modelmaker87 Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 Tremendous detail on that underframe - really exquisite! I'm guessing all scratchbuilt or are some of the valves and pipework available from american suppliers? Hi James, Thanks for your kind comments. The majority of the bits are scratch but some are not and I'm detailing which, starting with the first photo. All parts scratch. Second photo, all parts scratch. Third photo, drain cock is a commercial detail part. Fourth photo, the drain cock is a commercial part, but the handle got filed down a little finer. Other than that, all scratch parts. The hexagon you see is styrene hex rod, so the six sides were not filed by me. Boy, wouldn't that be a time consuming job, filing sx sides dead nuts equally. Wow..!! a head bangers job for sure. :icon_frustrated: The square on the square nut is a piece of square brass rod with a hole drilled in the centre of it and then slipped onto a brass wire together with its little washer which I made. Oh, one more thing, yes, you can get a variety of valves, cocks, tees, elbows and such for pipework. Cal-Scale offer them in a variety of sizes for steam engine builders. The super small parts often come in handy for detailing the end of a fuel tank or some other place under the sill of a diesel. Not that difficult to modify either. So when its appropriate I use them, makes all the difference to the final look of any model. HTH and if you have any more questions, please ask. I'll do my very best to answer them accurately for you. Cheers, Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Hilton Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Tony - thanks - that's really great! My attempts (inspired by work like yours) are not quite there but now it's painted and weathered looks miles better than standard! I'm definitely going to push myself even further with my next 37 - and you've given me a few ideas on how I can really go to town! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelmaker87 Posted March 18, 2010 Author Share Posted March 18, 2010 Tony - thanks - that's really great! My attempts (inspired by work like yours) are not quite there but now it's painted and weathered looks miles better than standard! I'm definitely going to push myself even further with my next 37 - and you've given me a few ideas on how I can really go to town! Your welcome. James, I think that's a really nice job there man....well done. I like what you have done and these small details definitely add something to these lovely machines. I do know one thing, the photos never quite do our models justice, the angle, the light, but when you see them in the flesh there's a tremendous difference. Your photos convey more than most, I know what you have done and it has worked. :icon_thumbsup2: Remember, every model you make MUST be better than the last, otherwise you haven't moved forward, but worse, you didn't learn anything and there's your sign - plain old stupid. Have at it James, and if I can help you, ask your question. The good thing is not only you and I read this small slice of RMWeb, others do too, and they might come in and present for us the perfect solution, know what I mean... Later, cheers, Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelmaker87 Posted March 27, 2010 Author Share Posted March 27, 2010 Hi Guys, A neat trick that I have used for a number of years that works when cutting ferrus metals. Those metal shavings, 'swarf' in ancient tongue. Get all over don't they..? Not only on the drill stand but on the floor, bench and wherever they may fall. Think...plastic bag and a magnet...! Ta da.....Right, now you have plastic bag and magnet in mind think about placing the magnet in the plastic bag and wrap it. Continue with this thought and place the wrapped magnet somewhere close to the workpiece. Drill away and watch all those cut chips stick to the bag. Take the bag to your bin, remove magnet and leave bag and metal shavings in the bin. Sure, there will still be a few metal cuttings around but not nearly so much as without the wrapped magnet. Unless you surround yourself with plastic bags with magnets inside them. Now you've extended your modelling time and reduced your clean up time. Cool or what....? Cheers, Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Very neat idea Tony. Now if we could only find a magnet for wood shavings when building baseboards... steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukasz Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Tony I have a few questions about the loadhaul 37. If it's okay. Did you lower it on the bogies and do you have a Bachmann loco to compare it to? Also could maybe run through the work you've done to get it to this stage. Lukasz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelmaker87 Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share Posted March 28, 2010 Tony I have a few questions about the loadhaul 37. If it's okay. Did you lower it on the bogies and do you have a Bachmann loco to compare it to? Also could maybe run through the work you've done to get it to this stage. Lukasz Hi Lukasz, sure its OK. I did lower the bogies but that is because I built a new chassis complete, well not quite complete but a very heavily modified Lima chassis. I wrote a 4 page article on this build in BRM August 2002 Vol 10 No 5. Can you get hold of a back number copy...? If not I can scan the article since I own full copyright of this material. Back in 2002 we didn't have the luxury of the superior mechanisms that are offered today, nor the better plastic moldings either, so we had to do a lot more bodging, filing and fudging to get our stock to look nice. This 37 project I wrote the article for was primarily a discourse on re-motoring the lima model by changing out the pancake motors - horrible contraptions - and refitting with a can motor with 2 x flywheels, cardan shafts and complete new tower drives. The tower drives were out of a Proto 2000 PA1. After this article I decided to continue and work on the body shell. I haven't written anything about what I did for that. I have all the images I took of it at that time so I can go over a good deal of what I did if you want. Just let me know. Pleased you found the brief exchanges between James Hilton and myself about this 37 interesting enough for you to ask your questions, thank you and lets continue the discussion of this build. I'm actually thinking that I will have to finish it now. There's not too much to do to make it complete and some weathering. Cheers, Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelmaker87 Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share Posted March 28, 2010 Lukasz, I forgot to mention in my prior post, I don't have a Bachmann loco to compare it with, sorry.... Cheers, Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukasz Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Sorry to bother you more but I can't find a copy of brm from 2002 and it would be really nice if you could maybe scan it sometime and give a run through. Many thanks, Lukasz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelmaker87 Posted March 29, 2010 Author Share Posted March 29, 2010 Also could maybe run through the work you've done to get it to this stage. Lukasz Hi Lukasz, I shot a couple of new pix of the chassis. First shows the whole enchilada done and dusted, although I do see that I will have to keep the wires away from the flywheel. Next couple of shots show close ups of both drive towers and the method I used to lower the shell to the floor by raising the bogie pivot plate. See the replaced styrene sheet I used. Cheers, Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukasz Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Thanks Tony that helps alot. have you made many modifications to the body? Lukasz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelmaker87 Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 Thanks Tony that helps alot. have you made many modifications to the body? Lukasz Hi Lukasz, A couple. Do the fuel tanks qualify...? When I started this yet to be finished 37 my mentor was, and still is, Tim Rogers. He guided me on a variety of improvements in particular the tumblehome and fuel tanks. In his view, one of the problems with the Lima shell was the tumblehome shape, which by all accounts was incorrect. His advise was to try and re-shape it to make it look more closely like the prototype, that as well as the fuel tanks which together with the incorrect tumblehome shape appeared too wide. I don't think the fuel tanks were too wide but by making them smaller it would give the appearance of correct width due to the incorrect tumblehome shape. Get what I mean here, Lukasz...? To make the fuel tanks less wide they needed to be removed from the chassis altogether. This idea jived with being able to detail the tanks better, access and all, so I cut them off. I don't have images of the process but you can see in the image I do have below where I cut both tanks longways and removed an equal amount of material from both, glued the halves together again, filled and smoothed. I believe the amount removed was 1.5 mm overall, but don't quote me on that. The idea is that there is created a deeper look between the sides of the fuel tanks and the lower edge of the tumblehome, a cheat I know, but this is the modelling side of the hobby to make it look as if the depth is there and the dimensions are all correct. Since we are looking at only one side, the incorrect scale width of the fuel tanks matters not. When the tanks were finally mounted I then re-profiled the shape of the tumblehome by filing off material until I thought it looked more like the prototype, a pure guess, nothing else. Be back with some additional bits if I find any images sifting through my photo archives... Cheers, Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukasz Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Ahh. I completely get what your saying. I'm looking at a loadhaul model on the internet at the moment and if the price is right will be using this as a bit of a bible for modifying the model. Many many thanks for the help and any more help, Lukasz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelmaker87 Posted April 1, 2010 Author Share Posted April 1, 2010 Ahh. I completely get what your saying. I'm looking at a loadhaul model on the internet at the moment and if the price is right will be using this as a bit of a bible for modifying the model. Many many thanks for the help and any more help, Lukasz Found some more pics, Lukasz. This is one of the tanks and it will probably give you a better idea of the added bits to the ends. This pic totally out of any kind of sequence here, but I found it so have posted it. As you can see I stripped all the paint, as always, I paint light colour first darker colour follows. You can see the added window frames I added. Be back atcha with more as I find them. Cheers, Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelmaker87 Posted April 2, 2010 Author Share Posted April 2, 2010 Many many thanks for the help and any more help, Lukasz Lukasz, you asked earlier if I had done anything to the shell. Searching, and now sorting, these 8 years old images I found this, showing the correct angle where the drivers door handles fit into the cab, they go into the cab sides at an angle. It also shows that I used an after market detail part for the fan grille. Don't ask whose, I have no earthly idea, I get these bits given to me by the gurus at WFRM who know what they are doing. I bet Brian Hanson does a superior etch of the part these days. The below image shows a few other brass etch items I fitted, again, have no idea, Shawplan...perhaps....? The 'thing' whatever its called that looks like an MU connection, I made from styrene. I've got a feeling those ploughs are not part of the original boxed model either. You've got to understand that I just make my models according to what the photos I have of the particular engine I have show. I don't know much about trains at all, all I do is just copy the prototype pix. If its in the pic its on the model. This model I made with wheel spacings to suit the 18:83 track gauge. Sprung the centre wheels and all, runs like a champ. Will yours be in this gauge..? Cheers, Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukasz Posted April 2, 2010 Share Posted April 2, 2010 My model will be in bog standard OO gauge although its running on code 75 track which is a bit finer. I can see that alot of the etched parts a the lovely bits from Mr Hanson. thanks, Lukasz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelmaker87 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Share Posted October 27, 2011 Well guys, here I am waiting for the final stent and looking through some of my past modelling since last posting here. A fellow modeller asked me to weather his outta da box Atlas 8-40CW. Now as many of you know outta da box is anathema to me if the model isn't going to be detailed or isn't detailed when it comes to the weathering stage. Looking back I believe that this project potentially caused this heart attack of mine. Seriously, I decided to take on this project with the view to see if I could change the character of a raw engine so that any viewer might think it was detailed. Its not though. He had already hand painted the a/c unit black as well as the panel on the driver side, plus add the renumber white patch, which was a mess with ragged edges. I sorted the glaring errors out and the result is below. Cheers, Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Williams Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Absolutely cracking job Tony. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Superb! Original handrails? Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelmaker87 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Share Posted October 27, 2011 Superb! Original handrails? Best, Pete. Yes Pete, original handrails. If I had my givens and druthers they would have been more like these handrails. Cheers, Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Hilton Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Tony it goes to show the massive improvement in 'out of the box' US models in recent years. I remember modelling Canadian HO in the very late 1990s, and buying Athean models in the UK and doing as much to them as I could with limited supplies - trying to match prototype photos (as the Canadian locos always had relocated bells/headlights etc.) This 'out of the box' thing does take away some of that fun, but boy look at the result. Imagine if we could use our detailing time to lift those models even further... Incredible. Makes me look at my more recent 4mm stuff from Bachmann/Heljan and think 'when are they going to catch up'... Anyhow - glad to hear you're on the mend too Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelmaker87 Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 Hey James, how are you doing..? Yes, I agree with you, thanks to the Germans and their very nicely designed plastic molding machinery they have been selling successfully to those Asian companies. Add to that computer governed mold manufacturing and the rest now lies in the hands of the American designers that work for Atlas, Athearn, IMC, BLMA et al. But they still miss a number of details no matter what road they design for, which is where us modellers come in to give them a hand. I'm working on another 8-40CW in CR blue, for me this time, so it will be better than the prior model I posted above I did for a friend. Cheers, Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukasz Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Very impressive modelling. Although not to my particular taste I can really appreciate the work done. I don't suppose you know what happened to that layout in the WFRM area that 37516 was destined for? Knottingley I think it was called. Really nice modelling on it and wanted to catch up on the layout. cheers, Lukasz P.S. glad to hear you're feeling better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250BOB Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Lukasz, I think that Knottingley was in the WFRM threads, under Richards Workbench......although I see that this thread is now completely empty.? I'm not certain what Richard is doing these days.......perhaps one of the WFRM guys can help. Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukasz Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Ahh I see. I thought I had the name right with Knottingley and did have a good look through the wfrm area. Thanks for the help. cheers, Lukasz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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