Posted on

New 7/8 Scale Steel Wheels

We are pleased to announce that we have obtained a new range of British made insulated steel wheels for our range of laser cut 7/8 scale wagon kits. Manufactured to the same high standards as our 16 mm scale wheels, they feature wider wheel treads to give a more chunky appearance whilst still negotiating SM32 and G scale point work.

Currently four sizes are available
12 scale inch diameter, 32 mm and 45 mm gauges
16 scale inch diameter, 32 mm and 45 mm gauges

7/8 scale steel wheels

Over the next few weeks we are re-releasing our existing 7/8 scale kits to include these wheels. Our first new kit to include these wheels is our new skip based flat wagon.

The home builder can also purchase these wheels together with matching 3D printed nylon axleboxes.

24 mm 16 mm wheel left; 22 mm 7/8 scale wheel right

Our standard 16 mm scale 24 mm diameter wheels on the left; our new 22 mm diameter 7/8 scale wheels on the right

Posted on

Sentinel Locomotive “Nutty”

We are pleased to announce that after over a year in development, our next Locomotive kit , Nutty , should be available this November. Again, like our Greenbat kit, this is a joint project with Harry Billmore . Harry volunteers on the Welshpool and Llanfair railway which was Nutty’s home where it last ran and is one of his favorites .

Our Sixteen Mill model will available as both a kit and a Ready-to-Run locomotive. The kit will feature a pre-assembled , four wheel drive chassis together with many 3D printed parts. The kits being produced using our latest high resolution resin printers.

Posted on

7/8 Scale Garden Railway Kits

Trefor Mill Wagon - 7/8 Scale Garden Railway Kits

Bole Laser Craft has just introduced its Trefor quarry wagon as the first of its 7/8 scale garden railway kits.

Cut from premium quality poplar plywood with pre-coloured 3D SLS printed nylon details, this kit makes into a model of the wagons used at the Trefor quarry in North Wales. Kit includes Slater’s 7/8 scale 15 inch wheels to provide a fine looking and running wagon for your 45mm gauge 7/8 scale railway.

Please visit our shop pages for fuller details.

 

Posted on

New Range Of Locomotive Kits

Greenbat BEV Locomotive - general view

Bole Laser Craft is please to announce the first in a range of locomotive kits

Greenbat locomotives were built by Greenwood & Batley Company in Leeds. The company specialised in electric locomotives, particularly battery-powered types for use in mines and other hazardous environments. These were produced in a variety of gauges from 18 inches up to standard gauge.

Our new Greenbat locomotive has been based on one currently working on the Steeple Grange railway in Derbyshire (although some liberties have been taken to allow an eighteen inch gauge to run on 32mm gauge track). The locomotive features four wheel drive from a 12volt micro motor and gearbox. The model runs quite happily on either a 6 or 9 volt battery and is supplied with simple manual control.

We are selling this locomotive in two forms

Ready To Run

Price £145. Manual control in green livery (driver figure not included)

Kit Form

Price £90. Kit features a prebuilt and tested, working chassis (no soldering required).

Posted on

New Range Of Garden Railway Wagon Couplers

We are pleased to announce a new range of 3D printed garden railway wagon couplers suitable for use on small industrial rolling stock.

They are based on “Bell Mouth” couplers as supplied by the likes of Hudsons of Leeds; Orenstein & Koppel and Decauville. As in the prototype, the modeller couples the wagons by first inserting a “link bar” into one coupler mouth and dropping a “T pin” down through a hole in the body to trap the link. The link bar is then inserted into the bell mouth on the next wagon and the other link pin is inserted. This allows the wagon to be both pushed and pulled round tight bends.

To provide compatibility with other makes of coupler; the new Bole Laser Craft coupler may be connecting with a traditional three link chain looped over the top of the “T pin”.

Bell Mouth Couplers - side view
Side view of coupled wagons

Bell Mouth Couplers - pack contents
Pack contents

The couplers are Selective Laser Sintered nylon with an attractive “charcoal black” finish. An engineering grade nylon is used to give a tough and compact coupler.

These couplers are included as standard in the new Trefor Quary wagons and are now available separately for the home builder.

Bell Mouth Couplers

 

 

Posted on

New Lineside Product Range

This week we have added two products to our range, a sleeper build buffer stop and a cable drum.

Wooden Buffer Stops
Buffer Stops – installed at siding end

 

The buffer stops are cut from exterior quality plywood and designed to be filled with gravel to represent a ballast filled pair of buffer stops.

View the Wooden Buffer Stops in our shop

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wooden Cable Drum - 3/4 view
Wooden Cable Drum – 3/4 view

 

Next we have a little kit to make a cable drum on a stand. This can be used as a wagon load or in a goods yard.

View the Cable Drum in our shop

 

Posted on

Manor Farm Light Railway speedometer wagon now available in 45mm gauge

The Manor Farm Light Railway speedometer wagon is now available for 45 mm gauge as well as 32 mm gauge.

 

Coupling fitted to 45mm speedo wagon
Coupling fitted to 45mm speedo wagon

The opportunity has been taken while altering the chassis to switch to a bolt-on centre buffer coupler. This allows the customer to easily change the supplied coupler to one of their choosing. In addition to a central hole in the buffer beam, a second pair of holes have been included so that an Accucraft chopper coupling can easily be bolted on.

View this product in our shop

Posted on

Introducing the Manor Farm Light Railway speedometer wagon.

The Manor Farm Light Railway speed wagon is joint venture between Tom Burton (an electronics engineer by profession) and Bole Laser Craft.

speed wagon 3/4 view

Speed Measurement
The speed wagon contains an on-board computer that constantly monitors the

Speed Wagon Computer

wagon’s speed via an infra-red detector and wheel mounted encoder. The scale speed is then displayed on a large LED display in the wagon’s roof (this can be selected as either MPH or KPH). The screens brightness can be altered by an underfloor knob.

The computer is powered by 6 AA alkaline (included) or rechargeable batteries. To enable the use of rechargeable batteries a charging socket (compatible with Roundhouse charges and others) is installed together with a “charging” position on the underfloor power switch.

The Wagon
The wagon is an adapted Bole Laser Craft PW department tool wagon (Scheduled for release this autum). The body is laser cut poplar plywood with engraved planks and corner rivet plates. The roofs are hinged so that the operator can get to the batteries when required.

The chassis is constructed from black acrylic with 3D printed sintered nylon axle boxes and leaf springs. 24 mm diameter nylon wheels are fitted on silver steel axles.

Please note that this wagon is only supplied complete and tested, not as a kit.

Currently only available in 32mm gauge (but watch this space )

View this product in our shop

Posted on

“Modest Industrials”, a range of SM32 wagon kits

A train of modest industrial SM32 wagon kits

Introducing a range of medium sized SM32 wagon kits based on mining, quarrying and industrial prototypes. The wagons have been scaled to retain their characteristic small size but large enough so their couplings match the 16mm Narrow Gauge Modellers Association’s guideline height used by the live steam locomotive model manufactures (e.g. Roundhouse and Accucraft).

The kits utilise a number of different materials such as poplar plywood, MDF board, brass bearings, steel axles and nylon wheels. The parts have been designed with many “tabs and sockets” so that they are positively located in the correct position whilst the glue sets.

The wagons are modestly priced (£15-£20) so that a descent sized train of wagon should not break the bank. The price has been kept low by excluding some of the more expensive detail parts (e.g. no white metal castings for instance) but not by compromising on running gear or material quality.

View the Cornish Slate Wagon in our shop

View the Grange Farm Tipper Wagon in our shop

Photo by Dave Billmore