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Kylestrome’s 4mm Workbench


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On 07/05/2017 at 18:37, Kylestrome said:

I’m not one of your ‘hair shirt’ P4 modellers

 

Well, the quality of your work and attention to detail indicates to me, that my own shirt is somewhat less hairy these days.

 

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3 hours ago, Kylestrome said:

I’ve also recently acquired another Airfix/Kitmaster/Dapol (I wish they’d make their mind up!) Prestwin kit. The packaging proclaims that it’s made in Wales, which makes a pleasant change from China, and that it’s made from re-cycled plastic. Bravo! This one will have some of its bits used to make a Diagram 1/274 wagon (higher body and 10 foot wheelbase) mainly because I like a bit of a challenge and it’s more fun than pulling RTR stuff to bits. Watch this space.

 

David

 

Ah, I've got most of one of those - some details here: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/37002-adams-em-workbench-an-early-lms-brake-part-3/&do=findComment&comment=3155437

 

As a starting point for the chassis, the Red Panda kit has the wrong axleguards, but also more shallow solebars - you'll see I chopped up a 12' wb moudling (it's wrong for the pipe wagon it came with). Not that there's a 'correct' route towards this, of course. I must finish mine...

 

Adam

 

 

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3 hours ago, Fat Controller said:

A 'Red Panda' underframe would do for the Prestwin, though you'd have to fill in the spaces in the axleguards to represent the Plate type. Certainly easier than doing a cut'n'splice on the brake levers. The other possibility would be to use the Parkside Iron-Ore Tippler chassis.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, but I'm firmly in the "use the bits I already have" camp – especially when everything I order has to cross the Channel and I can't just visit my next local show for new parts. I do have a cunning plan, though (sort of). :paint:

 

David

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44 minutes ago, Adam said:

 

Adam, it was seeing your Prestwin that pushed me in the direction of having a go at one myself. The tricky bit will be making the ladders, which is probably the stage you're at?

 

David

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I’ve made a start on the Diag.1/274 Prestwin. There is no shortcut to building the chassis for this and, by the time I have finished it, it will consist of a whole load of bits and pieces from various sources, including odd bits made from scratch.

 

DSC03728.jpg.e442ad2ae3d474e89ef311f50ca92e8b.jpg

The basis is a rectangle of 1mm Plastikard, the solebars from a Parkside (or possibly Red Panda?) chassis kit and the headstocks from another. The only axleguards that I could find, that bear any resemblance to what’s needed, were some sprung ones from Bill Bedford. Springing is overkill for such a short wheelbase but, needs must.

 

DSC03729.jpg.05e7c6c32da85cec3a8cc1746ab79056.jpg

I spent a fair bit of time chopping out the flange from the kit base plate, to stick on top of the chassis, but it will help greatly with building up the rest of the body.

 

DSC03735.jpg.6a17dc744aa023adad37c6e26bd09958.jpg

The curved end sections from the kit have been used and the rest built up from styrene sheet.

 

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The missing end top sections have been filled in with laminations of 30 thou. sheet. These are slightly oversize and will be sanded back flush.

 

DSC03733.jpg.69d938c6956224e6e4d64c4cdfb5bfc2.jpg

The curved laminations were cut out using my trusty old school dividers which have one point stoned to form a cutting blade.

 

More to come.

David

Edited by Kylestrome
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Ah, ladders! Actually, if the 'straight' Prestwin build is any sort of guide I'm hopeful this should be relatively simple. I used some of Justin Newitt's etched ladder stiles intended for Bachmann's anchor-mounted tanks (suitably straightened out which is certainly possible, post-assembly). That must be roughly the stage I'm at, but the boxfile containing the wagon is at the other end of the garden!


Adam

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DSC03739.jpg.9f7584b641927b50ff030d8d70330d4d.jpg

I’ve moved on a bit from the last update, as you can see from the photo. With the ends sanded flush there is a nice flat surface on top of the wagon, so now is a good time to turn it over and finish making the chassis. The axle springs have been separated from the Airfix kit solebars and were a nice snug fit. As I’m making this up as I go along, it’s nice when something fits nice and snug! It's a pity I forgot to drill the holes in the axleguards, though. :(

 

DSC03743.jpg.413c349332566a3749d9ad495b82182d.jpg

Vee hangers from Maskits have been glued in as well as roller bearing castings from 51L Wizard Models. The vacuum cylinders (Parkside) have been fitted, together with the brake lever cross shaft (0.45mm wire inside sections of electrical wire sleeving) and cylinder linkages (pieces of styrene cut to shape). The vacuum cylinder linkages are a bit wonky, but that will not be obvious when the wagon is on the layout. Brake cross shafts (0.7mm wire) and safety hangers (0.3mm wire) complete the picture.

 

David

Edited by Kylestrome
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  • 2 months later...

An update to an old thread about Prestwins has reminded me of it, see: 

Don’t know if of any use or too late in the day but there is a picture of a rake of three Prestwins at Burntisland in that thread.

 

I’ll try and post a link for your thread there as those following that thread might not be aware of this thread!  Hope that okay.

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On 12/06/2019 at 16:00, 26power said:

Don’t know if of any use or too late in the day but there is a picture of a rake of three Prestwins at Burntisland in that thread.

 

IMG_0938.JPG.7375c79e29149ca41d617ffbae4f95b0.JPG

 

The three Prestwins in the Burntisland photo are diagram 1/277 wagons like this nearly straight build of the Airfix kit.

 

David

Edited by Kylestrome
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  • 7 months later...
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To counteract the stress of having my favourite in-law staying over the Christmas period I thought I could do with some nice easy wagon building. Although making the 16t mineral wagon was relatively soothing the same could not be said for the 13t open. It proved to be one of those ‘two-steps-forward-one-step-backwards’ jobs.

 

16t-1.jpg.058f1ae23bebc260462f220ee1f4b6bc.jpg

 

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Both wagons were weighted by making false floors out of 1mm thick lead sheet.

 

13t-1.jpg.2aebdda753b9accb8e42be2cdd40a853.jpg

 

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Lots of extra fun with bits of wire and oddments from Masokits detailing etches, as well as Lanarkshire Models vacuum hoses and buffers from Gibson and MJT.

 

No4-1.jpg.a68170c1a2682cf2abb9163c1ba38a64.jpg

The next project will be using this Hornby tank wagon as its basis.

 

David

Edited by Kylestrome
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I’m going to have a go at modelling this 1939-built tank wagon because I like a challenge and I can just about justify its use on my layout, which conveniently serves a whisky distillery in its late sixties operating period. One problem I have, is that all the photos that I can find show the side without the walkway and ladder. I have no idea where the ladder was attached or what it looks like. If anyone appropriate information about the ladder side I would be glad to hear from them.

 

While the tank from the Hornby wagon will be useful, the chassis was a big disappointment and will be replaced by a scratch built one.

 

No4-2.jpg.01abfe8ab433b6b7f1cfd270e47c95ef.jpg

The basic underframe is soldered up from 3 x 1.5mm brass channel. The Comet Models axle guards are solidly attached to the solebars, ensuring that the axles will be true and square to the chassis.

No4-3.jpg.b695ffc7ec0c014d08da842c09d61290.jpg

The axle guards have been spaced downwards by soldering on some 0.5mm thick strips. Later on in the construction, when the underframe has a bit more structural rigidity, the centres will be cut out and discarded.

 

No4-4.jpg.0814958835a3b0befc7cc9c5a30d6b4e.jpg

The basic structure of the underframe has been filled out with 3 x 1.5mm brass strip and that is about as far as I will go with the soldering, as the amount of heat required for new joints is a risk to existing ones. Some parts, such as vee-hangers, can still be tacked on but a lot of the details from now on will be in plastic. I will also have to cobble up some brake gear using some of my stock of Masokits bits …

 

David

Edited by Kylestrome
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5 hours ago, Signaller69 said:

Hi David, did you see the recent discussion on that tank wagon?

 

Thanks Martyn, I did. It was Neil's post that got me started on this project.

 

5 hours ago, Signaller69 said:

It is preserved on the Strathspey Railway I believe.

 

It is, and I'm hoping someone can help me with a photo of the side with the walkway and ladder?

 

Regards,

David

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Here’s a bit more progress with the tank wagon.

 

No4-5.jpg.1483b446e5f1944764ed0e20936d3ad5.jpg

The brake hangers and safety loops were soldered to little brackets which will allow them to be ‘clipped’ over the cross braces and be retained with CA glue. Not really prototypical but better than trying to solder them on and risking nearby joints coming apart.

 

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The rest of the structural beams have been added, using Evergreen strip, and a representation of the buffer springs made with small pieces of brass screws.

 

No4-7.jpg.823fa2a06bef01d3ba4158130697b3be.jpg

The brake details were assembled from separate Masokits etches and held together with wire pins. Of course, I made the typical beginners mistake of getting the first set of brake push rods on with the wrong orientation! :fool:  Luckily, I was able to remedy the situation by moving the lifting link bracket (the extra bit next to the central vee hanger) to the opposite solebar. 

 

No4-8.jpg.bedf40dd404133c81d5dbef2efbb6139.jpg

The tank barrel has been butchered to allow some lead weight to be epoxied to the cradle.

 

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The story so far. I think it’s beginning to look like something usable and it already runs quite happily through all my pointwork at breakneck speeds.

 

David

Edited by Kylestrome
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On 31/01/2020 at 07:21, Kylestrome said:

 

Thanks Martyn, I did. It was Neil's post that got me started on this project.

 

 

It is, and I'm hoping someone can help me with a photo of the side with the walkway and ladder?

 

Regards,

David

 

You mean this one? I must say, I wouldn't have expected the ladder to go like this:

 

4 Strathspey Railway 190518

 

 

Adam

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2 hours ago, Adam said:

 

You mean this one? I must say, I wouldn't have expected the ladder to go like this: 

 

Oh, that’s excellent! Thanks Adam.

 

I had already come to the conclusion that the ladder was at that end, one can just make it out in this photo,

 

IBk Carron Station Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST shunting 19061967 JMBoyesARPT

 

But it’s great to have such a detailed photo to work from.

 

David

Edited by Kylestrome
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Happy to help (and it's something to do while trying to persuade the baby to sleep!). This view is probably, if anything, more helpful:

 

Strathspey Railway

 

I wouldn't have guessed that the walkway went quite that far down the tank, for example.

 

IMGP1047

 

And this shows more clearly how its bracketed. Which is useful.

 

Adam

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The problem, of course, is that I know I have one of these wagons knocking around and I now want to do one, too. The likelihood of one appearing in Somerset in the early '60s is, er, slim...

 

Adam

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
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They say that the devil is in the details, and this has certainly been true of this wagon. I keep finding more and more bits that need to be put on, which is why it has taken rather more time than I had expected it to. Even now, when it is almost finished, I’ve noticed that Hornby have simplified the cradle ends. The end stanchions should go right to the top of, and outside of the wooden crossbars. It’s something I can just about live with and I hope the wagon still has the general character of the original despite this flaw.

 

I’ve left the tank and chassis separate for painting. Once the units have have been sprayed with the basic colours, and assembled, I will attach the tie rods between tank and chassis.

 

David

 

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Edited by Kylestrome
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