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Great Southern Railway (Fictitious) - Signalling the changes...


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Well, the laser cutting last night was successful, and while we've been chatting I've finished assembling my first complete Stroudley coach. There are still one or two small modifications I might make to the kit (I notice the gap in the floor for the wheel flanges is visible through the windows, although painting the interior black would disguise this nicely. I could draw up a thin card floor to go on top of the chassis as part of the roof sheet. I'll have to think about it.) These coaches were never intended to be ultra-finescale anyway, more an approachable way of getting something different by way of rolling stock running. I may yet even design a block mounting for NEM pockets, to make attaching couplings as easy as possible.

 

attachicon.gifIMG_20180328_191418529.jpg

 

Bravo!

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Well, yer sees, the Nort' Eas'ern gave t'line up samtyme 'fore groopin'...

 

Quite simply, the 'Hawes Junction' route for Trainz runs fom Dent, through Garsdale, ove Ais Gill, then on to a tunnel. It also includes the section of the branch from Garsdale to Hawes.

 

Being too lazy to create my own route as of yet, I set about adapting the arrangement at Garsdale to turn the branch into an independent concern, known as the Wensleydale Light Railway, in order to make use of some of the lovely pre-grouping stock that I had come across for Trainz that is not available in my usual sim, TS2018.

 

And a very nice coach you have there, Linny!

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I have drawings of Craven coaches and they are definitely on the list. The next coaches will be bogie LB&SCR ones mainly because I should be able to re-use a lot of existing artwork. Are there any particular Craven coaches you're interested in?

 

My preference would be for types 8 and 9 which were in use at the time of my layout

Type 6 would be second choice

Thanks for asking

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Indeed, the K&ESR used it on their late trains as it was the only coach they had with working lights ........

 

As regards that brutal third, the drawing below is an image of the svg file used to cut parts out on a Silhouette. If it's of any use to anyone get in touch off-Group and I'll mail the svg

 

attachicon.gifser_3rd_coach_10thou.png

Bearing in mind my little clockwork brain that doesn't think very well may I ask how difficult would it be to increase the scale of the .svg file to 7mm scale.  I have a brand new Silhouette cutter, but due to cognitive deficits from having narcolepsy I found I couldn't learn how to use the software.  So I for one would be absolutely delighted if forum members with coach files for the Silhouette did make them available to others.  The only barrier I could see is the question of scaling.  I would be working in good quality card and not plastics so the cutting itself should be straightforward enough.  (I hope).

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Two built coaches so far... That'll do for tonight. Either tomorrow or Friday I shall try to make a start on cutting out the remaining coaches and double-check that everything is just so. Meanwhile, have a picture of E4 No. 469 Beachy Head (I really must line that splasher!) with the two Stroudley coaches thus far...

 

post-793-0-85712600-1522270274_thumb.jpg

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Sem, your Wensleydale Light Railway pictures are a delight.  I hope you'll post more pictures of it in the Virtual Model Railway thread (hint hint).

I'm still running early grouping era trains about so I haven't had much to contribute of late, - though I did download a GER tram engine and 4 wheel coach as well as a GER luggage van yesterday so possibly I might settle down soon and do something worthy of the Pre-Grouping Forums.  Did you know there's some very nice GER teak 4 and 6 wheelers on the DLS at the moment.  They're for TS2012, but it's only a moment or two's work to roll them back to TS2009.

I seem to have a Buckjumper in GER blue as well and various wagons, but of course I know not a thing about the GER.  But then on the other hand knowing nuffing has never stopped me before........

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Unfortunately, as Linny has been told, I have not been doing trainz or indeed anything constructive tonight having got myself rather too absorbed into running a 4300 on a goods from Heathfield down into Newton Abbot, picking up en-route just outside Newton Abbot, servicing the loco, turning it, running the brake van to the other end of the train and heading off (via Hackney Yard to collect a few vans) towards Teignmouth. By the time I was within about a mile of Teignmouth I realised that it was 23:30!

 

This does, however, prove that my desktop PC is now back in place and functioning as it should, allowing more work to occur tomorrow later today.

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Bearing in mind my little clockwork brain that doesn't think very well may I ask how difficult would it be to increase the scale of the .svg file to 7mm scale.  I have a brand new Silhouette cutter, but due to cognitive deficits from having narcolepsy I found I couldn't learn how to use the software.  So I for one would be absolutely delighted if forum members with coach files for the Silhouette did make them available to others.  The only barrier I could see is the question of scaling.  I would be working in good quality card and not plastics so the cutting itself should be straightforward enough.  (I hope).

 

Here you go, Annie (and anyone else). An svg file and a studio3 file for that five compartment third scaled up to 7mm. I have no idea how well it will work, but trying it should only cost you a sheet or two of card plus the appropriate amount of cursing of course.

 

ser_3rd_coach_7mm.svg

 

ser_3rd_coach_7mm.studio3

 

Not a very good pic, but these files are for the middle coach of the three

 

post-14223-0-27255500-1522315806_thumb.jpg

Edited by whart57
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Thank you very much for resizing the coach files and making them available.  When I have my little clockwork brain wound up again and with a drop of oil on the gears I'll dust off my Silhouette cutter and give them a try.  C1ST5Fx.gif

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Two built coaches so far... That'll do for tonight. Either tomorrow or Friday I shall try to make a start on cutting out the remaining coaches and double-check that everything is just so. Meanwhile, have a picture of E4 No. 469 Beachy Head (I really must line that splasher!) with the two Stroudley coaches thus far...

 

attachicon.gifBeachy Head.jpg

 

I was lucky enough to see these coaches and kits in the flesh last night at club.  They're very impressive with some rather fine detail, they also look relatively simplistic to assemble.  Well done Linny.

 

Shaun

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Work is still ongoing on these coaches. I'm finishing up a test-build of the brake 3rd this evening, while writing the assembly instructions. I've included some end footsteps, but I'm a bit dubious about their use as card is rather flexible and delicate. I'm not quite sure what to do here - I could leave them as an optional part, but recommend some etched ones for strength if the coaches are likely to be handled? I've not come across any suppliers of suitable footsteps, but would be open to hearing about anyone. I've also omitted lamp irons, as they would be the most ridiculously delicate thing imaginable in card. The instructions will probably suggest either some plastic strip as a representation, or some etched ones if they're to be functional.

 

post-793-0-71596800-1522522816_thumb.jpg

 

post-793-0-51070000-1522522905_thumb.jpg

Edited by Skinnylinny
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Thanks for the kind words. I'm realising now how boring writing instructions is, and I'm starting to gain an understanding of why so many "scratch-aid" kits are produced without them! I suspect many people will build these coaches with only a cursory look at the drawings, but I want to make these kits as beginner-accessible as possible. This is looking like it'll mean 3 A4 sides of picture-filled instructions...

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Thanks for the kind words. I'm realising now how boring writing instructions is, and I'm starting to gain an understanding of why so many "scratch-aid" kits are produced without them! I suspect many people will build these coaches with only a cursory look at the drawings, but I want to make these kits as beginner-accessible as possible. This is looking like it'll mean 3 A4 sides of picture-filled instructions...

I've seen the instructions for Transformers figures (I actually own an awful lot of them) and Warhammer 40k kits (frequent player of the game) so I can imagine writing instructions is a truly excruciating task. 

Edited by RedGemAlchemist
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Ahhhhh I'm not going for pictorial instructions, because these kits, being card, need a fair bit of folding and bending, and it's much easier to explain the techniques in words than pictures! There are a few pictures to clarify the written instructions, but no exploded diagram.

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Well, the brake 3rd body seems to go together well enough - back to the instructions, I guess...

 

post-793-0-27388600-1522529453_thumb.jpg

 

The roof/ducket interface isn't quite perfect, as most photos seem to show the top of the duckets forming a smooth curve with the roof, with no visible join, but doing that in card would mean the roof and ducket sides would have to be one unwieldy piece, so I've sacrificed prototypical design very slightly here bu putting the roof on top of the ducket covers.

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I don'r see that as being too much of a problem really as the ducket's join against the roof could be filled and smoothed off if anybody was worried about it.

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Looking at the photo below, I think I would attack the challenge by gluing an oversized piece of fine-grain timber in place as the top of the ducket, leaving everything a couple of days to set, then shaving and sanding to shape.

 

Torturing a piece of card into neat bend of that tight radius looks difficult to impossible to me.

 

It might even be worrth putting a piece of thin ply or stouter card as an inner-side to the ducket, and a block of timber for the lower curve, then skinning it all with paper, to give a stronger construction.

post-26817-0-74436100-1522530666.jpeg

post-26817-0-64574800-1522531382_thumb.jpeg

Edited by Nearholmer
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That's an interesting photo - the drawing I was working from seemed to show a sharp bend, so the kit assumes a scored fold in the card. rHowever, in your photo, the ducket top seems to fit under the roof, which is a bonus point for me!

Edited by Skinnylinny
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Like the one from Roxey below, where the roof over sails the ducket?

 

I don’t know whether different forms of construction applied to different batches, or whether practice was changed at refurbishment, or what, but I’ve seen pictures of both forms ...... might be wise to consult contemporary drawings and/or an authoritative tome, or Mr Holliday, who is pretty sure to know.

 

PS: looking at contemporary photos, there is quite a bit of subtle variation in the way the top of ducket to roof transition is dealt with on different vehicles, almost as if there wasn’t a totally fixed design, or as if it was a trouble-spot, so kept being fiddled with. I wonder if the original design was prone to water-penetration and damage to the timbers, and that different craftsmen tried different repairs.

post-26817-0-57034700-1522531903.jpeg

Edited by Nearholmer
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Exactly like that, in fact. It's good to see that the design seems to be variable in a way that includes my bodge to get things more easily buildable. 

In the meantime, I have given up on writing instructions for this evening - I'm about half way through the instructions that should cover three of the kits, and today has been a very long day with the Trans Pride Scotland march in Edinburgh - and have had a look at some of the drawings that have been sent to me by Edwardian of this parish. Using my previous Stroudleys as a basis for panelling etc, I've managed to produce this much of the design for a D.158 48' Brake 3rd.

 

post-793-0-23671500-1522534531_thumb.png

 

I still need to have a long, hard think about how to tackle the bogies, but that is a project for another day!

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Yet more money I need to put in your pocket.

 

In fact, I feel a permanent pipeline should be rigged from Sussex to Edinburgh with a couple of stationary boilers en-route to keep the cash flow constant! It would be dry from the outset, due to my lack of funds, but could come in useful once I need to buy your kits en-mass.

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The problem with these kits being so quick to assemble is that I'm going through my supply of buffers and bearings scarily quickly. I've run out of pinpoint bearings halfway through a chassis for the brake 3rd, and my order of more 14mm wheels is still in the post. I'm going to need to place several orders with several small suppliers in the very near future.

 

Yet more money I need to put in your pocket.

 

In fact, I feel a permanent pipeline should be rigged from Sussex to Edinburgh with a couple of stationary boilers en-route to keep the cash flow constant! It would be dry from the outset, due to my lack of funds, but could come in useful once I need to buy your kits en-mass.

 
And if they're going to be transporting card and paper, would that make them stationery engines?
Edited by Skinnylinny
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Looking at the photo below, I think I would attack the challenge by gluing an oversized piece of fine-grain timber in place as the top of the ducket, leaving everything a couple of days to set, then shaving and sanding to shape.

 

Torturing a piece of card into neat bend of that tight radius looks difficult to impossible to me.

 

It might even be worrth putting a piece of thin ply or stouter card as an inner-side to the ducket, and a block of timber for the lower curve, then skinning it all with paper, to give a stronger construction.

Things like that can be done with card, but the trick is to use very thin card and laminate it.  Card soaked with cheap superglue (with good ventilation while doing it) becomes extremely hard and durable and can be filed and sanded like wood.  There's lots of other tricks with using card to make it last the distance and I've got various odd and end of card models that have been banging around with me for years with no special care or attention and they're pretty much in the same condition as when I made them.

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