Waiting with baited breath...

Likewise. What is the Ultima underbody detail like?

Waiting with baited breath...

Whilst drawing the end doors for the O6 I'm coming to the conclusion that it won't fit well in the existing fret layout because of all the extra strap detail parts that need including so this might form a separate fret for amending the O5 kit, but that leaves me with space to fill and so am thinking about knocking up a drawing for a horse box or similar smaller vehicle.

Likewise. What is the Ultima underbody detail like?

I sold all my Ultima coach kits (which were mostly the pre-printed sides type) a while back as a job lot but I kept a Siphon G, and two Monsters (maybe one is a Giant). I have got as far as folding up the body on the Siphon G and that is it. I can't speak for the present supplier because I have had these for a while and they were all bought as un-built second hand. They have an acceptable level of detail regarding the truss rods and include castings for the battery boxes, cylinders and dynamo as appropriate. The bogies lack some relief but I will use 2mm SA ones anyway so that isn't a concern. The only thing I don't really like about them is that they are not available in nickel silver.

... but that leaves me with space to fill and so am thinking about knocking up a drawing for a horse box or similar smaller vehicle.

Actually scratch the horse box for an idea I remembered that they have louvres atop their sides. Something else smaller. Hmm.

... but that leaves me with space to fill and so am thinking about knocking up a drawing for a horse box or similar smaller vehicle.

Actually scratch the horse box for an idea I remembered that they have louvres atop their sides. Something else smaller. Hmm.

I've been looking round for a suitable chassis for the 1890-1910 GWR "brown" 4-wheelers - which includes most of the early horseboxes, plus early meat and fruit vans, (and a handful of iron minks). It was 10 foot wheelbase, 16 foot long, 3 foot 6 inch wheels and vacuum brakes (8 shoes), with some small variation between the different vehicles. Perhaps the Mica body would give something small and relatively simple (though to some extent it would duplicate the N Gauge Society one). I would be interested if you decided to pursue the idea (as well as a few of the siphons).

David

I've been looking round for a suitable chassis for the 1890-1910 GWR "brown" 4-wheelers - which includes most of the early horseboxes, plus early meat and fruit vans, (and a handful of iron minks). It was 10 foot wheelbase, 16 foot long, 3 foot 6 inch wheels and vacuum brakes (8 shoes), with some small variation between the different vehicles. Perhaps the Mica body would give something small and relatively simple (though to some extent it would duplicate the N Gauge Society one). I would be interested if you decided to pursue the idea (as well as a few of the siphons).

 

David

That's a decent shout and I've wanted something similar previously and have subsequently forgotten about it. I built a Mica from the NGS kit and being 1:148 it is bigger than I wanted it to be. The chassis is something like 3 part chassis kits with various bits of bent and flattened wire plus a turned brass vacuum cylinder. The lettering was a trial too and whilst it looks decent enough (see cruel enlargement here) it hardly runs at all. This is mostly due to fitting 7mm wheels in a chassis and 8 shoe brake parts that are meant to use 6mm diameter items.

Should it have outside clasp brakes? There are various detail differences between the early stock of this type that had 3'6" wheels. The best information and pictures I have is for the one under an X4. One way to progress this very quickly would be to have a 10' w/b carcass with 8 shoe brakes plus linkages, and levers to which would need to have added the steel underframe conversion kit, RCH axle boxes, and 5' springs with link hangers from the 2mm SA to complete the outside appearance. Is that any good?

I also want some 6'4" coach bogie stretchers so I have to draw those. Maybe there is not much spare space after all. I'm still looking/thinking. Maybe a scorpion or something would be interesting. I don't want to hold things up too long because this computer design thing is taking over all my hobby time, and is something that I do for a day job too.

Should it have outside clasp brakes? There are various detail differences between the early stock of this type that had 3'6" wheels. The best information and pictures I have is for the one under an X4. One way to progress this very quickly would be to have a 10' w/b carcass with 8 shoe brakes plus linkages, and levers to which would need to have added the steel underframe conversion kit, RCH axle boxes, and 5' springs with link hangers from the 2mm SA to complete the outside appearance. Is that any good?

 

I also want some 6'4" coach bogie stretchers so I have to draw those. Maybe there is not much spare space after all. I'm still looking/thinking. Maybe a scorpion or something would be interesting. I don't want to hold things up too long because this computer design thing is taking over all my hobby time, and is something that I do for a day job too.

Yes, that is exactly the sort of thing I was hoping for. Only minor problem I can see with that plan is that some of the variants had non-central V-hangers, so I think the steel underframe conversions will need a little creative adjustment...

I put the underframe in as my request in the recent 2mm survey, but realised it was going to be very much a minority interest, so was starting to think about drawing up an etch myself.

Best plans I have are in the Iron Mink book by John Lewis, which isn't really a good prototype (only 10 built, whereas there were several hundred of each of the other types). There's also a good picture of the fruit van on the GWS site at http://www.didcotrai...7886pic_01.html but unfortunately it has the later style of brake levers.

I hadn't realised that the early Scorpions also used this underframe, but that would be a nice option too (though I would then need to find something suitable for a load - horse-drawn pantechnicon seems like a possibility). I was actually looking at the "grey" versions - Serpents - recently.

As you probably know, I'd also be interested in a few of the Dean bogies, so I look forward to progress on this project

David

Yes, that is exactly the sort of thing I was hoping for. Only minor problem I can see with that plan is that some of the variants had non-central V-hangers, so I think the steel underframe conversions will need a little creative adjustment...

I would have had the hangers as part of the etch and remove the ones on the conversion kit. They are attached to the rear and under the solebar on the prototype, and not the front.

I put the underframe in as my request in the recent 2mm survey, but realised it was going to be very much a minority interest, so was starting to think about drawing up an etch myself.

 

Best plans I have are in the Iron Mink book by John Lewis, which isn't really a good prototype (only 10 built, whereas there were several hundred of each of the other types). There's also a good picture of the fruit van on the GWS site at http://www.didcotrai...7886pic_01.html but unfortunately it has the later style of brake levers.

On p22? That's not the same as the under frame that I had in my mind. If it something that you would like to do then I am happy to let you. It is no where near the top of my list of stuff I'd like. Incidentally I requested self contained buffers. Perhaps wider appeal but essentially the same problem.

I would have had the hangers as part of the etch and remove the ones on the conversion kit. They are attached to the rear and under the solebar on the prototype, and not the front.

Sounds like that would solve my perceived problem

On p22? That's not the same as the under frame that I had in my mind. If it something that you would like to do then I am happy to let you. It is no where near the top of my list of stuff I'd like. Incidentally I requested self contained buffers. Perhaps wider appeal but essentially the same problem.

Yes, on P22.

Agreed - I don't have good enough drawings of the other designs to see the differences, but that prototype doesn't interest me much (ten built, and the ones I've seen appear to have been allocated to the audit department at Paddington - presumably used for collection or storage of documents?). I'm interested in the chassis for Fruit Y1 or Y2, Mica (meat) X1 or X2, and various Pacos (horseboxes) in the N1-N9 range approximately, possibly also for Scorpions (carriage trucks) as you suggested.

David

The scorpion diagram I latched on to had a 12' wheelbase. There isn't a lot else to them though because they are basically a floor with protrusions extending over the buffers and some rails to fit beams to for securing the load in the direction of travel. From the not great (from a point of view of fathoming underframe details) photographs I have in reference books the diagrams you list appear to have variations of brake hanger, linkage, and cylinder placements so might not be so easy as a 'one size fits all'.

The scorpion diagram I latched on to had a 12' wheelbase. There isn't a lot else to them though because they are basically a floor with protrusions extending over the buffers and some rails to fit beams to for securing the load in the direction of travel. From the not great (from a point of view of fathoming underframe details) photographs I have in reference books the diagrams you list appear to have variations of brake hanger, linkage, and cylinder placements so might not be so easy as a 'one size fits all'.

I was looking at the P4 and P5 Scorpions on P51 of Russell Part 1 - they do have the 10 foot wheelbase, a length of 15 feet 6 inches, but no details in the drawings of the hanger/linkage/cylinder layout.

Agreed - I haven't worked out what all the differences were, but clearly they did differ. From my perspective, having a suitable 10 foot wheelbase chassis either 15 foot 6 inches or 16 foot in overall length, with 8 clasp brakes, would be a great start for all of them - so I would be happy to take whichever one you decide on (unless a better idea strikes you) and amend them accordingly for other versions.

David