Modbury

[Killybegs]

Hard to believe it's 2mm. Great work.

[Ian Smith]

As is normal for me with my butterfly approach to railway modelling, I've taken a break from lining coaches and made a start on the fencing for the cattle pens.

 

The dock itself was made and painted and temporarily screwed in place on the layout a few months ago, but lacks the pens themselves.  

The basic cattle dock built up from plain and embossed styrene sheet, the area of the pens having a raised brickwork pattern to prevent the cattle from slipping around to much.

 

It was always my intention to have my cattle pens constructed from old lengths of bridge rail, and whilst I could have fabricated the fencing parts from plastic strip I felt it would be much stronger if made from metal and be soldered.  To this end I needed quite a bit of 2mm scale bridge rail!!

 

Having made my line side fencing straining posts from bridge rail that had been filed from short lengths of 2mm Association flat-bottom rail, I felt that this would be a goer so made a jig to allow whole lengths of flat-bottom rail to be (fairly) consistently be filed down.  The basis of the jig is 2 lengths of 0.020" nickel silver sheet sweated to 0.010" nickel silver sheet such that the 0.020" overhangs the 0.010" by a mm or so.  The overhang is to provide a recess for the foot of the flat-bottom rail.  One of these pieces was super-glued onto a piece of flat flooring laminate, a length of rail was put against this (with it's foot under the overhang), and the second half of the jig super-glued alongside to trap the rail.  The rail can then be slid through the jig as filing progresses.

 

The bridge rail filing jig

 

Once filed down, the result is sanded and a pre-set vernier calliper slid along it to try to ensure that all lengths are similarly sized.

Resultant bridge rail

 

The posts of bridge rail fencing on this type of cattle dock were Vignoles rail, I decided that the 2mm Association flat-bottom rail was a good enough approximation of that to use as is.  Therefore, the end 2-3mm of a length of flat-bottom rail was filed down to provide a mounting spigot, and then cut off to give an above ground post length a little of 11-13mm.  These embryonic posts were mounted in the vice so that the end could then be filed back to leave an above ground length of 1cm (5'0").

 

Embyonic post filed to size in vice and growing pile of posts ready for use.

 

The posts and bridge rail were then soldered together to build up fencing panels - the first being the long fence that will run along the back of the pens.

First piece of fence panel (the long back fence)

 

Finally for this episode are the gates of the pens.  These were etched by PPD and had been included on the artwork for my etch of 6 wheeled coaches.  They are a double lamination, which fold over each other and are aligned with holes in the outer frame of the sub-etch.

The cattle pen gates

 

Thanks for looking,

Ian

[bgman]

Always a pleasure to see these little details Ian, thanks for posting your methods too.

 

Grahame

[Mikkel]

Ian that coach painting and lining is exquisite. I've been staring at in admiration for several minutes now!

 

I noticed the buffer stop by the cattle dock. Is that based on a drawing or photo? I ask because I've noticed one or two of these in photos and even modelled one from a photo, but was never sure if it was a standard design or not originally GWR (apologies if you've already explained this, a Google search of your blog and thread didn't find anything).

[Ian Smith]

Ian that coach painting and lining is exquisite. I've been staring at in admiration for several minutes now!

 

I noticed the buffer stop by the cattle dock. Is that based on a drawing or photo? I ask because I've noticed one or two of these in photos and even modelled one from a photo, but was never sure if it was a standard design or not originally GWR (apologies if you've already explained this, a Google search of your blog and thread didn't find anything).

 

Mikkel,

Thank you for the kind comments!

 

The buffer stop at the end of the cattle dock road (and indeed the one at the end of the long back siding) are based on photographs.  They are of slightly different designs, and are probably not accurate renditions of either!  I actually really struggled to find suitable photographs of buffer stops that were compatible with "narrow gauge" baulk road.  Next time I'm in the workshop with a camera I'll try to remember to take photos of each of my efforts.

 

Ian

[Coal Tank]

Hi Ian that coach is stunning in fact it all is

John

[Ian Smith]

Ian that coach painting and lining is exquisite. I've been staring at in admiration for several minutes now!

 

I noticed the buffer stop by the cattle dock. Is that based on a drawing or photo? I ask because I've noticed one or two of these in photos and even modelled one from a photo, but was never sure if it was a standard design or not originally GWR (apologies if you've already explained this, a Google search of your blog and thread didn't find anything).

 

Mainly for Mikkel, but also for anyone else who might be interested...

 

The latest 3 coaches I've been working on, a V13 brake van, an S6 All Third and a U28 Clerestory Composite.  All now require class wording, a coat of varnish, roofs painting, glazing and interior detail.

 

The buffer stops :

The one at the end of the long back siding.

 

The one at the end of the Cattle Dock siding.

 

Ian

[Mikkel]

Thanks Ian. That first shot is pure time travel!

 

The lower one is the style of buffer stop that I have seen. One is in a photo of Salisbury, if I remember correctly. Also one at Lambourn at one time, though not sure whether that was installed by the original LVR.

[Ian Smith]

Thanks Ian. That first shot is pure time travel!

 

The lower one is the style of buffer stop that I have seen. One is in a photo of Salisbury, if I remember correctly. Also one at Lambourn at one time, though not sure whether that was installed by the original LVR.

 

Mikkel,

 

The buffer stop in the upper photo is based on one at Exeter St. Davids, a photo of which can be found in "An Edwardian Album of Great Western Passenger Classes" by Roger Carpenter on page 45.

 

The buffer stop in the lower photo is based on one at Reading, a photo of which appears in "A Broad Gauge Album" by the Newton Abbot Museum & Broad Gauge Society.  The image appears on page 13 and is I think a Broad Gauge buffer stop as the coach further up the siding appears to have a narrow body on a broad underframe.  I don't know what happened to the buffer stops when the gauge was narrowed, but in my world they've simply narrowed the buffer stop too :-)

 

Ian

[Mikkel]

Thanks for that info Ian. Will have a look at the Carpenter album when my books are unpacked. I really like his collection of photos btw, although they are of course biased towards the passenger classes. Imagine the documentation we would have if photographers like him had also ventured into the goods yards and the backroads of the railways!

Edited September 15, 2018 by Mikkel

[Ian Smith]

I've finally completed the first 3 of my train of 6 wheeled coaches.  These kits are for both body and underframe, the underframe incorporating a floating centre axle in an inside bearing that is simply retained by two small wire retainers that prevent the axle from dropping out of the U shaped inside bearing.  As a first attempt at producing artwork for etching and kit design I am really quite pleased with the way everything went.  There were a couple of "errors" in the artwork, the main ones being that I had drawn the rooves slightly too narrow (not accounting for the fact that I had designed the sides to fit outside the ends), and the holes in the floor to accommodate the central wheel flanges I had not made wide enough to allow for the floating centre axle.  Luckily, neither of these problems were unsurmountable.

 

So some pictures :

 

 

The 3 coaches coupled together, with a DG coupling at each end of the set and wire bent to resemble vacuum pipes connecting the coaches inboard of the end coaches.

 

Some cruel close-ups :

The Diagram U28 Clerestory 1st / 2nd Composite with central Luggage Compartment

 

The Diagram S6 All Third

 

The Diagram V13 Brake Van

 

The coaches have all been finished with Model Master transfers, trying to select the better prints on the rather variable quality sheet.

 

Unfortunately, I will not be able to enter these in this years AGM competitions as we are at Wigan with St Ruth that weekend, still at least John Aldrick will know what's coming next year ;-)

 

Ian

 

 

[bgman]

Excellent looking coaches Ian, you should be very proud of what you've achieved especially in this scale.

 

Grahame

[Caley Jim]

.......  There were a couple of "errors" in the artwork,...........

If there were only a couple of errors in your first ever artwork, you've done very well, Ian!  It's not easy to keep track of what your doing when you are only able to do a wee bit at a time, not to mention the 'mental origami' you have to carry out in order to figure out how things are to go together.

 

Jim

[Charlie586]

Just had to say this really is incredibly good modelling and in 2mm as well. Really like the idea for splashers from a few pages back too.

[Regularity]

Hard to believe it's 2mm. Great work.

What he said, yet again.

[Mikkel]

 

100% worth all the effort Ian. Something to aspire to.

[TomE]

Hi Ian. 

 

That rake of coaches is absolutely gorgeous! Brilliant work. 

 

Tom.  

[Ian Smith]

Over the last couple of weeks I have been progressing the cattle pens by reducing Association flat bottom rail to bridge rail section (filing down the head of the rail to leave an upside down T section), and soldering resultant bridge rails to posts made of unmodified flat bottom rail.  The gates are from my custom etch and were also soldered in place.  As construction progressed, holes were drilled in the dock to accept a 2-3mm peg filed onto the end of each upright, all soldering was done "off-site" as it were to avoid melting the plastic dock!

 

A few photos of the completed article in place on Modbury :

 

A fairly close up view with the camera at track level

 

A slightly elevated view hopefully showing that there are water troughs in the two pens

 

An overall view of the cattle dock in relation to the rest of the station

 

A final shot from the road along the back of the layout showing a view that is impossible for both the operator and the public

 

Before fixing the completed pens they were sprayed in white primer (as in the 1906 period cattle pens would be white from the lime wash that was applied to sterilise them).  While waiting for the primer to dry properly, I attacked the surface of the dock with a skrawker, scribing pavers into the surface between the raised pavers that had already been attached.  I decided to do this simply because the surface appeared to lack texture, especially on the flat area at the left hand end where there isn't a pen (or raised anti-slip pavers).  Obviously this action necessitated a complete re-paint of the upper surface of the dock in a red brick colour.

 

Once the primer was on the soldered pens was dry, they were fixed in place on the dock with 24 hour araldite, a little being poked into each of the holes where each upright post sits.  It was quite apparent that the white primed fencing looked far too stark (as I almost expected it to), so while waiting for the araldite to set I went back to the books to find photos of lime washed pens.  What the photos do show is that the pens really do look stark white in the black and white period photos!  Unfortunately in model form it just looks wrong, so I first applied a varied thin wash of Precision Paints Light Rust over all of the rail sections of the pens (the gates being wooden were not given this treatment although I did paint on an impression of the hinges and little gate latches in dark grey).  Once the light rust washes had thoroughly dried I then applied a further wash of Precision Paints Track Colour (a brown) - to vary the effect again, subtly different strengths of wash were applied.  Finally, once these washes had thoroughly dried, diluted Humbrol matt white was applied in a couple of separate washes to build up the lime wash, while still preserving the underlying rustiness of the rail sections that the pens were constructed from.  Whether I have achieved that look is perhaps not for me to say but I am nevertheless fairly happy with the result.

 

To finish the pens off, I made a couple water troughs from 0.010" white plastic around a base of 0.040" black plastic.  The white parts were painted light grey to represent a zinc trough, and the black bit given a touch of gloss varnish with some brown mixed in it to represent the water.

 

Ian

[Atso]

Hi Ian,

 

Just exquisite modelling. Not just the cattle dock but the whole layout and its stock too!

[Ian Smith]

Finally coming off my workbench is the 4th 6 wheeled coach that I had PPD etch for me from my own artwork.  This one is another 1st/2nd composite with central luggage compartment, this time a diagram U21.  As usual, the door furniture was sweated on before painting and scraped back to bare brass before a protective coat of satin varnish was applied, the black mouldings being "painted" with Rotring black ink from a Rotring 0.1mm nibbed pen.

 

Cruel close up of U21 1st/2nd Composite

 

The set of 4 coaches - U21 (1st / 2nd Composite), U28 (1st / 2nd Composite with clerestory roof), S6 (All Third), V13 (Van)

 

I have finally got around to fitting the Association's Mansell wheel inserts to the wheels which I think improves their look considerably - I really need to retro-fit same to my 4 wheeled coaches too!

 

Eventually I intend to add to this rake with a further S6 (which is mostly built, but with Oil lamps) and a brake 3rd, but for now they will do for a second rake of coaches ready for Modbury's next outing to Stevenage in January.

 

Ian

[bgman]

Absolutely beautiful coaches Ian, I am very impressed with the whole process from start to finish and the second photograph showing the rake is a small piece of artwork in itself.

 

A BIG thumbs up from me !

 

Grahame

[Mikkel]

I can only echo what Grahame has said. You must be really pleased Ian, that country scene is simply superb.

 

I'm glad to see the "scrape back to bare brass" methods works so well, as I'm going to use it on a loco myself shortly. Did you take any special precautions before doing it?

[Argos]

'Cruel close up of U21 1st/2nd composite '

 

There is nothing cruel about that close up Ian, superb modelling!

Edited December 6, 2018 by Argos

[Ian Smith]

I can only echo what Grahame has said. You must be really pleased Ian, that country scene is simply superb.

 

I'm glad to see the "scrape back to bare brass" methods works so well, as I'm going to use it on a loco myself shortly. Did you take any special precautions before doing it?

 

Thank you Mikkel.  Yes, I am pleased with the look of both my coaches and the scenery that they are posed on.  I still need to make a lot more trees for that wood though :-)

 

As for scraping back to bare brass, I use a small rounded scalpel blade (No. 15) and use good light and magnification (I have a "Flexi Magnifier Lamp" which combines both functions), and of course I take my time.  It has to be said though that the T handles and G scroll handrails both stand proud of the surrounding area - I'm not sure how easy it would be with something like a safety valve cover that blended into a firebox top and was close to the cab front though!

Ian

[DavidB]

Wow - gorgeous work.

 

David