanks for having a look as I thought this may be of interest and a bit different.
Russell
Kooks fantastic - thanks for sharing.

Did you do anything to strengthen the couplings between the CIWL coaches - I have numerous disasters when these break and the engine leaps free only to come off the track at the next corner. I've now on my second rebuild of the 241P.... Shame because these big french engines are amongst my favorites but I'm almost too scared to run them.

Train Wheel Plant Rolling stock Track
 
#9 ·
Hi Zephyra, you have a magnificent fleet of French loco's there, all beautiful to me, I lust after the 241P and 232U1 !!!
Re the couplings I too had coaches come apart at the coach couplings when the train gets heavy ( 4 or more coaches) so I put Kadee's on all the coaches except at one end of the Fourgon where it couples to the loco and I then only use the loco coupling to go on the hook as it is stronger than the coach couplings and problem solved.
As I have very tight curves of 3 metre radius I mounted the Kadee's on the bogie to help keep the buffers apart on curves and prevent 'buffer lock' and now they run and track much better with no derailments. I made flat brass plate spacers for the Kadees with an upturned end that I bolted to the end of the bogie and tried the correct spacing for coupler before drilling the coupler mounting hole and cutting off the excess plate. I also made sure the coupler has enough 'swing' without hitting anything on the sharpest of curves, on some coaches I needed to bend out the brake pipes a little.
You can see on the image there is little damage so that apart from the one hole on the end of the bogie stretcher plate I can return the coach to as it was and re-install the link couplings.
Russell
Digital camera Camera lens Machine Auto part Reflex camera
 
#10 ·
Hi Zephyra, you have a magnificent fleet of French loco's there, all beautiful to me, I lust after the 241P and 232U1 !!!
Re the couplings I too had coaches come apart at the coach couplings when the train gets heavy ( 4 or more coaches) so I put Kadee's on all the coaches except at one end of the Fourgon where it couples to the loco and I then only use the loco coupling to go on the hook as it is stronger than the coach couplings and problem solved.
As I have very tight curves of 3 metre radius I mounted the Kadee's on the bogie to help keep the buffers apart on curves and prevent 'buffer lock' and now they run and track much better with no derailments. I made flat brass plate spacers for the Kadees with an upturned end that I bolted to the end of the bogie and tried the correct spacing for coupler before drilling the coupler mounting hole and cutting off the excess plate. I also made sure the coupler has enough 'swing' without hitting anything on the sharpest of curves, on some coaches I needed to bend out the brake pipes a little.
You can see on the image there is little damage so that apart from the one hole on the end of the bogie stretcher plate I can return the coach to as it was and re-install the link couplings.
Russell
View attachment 62148
Thanks for the response. I did try kadee couplers with limited success but didn't think of attaching them to the bogies. It's a great idea and might also cope better with the bumps in my track. I will try it.

Robert
 
#11 ·
Hi fellows: The solution to the J&M couplers is as follows: buy some steel rectangular bar about 2 to 3mm wide and about 6mm high and with a file file out the hook shape, it takes about ten minutes to do with good swiss files. Then gently salvage the chain elements from the original J&M couplers, fit to the new hook and replace. the whole operation takes about twenty minutes. I kept the original hook on one side and couple that chain to the steel hook on the next coach, this saves work and time. Of course this is if you wish to keep your continental screw and hook couplers. Kadees are indeed very pleasant as the years grind on... One of the reasons I model the Pennsy too. Talgo mounted couplers (IE refers to couplers connected to the trucks rather than the body) in my book and experience are verbotten! They only create more derailments. Of course this works on the J&M because they are so heavy.
John Van Riemsdijk calculated what the scale weight of rolling stock should be in 1/32 scale and concluded that most rolling stock available was overweight sometimes twice the scale weight that it should be. He had actually rebuilt his J&M Pullmans with plywood floors to make them lighter and less demanding for some of his lighter engines, like his Dutch 440 and the NORD atlantic which I now own. This is why I was so overjoyed that on my new level track and its wide radius curves this engine now can haul four J&M and two CIWLT baggage cars, something John was striving for.

Best to all,
Simon
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top