Focalplane's Workbench (mostly 7mm)

[Focalplane]

After being a reasonably active RMWeb member for three years with two blogs and just under 1,000 entries and comments, I have realized that my 7mm emphasis (now well under way after starting 18 months ago) is probably better illustrated on a work bench thread.  The Legge Lane Blog will continue but will only highlight progress on the layout.  As my 4mm layout of Shipston on Stour is mothballed, I’ll leave that blog alone for the time being.  My work bench is likely to be all 7mm anyway.  I do most of my modelling in a small apartment in southern France where the Legge Lane MPD is located.

 

The current state of affairs on my work bench is as follows, with photos:

 

Locos completed:

 

Connoisseur LMS 3F 0-6-0T, 47473, ex-Bushbury 3B, nicknamed Dobbin following common usage in the Nuneaton area.

 

 

Connoisseur LMS 4F 0-6-0, 44571, ex-Saltley 21A

 

 

Locos under construction:

 

David Andrews LMS 4P Compound, 41168, ex-Monument Lane 3E, the last Compound to be withdrawn

 

 

Modern Outline Kits GWR Collet 0-4-2T, 1459, ex-Oswestry 89A, an old favourite from my school days, working the Gobowen Rattler auto train 

 

 

Locos yet to be touched:

 

David Andrews LMS 6P Patriot, 45506 “Royal Pioneer Corps”, ex-Bristol Barrow Road 22B

David Andrews LMS 4P Compound, second kit, to have working inside motion added

 

Coaches under construction:

 

Sidelines LMS Period III Kitchen Car

 

 

JLTRT BR Mark 1 Corridor 3rd

 

Coaches yet to be touched:

 

JLTRT BR Mark 1 Brake Corridor 3rd

Sidelines LMS Period III Brake First

 

The MOK 14XX is the priority and it needs only a few dozen details to be fitted before being painted.  I plan to build the four coaches before starting to paint them beyond primer.  Batch building has some efficiencies, I think.

 

I am also completely won over by DCC sound with the two completed locos fully functional with Digitrains Zimo decoders.  The 14XX will have a SW Digital Loksound decoder while the David Andrews Compound has an older Loksound decoder with sound files that are best described as generic 2 cylinder LMS.  This actually is all right as the high pressure cylinder doesn’t actually “chuff” and the two low pressure cylinders are cranked at 90º.

 

I am composing this entry while traveling from Wales to France, anticipating three weeks of modeling prior to returning to Wales for Christmas.  This means I will miss both Warley and the Gauge O meeting at Reading.  It does look as though I will make it to Bristol at the end of January.  This will be a time to spend some funds on wheels, motors, etc. as well as perhaps more kits for the work bench.  I plan to drive back so I will able to bring some modeling with me for the month of January.  I could also bring back a locomotive for the test track at Bristol.

 

Edit to increase font size

Edited February 11, 2017 by Focalplane

[Andrew P]

Some really nice builds there Paul, very nice indeed.

[Focalplane]

Just now I took a photo of the rigged up Loksound decoder attached to the 14XX chassis.  The 8 pin socket is connected to the plunger pickups and the motor terminals in the usual way.

 

 

The second photo shows how the bass reflex speaker fits in one of the side tanks.  This is the speaker I will be using, the smaller one came with the decoder.

 

 

The blackened interior does not represent a fire!  I sprayed the cab interior prior to fixing the roof.

 

The sound files are excellent, the future of DCC sound may still be in its infancy as each decoder I buy seems to be better than the last.  This one incorporates a lot of real locomotive sounds, though not necessarily of a 14XX.

 

My biggest problem with DCC sound right now is trying to remember the function numbers that apply to the different sounds on different decoders.  It might make sense to map all the functions to the same numbers across all locos.  Truth is, though, I would rather be building kits!

[steveNCB7754]

Just now I took a photo of the rigged up Loksound decoder attached to the 14XX chassis.  The 8 pin socket is connected to the plunger pickups and the motor terminals in the usual way.

 

DSC_4602.jpg

 

The second photo shows how the bass reflex speaker fits in one of the side tanks.  This is the speaker I will be using, the smaller one came with the decoder.

 

DSC_4603.jpg

 

The blackened interior does not represent a fire!  I sprayed the cab interior prior to fixing the roof.

 

The sound files are excellent, the future of DCC sound may still be in its infancy as each decoder I buy seems to be better than the last.  This one incorporates a lot of real locomotive sounds, though not necessarily of a 14XX.

 

My biggest problem with DCC sound right now is trying to remember the function numbers that apply to the different sounds on different decoders.  It might make sense to map all the functions to the same numbers across all locos.  Truth is, though, I would rather be building kits!

 

Hi Paul,

 

There is an article on just that subject (remapping), in the November issue of 'Model Railroader' magazine -  'Remap Functions For Consistent Operations' by Larry Puckett, on pages 62-63.

 

 

Steve

[Derbys65]

Do Poppy's still do the rolling road that's in the pic. I've had a few items from them but never seen that.

[MarshLane]

Very nice build image.  Really like the coach on the turntable? An LMS variety?

 

Rich

[coachmann]

Very nice locos there. The 4F is one I must have some day. When choosing a sound for your Compound, I note you mentioned a generic 2-cyl loco. Make sure it has the early LMS whistle a bit like the GWR type, not the 'Stanier' hooter.....Although you probably realise this ha ha.

Edited November 24, 2016 by coachmann

[daifly]

Do Poppy's still do the rolling road that's in the pic. I've had a few items from them but never seen that.

 

Their site doesn't facilitate page linking but if you go to http://www.poppyswoodtech.co.uk on the Tools menu all you can see is a dead link to the 7mm Rolling Road Bed! Presumably out of stock or NLA.

Dave

Edited November 25, 2016 by daifly

[Focalplane]

Do Poppy's still do the rolling road that's in the pic. I've had a few items from them but never seen that.

I am not sure if it is still available. I bought it at Kettering earlier this year and I think that the rollers were in short supply at the time. Best to ask Poppy's.

[Focalplane]

Very nice build image.  Really like the coach on the turntable? An LMS variety?

 

Rich

Rich, the coach in a Sidelines LMS Period III kitchen car, which was D1917. An interesting vehicle also used in the Coronation rakes and all gas with only an electric pass through. It was used in the Midlander rake during the late 1950s.

 

The turntable, by the way, is Metalsmiths. I have never pressed out so many rivets! But if you take the time it is a very satisfying build.

 

Paul

[Focalplane]

Very nice locos there. The 4F is one I must have some day. When choosing a sound for your Compound, I note you mentioned a generic 2-cyl loco. Make sure it has the early LMS whistle a bit like the GWR type, not the 'Stanier' hooter.....Although you probably realise this ha ha.

Larry, Jim's kits are great, I suppose they are entry level brass etch kits in 7mm which can always benefit from a bit more detailing. For example, I added brass lubricators in place of the white metal ones that came in the box. These came from Laurie Griffin.

The sound file has the Midland whistle, it's from Olivia's, which is quite ancient, but as there are no recordings available it will do..

 

Paul

Edited November 25, 2016 by Focalplane

[Focalplane]

I spent a few hours this morning cleaning the 14XX's body with a small wire brush attached to my Dremel.  It only dislodged three small parts, which is not too bad - these have been resoldered and then given some harsh treatment during which they remained in place.

 

I also decided that some house cleaning was necessary as some of my steel tools had been attacked by flux residue while I was away for 6 weeks or so.  The worst affected was my small square from Eileens Emporium.  No criticism to the vendor, just my lack of respect to a useful tool.

 

After some time away from the work bench it takes a while to get back in the groove, but I hope to start attaching the remaining parts to the 14XX over the weekend.  While on my daily perambulation I marshaled some thoughts about priorities and decided on the following for the next few weeks:

 

Finish assembling the 14XX and then prime the body.

 

Test the 14XX assembled with DCC sound plugged in.  Painting can wait until Spring and drier weather (I spray on the apartment's loggia)

 

Revert to the coach building, making a start on the next Sidelines kit(s).

 

If I make that much progress I will be pleased, but the LMS Compound is also sending me signals about being left too long without the brakes being attached to the chassis.  Pressure, pressure!

 

Now that I have missed Warley and will miss Reading, my plans are to definitely attend the Bristol Gauge O meet at the end of January.  Exhibitors take note - a long shopping list is being compiled.

 

Oh yes, one impulse buy this morning - David Andrews has one Castle kit.  Well he did, I snapped it up.  It's going to be Sir Daniel Gooch, 5070, the loco that features in Philip Hawkins fabulous painting of the Cornishmen on a summer Saturday at Snow Hill.  Though I may hang the Cambrian Coast Express board on its smokebox!

Edited February 3, 2017 by Focalplane

[Focalplane]

Much of what remains to be done with the 14XX is to do with plumbing - the auto train piping and the lubrication system.  It's all a bit daunting as the instructions are, well, OK, and the pictures are really very good, but somehow I feel a visit to Didcot with camera would be very helpful before I start cutting and shaping pipes and attaching Peter Roles' additional autotrain kit.  If 1466 (or is it 4866?) is on shed in January I think a visit would be better than just going ahead and potentially making mistakes.  I know there are lots of photos around of the preserved locos but I am modelling 1459, long gone, so somehow I have to meld the preserved with the past if I am to get things nearer to right.

 

As a result, the 14XX model is going to have to wait until February.  So it looks like the David Andrews Compound will get its chance to progress.  And there are always the coaches. . . .  So much to do, so little time.  But it's good to have alternative plans.

Edited November 26, 2016 by Focalplane

[Focalplane]

After placing the 14XX on hold I decided to continue with the build of a JLTRT Mark 1 coach which I had started back in the late summer.  Much of the JLTRT coach kits require the use of CA adhesive which is something of a departure for me.  However, I chose to use the etched bogies so at least that part of the kit is "normal" as solder is my preferred medium.

 

I have completed one bogie and it has been a most pleasant experience.  The axles are fully compensated with working hornblocks, while the level of detail is excellent.  The second bogie should go together more quickly now I have learned some of the tricks associated with these kits.

 

 

The body of the coach brought me into new territory, using the recommended 20 second CA adhesive, sold under the brand name Roket Max.

 

Although the label says 10-20 second bonding time this is somewhat misleading.  Setting times depend on a number of factors, including the amount of glue applied and how easily the atmosphere can get to the joint being glued.  Also, as I discovered after a panic attack when one join was not as it should be, the bond can be undone during the curing process.  Knowing this, it is a lot easier to dive in and glue.  With the long joins (i.e. side to floor) I tack glued using the well known technique when soldering.  I also glued the ends to the floor first, then the sides.  Some small filling will be required on the corner joins.

 

The main components of the body are made of polyurethane which is why CA glue is recommended.  The castings are good but some minor warping is present though this tends to disappear when the major parts are bonded.  The instructions note that the only flat surfaces on a Mark 1 body are the glass windows, which is why brass etches were not used.

 

The coach interiors include partitions, seats and so on, with guard's compartments well provided for in terms of detail.  This current build is a TK (my modelling period is just before the change from 3rd to second class) as used on the rear portion of the Midlander.  The kit has been discontinued but a new version is promised for next year.

 

No photos of the body in this post but I promise one will be posted when I have progressed further.

[coachmann]

Hi Paul, the bogie looks to be cast sideframes and top plate and must therefore be really heavy...?  No doubt it was felt that weight was needed here when the coach body is plastic. I look forward to seeing images of the body in due course, as i am interested in building a few JLTRT GWR coaches.

[Focalplane]

Larry

 

I'll post some photos later this week.  The bogie certainly is heavy but runs very smoothly and freely.

 

I have been thinking about how to paint the interior and as I needed to go to the local hardware store in Narbonne today I looked at aerosol paints.  Of course, they are all gloss and none looked like wood or laminate paneling.  Then I saw one can labeled "Peinture Effet Oxydé" - roughly translated "rusty colour".  It appears to be matt and hopefully will look the part.  If not I can use it on some home improvement projects!

[coachmann]

Interior were varnished empire veneers in LMS coaches and need to be glossy. My interior colour has always been gloss cellulose. Derek Lawrence had a neat trick of using Pentel MAXIFLO Permanent Marker NLF50, a felt tip pen that produced a woodgrain effect on bare plasticard. It contains liquid ink which is propelled by a button one one end of the handle. The effect was good if overscale for 4mm, but it would serve a good purpose in 7mm scale coaches.

Edited November 28, 2016 by coachmann

[Focalplane]

Interior were varnished empire veneers in LMS coaches and need to be glossy. My interior colour has always been gloss cellulose. Derek Lawrence had a neat trick of using Pentel MAXIFLO Permanent Marker NLF50, a felt tip pen that produced a woodgrain effect on bare plasticard. It contains liquid ink which is propelled by a button one one end of the handle. The effect was good if overscale for 4mm, but it would serve a good purpose in 7mm scale coaches.

 

Larry

 

This is a Mark 1 coach and from photos it seems the panels were not that glossy even when new.  I just tried it out on a sheet of card and the effect is definitely not glossy.  So perhaps I will hold off for now.

 

Paul

[coachmann]

Larry

 

This is a Mark 1 coach and from photos it seems the panels were not that glossy even when new.  I just tried it out on a sheet of card and the effect is definitely not glossy.  So perhaps I will hold off for now.

 

Paul

I must admit I know little about Mk.I coaches. They were avoided at all costs in steam days and when I was forced to ride in one in the 1980's and more recently in preservation, I assume the interiors were not original.

[Focalplane]

Here are a couple of photos someone sent me some time ago of a Mark 1 coach which went to Canada, I think, and has never been restored.  So it probably as original as can be, if a little worn (look at the upholstery):

 

 

 

Definitely wood panelling so closer to LMS than later BR laminate.  I'll look for some gloss!

 

FYI, the Midlander rake in the late 1950s was a mix of Period III LMS and BR Mark 1s.  The kitchen car and first class coaches were all LMS Period III.  Sidelines has them all in the catalogue, JLTRT had the Mark 1s but now out of stock until next year.

[Focalplane]

Hi Paul, the bogie looks to be cast sideframes and top plate and must therefore be really heavy...?  No doubt it was felt that weight was needed here when the coach body is plastic. I look forward to seeing images of the body in due course, as i am interested in building a few JLTRT GWR coaches.

 

Larry, I must have misread your post and so need to clarify the JLTRT bogie construction.  There is some white metal but only the four leaf springs and the inside framework.  Nonetheless the finished article is heavy enough but really no more than a Sidelines bogie that has the full white metal sideframes.  The top plate is actually folded nickel silver etch.

 

I have been working on the body this afternoon/evening and the polyurethane parts are surprisingly heavy.  They are possibly heavier than the thinner brass sheet used on the Sidelines kits and the polyurethane roof might be heavier than the extruded aluminium roof supplied by Sidelines.  It will be interesting to weigh two coaches when they are complete to find out which is actually the heavier.

 

While on my daily perambulation I worked on the problem of when to paint what.  I think the interior will need to be assembled after painting the paritions, inside walls and seats.  The window spaces will need to be masked off and the interior inserted with seats glued in placed (I painted the latter this evening).  This will then leave the exterior to be painted before the windows are inserted and glued in place.

 

[i should explain that none of this is in the instructions, perhaps because it should be second nature.  I am aware that JLTRT has a Facebook presence but I don't think it has any tips or advice on building the kits.  As I don't like the idea of Facebook and other social media that would like to expose me to the world, quite possibly with my pants down, I would hope that JLTRT would consider a section on their regular website that could address some of these issues.  I know there is an alternative - call Laurie - but I don't want to waste his time on one-on-one chats.]

[Focalplane]

Two photos of the body, definitely a work in progress!

 

 

 

The first shows what appears to be a London Underground carriage but it is in fact the Mark 1 body without the roof and undercarriage.  The second shows the black plasticard partitions temporarily inserted into the body, along with two seats in primer.

 

I went to a different hardware store this morning, as well as the French equivalent of Halfords, Feu Vert.  The latter stocks Motip brand aerosols for many makes of cars.  I boiught a can of dark grey "bumper spray" for the coach roofs.

 

The long standing recommendation for Halford's aerosols for Crimson Lake and Cream are Ford Rosso Red and Vauxhall Gazelle Beige.  Neither of these paints were on the shelf but the manual did give the Motip colour codes, R 41490 and 51L 46680.  The manager didn't think I could order them to be made up and delivered so I will have to see what Motip themselves might offer.

 

For the coach wood panelling I finally opted for a "gloss" Dulux paint, Bois d'Acajou.  This was the closest I could find and I hope it will work out.  I will have to brush paint it (on primed plasticard) so maybe I can get some grain texture which would be a bonus.

[coachmann]

Thanks for the images. The one aspect of JLTRT coaches I definitely do not like is having to glue little pieces of glazing in each window recess. I'll get there in the end using brass etchings.

[Focalplane]

Larry, you have hit a raw nerve!  When I looked at the perspex inserts I immediately wondered how the frame would be painted and still look half way decent.  I have to admit I pushed this thought away and thought a solution might be out there.  Sidelines' kits don't have this problem.

[Focalplane]

Progress on the Mark 1 coach has been slow for a number of reasons:

 

The instructions lack detail in places

 

I broke my bifocals and have had to resort to my second pair - varifocals  - which don't do the job and give me a headache

 

The search for suitable paints for the interior, now solved

 

So, here is a photo of the interior partitions and seats:

 

 

The wood panelling follows Coachmann's suggestion for using gloss paint.  I think it works quite well.

 

The seats needed two thick coats to cover the black plastic base (and I used grey primer)  The floor is supposed to be matt black but Humbrol 33 seems to be just a tad glossy.

 

The various brass and white metal castings are slowly being added to the polyurethane body using CA glue.  I will say one thing about the Roket brand, it doesn't string, but give me a soldering iron any day!

 

Both bogies are complete and ready to prime.  There are no instructions for how the bogies should be fixed but an elimination of other parts in the box eventually solved that problem.

 

Please don't think me as too critical of the JLTRT kit - I am only suffering from a change of technique and really need a bit more hand holding on this first kit.  I feel sure the second kit will go together much more quickly.  The same comment goes for almost any kit designer.  I found this to be true with both Jim McGeown's and David Andrews' kits.