Ian's 7mm workbench - recent photos

[Hal Nail]

While the transfers on the china clay dry, I've been working on my Dapol BR brake van. I bought this off eBay cheap as it was literally the worst repaint I've ever seen. It hadn't been primed so 10 mins in IPA and the paint literally fell off and bar a tiny area where the bauxite had blistered (I think from the previous owners abandoned attempt to strip it), it wasn't far off the original Dapol Trump orange. I brush painted a Bauxite base and the usual weathering. Many of the brass details were missing, so a pair of Slaters lamp irons have gone on the ends and I made up the brass doorway handrail you can see. I have 2 of the side lamp irons still and will bodge the pair that will be largely obscured by side lamps. Eventually I will replace it with a brass kit from the stash but its a nice side project in the meantime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2020 by Hal Nail

[brossard]

Good for you to have rescued this van.  I ended up with the grey one due to a mixup with stock numbers, so I repainted mine bauxite, and modified for through piping.  The stock Dapol bauxite van was post TOPS so I would have had to do something about that.

 

John

[Hal Nail]

China clay pretty much finished apart from retouching the oil on the axleboxes next time I have the black open. I did have another burst of doing the bolts properly on the sides and one day I might do the end door.

 

Just 6 more of these and 7 BR ones to do.

 

 

 

[Hal Nail]

And some sun!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by Hal Nail

[Hal Nail]

Haven't done a lot of modelling recently but have been spending a lot of time and money on photos, trying to find a suitable black mogul (with steam pipes) for my '58/59 Cornish layout (the one I haven't started). After several false dawns it's become obvious there wasn't one. I had similar problems with prairies, a number of which turned out to be green early crest rather than black. I'm thinking of sliding the clock forward a couple of years to 56/57 and will bend the rules a bit re maroon stock.

 

I bought a couple of pairs of wagons off ebay - an unstarted Peco mink plus pig iron and two built but not painted Slaters - a vanwide and a meat wagon. I hand painted the vanwide as both my bauxite aerosols refused to work and that has already gone (before we got any sun for a decent photo). The mink has been built and finished with different brake gear and buffers based on a photo. The transfers were an absolute sod - they all separated and I ended up positioning every digit and letter. I've since picked up another meat van so will finish off and sell the first and then build my own.

 

 

   

 

 

Edited December 12, 2020 by Hal Nail

[Hal Nail]

Meat van nearly done. They (Bucks Fizz) say the camera never lies but whenever I take photos the weathering shows up as highlights that the eye just doesn't see. I noticed I'm missing the other side brake guide which is a pain as those are like gold dust.

 

 

Next up I'm going to start on my auto trailer conversions. Having carefully bought two at reasonable prices, Rails had them for £125 in the advent sale so I got 2 more. One will be sold on - probably the GWR lake one resprayed BR crimson and weathered first. The other three will then become two 70 footers, diagram L or P. Aside from the longer body (c70mm), these had different bogies - either 7 foot, 9 foot heavy or 9 foot American. Some had the toplights and other panels plated and some retained the original character. I'll do one of each. I think the hardest part will be the roof where i'll have to re do nearly all the detail. I will make one body join at the vestibule doors but will have to make another join mid panel by the guards portion. So all in all I think this might be tricky!

 

 

 

 

    

 

Edited December 30, 2020 by Hal Nail

[Hal Nail]

First up, one of the GWR coaches has been weathered and the intention was to sell it on but I quite like it. I had wanted a BR period coach for myself in faded and weather beaten crimson and then another in BR with the toplights panelled over but the temptation is to use the two GWRs ones to make one 70 footer in GWR livery. Obviously i wouldn't have weathered it first if that was the idea!

 

One thing I do need to sort is a photo plank with lighting. Even outside today these look gloomy (edit: slightly better photos added)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2021 by Hal Nail

[Adrian Stevenson]

That looks nice. Done the under frames on mine, but need to do the roof next.

Cheers, Ade.

[Hal Nail]

15 minutes ago, Adrian Stevenson said:

That looks nice. Done the under frames on mine, but need to do the roof next.

Cheers, Ade.

Thanks! I was wary of the roof but at least I had 3 spares to fall back on!

 

I used the same technique for everything but the smaller areas are much easier to fiddle with one at a time until you are happy.

 

On the roof I dolloped on a 50:50 mix of track dirt and dark grey (Humbrol 32), spread it about as evenly as I could with white spirit, let it dry for 10/15 mins then wiped off with kitchen roll. Its hit and miss - some bits catch dirt but some come up clean and shiny and are then a real pain to match. I only wanted a hint of dirt to match the rest - i suspect they were actually much darker and grubbier than this.

 

Much the same on the chocolate panels but I used a flattie and white spirit rather than kitchen roll to remove and at least you can do each one separately. Getting an even coverage without run marks is more patience and perseverance than skill! 

[Hal Nail]

Meanwhile a new arrival today - 2 slaters SR coaches. They were less than the cost of a kit for the pair and I'm a sucker for a bargain. Bodies are in pretty good shape, underframe basic but works well. I will tart up a bit, add some detail particularly underneath and roll out in BR green. Pity I sold my T9 really!

 

 

 

[Hal Nail]

Slightly brighter weather today.

 

[Hal Nail]

ok, deep breath....

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by Hal Nail

[bgman]

Oh no ! I daren't look !!! 

Hope it works for you.

 

G

[Hal Nail]

That's gone surprisingly well! I planned this primarily so that the solebar rivet pattern works out but more by luck than judgement I can butt up the chassis cross members at the rear join, which will give it some strength. It's easier than I feared to pare the body sides off the chassis, which will definitely help with the second conversion as I will have to be a lot more creative with the random bits i have left after this one.

 

 

 

[bgman]

1 hour ago, Hal Nail said:

That's gone surprisingly well! I

 

Phew ! I can come out from under my workbench now !!! 

 

Excellent but breath-holding work Hal, nicely executed.  I did see a Dapol Autocoach at the Bristol O Gauge exhibition last year where someone had converted it to a Steam Railmotor and it made me think about doing something similar myself.

 

May I ask what livery it will be painted and also, what adhesive will you intend to use to hold the various pieces together ?

 

G

[Hal Nail]

 

4 hours ago, bgman said:

May I ask what livery it will be painted and also, what adhesive will you intend to use to hold the various pieces together 

 

Still wavering- I'll probably build both bodies then decide.

 

The original plan was both in crimson, or crimson and cream, one heavily panelled over but I might do a chocolate and cream one instead. I'm also toying with an A31 instead of a 2nd L/P: a messier version of the Dapol coach with the passenger door more central.

 

Glue: leaning towards liquid poly for the body joins and araldite bracing and chassis for strength

 

Edited January 12, 2021 by Hal Nail

[Hal Nail]

A lot of fettling today. The vertical beading was removed fairly early ('30s?) so that needs to come off.

 

Edited January 12, 2021 by Hal Nail

[bgman]

Very impressed so far.

 

G

[Hal Nail]

A product of lockdown and my increasingly limited tolerance is that my attention leaps around between projects. I have been playing around with a Mitchell 45xx I bought last year: this was very nicely made and a bit risky attacking it to represent 4505 just before withdrawal.

 

I'm replacing the rather flat smokebox door with a Dapol spare; a short safety valve, tank vents and late sand boxes are from Warren Shephard. I'll be adding steam pipes which I nabbed off someone I saw doing an early version from the same kit.

 

What I havent worked out yet is how best to strip the tank sides and boiler without immersing the whole thing. Ideas welcome!

 

 

 

[Hal Nail]

4505 is progessing slowly. I've spent an age fettling the safety valve/top feed to fit. Some pros on here build a whole kit in the time it has taken me.

 

The smoke box saddle is slightly too far forward and this showed when I lined the steam pipes up with the chimney. I've added a small extension at the rear of the saddle to cheat the eye.

 

I managed to strip the side tank and bunker with IPA. I started with a cotton bud, then a brillo and finally ended up grabbing wire wool! I wont mess about with the other side!

 

 

 

[Hal Nail]

Slightly being held up waiting for bits at present - I've had a run of being sent the wrong parts which happens sometimes. Probably as well I don't attempt to spray in snow though.

 

Are there any options for decent etched smokebox number plates other than Severn Mill? Narrow Planet plates are excellent value but their smokebox numbers at 3.5 x 10mm just look really small to me - all my locos with pre printed ones are nearer 4 x 12.

 

Severn Mill are excellent but pricey, especially if its only the smokebox plate I need from each set.

[bgman]

4 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

Are there any options for decent etched smokebox number plates

 

Hello Hal

 

I was looking for some plates for my Mitchell 45xx conversion to a 44xx and I recently purchased some plates from 247 Developments via the eBay shop and I am happy with what I have received ( Ignore the address on the packet ).

It provides a smokebox plate in the set if needed.

 

 

Something to consider as an option.

 

G

 

[Hal Nail]

Another diversion in the form of a Kerr Stuart pannier picked up from the DCC outlet store. It is a Grade 1 and the ash pan is loose but apart from that I cant find anything wrong cosmetically, so a bargain.

 

Will become 7709 or 7715. I'll probably buy a spare top feed to keep my options open but quite like the variety from 8702 with flush tanks and a top feed.

 

 

 

[Hal Nail]

Now the keen eyed amongst you will have spotted that I sealed the crack behind the 8702's smokebox face, thus making it hard to take apart again, before I had rotated the smokebox darts into the correct orientation with the inner one pointing down.

 

And whilst on the subject of my darts OCD, here's a picture story involving some Dapol spares. Immediately after taking these I went outside to do them in better light, a gust of wind caught the scrap of paper the bits were on and flung them across the garden. Quite remarkably I poked around in the residual snow and found everything except the tiny piece of wire!

 

Looking at the pics objectively, for the mk 2 I wont drill right through the front but just pin the two handles together for strength.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 12, 2021 by Hal Nail

[Hal Nail]

4505 is just about ready for the paint shops and since its quite warm I might have a go at the primer today. Mk2 modified smoke box darts, outside steam pipes, new short safety valve and revised pipes, Dapol spare 57xx handrail on top of the boiler and water tank vents. I realised this loco was transferred away to Penzance by the era of my model (which explains how it managed to be at Helston so often) so I nearly switched to 4526 but I'd already ordered plates by then. Rule 1 applies!

 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2021 by Hal Nail