SimonME46

I’d like to work on this soonish. Getting the sound files seems to be a problem, however MSTS has kinda been replicated by OpenRails, and so we have open source sound files and quite good too. The issue will be workin* out the various triggers for the loco sounds, especially steam locomotives. I note your comment about the sound not varying as the loco moves, that will be something to watch out for..

Sorry for the loss of your mother. Layout coach is stunning. Love the details of the blinds.

That Fascia is stunning!

What length has your coach come out at? Just observing the end of the side hav8ng the gap to the end mounding?

I won’t, my eyes won’t handle anything smaller than 7mm.. Meanwhile here is an Aschurch, 13/5/1961, John Langford photo of what I think is an LMS Brake 3rd. It appears in "Steam Around the West Midlands" by Michael Welch, published by Rails Publishing 2015, To me it’s a fascinating study in how grime accumulated on what were nominally clean things. My previous observation has been minimal grime on the plain body panels, but around any raised areas, clearly a different story!

Ian Kirk designed kits are available in 4mm, I think. See http://shop.cooper-craft.co.uk/index.php?cPath=61

Excellent Fabrice!

Just found this thread. Brilliant modelling, you are an artist!

Thanks Bill, I’ll try to get some supplies and have a go at the hinges and steps. I’ve had a scout around for some prototype pics. I think the rain strips are feasible in that position. Sorry about the indirect link. http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/m/manchester_central/index28.shtml

Thanks Joseph and Bill. I agree, Ian is indeed a hero for affordable modelling. I think these have a lot of potential. The key is likely to be in the finishing. Bill, I’ve ended up with very similar measurements. I’m about 22-23mm from the edge. I think the difference is I have gone for ventilators 2’ either side of the centerline, I think Ian’s instructions were ‘about 10mm’. I’ve also noted your comments about hinges from 30thou rod, so I’ll chase some of that down whilst I am in Somerset from 30/11/17. Bill may I also ask how you did the end steps? I think Ian provides something for these, but I’d like the vertical plate as well. Your coaches show a high level of detail with all the handles, pipe work and hoses etc. I’d be very happy if I need up somewhere close.

And another one done, this time it’s the non-corridor composite. Quite a straightforward build. Ian provides some extra window panels for the 2 wider spaced 1st compartments and then the correspondingly 4 narrower spaced 3rd class compartments. You end up with a LOT of spare window panels out of this exercise! As usual, roof just sitting in place. According to the Comet instructions, they were used for urban and commuter trains, and likely formations were; BT/T (van inboard) BT/C/BT BT/C/T/BT BT/T/F/T/BT BT/C/BT/BT/T/BT BT/T/F/T/T/BT So for starters I need an all 1st if I want a longer rake, and/or I need more Brake Thirds. The further question is whether I should be using non-lavatory, non-corridor stock for Bradford (Exchange). Photos of coaches are hard to find, the focus is always on loco’s! The June 1954 working timetables show the following origins/departures for ‘B’ carriages, to which I have added a road distance; Penistone (38km) Lockwood (25km) Huddersfield (25km) Sowerby Bridge (18km) Halifax (14km) Manchester (60km) Thornhill (26km) Knottingley (45km) Holmfirth (32km) Wakefield (K) (32km) Clayton West (33km) Low Moor (6km) There was only 1 double set shown, the 12:10 to Huddersfield, which comprised the 7:23 and 9:40 ex-Penistone. Both of the incoming coaches depart as ECS to Broomfields carriage sidings, so the combining of the sets would be done there. I’m pretty sure the appendix to the WTT shows a max of 6 coaches at Bradford. I would imagine the Manchester and Knottingley rakes might have lavatory coaches? Both have outward workings to Penistone.

I’ve got serious doubts myself, Joseph. I got in another session last night. It’s very hard to take photos of white carriages with black underframes! Roof is just sitting in place. The end windows had to be cut by hand, started in the flat before glueing to the sides, then final filing of corners etc. I’m still pondering what to do about end steps, I think there are castingson the sprues, but they don’t have the vertical backplate element, only the foot step.

I really like the result Bill Campbell (66C) achieved from these kits, seen here And

Thanks for the kind words gents. I moved the rain strips, much happier now. I got cracking with the next coach, a.brake 3rd. First step was cutting down the plain window panels, per the instructions. I think there are handy ribs on the back of the panels to cut back to, I’m now just scraping the flash off the side of the panels with a knife, as I’d sanded them too accurately and lost the door gap. I am sanding the tops flat whilst held against the aluminum angle. All third in the background with revised rain strips. Well that took a lot less time than the first one. Just need another session and this one will be largely complete.

Almost ready for the paint shop. Side view, again, not at all sure about the rain strips..

Made some more progress. Underframe came along pretty quickly. I initially made a mistake with the trusses and had them flush against the floor, they should be on the bottom face of the solebars. Otherwise the battery box wasn’t going to fit. I haven’t made the regulator for the non battery box side. I had to trim the floor down by about 1mm, and used the off cut to add some extra transverse framing between the trusses. I used some off cuts from the solebars to make brackets on the dynamo, and also added a bit of detail to the side of the dynamo. I’ve temporarily glued some spurs into the bolster hole to locate the bogies, and will install a bolt when I get home to AUS. I marked out the roof per the instructions. The calculations were total roof length 404mm. Centre at 202mm marked, along with markings 10mm off the centerline. Compartments are 44mm wide, so the first 2 torpedo vents were marked at 44/4 = 11mm either side of the centerline, giving a spacing of 22mm apart. From each of those markings, extra marks at 44mm centers, so 44,88,132,176mm from the offset middle 2 torpedo vents. I’m not a fan of the rain strips. They look huge to me, and whilst I based them on the comet instructions, I’m not convinced they are right. Also the vent mouldings are not registered correctly....hmmm....this is far more important than underframe stuff that can’t be seen. I’ll blow some paint over this when I get to the U.K. at the end of this month. Things I’d like to add when I get home to AUS are end steps, handrails, hinges, emergency brake tellltale, brake rodding/levers, regulator box, interior seating and dynamo belt.

Thanks John, I had seen your thread and am in awe of the work you have done, especially the bogies! Unfortunately, these will be to a much lower standard, and will be merely 'layout coaches', until I get them back home and give them a going over... 1 side done.. Cutting down the end panels. There is a vague reference in the instructions, and I was worried about getting the correct overall length. In the end though, I decided to cut down at the outboard end of an internal rib, and then sand it back to square. Sighting along what was left of the rib until there was even sanding along it, and no hint of the rib being present. This gives a good land for the coach end, which is finished square, rather than to the coach profile I had to spend some time correcting the strengthening strip which had strayed a bit close to the bottom, once that was sorted, I glued up the ends with the bottom just sitting in place, added some strengtheners just above the floor from the off cut of the floor piece. I trimmed one end of the roof and square it up, then used that to mark the coach ends, and trim them down. Then trimmed the other end of the roof with 1.0mm overlap at either end. All the internal partitions were sanded to match the width of the floor, and when sat on the top lip of the strengthening strip, are clear of the roof. So that strengthening strip positioning is quite critical. Double sided table and a mark on the jig would be a great idea. I've now started work on the underframe.

What's in the packet for the trial build, which will be a non-corridor 3rd. And cleaning up the flash/mounding pips on the top of the individual doors/panels One side coming together on a rudimentary jig

It's not the smartest move, but in anticipation of poor weather in rural France over the next 3 months (compared to home in Australia), I've bought 6 Ian Kirk 7mm LMS 57' Non-Corridor coaches to keep myself occupied, as follows; *3x 7600 LMS 57' Non-Corridor Third (Period II) *2x 7603 LMS 57' Non-Corridor Brake Third (Period II) *1x 7601 LMS 57' Non-Corridor Composite (Period II) Slight problem with this impulse purchase is that all my reference books are back home in Australia. The kit instructions are quite the guide to scratch building, as Ian suggests. A fellow member has assisted me with some relevant drawings, what an awesome community this is!

Did they give any indication of timing? I'm hanging for a West Riding set..

Looks great Rob, I've just ordered some Ian Kirk LMS coaches to give myself something to do, whilst in rural France for 3 months. May I ask where the seats came from, and do the compartment partitions come with the kit?

Brilliant as always Jon!

Utterly brilliant. Really enjoyed the video, thanks for putting that together. Great to see how you run wiring etc, please keep us posted!

Any word on the Derby Lightweight?

I've just bought a Raspberry Pi3 and an Arduino uno + motor shield, loaded up JMRI and DCC++. No kitbuilding required and it was cheap as chips. And I suspect far more capable...