S7 scratch building

[Gypsy]

I'd second that - I was diagnosed young (still late 40s) with an agressive form, but one that was caught early. Had the prostatectomy and precautionary radio. Its not all been plain sailing but I'm pretty much back to 'normal' now - whatever that is!

 

Stick with it and stay positive.

[airnimal]

Although we had one of our grandsons today because he was poorly I still managed to get a bit done.

I have painted the W-irons and the interior and made new brakeshoes. I am pleased with the progress so far  but I'm my own worst enemy because I should have made provision for adding some weight rather than do all the paintwork and then think about how to add it. 

[MarcD]

Forgot to mention the transfers I used were from the Welsh Railways Research Circle. They are water slide, so not my favourite type.

Marc

[airnimal]

I have made the replacement brake gear for the one I broke with my  clumsy handling. 

I haven't drilled all the holes in yet because I want to try on the wagon for size.

[airnimal]

Well I have had quite a morning because a friend of my wife has been researching my family tree. 

Some bits I did know about but other parts have come as a surprise. I have relations both in Australia and America but the ones of most interest are some Railway employees and Publicans. I did know about all the farmers on my mother's side who were fairly well off having 3 servant's and employing 27 men on his land. My wife wants to know where all the money went. 

 

Beer and railways ! We had several family members run pubs in Derby as well as a couple of fitters, a guardsman and a engine driver at Derby. Did they work for the Midland Railway?  Will Dave Hunt be on my tail now.

 

Anyway the brake gear on this wagon fits just fine allowing me to see where I need to drill all the holes. 

Edited May 14, 2021 by airnimal

[wessy]

3 hours ago, airnimal said:

My wife wants to know where all the money went. 

When asked the same question, didn't George Best say something like 'some of it I spent on drink and women, and the rest I wasted'.

[airnimal]

I have managed to drill the holes in the brake gear, so we are on the home straight now. I have broken one of the brackets that hold the wagon sheet again. I cut them from Evergreen L section plastic but they don't appear to have much strength.  I may have to replace them with brass because this is the third time I have broken them.

 

As for the family tree it gets more interesting the more I read through it. My wife friend brought me two complete folders with so much information which I will have to make duplicated copies for the rest of the clan. She brought a folder for each side of both my mothers side and my fathers side.

Another relative on my fathers side work as a policeman for the LNWR at Edge Hill in Liverpool in the 1840's and another a points man at the same place. So railways and beer run through the family.

I don't know if there is a separate section to deal with this subject or should I carry on here ?

[Western Star]

Mike,

 

What are the dimensions of the brackets?  Maybe I can include some on the next etch drawing?

 

regards, Graham

[Dave Hunt]

Mike, I have relatives and forebears who worked for both the Midland and the LNWR, the LMS and BR(LMR) so you are on safe ground. BUT having had forebears who worked for the Midland YOU should be a member of the Midland Railway Society!

 

(and you'd probably walk away with the Chairman's Cup for your models).

 

Dave

[Compound2632]

7 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

(and you'd probably walk away with the Chairman's Cup for your models).

 

The rest of the membership will give up entering!

 

But, ancestors in Derby in railway employment need not necessarily have worked for the Midland - the LNWR, NSR, and I'm afraid even the GNR are all possibilities.

[airnimal]

Graham,  I fixed the brackets thanks, not need for an etch.

 

Adding the tie down rings and the door chains with rings made from 31swg phosphor  bronze wire. I warp the wire around a 60 thou drill before cutting them off and soldering them together. The chain is 3 thou brass wire twisted with the ring in between. 

[airnimal]

The finishing line is in sight! 

Just the springs need painting and the all the weathering with the Cam Rly and the Prince of Wales feathers on the non brake side. I probably change the springs to a lighter set because these are a bit heavy. 

[kitpw]

Another first rate model to add to your ever growing S7 collection and a nice prototype too!

Kit PW

[Mol_PMB]

Please forgive me if you have posted this before. Which suppliers do you use for your detail parts such as bolt heads, brake gear parts (other than those you make yourself)? 

Thanks,

Mol

[airnimal]

Historex in Dover. Go on there website and find Masterclub nuts and bolts. There mail order is excellent. No connection other than a happy customer.

[airnimal]

I have found in my bits box a set of axleboxes and springs from the Metropolitan Railway that were just right. I had to cut of the axleboxes and just leave the springs but the shape and the number of leaves was perfect.  Once I get them painted and fixed on then it is the matter of trying to distress the wagon to look like the prototype photograph. 

[airnimal]

I am trying to ghost the Cam Rly lettering on the non brake side. Take a photograph and see where I have gone wrong because nothing shows up better than a photograph.  I will amend it to get the spacing better and alter all the other letters.

[airnimal]

Second attempt look better. 

[airnimal]

Just the interior to do now and I think baring the matt varnish,  it's done. I don't know if it pleases me but it's to late now.

 

Tomorrow we hopefully we get back to normal and it's my wedding anniversary and I get to talk to my doctor at the hospital. So a red letter day all around. 

[airnimal]

" Well how much for this old wagon you say " 

" That's to much " 

" Then make me an offer "

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by airnimal

[airnimal]

When I made the last LNWR cattle wagon I used a small etch of the inspection bars on the lower side of the wagon. This etch was given to me many years ago by the late Peter Korrison. Peter was a very clever man who was into etching at a very early stage of etchings.  I have run out of these etchings so Graham Beare was going add them a sheet that he and Chris Brown are making up. Graham was wondering how Peter Korrison had achieved such fine etches without them disappearing in the acid. 

 

So I was wondering if I could make my own bars to save Graham the bother of trying to make them and wasting money if they didn't  work. So I made a little jig to hold them at the correct spacing so I could solder them up. 

I riveted a couple of lines on 2 pieces of thin nickel and drilled them through before bending them and soldering them to a base plate.  I then loaded them with lengths of .45mm nickel wire and placed a couple of ply wood sleepers underneath and soldered them up. Once removed from the jig and cleaned up they are just what I wanted. 

 

The jig could have been made with a bit more finesse but at the end of the day it works.

 

 

 

[airnimal]

Having made a small jig to solder up the bars for the cattle wagon so it match the spacings on the etched bars that I was given, I then looked at the photographs of the NSR cattle wagons. These show that the bars are a lot closer together so I decided to make another jig to reflect the difference. 

I really should have made the jig with one side adjustable so the soldered up bars could be extracted a lot easier. An adjustable jig would have been useful for different lengths of bars or even fence posts. 

 

[airnimal]

I have not been making wagons for a couple of weeks because I have been doing other things. 

As well as being out on the bike I have been making a building for my good friend Peter from a kit. 

This is a G.W.R weigh bridge hut from Intentio. It came to me without instructions so I am having to guess how it should go together.  

I have come across a few small problems like the odd corner brick cut out wrong or the wrong chamfer. Nothing that a bit of filler won't put right. 

Intentio web site suggests painting with Halfords grey primer then white gloss to seal the surface. Then spaying again with Halfords red primer before doing the mortar. I don't know if all that paint will fill all the brick courses so I might just spray with the red primer. 

The weigh bridge I have sprayed with Ford graphite grey and it has turned out well.

[airnimal]

I was unsure how I painted the station building and goods shed on my friend's layout as it was over 

5 years ago when I built them for him. He is building a couple of large goods sheds himself to go at the back of his layout and he is having trouble with the mortar courses. I was a bit reluctant to paint this small hut in case I made a mess of it but he say said to me just go for it. It is amazing how quickly one forgets how to do something when you don't do things regularly. 

I have sprayed his little hut with Halfords red primer and the when it was dry I made up a thin mix of interior wall filler to a very runny consistency. I applied it all over with kitchen roll and wiped it off straight away. The jury is out on the result but I will show it to him tonight because we are going out for a pint together. There is a couple of holes in the chimney stack that I don't  know the reason they are there and the last brick course at the top is missing from my box. It  could be my friend has lost it our if it came like this when he bought it. I will try and make up some replacement  parts for it.

[Simond]

Mike,

 

I have used the same technique on my laser cut buildings, I found a further wipe off and then touching some bricks with different shades worked for me.  The interior filler seems to impart a “ceramic matt” texture to the bricks.

 

regarding the missing bits, you might drop Phil a pm on WT (I’m not sure he’s on here) - he’s a helpful chap!

 

atb

Simon