What is on the bench was previously in my head !

[Gibbo675]

What is on my bench was previously in my head !

 

You may be thinking I'm talking nonsense here with such a title but it always starts with an idea, usually in my head, which then flows trough my fingers and into physical manifestation.

 

I shall be posting whatever it is that I am working upon at any one time using variously descriptions of the projects, the thinking behind them, techniques used and importantly photographs for they reveal what it is that really matters.

 

By all means comment, especially if you think what I'm doing is for some reason incorrect or if there is a better way around a problem than what I am attempting.

 

I shall now take some photos and write a description of today's efforts.

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Standard K Series Pullman Conversions

 

I have fourteen Hornby Pullman cars currently ongoing, some of which are R229 Parlour Cars and R233 Brake Cars and the rest which are conversions made by cutting and splicing the above to make various types of Parlour Cars, Kitchen Cars and Brake Cars.

 

Today's work involves the further work required to make the All Steel K Series coaches look like the wooden bodied Standard K Series coaches. Fotunately the period that I model all of the Standard K Type cars had had their match boarding over plated with aluminium sheet.

 

This model of Car No. 66 is built from two brake cars one cut to remove only the brake end and the other to provide the required amount to make up the length of the coach. The model has had underframe trussing and a dado moulding fitted from Plastruct angle and Slaters .020" microrod but has yet to have its rain strip and roof vents. The original was built in 1925 as a 3rd class upgraded to 2nd sometime in the 1950's

 

Car No. 66

 

Car No. 62 has been the easiest conversion as all that was to do other than underframe trussing is to remove and flat off the guards ducket, the Hornby model already has a dado moulding although it still needs its roof details fitting. This coach started life as a 3rd class kitchen car in 1928 being converted in 1946.

 

Car No. 62

 

The model in question here was originally built in 1928 as Kathleen a 30 seat 1st class buffet car but was converted to a 3rd, latterly 2nd, class kitchen car in 1947 and renumbered to Car No. 107. It has been made using the roof and ends of a parlour car and the sides of a brake car for the saloon section and various parts of parlour car for the kitchen section. It has yet to be fitted with underframe trussing and roof detail.

 

Car No. 107

 

Car No 54 is the most radical of the conversions and was made from the left over bits form all of my other conversions into the only coach that would suit my needs from those bits. It is made form the roof and ends of a brake and the sides of a parlour car with the window spacing suitably reduced. The brake compartment has also been modified by shortening it and by removal of the guard's ducket. The original was built in 1923 as 3rd class buffet car and was converted to a brake in 1947.

 

Car No. 54

 

Gibbo

Edited December 22, 2018 by Gibbo675

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

Today's work was the fitting of rain strips.

 

To do this I made a card template for marking the roof which I then used a pencil to scribe onto the roof the line of the rain strip. In cutting the template I folded it on its centre line so that it would be symmetrical in shape. The template is sited centrally with its lower edge butted up to the cantrail gutter. I used the fine applicator of a Revel Contacta to trace the pencil line applying solvent, I then placed the .020" x.030" micro-strip onto the wet line of solvent. Once fixed, looking along the line of the rain strip I adjusted the high and low variations by using the end of a fine steel rule to nudge into place the rain strip to allow a smooth curve. After a minute of two to set I trimmed back the overly long ends of micro-strip to suit the ends of the roof.

 

Car 54 with rain strips attached and the card template shewn along side Car 66.

 

Card template shown in place on Car 66 ready to scribe with a pencil.

 

All four cars now have been fitted with their underframe trusses and rain strips.

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Imaginary Locomotive

 

Hi Folks,

 

I've not done anything with the Pullman cars today as I'm waiting for some Milliput filler to harden on Cars 54 and 66, it clogs files and wet and dry at the best of times so I shall give it a while.

 

In my time this evening I have finish painted and applied transfers to one of my Imaginary Locomotives, there are various creations of mine on the thread of the same name.

 

The model is an Airfix/Dapol City of Truro kit which has been lengthened into a 4-6-0. It hasn't been lined out as I haven't any lining transfers so that will be for another day or even not at all for it doesn't look too bad unlined.

 

The general concept is of an inside cylinder forerunner of Dean's 100 class that was developed alongside the Aberdare 2-6-0 although it caries the short cone boiler of No. 98. The eight wheel tender is to give balance to its massive main frames, because Great Bear had one and because it looks good.

 

Boiler Pressure 200 lbs

Cylinders 18.5" X 26"

Driving Wheels 6' 8.5"

Tractive Effort 18792 lbs

 

 

Gibbo.

Edited December 21, 2018 by Gibbo675

[TangoOscarMike]

Imaginary Locomotive

 

Hi Folks,

 

In my time this evening I have finish painted and applied transfers to one of my Imaginary Locomotives, there are various creations of mine on the thread of the same name.

 

The model is an Airfix/Dapol City of Truro kit which has been lengthened into a 4-6-0. It hasn't been lined out as I haven't any lining transfers so that will be for another day or even not at all for it doesn't look too bad unlined.

 

Well, I like it a lot. This sort of thing is right up my street, as you know.

 

And since it's Edwardian GWR, I may as well make a public confession of what I've told you in private: I'd love to see a model of the Broad Gauge equivalent. What would have been the GWR's state-of-the-art around the turn of the century if they'd continued to develop locomotive technology for 7' 1/4" .

 

Cheers

Tom

[Gibbo675]

Prestwin Conversions

 

Hi Folks,

 

As a fill in from waiting for paint to dry, which is a comment upon actuality and not the Saturnalian tradition of Christmas holidays, I have resurrected a pair of Prestwin wagons that I had previously neglected some time ago.

 

I knew I had a pair of Wrenn Prestwin wagon bodies and after a marathon Dapol Presflo building session a month or two ago I bought the Dapol kit of the Prestwin for they are a 'same but different' sort of a wagon both being for powders of certain types and then had a think about the two bodies that were in the bits box.

 

The Airfix, now Dapol, kit is an accurate representation of the original, the Wrenn, formerly Hornby Dublo, and the Hornby [Rovex] models have their inaccuracies by comparison. The Hornby [Rovex] is too short and too tall and I wouldn't bother with it as a detailing project and the Wrenn/Hornby Dublo is on the wrong chassis, however the body moulding is good enough to be used on a finer chassis. 

 

The wagons run on clasp braked chassis with twin vacuum cylinders placed about the centre line of the chassis and from what I can make out an arrangement of brake levers all of their own. I decided to use a Parkside LNER clasp brake chassis kit PA35 suitably adapted. The chassis was built up as per the kits instructions except that I repositioned the vacuum cylinders about the centre line instead of being off set and also removed the brake gear. I made sure that the ribs of the underside were securely glued into place with only spots of glue on the tops of the sole bars for a later stage of construction.

 

When the glue had cured I temporarily glued the body to the chassis and then removed it, this left an outline of here the body was to fit as seen in the photograph.

 

I then used this imprint as a guide to the removal of the deck thickness of the the chassis in that area so that the body would fit over the spigot formed, it then providing a location onto the chassis and also allowed the body fit directly to the top of the sole bar.

 

As the kit comes supplied it is without buffer beams and buffers so I have fabricated buffer beams from two layers of .030" plasticard, one that fits onto the ends of the chassis ribs fitting in between the sole bars and one that overlays it extending over the ends of the sole bars. Once cured they will be filled up to remove any rough edges.

 

I shall in time make and fit the brake gear from plasticard and also fit the buffers which are on order. I have chosen Genesis G3 buffers which are the Oleo small  head wagon type.

 

To see the difference between the two types of Prestwin there are my models photographed below and the second shot in Paul Bartlett's website here linked;

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brprestwin

 

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Here is the latest for the Prestwin wagons.

 

Over the last couple of evenings the brake gear and W iron tie bars have been built up from .030" black plasticard, and the original ladder mounting slots have been filled and painted. The photograph shews both sides for the comparisons of the brake gear arrangements.

 

Today the buffers arrived and so I fitted them along with the three link couplings, I don't bother with instanter links as they don't link properly anyway.

 

The ladders yet need to be fitted but I shall have to first make and fit some upstands to stand them off the sole bars. The challenge will be finding the best glue to fit them to the tank top walkway as the walkway plastic is quite a waxy grade that seems to be glue resistant. I think that the lower ends will be stuck with styrene cement to the upstands and the tops with epoxy resin to a keyed surface on the edge of the walk ways.

 

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

I'm still on with the Prestwin conversion, although the Pullman cars have not been forgotten, (Railmatch Pullman cream does not cover very well and and now have had a third coat, four including the very pale grey undercoat).

 

Ladders have been added which were first formed to shape and then positioned so that small .030" plasticard upstands could be sited that lined up with the sole bar. Once glued into place the upstands were trimmed length and the whole glued into position upon the wagon. Unfortunately the two varieties of ladder I have do not have the correct rung spacing for this type of wagon which ought to have eleven. The ladder I have used provides nine and the ladder that I chose not to use would have provided fourteen.

 

The axle boxes have been both reduced in depth and re-profiled from the rectangular box that they were to a pear shape along with a 1mm long by 1.5mm diameter plastic rod stuck to the front to resemble a roller bearing axle box. This small detail has made quite a difference to the appearance to the chassis, I was originally wondering whether I should bother but I am pleased that I did.

 

The chassis has been painted black, the ladders Bauxite (late freight stock red for those even more pedantic than me) and the walk-ways are painted to resemble galvanised steel for which I used Humbrol matt 106. I then painted the discharge control handles blue and yellow, unfortunately I put the blue handles on the right instead of the left, I am as amused as I am annoyed by this and will re paint them another day.

 

All that is now needed is to order a set of transfers from Cambridge Custom Transfers, sheet BL48, and the wagons will be looking something like they should. I have various transfer sheets the are needed for various projects and so when I've got a suitable order I shall make a job-lot list.

 

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

LNER Y6 Scratch Build

 

While waiting for yet more paint to dry and transfers to arrive in the post for various projects I decided that my bench needed more clutter !

 

I noted recently a post regarding a potential Pugbash in Corbs' thread,  "Show us your Pugbashes, Nellieboshes, Desmondifications, Jintysteins", linked below.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/120431-show-us-your-pugbashes-nellieboshes-desmondifications-jintysteins/page-22

 

I had almost forgotten that I had the drawings for this locomotive and so I finally thought about actually getting around to making one. I did a quick search for wheel bases and diameters and the nearest chassis is the Dapol/Hornby L&Y Pug. The Y6 is an inside cylinder design but removal of the cylinders and connecting rod shouldn't cause too much of a problem although they are not seen in any case.

 

https://www.lner.info/locos/Y/y6.php

 

https://www.lner.info/locos/J/j70.php

 

I checked the drawing against the leading dimensions given in the above links and had a good look at both photographs and a pug that I have had for about thirty years now and then set about making the box structure for the skirts, and the body sides and ends. The body is made from .030" plasticard which has been scribed with a razor saw to represent planking, the framing will be represented with either micro strip if have any of suitable size or cut my own from .020" plasticard.

 

 

My Pug of thirty years will not be chopped up for this exercise for I have ordered another from good old eBay that will be used to power my latest contraption.

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

This is the latest the Y6 project.

 

Rectangular stiffening gussets have been fitted to the ends of the superstructure above the cab doors for there is only a 2mm ligament holding that part of the construction together. This feature also holds the whole square.

 

I have applied all of the beadings and access door framing to the sides and the ends. I have to say this was a tricky job because if the lines of the beads are not quite correct they look terrible.

 

The steps have also been made, this involved cutting four holes into the skirts under the doorways, and boxing in the behind with steps cut from .020" plasticard. To form the box for the steps I made two 1.5mm X 10mm strips from .030" plasticard fitted to the inside of either side of the holes in the skirts which was then bridged over with a 8mm X 10mm piece to form the backing plate. The steps which are .020" were then glued into position with .020" microstrip sides fitted to the outer edges of the skirts.

 

The roof was formed from two pieces of .010" plasticard which were then glued together and held tightly around a glass jar that had a radius slightly less than I required. after about ten minutes I released the grip upon the laminated pieces and the roof held its form almost exactly to the arc of the ends of the superstructure of the locomotive.

 

Roof and tarragon jar.

 

General view so far.

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

After posting the latest photos of the Y6 last evening I had a terrible realisation that the body was too tall. I had a quick measure, and sure enough it was too tall by 2.5mm, which works out at a planks breadth. All I can think is that when I was marking out the sides I cut the cab doors to the line of the top edge of the sides hence the plank width of 2.5mm too tall and then replcated the error in the ends.

 

I have now rectified my cock up by cutting out the second plank down from the top completely, the one on the body sides and end, not me, should you be wondering, and then glued it all back together again. The planking hides the joint perfectly !!!

 

I have attached the roof along with the chimney and safety valve piping. The chimney is from Plastruct tube filled down to 4mm O/D and the safety valve pipe is a 12swg copper welding rod fitted into a 6mm Plastruct tube filled with epoxy resin. I used epoxy for it self levels as it adheres, thus less filling later.

 

Just for sport here are two spot the difference photographs;

 

 

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

The Pullman cars are not going well, I have had some paint pull off with the masking and also when trimming the masking back I have not lined up the tops of the cream panels with the tops of the windows and so they are slightly short on some coaches which will cause trouble with the lining.

 

I am having a think about what to do, whether I should repair what is done so far or to strip the lot off and start again ?

 

Is there anyone that would know best the solution to my problem ?

 

 

Gibbo.

[PaulCheffus]

Hi Folks,

 

The Pullman cars are not going well, I have had some paint pull off with the masking and also when trimming the masking back I have not lined up the tops of the cream panels with the tops of the windows and so they are slightly short on some coaches which will cause trouble with the lining.

 

I am having a think about what to do, whether I should repair what is done so far or to strip the lot off and start again ?

 

Is there anyone that would know best the solution to my problem ?

 

DSCF0578.JPG

 

Gibbo.

Hi

 

Personally I would strip it and start again as I have never managed to patch up this sort of issue successfully.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

As I am currently engaged in pondering a Pullman problem I have decided that a N Gauge tamping machine is in order. I have had the drawings in a September 1991 copy of Railway Modeller that has somehow escaped the bin for the last 27 years !

 

A point of note: while reading some of the old adverts I noted that the Dapol advert on page 28a had the Trix E3000 body shell in white plastic for £3.00. The last one I saw on eBay went for over ten times that, I let that one pass, although I do have a number of them in the to do box.

 

I don't usually model in N gauge but a friend of mine has Nine Mills and Burshaw and I have so far built a Cowans Sheldon 75 ton crane and an APT-E as part of his exhibition stock, so I now think its time he had a tamping machine to look interesting in a siding.

 

The drawings in the RM are of a Plasser and Theurer 07-16 and the artical was by a chap by the name of Peter Dibben. Peter managed to motorise his tamper but I won't be bothering, far too much trouble ! So far I have concentrated upon building up the main frame and cab floors, these parts are joined by the framing that both surrounds and passes through the tamping gear. The last job this evening was to attach the bogies that are actually some old Lima Freightliner flat bogies, these bogies may eventually get some sort of plating on the outside to replicate more accurately the type fitted to tamping machines.

 

Pictured with a HO gauge Lilliput 07-32

 

Gibbo.

 

[E3109]

Gibbo quick question regarding the 'Toby' roof, I have heard that pouring boiling water over plasticard while fastened to a former (in this case a jar) or submerging it in boiling water, helps to keep it in its new shape, something to do with the properties of styrene I think.

 

Do you know if this is good info, it would seem to make sense as in the past I've experimented with curving plasticard in this way (without hot water) and it sometimes warps over a few weeks, trying to return to its untensioned (flat) state.

[Gibbo675]

Gibbo quick question regarding the 'Toby' roof, I have heard that pouring boiling water over plasticard while fastened to a former (in this case a jar) or submerging it in boiling water, helps to keep it in its new shape, something to do with the properties of styrene I think.

 

Do you know if this is good info, it would seem to make sense as in the past I've experimented with curving plasticard in this way (without hot water) and it sometimes warps over a few weeks, trying to return to its untensioned (flat) state.

Hi There,

 

I glued it "cold" so to say and didn't pour boiling water over it, that said the curve was a lot tighter than I required rather than a matching radius so it might be alright.

 

I do hope I don't find out the hard way !

 

Thanks for the information all the same.

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi

 

Personally I would strip it and start again as I have never managed to patch up this sort of issue successfully.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

Hi Paul,

 

I'm coming to that conclusion but there are four of them to do all at once and it has taken ages to get the cream to cover, three coats on top of light grey, plus all that masking.

 

Its a bite the bullet call.

 

Cheers,

 

Gibbo.

[crompton 33]

I find it's best to use White Primer if your top coat is Cream or Yellow.

[Gibbo675]

H Folks,

 

I'm still putting off doing anything with the Pullman Cars so I have busied myself with the 07-16 Tamper and Liner project.

 

The tamping and lining gear was made this morning and the cabs, air intake and roof were built up this afternoon. The cab windows will be drilled and filled out once the glue has cured for then I shall be able to reduce the ligament dimensions of the window surrounds while it retains its shape due to forming a box type construction.

 

The tamping and lining gear as a lot easier than I at first thought it might be it was more time consuming than anything else. The other problem was waiting for the glue to cure so that it didn't all collapse in slow motion should I try to do too much all at once, this particular problem was solved by doing things I should have been doing instead of toy trains such as the washing up and laundry although some cups of tea and a walk out were also had.

 

 

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

The Dapol Pug arrived this lunchtime and I have been busy this afternoon disassembling it so that I may adapt its chassis for the Y6 project.

 

To remove the main part of the body I had to detach the wires that fed current to the motor, once this was done I cut the ends of the chassis off close to the retaining screw holes and then tried it into the Y6 body after I had cut an aperture in it to receive the chassis. The aperture had to be widened to allow the motor to pass through, I could then see that the remains of the slide bar support and the tops of the sand boxes would provide location  with the Y6 body shell. I elected to place the motor at the fire box end of the body shell so that both members of the loco crew could stand in the way of the motor. The tops of the sand boxes were slightly proud of the top of the chassis and were pared down so that the body would sit plain to the chassis and level to the track.

 

Most conveniently the chassis needed 5mm of packing to bring it to the correct height. this was achieved by gluing two 5mm strips of plasticard to either side of the aperture, one .080"thick and the other .040" thick. Another pair of synergistic occurrences was that one of the original screw holes lined up with the centre of the underside of the foot plating at the chimney end and also that it required precisely 8mm of packing. The 8mm packing was made up from four pieces of .080" plasticard 7mm X 9mm. Once the chassis was centred within the aperture a hole was drilled through the chassis screw hole and into the 8mm thick packing block, one of the original Pug body securing screws was utilised to hold the chassis in place.

 

At the other end to make sue that the body and chassis did not pivot about the securing screw I cut some .080" strips of plasticard 3mm X 9mm with 45* angles upon one end. With the chassis correctly placed I glued these strips so that the angled ends located upon the sloped side of the sand boxes. when the glue had cured the screw may be undone the chassis slid along by 4mm and the whole disassembles.

 

The other slight modification was to drill a hole in the end of the chassis to retain the keep plate over the axles, again I used one of the original Pug body securing screws. This action was required as the clip had been cut off when shortening the chassis.

 

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

I've been busy this evening with The Plasser and Theurer tamping machine again. The work has been to drill and cut the window apertures and fit all sorts of fiddly bits.

 

The first job after the windows was to file the sides and ends so that the roof may be filled to width and the curved profile developed along its edge, after this I fitted the roof stays between the roof and the body sides, the longitudinal rails were the fitted. These two jobs went very well for I was half expecting a wonky soggy mess peeling away from the main model but they are squarely fitted and stayed in position.

 

I then decided that the tamping equipment was positioned to low so I gently cut off the parts from both sides and repositioned them higher up. Once this job was done I made up some cab steps from .030" plasticard cut 5mm X 3mm with micro strip for the sides and steps. There is some sort of lining equipment under the cabs which I cut from .030" plasticard, these were secured to the steps also which will help give strength to the items as they will brace each other.

 

Othe details fitted were marker lights and boxes on the cab front and also some boxes and air tanks on the under frame.

 

 

Gibbo.

[Corbs]

Blimey, you don't hang about do you?! Both are looking brilliant so far.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

Here is the latest from the tamper project.

 

The bogies have been detailed with .020" fascias fitted to them to make them look as they should and painted in Humbrol matt 87 which is a blue grey shade that seems to match what a lot of tamper's bogies were painted in. I'm not sue that it is the correct colour but it looks about right so there it is.

 

There have been extra detail bits of micro strip glued onto the body sides and the tamping and lining gear along with a good dose of yellow paint, the insides of the cabs were painted rail grey. The friend for whom it is being built is sending me some oval buffers in the post to finish it off along with a Grafar black five chassis and a Peco jubilee tender drive unit for my next N gauge project.

 

No prizes for guessing what it will be ... actually, no prizes for guessing, but you are welcome to try !

 

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

The Y6 is coming on well, not only does the chassis fit it is now adorned with a boiler. By way of practicality the firebox doe look rather like an electric motor. Only slight modification to the lugs that located the sand boxes were required to make it all fit once the boiler was fitted for it would not scoop in as it had done.

 

The reverser wheel is a Cambrian hand brake wheel and the only detail part of the Pug is the handbrake standard at the smoke box end. I shall not fit one at the fire box end for I intend that the loco crew will hide that missing detail and the rather square firebox.

 

The tubes in the doorway at the smoke box end are the water tank fillers. The later J70 locomotives had a filler behind the sliding windows in the body sides rather than in the doorways which I think is a strange place to site them.

 

Only the cow catcher to make and fit and then it will be ready for painting.

 

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

Progress with the Tamping machine is going well with the painting finished it now requires only buffers and it will be as good as done except for transfers. The buffers are in the post and will arrive soon enough although transfers are more of a long term problem for I don't know that there are any available. My friend that is to receive the tamper may well know of someone that could print some off though.

 

 

Gibbo.