Deliberately Old-Fashioned 0 Scale - Chapter 1

[Nearholmer]

A few words about tinplate six-wheelers prompted by a discussion in another thread.

 

First, a Carette coach c1909/10. These were available in Gauges 2, 1 and 0, either singly, or as a close-coupled bracelet of three.

 

The red arrow indicates where the middle axle-cradle has dropped a bit because of the way it was photographed; once on the track, it wouldn’t be like this.

 

Next Ace, which are +/- a direct replica of Carette in mos5 respects. They have round radius arms to operate the movement of the centre axle in the Cleminson action, like the originals.

 

Then Darstaed, which have flat radius arms.

 

Finally, a comparison of length, to show that the Ace is noticeably longer, probably closer to typical scale length. The Carette were, I think even shorter than the Darstaed, notice only three compartments, but I don’t have any, so can’t check to be sure.

 

Plonk ‘em on the track, and all three makes look very happy together.

 

Exley also made a few six-wheelers, but I don’t think they had proper Cleminson action, and they were painted aluminium, rather than printed tin, and had a ‘modern’ (for about 1935) body design, rather than oodles of fancy panelling.

 

I’m very taken by these coaches, because they make nice, short trains, and look very ‘period’.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Nearholmer

[Donw]

Four and six wheel coaches are the space starved modellers' friends. A train of short coaches will seem longer than one of equal length using bogie coaches simply because the eye and brain assumes more coaches means more length. I rather like them myself. I have two sets of the Connoisseur 6 wheelers to make up which I will paint in Cambrian livery. I rather like Anne's coach prints. Peter Smith of Kirtley Models has done something similar with some for his Saltdean layout. The thread on here is worth viewing if you are interested in pre-group 0 gauge or LBSC.

 

Don

[Nearholmer]

The Inspector of Old-Fashiondness was particularly impressed by the below at a local show today. HD, rather than 0, but ....

 

Tremendous mix of a show, multiple finescale works in multiple gauges and scales, including Irish 5’3” in two scales, th tree Dublo essays, one the late 2-Rail, tinplate US, and tinplate British

Edited February 10, 2018 by Nearholmer

[Edwardian]

The Inspector of Old-Fashiondness was particularly impressed by the below at a local show today. HD, rather than 0, but ....

 

Tremendous mix of a show, multiple finescale works in multiple gauges and scales, including Irish 5’3” in two scales, th tree Dublo essays, one the late 2-Rail, tinplate US, and tinplate British

 

That is fun!

[Nearholmer]

Don

 

I’ve seen Peter Smith’s work, and it is exceedingly good.

 

What I find interesting is that we seem to be moving out of the ‘plastic age’, so far as a lot of craft modelling is concerned, with wood (now often laser cut) and printed materials making a big return, having been out of fashion for a very long time.

 

Personally, I find metal, wood, and card far more pleasant materials to use than plastic. It’s not as easy to make things crisp in the softer materials, but they feel nicer in the hand, and don’t involve horribly stinky solvents.

 

I’ve even been eyeing cereal packets lately. Apart from oats, we don’t usually buy breakfast cereal, but tried some recently to relieve the winter tedium of porridge. It comes in a packet that has a Matt finish on the exterior, but a semi-glazed, plain white interior, and is crying out to be made into something. Back to days of youth, when cereal packet was the only material I could afford (free!), and I built a set of LBSCR workman’s cottages, a row of shops, and a goods shed from it.

 

Kevin

[brianusa]

 

Layout improvements, just prior to the installation of a No.4 Station and a No.3 instead of the Island Platform. 

 

Brian.

 

 

[Donw]

Don

 

I’ve seen Peter Smith’s work, and it is exceedingly good.

 

What I find interesting is that we seem to be moving out of the ‘plastic age’, so far as a lot of craft modelling is concerned, with wood (now often laser cut) and printed materials making a big return, having been out of fashion for a very long time.

 

Personally, I find metal, wood, and card far more pleasant materials to use than plastic. It’s not as easy to make things crisp in the softer materials, but they feel nicer in the hand, and don’t involve horribly stinky solvents.

 

I’ve even been eyeing cereal packets lately. Apart from oats, we don’t usually buy breakfast cereal, but tried some recently to relieve the winter tedium of porridge. It comes in a packet that has a Matt finish on the exterior, but a semi-glazed, plain white interior, and is crying out to be made into something. Back to days of youth, when cereal packet was the only material I could afford (free!), and I built a set of LBSCR workman’s cottages, a row of shops, and a goods shed from it.

 

Kevin

 

Well if the want to go Plastic free in the future ........ I find card a very useful medium especially if you give it a coat of shellac/knotting after cutting out the parts. Jim Read is one of the top card users. His 0 gauge loco with a card chassis was amazing some threads on here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/116975-making-a-7mm-0-gauge-lner-y8-side-tank-loco-from-card-for-round-about-%C2%A345/ and a bit on his website http://www.jasread.com/micro/

 

Apologies for adding things to you threads it is just that people on here may be interested.

 

Don

[Annie]

I'm not sure if it's because of food  packaging regulations or not, but cereal box cardboard is actually a really high quality cardboard that remains the best freebee modelling material bar none.  I can't use plastics as a modelling material because the solvent glues are not at all friendly to my health situation, but I've never missed not being able to use it.  Wood, paper and card are much more fun to work with and I think they are a much better fit when used in combination with our old coarse scale trains.  I have buildings in these materials planned for 'Foxwater' and I'm quite looking forward to making a start on them.

 

Thanks for posting the 6 wheeler pictures Kevin I found those really informative and interesting.  The two different styles and approaches to the LSWR livery on the part of Ace and Darstaed are of interest too and I think the Ace version is the better one.  I made some artwork for converting Hornby 4 wheelers and bogie coaches to an LSWR appearance and it's not an easy livery to reproduce.  Folk in the HRCA who purchased LSWR lithos from me seemed happy with them though so I must've done something right.  Unfortunately I no longer have this artwork as it got lost in a hard drive failure, but I would like to have a go at them again as I'm going to need some LSWR coaches for 'Foxwater'.

[Simond]

It’s not all about oldfashionedness...

 

Having purchased a computer controlled laser cutter last year, one of the first things one discovers is that the majority of materials it’s happiest with are not plastics. Card and MDF work very well. Plywood is variable. Perspex is excellent, but styrene is a non-starter, and pvc is likely to see off you and your machine! All told, a range grades of card form a pretty good feedstock for processing. I must get on & finish the upgrade I started, so I can build my loco shed.

 

Irrespective of which, a bit of card modelling is good for the soul. It’s relaxing, necessarily so if waiting for the PVA to grab, and, as Annie says, the raw material is frequently free...

 

One of my efforts

 

 

I recall an article about a guy who builds rather impressive locos from card, I’ll see if I can find it and post a link.

 

Best

Simon

[Simond]

have a look here...

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/97762-duchess-of-sutherland-of-cardboard/?p=1838060

 

Impressive stuff.

Best

Simon

[Ian Kirk]

Hi,

When I graduated from Train set to first attempts at modelling Plastic card was not in general use. My Father was really an aeromodeller but in the late 40s early 50s had experimented with a bit of the then fairly unusual 2 rail 00. There were some card wagons he had built and I found his copy of: "Cardboard rolling stock and how to build it" by Earl Rankine Grey. So all of my first efforts were in shellaced card with white metal axle guards, turned brass buffers and 3 link couplings  (from ERG) the wheels if I remember correctly were all metal on Peco "insulaxles" - I never understood how these worked. I still like building in card and cereal boxes is a good source. If given a couple of coats of french polish each side it seems to be quite long lasting. 

I remember seeing old George Slater demonstrating his Plastikard at the Glasgow Show in the Maclellan Galleries in, I think, the mid 60s.  How he survived into old age I will never know as he always had a cigarette in the corner of his mouth while sloshing his mek pack about.

 

best wishes,

 

Ian

[Nearholmer]

I had to give in under the pressure of all the discussion of six-wheelers, and run what pre-grouping service I can with the limited examples to hand.

 

Goods trains I can’t really do at all, because I have neither a suitable engine or a suitable brake van. There are always plans in hand for both, but the good intentions don’t pull trains, or stop them.

 

The Hornby LNER four-wheelers look quite good behind a Terrier, pretending to be something on the East London Line.

[Annie]

Lovely pictures Kevin with all the atmospheric delights of tinplate.  I can appreciate a finescale layout as much as anyone, but tinplate and coarse scale always draws me back.  I think it's because my imagination fills in the details which I find to be much better than fastidiously modelling every square inch of a layout.

 

Leeds Model Co solved the six wheeler problem by having no flanges on the centre wheels of their coaches which might sound crude, but if it works and needs no pivots and swinging links it's all good in my book.  I have pictures stolen from ebay of the undersides of Leeds coaches, but I don't know what the policy is here on posting such pictures.

 

What style and type of brake van do you need Kevin?  My totally pretend 'Foxwater Light Railway' is supposed to be sited somewhere in LSWR territory and I'm going to be looking at making brake vans in the near future.  I'm a wood, card and litho type of 'O' gauge modeller so while I can't do tinplate or etched stuff semi-Leeds/Milsbro/Annie interpretations are very possible.  Nothing would be instant as the illness I live with makes me very fatigued and tired, but it certainly would be nice to start building some wagons & etc again.

[Nearholmer]

Annie

 

I’m heading for either the LSWR or LBSCR 4-wheel road van, both designed by Mr Panter, I think, and hard to tell apart. A good plan might be an LSWR one, lettered for that company on one side, and SR on the other, although I suppose I could do it grey on one side and brown on the other. I’ve got the chassis, two in fact, in the form of BL LWB, which needs about 2mm to be ‘lost’ from the body length to make it fit. To be neat and plausible, it needs to be laser-cut from plywood, hence my interest in that method.

 

Loco-wise, I have a very untidy Leeds generic 0-6-0T, which has a truly awful chassis, made by someone who struggled with the idea of a straight line or a right-angle. The chassis is fit only for scrap, and the housing needs work to deal with a bad paint job and file marks, but is very close to a G6, and Leeds sold them as such. I will need to either build a decent chassis, or buy an ETS one to suit.

 

What I haven’t researched is what colour the LSWR painted it’s goods engines. If, as I hope, they were black, I can letter the loco differently on each side too!

 

Kevin

 

EDIT: it looks from a quick google as if LSWR goods engines were very dark Holly green, bordering on ‘invisible green’, lined in bright green, but I need to check further.

Edited February 13, 2018 by Nearholmer

[Northroader]

Jim McGeown, Connoisseur Models, does a nice etched brass kit for one of these, which by nature of the paint scheme used, could act as a dual identity LSWR/SR one. (This one is an old 43to1 white metal kit)

[Nearholmer]

Clearly a comfy van, judging by the cheerful look of the guard.

 

The vans I’m on about have hefty outside frames, a single verandah, and goods doors in the sides. Without drawings to hand, I think the LBSCR ones might have had XIIXh framing, and the LSWR ones \||/h, but otherwise very similar.

 

This type of thing http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/pg/148/DJ-Models-LSWR-Road-Van

[Annie]

Yes it would be an LSWR road van like that one that I'm thinking of.  On branchlines and light railways road vans are far more useful than the normal vanilla kind of brake van.  Mentioning laser cutting is all a bit too modern for me since I'm still very much a craft knife and razor saw kind of girl.  It's also a cheap method and only requires time and I've got plenty of that.  I'll most probably do the underframe in wood too just to be really old fashioned.  There's a chap here in New Zealand who has his own micro sawmill and he cuts the most beautiful stripwood and it's not expensive either.

 

My own part built G6 looks at me in an accusing fashion whenever I take it out of its box.  I had a set of reproduction Leeds wheels for it, but they seem to have gone missing.  Most probably happened when I moved here to the rural countryside which is a bit annoying as the chap in the HRCA who made them for me said he wouldn't be doing any more.  

[Northroader]

That’s Sunny South Sam in charge of the van, fancy you not recognising him.

[St Enodoc]

There's a chap here in New Zealand who has his own micro sawmill and he cuts the most beautiful stripwood and it's not expensive either.

Details please Annie!

[Annie]

Details please Annie!

https://www.woodsworks.co.nz  Very friendly and pleasant folk to deal with.

[St Enodoc]

https://www.woodsworks.co.nz  Very friendly and pleasant folk to deal with.

Thanks Annie. I think I've heard of them before in the context of copperclad sleepers.

[Nearholmer]

Not a great photo, but these old Hornby coaches rattle along quite nicely behind a Terrier.

[Mark Carne]

Very nice Kevin, very nice indeed, but then, I am slightly biased!

[Annie]

And very good it looks too Kevin.  Old Hornby tinplate coaches seem to fit in with just about anything  

[Nearholmer]

Oddly enough, Annie, I’d not found a use for them before, because they are so very small, much ‘under loading gauge’ compared with everything else. But as a cheap and highly approximate (they’ve got four wheels, and are a sort of brownish wood colour) substitute for a rake of Stroudley coaches, they work for my tiny mind.

 

Kevin