Black Notley - BR Eastern

[pwr]

And in other news I have started varnishing the LNER B2 using Johnons Klear that I had in stock. I am brushing this on as I don't want to go over the bits that should be matt. The whole thing will eventually get weathered in any event but he Klear will seal the transfers.

 

Paul R

[muddys-blues]

Here are the photos shawn sent. You can clearly see the plastic he has removed which mine now also looks like.

 

shawn1.jpg

 

Shawn 2.jpg

 

I may have to fit with the bolts to see if I can get an improvement

 

Paul R

 

Aah yes, I think it says in the instructions the tightening of the bolts will close any roof gap.

 

Craig.

[pwr]

Craig

 

Shawn also said that the sides may be fitted in the wrong place i.e. too far up. However they're butted to the floor exactly where they should be so my thought is that the ends are too low but I have followed the instructions correctly and they too seem to sit where they should.

 

I will update once I have the bolts in.

 

Paul R

[pwr]

Craig

 

I have fitted the nuts and bolted the roof to the body. Although it does make huge difference the is still an unsightly gap. I am going to do some more photos at the weekend and will post here. I think I may have to build up the ends with plasticard or I will end up with having to fill them and make the roof permanently attache to the body.

 

Paul R

[spenc]

Hi

When I built my 108 there was a gap so I filled it my roof &sides are fixed floor not and I trimmed roof.nice too see you have moved over to here

Steve

[pwr]

Hi

When I built my 108 there was a gap so I filled it my roof &sides are fixed floor not and I trimmed roof.nice too see you have moved over to here

Steve

Thanks Steve.

 

Moving here seemed to make more sense since although what I do is ostensibly to get the layout built the thread is a lot more about individual components of it so it seemed to make more sense

 

Paul R

[pwr]

Sorry no updates this weekend as we are away.

 

However I have a question to those who have any experience of using Johnsons Klear. How many coats do you need to put on to get a really good finish that will protect and seal transfers?

 

Paul R

[pwr]

Well tonight I finished fitting the etched window frames to the sides. They really make a huge difference.

 

I was going to post some photos but I decided to fit the bogies to the underframe first. Now I have had a long nagging doubt from a trial offering up that the bogies didn't quite look right and would seem to be riding too high. Sure enough when I screwed them in and placed the coach on the track the buffer height (which I wanted to test given problems with the roof) was too high against a handy Parkside sand wagon. They just didn't look right - too much gap between bogie sideframe and underframe.

 

Then it hit me - the bogie mounting spigots are the wrong way up and should have passed through the floor. I didn't read the instructions properly! Doh!

 

So out with the chisel and off they came. So now I am waiting for the epoxy to set having refitted them. My decision not to place additional bolts into these things was vindicated as I had a devil of a job getting them off!

 

Hopefully some pictures tomorrow.

 

Paul R

[pwr]

Hi Everybody

 

This week sees some photos of the complete MK1 SK. When I say complete I mean the whole thing put together not completed as there is much work still to do.

 

The etched window frames are on although I have not checked to see if the window inserts still fit. I also have to bend the vent handles but the instructions suggest you do this after fitting. I just used a runny superglue to fit them. Some cleaning up still needs to be done on one side but they do make the finished effect look like a late build MK1.

 

 

 

 

The reason I wanted to put it all together was to check the ride height to see if the comment from Shawn at Easybuild about the ends being fitted too high was correct. The next photo shows the coach paired with a Freightman van. The height looks OK to me. A tad high at one end but that is adjustable and relates to the bogie mount. I know this because when I turned the coach round the height is correct. Tested against a Parkside wagon the coach sites a tad too high but when placed up against the B2 tender (not shown) its spot on. I ought to get a buffer height gauge or something but as wheels got worn and tyres got turned the ride height would have varied between vehicles to a degree.

 

 

The next photo shows the ends and the still extant gap. If the ride height is correct then something else must be wrong to be this much out. I am going to remove some of the material from the roof and pack it with styrene  and hope that when its painted and filled nobody will notice.

 

 

Now an underframe shot

 

 

This last photo shows the coach mounted on the Commonwealth bogie. I think that the ride height above bogie here looks wrong but my view is that this is because the bogie is slightly undersized or at least looks a bit on the skinny side. Somewhere I have a 7mm drawing and will get this out and check. If the bogie was more substantial it would look better and be better in terms of buffer level. 

 

 

Anyway all for now

 

 

Paul R

 

 

Edited February 10, 2016 by pwr

[two tone green]

That is looking very nice.

[pwr]

As you can see the axle box cover that went for a walk has still not turned up!

 

Paul R

[pwr]

Currently pressing on with the SK interiors. No pix yet as the light has gone! The partitions are made from etched brass and plastikard that I am fixing together with superglue which is surpringly effective.

 

Seats are resin castings which are not my favourite modelling material but I will use them as the castings don't look too bad and are a better shape than some of the wooden mouldings I have seen and used in the past.

 

Still not sure what to do about this gap between the roof and the coach ends.

 

Paul R

[muddys-blues]

Hi Paul, how big is the gap ? and what do you think is causing the problem ? is it the roof moulding or the end mouldings ?

 

Craig.

[pwr]

Craig

 

I am not 100% sure. When I queried this with Shawn at Easybuild he suggested first that this was because I did not trim back the roofs for the first 7mm in line with the instructions but I checked and found that I had. In any event the fit was good. There are two possible explanations. The first is that the ends are not mounted high enough to the bodysides. However if that were true then they would not fit at the rainstrips where the roof meets the ends and they do. To have raised the ends any further - and don't forget I think the ride height and thus the buffers are in the correct place - then the ends would have had to have been filed at the point the rainstrips meet the end or they would not fit there.

 

The second is that the ends are badly designed although from the pictures Shawn sent me I don't think that is the case either. I am wondering if the Commonwealth bogies don't set the body at the correct ride height to the prototype in which case the first explanation  is correct. The instructions tell you to mate the ends flush with the floor where there is a lip at the end - I am not sure if you will see this on your parcels unit as the ends are different. However when I came to fit the toilet walls there is an etched cut out which suggests it is meant to go over a ledge which would be apparent if the end was mounted higher up. I have no ledge and therefore no need for a cut out. 

 

I still think my ends are mounted correctly since they butt up against the sides in the correct place. Of course it could be a combination of all these things as the gap is only about 1mm when the roof is screwed into position. The easy answer to be honest is to build up the ends in the middle of the roof until a correct profile is obtained. 

 

On a different note, Shawn has come up with a dead clever way of mounting the corridor hand rails using special brackets.

 

all the best

 

Paul R

[pwr]

Time for a brief update. Most of the work on the coach body is now completed. I still have to finish the brakes that hold the corridor handrails. I also need to apply steps and there is a casting on the underarm I have not yet fitted. Then I need to deal with the gap issue between the end and the roof. I will built the ends up with Plasticard to the point where there is a good fit. 

 

In the meantime I have been working on the interior. The sides are made of brass and the compartment dividers I have had to cut from Plasticard and these are affixed with superglue. I am not a fan of superglue but the bond in this case is really strong and better now that the resin seats are fitted. These too are glued to the compartment walls. These have been painted blue representing a BR moquette.

 

I will fit mirrors which I recall from the time had an inverse B as part of the BR symbol in the actual mirror. I am not sure about lights. There should be two on each compartment wall but the kit does not include these and they probably won't be seen except close up through the windows. passengers will also need to be fitted. I have some already painted in sitting positions.

 

Here are some photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

A blue Heljan Falcon turned up this week and I will post some photos next weekend.

 

The excuse for this is that there was a regular coal train serving the Sugar Beet factor at Felstead and as this game from South Wales and there was traction knowledge at Stratford (the prototype was tested on the Norwich line) it didn't get exchanged at Temple Mills. Complete fiction all of it but I always wanted one of these when I modelled in 4mm and just had to have one.

 

How about Lion please Heljan but please leave a decent period after the Warship. I can't afford it all!

 

All for now

 

Paul R

[pwr]

Well here we go with some pictures of Falcon.

 

The story is that she came in on a coal train from South Wales for Felted Sugar factory and as there were still drivers at Stratford that signed her and the Braintree route they did not change engines. A later failure saw her sit on Stratford shed awaiting repair and as a test was sent out on the Notley Milk tanks. 

 

Well its my layout and Falcon was tested in East Anglia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An impressive and very lengthy prototype and one I always wanted. Well done Heljan

 

 

Paul R

[muddys-blues]

Very nice Paul .......... ok I am logging off now for the sake of the bank balance

 

Craig

[pwr]

Ha ha!

 

I am a bit worried though that the Heljan 42 is nearer release than my credit card would ideally like!

 

Paul R

[pwr]

Time for a short update. Sorry for the lack of posts but we were in Uganda on charity work before Easter - working with Quicken Trust see www.quickentrust.com We run the Kabubbu micro bank project.  Whilst we were there - its our 5th time - I actually saw a train moving in Kampala on Uganda's somewhat moribund railway system. A diesel and two bogie container flats. Kampala central station looks a bit like Barry scrapyard in that there are rows of rusting locos, coaches and wagons. I am not sure if this comprises current stock or abandoned stock or both!

 

The Chinese were supposed to be building a new standard gauge line but the government of Uganda seems to have fallen out with them over aspects of the project which was stalled last time I looked. Instead the Chinese railway infrastructure group seem to be building an Entebbe to Kampala expressway for cars!

 

Anyhow enough of that. The MK1 is now primed (as I am afraid is half the garden wall for which I am going to get in trouble! I was using a paint turntable but the overspray was mare than I bargained for. Still it should come off with the pressure washer - I hope!

 

Here are the pics

 

 

 

 

 

I am now waiting for it to be less damp so I can spray the BR grey. I will then have to wait until Amazon deliver the new masking tape I ordered. I have a stock of this but as its so old I fear the adhesive will have disintegrated and may pull off the first coat. 

 

That said the paint can is over 20 years old although never used. 

 

In other news I have ordered a Little Loco Class 15 which is a signature loco for the Braintree branch. That means the El Crappo kit is now no longer required - any takers and no I am not paying somebody to take it off my hands! I know Brain Daniels made a good job of one of these so it can be done!

 

I am hopeful thought that the proposed delivery date of May is not going to get hit! Funds are a bit tight as the wife is off work with stress and not being paid.

 

Anyhow all for now. Hopefully I will post some pictures when the grey is on. I am going to use my Bob Moore lining pen for the white lining rather than transfers. I have been saving cats whiskers as the two of them shed them as they are great for passing through the tip of the pen to clear paint!

 

Paul R

 

[pwr]

Just a quick update showing the SK prepped for painting

 

 

The newspaper inside it to prevent wait getting to the inside of the coach.

 

I did this before I found Andy Siddalls Easy Build work bench over on Kitbuilding and Scratchbuilding.

 

He has been building a Mk1 BG and he painted the blue first as the coach is easier to mask for the grey. I did it the conventional way round and painted the light colours i.e. grey - first. This presented significant difficulties masking round hinges etc and left me with a significant amount of touch in to do before I can line it.

 

I will learn from this next time

 

Paul R

 

 

[Western Star]

You have questioned the ride height several times in the past and I noticed today that your coach appears to have Aluminium bogie pivots.  If your coach does have pivots from Aluminium rather than Steel then I suggest that you check with Shawn - Easybuild has two styles of bogie pivot and the Aluminium version is 2 or 3 mm thicker than the Steel version.  Shawn advised me that the Aluminium part is for use with BR Std bogies and BR B4 bogies whilst the Steel part is for Commonwealth bogies...  kits get packed with Aluminium bogie pivots and the Steel part gets substituted at point of sale provided someone remembers!

 

regards, Graham Beare

[spenc]

Hi Paul R

Your problem with ride height I have bogie pivots like this as instructions say don't know if this helps.

Steve

[pwr]

Graham

 

Yes I have the aluminium versions. I will have  look at this later when I go back to the coach.

 

Spenc - mine look exactly like yours do.

 

Thanks for the heads up guys

 

Paul R

[pwr]

Time for an update.

 

The MK1 has been painted

 

 

The masking as indicated in a previous post was not wholly effective and the blue paint has not gone where I needed it and quite a bit of touching up was necessary and its not right yet.

 

 

On the other hand I am particularly pleased with the underframe. The local model shop did not have an of the usual rail match type paints in this colour and instead I used a can of Plastikote matt chocolate which I reckon is a good match for BR underframe brown. I was especially pleased as the masking worked 100% and there was no overspray.

 

 

So now its down to transfer and lining. I have transfers for the numbers etc but not for lining so I thought I would seek to line this by hand.

 

These are the tools of the trade

 

 

and the raw material - a new tin of Humbral matt white fully stirred.

 

 

For those that have never used a bow pen this is how you charge it

 

 

excess paint is cleared off before you line it. I have a plastic curved ruler that does not sit flat on the sides so I used that as a guide.

 

 

And this is the early result, I am not pleased with it. I did line the F5 with this some years ago and had no issues but the paint seems to want to go everywhere and not where it needs to. This is the best bit and will have to be gone over again. part of the problem is that the door knobs and hand rails don't let you get the ruler where it needs to go. If I can't get this right it will be back to transfers.  I hope not.

 

I could not use the Bob Moore pen as it needs lighter fuel to help the paint flow and I don't seem to have any.

 

The pen is easier to use than a bow pen but only if the paint flows!

 

So I will try later on in the week and see if I can get better results.

 

All for now

 

Paul R

 

Edited May 17, 2016 by pwr

[pwr]

A very brief update. I have been feeling for some time that I have too many unfinished projects and need to get some finished.

 

So I have been tinkering with the B2 and have stuck in some plastikard in the tender to form the coal mound.  This photo shows how I did this. its just some bits from the plastic scrap box

 

 

I will then paint it black and attaches the real coal with diluted PVA in the same way I ballasted the layout. This loco has been in the making 8 years, I have to fit glazing, build a new fall plate to replace the one I lost and attach the drawbar. Then on to the weathering. I was going to cut my own windows from glass or clear plastic but came across this.

 

 

Has anyone used it to form windows in O Gauge and can let me know how they got on.

 

In other news I managed to get some new acrylic white paint and lighter fuel so I can now have another go at the lining with the Bob Moore lining pen.

 

 

More updates soon

 

Paul R