Nile's NG Modelling

[Nile]

I found the Dundas L&B wagon, this is the underside.

Even with all that lead it still only weighs about 10g. This doesn't seem much, but it runs ok.

[AlfaZagato]

Good tip I've read somewhere is weigh stock up to comparable RTR equipment.

 

Or you could use the NMRA system.   But why would you do that?

[Nile]

More Nine Lines wagon kits, these ones weren't built. They are now. I added door springs made from some brass strip bent into L shapes, half was blackened before gluing to the wagon underside. As before I swapped the wheels for the newer non-magnetic type, I now have a growing collection of steel rimmed 8mm wheels.

 

Painted and weathered.

 

Comparison with a Fourdees one, which has some extra internal strapping.

[chuffinghell]

Exquisitely made as always 

[Henrik Laurell]

On 10/04/2018 at 23:19, Nile said:

I bought some of the new 8mm wheels, they follow the same pattern with brass rims and steel axles.

In practice steel axles aren't much of a problem as they are far enough away from the magnet to be hardly drawn to it.

Who makes these? I want to order a few to mess with during the holidays.

 

Thanks

Henrik

[Nile]

Made by Markits/Romford I think. Sold by Dundas:

https://dundasmodels.co.uk/webstore/index.php/hikashop-menu-for-module-108/product/6089-8-0mm-009-metal-wheels-6-hole-disc-2-axles

packs of 10 also available.

[Nile]

The arrival of the new Skarloey Railway coaches from Bachmann (USA) has prompted a bit of NG modelling.

I thought these two looked good enough to use on the Scarrdale Railway without a major repaint. However a few mods were required to make them fit for service:

Buffers and coupling hooks removed, holes filled.

Brake pipes added.

Oil lamp covers added, recovered from Peco L&B coaches.

Interior partitions added. As these are only waist height they can only just be seen.

Footboards painted a darker brown, chassis lightly weathered.

Greenwich coupling at one end, short Dapol knuckle coupling at other end.

I'm not going to bother adding door handles to the other side as they won't be visible normally.

[Pre Grouping fan]

I'm liking the look them a lot. They look good as produced but all the little details make them look even better. Im in the process of building a pair of the Narrow Planet equivalent. Which have the additional strapping on the ends. 

 

I also plan on adding the brake coach to create a 3 coach set. 

[Nile]

And now they are both done.

 

I've fitted short Dapol knuckle couplings at one end so they run as a close coupled set. They are fitted upside down to stop them lifting, which happened when testing.

 

And into service.

I think I need a new matching brake van now.

 

[HonestTom]

Repainting the footboards makes a big difference. As they come, I think they look a bit too new for coaches in everyday use.

[BernardTPM]

18 hours ago, Nile said:

I think I need a new matching brake van now.

 

Slice and dice? Two sections sliced out, reversed side to side to make a one compartment brake, fill some windows and add ducket on the outer end.

 

I know the TR brake is entirely different, but this is the Scarrdale Railway.

[Nile]

I have a cunning, and very cheap, plan. I have enough Meridian parts left for one more brake van, so here goes.

It's going to be similar to the TR one, but a bit shorter. The sides have holes cut in them for a window and ducket.

 

The ends also have holes cut in them for a central window.

[Nile]

I've been painting, some of it rather fiddly. This is only 45mm long.

[Nile]

Painting and detailing is now finished.

 

I may have got a bit carried away with the interior as most of it can't normally be seen.

 

The red isn't a perfect match to the coaches, but looks ok under normal lighting.

[Nile]

As that went well I decided to build another brake van, to go with the Skarloey coaches. I was going to use an old Mikes Models kit, but having a good look at it I thought it just wasn't good enough (showing its age). The only bits from the kit I used were the buffers, and these needed modifying to fit. I had a few Meridian bits left over, but no sides. I've replicated these using planked plastikard and micro-strip. It's based on the book illustrations, with the addition of an end window for the brake handle (to be added later).

[DLT]

Lovely stuff Nile,

Cheers, Dave.

[Phil Traxson]

On 29/12/2019 at 13:05, Nile said:

 

 

I may have got a bit carried away with the interior as most of it can't normally be seen.

 

 

Superb modelling Nile. Must admit I did the same thing with a brake van in 7mm narrow gauge, seat, stove, brake standard and desk/locker, then like you I put the roof on and you can't see any of it in normal use. Unlike you I didn't have the sense to make the roof removeable! 

[chuffinghell]

Superior craftsmanship as always

[Nile]

Thanks gents. I've tried to replicate the blue on the Bachmann coaches using mostly Tamiya X-14 sky blue with a bit of white added. It probably needed a bit more white, but it's close. It looks better in real life, digital photography tends to emphasise small differences.

 

I've made the brake handle from some brass rods soldered together and then bent to shape. The upper support is some 0.25mm brass wire wrapped around the column and inserted into a hole. The other end will be glued to the underside. It will be blackened before final fitting.

Edited January 5, 2020 by Nile

[TangoOscarMike]

It's like alchemy, or a conjuring trick. You chop up toys and models, add bits and pieces, and then reassemble them into far, far better models. Although you post lots of pictures, so we can (metaphorically) see your hands at all times, it still isn't entirely clear how you do it.

 

There's plenty I don't know about railways, so it's no surprise that I've never seen an out-through-the-window brake handle before. But I see that it's perfectly prototypical.

[Nile]

Thanks Tom, years of messing about with various models helps.

The clever thing about that design is when the window (or hatch) is closed (and locked) it stops the handle from turning, thus preventing tampering with the brakes.

[Nile]

Finishing touches.

For couplings I've used Greenwich CPL-3, folded such that they are glued to the underside. The fold lines were re-enforced with solder.

 

The blackened brake handle now fixed in place.

 

From the inside, the brass wire is used like a split pin, rather than use glue. It should make it easier to remove it should I ever feel the need.

 

The middle compartment is just the right size for this steel weight. I used some PVA to stop it moving around. Magnets at each end hold the roof on.

 

Overall views of the complete model.

[Nile]

Some more for you, in train.

I'm not finished with these coaches as I think there is room for improvement.

[Nile]

One thing I don't like about these coaches is the pillars used to secure the body to the chassis, so 1960s.

They had to go.

I devised a cunning plan involving some 60thou plastic card. This was cut into an 8mm wide strip, then into pieces long enough to fit inside the body sideways. A hole was made in the middle so it was a close fit over the pillar.

 

I marked the position of these pieces on the insides as a guide for later gluing.

 

There isn't much room inside for cutters, and I didn't want to try snapping them off in-case I damaged the roof. I found some old wire strippers that just about fit. They cut off the pillar leaving a few mm at the top, not visible through the windows.

 

These pillars were then screwed to the chassis and the new peices fitted over them. Ignore the washer on the right, it wasn't used in the end.

Note the weights have been removed and holes drilled either side of the middle. These will let glue fumes out later. When finished the weights were refitted and painted black.

They were then glued together and left to dry.

When the glue had fully set the projecting part of the pillar was cut off and filled flat. The top was then painted black to make it invisible from outside. I also painted the ends inside brown. I would have painted the sides as well but the glazing is in the way, and it's very firmly glued in.

 

These new support pieces need to be glued inside the body, so glued was placed inside the body using the marks as guides. The body was placed on the chassis and left for the glue to dry.

This is the result.

 

Next to an untouched one.

I expect hardly anyone will notice, but I feel better.

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by Nile

[TangoOscarMike]

1 hour ago, Nile said:

I expect hardly anyone will notice, but I feel better.

Well, with interiors generally, if you model things that might not be visible or noticed, then you're improving the chances that the visible stuff will look correct.