'O' gauge ? first tentative steps. Corrugated goods shed part 3: Painting and weathering

[brian daniels]

Making a nice job there David. Can't help much as I have not built an Easybuild coach/DMU yet but maybe start with attaching the engines and work out in each direction?

 

I did drive both the Western 128's many years ago and all I can remember is that the desk equipment was the same as the 121/117's but squashed up a bit. I have it in my mind that the brake handle was on it's side on the right hand side of the desk on the corridor connector wall?

[dikitriki]

Thanks for the response Brian.

[David Siddall]

Thanks Brian – if you think it's coming along OK that's good enough for me. A compliment from someone who's modelling I've always thought of as an inspiration is greatly appreciated :-)

 

Anyway... after an afternoon of ferocious filing, filling and fettling (some of the whitemetal castings which came with my kit definitely befitted from the application of a fair amount of attention), I've made a start on installing the main underframe components down one side – or at least most of them anyway! I think, as with the driver's desks, this is a case of a somewhat generic 'representation' – I certainly couldn't find evidence for a couple of supplied bits in any photos ... so I've left them out! 121s also seem to sport a fair amount of plumbing and obviously important but unidentifiable mechanical and structural components which aren't supplied which I'll have a think about once I can upend the body after everything's secure (rapid setting epoxy never, in my experience, sets quite as rapidly as it claims on the tube!).

 

 

One thing I did notice, and will probably be hideously apparent to anyone who knows these units well, is that to ensure the bogies could swing without impediment I had to shunt everything along a bit so that certain highly obvious items no longer relate to window and door positions on the bodyshell in quite the way they do in photos. The 'destructions' aren't particularly helpful at this point either but hey ho, c'est la vie...

 

David

[David Siddall]

Having inverted the body this morning (and being mightily relieved that nothing fell off!) it became fairly quickly apparent that whilst most of underframe components looked OK the engine on this first side to be completed looked... well, distinctly weedy and nothing like it should do!

 

 

The solution, after consulting numerous prototype photos, was to build up a section between the two central ribs of the chassis for the engine casting to attach to allowing the whole thing to sit substantially lower – the cylinder heads now line up better with the other major components...

 

 

...something of an improvement I think. Though I have a feeling that pair of horizontal tanks should be lower too :-/

 

 

David

[David Siddall]

Well, I now know the answer to the question "...which components should you start with when setting out an Easybuild 121's underframe details?" – it's the two castings which together represent the fuel tank. If you don't there's a good chance you'll end up with the wretched things offset fore and aft like mine! With the wisdom of 20/20 hindsight I might have worked this out earlier and shortened a couple of other components in ways which wouldn't have been too noticeable ...BEFORE I started wielding the rapid-setting epoxy! But hey ho... I have no intention of attempting to correct the error at this stage and anyway... since it'll only ever be viewed from one side the offset shouldn't be too noticeable (...apart from by those who've seen this post!)

 

 

So, I am now the proud possessor of a 121 featuring what might best be described as 'notionally representative' underframe detail. A scale replica of the real thing it aint, but it's still (for me anyway) putting more ticks in boxes than crosses – despite the fact that getting it thus far has taken far longer (and involved far more effort) than I anticipated.

 

 

Still a few underframe and bufferbeam details to be added before I think about applying any paint but I'm reluctant to attach anything that could be knocked off or damaged by regular handling at this stage ...or that will get in the way of the applying the lining to the planned green livery.

 

TTFN...

 

David

 

PS: If you think progress has been slow so far thing'll inevitably get even more ponderous from now on. The garden may still be a boggy wasteland but this weekend's plan is to de-winterise and clean the caravan ready for our first trip of the year – bearing in mind the forecast I think that'll basically mean spending most of it dodging the downpours and making sure the central heating's working properly' :-/

[Father Dougal]

That looks really nice, can't wait to see it painted and running on your layout. Good work.

Dougal

[2ManySpams]

David

 

See what you've gone and done...http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69736-2manyspams-goes-74ths-bigger/

[David Siddall]

See what you've gone and done...http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69736-2manyspams-goes-74ths-bigger/

 

Ooops... ;-)

 

David

[greenglade]

love your model David....coming on very nicely indeed...

 

Pete

[the penguin of doom]

Ah yes David.

 

That looks bob on and you should be justly pleased with your work.

 

Great stuff.

 

Cheers.

 

Sean.

[David Siddall]

Had a bit of a tidy up and considering how many parts came with the kit what's left is quite reassuring. The etches contain a fair few detail parts which will be added after painting (or that I won't be using at all – such as 122-specific bits and some generic stuff which I think (hope?) apply to other Easybuild DMUs because there's no mention of them in the instructions). Among the castings are a couple of small rectangular ones I can't identify and a boatload of filler necks which seem to be superfluous. The whitemetal vac' pipes will go on last – or more likely be replaced with some more robust examples (lost-wax brass if I can find some that are suitable?).

 

 

Painting next but when I know not. Neither the cat (who lives in my modelling room) nor Mrs S are partial to the pong of aerosols so some better weather will be required before that happens. No a problem though... whilst there appears to be little chance of Spring in the immediate future I've got two turnouts, some more plain track, a Conflat and a Hemyock-style Skytrex corrugated goods shed to build in the meantime. Whether the Easter weekend turns out to be a modelling weekend or a caravanning weekend remains to be seen... having spent last Saturday night in it we know the van's overhauled central-heating is once again fully capable of keeping us snug in gale-force arctic weather and I've got Adobe Illustrator on the laptop with which to convert my initial sketches of Raglan station into scale plans ...so it might be a bit of both.

 

BFN... David

 

PS: Oh yes, those jumper connections (top right in the photo)... surely there must be an easier way of creating such a simple-looking component! They took me a couple of hours to get right during which the air turned positively blue!

 

PPS: Must get a decent camera... the 121 has not acquired a banana-like bend, it's just a horrible case of digital zoom syndrome!

[Warspite]

David

 

Looking very nice. Just shows you what a patient, measured build can achieve.

 

Can't wait to see it painted - green with small yellow warning panels, I think you said about 5 pages back.  You didn't fancy a 'whiskered' version (assuming they did appear in that livery of course)?

 

Stephen

[David Siddall]

Looking very nice. Just shows you what a patient, measured build can achieve.... Can't wait to see it painted - green with small yellow warning panels... You didn't fancy a 'whiskered' version (assuming they did appear in that livery of course)?

121s certainly started life with 'speed whiskers' and very handsome they looked in that livery too. Small yellow panels however appear to offer a more flexible time frame – last years of steam through to early rail blue if my research is correct?

 

Um... slightly unsure about a 'patient, measured build' though – I was thinking more glacially ponderous and frequently hampered by lack of prototype knowledge and skill resulting in several key aspects having to be attempted more than once. Appreciate the sentiment anyway ;-)

 

D

[David Siddall]

Shouldn't really have allowed myself to be distracted from working today but it was obviously a bit of a gaff to pick up the latest Model Railway Journal at lunchtime! It's also dead handy to use Adobe Illustrator on an almost daily basis.

 

The result is what in the trade we'd call some 'developed visuals' for a small wayside station that 'could have been' drawing on GWR standard architectural cues (from several different locations) but mainly derived from watching contractors carefully dismantle Raglan's disused station building for eventual reconstruction at St Fagans. I should also give credit where it's due to Chris Leigh for Great Western Railway Country Stations – without his books I wouldn't know a fraction of what I do now about group standard architectural styles – or even have been able to work out the principle dimension for some of the most important details ...like door widths or the roof pitch!

 

 

I'm not 100% sure yet whether my plans for a bucolic backwater justify brick (and I'm certainly not sure whether it would have been graced by the luxury of a toilet extension such as I've included in the line-only drawing!) so I think I'll also knock something up based on Monmouth Mayhill next – delightful timber-clad station buildings with possibly even more character and a platform mounted signal box.

 

The nice thing about approaching layout design this way is that I'll be able to try both out as scale prototypes by printing out the designs I've produced and laying them over a basic foamcore shell to see what the outcome looks like before I even dream about attempting to build anything.

 

:-)

 

PS: Melcomb Magna, a Barry Norman detailed Lionheart autotrailer and Tim Peacock's building article all in one issue... that's an awful lot of inspiration in one little publication (MRJ that is) – the only one I now buy incidentally as everything else I want seems to be available here :-)

[Warspite]

David

 

Wow, superb drawings.

 

The nice thing about approaching layout design this way is that I'll be able to try both out as scale prototypes by printing out the designs I've produced and laying them over a basic foamcore shell to see what the outcome looks like before I even dream about attempting to build anything.

 

What a great idea! I'd never thought of that approach although not having your drawing skills is a bit of a disadvantage. I might try a sketch coloured in with felt-tip pens though ......  ;-)

 

Stephen

[Barnaby]

Amazing work gents truly amazing.

I keep getting inspired into different areas when I should be only in the track-laying gang and not the drawing office.

Thanks for your input gents.

 

Regards

[Jack P]

Coming along really nicely Dave! How much does it weigh?

 

Jack

[David Siddall]

What a great idea! I'd never thought of that approach although not having your drawing skills is a bit of a disadvantage. I might try a sketch coloured in with felt-tip pens though ......  ;-)

You could do something very similar using Photoshop Stephen. I only use vector software for illustrations (CorelDraw before I switched to Illustrator) because the results can be scaled without loss of quality. The nice thing about drawing commercial buildings is that they're usually little more than a collection of simple, regular shapes with repeated detail – you may only need to create a feature like a window or door once and they can then be copied, pasted and positioned as often as needed. Working out the relationship between features is usually a question of observation and multiplying readily available dimensions such as the size of a standard brick, a block or a door. There's another trick too which works for me and that's concentrating on consistency and making the result 'look' right rather than aiming for millimetric accuracy.

 

 

 

I keep getting inspired into different areas when I should be only in the track-laying gang and not the drawing office.

 

That sounds like the story of my modelling life Barnaby. Adds to the fun in my case but I do just have to keep reminding myself that the reason I've skipped on to something different is that another task is on hold – like waiting for better weather to paint my wagons and DMU. The main reason I've been tinkering with drawings for buildings is that I can just about get away with it whilst I'm supposed to be working (note 'just'... my wife is also my business partner ;-)

 

 

 

Coming along really nicely Dave! How much does it weigh?

If you mean the 121 Jack its surprisingly hefty considering its a plastic body shell... those whitemetal underframe components add bulk too. I can't give a figure at present because my permit to use domestic items for unintended purposes has been revoked and so it would be unwise to try and borrow the kitchen scales – something to do with the mischief I did to the bathroom set by using them to check the caravan's loaded nose-weight. When I've done my penance (as in bought replacement scales for the bathroom, a proper nose-weight gauge for the van and my own set of scales for modelling) I'll let you know...

 

TTFN...

 

David

[David Siddall]

Too flippin' cold to do anything other than stay indoors with the heating turned up, an ideal opportunity therefore to...

 

...come up with some ideas for the elevation of my generic brick-build country station which would face away from the platform.

 

 

...and have a go at an even smaller timber-built structure based loosely on Monmouth May Hill. I've only been able to find four usefully-sized photos of the site so the following design is a bit speculative and draws heavily on other timber building of a similar scale and style elsewhere, Ascott-under-Wychwood (what a great place name!), Chipping Camden and Adelstrop on the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhamption Railway (the OWW, popularly known as the 'Old Worse & Worse' ;-)

 

 

The reason I chose May Hill for inspiration is that it's an even smaller site than Raglan yet features two attractive station buildings (I'm guessing the smaller of the two is a store), is served by a compact signal box and has a very short platform. I'll have a go at drawing a suitable signal box next.

 

A thoroughly enjoyable new aspect to modelling which I probably would never have attempted had I stayed working in the smaller scales where just about everything architectural seems to be available resin-cast or as a kit :-)

 

David

[Father Dougal]

Good luck with the building project, I look forward to seeing some photos.

Have you painted that 122 yet?

Dougal

[David Siddall]

And the last of today's drawings... a small timber-built signal box in the style (although not a totally accurate replica) of Monmouth May Hill – the lack of photos mentioned in my previous post means that it's a bit speculative and derived from several different GWR designs. I can't see a brick base in the one photo which confirms the existence of a box at May Hill and I haven't a clue whether there should be a single window in the wall opposite the door or a sliding pair?

 

If I decide to go with one of these at all on my layout (as opposed to a ground-frame) I'll use this design platform-mounted without a plinth if I choose the Mayhill-style buildings or sitting on a couple of courses if I go with my larger brick-built design. 

 

 

Tomorrow I'll have a go at building the basics of a platform and once that's in place I'll need to work on a design for the occupation bridge / single-track road bridge (haven't made my mind up yet) which will form part of the scenic break hiding the traverser.

 

All in all a rather 'good' Friday :-)

 

David

[David Siddall]

Have you painted that 122 yet?

Will have to wait for some warmer weather Dougal... I'm 'rattly can' painter and the smell of aerosol propellant wafting through the house tends to elicit 'comments' ;-)

 

D

[David Siddall]

The AC Cars Railbus due from Heljan in 7-mil might just have just narrowed down the choice of a regional location for my BR(W) mid-late 1960s 'might-have-been' – with a bit of a stretchy timeline it just might have to be 'somewhere in the Cotwolds', but then again it could also be 'somewhere in North Somerset' (post 1964) – Brain Daniels' thread featuring photos of a pre-production example and the Pacer Preservation Society's website have got me thinking again (...dangerous I know ;-)

 

David

[David Siddall]

Little Shuffling on the Plank now has the beginnings of a platform...

 

 

Various scrappy offcuts of 3mm MDF and 5mm foamcore form the sub-base but I call this expediency and there is no truth in the rumour that I'm so mean I squeak when I walk! Every spare penny I can salt away is going into the 'DJH Class 14 fund' :-)

 

 

After the last attempt I swore I'd never build a platform that ran over a baseboard joint again but hey ho, it doesn't look anything like as dire in 7-mil as in 4 and a bit of sanding will probably lose the very slight height variation!

 

 

The top sub-surface in place with half the coping stones complete...

 

 

Even an engaging Phillip Larkin play on Radio 4 this afternoon wasn't sufficient to distract me from the mind-numbing tedium of scribing and filing coping stone joints. Only the other side left to go  :-/

 

 

D

[Warspite]

Little Shuffling on the Plank now has the beginnings of a platform...

 

Even an engaging Phillip Larkin play on Radio 4 this afternoon wasn't sufficient to distract me from the mind-numbing tedium of scribing and filing coping stone joints. Only the other side left to go  :-/

 

David

 

Nice work.

 

Scribing and filing coping stones can't be as bad as cutting and fixing roof tiles on an old dairy building .......... which is what I am doing now .........

 

               Well, I'm actually typing this now, but you know what I mean ....

 

Stephen