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Wantage Road 1880 4mm Broad Gauge


Charlie586
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I think the rectangular plate is part of a clamp around the outside sandwich frame. Immediately behind it there’s a bracket which is riveted to the firebox, so that the weight of the rear end of the boiler is transferred to the frames. At the back end there’s no other way of doing it, as the driving and trailing wheels are in the way, and the broad gauge means there’s a lot of space between the outside frames and the firebox.

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I think you're right, it makes sense and as you say there's no other way of doing it. The GA doesn't really give any help, but a picture on Miss Prism's GWR org site has probably the best view on line.

 

http://www.gwr.org.uk/no-tenders.html

 

I'll check my books for any more pictures, but looking from the back at an angle.

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Thanks, that's a great photo. I've not come across that angle on that side before  (the broad gauge dump photo has the other side). So many other small details.

 

There's a plate between the 2 leading wheels I've not seen before but I dont think Bulkeley would have had one.

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Not really much progress this week, what with all the getting ready for christmas and that.

 

I found a good online photo (which is free of copyright on wikipedia commons) that shews a bit more of the clamp and much more 

 

post-28891-0-16014200-1545587017.jpg

 

An even clearer (and larger file) version can be downloaded

 

 

I soldered up the smokebox, using blue tac an elastic band and some swearing, and put some beading round the cab side but that fell off as I tried to clean up the excess solder so will need to do it again.

 

Anyway, here's a staged photo of Bulkeley for chrimbo with unfinished bits using a bit of blue tac here and there. I would have liked to have put the station building bits together with the track and a temporary platform, but didn't have time.

 

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That's probably the last update of the year. Hope you all have a great christmas and new year. Thanks for your patience and for reading, I really appreciate all the comments, likes and other button presses. Hopefully I'll have a baseboard by next christmas.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Christmas has been and gone and only a mountain of cheese remains. Got a few presents

 

 

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A wonky photo of self locking pliers for soldering, more tiny drill bits, a bunch of saw blades, and a brace of tin snips. Also,not pictured is a vertical drill stand so I can make a few more jigs and use it as a makeshift lathe to help when shaping chimneys etc.

 

I also got this

 

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haven't done one of these for years so not much has been done on the layout this week. Typically out of all the paint tins I've got only 1 matched the colours needed so have had to buy 6 more pots.

 

The £1.29 figures turned up from the far east

 

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As expected, not much use. There's multiple figures of the same design, of which one appears to be a giant man with a foot missing, a pensioner with stick, a young lady with over-tight clothing, an even younger lady of an earlier period which may be of use, a one-armed man who is waving, a man touching his hat (may be of use), a seated gentleman and a partridge in a pear tree, as they say. Probably the best use of parts of these will be inside carriages. With mucky windows.

 

Got a small amount of xmas money to spend. Ideally I want a high level gearbox and motor, but that wouldn't leave much left so the shopping list at present is:

 

Ply for baseboard

plasticard (plain sheet and english bond)

at least 2 gearboxes and worms with possibly some brass tube to increase the pin of the cheapo mitsumi motors.

more brass and nickle sheet and some thin strips for beading.

10mm wheels or as near as 

plus more that I've forgotten but will remember after placing an order

 

I've been doing a bit of thinking about what next to tackle. As I haven't got a huge amount of time, and scratch building the rover is taking ages, I'll try and get on with other bits at the same time instead of just doing that. The obvious aim is to build a whole train that wouldn't be that far off accurate. I have a carriage kit from the BGS but I'm going to struggle to buy 2 or 3 more plus the needed K1/2 vans in any reasonable time. I think a silhouette cutter may be the way forward eventually as it's the cost of about 3 kits, so I'll try the long process of convincing my other half that she needs one... (just joking)

 

The other thinking I've been doing is of the next engines for the mainline. I reckon a standard gauge express, possibly a queen class would be good. I don't think anyone does a kit, but I haven't got any money anyway, so it wouldn't matter. I've got a few good GA's so maybe a plasticard bodge would do at first. I also need a stopping engine so once I've found definite proof of what actually stopped (even if only once) I'll get on that too.That's at least 10 carriages, plus eventual wagons, so the silhouette is definitely needed.

 

Anyway, enough pontificating. Have a great new year and a prosperous 2019.

 

 

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Things are still winding back up after xmas, so not a great deal of progress.

 

I've delayed buying a gear box / worm gear as I've instead bought 3 motors with gearbox on ebay for just over 3 quid. Should arrive in a month or so. I've got some other motors and gears in various kits I'll never make, so I'll dig them out one day and do a line up.

 

Keeping the new year's resolution of doing other things, I've done a bit to the tender. You may remember me saying months ago that what with all the rivets, I'd wait until I'd finished the etch artwork but 3 things ... 1 The artwork's taking a bit longer than I thought (me finding other things to do and Inkscape's not very helpful fill function makes filling areas a very slow job) , 2 When (if) the etch is finished it will have a Rover and tender so I'll always be a tender behind ,  3  I can play with use the drill stand to do the chassis.

 

I've previously cut out at least 1 of the 4 sandwich frames, probably a photo above somewhere, so I thought I'd do the sides. With all the rivets, literally hundreds of them, If I spend hours trying to get them right and bodged one it would stand out, so I thought I'd just rush it and see what it looks like.

 

So, I cut out side and back as one piece (didn't have a long enough piece of brass to do both sides and back together), then blue tacked with a ruler and marked the rear where the lines of rivets are, then started banging them out with the trusty blunt pin.

 

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This is the result

 

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Some parts okay, some all over the place. I could have a few more goes, maybe take longer on it, but without a controllable rivet press, it's always going to have some askew. The brass bent up a bit while I was banging them out but it will be bent back and supported in place so hopefully will look straight.

 

I've started to mark up the running plate/footplate (or whatever the correct term is) of the tender but haven't done a photo so I'll crack on with that and the chassis next week. I'll make the first axle fixed and include the option of movement for the others in case it's motorised or just generally needed.

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Carried on with the tender, this time starting on the footplate

 

post-28891-0-59508700-1547402059_thumb.jpg

 

Marked out (in a hurry), drilled a hole, cut from inside with piercing saw, then scored the part of it to become fold ups so the side can be soldered on.

 

Checked it against the actual sides before folding and...

 

post-28891-0-72577500-1547402382_thumb.jpg

 

.. the sides are too big (or is the base too small). The red arrows show roughly how much (a couple of mm). I'm hoping it's a mis-measurement on the footplate, the alternative is to cut up the sides which will be harder to solder. Note the footplate is the wrong way in the photo, should be rotated 180 degrees, but this has reminded me that as I've always visualised this going in a Swindon direction with the layout viewed North to South, this part would be at the back and out of view. This also means the wonky riveting won't be that easy to see. I've had a plan for riveting the other side, just working on it to make it even more cunning at the moment

 

Anyway, after all that, I thought I'd put it to one side for a bit (see later).

 

I saw that Hornby are reintroducing the Achilles class this year so I went to dig my old Lord of the Isles out to not only remind myself how bad the front bogie is, but also, as the earliest of the class is 1891, it will probably have appeared on Wantage Road in mixed gauge era for a few months (albeit later than my chosen period). Anyway, I couldn't find it in the amongst the boxes I thought it was in, but I found this instead.

 

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Aveling and Porter steam road roller kit (barely attempted). I had a brief look online and found this from Graces in 1880

 

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The front's slightly different and no roof but a resemblance could be made. I reckon on putting it on the road bridge, as buses weren't too common back in 1880. Seriously though, there's a great photo of a 2 inch scale one here  https://www.stationroadsteam.com/2-inch-scale-aveling--porter-steam-roller-stock-code-3571/

 

After a brief walk around Edwinstowe (Sherwood Forest, Major Oak etc) today, I went to the model shop in the village. As much as I love going in model shops and as helpful as the owner was, I always feel a tight wad as there's very little I can actually buy. I did buy some ballast to compliment the broken stones, and nearly bought some wrong era figures but didn't in the end.

 

Anyway, I've decided to not touch the Rover until at least February. I've got a small bit of wood to make a baseboard, I've got track, ballast and I've also got the station building to keep me quiet and out of trouble. I might even do a mock up of the road bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

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A batch of the Achilles class were built as convertibles for use on the broad guage for a year or two prior the Big Bang in 1892. And, you’ll like to hear they were without bogies, being 2-2-2. All you need now are some long axles.

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A batch of the Achilles class were built as convertibles for use on the broad guage for a year or two prior the Big Bang in 1892. And, you’ll like to hear they were without bogies, being 2-2-2. All you need now are some long axles.

attachicon.gif1B95B9DE-DF6C-4518-BDB1-4D64E808B3EB.jpeg

 

Thanks. I hadn't realised that, I can't remember seeing or reading anyone converting one before to broad gauge though I've not got all the society publications so may have missed it (I think someone on here - sorry I forget who - converted one to a 2-2-2 standard gauge). I've got 1/8th and 2mm rod but I'm guessing the driver isn't 1/8th, the last Hornby one I measured was about 3.5mm. Flanges and not p4 wheels might be a future problem, but as it will only be able to run on straight track for a good while it could fill a gap.

 

Edit:

 

found the conversion, it was to a Queen class by Knobhead of this parish, http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/60625-triang-lord-of-the-isles/

Edited by Charlie586
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With a few weeks off from Bulkeley, I got out the station building

 

post-28891-0-19352900-1548005333_thumb.jpg

 

The sides needed a bit of squaring and a bit of filing to make the edges diagonal then I started gluing

 

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The lean to style office isn't finished as I've run out of plastikard, but will be placing an order soon. I live a few miles from Slaters, but they're only open to callers during office hours so I can't make it then.

 

After that the back was glued on (didn't take a photo of that) then put a very thin wash of yellow white ish over it.

 

post-28891-0-22547900-1548005899_thumb.jpg

 

The colour doesn't really show (I don't think I stirred enough pigment into the mix) so I had another go with the off white (can't remember humbrol number and don't seem to have taken a photo of that stage either). I also realised I'd forgot to do a window just next to the front door into the lean to, so this had to be sorted out.

 

I had a quick first stab at the ground floor interior.

 

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Still a long way to go with that. There's a large lack of info on the inside (unless I've missed something obvious) and most photos are from too far away or obscured to see inside. GWR . org quotes railway magazine as early internal walls were light blue (though it does say it's probably not reliable), so I gave the inside a quick coat of blue (quite hard when it's assembled and with a base on) but I wasn't really happy.

 

post-28891-0-81723400-1548007279_thumb.jpg

 

bottom window shows a probably too dark shade, so I searched the Broad gauge society site and general internet and didn't really come up with anything. So it's either darkened windows, a blue I don't like or do something I do like and, if proved wrong, change it.

 

On seeing this pic  https://www.alamy.com/stock-image-in-a-victorian-railway-ladies-waiting-room-with-a-roaring-coal-fire-165099642.html   I reckon wood panelling and light stone is the way to go for now. Easy to paint over light stone if needed, just got to hide the blue now.

 

Anyway, back outside, with the mortar coat set I did the usual dry-ish brush of humbrol 70 to attempt picking out bricks.

 

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I did the road bridge entrance side first as it's been a while since I've done this and didn't want to completely ruin the front. There's a canopy/valence over the door and window so the heavy change in mortar colour there won't be as obvious. The photo shows up a few pieces of stray plastikard that need removing. I still need to do the other sides and pick out occasional bricks with different shades etc.

 

Hopefully, I'll put the small baseboard together this week. It's all go, isn't it.

 

 

 

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Made a trip to B&Q for some wood and in the odds bin they had some loft conversion chipboard for £2 each so I got 3 of them. They're a bit thick but about 4ft long so will come in handy, the reason they're in the bargain bin was some small damage to the overlaps but that part is irrelevant for me. I also got some wood for bracing and a small sheet of ply.

 

post-28891-0-11222100-1548611069_thumb.jpg

 

for 50p. It's 1cm too long to fit the ikea shelf but otherwise is perfect for what I wanted initially. Unfortunately, I didn't get time to put it together as a board but it's not exactly holding anything up.

 

Still not done anything to the Rover, what with the enforced break, but some of the ebay cheap motors arrived so I had to look at it.

 

post-28891-0-76173600-1548611470_thumb.jpg

 

I think it cost £1.68, around that kind of area. It worked well with a 9V battery.

 

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And sort of fits. It  goes in the boiler easily and if I cut it  down to the 2nd of the gears it meets the axle quite nicely. Only real problem is the axles on the gears are about 2.3 mm and I need 1/8th inch. I've got some tube but it's probably the wrong size so will try to ream the gear wheel out and if needed solder a wraparound from brass to keep it in all place. I reckon it will fit the tender as well, and as those wheels will be 2mm it might be easier to to use tubing on that. I've ordered a few more anyway.

 

Back to the station

 

post-28891-0-55598800-1548612170_thumb.jpg

 

I ordered bits from Slaters and got some wood planking along with the brick sheet. Brown and sort of cream, maybe needs a second coat of the sort of cream. I still need to finish off the fireplaces and do some attempts at pictures, notices etc.

 

To the main shell of the station house

 

post-28891-0-16631000-1548613291_thumb.jpg

 

A bit more painting the brickwork. I've done 2 or 3 coats over the blue inside now and it's not really shifting, so I'm getting some plasterboard put in (card or thin plasticard) and I'll paint over that. It will be easier to fix details on the board as well , so I won't need to take the bottom off.

 

I didn't mention doors and windows last time. I've got some in a box somewhere, can't remember what type but until I dig them out I'm not going to attempt building anything. Saying that, I've had a small stab at artwork for etching, but with so many windows the cost would be a bit too much to do on its own and the Rover artwork is already struggling to fit on one sheet and I'm not finished yet though I'm nearer the end than halfway (I'll post more about that in a quiet week or when I forget to take photos). So, there won't be room on that for anything else.

 

One odd thing about the building is the first floor is at a height to allow entrance from the road bridge. This means the ground floor is high. I don't know if it had high ceilings or a false roof and have yet to meet anyone who knows. I've spoken to people who have taken trains from the station, but they can't remember.

 

post-28891-0-91059600-1548614292_thumb.jpg

 

The top of the extra, small window is the approx level the door is at for the road bridge. The room height is just under 15ft, very high.

 

At the risk of deja vu, hopefully we'll have the first baseboard by next week.

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Just a little update on what I did in the downtime and to try posting a picture from my mobile  (before I was uploading to Google drive then doing via laptop )

 

anyway, a bit more painting of the station interior.

 

20190201_054504-1.jpg.126153660620436e85513269e38d209c.jpg

Hopefully this works.

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The picture above looked better on my mobile. Oh well, back to the laptop for a larger update.

 

20190201_054610.jpg.d9d70b40b65c52200d8fee9480f08445.jpg

 

Did a bit more painting of the lean to office and a bit of interior to that. Not glued it up yet, there's a chimney breast on the outside of the wall that needs putting in and some general tidying up needed. I haven't found the windows and doors yet, but still a few more boxes to go through.

20190201_054732.jpg.4d73ea1f8a40bd745ea519a6fac6426f.jpg

 

Same thing different angle. You can see the wallpaper at the back of main building to hide the blue, again not glued in yet. Uploading photos seems a lot easier now, I even just worked out how to resize them.

 

With January over, I went back to the Rover / Bulkeley. I started chopping the motor up.

 

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Then cut off part of the bar that holds the 2nd gear in (can't think of proper name at moment) and bored the gear out to fit on axle

 

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I eventually drilled the remaining part out and widened the hole to 1/8th (though forgot to take a photo)

 

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Above is how it will sit on the chassis. It needs some kind of wraparound and bearings to hold the axle in. Something like below, though I'm probably over engineering it.

 

20190203_143359.jpg.360716031d850a718a978a12b60a0ca7.jpg

 

Should keep me out of trouble for a bit. I've also got the tender difference still to sort out (part of drawing is at top of photo, while the other part is on the opposite side - probably how it's ended up wrong). Another problem is one of the chassis spacers is in slightly the wrong place (should be under the smoke box) and another is obvious from the side (it's where the motion should be if you're mad enough to attempt that). I'm thinking a bit of angle or even rail soldered along the sides would be a better solution, I could then remove half of the first spacer and the the full second one. I'll leave that for now as it's a bit too brave for me to do at moment.

 

I'll carry on with the first half month Bulkeley, second half other stuff as I've enjoyed doing the station building. Didn't get a chance to put the baseboard together, but that's nothing new.

Edited by Charlie586
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Managed a bit on the motor so thought a small update was in order

 

20190204_095551.jpg.00a50750fca082f902615fb30da2cad7.jpg

 

cut out and started bending the cage

 

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axle and gear inside

 

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after a very fiddly and sweary half hour I got both parts inside. I still need to solder the bearings to the cage, fit the wheels to set running height, check and adjust for splasher clearance, and fix the cage and motor to the chassis. Probably not in that order though.

 

Finally, a carpenter turned up and did a friday afternoon job on a bench for the inside of the station

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The rather pale Miss White tries hard to ignore the inappropriate closeness of Mr Spotter, but can't fail to notice that his beard appears to extend all the way up to his left eye. Seriously though, early days for this. I thought it would be easier to use lumps of plastikard to build the bench then cut away parts rather than try to fix tiny pieces on. Mr Spotter is the only seated man I've got and he needs a fair bit of work doing  (or just binning and starting again). I've been adding a mix of plaster and glue to various other figures from the £1 odd bag, I'll do a full update on them at the weekend.

 

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Small milestone today

 

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Ply glued and screwed to wood

 

20190210_112902.jpg.493cef11c81763a47490a19a11a6ee4c.jpg

 

And nearly one and a half years after starting this thread, we have a baseboard. The test track is plonked on top to give an idea of how much room I have (the middle, standard gauge line still isn't glued down in case you're wondering why it's wonky). A double running line is about 10cm, and as tempting as it is to put them in the middle, I've got the goods shed in the back of my head so need to fit the 3 lines in as in the plan.

 

post-28891-0-22684400-1543772944_thumb.png

 

The scenery / station etc is obviously going to poke over the ends but it is planned that way,  it will be in add on sections, the main boards are intended to fit in an Ikea Billy bookcase when not in use. Anyway, next job is to lay some baulks and track, ballast etc.

 

I couldn't resist getting the toys out and playing...

 

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Bit rough and ready but it's progressing.

 

Zooming in,

 

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Mrs Incontinentia Bouquet waits at the platform while Mr Bouquet is missing, presumably trying to find the men's facilities that haven't been built yet. William Orter, station Porter, wonders where the Bouquet's luggage has disappeared to and also why his arm appears to have lost its colour. And, finally, PC Finescale, while counting the rivets on the splasher, remembers he's left home without putting his trousers on.

 

I added some plaster and glue to lengthen his coat, but it seems to have given a different style of dress. The lady's makeshift hat overhangs her face too much in that view, but otherwise the plaster blobs are slowly improving her.

 

Other figures are in the process of being butchered / having plaster casts added are shown next to the original where possible. Most will end up inside carriages or the station building and I'll get some decent ones for the more visible platform area.

 

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Finally, onto Bulkeley. I'm still fiddling with the screws that hold the motor to the chassis while keeping the wheels on track and not touching the splasher, whenever it gets too frustrating I do something else instead. This time next week, Rodney ...

 

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Full of admiration for what you're doing. I've often thought about doing something broad gauge in S7 ... being a 7mm modeller, but the scratch-building has always really put me off.  The past couple of years I've learnt CAD design however, and while it may not be termed as scratch-building, I feel its really opened some doors to achieve different things.  I've been designing a five-plank coal wagons recently, with the aim of getting the metal parts done in etched brass or nickel silver, with the rest of the wagon laser cut from birch ply.  I think it could apply really well to some broad-gauge wagons!  Can feel a diorama coming on as I type this :)

 

Ironically I only just come across your thread this afternoon, and at lunchtime filled in my application to the Broad Gauge Society to get the drawings etc, so maybe this is fate telling me to get on with it.  Your broad-gauge loco model is superb, especially in 4mm!  I do rather hanker after a Finny7 Rover model, but really not sure I have the skill to complete.  Might try a couple of scratch-built wagons this summer, and if successful try out the kit.

 

Anyway, now following your progress with interest .. keep up the good work.

 

Rich

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2 hours ago, MarshLane said:

Full of admiration for what you're doing. I've often thought about doing something broad gauge in S7 ... being a 7mm modeller, but the scratch-building has always really put me off.  The past couple of years I've learnt CAD design however, and while it may not be termed as scratch-building, I feel its really opened some doors to achieve different things.  I've been designing a five-plank coal wagons recently, with the aim of getting the metal parts done in etched brass or nickel silver, with the rest of the wagon laser cut from birch ply.  I think it could apply really well to some broad-gauge wagons!  Can feel a diorama coming on as I type this :)

 

Ironically I only just come across your thread this afternoon, and at lunchtime filled in my application to the Broad Gauge Society to get the drawings etc, so maybe this is fate telling me to get on with it.  Your broad-gauge loco model is superb, especially in 4mm!  I do rather hanker after a Finny7 Rover model, but really not sure I have the skill to complete.  Might try a couple of scratch-built wagons this summer, and if successful try out the kit.

 

Anyway, now following your progress with interest .. keep up the good work.

 

Rich

 

Hello Rich, thanks for posting.

 

My (non-impartial) advice is to go for it! A diorama is a good start and will probably grow into more. I've found the scratch building not as hard as I thought,  it's putting a kit together but making the parts of the kit as well so I (and anyone doing it) will run into the same difficulties and take as long as a kit maker does. The really frustrating part is making something then seeing a new photo showing you've misunderstood or made something incorrectly. Saying that, I've not helped myself by skimping on things (ebay motor instead of a proper one, having correct tools etc.) Doing a little piece at a time helps, the sense of achievement is a lot more than I felt when doing my oo layout 10-15 years ago.

 

Quite a lot of the Broad gauge society kits are more helpful if you're doing either an earlier period or further west than I am. But in 7mm with the Finney Rover you have a good (if not cheap) head start. I think as many model in 7mm as 4mm, and the email group has a lot of useful information, as do all the old publications.

 

I've done a fair bit of CAD but have slowed down the 3d printing as the surface finish just isn't there yet for a reasonable cost. It works for some items but not all. The laser cut things I've seen have been good, and combined with etched parts would be very useful. I think a silhouette cutter for carriages is also a good idea, though not sure if a 7mm carriage would fit in the cutter.

 

Best of luck and thanks for kind comments

Charlie

 

 

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8 minutes ago, Charlie586 said:

 

Hello Rich, thanks for posting.

My (non-impartial) advice is to go for it! A diorama is a good start and will probably grow into more. I've found the scratch building not as hard as I thought,  it's putting a kit together but making the parts of the kit as well so I (and anyone doing it) will run into the same difficulties and take as long as a kit maker does. The really frustrating part is making something then seeing a new photo showing you've misunderstood or made something incorrectly. Saying that, I've not helped myself by skimping on things (ebay motor instead of a proper one, having correct tools etc.) Doing a little piece at a time helps, the sense of achievement is a lot more than I felt when doing my oo layout 10-15 years ago.

Quite a lot of the Broad gauge society kits are more helpful if you're doing either an earlier period or further west than I am. But in 7mm with the Finney Rover you have a good (if not cheap) head start. I think as many model in 7mm as 4mm, and the email group has a lot of useful information, as do all the old publications.

I've done a fair bit of CAD but have slowed down the 3d printing as the surface finish just isn't there yet for a reasonable cost. It works for some items but not all. The laser cut things I've seen have been good, and combined with etched parts would be very useful. I think a silhouette cutter for carriages is also a good idea, though not sure if a 7mm carriage would fit in the cutter.

Best of luck and thanks for kind comments

Charlie

 

Thanks Charlie,

I may well have a go at a diorama first, and probably pursue the CAD design for a 7mm broad gauge wagon or brake van to sit on it - it could take me years just to get a detailed goods train, never mind the locomotive :P

 

I almost think something like the Swindon 'A' Shop diorama, but in broad gauge would be an interesting start.  But we'll wait and see.  Agree totally on the 3D surface printing, although its getting better all the time, and I find a light sanding where possible before primer gets rid of most imperfections.  The trouble with me is that my range of interests is too wide!!

 

Anyway, if I do, I'll post a link, but following along with your progress :) Sorry to hijack!


Rich

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2 minutes ago, MarshLane said:

 

Thanks Charlie,

I may well have a go at a diorama first, and probably pursue the CAD design for a 7mm broad gauge wagon or brake van to sit on it - it could take me years just to get a detailed goods train, never mind the locomotive :P

 

I almost think something like the Swindon 'A' Shop diorama, but in broad gauge would be an interesting start.  But we'll wait and see.  Agree totally on the 3D surface printing, although its getting better all the time, and I find a light sanding where possible before primer gets rid of most imperfections.  The trouble with me is that my range of interests is too wide!!

 

Anyway, if I do, I'll post a link, but following along with your progress :) Sorry to hijack!


Rich

 

Rich

 

Please keep me up to date with your progress, I'd love to see it. The old tilt wagons were interesting, as are many others. The locomotive Tiny would be a good start for a diorama :)

 

Charlie

 

 

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19 minutes ago, Charlie586 said:

 

Rich

 

Please keep me up to date with your progress, I'd love to see it. The old tilt wagons were interesting, as are many others. The locomotive Tiny would be a good start for a diorama :)

 

Charlie

 

 

 

Thanks for the encouragement Charlie!

 

I will do ... I was thinking something like a 3501 Class, which was originally built as a tank and convertible to Standard (Narrow) gauge.  Something like this but whether I go down the BGS kit, or a total scratch build remains to be seen.  Diorama track work and scenics/wagons first I think!

 

Rich

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8 hours ago, MarshLane said:

 

Thanks for the encouragement Charlie!

 

I will do ... I was thinking something like a 3501 Class, which was originally built as a tank and convertible to Standard (Narrow) gauge.  Something like this but whether I go down the BGS kit, or a total scratch build remains to be seen.  Diorama track work and scenics/wagons first I think!

 

Rich

 

I came close to buying the 3501 but it was just too late for the period I want as I wanted the very early days of the tramway. It's supposed to be a fairly easy kit to put together.

 

A tadpole brake fish van would make a great model (a bit too late for me but I may do one anyway at some point). The broad gauge society do a kit but it would be ideal for laser cutting.

 

Cheers

Charlie 

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Spent a few hours fiddling with the chassis and motor, managed to get it to move forwards and backwards amid some wheel slipping. I tried adding some weight, it improved but still a bit of slipping. As the test track only allows about 4 inches of movement, I need something better to test it on. So, I started laying track.

 

20190216_144855.jpg.c6ea562f0a18ec0fe2c3d156bbf1b126.jpg

 

Bit of a dodgy photo, but just one line of baulk across the board. I need to affix the packing then the track then do it all again five more times to get a double, mixed gauge track. I'll probably just do one track first.

 

I've mentioned before about the tender having a motor, as motorising a single is tricky to say the least, and with the slipping, I figure I'm better off building the tender chassis with a motor first rather than spending ages tinkering. But as it's now the middle of the month, I've moved on to other bits.

 

20190211_143833.jpg.ef85ea3fa65e00f45117914ded087bb9.jpg

 

I found the box with windows and doors in, but I've struggled to match them (I need sash windows with 12 panes - 3 panes wide by 2 high in each part. One of the wills sheets could be adapted but I wouldn't have enough windows and I'm sure a pack is more than 3.35 these days and I don't want to waste money on a pack of windows to only cut up 2 of them. 

 

20190216_081628.jpg.474784c801bb0af1c1812c878433e53d.jpg

 

So I drew a basic plan and started cutting up plastikard. I did think about doing them as 3d prints, but with postage and shapeways' new pricing regime it'd be cheaper to buy Wills and waste them. 

 

20190217_092126.jpg.d50afca71835f772e912e343af783a0e.jpg

 

Door and frame. Not brilliant think I need another bash at the door and the frame could do with thinner plastikard at the glass panel piece above the door. Haven't taken a picture of the window but I'm partway through the moveable part of the sash, but I'm not convinced cutting out from a single piece is the easiest and best way to do about 15 windows. I'll try sticking strips of plasticard together to see how it looks.

 

Finally,

 

20190217_092255.jpg.adbac9f76f7aae95201c39776f18ba5d.jpg

 

I've been making furniture again. A chair (still need to do the last leg), the bench (now slightly lowered) a fire grate and the start of fire (signal box style not sure of exact name) - the lean to station building booking office has a small chimney in the middle so I'm guessing it had one of these to heat the place and brew tea.

 

Next week I'll crack on with the track and maybe make a start on the station roof.

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If you’re getting slipping on the single driver, too much of the loco weight is being diverted from the drivers to the carrying wheels. Try and work out which side of the drivers the centre of gravity is acting, and keep the carrying wheels on that side and the drivers solid with the frame, then allow the carrying wheels on the other side to deflect,  being lightly sprung to keep in contact with the rails. Allow for extra ballasting where you can, and allow for this in working out the c.o.g.

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12 hours ago, Northroader said:

If you’re getting slipping on the single driver, too much of the loco weight is being diverted from the drivers to the carrying wheels. Try and work out which side of the drivers the centre of gravity is acting, and keep the carrying wheels on that side and the drivers solid with the frame, then allow the carrying wheels on the other side to deflect,  being lightly sprung to keep in contact with the rails. Allow for extra ballasting where you can, and allow for this in working out the c.o.g.

 

Thanks.

In a rush this morning, but I just placed it on a small piece of wood balanced on a pencil. The centre of gravity seems to be just in front of the driver. The back wheels have a bit of play in bored out bearings but I don't think it's enough. There is a bit of room in firebox for more weight, but as you say, the back axle at the very least needs springing.

It's very tempting to motorise the tender,but the engine will still need some springing as it will be pushed.

 

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