S7 scratch building

[Tricky]

3 hours ago, Western Star said:

Being the person who remarked on the fixing bolts...  and the person who drank tea and ate cake whilst staring at Mike's prototype photo when discussing the shape of the letters with Chris Brown (who did the drawing for the etching)...  the actual comment to Mike was in relation to the difficulty of locating the plate fixings from the photo.  Chris and I noticed that the bolt heads for the plate fixings could be seen on the inside of the sheeting and that gave the lie as to the position of the bolt heads on the plates - it was this pleasant and fattening exercise, over a couple of evenings, which was the subject of my comment to Mike.

 

Graham

Western Star/Graham,

I owe you an apology. I miss-took Mike’s ‘Grrrr...’ as annoyance at a minor detail being pointed out by a pedant, as unfortunately happens all too frequently, and has happened to me. You go away forgetting all the positives and remember just that one negative. I’m sure you aren’t a pedant and I’m sorry I jumped to that conclusion. 

Richard 

[airnimal]

Graham, the pins you refer to are in fact coach bolts which holds the metal strip on the roof. This strip allows the roof door to slide back and forth.

I used brass pins turned down to hold this strip in place. I don't think the Masterclub rivets will be strong enough, so yes I will use brass pins again if I was going to make any more. I am not going to make anymore Dia 33 vans but I have not completely ruled out the Dia 32 yet.

As for my comment Grrr.... it was meant to mean that I had dropped a clanger for not putting the bolts on the inside and not being mad at anyone for pointing out my omission. 

Perhaps I should just post photographs without words which may benefit all of us.

[Regularity]

14 minutes ago, airnimal said:

Perhaps I should just post photographs without words which may benefit all of us.

What? And deny us our fun?

[wagonman]

5 hours ago, Regularity said:

 

I have acted, performed music on stage, written and directed plays at school.

That gives me some insight into what is involved in all of these activities, but as you can probably guess, I didn't excel at any of them. 

Does that mean I am not allowed to comment on, for example, a production of "Cats"? Does it make my opinion somehow better than another person's if they haven't done any of them?

I failed 'O' level art - just. Does that mean I can't appreciate or criticise Rousseau's "La Guerre", which bowled me over when I first saw it in the Jeu de Paume not that much after I had "failed"?

 

 

 

 

Puts me in mind of a certain notorious theatre critic who was said to have left no turn unstoned...

 

 

[Tricky]

6 hours ago, Regularity said:

Rousseau's "La Guerre"

Is that French for wot Mike said...?

[Western Star]

3 hours ago, airnimal said:

Perhaps I should just post photographs without words which may benefit all of us.

Mike - just carry on as you have been doing for I and I believe others (from reading the 50+ pages of this thread again recently) get tremendous enjoyment from your posts.  Whatever you are doing there is so often something to be learned about modelling railways.

 

5 hours ago, Tricky said:

I owe you an apology. I miss-took Mike’s ‘Grrrr...’ as annoyance at a minor detail being pointed out by a pedant...  I’m sure you aren’t a pedant and I’m sorry I jumped to that conclusion.

Richard, thank for for your recent posting.  Mike and I have exchanged modelling ideas for more than ten years now and mostly our discussions relate to my appreciation of his skills (as can be seen from the posts that I have made to this topic).  We get along fine and as an example of that Mike knew that I was interested in the origins of his pre-1900 models so he produced - to show me at Bristol - a video showing all of the Oldham Clegg Street photos.

 

regards, Graham

[airnimal]

Does anyone recognise these coupling hooks ? 

I have had a stock of these for over 20 years but now I am down to the last couple. I think I had them with someone in a swap for something else. It could have been with the late Owen Lancaster from the North East whom swapped some parts with me many years ago. Any information as were these are from and if they are still available would be helpful.

The letters on the etch reads  NC7951

Edited January 30, 2020 by airnimal

[Western Star]

On 30/01/2018 at 15:44, airnimal said:

Also thanks must go to the gentleman that gave me a lift back to Swindon in his car. I am sorry to say I have forgotten his name

( happens a lot these days ) but I was very grateful.

Chris Brown.

[airnimal]

Back to the Buxton Lime Firms wagon after the Richard Evans one was finished. 

I have found some v-irons in my spares box along with a fold up etch for some 10' brake gear. I will cut and match this to the 8' wheelbase. This fold up brake gear is from Haywood Railway. 

[airnimal]

I cut and made up the brake gear to fit the wheelbase but I realised it wasn't 10' but was in fact 11'. 

I did this because I didn't have any 9' wheelbase etches left. I saw the gentleman from Haywood Railway last week at Bristol and ordered some more but I haven't heard back from him yet. 

I find the design very useful for modifying to other types and lengths.

[airnimal]

I have made a brake handle from scrap with a Ambis brake rack and put some coach bolts on but this wagon is taking forever to finish because of all these nuts and coach bolts. I have had a couple of hours at it this morning but I think I will have a break and go to the station and see if there is any cheap tickets to Doncaster on Saturday. The sun is shining so a walk will act as a pick me up and a trip to a good exhibition will be even better.

[airnimal]

The weather was kind enough today to paint the Buxton Lime Firms wagon.  I have given it a coat of grey primer and painted the brake gear the usual black. I can't decide whether to attempt to paint the body a bare wood  colour with just a trace of the old paint showing through or paint the full lettering from the original first style.

I think it will be best to paint the interior wood first and make the decision latter depending on this success or not.

[airnimal]

I have decided to go with the original lettering. 

The first go at setting out the words looks about in the right place, so the first coat of paint has been applied.

it will require the paint building up and corrections to the sharpness of the letters, and then the shading in black once I'm satisfied with my humble efforts.

[Coal Tank]

Really nice Mike 

[airnimal]

The Buxton  lettering has been removed because it wasn't central as has the Co Ltd. I will do them again with a bit more care.

There is still a lot of painting to do with all the iron work both inside still to do. I find it very hard sometimes to see what I'm actually painting until I take a photograph and see the error of my ways. They say that the camera never likes.

Plus I have the axleboxes to fit and paint.

[airnimal]

I take my hat off to professional painters because I still find painting my least favourite part of our hobby. 

I have started again on the lettering with a long way to go just building up the shape and thickness of the letters. 

The second attempt at Buxton is particularly bad.  I started on the ironwork as well painting it a grey / black, but there will have to be a lot weathering to hide my sins.

[airnimal]

Taken side on there has been a slight improvement but I will have do more work on the letters in Buxton before I'm satisfied.

[Tricky]

Do you have a photo of the prototype to hand? 

[airnimal]

My patience has run out. They is only so much I can do before I give in and accept that I am not going to get the wagon 100 % perfect. 

So I have given it a slightly worn look with lime stains to hide my poor lettering. 

I need to get on and build things which is where my real interests lie. 

My better half is off work work next week and if I can persuade her to go and look for another house then I may be able to plan a layout. She keeps telling me that people don't put house's on the market untill spring but I think we should be looking now because these take a long time to happen. 

Edited February 16, 2020 by airnimal

[Coal Tank]

Well Mike 

   I think it looks great 

John 

[Tricky]

Do you have a photo of the prototype to hand? 

[airnimal]

Tricky, only a part of a photographer of the wagon but in a later livery. I am using other wagons with the lime weathering to go on and most show them to be about how I have done mine. You can still see the wording reasonably well on most of them.

[airnimal]

Gordon Bennett *********  I have do it again ! 

Having finished the Buxton wagon I thought I would make a quick build of a small N.S.R one plank open. 

Simple, straightforward and nothing taxing. Or so I thought !

I had a frame already made for a 15' wheelbase wagon in a pile of rejects, so it was easy to reduce it to 14' 6"" as the drawing. This I did but I decided it wasn't right so I scraped it and started again using the drawing from the N.S.R. wagon book. I am working from a photograph that wasn't in the book but it looks identical with detail differences. 

I was pleased with my progress last night and sat watching the box with a glass of beer and the wagon and book in front of me. I looked to check the drawing to see what differences were between my model and the photograph in the book. 

So I placed the model over the drawing and ********

I hadn't noticed the dimension on the drawing said 14' 6" inside !

Of course I have done it 14' 6" outside !

Is this one of the signs of old age. Am I loosing it ! 

My old boss always said its only a problem when you drop a clanger when you can't fix it.

So if I cut off the end plank and headstocks and make new ones I think I might be able to rescue it.

Or I might take up stamp collecting. 

 

Edited February 21, 2020 by airnimal

[ian@stenochs]

12 minutes ago, airnimal said:

Gordon Bennett *********  I have do it again ! 

Having finished the Buxton wagon I thought I would make a quick build of a small N.S.R one plank open. 

Simple, straightforward and nothing taxing. Or so I thought !

I had a frame already made for a 15' wheelbase wagon in a pile of rejects, so it was easy to reduce it to 14' 6"" as the drawing. This I did but I decided it wasn't right so I scraped it and started again using the drawing from the N.S.R. wagon book. I am working from a photograph that wasn't in the book but it looks identical with detail differences. 

I was pleased with my progress last night and sat watching the box with a glass of beer and the wagon and book in front of me. I looked to check the drawing to see what differences were between my model and the photograph in the book. 

So I placed the model over the drawing and ********

I hadn't noticed the dimension on the drawing said 14' 6" inside !

Of course I have done it 14' 6" outside !

Is this one of the signs of old age. Am I loosing it ! 

My old boss always said its only a problem when you drop a clanger when you can't fix it.

So if I cut off the end plank and headstocks and make new ones I think I might be able to rescue it.

Or I might take up stamp collecting. 

 

Mike,

 

You are not alone.  My scrap box is full of bits of metal which I have cut to the wrong size.  You would think that at our age we would remember, measure twice cut once!  However even with our little lapses, It’s still more satisfying than stamp collecting.

 

Ian

[airnimal]

I have cut out the end plank and headstocks and replaced with new plasticard. I clamped the new ends in and flooded it with mek. I will leave it all to dry and go and have some dinner and come back to it latter and file it all to shape when it has hardened. 

I am pleased to say it now measures 14' 6" inside exactly.