Jump to content
 

Brian's 7mm Diesel Workbench, Belated up-date!


Recommended Posts

I have not glued the sideframes to the chassis but by fixing the front and rear stretchers and associated brakegear on the corners it is all locked together so might as well be!

 

Still think you should re-read the two paragraphs relevant to the above in our instructions.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Brian

 

Can I ask how you fitted the bogies and set the height? There appears to be no bogie mount on the underframe on my BG.

 

Cheers

J.P.

 

 

A bit of a do it yourself job under here isn't it. I used plasticard to build up the bolster and put the coach up against some other stock you know to be ok and see if the buffers match. Or I could look in the MK1 Coaching stock book for the correct hight dimension later.

Link to post
Share on other sites

After a very nice weekend talking and actualy doing some modelling at the Ally Pally I just about finished building a JLTRT Fruit D kit. I drilled all the holes out at home last week and then made it all up at the weekend. The buffers are just pushed in at the moment as the chassis can be removed to paint it separately only when the buffers are removed.One small job to do is drill some holes and use wire to represent the fixing bolts at the bottom of the axle guards. In the kit the stretcher between the axle guards is a piece of lazer cut plasticard but a quick trip to Eileans Emporium to get some brass strip was called for. One little problem though was that the steps are made of white metal and bent very easily. I stiffened these up with a piece of brass at the back. There are no parts in the kit to make the lighting on/off handle that went across at one end I seem to recall. As I am going to do this as an ENPARTS van in BR Blue I doubt that the interior lighting would still be working so I will not bother with the dynomo belt either just make out that it fell off some time ago. All in all a very nice kit to build and really looks the part.

post-6766-0-38265000-1301328889_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-73256400-1301328892_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-03019300-1301328896_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-70415100-1301328898_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-94783500-1301328901_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-89412300-1301328904_thumb.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Hi Brian, it was good to touch base with you on Saturday....but I didn't notice the Fruit D.....it must have been a Sunday jobbie? :lol:

 

That is a nice substantial wagon for sure, a few of those and a couple of GUVs and the train is set!

Link to post
Share on other sites

That's interesting Brian - I hope you don't mind me asking, but what evidence have you found for Fruit Ds having dynamos? None are shown on official diagrams and no amount of squinting at photos (thus far), has revealed any sign of them to my satisfaction on the real thing. I have seen what appear to be charging sockets for a shoreline (this probably isn't quite the correct terminology) and of course, the light switches on the ends - I presume that the JLTRT kit includes these? - but not dynamos. Information one way or the other would be very welcome!

 

Adam

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Adam

 

I will admit these vans are way out of my comfort zone. I have one picture in a book of one as an ENPARTS van but you can't see the underneath very well. Since Paul Bartletts fotopics site went belly up I'm lost on these old vans. So it got built as per what's in the box. If the vans have internal lights, which the large pull rod switch on the end would intimate then there would be a batterybox and dynamo to charge it. They would not use a shore supply to charge batteries as they were not dotted around the railway network willy-nilly. Were there Fruit D's built without lights and some with? As I said earlier the kit does not have the end pull switch.

 

Anyway it's in the paintshops now and will end up in olive green with ENPARTS stencilled on the side as per the pic in the book I have.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Brian

 

As far as I know, they were all built with lights (gas for the GW builds, electric for the BR builds), presumably for use when unloading in the gloom of goods depots. Obviously, in departmental use, it is probable that said lights would be removed: I can't believe that they were ever used much, if at all in service however, and Paul Bartlett's pictures fail to answer the question even when they were available (though they will be again at some point: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/). My initial assumption when building a pair in 4mm was that the electircally-lit vehicles would have had a dynamo, but the evidence I managed to assemble suggests not. Of course, should better evidence appear, then the retro-fit wouldn't be difficult: I'd simply like to know one way or the other!

 

Edit: My interpretation (from one of Pauls' photo's) of the lightswitch should appear below:

 

models089ku4.jpg

 

Adam

Link to post
Share on other sites

Done a nice job there Adam. I think I will forward an email to JLTRT about the lack of a pull switch. A very nice person has just sent me some of Pauls Fruit D pics and you are right as I too can't see a dynamo on them! Out with the snips. When I was working parcel trains, amongst others, from 1974 to the end of them I never saw a shore supply for vans anywhere in sidings they used so what did they do?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Excellent Steve, many thanks! Looking at it, would I be right in thinking that the dynamo pulley is more or less on the centre line? Now, which stock box has the offending vehicle in...

 

Adam

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Brian,

 

I like the idea of an ENPARTS van too....

 

I very much like your work on it too, just as a matter of interest - as its a JLTRT kit - did the axleboxes fit easily into the 'W' Irons and were the axles the correct lenght/width?

 

When I have a plastic tiebar I tend to beef it up with an off cut of brass glued to the rear of it.......do you know what the brass section was called from Eileen's?

 

All the very best,

 

CME :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I went to the Gwilli Railway yesterday for a DMU driving day with a group of railwaymen from Oxford and guess what they have there? 2 Fruit D's :) So I got the camera under one to show what's left of the dynamo and pulley wheel on the axle. You could see where the lighting pull switch was fitted on the end but neither had this on them unfortunatly.

 

As for the charging sockets, JLTRT do not supply them, even in their MkI's :(

 

The MkI's at the Gwilli included 2 without window frames, just how many were like this in later days as every preserved line has one it seems?

post-6766-0-87711400-1301565587_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-73018500-1301565591_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-79397800-1301565594_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-17985700-1301565597_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-07553000-1301565600_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-16473600-1301565603_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-12520000-1301565607_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-01054300-1301565613_thumb.jpg

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Brian,

 

I like the idea of an ENPARTS van too....

 

I very much like your work on it too, just as a matter of interest - as its a JLTRT kit - did the axleboxes fit easily into the 'W' Irons and were the axles the correct lenght/width?

 

When I have a plastic tiebar I tend to beef it up with an off cut of brass glued to the rear of it.......do you know what the brass section was called from Eileen's?

 

All the very best,

 

CME :)

 

The axleboxes where a tight fit as usual. I cleaned out the axlebox with a piece of emery paper and filed the surface of the W iron down a bit to reduce the thickness. They rattle about in there fine now. I pushed it round the garden railway and it did not de-rail so I must have done something right :rolleyes:

 

I don't know off the top of my head what the size of brass bar was as all I did was take the lazer cut plastic one to Eileen's stand at the Ally Pally show and went through their stock until I found a match to it. I could measure it if you want.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The axleboxes where a tight fit as usual. I cleaned out the axlebox with a piece of emery paper and filed the surface of the W iron down a bit to reduce the thickness. They rattle about in there fine now. I pushed it round the garden railway and it did not de-rail so I must have done something right :rolleyes:

 

I don't know off the top of my head what the size of brass bar was as all I did was take the lazer cut plastic one to Eileen's stand at the Ally Pally show and went through their stock until I found a match to it. I could measure it if you want.

 

Hi Brian :)

 

It is such a shame that they dont fit right first time - I know that JLTRT will supply replacements but what is the point - I have had to fettle the axleboxes and par-down - lots - the 'W' Irons :O Yeah rattle being the word.....yet they run well, nicely weighted, for all of their 'issues'. Some of the headstocks are a bit heavy in section yet okay when painted......;)

 

If is isnt too much trouble to measure the bar then that would be great, yet only when you think of it, it would be great to have a stock of such to hand as to use brass section - rather than reinforce plastic - must be a better bet ;):) I have been struggling to find the right cross-section, yet yours seems just right..

 

Many thanks.

 

ATVB

 

CME :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

were the axles the correct lenght/width?

CME :)

 

Forgot to say earlier that find do have to file the ends of the axles down a bit unfortunatly.

 

I have had a nice boring day painting little bits of models and the interior of my CK and putting the transfers on the Fruit D and my class 56 re-paint. Doing the Fruit D was a long job doing all the lettering and numbers one at a time with waterslide transfers and Lettraset for the ENPARTS lettering. Picture of the Fruit D to follow after it's been varnished.

 

I have also been getting on with another JLTRT coach, a CK. The bogies took a day each to solder up :( For some reason this kit had an etch for the floor plan to glue onto the chassis. The other 2 of these Mk1's I have built have had a plasticard floor.

 

One thing to note that is not mentioned in the instructions is that if you are using commonwealth or B4 bogies then you need to use the V hanger bracket with the straight edge and put it on the righthand side of the vac cylinder as in a pic below.

 

On my RMB I removed the cast raised detail on the propane gas boxes and placed an etched one there that is on a fret from MMP that he sells separatly. This fret also contains the small cast plates on the ends of the coaches. On the end I used a CPL Emergency brake butterfly and pipework castings.

post-6766-0-66986500-1301856729_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-23667500-1301856732_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-16353000-1301856736_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-62851800-1301856740_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-55191800-1301856743_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-22078700-1301856747_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-77549200-1301856749_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-90935100-1301856752_thumb.jpg

post-6766-0-36084100-1301856756_thumb.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

For some reason this kit had an etch for the floor plan to glue onto the chassis. The other 2 of these Mk1's I have built have had a plasticard floor.

 

Interesting - both my Mk1s (bck, sk) had the floor plan etch. Perhaps they were just omitted by mistake in the kit for your other ones?

 

Julian

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Brian :)

 

Me too, I also reamed out the bearings slightly and then took a small amount from the axles whilst maintaining the 'pinpoint'. I am not sure how JLTRT got such so wrong........let us hope for 'continous improvement' on their part.

 

Lovely work on the MK 1's BTW......I particularly like the telltale detail B)

 

The bogies look superb too.

 

I have some photos of 'Diesel Depot' (GGOG/Hardwicke) would you like to see them - either on here or PM?

 

ATB

 

CME :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Brian,

 

Thanks - will do :).

 

We made an improtu visit to Hardwicke village hall (Sunday 3rd April) where the Glos GOG Group had a small - and always very friendly - exhibition (not sure if it is annual or bi-annual - I only seem to find out when its on by accident :rolleyes::lol:) amongst other interesting layouts there was a layout called Diesel Depot B) which was, so I believe, a second-hand layout going through some changes with it's new owners.

 

I hope that you enjoy the photos.

 

ATB,

 

CME :)

post-11256-0-24768600-1301947789_thumb.jpg

post-11256-0-18972200-1301947798_thumb.jpg

post-11256-0-86016800-1301947808_thumb.jpg

post-11256-0-04909000-1301947822_thumb.jpg

post-11256-0-53879700-1301947836_thumb.jpg

post-11256-0-03860600-1301947848_thumb.jpg

post-11256-0-80706800-1301947861_thumb.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...