What is on the bench was previously in my head !

[Gibbo675]

19 minutes ago, Ruston said:

If you're lucky, and you put a fat whitemetal driver and fireman on the footplate, then you never know, it just may be able to pull its tender along.

Hi Dave,

 

There is actually quite a bit of space in the smoke box over and ahead of the worm gear that may be packed with lead. The space is about 10mm wide and as you might expect radiused at the top, there is also the option of drilling out the chimney. As it stands it is almost as heavy as the Hornby Rocket and on that basis it shouldn't pull any worse reasonably.

 

 

If all that fails I shall send the crew 'round to your burger van !

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

I have restarted work on the Cemflo tanks, today's job has been to lengthen the body shells by 5mm. I did have eight Cemflos but now only seven as one has been used for the fillet pieces to add the length. I'm not sure as to whether I might get some more or not.

 

The newly lengthened tanks ready for filler to be applied.

 

Gibbo.

[TangoOscarMike]

2 hours ago, Gibbo675 said:

I have restarted work on the Cemflo tanks

 

I've just been watching Star Trek. They're scooting backwards and forwards in time as well.

[cheesysmith]

Must say, I like the scatter gun approach to modeling, swapping between different projects as the interest or bits available takes you. Not like me at all lol. 

 

That reminds me, what was I working on before Xmas?

[Gibbo675]

11 hours ago, cheesysmith said:

Must say, I like the scatter gun approach to modeling, swapping between different projects as the interest or bits available takes you. Not like me at all lol. 

 

That reminds me, what was I working on before Xmas?

Hi Dave,

 

I stopped work on the Cemflos because after doing the first one I discovered that they were 5mm short and after looking at the below linked thread I decided to leave them alone for a while. The recent lack of toy train building has been compounded with doing nine moths of nothing much more than toy trains, so I gave it all a rest.

 

 

The motorising of the 3d Rocket print has been a long time in the thinking. Originally I had wondered about whether it was feasible to motorise the Dapol kit but I decided that it may have been too tricky to work into something practical. I had discovered the Newman Miniatures 3d prints about a year and a half ago and with the introduction of the Hornby Rocket it got me thinking again about a L&MR layout. The arrival of three second class coaches to go with my Rocket and first class coaches spurred me into getting the 3d print and some other bits and bobs to see how things might work out. The Rocket was chosen for I decided that If I could motorise that then the others would be practical as they are all larger with more space to fit the motor into.

 

Tartan arrow containers are still to be sorted out but they aren't flavour of the month quite yet.

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

I'm time travelling back to the 1830's again, this time with a mail coach. I have taken the dimensions from one of my Hornby first class coaches and using the illustrations found on the set of stamps from 1980 I have worked out suitable dimensions. There is a cutaway at one end of the mail coach for the guard's seat, as the picture isn't that distinct I shall have to make it up from pictures of stage coaches.

 

The sides of the coach are made from .020" the base is .040" and the ends and bulkheads are .030", the roof, when I make it will be from two pieces of .010" laminated to hold its shape around a former. The frames are another piece of .040" plasticard that is cut to the same size of the floor of the coach less 3mm so that its edge looks like one of the bars that make up the frame The buffer beams are also laminated from a .040" solid piece with some overlays to represent the framing. The lower bars of the framing are made up from  strips of .040" cut 1.5mm wide glued to a 15mm wide strips of .020" and .080" tat form a spacer across the underframe where the buffer spring covers are. The buffers and the spring c0vers are made from 1/8" Plastruct tube, the covers being cut longitudinally and filed down before being suck over the cross spacer.

 

The W irons might cause me a bit of trouble as the wheels in the Hornby coaches have 24mm axles compared to the more usual 26mm axles, I shall think of something somehow !

 

Floor, sides, ends, and bulkheads part way through assembly.

 

Coach body minus roof mounted on its mostly complete frame.

 

Types of coaches and wagons for me to have a go at building.

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

Here is the latest from the mail coach build.

 

I have made and fitted the; buffers, footsteps, W irons and springs, window frames, wheels, door handles, lamp vents and made the roof although this is as yet loose. The reason for leaving the roof off at the moment is because the window frames require painting in mahogany (BR bauxite) and then glazing before the roof is attached. Once this is done I can fit the luggage rails to the roof also. The lower footsteps are also to make but I think a cup of tea is in order before that !

 

I am not going to fit beading as I think that lining transfers will give a suitable effect once painted.

 

 

 

Gibbo.

[Darius43]

Hi Gibbo,

 

The mailcoach is looking really good - very nice work.

 

Looking forward to your tackling the sheep wagon.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[Gibbo675]

8 minutes ago, Darius43 said:

Hi Gibbo,

 

The mailcoach is looking really good - very nice work.

 

Looking forward to your tackling the sheep wagon.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Hi Darius,

 

I think the next type will be a couple of the brown coaches with the roofs and curved doors if I can work out a decent shape for the doors, either that or a flat wagon with a carriage and a horse box to go with it.

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

22 hours ago, Darius43 said:

Hi Gibbo,

 

The mailcoach is looking really good - very nice work.

 

Looking forward to your tackling the sheep wagon.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Hi Darius,

 

Just look at what they have done !!!

 

 

Gibbo.

[Darius43]

Hi Gibbo,

 

I did notice that this morning.

 

Bet yours will be completed before Hornby’s model hits the shelves.

 

Plus the flat wagons could be used as the basis for modelling the other coaches/wagons.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Edited January 5, 2021 by Darius43

[Gibbo675]

12 minutes ago, Darius43 said:

Hi Gibbo,

 

I did notice that this morning.

 

Bet yours will be completed before Hornby’s model hits the shelves.

 

Plus the flat wagons could be used as the basis for modelling the other coaches/wagons.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Hi Darius,

 

What this does mean is that I shall now paint the mail coach blue as some of the L&MR illustrations shew blue  mail coaches other wise my shade of red will be different to that of Hornby's.

 

The mail coaches that were repainted blue were done so in honour of King William IV in 1833 who was Lord High Admiral of the Navy, hence the blue. Incidentally, the first mail coaches, that ran on the turnpike roads, were painted yellow and black the same as the L&MR's first class coaches for yellow signified speed.

 

Nothing is ever lost, just a different opportunity.

 

That said if the coach is blue it will have to run on the Everton to Manchester Railway !

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

While waiting for paint to dry I have built myself some swing bolster wagons as described in a book about the L&MR by RHG Thomas. The wagons are made from the lower sections of a Dapol Rocket tender with some cross pieces, angled framings and some segmental bearings that looked right topped off with the swing bolsters that have a pivot pin that locates into the top of the wagons. They are painted Humbrol matt78 which I have decided is L&MR green with iron work picked out in black finished with clear to give them a satin sheen.  I shall have to get a suitable twig to use as a tree trunk load or similar.

 

 

The mail coach is now finish painted, I had a lot of fun with masking tape cutting it to shape so as to outline the blue panels in black. The first part to be painted were the window frames which were done using BR bauxite to represent mahogany, next the whole was painted Regional Railways dark blue. The blue and the bauxite around the windows were later masked off before the application of black paint with the roof being painted Humbrol 167, this was the nearest shade I had to the first class coaches that Hornby make. The door handles were picked out in brass and the steps luggage rails in black. I used a Pullman transfer as a Royal Crest with the right hand lion painted over in silver to make it look like a unicorn, you will just have to use your imagination.

 

 

 

L&MR Mail coach in its blue livery of the William IV period, 1831-1837.

 

A first class closed train with the mail hauled by Northumbrian.

 

Gibbo.

[Darius43]

Hi Gibbo,

 

The coach looks superb - very well done!
 

Cheers

 

Darius

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

The mail coach now has a guard, I have performed plastic surgery upon one of Dapol's Rocket's loco crew by doing a leg transplant and moving his arms about and reducing his hat in size. He now wears a scarlet Post Office coat with blue lapels.

 

Don't look too closely at my wobbly coach painting !

 

Gibbo.

[cheesysmith]

not going to get very far with that much coal in the tender lol

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

I've been working on my Newman Miniatures Rocket and I have got it to work, Ruston will be pleased to know that it managed to pull its own tender !

 

The pick ups for the locomotive have been soldered onto a piece of PCB material which was glued to the bottom of the motor, wires were then soldered between the PCB and the contacts of the motor. The motor has had a small piece of Milliput placed upon its top edge so that when it hardens the motor will be in the correct position height wise, tomorrows job will be to fill the voids with as much lead as possible for traction purposes. The pick ups I fitted to the tender caused all sorts of trouble so I removed the wires, the PCB has remained as I use good glue !

I found on eBay some Hornby Rocket cylinders, slide bar and connecting rod assemblies so I bought two of them and with luck I shall be able to fit them up onto the locomotive somehow.

 

I have also made up some draw hooks from a paper clip and ordered some blackened chain for couplings. The Rocket, bolster wagons and the mail coach have been fitted accordingly.

 

Shewing the PCB and pick ups, also the engine to tender coupling.

 

The pick ups will be painted black and will likely be pretty much unnoticeable. The reason for no coal in the tender is that the locomotives were fired on coke.

 

In other news I have planned a layout as I have been without for far too long. The track plan is based on Kenyon Junction where the Leigh and Bolton Railway joined the L&MR with a refuge siding similar to that at Parkside opposite. The track plan doesn't shew details of the loops behind the backscene but the plan is that coal trains can run onto the L&MR from the L&BR and back into the loops. When finished it will be 14' long by 3'6" wide which considering that a locomotive and six coaches is only 2' long.

 

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

I have started a pair of horse boxes based on the pictures and dimensions I have found. The wagons were described as being just over 12 long with the compartment for the horse set a 9'6". Height wise I measured a model horse which I worked out to be 6'6" and also checked it against a Bachmann cattle truck which was the same dimension. Having looked at various pictures I decided that the frames would be to a similar pattern to the style of the Rocket tender from the Dapol kit.

 

So far I have made up the frames from .040" plasticard which was first marked and drilled out for a pilot hole for the axle boxes which was then used as a jig to pilot drill all of the other axle boxes so that they would be in the same position in relation to each other. After that I drilled out and then cut and filed to shape the sole bars along with the head stocks from .060". The axle boxes were made from .060" and glued in place on the W irons, once cured I drilled out to 2mm to accept a brass bearing using the pilot holes as guide. The sides and end framings were then glued and squared up around a floor made from .040".

 

Side frames drilled ready for filing to shape.

 

Two underframes ready for buffers and iron work.

 

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

Here is the latest from the horse box build. The bodies were built up last evening and today's job has been applying the framings and roofs along with what appears to be a removeable plank. The wagons are quite a bit taller than the first class passenger carriages for otherwise a horse would not be able to stand up in them, this means that they are almost 2' taller over the roofs. I have altered the look of the horse box in that the lower section is not left open as in some of the pictures as the description of them explains that the sides dropped down to form a loading flap which would no doubt have been solid rather than just open planking. It is my guess that the horses were loaded from a platform as were coaches that were run onto railway wagons. The description says that they were a little over 12' long and that the compartment for the horses, into which three could be accommodated, was 9'6" long. There is no mention of the width but I have made them to fit just over the frames and work out at 6'3". I would think three horses would have been a tight fit into those dimensions.

 

There is some iron work around the W irons and the buffers to make and fit. From researching the horseboxes I discovered that they were some of the first vehicles to receive sprung buffers, this suggests that these may have been fitted before even some of the passenger coaches received sprung buffers.

 

 

Gibbo.

[TangoOscarMike]

Good stuff! That's about two months worth of my modelling that you've done in a few days!

 

23 hours ago, Gibbo675 said:

There is some iron work around the W irons and the buffers to make and fit. From researching the horseboxes I discovered that they were some of the first vehicles to receive sprung buffers, this suggests that these may have been fitted before even some of the passenger coaches received sprung buffers.

 

My parent's neighbour was a teenager in the 20s or so. His first "job" (with other boys) was to accompany the horses of the local gentry, inside some kind of large road lorry.

 

The ostensible role was to calm and comfort the horses, but the real role was just to be padding in between them. Or so I was told.

[Gibbo675]

1 hour ago, TangoOscarMike said:

Good stuff! That's about two months worth of my modelling that you've done in a few days!

 

 

My parent's neighbour was a teenager in the 20s or so. His first "job" (with other boys) was to accompany the horses of the local gentry, inside some kind of large road lorry.

 

The ostensible role was to calm and comfort the horses, but the real role was just to be padding in between them. Or so I was told.

Hi Tom,

 

There would have been a photograph of the horse boxes today except that the roofs needs a second coat of light grey, sometime tomorrow is likely.

 

As for how much toy train work I'm on with, it has more to do with not having any work right now and also that the weather is cold and wet so going outside doesn't appeal.

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

I have built my base boards and support trestles today and with what track I have laid out the track plan I shewed in an earlier post. I decided that two loops in the yard was enough as the arrangement looked a bit too busy and I don't like short scrunched up layouts with too much track.

A skewed bridge will cross the lines at the station end hiding the set track corners and an over bridge will do the same at the head shunt end giving 10' of scenic railway on a board 13'6" long. I have used set track corners to keep the width to a minimum as the four wheel loose coupled stock traverses them with no trouble at all. The branch will cross over onto the up line via a diamond which will have a cross over to get back onto the down immediately after it, this is a little awkward but saves about 2" width on the boards. The arrangement allows for loaded coal trains to exit the branch and the empties to return  working in only one direction each way on and off the branch. There will be loops along the back side with isolated sections returning to the head shunt end via set track corners.

 

Lets see what happens !

 

Overview from the station end.

 

Northumbrian with a first class train and the mail on the up line with Rocket approaching on a second class train on the down, while Sans Pereil shunts a rather large joiner's pencil in the junction yard.

 

Rocket passes the refuge siding.

 

Gibbo.

[jessy1692]

3 minutes ago, Gibbo675 said:

Hi Folks,

 

I have built my base boards and support trestles today and with what track I have laid out the track plan I shewed in an earlier post. I decided that two loops in the yard was enough as the arrangement looked a bit too busy and I don't like short scrunched up layouts with too much track.

A skewed bridge will cross the lines at the station end hiding the set track corners and an over bridge will do the same at the head shunt end giving 10' of scenic railway on a board 13'6" long. I have used set track corners to keep the width to a minimum as the four wheel loose coupled stock traverses them with no trouble at all. The branch will cross over onto the up line via a diamond which will have a cross over to get back onto the down immediately after it, this is a little awkward but saves about 2" width on the boards. The arrangement allows for loaded coal trains to exit the branch and the empties to return  working in only one direction each way on and off the branch. There will be loops along the back side with isolated sections returning to the head shunt end via set track corners.

 

Lets see what happens !

 

Overview from the station end.

 

Northumbrian with a first class train and the mail on the up line with Rocket approaching on a second class train on the down, while Sans Pereil shunts a rather large joiner's pencil in the junction yard.

 

Rocket passes the refuge siding.

 

Gibbo.

Glad to see boards and track coming on Gibbo, looks an interesting track layout too. How long till Rocket and Sans Pareil will be doing laps with full freightliner rakes and AC electrics dragging round your Brighton Bell haha?

[Gibbo675]

3 minutes ago, jessy1692 said:

Glad to see boards and track coming on Gibbo, looks an interesting track layout too. How long till Rocket and Sans Pareil will be doing laps with full freightliner rakes and AC electrics dragging round your Brighton Bell haha?

Cheers James,

 

Small trains only on this layout unless I refit all the couplings, most of my other stuff doesn't like much less than 3' radius curves. The AC electrics will be fine except the wires were about 185 years out of time on the L&MR !

 

Gibbo.

[BusDriverMan]

AC electrics will fit in perfectly as long as you include a 25kV steam generator wagon and a hefty jumper cable as the first vehicle…