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

[N15class]

David

 

For what it's worth, I've just taken a few photos of my Slaters Standard Van. I think I got the underframe right but it was the first Slaters kit I made so I might have got it all wrong! Hope they help.

 

Sorry about the quality of the photos - I had to take them under the desk light. And, don't look too closely at the rusty ironwork on side 1. I was trying some experiments with a 'rust solution' and got a bit carried away. I haven't sorted it out yet or put any transfers on either (whoops!).

 

Stephen

 

 

Your van looks good. The only thing I can see wrong with the brakes, is you have the brake leavers on the wrong side. If you look and pretend to push them down, you will see they would move away from the wheels. Swap them over and it will all be fine.

[hmrspaul]

 

That said, all the kit's parts are beautifully formed and really look the part (even though I still haven’t a clue where half of them should go); and none of the above mutterings will for one moment put me off the idea of a trio of 6-wheel milk tankers from the same manufacturer (...though perhaps I might try one of their BR standard brake vans first ;-)

 

David

 

 

Umm the Standard van has good instructions and is quite straightforward - compared to the LNER/BR brake van, which comes with various options - these vans evolved in all sorts of details from the mid 1930s to the mid 1950s (IRRC it doesn't do the later BR ones). Which reminds me, I must get back to attempting to finish mine after at least 10 years.

 

I don't know how difficult the milk tank is, but the oil tank is very difficult with its open framework. Another one unfinished after well after a decade - well lets be honest, I've not touched it since I moved, and that was in 1995!

 

Slaters have a higher level of accuracy and difficulty compared to Peco and Parkside. [i like the working vacuum pipes!]

 

Paul Bartlett

 

You may find http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brvanplanked helpful.

[David Siddall]

Photos and observations much appreciated gents, many thanks as always. Construction will now resume with renewed confidence that the outcome below the solebars will be considerably more closely related to the prototype :-)

 

D

[Webbo]

David,

I noticed on your van photo, correct me if I'm wrong, but were you using a cardboard box for the squaring of the corner, if so may I suggest using lego building blocks as they are quite strong and perfectly square. Just build them up to the height, length and width you require and "hey presto".

Alan

[David Siddall]

...may I suggest using lego building blocks as they are quite strong and perfectly square. Just build them up to the height, length and width you require and "hey presto".

 

Hey, nice idea Alan! Unfortunately all four kids left home years ago so no Lego left (...except maybe a couple of manky old blocks hiding in the darker recesses of the back of one of the cupboards). Good excuse to get some though...

 

Actually I've got a rather neat little four inch try-quare (DIY shop bargain bin jobby - it's blade can just be seen peeping coyly into the bottom right-hand edge of the pic'). I very lightly Bostik'd it into the two halves to make sure they stayed square until the corner bonds had set. The square can then gently be prised away when everything's solid and, as you say, 'hey-presto'.

 

The box is actually there to stop the cat knocking that side over as she wanders over my work bench. The other side has the floor secured to it with the wagon's weight glued to the floor so can look after itself ;-)

 

D

[David Siddall]

Now I might have mentioned that I had a 'Plan B' ...well actually it was a plan 'H' :-)

 

 

My first O Gauge loco! Pro-weathered and (even better) for a price I could afford!

 

It seems almost sacriligious to consider tinkering with something this nice but I'm still of a mind to sort the cab front glazing (it really should be fully flush without the raised lip Heljan saw fit to include), to replace the buffers and to treat it to a set of etched cast numbers - the latter items probably courtesy of Prestige10 (or maybe numbers from Shawplan as has also been suggested). It also feel the weathering needs a little more in the way of colour variation around the bogies and sandboxes (brake and ballast dust), and maybe evidence of spilled fuel seepage around the tank? We shall see...

 

...all that's needed now is for me to sort something for it to run on! And that's going to have to involve considerably stronger baseboards than I've built in the past - I'd heard these beasts were heavy but, gulp!

 

Now, the questions...

 

Can anyone suggest potential numbers for Hymeks based and/or regularly operated in this livery in the North Somerset or the southern Welsh Marches area (...still haven't nailed down my layout's location!)? Based on photo evidence I'm wondering about 7056 (shown, or so the caption suggests, at Gloucester, Horton Rd).

 

And... any suggestions for a DCC decoder? Having blown the new mower fund on this loco sound is for the future, so just something capable of controlling power and light. I've actually got a couple of Lenz Silvers to hand but haven't a clue whether they're man enough for the job!

 

BFN

 

David

[David Siddall]

So now the hunt for 7mm detailing parts for the Hymek begins...

 

So far I have discovered that there appear to be 'three' manufacturers of etched number sets: Prestige 10 (I emailed them a couple of days ago but no reply yet), Shawplan, who's offering I can't find in their PDF catalogue but I'm told might have them if phoned (though the received wisdom suggests that their numbers need to be doubled up, and everyone who's attempted it says that's fiddly to say the least!); and finally Severn Mill Nameplates.

 

Severn Mill advertise a set of 'four loose' cabsite numbers (I'm assuming you have to specifiy your loco) 'plus' a pair of Beyer Peacock's distinctive works plates; all etched and highly spoken of, so I think I'll probably give them a try.

 

I've also found the same sprung oval buffers offered by Prestige10 on Invertrains' website (ML02 by Northants Model Railway Supplies).

 

7mm scale data panels are available from Precision Labels but a fair amount of research would appear to be required before I can proceed as they produce numerous variants which need to be ordered as a customised product. However looking at a photo of my chosen loco (7506) taken in 1969 these might not be needed as the pic' shows a red GWR-style route availability spot beneath the number. I'm thinking data panels are therefore only applicable post TOPS?

 

Steve Harrod's detailing article mentioned in a previous post mentions a lack of brake block which he remedied by making a master and having some cast. A bit beyond me I think... any ideas?

 

And finally two telephone calls have suggested a suitable (function-only, i.e. non-sound) decoder - a Digitrax DH465? However, there is some doubt as to whether my PowerCab handset will be able to generate enough amps...so more research/advice required here too.

 

Oh flip... I think I'll get on with my van and knock up a few more plain track panels while I think about this :-/

 

D

 

Added 16 March: I can now add an accurate representation of the Hymek's distinctive cab steps to the list... PH Designs can supply etched replacements :-)

[TimC]

So now the hunt for 7mm detailing parts for the Hymek begins...

 

...

 

7mm scale data panels are available from Precision Labels but a fair amount of research would appear to be required before I can proceed as they produce numerous variants which need to be ordered as a customised product. However looking at a photo of my chosen loco (7506) taken in 1969 these might not be needed as the pic' shows a red GWR-style route availability spot beneath the number. I'm thinking data panels are therefore only applicable post TOPS?

 

...

 

D

 

Hi David

 

The data panels started to appear in the late 1960s.

 

If you look through Brush Veteran's Hymek collection (that this photo of D7017 is part of) - you'll see that panels on Hymeks were widespread by the summer of 1969.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59835095@N02/6266053788/

 

As to D7056:

 

http://www.flickr.co...@N03/5151666459 No panel summer of 1968

 

http://www.flickr.co...y42/4989950530/ May 69 - Wrong end but is that a hint of white beneath the works plate at the far end.......

 

[edit - removed streaming link to Hymek collection]

[David Siddall]

Data panels started to appear in the late 1960s...

 

As to D7056:

 

http://www.flickr.co...@N03/5151666459 No panel summer of 1968

 

http://www.flickr.co...y42/4989950530/ May 69 - Wrong end but is that a hint of white beneath the works plate at the far end.......

 

 

Many thanks Tim, I think your evidence had got me out of the data panel mire :-)

 

Mind you, I'm not sure about creating a thoroughly accurate scale rendition of D7056 based on that 1968 photo - I don't think I fancy recreating that dent ;-)

 

D

 

PS: PH Designs have just been in touch to let me know that they can supply a really accurate set of etched replacement cab steps. Heljan's renderings are (IMO) somewhat lacking in the shape and detail department.

[David Siddall]

I'm hoping that my recently acquired Hymek can be induced to potter up and down my layout (when it eventually gets built to an operational stage), under DCC control using the NCE PowerCab throttle and function-only decoders I've sucessfully used for my previous OO and N gauge ventures.

 

So far everyone in the trade I've spoken to mutters darkly about this model's prodigious appetite for amps and the PowerCab's comparative weediness in respect of its output. They then gleefully propose technological solutions which induce fear and trepidation in the loyal band of moths which, for years, have successfully guarded the contents of my wallet!

 

Now all I propose to ask of my loco (hopefully 'locos plural' one day) is that it (they) perform a little light shunting and be able to haul a few wagons or a coach or two at a max scale speed of 25mph over a length of 18' on a 'one-engine-in-steam' (or its diesel era equivalent) basis. This does not require the sort of tractive effort that'll pull a house down so I'm contemplating reducing my Hymek to a single motor in the hope that this'll bring it within the PowerCab's capabilities and that of reasonably priced decoders.

 

If I'm a total beginner in seven-mil then I'm a complete and utter numpty when it comes to anything involving advanced forms of the elastictrickery so I've posted some questions on the 'DCC Questions' section of this board. If you're an electro wizard and can suggest a way forward that doesn't induce credit card meltdown I'd really appreciate your advice...

 

D

[Willy]

David. I have posted my limited experience on your 'DCC Questions' thread.

 

Willy

[David Siddall]

Thanks for that advice Willy. In summary it looks like my Hymek will shortly go under the knife for a motorectomy (well two actually, one drive motor and the fan motor)... from a brief peer inside both appear to be reversable operations and infinitely preferable to a fritzed PowerCab.

 

More baseboard timber bought today as I've finally made the decision to go for what I think is known as 'open-frame, composite girder construction' - baseboard frames made of two strips of (in my case) 4mm MDF separated and strengthened by softwood blocks at 12" intervals. Which makes me think that I must order some baseboard alignment dowels - I've used split hinges on previous layouts but the new dowels from DCC Concepts look interesting and seem to require less in the way of joinery skills to install than some I've seen? Whether I start cutting and gluing tomorrow depends on the weather... the weeds seem to have started early this year!

 

Having been driven in from the garden by the rain today progress with my Slaters van has resumed (thank you Stephen and others for you help in identifying the correct parts) but is on pause overnight whilst the glue involved in the shortening of the brake gear linkage dries - installed as supplied the brakes did their job too well and locked the wheels solid! It was also only 'after' I'd melted the wrong axle bearings into the 'w' irons that I realised that Slaters supply two types of bearing and I'd chosen the wrong ones! Fortunately also reversible (just)!

 

On a slightly different topic I'm still smarting slightly from what I feel was a somewhat unjustified rebuke as a consequence of sharing my personal experience of layout planning in good faith on another thread. Hopefully folks will find what I post here of interest and possibly take it into account it when drawing their own conclusions (...particularly when it comes to avoiding my beginner's cock-ups). Perhaps I should stress again that what you see or read here is just me me sharing my experiences as they occur. My posts are definitely not intended to encourage anyone to do what I've done or to take anything I say as in any way authoritative :-/

 

TTFN...

 

David

[greenglade]

Keep posting David, it's the sharing of your turnout building and planing that started me on my own hopefully long road into 0 gauge model railway building. I write this while sitting here on the sofa in front of the TV building my first loco kit (Connoiseur's J71) , now I couldn't do that with my 5" gauge live steam loco that's for sure...

 

Pete

 

[Donw]

I don't know what someone wrote but there are far two many who seem to jump on anything others say. In truth what suits one will not suit another. All we can do is say this works for me try it if you want. I have enjoyed reading your posts.

Don

[David Siddall]

Pete, Don and those who've sent PMs, thank you! Writing this thread has put me in touch with a community a skilled, experienced and generous people who've 1) collectively and individually contributed inspiration, encouragement and guidance; and 2) helped me avoid (and in some cases out of) a fair few of the bear traps which await the unwary when they venture into an entirely new and different type of modelling :-)

 

Pete, I so wish I was a cartoonist! The thought of someone working on a 5" guage live-steam loco on their lap brings to mind all sorts of delightfully humorous imagery...

 

David

[brian daniels]

David, I have just been catching up with your progress and noticed on your Slaters van that you have put the brake shoe mouldings on the wrong sides, your brakes are coming off when they should be going on! It's an easy mistake to make, been there got the T shirt. So for future wagons work out in your mind how the brake would work if you pull the handbrake down or the vac cylinder up. I have just took these pictures of an old Freightman van that I just found that I haven't varnished or weathered for god knows how many years. Hope you can follow the arrows.

 

 

 

 

[Phill Dyson (onslaught832)]

Hi David,

 

Is this the Hymek that was for sale at Kettering on the bring & buy ?

 

I have laminated Shawplan numbers before, but NEVER again........I would go for Severn Mill numbers/builders plates.

 

With regard to glazing, I re-glazed the windscreens & headcodes using Peter Cowling glazing sheet & flush glazed the side windows using the original glazing.

 

BTW one of the cab bulkheads is wrong on the Heljans as they are not both identical.

 

Cheers Phill

[greenglade]

Pete, Don and those who've sent PMs, thank you! Writing this thread has put me in touch with a community a skilled, experienced and generous people who've 1) collectively and individually contributed inspiration, encouragement and guidance; and 2) helped me avoid (and in some cases out of) a fair few of the bear traps which await the unwary when they venture into an entirely new and different type of modelling :-)

 

Pete, I so wish I was a cartoonist! The thought of someone working on a 5" guage live-steam loco on their lap brings to mind all sorts of delightfully humorous imagery...

 

David

 

HaHa

 

Now that brings a funny image to the mind, you'd have to include a weight lifter either side of me to lift the loco on and off my lap. At 230lbs dry weight there's no way I'll be doing any lifting, in fact I doubt I'd be able to do much at all after having that monster on my lap....

 

Pete

[David Siddall]

Hi David,

 

Is this the Hymek that was for sale at Kettering on the bring & buy ?

 

I have laminated Shawplan numbers before, but NEVER again........I would go for Severn Mill numbers/builders plates.

 

With regard to glazing, I re-glazed the windscreens & headcodes using Peter Cowling glazing sheet & flush glazed the side windows using the original glazing.

 

BTW one of the cab bulkheads is wrong on the Heljans as they are not both identical.

 

Cheers Phill

 

Wasn't me yr honor, never bin to Kettering in me life.. ;-)

 

Actually, it might have been on sale at Kettering Phill but I wouldn't know. Came my way from a generous vendor as a private purchase following a fortuitous email.

 

You're certainly not alone in suggesting that laminating the Shawplan number sets require an degree of patience and determination. The 'Severn Mill' variety do seem to be highly recommended for their practicality (and the fact they come with the worksplates) so I think I'll order a set.

 

I was having a look at the cab detailing photos in Steve Harrod's 2010 BRM article this morning - looks like quite a challenge if you go the whole hog?

 

D

 

PS: To date my flush-glazing material of choice has been the boxes in which Lenz supply their decoders. Whether it'll be OK for screens this size remains to be seen but I'm still pondering the best way of replicating the distinctively radiused corners of Hymek windscreens (or if it's indeed worth trying to do so?). The Heljan apertures look a bit too squared off to my eyes when compared to prototype photos.

[David Siddall]

A bit of a van marathon this weekend which left no time for baseboard building and only minimal gardening opportunities in between some fairly spectacular and semi-thunderous showers (including hail).

 

Despite my expectations that this would quite a straight-forward project for a second seven-mil wagon, building my Slaters BR 12 ton Standard Van proved to be a bit of a challenge. Lots of mysterious bits (and loads left over too), some mouldings which were so fine they defied removing from their sprues (I made new restraining straps for the brake gear from brass strip); and lost wax castings which required quite a lot of fettling and have left dents in the blades of a set of otherwise durable Xuron cutters! The bars which tie the axle boxes together aren't quite as the instructions suggested either as I ended up creating a laminate of thin brass and plastic strip to create something strong enough to resist a bit of handling - I broke the first and second sets whilst installing the vacuum gear castings and other hidden undeside gubbins! The body is weighted (a redundant OO gauge brass back-to-back gauge) and also stuffed with soft foam to 1) reduce the chance of it bowing in, and 2) banish the ghastly hollow noise its soundbox-like properties created when I first trundled it along a length of track!

 

Many thanks to Brian Daniels, Stephen (Warspite) and N15class for your photos and advice re. the brake gear - I wouldn't have got it even near right without your help. Likewise to Paul Bartlett for his photo archive which suggests that there's apparently no such thing as a standard rainstrip configuration on this type of box van.

 

Now all I have to do is paint the beast - which will have to wait for another day. Probably not an idea to start wafting aerosols around at 8 o'clock on a Sunday evening when I really should be cooking supper!

 

 

 

 

Hope your weekend's modelling has been as enjoyable :-)

 

David

 

PS: Have absolutely no idea why the blackening agent I've used has turned the buffers green!

[Debs.]

PS: Have absolutely no idea why the blackening agent I've used has turned the buffers green!

 

I have every idea why (after seeing the quality the kit and your lovely work upon it) I have turned green; with envy!

[greenglade]

Top stuff David, the van looks great, very neat and clean work, has all the signs of being built by a very good model maker. Cleanliness is next to godliness as the saying goes...

 

Pete

[Donw]

Nice work David. Thats one of the things about 0 gauge you can see how the brake gear will work just wait till you get to Dean - Churchward.

Don

[hmrspaul]

 

 

Many thanks to Brian Daniels, Stephen (Warspite) and N15class for your photos and advice re. the brake gear - I wouldn't have got it even near right without your help. Likewise to Paul Bartlett for his photo archive which suggests that there's apparently no such thing as a standard rainstrip configuration on this type of box van.

 

 

 

Very nice clean modelling.

 

...Neither are the corrugated ends, axleboxes, buffers, coupling, vacuum pipe etc standardised. Let alone the lettering and brandings.

 

With Slaters they have a couple of basic underframe sprues for their BR 10ft wb wagons - so it is intentional that a lot gets left over. It has the advantage that mix and match should be possible. For example, annoyingly the box shows the standard RCH brake rigging), the LOWFIT comes with the later (c1957-8) clasp brake rigging http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/wagondetailspoetc/e224563d6 whereas the brake rigging of the van you have modelled is just as suitable for the LOWFIT http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brlowfit .

 

What I have failed to get Slaters to do is the standard open merchandise http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/bropenmerchandiseowvcorrugated - because they do the shock open variant of this they have every part EXCEPT the longer side! Only ABS do these wagons in 7mm.

 

Regards

 

Paul Bartlett

[N15class]

It has turn out to be a stunning van. I like your extras underneath. I also makethe safety straps from brass.