Show us your Pugbashes, Nellieboshes, Desmondifications, Jintysteins

[Gibbo675]

5 hours ago, ScottishRailFanatic said:

Never thought I’d receive such a warm welcome! This thread really has inspired me. Heck, I’m working on one now! Expect a progress update in a few hours.

 

9 minutes ago, Nile said:

Welcome aboard SRF. It's good to see RMweb inspiring someone to do some modelling, rather than argue about the colour of the latest RTR model.

And remember, the modeller that never made a mistake also never made anything.

Hi SRF,

 

Nile is quite correct in what he says, may I add that fun is the whole point.

 

Do enjoy what you make and if it doesn't quite turn out, repair it and have another go.

 

For instance, I scratch build stuff which pleases me yet is nowhere near as good as RTR stuff or that of professional standard modellers, but I just don't care !!!!

 

Gibbo.

[ScottishRailFanatic]

Very true indeed, Gibbo! I had an attempt at building a ‘Sentinel’ body for my Holden chassis. It didn’t go quite as planned - unsurprising when all you use is polystyrene! I’m purchasing some plasticard tomorrow to give it a go with something other than 

scrap from boxes. Any tips? 
Appreciated.

-MJ

 

[Gibbo675]

1 minute ago, ScottishRailFanatic said:

Very true indeed, Gibbo! I had an attempt at building a ‘Sentinel’ body for my Holden chassis. It didn’t go quite as planned - unsurprising when all you use is polystyrene! I’m purchasing some plasticard tomorrow to give it a go with something other than 

scrap from boxes. Any tips? 
Appreciated.

-MJ

 

Hi SRF,

 

Here are some ideas:

• Always good quality blades for cutting, Swan Morton are widely available.
• Files and wet or dry paper are essential for finishing and shaping glued edges and filled areas.
• Fine tweezers are best for handling small components.
• When scribing lines on plasticard always use a heavy steel rule as you can use its rigidity to clamp the plasticard to the cutting surface, this will help with accuracy and also be safer for the ends of your fingers.
• As mentioned take good note of where the ends of your fingers are when using blades, I still have a scar on my left thumb from when I was about your age. I did that nearly forty years ago !
• If you wish to make a complicated shape use the card from a cereal packet, this will save plasticard if it is the wrong shape, if it is correct you may use it as a template.
• Patience, wait for the glue to cure. This may take until the next day, if you don't wait long enough your work may collapse or the wet glue may spoil your paint.
• Draw your plans out on paper, that way you will know that your plans will work out and you will have all the sizes you need for cutting to hand before you start.

If you are using plastic models as a basis then plasticard is a good material for alterations and new parts. There are different thickness' for good reason and it is best to keep a stock of each of them, .040" (forty thousandths of one inch) is approximate to 1mm thick, .030" is approximate to .75mm ,.020" is approximate to .5mm and .010" is approximate to .25mm. My preferred glue is Revell Contacta which is a liquid glue and has a fine tube to accurately apply it to small parts, should it get blocked I poke a wire from a wire brush up the tube.

Plastruct make a variety of shapes and forms that are useful such as channel sections, angle sections, box sections and tubes, there are also fine rods and strips from which to make details from.

 

All of the above cost money and so don't expect to acquire it all at once, buy what you need for a particular job and know that what ever is left over will come in useful in future. Soon enough you will have lots of tools and materials to hand.

 

Ask questions any time you like, by all means send me a PM should you ever feel the need, that way you won't clutter up a thread.

 

Gibbo.

[RJS1977]

6 hours ago, Nile said:

Welcome aboard SRF. It's good to see RMweb inspiring someone to do some modelling, rather than argue about the colour of the latest RTR model.

And remember, the modeller that never made a mistake also never made anything.

 

"No man who never did nothing, never made no mistakes" - F.W. Spencer

[ScottishRailFanatic]

Thanks for the wealth of advice. Equipment-wise, I managed to obtain Revell Contacta glue yesterday (what a coincidence!) and the other equipment has been provided by my helpful grandparents. Thanks must go to them, too.

 

[Nile]

11 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

 

"No man who never did nothing, never made no mistakes" - F.W. Spencer

The boolean logic of that statement is making my head hurt.

[uax6]

If I was to suggest one item that you really need to have if you are doing any modelling then its this:

https://www.scalpelsandblades.co.uk/handle-detail_413_stainless-steel-craft-tool-handle-swann-morton-product-no-1239-replaces-1237-brass-handle-.php

 

This handle (I've got a pair of the brass ones) holds the blade so much better than a normal scalpel. It prevents the blade from bending and means that when you put it against a steel straight edge it will actually cut where you want. Put the blade into the handle as far as you can, while still keeping the cutting edge in view.

 

I use a pair of pilers to handle the blades when I put them in and out, and I have also found that my brass handles will take the really thin blades (P's I think) as well.

 

As the blade is held tightly you will also be able to drag the blade along the edge of the plasticard (ie at 90* to the edge) and shave the edge down, without the risk of the blade breaking. I often use this technique to remove burrs and to generally shave the sheet down to fit.

 

Forget the other types of holders (although a medical holder would be quite handy for some jobs, I don't have one at the minute, as I find I don't have much of a need for one) and definitely avoid like the plague those that are plastic or have a big handle, these fit in your hand like they were part of your hand. (Definitely don't buy a plastic holder, as they don't support the blade at all!).

 

Get two, and these should last your lifetime!

 

Andy G

[sem34090]

4 hours ago, ScottishRailFanatic said:

Thanks for the wealth of advice. Equipment-wise, I managed to obtain Revell Contacta glue yesterday (what a coincidence!) and the other equipment has been provided by my helpful grandparents. Thanks must go to them, too.

 

And remember that Wednesday might also help progress things...

[ScottishRailFanatic]

Good news, construction is now officially underway! I am modelling the Neilson and Co. Works No.4444. A picture is included below. The locomotive will be decorated in a fictional olive green. Expect an upload of the finished product by Christmas Eve!

Edited December 22, 2019 by ScottishRailFanatic
Slightly inaccurate

[Hesperus]

Looks like the perfect prototype for your first bash, have you found any pictures from above to give you an idea of the trickier bits?

 

If you are careful you'll be able to swap the chassis over for a better runner once you've finished hacking the body around.

[James Harrison]

21 hours ago, ScottishRailFanatic said:

Good news, construction is now officially underway! I am modelling the Neilson and Co. Works No.4444. A picture is included below. The locomotive will be decorated in a fictional olive green. Expect an upload of the finished product by Christmas Eve!

 

You've probably seen these already, but in case you haven't. 

 

 

 

 

 

[ScottishRailFanatic]

 

12 minutes ago, James Harrison said:

 

You've probably seen these already, but in case you haven't. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks - haven’t seen these yet. They’ll be a big help! 
 

Currently, the new bodyshell is a bit basic and crude, but refining, patience and a bit of elbow grease are key.

[CinderMonkey]

I saw that this loco was up for sale a while back, has it found a suitable home yet? Have to say I was tempted, but if 1:76 feels steep at times a 1:1 model may bankrupt me!

[RJS1977]

4 hours ago, CinderMonkey said:

I saw that this loco was up for sale a while back, has it found a suitable home yet? Have to say I was tempted, but if 1:76 feels steep at times a 1:1 model may bankrupt me!

 

That poor loco's been on the Preston Services website since at least 2008, as have the O&K narrow gauge locos.

[Corbs]

Apparently it's full of asbestos and the boiler is in poor condition.

[TonyMay]

Well, if we're talking pugbashes.

 

As a standard gauge loco, that thing couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.  No preserved line is going to want it.  So the only possible owner some rich bloke who is vain enough to want to own a loco all to himself and rich enough to afford to buy one but not rich enough to afford a bigger one.

 

But how about taking the boiler and designing some narrow gauge frames around the loco.  It'd probably be too big for 2' gauge but anything from 2'6" to p to 3' looks conceivable.  Then run it on a suitable railway. 

[Vanguard 5374]

27 minutes ago, TonyMay said:

Well, if we're talking pugbashes.

 

As a standard gauge loco, that thing couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.  No preserved line is going to want it.  So the only possible owner some rich bloke who is vain enough to want to own a loco all to himself and rich enough to afford to buy one but not rich enough to afford a bigger one.

 

But how about taking the boiler and designing some narrow gauge frames around the loco.  It'd probably be too big for 2' gauge but anything from 2'6" to p to 3' looks conceivable.  Then run it on a suitable railway. 

 

Could think of a few standard gauge sites which it would be lovely at:

 

• Beamish

• Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust

• Rocks by Rail: The Living Ironstone Museum

• Bowes Railway

• Scottish Industrial Railway Centre (SIRC)

Granted, not conventional big preserved lines with main line stock, but definitely places where it would fit. I know there are others, some even more suited, but these are just a few that came to the top of my head.

[Corbs]

The general consensus I heard was that it’s far too expensive for what it is/can do, and that something in similar condition but more capable would be cheaper.

[Northmoor]

1 hour ago, TonyMay said:

As a standard gauge loco, that thing couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.  No preserved line is going to want it.  So the only possible owner some rich bloke who is vain enough to want to own a loco all to himself and rich enough to afford to buy one but not rich enough to afford a bigger one.

 

But how about taking the boiler and designing some narrow gauge frames around the loco.  It'd probably be too big for 2' gauge but anything from 2'6" to p to 3' looks conceivable.  Then run it on a suitable railway. 

Well you could apply that logic to almost anything built in the 19th Century, but why would you destroy the last survivor of its type to build something more useful now, but with a marginal boiler?  If you want to build something useful for today's operation, you might as well use completely new components.

 

As for no preserved line wanting it, I suspect that if someone else paid for the restoration, preserved railways based on industrial operations could be very interested, e.g. Bowes, Tanfield, Foxfield, Beamish.....

[CinderMonkey]

Shame, had no clue it was in such a poor way. While I am interested to see what a narrow gauge version looks like (someone could make a bash from that, you know ), I think it would be a shame to cut up such a unique survivor for a boiler that may not be salvageable in the first place. I imagine if it were to be restored Beamish or any of its contemporaries would make splendid use of it, or if it won't be restored at least make a respectable exhibit of it. At the end of the day, if a narrow gauge railway were in such desperate need of a locomotive and restoring an existing engine wasn't possible, I think new-build would make more sense over rebuilding this engine, both economically and for the longevity and practicality of the end result.

 

 

Now, enough of my rambling , how has your model progressed Fanatic?

[Edwardian]

On 27/12/2019 at 15:28, TonyMay said:

 

As a standard gauge loco, that thing couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.  No preserved line is going to want it. 

 

You've not heard of the SE&CR P Class then? 

[Compound2632]

P for piddling. (C for competent, D for delightful, E for even more so...)

 

As to that Neilson box tank, surely the proper thing to be done is to have it cosmetically restored and put on display in a public museum?

 

[Edwardian]

46 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

P for piddling. (C for competent, D for delightful, E for even more so...)

 

As to that Neilson box tank, surely the proper thing to be done is to have it cosmetically restored and put on display in a public museum?

 

 

H?

[Compound2632]

1 minute ago, Edwardian said:

 

H?

Hornby.

J for jinormous, L for lucky they arrived when they did, N for nearly the ideal locomotive.

[Edwardian]

Well, inspired by the efforts of you all, I've finally decided to join the august ranks of Nellie-bashers.

 

It had long struck me that Nellie might look good as a compact 2-4-0 passenger tank - as a passenger tank, recalling her LSWR C14 heritage - and I acquired a beaten up Nellie body from the Bay of Fleas (I still have my childhood Nellie, cherished and safe, and she's not going under the knife!!).

 

The intention is to upgrade a Nellie but keep as much of the character and appearance of the original body as possible.

 

One thing I dislike about the Triang body is the cab front sheet, which would really look better with round spectacles. Other than that, it is really only necessary to replace the moulded-on hand rails and smokebox dart and to add the usual refinements, e.g. screw link couplings and vac pipes (it's to be a passenger loco in this guise), lamp irons, crew etc.

 

However, this was a beaten-up body that had lost its rear steps and chimney, so here there will have to be further changes.  The Dean chimney pictured is temporary, while I mull.  Given the need to replace the rear steps, I thought I might as well go to town and have nice, big curvy ones.

 

The other change is necessitated by the change in wheel arrangement.  I have cut out the cab doors and provided splashers for the rear driving wheels, rather like a Brighton Terrier or D tank.   

 

Here we see it in primer to identify the sanding and filling necessary, so, early days, but the chassis runs and the body fits it, so, the job's a good 'un.

 

Edited January 5, 2020 by Edwardian