Atso's occasional workbench

[Atso]

Steve, thanks for sharing the progress on wagon kits, those outside frame vans are distinctive and will look great in a suitable mixed freight. Good to see you are another convert to finetrax, Fairford my next project will be done with Finetrax, i have build flexi track and biding my time on points, admire what you have do so speedily. Be good to see the point in the flesh next week when you pop over to cotswolds.

 

Thanks Carl. I'll be happy to bring the point with me a week Saturday for you to have a look at. I'll email you tomorrow or Friday to make final arrangements. I've very happy that I managed to finally get hold of the midland vans as this saves me designing and printing my own version. You might just be able to see in the photograph that I've drilled one roof to take some torpedo vents so that it can represent a fruit van for variation.

 

Yep, fiNetraX track and points do elevate N gauge to a finer quality level. What you've achieved looks great.

 

The plain track is easy enough to assemble but, like others, I've fought shy of the points despite having soldered up crossing vees with gauges for N gauge using the early 2mm Easitrack and partially assembling some fiNetraX kits. For me it's the filing the blades, making up the tie bar and motorising that is a stumbling block . . .

 

Perhaps another look and attempt, eh?

 

G.

 

Again, thank you Grahame. I filled the blades using the jig that FiNetrax sell and found it much easier than I expected. For the blades, I filled them using lead free electrical solder and Fry's flux (as recommended) before starting the filing. Once I'd filed them to shape, I gave them a polish using a very fine grade sanding stick. To attach them to the etched slide plates, I used Carrs 144 degree solder (lower melting point than the electrical solder) and liquid flux. To be honest using liquid flux here was a mistake as it caused the solder to flow both sides of the blades and required quite a bit of careful filing and sanding to clean up. The tie bar is a piece of fibre board (no metal plating) and I've been unable to glue it to the etched plates which caused me some worry. However, once assembled all seems to work well enough and the blades don't seem to be interested at all in lifting off the tie bar.

 

Even though the blades are filed to a knife edge (and the tops of the leading edges chamfered), there is still to occasional tendency for stock to ride over the blades. This may well be solved once the point has been motorised (servos) and the blades held firmly to the stock rails but, to keep on the safe side, I plan to file a couple of fine notches into the stock rails for the blades to sit in as the clearances between the blades and rails is very tight at the moment.

 

I'll be ordering a B8 crossover shortly as that, along with the point I've built, will be required to lay the main lines through Hadley Wood - the two remaining points are for the goods yard (which barely deserves the name!) and can wait a little longer.

 

One thing I've been thinking about is using some of the brass cast sleepers from the 2mm Association's Easitrac range. Once they've been cut (to isolate the tracks) I suspect that I'll be able to regauge them to 9mm without any difficulty. I think they'll also be helpful in building some GNR buffer stops that I've noticed the 2mm Association sells some etched kits for.

[Atso]

A question to those more knowledgeable about GNR coaches than I.

 

I've been working on and off on the GNR pioneer conversion of some first and third six wheel coaches into articulated pairs (Dia. 1640). However, the roof vent arrangement on the Isinglass drawings is a little confusing and I hope that somebody can confirm (or otherwise) my thoughts on this arrangement.

 

 

Above is my current progress on the first class coach (the roof does have a radius to it but the CAD hasn't rendered this in the image). Am I right in thinking that above the compartments there would be the gaslamp top along the centre line and a couple of vents flanking it on either side?

 

Many thanks if anyone can help with this.

[MrSimon]

The 2mm buffer stop kits are really easy to put together and make a good job of. Looking forward to seeing the layout develop!

 

Cheers

Simon

[Atso]

Looking forward to seeing the layout develop!

 

Me too!!!!

 

Thanks to some most gratefully received assistance from Jonathan Wealleans, I think we have worked out the roof detail for the GNR articulated pair.

 

[Atso]

The GNR twin set is on hold for the moment while I decide on the best route for designing a close coupled articulation unit. Therefore, I've turned my attention to another GNR vehicle...

 

 

I've still got a bit to do on the roof but it is coming along. Due to its narrow nature, clearances are very tight for the wheels. I think I'm going to make the centre wheels a dummy set that ride just above the rails, it'll be interesting to see how easily I can fit N gauge coach wheels to the outer ends of the physical model...

[Atso]

I revised the Dia. 134 fish van today and knocked up the bulk of the chassis for it. Following the GNR Full Brake, this was much easier!

 

 

Still a couple of bits to design but these will likely end up being etched details.

[Atso]

And now for something completely different!

 

 

 

A Hawkesworth County class locomotive body in the process of receiving some detail. I've spent quite a bit of time trying to get the firebox profile right (and more time discussing it with those more knowledgeable than I!). The rivets have proven to be 'fun' to do as the drawings I'm working from don't include them! Carefully studying photographs of the real thing and carefully plotting them seems to have produced something that looks right.

 

Plenty more to do on this one!

[carlwooduk]

Steve, the missing 4 6 0 in real life and in N gauge.

Yes, there are the venerable old white metal kits but the opportunity to have a decent County to run with the new Farish Castle is wonderful ,look forward to seeing this progress and one day run on Vale of Oxbury.

[Atso]

Steve, the missing 4 6 0 in real life and in N gauge.

Yes, there are the venerable old white metal kits but the opportunity to have a decent County to run with the new Farish Castle is wonderful ,look forward to seeing this progress and one day run on Vale of Oxbury.

 

Thank you Carl,

 

I've got the current progress that is the County on the printer at the moment. Hopefully (as long as it doesn't fail to print!) I'll be able to do some test fitting on the chassis tomorrow...

[Karhedron]

The test print looked very promising today.

[Atso]

The test print looked very promising today.

Thank you Mathew, it was nice to meet you (and your family) yesterday.

 

Carl found a book 'A Pictorial Record of Great Western Engines' which I duly purchased. While the section on the Counties is quite small it does have a nice drawing of the original double chimney complete with dimensions that I hope will solve my current design issues around this area and allow me to work out the later BR variant of this.

[Kris]

What chassis are you designing the County to run with?

[Atso]

What chassis are you designing the County to run with?

Hi Kris, it's being designed around the Farish Black Five. This is to take advantage of the tender frames and make the kit a reasonably simple body swap (other than removing the valve gear - which is far easier than making it!). The coupled wheelbase is 0.5mm out which isn't bad in N gauge although I'm toying with the idea of making a replacement bogie with the correct wheelbase.

 

Below is the current rough test print.

 

Edited February 4, 2018 by Atso

[Kris]

Would the new Castle chassis be a good fit? It would give you the correct wheelbase, Don't know if it would help with the bogie however. Are you thinking about making these available to purchase?

 

Hi Kris, it's being designed around the Farish Black Five. This is to take advantage of the tender frames and make the kit a reasonably simple body swap (other than removing the valve gear - which is far easier than making it!). The coupled wheelbase is 0.5mm out which isn't bad in N gauge although I'm toying with the idea of making a replacement bogie with the correct wheelbase.

Below is the current rough test print.

image.jpg

[Atso]

Would the new Castle chassis be a good fit? It would give you the correct wheelbase, Don't know if it would help with the bogie however. Are you thinking about making these available to purchase?

 

Hi Kris,

 

Hopefully this will end up as a resin kit and is designed to be as close to a straight body swap as possible. While the Castle does have the correct wheelbase, there are several factors that ruled it out.

 

- Cost (being a new model)

- 6'8 drivers againsts the County's 6'3 - ok the B5 has 6' drivers but it is easier to hide slightly the under size drivers under those splashers

- Incorrect tender frames - requiring designing a new set of frames to fit the Farish internal gubbings, unsoldering and removal of the chip/pin socket/sound bits/etc

- Relocation of cylinders and making up new cross heads and con rods

 

The Dapol Hall would actually be a closer match at the loco end (still with undersize wheels) but would still require a completely new tender and transplanting of the motor/pickups/pin socket which is outside of the ethos for the kit.

 

My hope would be that the Black Five donor, other than having to make two cuts to separate the valve gear from the crossheads and place the slide bars into a new cylinder block, will make this a project that the more inexperienced modeller would be willing to tackle. The compromise is that the wheels are around 0.5mm too small and the coupled wheelbase is just under 0.5mm too long - the overall character is still captured I think.

 

I've made the body as close to scale as N gauge allows (i.e. splasher over width) so in theory you could use the Castle. However, my experience with modern loco driven Farish is that the chassis around the motor is around 9.5mm wide and the slot in the County body is 6.5mm so some material will need to be removed.

Edited February 4, 2018 by Atso

[Atso]

I've spent a few days catching up a little with my massive backlog of kit built wagons.

 

 

From left to right are:

 

Two bogie brick wagons from my own CAD and printed by Shapeways - assembling the 'Return to Fletton' out of separate letters was 'fun' and thank goodness I found a picture of a second wagon without this!

GCR fish van from a BH Enterprises etched kit

LNER 'standard' fruit van - again BE Enterprises etched kit

1930's LNER ventilated van - a very old Farish body married to a 2mm Association etched chassis and N gauge wheels (using adaptor axles)

LNER plate wagon - Peco body with 2mm Association (formally Masterclass Models) etched chassis and N gauge wheels.

 

The plate wagon is slightly out of period as I've numbered it from a photograph without reading the caption (built 1943)! Still, the design commenced in the 1930's so I can live with this error.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Atso

[Atso]

I woke up to a surprise today as UPS had delivered my Shapeways prints.    This was a most welcome find as Shapeways predicted that they wouldn't be ready for shipping until Wednesday!

 

So what have I got?

 

 

From left to right: MR 15' long outside frame van (this is truly tiny!), the early LNER Dia 23 fish van and the later LNER dia 134 fish van. As you can see, I've test fitted the wheels (Farish) and everything is free running.

 

 

The GNR six wheel full brake. This one isn't quite as successful as the clearances aren't quite their to take the wheelsets. I think that I might be able to play with the clearances to find a better compromise to accept Farish coach wheels. At present, this coach wouldn't even take a 13mm axle as there really isn't enough clearance around the wheels. I thought this might well be the case but thought I'd try my luck anyway - three successes out of four really isn't bad. On the plus side, I'm really impressed with how well the panelling has come out.

[MrSimon]

Love the GNR brake! Would an etched chassis be a viable option?

 

Cheers

Simon

[Atso]

Love the GNR brake! Would an etched chassis be a viable option?

 

Cheers

Simon

 

 

Thanks Simon, sorry about the delay in replying, its been a bit hectic over here! An etched chassis could be an option but I'm trying to design a kit that would appeal to those who wouldn't normally tackle etches. There will be some etched pieces for all of these but nothing that anyone would feel is complicated.

Edited March 7, 2018 by Atso

[Atso]

Hi all,

 

A bit of an update regarding the fish vans.

 

 

This is the state of play following an application of primer, rubbing down and another squirt of primer. The cruel enlargements show that I've still got a couple of small bits and pieces to work on but overall, I'm happy with how these are turning out - especially the legible 'FISH' on the door plate of the later van! 

Edited March 7, 2018 by Atso

[Kris]

Those look very good. 

[justin1985]

Those fish vans look amazing! Did they need much cleaning up? The rivet detail seems to have survived very well indeed.

 

Will you be making them available to purchase soon?

 

Best

 

Justin

[Atso]

Those fish vans look amazing! Did they need much cleaning up? The rivet detail seems to have survived very well indeed.

 

Will you be making them available to purchase soon?

 

Hi Justin,

 

The vans were printed in Shapeways FXD and did need some cleaning up. This was mainly around the areas below any higher overhanging bits (due to the wax supports needed) but I generally go over the whole model to maintain a consistent surface finish.

 

The plan is to use these as casting masters and I'll be having to learn a bit about casting techniques. Luckily, I purchased a degassing chamber and pressure pot some time ago but I've yet to use these. Hopefully these will be available as resin castings eventually (along with turned buffers and etched brakes) but may be a little while off yet...

[justin1985]

Sounds good!

 

I've been playing with some drawings of GER vans. To begin with I was going to try and design an etch, but now considering doing as 3D print.

 

I was considering leaving off the rivets and then adding them from archer rivet transfers after it's been cleaned up, to use that as a master for casting. So it's interesting to see that your rivets survived the clean up process so well!

 

Your underframes look really good too, but I wonder if you'd consider the option of a version without them, to use with 2mm Association etched chassis?

 

J

[Atso]

Sounds good!

 

I've been playing with some drawings of GER vans. To begin with I was going to try and design an etch, but now considering doing as 3D print.

 

I was considering leaving off the rivets and then adding them from archer rivet transfers after it's been cleaned up, to use that as a master for casting. So it's interesting to see that your rivets survived the clean up process so well!

 

Your underframes look really good too, but I wonder if you'd consider the option of a version without them, to use with 2mm Association etched chassis?

 

J

 

Hi Justin,

 

You're not the first person to ask if the bodies can be supplied separately. I don't see this being an issue but let me actually play around with some casting first!!! 

 

3D printing vs etching is an interesting one as I think there are some things that I think etching will always be better at. However, I've also found that many people are put off building etched kits and are happier working with castings - hence the 3D printed N gauge chassis. Certainly, I find it easier to sand around strapping on a 3D print than I do in accurately positioning such parts on an etch (which I do actually enjoy doing as well!). I can't see any reason why a 2mm association etched chassis can't be fitted to either van but they'll have to be cut down slightly as I've made the wooden buffer beams part of the bodywork.

 

With regard to rivets, I try to keep them no small than 0.2mm diameter and 0.2mm in height. This way they are likely to survive the sanding process (but try to work around them as much as possible) and Archer's rivet transfers can be used to replace any that are lost. The dia 134 fish van did lose two rivets (yes, only two!) due to my being careless but you couldn't tell where now. I would try to put rivets into the CAD as personally, I find that it is easier to sand around them than to try to accurately (and neatly!) put them on later.