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Cambrian 2-4-0T - on with paint

Barry Ten

Entry posted by Barry Ten

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Self-explanatory, really! Two coats of Precision GWR green brushed painted on an undercoat of Games Workshop Chaos Black, and I may add a third layer.
Hopefully the worst of the pitting has been taken care of; there are still a few blemishes visible in the photo but they're not so apparent in real life, and I think
once the model is finished and decorated, there'll be enough "bling" to take the eye away from the remaining imperfections.

 

Next I'll order some plates and see if I can get "Great Western" lettering small enough to fit onto the side-tanks.

 

One thing I forgot to mention - and I saw a similar problem referenced on the web - is that the chassis, as designed, doesn't allow the gearbox to fit, even
though the kit is supposedly supplied as a package. Since I didn't have any chassis instructions I can't tell if this would have been covered otherwise, but
I didn't realise the issue until the chassis was fully assembled. The problem is due to the central frame spacer which, if fitted as intended, gets in the
way of the gearbox. Luckily I was able to remove part of the frame spacer from the assembled chassis, by gently bending and fatiguing the metal until
it gave way, which then allowed the gearbox to be fitted - just - without any obstructions, but it's something to watch (and which I should have checked
beforehand, but why would you?). I must also unsolder and reattach the rear steps, which are located incorrectly - the perils of relying on instructions,
or your interpretation of them, rather than looking at a photo of the real thing.

 

Has this been fun? Sort of, and I'm pleased with the final outcome, but one shouldn't have so much work to do to get an acceptable result with the
bodywork.

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  • RMweb Gold
wenlock
  • RMweb Gold

Well done Al, that's come out nicely.  I wonder if some 3mm scale lettering would work for the side tanks?

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  • RMweb Gold
Mikkel
  • RMweb Gold

Silk purse from a sow's ear! Great work, Al.

 

And a peephole for trapped smokebox cleaners :-)

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  • RMweb Gold
Barry Ten
  • RMweb Gold

I'm down to my final smokebox dart now, Mikkel - I must find out who does them, after Mainly Trains ceased trading, as I always used to rely on theirs.

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  • RMweb Gold
Barry Ten
  • RMweb Gold

Great, I must get some more in stock, I never have enough!

 

It's the sort of thing you'd think would be straightforward to scratchbuild but I've never come up with a convincing equivalent.

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JDaniels

Al, it's a pity that the body is so poor. I too was seduced by the attractive prototype and brought the kit many years ago at a show for I think £ 20. Add in the Mainly Trains chassis (which I think is the one you have), a Mashima motor, Gibson wheels and a High Level gearbox and it was a comparatively cheap model. The Mainly Trains chassis is so good it makes the body look even worse. If I would change anything I would have compensated the chassis but there's not too much metal in the area where the hornblocks need to go. As for lettering, I think I read somewhere that the words "Great Western" were standard sized transfers, not painted to fit as with the wagon lettering. I managed to make my Pressfix transfers just fit by reducing the gap between the two words but even then it means the numberplate is partly underneath the cab handrails. There are some excellent photos and a detailed plan of these locomotives in the Wild Swan book "The Tanat Valley Light Railway" It appears that the Swindon painters have also closed the gap between the two words.

 

It's a shame that Mainly Trains are ceasing operation but I managed to obtain my three GWR 4 wheel coach underframes from them very recently.

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Barry Ten
  • RMweb Gold

I still have one of those coach underframes on back order from MT - that said, I have another two to build (after the one I did in the summer) so I can do a 3 coach rake if nothing else.

 

I ought to get the Wild Swan book really. Just out of interest, did you find any photos of the rear bunker? I haven't added handrails as they weren't indicated on the kit, but all the photos I have are side-on or front three quarters.

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JDaniels

I still have one of those coach underframes on back order from MT - that said, I have another two to build (after the one I did in the summer) so I can do a 3 coach rake if nothing else.

 

I ought to get the Wild Swan book really. Just out of interest, did you find any photos of the rear bunker? I haven't added handrails as they weren't indicated on the kit, but all the photos I have are side-on or front three quarters.

I too am doing a three coach rake. I had some problems with the solebar overlays but otherwise the kits went together well. Whilst I enjoy putting an etched kit together I always have a problem with overlays, in this case I soldered them on rather than gluing as suggested. To avoid the white metal springs dissolving into a blob of metal I removed them, I think this is a better than as suggested in the instructions.  At the stage now of doing the ends.

 

The plan of 1196 in the book shows a handrail on the left side of the bunker. This, I think. is as originally modified by the GWR. A note to the drawing states that a handrail was also fitted to the right side "later." In the late 1930's both handrails were raised to be nearer the top of the bunker, previously they were just above the concave curve of the modified bunker. By this time though the original GWR bunker had been further modified and was taller, from memory I think the old GEM kit represents the loco with the smaller, lower, bunker.

 

There is a photo of one of the Tanat Valley duo in the book (back cover actually) which shows the enlarged bunker with two handrails but still in the lower position.

 

I could try and scan a copy of the plan to you.

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  • RMweb Gold
Barry Ten
  • RMweb Gold

I decided to solder on the overlays as well as I thought it would be a good test of my soldering skills (or lack of them). I added the spring castings last of all, which was a fiddle but as you say, also avoided any possibility of a soldering melt-down.

 

I've found soldering overlays to be difficult in the past, in fact I think it was one of the first questions I ever asked on Rmweb. If I succeed now, it's out of a combination of hot iron, clean metal, lots of flux and not too high a temperature melting point for the solder. I also like to have lots of wooden clothes pegs and skewers handy to keep the metal in alignment, and that seems to do the trick - just about.

 

Thanks for the info on the bunkers and handrails, very useful. And thanks also for the kind offer of the scan, but I think I'll treat myself to the Tanat valley book as it's one of the WS offerings I don't have, and I always find their books very enjoyable even if I don't plan on modelling that particular line.

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