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S7 scratch building


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As predicted by myself this wagon isn't going anywhere. I made a floor and put one side and end on and left to dry before doing the other side. The fittings on these wagon kits is always a weak point in trying to get a smooth finish where they join one another. I failed miserably and managed to loose a couple of bolts on one corner without making a very good smooth join. Other people make perfectly good wagons from kits it's just me that can't get an acceptable model this way. I can't do lots of things in life like running a 4 minute mile so I will add kit building to the long list of other things beyond my capabilities. As I get older this list gets longer everyday.

 

I had a phone call this morning from the Hospital regarding my blood test results from November. They couldn't find the results which is not unexpected because they forgot to make me an appointment. They did send me a letter cancelling my appointment for this morning but in the same letter making me another appointment at exactly the same time and on the same day. I now know why old men get grumpy.

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The corners of plastic wagon kits are a problem. They almost invariably need fettling to look right and it's very easy not to get it 100% right.

 

For opens, it would be a big improvement if the kit makers would make the corners plain and provide an etched corner plate that could be folded. This would cover many sins. Although it would not resolve the end door end, obviously. These can be just as awkward as the others.

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We have started to produce ours as a completed body with separate strapping if there is a variation. The latest one coming into production is a dead buffered LBSCR coal wagon with sprung axle gaurds. 

Marc

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I have the same problem with kit building that you set out above and quite often end up scratch building with a few bought in parts to try and speed up my tortoise pace of work.  Still, there's greater satisfaction with the end result, which, in your case is superb and in my case, maybe just about ok. 

 

Any progress on your layout ideas? 

 

Kit PW

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Every time I build from a kit (which is actually quite a rare event) it reminds me why I don't often build from kits! They never seem to go together properly, never quite match up to prototype fidelity and aren't constructed as I would do it. Hence half gets scratch built anyway so I'm not sure why I bother.

 

And this is from someone who used to produce kits (Pilgrim Models if anyone remembers them) so is it poacher and gamekeeper talk in reverse?

 

Dave

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On 01/12/2020 at 11:56, airnimal said:

As predicted by myself this wagon isn't going anywhere. I made a floor and put one side and end on and left to dry before doing the other side. The fittings on these wagon kits is always a weak point in trying to get a smooth finish where they join one another. I failed miserably and managed to loose a couple of bolts on one corner without making a very good smooth join. Other people make perfectly good wagons from kits it's just me that can't get an acceptable model this way. I can't do lots of things in life like running a 4 minute mile so I will add kit building to the long list of other things beyond my capabilities. As I get older this list gets longer everyday.

 

I had a phone call this morning from the Hospital regarding my blood test results from November. They couldn't find the results which is not unexpected because they forgot to make me an appointment. They did send me a letter cancelling my appointment for this morning but in the same letter making me another appointment at exactly the same time and on the same day. I now know why old men get grumpy.

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Don't lose any sleep over the Coopercraft kit, Mike, as it is inaccurate: it depicts a wagon 16' OH (to match their 4 plank wagon) but the 3 plankers were only 15' 6" OH. I suppose you could salvage the solebars if you chop a bit off the ends...

 

 

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'I don't appear to be making very much progress with this cattle wagon. Even though I have made two similar ones before I forgot the way I constructed the framework and what sizes I used. After many false starts I now the basic idea again.

 

Another problem I have had of late was models taking far longer to get square and true. 

I traced the problem to my long and trusted Moore and Wright square that I bought when I was a mere slip of a lad. I placed a steel rule down the back edge and held it up to the light and was shocked to discover it was like a banana. Fifty years of running knives and scalpel blades down the back edge many thousands of times has worn it away. Still fifty years of service has more than paid for its self. 

I bought a replacement from Squire's which came by return of post. I don't know if the quality will be the same but I don't think I will be around in fifty years to find out.

 

There will not be any progress on any layout until after we move house which may get a little easier now my better half has decided to retire. So after Christmas we will start to look at what is on the market in the area we want. My suggestion for a three bedroom workshop didn't go down well.

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Although there doesn't look like much progress it has taken the best part of today to do one side and that even isn't finished. There are the doors to complete before I chamfer the edge of the timbers and add all the details.  

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On 07/12/2020 at 11:51, airnimal said:

It's looking a bit more like a cattle wagon on one side at least. I have done the floor inside to please the wagonman. I am surprised how long its taken me to get my eye in on this one but it appears to being going well. 

 

I have another appointment at the Hospital on Tuesday and this time they told me by text, letter and phone call. Either don't tell me or tell me multiple times. 

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You know the way to a wagonman's heart!

 

 

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A small amount of work has been done with the end timbers and buffers in place. I have run out of metal coupling hooks so I have had to use PECO plastic ones. I am sure they will be alright but I haven't much experience of running long racks of wagons. And the fact I might never have the space to run them coupled with my age and lack of railway to run them on it means they may never be tested.

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That brilliant. No rush I'm working on two Andrew Barclay tanks at the moment which will keep me off the streets until after Christmas. 

As I  was drawing the etch of the panio tank out I found a problem with the firebox then I found a picture of the box tank version and found that the firebox was very wrong.

Marc

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I have spent a fair amount of time trying to get a good join where the roof meets the body. I have made the roof a tiny bit longer than it should be but in my defence, photo's of the original are limited to one.

The roof is vacuum formed for a GWR coach kit and cut up to provide several van roofs.

I have put thin strips of Evergreen plastic on the inside so the roof will just clips in. 

 

My better half will retire today after 24 years service. What impact this will have on workshop time I'm not sure. We will be able to go and look at houses with a view to moving and hopefully find a bigger workshop but that's not my wife's priority. 

 

There has been a few wagons on  e bay recently from the estate of Adrian Swain. 

The seller claims that Adrian made them but I will have beg to differ on some of them at least. 

This is not any slight on Adrian's good name because Adrian was a craftsman who's talent has helped us all. 

There is a LNWR wagon on there at the moment which claims it to be a plastic kit. It is fact a resin kit built by me from one of Adrian's kits that he bought from Meteor Models. 

I made the master and built and painted it for Adrian to put on his show stand. 

It seems sad to see Adrian's models end up on e bay along with his unmade kits at vastly inflated prices. 

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On 18/12/2020 at 12:59, airnimal said:

The seller claims that Adrian made them but I will have beg to differ on some of them at least. 

Not restricted to wagons.....there was an LNW 0-4-0 saddletank on there claiming to be 'built by Adrian'.....it was not as it was built by me for my 'Alexandra Yard' 7mm layout, Adrian bought it later. It went for a premium , for a 0-4-0 tank, I only hope that the buyer doesn't think he's got an Adrian Swain original.

 

John

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John, I wonder if a lot of Adrian's stuff that is appearing on e-bay claiming to be built by him was made by him.

I can't go any further with the cattle wagon because I have run out of castings for the brake shoes so I have started another NSR bolster wagon to go with one I made last year. But this one has self contained sprung buffers in place of the dumb buffer on the early one.

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I have managed to get the bolster on with the curved runners and rectangle stanchions.  The early dumb buffer one didn't have runners and has round stanchions. One of the benefits of scratch building is the ability to make each model as near correct as possible rather than what's available from the trade.

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Added a bit more detail including the hoops made from .7mm wire and a couple of handrail knobs.

I must admit I like these small wagons and they don't take a lot of time to make.

 

I do miss using my Apple I-pad because it had a far better camera than the one I am using now.

When RM web had an update my Apple would no longer allowed me to post on here. Not being a technical person I was unable to modify or alter it to accept my posting.

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On 31/12/2020 at 14:25, airnimal said:

Added a bit more detail including the hoops made from .7mm wire and a couple of handrail knobs.

I must admit I like these small wagons and they don't take a lot of time to make.

 

I do miss using my Apple I-pad because it had a far better camera than the one I am using now.

When RM web had an update my Apple would no longer allowed me to post on here. Not being a technical person I was unable to modify or alter it to accept my posting.

IMG_20201231_1401138_rewind_kindlephoto-688482459.jpg

 

Possibly this will be of some help in using your I-pad to post images on RMweb.

 

https://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/share-jpeg-heic-3693232/

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On 31/12/2020 at 14:25, airnimal said:

When RM web had an update my Apple would no longer allowed me to post on here. Not being a technical person I was unable to modify or alter it to accept my posting.

I am baffled by this, as I haven’t had any problems with the new version on IMac, iPhone or iPad.

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