57xx's Workbench - more wagons and a Siphon C

[57xx]

Here are a couple more kits that have been "finished" recently. The van is a Slaters Midland 8T D362, the open is the finally finished D1839 kitbash from earlier in the thread.

 

 

 

 

There's another three LMS wagons in at the signwriters at the moment, I'm striking while the iron is hot with the lettering mojo.

[57xx]

Here's a couple more wagons fresh out of the paint shop.

 

 

The D1671 7 plank coal wagon is a Parkside kit of the standard RCH 1923 design. I was all set to carve the wooden stanchions off the end and replace with some plasticard to represent the steel stanchions of the LMS variant but pleasantly surprised to find the kit had 2 alternate ends, one wooden and one steel.

 

 

Grab handles were fitted to the end door as per the LMS variant of these wagons. Bob Essery's "LMS Wagons" book shows these were originally turned out without the diagonal white stripe to denote the door end, so rather than making a pigs ear of painting the stripe, I opted for the original livery without them.

 

 

The D1832A van is straightforward build of the Cambrian kit.

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by 57xx
Restoring pics

[PMP]

Really like the internal colours of the opens you’ve achieved there.

[57xx]

Thanks Paul, appreciate your comment.

 

On this last batch I tried using enamels for the woodwork. Previously I've been using acrylics but am still not happy with using them, drying too quick to work with, even with retarder. Compared with the original colours I started using, I've dropped the browns and settled on beige and greys. In order to get that aged silvery look, I started off with white primer and then used Humbrol 83 Ochre, 64 light grey, Revell 76 light grey and even played with a bit of metallic gunmetal. Next time I'll be trying some Revell 99 aluminium* in the mix too. Having said that, looking at the 7 planker again, it seems there might be a smidge of Humbrol 62 leather in there.

 

*Purchased for an experiment in painting van roofs, more to come on that another time.

[PMP]

I think it’s the browns that give the warmth in the colours, there’s loads of bias towards the blue spectrum in most grey paints, but little warmth. Mine have always ended up at the cooler end, so I’ll try your colour suggestions and see how I get on. The strapping and metal work being picked out makes a big difference too, note to self...

[57xx]

When you go for a very light colour, it does look a bit odd at first, but don't forget that once you add a weather wash, you can get the warmth back in at that point. Some dirty black with a bit of chocolate in there picks out the planking nicely (where the kit allows...) and tones down the lightness.

[57xx]

I've been busy in the workshop the other day. Santa brought me a lovely GW rivet press for Christmas, so I thought I'd give it a plinth to sit on to make it a bit more stable and protect the surfaces it will get used on. An off-cut of wood was cut to size and given a few doses of teak oil to protect it and then had a bit of old speaker cabinet felt glued to the bottom. Result - a nice stable platform for forming rivets on the stash of brass kits that is building up! No excuses for not diving into them now.

[macgeordie]

I thought you would have had the Siphons finished by now !!!

 

Ian

[57xx]

On 05/02/2019 at 22:28, macgeordie said:

I thought you would have had the Siphons finished by now !!!

 

I would have but I don't want to take the kit out of it's exquisite packaging!  I keep looking at the box thinking how professionally it has been packed. A credit to your attention to detail, Ian. The missus is away this weekend, so I might get to make a start on one of them.

[57xx]

 

 

A D1664 from Cambrian has been completed and is ready for the paint shop. I've had to extend the roof a few thou each end  to make it long enough. The green circle is where I've had to fill in a depression for which I used some Games Workshop Liqued Greenstuff. Buffers are the usual from Lanarkshire Models & Supplies.

 

 

I bought a big batch of Cambrian kits the other month (~10 different kits), and every van roof has this depression that needs filling, I've never had that before with these. Also many of the kits contained sprues/parts that are doing various impressions of a banana. Some look salvageable, others  I think are going to have to be returned.

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by 57xx
Restoring pics

[57xx]

Work has also started on one of my two O33 Siphon kits from Ian (macgeordie).

 

Simple bits first to get my eye in, I started off with one of the bogies. It went together exceptionally easily, assisted by the fact Avonside designed the spacing of the prongs on their tool for this job.

The only issue I had was with my construction.

 

If you think it looks like the axleboxes are angled outwards, you'd be be right. Whilst popping the wheelsets in, I managed to distort the bogie sides around the bearings, so when it came to gluing the whitemetal overlays on, they ended up a bit wonky. On the next bogie, if I manage to do the same with the distortion, I will either 1) try and straighten the sides out first or failing that, 2) shape the inside of the whitemetal casting to compensate.

Edited November 19, 2022 by 57xx
Bad speeling.

[57xx]

The bogies for the O-33 are now finished. I did managed to distort the frames again but this time a bit of filing to the backs of the casting and tweaking the frames back to shape with pliers resulted in square sides.

They were given a shot grey etch primer followed by a coat of Phoenix dirty black. The wheels were painted with Revell 84 Leather.

 

At his point I was thinking all that was required was a dirty wash to finish them off. However something was bugging me. I turned to my copy of J.H. Russell's Great Western Coaches and there it was staring me in the face, the blue paint on the axleboxes and bolster hangers! I didn't think I had anything suitable, it's not a colour of paint I have bought, but I then remembered my brother had given me a few old tinlets of paint he'd had in the garage for years that I'd put to one side thinking they'd not be of any use. Amongst them was a tin of Humbrol 48 Mediterranean Blue which turned out to perfect. After painting the axleboxes, the edges of the steps where dry brushed with some airframe silver and metalcote and given a little buffing with a cotton bud. Finally a wash of matt black and Humbrol 62 Leather was applied all over the bogies and wheel faces. I probably should have done the backs of the wheels too, maybe another night.

 

 

Close up of one of the bogies.

Edited November 19, 2022 by 57xx
Restoring pics

[Mikkel]

Hi Ric, they look really good. Nice detail on the castings.

 

The med blue makes me long for holiday 

[Guest WM183]

I've also noticed the quality - or lack thereof - of some of Cambrian's kits. The sink mark in the center of wagon roofs is pretty vulgar, and something I'd expect they'd want to remedy. Regardless, you've made them (and all your others) into lovely models!

[57xx]

On 17/06/2019 at 06:49, Mikkel said:

Hi Ric, they look really good. Nice detail on the castings.

 

The med blue makes me long for holiday 

 

There are nice casting aren't they, Mikkel. I believe Ian sourced them from MJT.

 

A holiday on the Cornish Riviera perhaps?

 

[57xx]

Where on earth does time go?? 

 

After finishing the bogies, I was going to crack on with the O33 but some doubts about whether I could do the kit justice were nagging me, so I had a brain wave - why don't I finish off the 4 wheel coach chassis I was building and put the brass body on to it. Once that is done, it would inspire me onwards with the O33.  So I look back in this thread to find the last update on the coach chassis was 3 years ago!! 

 

Anyway, progress had been made in the intervening time, the solebar and buffer overlays had been added and also the underframe detailing finished off.

 

I dug out the Shirescenes U12 Brake Luggage Composite sides ready to assemble them and fit them to the chassis. It was at this point I spotted a small problem...

 

 

Yup, the U12 is too short! The U12 has a 28ft 6 3/4in body with 18ft wheelbase whereas the chassis has been built for the 31ft 3/4in bodies with 19ft wheelbase. Whilst the chassis can be built to a shorter overall length (see the two sets of mounting holes each end and the etch line between them), it can't be built to the shorter wheelbase, so any U12 built with one will probably look a bit odd. I'm now finding myself perusing the Dart Castings site again, looking for some suitable sides.

 

The upside to this set back is that I've now taken the plunge with the O33 chassis. More on that later.

Edited November 19, 2022 by 57xx

[57xx]

On 17/06/2019 at 12:45, WM183 said:

I've also noticed the quality - or lack thereof - of some of Cambrian's kits. The sink mark in the center of wagon roofs is pretty vulgar, and something I'd expect they'd want to remedy. Regardless, you've made them (and all your others) into lovely models!

 

The sink mark does look horrible but is easy to rectify. What I really find annoying is the amount of other sprues what are warped, some of them very badly. I do recall a thread where someone mentioned that it's one thing buying a moulding machine but another thing knowing how to use it properly and if not done right, you can get warped mouldings. Likes pretty much like the situation we got here with the Cambrian kits now.

[Miss Prism]

Awaiting to see how the footboards are mounted on those MT chassis !

 

[57xx]

9 hours ago, Miss Prism said:

Awaiting to see how the footboards are mounted on those MT chassis !

 

 

You do realise, that could take me another 3 years... 

 

I've been looking at the destructions and trying to decipher them, I'll try and do a photo step-by-step of them. (no pun intended).

[Brassey]

19 hours ago, 57xx said:

Where on earth does time go?? 

 

After finishing the bogies, I was going to crack on with the O33 but some doubts about whether I could do the kit justice were nagging me, so I had a brain wave - why don't I finish off the 4 wheel coach chassis I was building and put the brass body on to it. Once that is done, it would inspire me onwards with the O33.  So I look back in this thread to find the last update on the coach chassis was 3 years ago!! 

 

Anyway, progress had been made in the intervening time, the solebar and buffer overlays had been added and also the underframe detailing finished off.

 

I dug out the Shirescenes U12 Brake Composite sides ready to assemble them and fit them to the chassis. It was at this point I spotted a small problem...

 

 

Yup, the U12 is too short! The U12 has a 28ft 6 3/4in body with 18ft wheelbase whereas the chassis has been built for the 31ft 3/4in bodies with 19ft wheelbase. Whilst the chassis can be built to a shorter overall length (see the two sets of mounting holes each end and the etch line between them), it can't be built to the shorter wheelbase, so any U12 built with one will probably look a bit odd. I'm now finding myself perusing the Dart Castings site again, looking for some suitable sides.

 

The upside to this set back is that I've now taken the plunge with the O33 chassis. More on that later.

 

The Haye Development 4 wheel chassis can be built as 18ft and yes Miss P I too have struggled with the footboards on the MT version! Mine are currently off the model awaiting a rethink.

 

Edit PS: not too sure the U12 is a brake composite; more like a composite with a luggage compartment in the middle.  I've had one on the bench for the past year that I must finish too.

Edited July 2, 2019 by Brassey

[57xx]

 

On 02/07/2019 at 18:50, Brassey said:

The Haye Development 4 wheel chassis can be built as 18ft and yes Miss P I too have struggled with the footboards on the MT version! Mine are currently off the model awaiting a rethink.

 

Thanks, I'll have a look out for the Haye Development chassis, although not holding out much hope seeing as David Geen has had to retire and I can't find anything about what has happened to the range.

 

On 02/07/2019 at 18:50, Brassey said:

Edit PS: not too sure the U12 is a brake composite; more like a composite with a luggage compartment in the middle.  I've had one on the bench for the past year that I must finish too.

 

You're right, I was quoting  what's on the Dart Castings site which has it wrong. After looking on the Penrhos Junctions site for a suitable alternative, it's clear it is a 4 compartment luggage composite, no brake.  The suitable alternative looks to be the Shirescenes T36, there is a nice example of a T37 (T36 sans duckets) converted into an engineering van on Penrhos Junctions.

Edited November 19, 2022 by 57xx

[Brassey]

10 minutes ago, 57xx said:

 

Thanks, I'll have a look out for the Haye Development chassis, although not holding out much hope seeing as David Geen has had to retire and I can't find anything about what has happened to the range.

 

 

One went on eBay last week for a reasonable sum.

 

12 minutes ago, 57xx said:

You're right, I was quoting  what's on the Dart Castings site which has it wrong. After looking on the Penrhos Junctions site for a suitable alternative, it's clear it is a 4 compartment luggage composite, no brake.  The suitable alternative looks to be the Shirescenes T36, there is a nice example of a T37 (T36 sans duckets) converted into an engineering van on Penrhos Junctions.

 

I have a couple of T36 complete with MT u/frames on my todo list.  The other carriage in the rake will be a 3rd class with a Ratio body.

[Mikkel]

23 hours ago, 57xx said:

You're right, I was quoting  what's on the Dart Castings site which has it wrong. After looking on the Penrhos Junctions site for a suitable alternative, it's clear it is a 4 compartment luggage composite, no brake.  The suitable alternative looks to be the Shirescenes T36, there is a nice example of a T37 (T36 sans duckets) converted into an engineering van on Penrhos Junctions.

 

Steve Farrow posted his Shirescenes T36 build  (Ratio chassis) on GWR Modelling, if that's of interest: http://www.gwr.org.uk/prot36.html

 

Thanks for pointing out that the U12 isn't a brake. I had overlooked that too. The U designation actually says it, but Shirescenes must have missed it.

[57xx]

Thanks Mikkel, I'll give that a read, all info is most welcome!

[57xx]

As promised a step(board) by step(board) on fitting the stepboards to the MT chassis.

 

There's a couple of folds to do on the lower stepboard, but everything is straight forward and made easier with the hold'n'fold.

 

Once folded, I ran a fillet of solder down the fold lines to add a bit of strength.

 

The instructions recommend solder a bit of 0.45mm wire to the back of the hangers for added stiffness.

 

The upper stepboard fits into four slots on the chassis. The middle two tabs are easy to solder, a little care is needed on the ends due to the proximity of the white metal spring castings.

 

Once the upper board is fitted, you just need to solder the four lower hangers and job's a good 'un.

 

 

One side finished.

Edited November 19, 2022 by 57xx