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Post by tubelightonline on Aug 28, 2014 11:20:12 GMT
Yes, my grubby little paws have once again been busy acquiring and restoring some redundant train fixtures - this time, it's the turn of the universally-loved and missed [citation needed] C Stock (remember them?). These new toys appear in the form of a car diagram, a treadplate from both a C69 and C77 car, and a destination blind, complete with its enclosure (sorry, Rincew1nd!). Links to the new items can be found here, under the 'Related Items in Collection' section. I will warn you that the destination blind's page is rather...long, on account of the restoration work that was required, but it's all worth it in the end! |
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Post by domh245 on Aug 28, 2014 12:05:22 GMT
Very nice indeed. It was interesting to see what the treadplates looked like when you had cleaned them. Unfortunately for me though, seeing them that clean just doesn't seem right - C Stock treadplates should always be that dirty old grey colour!  Out of interest, do you know which cars the treadplates were salvaged from? |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2014 12:48:53 GMT
That was very nice, you've done a fine job, particularly on the treadplates.
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rincew1nd
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Post by rincew1nd on Aug 28, 2014 19:14:24 GMT
#Jealous
Very jealous.
Are the two drive gears permanently fixed or is there some kind of clever jiggery-pokery involved to keep the tension in the blind as it nears each end?
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Post by tubelightonline on Aug 29, 2014 6:26:57 GMT
Very nice indeed. It was interesting to see what the treadplates looked like when you had cleaned them. Unfortunately for me though, seeing them that clean just doesn't seem right - C Stock treadplates should always be that dirty old grey colour! Out of interest, do you know which cars the treadplates were salvaged from? That was very nice, you've done a fine job, particularly on the treadplates. Thanks for the comments - very much appreciated! Yes, I suppose that by cleaning the treadplates, I've also removed a degree of authenticity, given that being caked in years of dirt (and chewing gum - London has done me proud once again!) is part of the 'charm'! Alas, I don't know the individual cars that these came from - there was just a pile of discarded plates and I could choose whichever I wanted. Had I realised that the C69 one I'd picked was damaged, I'd probably have swapped it for another, but it was only once I'd arrived back home that I noticed the slight bend in the casting, and it's not really all that noticeable. #Jealous Very jealous. Are the two drive gears permanently fixed or is there some kind of clever jiggery-pokery involved to keep the tension in the blind as it nears each end? Heh - I was expecting that! There isn't really any pokery with the blind - jiggery or otherwise! The gears are fixed, and it's only thanks to the positions of the internal rollers that the material remains taut, regardless of whether the current destination is at the end or the middle of the roll. Additionally, the shape that the material takes in order to display the rear destination helps to prevent the blind from being over-wound - the material makes a rather unhappy grating sound if this does happen! |
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Tom
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Post by Tom on Aug 30, 2014 23:24:00 GMT
Nice!
5529 was the car whose blind box had been earmarked for me to remove, but due to a mix-up we had to leave it intact as it wasn't clear if that was the car the museum was having at the time (I got 5592's in the end). I'm glad it survived though, though it isn't the only bit to have survived; I have the set number plates. The blind boxes were a pig to get out; you can't get much movement on the spanner and allen key on the lug and it isn't easy to stand there either.
I can probably get you a copy of the drawing for the destination transfer, if that is any use? I think I've even got one lying around somewhere...
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Post by raynerslanemainman on Aug 31, 2014 6:47:21 GMT
The old district line destination blind has the same features as the c stock one so maybe you could experiment!
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Post by tubelightonline on Aug 31, 2014 8:22:42 GMT
Nice! 5529 was the car whose blind box had been earmarked for me to remove, but due to a mix-up we had to leave it intact as it wasn't clear if that was the car the museum was having at the time (I got 5592's in the end). I'm glad it survived though, though it isn't the only bit to have survived; I have the set number plates. The blind boxes were a pig to get out; you can't get much movement on the spanner and allen key on the lug and it isn't easy to stand there either. I can probably get you a copy of the drawing for the destination transfer, if that is any use? I think I've even got one lying around somewhere... Interesting - the Museum's loss is my gain! Good to hear that you were able to secure one in the end, and at least 5592 uses the same digits as 5529 does! Your comments regarding the difficulty in removing the boxes goes some way to explaining why only the 'accessible' parts were repainted at refurbishment - why make life difficult! Do you know what purpose the catches located at either end of these boxes (and on the A Stock boxes too) served; presumably, they clamped on to a fixture in the cab in order to stop the box from swinging about in service? I'd certainly be interested in seeing a copy of that drawing if you have one to hand - thank you. Don't go out of your way to look for it, though! The old district line destination blind has the same features as the c stock one so maybe you could experiment! I thought the same when I noticed how the inner-facing destinations were presented on the D Stock blind material - I was tempted to try fitting it in the box, but what may now prevent this from happening is that the material for that one is attached to the rollers using heavy-duty double-sided tape (rather than just being held by the removable pin, as was done originally), and the new rollers are of a different (smaller) diameter to the originals, which would prevent the end caps from attaching correctly. The idea isn't impossible, however... |
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Tom
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Post by Tom on Sept 2, 2014 21:36:49 GMT
Do you know what purpose the catches located at either end of these boxes (and on the A Stock boxes too) served; presumably, they clamped on to a fixture in the cab in order to stop the box from swinging about in service? Exactly that, they were secured by the two clamps on each side and the bosses at the top, which connected to similar bosses on on the cab itself, held in place with a very long bolt and a nut. Neither were particularly easy to undo; the bolts needed an allen key, spanner and a lot of patience and you needed small hands (and long arms) to undo the catches. Best not done in the blazing sun like I had to! I would guess they were initially mounted using the catches and then secured in place with the bolts. |
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Post by tubelightonline on Sept 3, 2014 6:18:04 GMT
Ah yes; the A Stock blind enclosure still had its ceiling bosses attached by means of the two long bolts when I acquired it. I did attempt to attach the enclosure to a convenient ceiling joist in my room using these, but this plan was ultimately defeated as I was unable to hold the enclosure whilst simultaneously trying to locate the bolts (thank goodness for the advent of Polyfilla!); hence, my revised idea using the shelving brackets - the only downside to this method, of course, is that the rear panel is then completely obscured, but I suppose that it's what's on the outer-facing side of the blind that is important!
Hmm...working in confined spaces at the height of summer - I remember those days all too well myself!
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