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Ernies 7mm Wagons - 21 ton MDV


The Bigbee Line
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  • 2 weeks later...

Looking through my pictures I came across an MXV seen in Tonbridge West Yard in the early 1980's.  B596094, a rebuild on a vacuum braked 10' wheelbase vacuum braked underframe.

 

I could use a Triang Big Train Mineral without altering the length.  I also had an idea to re-use the underframe..

 

Key points were:

 

1)  Widen the door.  No top door is fitted.

 

2)  Raise the height of the body by adding a skirt of evergreen around the bottom.

 

3)  Drill out the axle holes and fit brass bearings and 3 hole disc wheels.

 

4)  Cut the under frame into 4 parts, each part screwed to the floor with self tapping screws.

 

5)  Fit cosmetic solebars that sit the required distance below the body.

 

6) Fit Dapol Screw Couplings.

 

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Not bad for a couple of days spare time...

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  • 2 months later...

Years ago I built some ERG card kits in OO, not bad considering.

 

Thought I'd have a go in O.

 

So printed a plan to scale onto paper, then did a test sticking it to some scrap card.  Some bits were cut out and some planks scribed.  It was then shellacked and given a coat of grey.

 

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The sticking was a pain so I got some A4 sized labels, printed onto that and the stuck the label to some donated high quality card..

 

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The planking sections were cut out leaving the frame.  Probably ideal for one of the silhouette cutters, but I don't have time to learn the art.  The cuts here were done with a scalpel and a straight edge.

 

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Will it be necessary to cut out the strapping from thin card and add to the body side?  Or will the bolt detail suffice.

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  • 3 months later...

Oh no, another cut and shut.  Something I'd been thinking about and it was easier to have a go rather than keep thinking of the different options.

 

Taking two Darstaed Weltols, I cut and shut to create a Bogie Well wagon in the style of an SR Crocodile E.  I wanted to see how it fared on 'Tenterden Town Goods' with regarding any risk of buffer locking.  I was thinking I'd need to change to oval buffers, but was pleasantly surprised, when tested with various other wagons all was OK.

 

Today I cut some square section timber for the timber baulks.  It is about 1mm to big in size.  Weathering improved its apprearance, but I think it will need reducing to the scale size, which seems to be 12" square.

 

Wagon showing timbers cut to length:

 

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Here are some pictures of B900114 taken when it was still at Norwich Crown Point.  Now on the Mid Norfolk.  It shows some interesting detail items for modelling:

 

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Finally with some weathering added.  Looks a little better, I think the reduction in size will improve the look even more...

 

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The short ends remaining will be used to create a GW style Loriot Y,  with the 2 spare bogies going under a 'Bertram Mills Circus' Bogie Bolster wagon, which from 1965 were in Engineers use carrying S & C as they were too short for 60' lengths of rail

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  • 4 weeks later...

Linda and I have spent the weekend on the Great Central. Interesting to watch the Windcutter train of mineral wagons and the train of fitted vans. Some time was spent looking at and measuring wagons. During some measuring I has a brainwave, probably not an original idea..

 

I normally measure, record and then convert the dimensions for modelling. The brainwave was to cut out the conversion aspect.

 

The ruler shown below is drawn into a piece of paper with the 12" divided into 14 parts and the squares coloured in. When held against the wagon it allows the dimensions of the item in millimetres. I plan to print some off (rather like the paper tapes in Ikea) and try them out on our next expedition...

 

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Edited by The Bigbee Line
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  • 3 weeks later...

Today Matthew I'm struggling with changing clocks....  It's not for me...  Confusion for a couple of days....

 

Never mind, wagon bashing will take my mind off the problem.

 

This week I'm travelling so it's modelling in a suitcase.  Various Big Train bodies and part completed models to finish...

 

This is todays work bench, piece of scrap card to work on and the essential tools, knife, saw, bradal, oh and a cup of tea...

 

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New this week are a couple of Peco Underframes that were cheap on ebay.  Not sure why I've not tried them before, I think I imagined them all made from that bendy plastic that was used on the 'wondeful' OO wagons. 

 

Opening the pack I was pleasantly surprised.  I must have some Yorkshire blood in me somewhere as I'm always please to see extra parts.  In this case extra axle guards and brake levers.  There are 2 sets of brake blocks and push rods, so if I model wagons with blocks on one side only I can do 2 wagons...

 

The solebars sit nicely in the floor section, I glued the 'non plate' axleguards (W irons) to the solebars last night.  This morning I released / cut the axlebox/springs mouldings from the sprue.  These are the flexible nylon...  Assembling them in the axleguards I noted that the springs sat rather flat and that the spring shoe projected downwards quite a distance.  The real spring shoe is made up of two bent pieces of steel.  One riveted to the solebar and the other bent in an inverted U, secured by the first piece and used to hold the pin that goes through the eye on the ends of the spring..  The part 102 in the drawing below gives the idea.

 

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The Peco spring shoe looks like a representation of those with an additional link as on BR brake vans (gives a slightly better ride, but more parts to maintain...)

 

I trimmed off above the bottom pip..

 

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Here is a before and after...

 

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Once on the wagon it will be invisible to me....  At the moment the wagon sits on the springs and can move upwards.  I'd like the axlebox ditting on a fixed point, with the spring able to move it downwards to compensate for any variation in track cross levels.  May even fix one axle and pivot the other with a bearing mid span on the other axle,  Let's see where that one goes....

 

Whilst playing about with the Peco parts I was impressed with the inverted T sections that form the supports for the side stanchions of the body.  They will save considerable time in the conversion.  It did reveal (expose) that the Big Train body is a little on the slim side and really needs a bit of widening..

 

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More on that later.  The final point will be to look and see what wagons had the plate axle guards..

 

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As well as O gauge I also deal with the same thing in my day job.  Here are some replacement 'guard irons' cut from steel plate with a water jet.  They are welded in place around the top and also inside the cut outs at the top.  You can see the holes that will be used to secure the 'bridle bars' after the wheelsets have been fitted.

 

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I am impressed with Peco underframes.  I bought 3 MMP steel wagon kits about a year ago.  These are super detailed as many will know.  However, the underframes supplied defeated me (very humbling) so I substituted Peco underframes.  I did manage to build the bodies so I have 3 fine wagons now, thanks to Peco.

 

John

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Been out and about this week so not much modelling.

 

On the Peco underframes I have a method...

 

Cut off buckles as the hold the springs straight.  One end has blocks added to set the ride height, the other end sits on a paperclip to give the three point suspension.

 

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  • 1 month later...

We spent last weekend at Peterborough.  I had the privilege to assist in the operation of 'Dock Green' I browsed the stalls and purchased a Slaters Shock Absorbing underframe.

 

I'd planned a steel shock open for some time in the LNER style.  The chassis kit has all the difficult parts (mainly the unique buffers)

 

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The underframe was trimmed from the sprue and cemented to the headstocks.  Frame has a bad twist so I will need something hefty to straighten it out.  I do have a resin container, but need to check that it will fit in the shorter shock style body.

 

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I am going to use the slaters axleguards at one end and some Parkside at the other end, should allow easy 3 point suspension...

 

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So much for finishing the Shock Open this weekend.......

 

Had a tidy up session and came across this...

 

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White metal, steel underframe 10' wheelbase, with a 1 plank fixed side and ends body. Can anybody tell me what it is?

 

Back to the Shock underframes.

 

The removable axle guards had their stops fitted to the frames this evening... just need to find some very thin self tappers. Maybe the ones used to fit microtrains couplers.

 

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Edited by The Bigbee Line
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Between jobs I've added the evergreen strip to form the pockets for the removable axleguards.

 

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Looking down into the pocket.  The plan is to have a countersunk BA screw to clamp it all in position.

 

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Here are the 2 axle guards slotted in...

 

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The grey parkside iron has some scrap plastic cemented in place to turn it into the solid rather than W type, it is smoother on the front....

 

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On the Parkside axle guards I have removed the 'Bridle Bars' from the bottom to allow the axle boxes to be assembled off the model. 

 

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The boxes have been given a liberal dollop of cement and will now be allowed to dry for a couple days before assembling onto the axle guards

 

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First pictures of the 'Rolling Chassis'.  I'm planning to use some Parkside Brake Hangers for the LNER 8 shoe style

 

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The solebars had some bumps moulded that fit into the kit body.  As my body will be home made, the bumps have been removed.

 

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Almost got the 4 sides joined...

 

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More underframe work tonight.

 

Trimmed (more like hacked) a couple of grooves in the underframe cross members to take the Parkside Brake Block Assemblies...

 

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The brake hangers look a little short, so might add some cosmetic overlays....

 

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The body has a bottom, it was tight on first cut, then loose when trimmed.......

 

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Impatient as always I've added some 2mm half round evergreen to the top edge to form the top lip.

 

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I had 1.5mm and 2mm section and decided to use the 2mm section, as in my opinion such detail is a kind of caricature.

 

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When cemented in place it is quite neat, whereas the real thing was soon knocked about.

 

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Fiddled about today, added another set of brake blocks to the axle with the slaters axleguards.  They are flexible enough to allow the wheelsets in and out.  I think I need to get the axleguards painted so the can dry well before the axleboxes are held in place by the new bridle bars...

 

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I chose evergreen strip to build the angle on either side of the door.  I then decided to separate the door, using the razor saw, a bit brutal, bit nothing some fine sand paper wont sort out.

 

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The door was completed with a shallow I beam as the beam across the door, then the bottom section with bits for hinges fabbed up.

 

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The body was then posed on the underframe

 

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I had some pieces on a sprue that were ideal for the dimples in the bodyside that held the sheet rings fixed on the inside faces

 

 

 

 

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Ernie,

 

Some interesting ideas here that I will probably borrow (steal?) and certainly food for thought.

 

I have assembled a few Parkside wagons. They are wonderful kits but I usually struggle with assembling the axleboxes. I have one wagon where they would slide down the guides but stick in the lower position. I ended up making them uncompensated. Your method of removing the bridle bars and assembling the axleboxes off the model seems the answer to all these problems.

 

I like the idea of the removable w iron. It would make painting and maintenance a whole lot easier.

 

A Merry Xmas to you.   Ian Major.    

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Ernie,

 

Some interesting ideas here that I will probably borrow (steal?) and certainly food for thought.

 

I have assembled a few Parkside wagons. They are wonderful kits but I usually struggle with assembling the axleboxes. I have one wagon where they would slide down the guides but stick in the lower position. I ended up making them uncompensated. Your method of removing the bridle bars and assembling the axleboxes off the model seems the answer to all these problems.

 

I like the idea of the removable w iron. It would make painting and maintenance a whole lot easier.

 

A Merry Xmas to you. Ian Major.

Thanks for the kind words. I surprise myself sometimes. I don’t know why I didn’t think of removing the bridle bar before.

I’ve got a few eBay purchases in the “Cripple Road” (now there’s a non PC term if ever there was, but that’s what they are called...) these have sticky axleboxes, over the holiday they might get a fettle.....

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