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


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Update for today: The SER D-ended open now has all of its external detail added, and I never realised quite how many visible  bolts there are on a wooden-bodied wagon! Working on this model has given me a much better understanding of how a wooden-framed wagon was assembled.

I still need to do the internal strapping, and there are nearly as many bolts again to do, but given that I'd like to run at least one or two of these with tarpaulins on, now seems like a good time to do another test print!

image.png.c7add5fe78ca9e41654c7fdf13828ce3.png

 

Another advantage of a tarpaulin is that it can be arranged to cover up the lettering, as I had terrible trouble with the Fox SER transfers - it seemed like they just wanted to fall apart into several different pieces. I tried warm water, cold water, leaving them for less than my usual time and far longer, and every time they just collapsed. The 5 in the running number of the above wagon had to be coaxed together from 3 pieces, and that was one of the ones I considered useable! Does anyone have suggestions of anything that would help with this? The transfers were used within 24 hours of arriving from Fox...

220464479_TransfersFail.jpg.f3c45132ba99ebc4d65f24d6b0bfe391.jpg

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17 minutes ago, Skinnylinny said:

Update for today: The SER D-ended open now has all of its external detail added, and I never realised quite how many visible  bolts there are on a wooden-bodied wagon! Working on this model has given me a much better understanding of how a wooden-framed wagon was assembled.

I still need to do the internal strapping, and there are nearly as many bolts again to do, but given that I'd like to run at least one or two of these with tarpaulins on, now seems like a good time to do another test print!

image.png.c7add5fe78ca9e41654c7fdf13828ce3.png

 

Another advantage of a tarpaulin is that it can be arranged to cover up the lettering, as I had terrible trouble with the Fox SER transfers - it seemed like they just wanted to fall apart into several different pieces. I tried warm water, cold water, leaving them for less than my usual time and far longer, and every time they just collapsed. The 5 in the running number of the above wagon had to be coaxed together from 3 pieces, and that was one of the ones I considered useable! Does anyone have suggestions of anything that would help with this? The transfers were used within 24 hours of arriving from Fox...

220464479_TransfersFail.jpg.f3c45132ba99ebc4d65f24d6b0bfe391.jpg

I use Microscale liquid decal film to 'restore' old decals, seems to stop them breaking up. Then use Microset and  Microsol in the usual way to help the decals adhere to the contours.

Edited by PhilH
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That's helpful, thanks Phil. I'll have to see if that helps. At £5.25 a sheet, and each sheet being enough to do only one wagon, to say I was unimpressed would be an understatement! I realise that while I had used them promptly after arrival, I have no idea how long they were on the shelf at Fox, although I can't imagine transfers for a railway company that didn't even exist in the 20th century would have the fastest stock rotation...

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Seriously liking the SER wagon - though I'm still convinced that mixed media is the way to go - if you put one in my hands right now it would be off with the running gear and on with etched axleguards and 5&9 cast springs and axleboxes.

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6 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

Seriously liking the SER wagon - though I'm still convinced that mixed media is the way to go - if you put one in my hands right now it would be off with the running gear and on with etched axleguards and 5&9 cast springs and axleboxes.


That's entirely fair, and the beauty of these designs is that I could easily make that change for you in just a few minutes. Do you happen to know what the dimension is across outside faces of your etched axleguards, and how thick the spring castings are (to beef up the solebars if necessary)?

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8 minutes ago, Skinnylinny said:

Floor-bottom is 8.9mm from the axle centre-line, though that could be reduced slightly with printed pads if required. Increasing it would be a little trickier!

8.9mm would be about right. One could fit an RFM baseplate and shim very slightly to get the ride height correct. 

 

What buffers have you fitted? They're not a type I recognise.

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The ones fitted here are very much not correct to prototype - they're the Bachmann round-headed sprung buffers. I still haven't drawn up buffers for the model yet. I'm not sure if the correct type are available from any small suppliers, but was considering making printed bodies to hold the H&A Models turned steel buffer heads for some strength, as I'm not sure plastic ones would be strong enough for actual buffing use. For the earlier versions of the wagon, with wooden buffer-pads, I was intending a 3D printed overlay to fit over the steel buffer head.

They should be SER-pattern three-rib buffers, which appear to have been mounted on wooden blocks on the bufferbeam.

Edited by Skinnylinny
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So another print came off the printer earlier...

D47-222.jpg.2a190e06c242583320c07e9cf895969d.jpg

 

The first attempt at the roof is currently printing, and the underframe details are already printed. I'm not expecting the roof to fit perfectly first time, but we'll see how it goes. I'll put up photos of primed bits soon. There will be ridging on the roof, but Anycubic have released some new firmware that claims to be able to reduce the appearance of layering by antialiasing. I'll have to give that a try.

 

The final aim is one of these:

277196507_StroudleyD47-222FullBrake.png.742deec2a3860279398f7d27867566f5.png

Those of you who are paying attention may notice I am gradually working back towards longer prints such as the 26' coaches, as I get more confident with the printer.

Edited by Skinnylinny
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12 hours ago, Skinnylinny said:

The ones fitted here are very much not correct to prototype - they're the Bachmann round-headed sprung buffers. I still haven't drawn up buffers for the model yet. I'm not sure if the correct type are available from any small suppliers, but was considering making printed bodies to hold the H&A Models turned steel buffer heads for some strength, as I'm not sure plastic ones would be strong enough for actual buffing use. For the earlier versions of the wagon, with wooden buffer-pads, I was intending a 3D printed overlay to fit over the steel buffer head.

They should be SER-pattern three-rib buffers, which appear to have been mounted on wooden blocks on the bufferbeam.

I sell SER 3-rib buffers, including the mounting blocks. See the link in my signature. They are bored to take steel heads, with or without springs.

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2 hours ago, Skinnylinny said:

Ooooh, now that is useful; thank you. I foresee a Shapeways order in the next little while. What's the nominal diameter of the shaft that mounts into the bufferbeam please?

Spigots are 2.0mm, and I find it convenient to drill the headstock 2.1mm so that the print slides in. It needs to be a sliding fit so that the buffer can be rotated to the correct azimuth without damaging it.

 

BTW, these Stirling-era buffer-guides are not quite the same as those used with the wooden heads, so far as I can tell from photos. If I ever get good dimensions for the early buffers I may add those to the shop.

 

Please note also that if you are building an SER wagon with the "express" fittings, then those need to include the longer, coach-sized buffer-guides, which I also sell.

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On 26/05/2019 at 22:03, Skinnylinny said:

Another advantage of a tarpaulin is that it can be arranged to cover up the lettering, as I had terrible trouble with the Fox SER transfers - it seemed like they just wanted to fall apart into several different pieces. I tried warm water, cold water, leaving them for less than my usual time and far longer, and every time they just collapsed. The 5 in the running number of the above wagon had to be coaxed together from 3 pieces, and that was one of the ones I considered useable! Does anyone have suggestions of anything that would help with this? The transfers were used within 24 hours of arriving from Fox...

G'day Linny,

 

I don't know if it is available in the UK but I use Testors 'Decal Bonder' spray to resurrect thinly printed or old decals (as well as for sealing my home printed ones).

 

Dave R.

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On 26/05/2019 at 13:33, Skinnylinny said:

Another advantage of a tarpaulin is that it can be arranged to cover up the lettering, as I had terrible trouble with the Fox SER transfers - it seemed like they just wanted to fall apart into several different pieces. I tried warm water, cold water, leaving them for less than my usual time and far longer, and every time they just collapsed. The 5 in the running number of the above wagon had to be coaxed together from 3 pieces, and that was one of the ones I considered useable! Does anyone have suggestions of anything that would help with this? The transfers were used within 24 hours of arriving from Fox...

I had the same problem with the FOX SER-wagon sheet, again with un-aged transfers. Like you I just did the jigsaw. I think it must have been a bad batch, and possibly they only ever printed one batch, given how few customers do SER.

 

I have only one suggestion for handling these fragile transfers: use a ball-ended tool instead of a pointy thing for moving them off the backing sheet. They still break, but into fewer pieces.

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6 hours ago, Corbs said:

Well done on your latest win, Linny!

Thanks, Corbs!

 

3 hours ago, Guy Rixon said:

I had the same problem with the FOX SER-wagon sheet, again with un-aged transfers. Like you I just did the jigsaw. I think it must have been a bad batch, and possibly they only ever printed one batch, given how few customers do SER.

 

I have only one suggestion for handling these fragile transfers: use a ball-ended tool instead of a pointy thing for moving them off the backing sheet. They still break, but into fewer pieces.


I went even gentler than that - I was using a soft paint brush! I think I'll try one of the decal strengthening solutions that have been mentioned above. Glad to know I'm not the only one to have had trouble with them though.

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22 hours ago, Skinnylinny said:

So another print came off the printer earlier...

D47-222.jpg.2a190e06c242583320c07e9cf895969d.jpg

 

The first attempt at the roof is currently printing, and the underframe details are already printed. I'm not expecting the roof to fit perfectly first time, but we'll see how it goes. I'll put up photos of primed bits soon. There will be ridging on the roof, but Anycubic have released some new firmware that claims to be able to reduce the appearance of layering by antialiasing. I'll have to give that a try.

 

The final aim is one of these:

277196507_StroudleyD47-222FullBrake.png.742deec2a3860279398f7d27867566f5.png

Those of you who are paying attention may notice I am gradually working back towards longer prints such as the 26' coaches, as I get more confident with the printer.

Hmm... very tempting indeed...

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So printing things are still ongoing, but I'm trying to get better with the machine and solve some problems I've been having with parts printing warped at the corners.

Meanwhile, on the non-virtual workbench... My T9 has had a painful encounter with a hacksaw. The smokebox has been shortened considerably (and still needs a little more taking off the front), and I'm going to have to replace the smokebox door and fit wingplates as I don't particularly want to have to try to carve off thefootstep, bottom clamps and the lamp irons (should be sockets, I think, in LSWR condition?) which are in the wrong place.

This is always a scary step in butchering backdating any RTR locomotive. Next, I need to find a suitable chimney.

IMG_20190530_161721390.jpg

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Watch this space, then, sem - I've discovered the smokebox is actually a separate moulding (as was the chimney, but that had to go!). Given that it would have needed quite a bit of work (new smokebox door (as above), the chimney hole filled and re-drilled, wingplates fitted, rivets sanding off, more rivets adding to the wingplates...

I decided to just remove the smokebox with extreme prejudice (and a pair of snips) and make my own.
image.png.36467a57797d135cf0145fe77ef7f218.png
There's a slight printing error on this one, as I forgot to properly tighten the build plate screw, hence the "step" to one side, and I needed to adjust the supports because one side of the wingplate came adrift, but with the addition of a chimney she should start looking loco-shaped again soon!

Apologies for the mess in the background - the photo was taken from my sick bed where I've been confined for the last week.

Edited by Skinnylinny
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Hi Ian,

She'll be getting splasher-top sandboxes, and a representation of the cross-water-tube firebox (mainly modelled by putting some nice rectangular blocks on the side of that lovely round-topped firebox. Spoils the lines, somewhat, if you ask me, but I'll be modelling one of the ones built by Dübs & Co. There are a few smaller changes to make too (I believe that as built, the Dübs & Co T9s had Stroudley-style double-handle regulators, while the Hornby model has a rather longer type of handle. Small details, but in such an open cab...

And yes, LSWR livery - Drummond Sage Green. Not looking forward to all the lining, but I may end up producing my own transfers.

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