Ian's 7mm workbench - recent photos

[P.C.M]

Hi Ian, Nice work on the class 33 I have a class 26 so will give your bogie mod a go. 

 

Here is an A class in an older livery working a Stony Point train.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Hal Nail]

Thanks both for the A class pics - happy memories!

 

I'd been staying on Phillip Island c2005 with friends who mentioned you could get back to Melbourne by ferry/train which sounded infinitely better than a longish coach trip. I had no idea about the line or those older locos so when it rocked up it was a completely unexpected bonus. I seem to recall there was a huge delay of an hour or more with the loco paused on the furthest points, with the crew all peering at the track. Never did find out what happened but we set off eventually and I went back later on with the camera - will have to dig out all my old negatives now!

[Hal Nail]

More progress on the B set which just needs a couple of bits touched up and is ready to reassemble. I decided to leave transfers until put back together to protect them - or at least that's what I told myself after I'd forgotten them and weathered it.

 

I've had to compromise on interior colours given I'm running two eras with maroon and carmine on each side but the original red partitions did clash badly with the maroon. With hindsight i might have gone for dark grey seats rather than merely dulling down the supplied finish but there are only so many times you can paint these and covering the Dapol finish took several coats. Given i've removed the lighting you only get an impression anyway.

 

The sides are actually quite warped, particularly around the inset Guard's door and a couple of the screw holes may not be correctly aligned so I may end up adding a false floor or bracing. Additionally I want to get the ends fitted flush to the sides and will almost certainly end up permanently attaching them, at least at the outer ends.  

[Hal Nail]

I've had a go at fixing the previously mentioned warp in the guards area on one side. I plugged the misaligned screw hole which I will re drill once the body is in place and butt welded a thickish piece of plasticard inside the body at one end. Once set, I straightened the bend in the side and welded the other end to the side, clamped it, added various braces to make all solid and left it all to set over night.

 

I inspected my handiwork this morning to find the reinforcing piece has moulded itself perfectly to the original bend in the side, strengthening the unwanted shape. On the plus side my efforts to make it impossible to remove have worked very well.

 

As engineering fails go this is not quite up there with the Tay Bridge but nevertheless I am now at work in a bad mood. The fact that in the photo above you cant even see it was warped in the first place only adds to my irritation.

 

I will revert to the original method of screwing the side back in place with a tiny sliver of plasticard placed inside the warp to force it straight, which worked perfectly when i tried it but was rejected as not elegant enough. Grrrr.

Edited March 23, 2018 by Hal Nail

[P.C.M]

Thanks both for the A class pics - happy memories!

 

I'd been staying on Phillip Island c2005 with friends who mentioned you could get back to Melbourne by ferry/train which sounded infinitely better than a longish coach trip. I had no idea about the line or those older locos so when it rocked up it was a completely unexpected bonus. I seem to recall there was a huge delay of an hour or more with the loco paused on the furthest points, with the crew all peering at the track. Never did find out what happened but we set off eventually and I went back later on with the camera - will have to dig out all my old negatives now!

The loco hauled train finished in 2007, it's just a Sprinter unit now.  The set of points they where having trouble with was interlocked with a signal and I remember seeing the loco crew having problems with it.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Hal Nail]

If you squint at that photo, it could almost be Fowey, with a Lionheart B set behind those two Atlas F units... hmmmm.

[Hal Nail]

Picked up two of these impressive things at Alexandra Palace today for £40 the pair. The idea of getting an American bullnose diesel has been rattling around for a few days now and these were cheap enough that I can use them as a test bed for weathering and always sell them on again.

 

 

[Hal Nail]

Busy day today working on the B set.

 

Dug out a shot of the warped side on the workbench (/dining room table) - strategically placed clutter to give an idea of scale!

 

Here is is the side in place with the remnants of the original attempt to cure and the much more straight forward solution - the small white sliver to the lower side middle. I filed and filled Dapol's slot and tab arrangement for the ends and glued them in place butted against a few strategic plasticard offcuts.

 

End cracks filled

 

Transfers on (pressfix lined up with a pre marked piece of paper). Guard is a bit wonky but that's already attempt 2 and from the side looks fine. End and transfers just need a bit of weathering once its all dry in a few days and I should fashion the two end cables (I assume electric lighting jump leads?) which I didn't get with mine, although i have seen them in some of the advertising shots. May also fettle the ends a bit more so the roof sits down better - aware of that for coach 2 now.

 

Will catch up the second coach during the week: off to find a chicken for supper which I feel like I've earned!

 

[Hal Nail]

Having fitted the B set ends to sit more flush against the sides (they are set fractionally inside the ends as supplied) I wasn't happy that the roof was now slightly short so have added thin extensions at either end and once set, sliced and filed back to the profile. This involved respraying the roof which having proved refreshingly easy the first time, was an utter pain with the can playing up. It has dried fine though and I've weathered the ends and I think that's about it.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Hal Nail
photos

[Hal Nail]

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Hal Nail

[Captain Cuttle]

A bit more progress passing through the paint shops. I re-filled and rubbed down a couple of areas after the first coat and gave it a second dusting (Halfords plastic primer). I've got some replacement windscreen wipers from JLTRT and will improve the headcodes but that's about it for the body other than caking the whole thing in grime. Chassis mods will involve narrowing the fuel tanks and moving back the bogie springs.

I like the way you have done this, i must do my 33 but only have the body and a pile of plastic bogie sideframes, tanks etc so will build up from there. I have done this before on an RJH 33 but let that go sometime ago. I was concerned re the roof securing clips but see you have overcome that and it looks very good.

Regards

Alan

[Hal Nail]

I like the way you have done this, i must do my 33 but only have the body and a pile of plastic bogie sideframes, tanks etc so will build up from there. I have done this before on an RJH 33 but let that go sometime ago. I was concerned re the roof securing clips but see you have overcome that and it looks very good.

Regards

Alan

 

Thanks! Yes I was more worried that I'd make a mess of removing the clips than I was about hacking a hole in it. Stalled at the moment as I'm struggling to raise the enthusiasm for the tanks.

[Captain Cuttle]

Thanks! Yes I was more worried that I'd make a mess of removing the clips than I was about hacking a hole in it. Stalled at the moment as I'm struggling to raise the enthusiasm for the tanks.

interesting what you can do to improve these models and i like the bogie sideframe mods so what do you hope to change re the tanks?

Below is the old 33 i did some ten years ago and i also  had hoped JLTRT would have done the as originally built version but hey ho!

 

Alan

[Hal Nail]

Alan,

 

Thanks for those - has reminded me about the small “lump” on the side of the silencer.

 

On the fuel tanks I need to do the cut out, which yours has and I suspect it will be easier to separate the tank from the mounded frame and pipes to do that.

[D6775]

Its  a bit different but I only kept the sides of the tank on my 26 (well part of it!) and built a new tank and beams out of platicard sticking the salvaged bits off the Heljan tanks.

[Captain Cuttle]

Alan,

 

Thanks for those - has reminded me about the small “lump” on the side of the silencer.

 

On the fuel tanks I need to do the cut out, which yours has and I suspect it will be easier to separate the tank from the mounded frame and pipes to do that.

The "lumps" are the lifting brackets one on each side.

[Hal Nail]

A few modifications to a Heljan Peak into as built form. Blue Star jumpers were class 40 spares. It's hard to tell how far to inset the tank below the battery covers. I would suggest probably less than I've got it at present but any advice appreciated!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Hal Nail

[Hal Nail]

Nearly 5 months since i last updated and as you can see from today's photo the peak tanks are, er... well pretty much exactly the same!

 

Had something of a set back this week. I wanted to weather my my blue peak so opened the first box but it was green. Grabbed the other one and that was also green. Repeated this at least 3 times before finally accepting that I obviously own 2 green ones.

 

My blue one was a poor runner so I had it replaced - I must have told them it was the green one and then spectacularly failed to realise until now. Blue all sold out so will have to do a respray eventually. Could be worse though - for a horrible minute I thought i might have sent back the good runner! Just shows even a genius can be stupid.

Edited September 20, 2018 by Hal Nail

[Hal Nail]

Now blue star equipped and made up a different headcode using bits of those supplied. I've also got some precision labels replacements on order for a 1V at one end. The hole by the buffer is irritating given I thought I'd filled that already.

 

Given my balls up resulting in the need to respray one of my peaks, thought I had little to lose by experimenting with the finish. I've flatted the paintwork using 2000 grade wet and dry - as described by Giles of this parish - and then light polishing with kitchen roll and a tiny amount of T-cut on a cotton bud.

 

Whole thing needs sympathetic weathering now for a fairly clean, recently introduced loco and I also need to number it: probably D148 (a class 46) as I've got a good photo of that one in clean condition but really I wanted this to be a 45 so am dithering.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Hal Nail

[47606odin]

Now blue star equipped and made up a different headcode using bits of those supplied. I've also got some precision labels replacements on order for a 1V at one end. The hole by the buffer is irritating given I thought I'd filled that already.

 

Given my balls up resulting in the need to respray one of my peaks, thought I had little to lose by experimenting with the finish. I've flatted the paintwork using 2000 grade wet and dry - as described by Giles of this parish - and then light polishing with kitchen roll and a tiny amount of T-cut on a cotton bud.

 

Whole thing needs sympathetic weathering now for a fairly clean, recently introduced loco and I also need t number it: probably D148 (a class 46) as I've got a good photo of that one in clean condition but really I wanted this to be a 45 so am dithering.

 

 

are there not detail differences between class 45 and 46? with that in mind, and as you are in 2 minds, number it as a 45.

 

mine will be easy, once i can find sealed beam marker lights and a decent high intensity headlight and some ETH jumpers 

[Hal Nail]

are there not detail differences between class 45 and 46? with that in mind, and as you are in 2 minds, number it as a 45.

 

mine will be easy, once i can find sealed beam marker lights and a decent high intensity headlight and some ETH jumpers

The honest answer is I don’t know, other than traction motors and mine has Heljan! I’m working from a photo and it looks the same (split central headcode, plated grill in the side) both of which I thought varied by class but are actually by batch. Edited October 5, 2018 by Hal Nail

[47606odin]

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/78353-class-45-and-class-46-external-differences/

 

appears battery boxes are different and possibly a hinged plate on the bodyside for starters, and a roof panel on the 46's not 45's..... depends how accurate you like them

Edited October 5, 2018 by 47606odin

[Hal Nail]

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/78353-class-45-and-class-46-external-differences/

 

appears battery boxes are different and possibly a hinged plate on the bodyside for starters, and a roof panel on the 46's not 45's..... depends how accurate you like them

Thanks - slightly surprised I’ve never noticed the different battery boxes before! Smoothing over the panel in the side is the only tricky one to modify as I don’t want to repaint it.

 

This is, however, a victory for putting things off!

[Hal Nail]

Class 46 battery boxes and lack of hinged plate duly dealt with. The paint isn't a bad match and once polished up with very fine wet and dry should come out ok I hope. Roof to follow!

[Hal Nail]

I may still end up respraying the peak but had nothing to lose trying to blend in a patch as I need to paint one of my two blue anyway. The colour is very close (tried a few but Precision post 1954 BR green was closest) but I can't get the finish the same - will have to see if light weathering masks the join.

 

By way of a diversion I've been respraying a Dapol pannier which will become 8702 (St Blazey) with the later totem. Main body is Halfords satin, flattened with very fine wet and dry and then polished with kitchen roll and the smokebox was Plasti-kote which goes on very easily and is a bit of a discovery. A few bits to touch up where I filled the seam either side of the smoke box at the front - my one gripe with the Dapol model. Various loose details need refixing and I still can't get the roof to sit properly, before I get to work weathering. 8702 was a Beyer Peacock, which had the welded seams on the tanks and I've not really worked out how to do them yet - I may omit them.

Edited October 14, 2018 by Hal Nail