What's on your S Scale Workbench?

[Timber]

Just finished my model of B&M WYE Locomotive.  It is the very early version pre brakes.  The tender is for a later model of the same loco.....just need to make a earlier version but it is fine to support a test run.   3D printed Drivers, Plunger Pickups as per an earlier post - all etched or 3D printed with compensated beams on the Drivers.  Buffers Markit....the brass boiler safety valve cover and boiler band is 3D  brass printed by Shapeways.

Edited January 2, 2021 by Timber

[ScottW]

2 hours ago, Timber said:

Just finished my model of B&M WYE Locomotive. 

 

Looks superb, thank you for sharing. 

[steverabone]

This looks to be an absolutely superb model. I wonder what else 3D printing will produce for us in the future. Of course it requires the skill of a good model maker to put it all together so well.

[ianb3174]

As always I'm suitably impressed by the standard of work on these posts. Throwing open a question to the knowledgeable amongst us, What beginner level loco should be on my workbench? I was thinking that I may as well start something during lockdown that is both challenging but manageable. Having no major metalworking tools I'm limited to soldering etches and supplementing it with with 3D printed or plasticard parts. What's out there that may fit the bill?

[Regularity]

20 hours ago, ianb3174 said:

Throwing open a question to the knowledgeable amongst us, What beginner level loco should be on my workbench?

What do you want? 

Most people say, build something simple, often by starting with a kit.

One distinguished modeller once questioned this, and provided the following observation: "Build what you most want, no matter how complicated/difficult you perceive it to be, for you have the enthusiasm to complete this" to which I would add:

and you will view the "obstacles" not as headaches, but as challenges to be overcome. There is no point building some simple models for a layout, if the model [loco] you most want to have turns out to be beyond you. You can always go back and improve parts, particularly if you build in subassemblies. He was a fully trained mechanical engineer, so perhaps viewed things differently than most of us, but he had a point.

To cut thin brass, you can use good quality scissors or a Stanley knife, and tidy up the edges with files. If you can file and solder a crossing fee, you will be fine with all this. 

 

But railways have existed for over 200 years, with various developments merging into each other, and lots of different companies. Could you at least help us to help you by saying what sort of railway, and where and when it is set, that inspires you? No point recommending an etched class 02 diesel if you want to model the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway in 1845, for example.

[flubrush]

Whatever prototype you decide to model,  the next decision should be how you are going to pickup from the rails since that dictates how you will build the chassis of the locomotive.   If you are going to use all metal driving wheels then some form of split axle pickup is probably the best way,  either by using split frames or insulated axleboxes.   This can have knock-ons on how you attach your superstructure to the frames to avoid shorts across the frames.  You can use plastic centred wheels for split axles pickup but you have to carry out a fiddly operation by putting shorting links from tyre to axle and hiding them behind the spokes.  With plastic centred drivers,  you can use the wire scraper pickups on the tyres,  or the more sophisticated plunger pickups and the frames need no insulation between them or the superstructure.

 

An 0-6-0 inside cylindered locomotive is probably the best bet to start since you don't have the additional complication of outside valve motion.  About every pre-Group or Grouping company had one or more prototypes so that should give you a wide range to choose from to get something you want.   A tank loco might also be better since the tanks provide a lot more space in the body to hide motors,  gearboxes,  DCC decoders, etc.,  and you don't have to build a tender. :-)   In S scale we tend to provide either compensation or springing since we are working with scale depth flanges.

 

Jim.

[ianb3174]

OK, let's narrow it down then. 

1. Preference is for LNWR locos and/or the bin end locos found on light railways. 

2. I'm planning to use radio control so it needs to have enough room for the battery, though this is not a major issue given the extra space in S.

3. I said kit but I would have a go from scratch. No, I would, really. I did have a copy of that Guy Williams book years ago, no idea where it is though.

4. Compensation, shouldn't be a problem

Basically I need to have a go..., make a hash of some bits, ace others and get something that'll pull a wagon.

Hope that helps

[Regularity]

If it fits your general scheme of things, then maybe a 2-4-0T chopper tank?

[steverabone]

Some years ago Simon Dunkeley encouraged me to scratchbuild a model of a Midland Railway 0-6-0T  using a series of articles in the old Model Railway News. I'd definitely recommend something like a 0-6-0T or even a tender loco - this would give you more space for batteries and RC controls.

 

I actually found it easier in many ways to build it from raw materials than some of the kits I've built.

 

It was built, like most of my models, on a card table in my box room using only simple hand tools. I wrote a description of the process on my website so that when I decided to build the "half cab" version I wouldn't have to try to recall what I did. I still haven't got round to that though!

 

The wheels are Alan Gibson's and it has proved to be one of the best running locos (and very powerful) I have.

 

If you are interested I've put a link to the description below.

 

http://www.steverabone.com/sscalewebsite/building_a_johnson_0-6-0T.htm

[Regularity]

2 hours ago, steverabone said:

Some years ago Simon Dunkeley encouraged me to scratchbuild a model of a Midland Railway 0-6-0T  using a series of articles in the old Model Railway News.

I seem to have acquired an extra 'e', but email me directly, or pm me your email address, and I can provide assistance... The articles - the best I have ever seen on using non-ferrous metal for model railways, better than Guy Williams - were written under a pseudonym by a late member of SSMRS. They include how to use each tool, and for what purpose. Guy tends to assume this much knowledge. Ignore the guidance he did on chassis building in November onwards: we have moved on from XO4 motors and rigid frames!

 

The point is, don't get hung up on the correct number of spokes on the wheels: they can be 3D printed and upgraded in the future. Just get on with it!

 

I would advise early purchase of a piercing saw and fine blades, but do no buy cheap Chinese copies. You will find out why if you do buy them, then try out British or Swiss or German made saw blades, which will cut where you want them to. (If they don't - and it does happen - then throw the blade away.)

I use 4/0 (0000) for frames, and 6/0 (000000) for virtually everything else, to save on the need to change blades often - a finer blade simply takes a bit longer on thicker material.

 

Also highly recommended is "Model Engineering: A Foundation Course" by Peter Wright, ISBN-13 : 978-1854861528. Easily found, and relevant to model railways as well as engineering. You can get by with just this, but the series by "B. Fesank" in MR during Jan-October 1975 are more directed towards a model railway engine only.

[Timber]

Ian - I have some etches for the attached.....it is a Brecon and Merthyr Stephenson 240.  Happy to help get you started but maybe not what you had in mind.  Longish way from LNWR.  My standards are not the best but it can be made to run.....

[ianb3174]

No, that's ideal to kick off the skill train, a perfect example of what might work a light railway in its twilight. Is it your own design?

[Timber]

Its a copy of the prototype made from a very good GA of the original loco.  The etches and 3d prints are something i have drawn and improved on over the past couple of years.....email me direct and we can sort something out.  

[Regularity]

Built to the GWR meteor rank design, IIRC.

[CKPR]

Another straightforward way to cut thin sheet metal, at least in straight lines, is to use a scrawker, which you can purchase as an Olfa or Tamiya plastic cutter (the two are interchangeable). This will also produce perfect plank lines in plasticard without the need to clean up the burrs created when using a knife blade. 

[CKPR]

On 05/01/2021 at 19:07, ianb3174 said:

 Having no major metalworking tools I'm limited to soldering etches 

 

If you can solder, that's 90% of the battle won - cutting out nickel silver (my preference) or brass is possibly easier than cutting out from card or plastic as you're less likely to make a mistake. You can can either mark out directly [coating the metal with Pentel N60 permanent marker makes it easier to see what you're doing] or stick on paper patterns [photocopy your plan and cut out patterns from these] and then cut (scrawker, piercing saw or scissors) the metal to just outside the marking out, file exactly to size and solder away. For the boiler/firebox/smokebox, either use brass tube from Eileens Emporium or roll it from flat [slow but straightforward and very satisfying !].

 

I'd second Simon's recommendation of the old Model Railways articles  on scratchbuilding and would add the articles by Michael Lloyd in the Railway Modeller  (July, August & September 1967), not least because these are largely concerned with building a Cambrian Rlys (GWR rebuild) 2-4-0T. Again, some of the information is a bit dated (CCW driving wheels and ex-RAF 24v motors) but otherwise, it's good sound practical advice of the old school of 'proper' railway modelling.

Edited January 12, 2021 by CKPR

[ScottW]

Just out from the paintshop, a North Brithish Railway mineral wagon to Dia. 1.

 

Edited January 23, 2021 by ScottW

[Timber]

that is a work of art

[ianb3174]

A bar well and truly has been set. 

[airnimal]

Stunning. Nothing more than stunning.

[Regularity]

1 hour ago, ianb3174 said:

A bar well and truly has been set. 

Many years ago, by such as Garlick, Cruickshank, Pattenden and Coulter, to name but 4 sorely missed S scale stalwarts.

[ScottW]

Going back to the very first post in this thread I put up a picture of two wagons currently being worked on at the time. Well, after a year and a half, here they are finally finished.

 

Edited January 23, 2021 by ScottW

[ScottW]

The wagon works are in full swing with a batch of five dumb buffered mineral wagons.

 

Edited March 7, 2021 by ScottW

[ScottW]

Over the weekend I had a break from wagon building and did a bit of layout planning instead. The design has been bubbling away for a while now and I've got it far enough to allow me to start thinking about the best way to build and support the baseboards. Here is the picture of the Templot plan printed out at a scale of 2"/ft.

 

 

The design is based on Bonnybridge Central which saw running powers by both the North British and Caledonian railway. It is designed as a 21' x 11' roundy-roundy, not being long enough to allow for a fan of sidings in the fiddle yard I've had to incorporate two sector tables instead, one to simulate the line to Kilsyth and the other, the line to Bonnywater Junction.

 

 

Edited March 7, 2021 by ScottW

[flubrush]

I got a new 3D printer a couple of weeks ago and I've used a job I was doing a year ago as a first project on the new machine.  The printer is a Phrozen Sonic Mini 4X which is one of the newer breed with a mono LCD screen giving smaller exposure times,  and a smaller pixel size giving better definition.

 

The model is a body for a NER 7T hopper wagon,  destined for a layout somewhere in the Leeds area.

 

 

 

 

 

The last picture shows the pile of rejects on the way to the final result shown in the top three pictures.   It took a while to find out what the new printer and a new (to me) resin would could achieve,  and there was a lot of fiddling around with the slicing software to get a good layout of supports.

 

I gave the body a scoosh of Halford's grey primer to make picture taking easier and I should have cleaned it a bit better. :-)    I've also not taken off all the support pips.   An 0.05mm layer thickness was used and it is just visible with the oblique lighting in the pictures but is pretty well invisible at normal viewing.

 

One big advantage with the new printer is that I was able to print the body and its supports in one piece.  With my previous work on the body a year ago,  I had started to split the supports from the main body to make the printing easier.

 

There's no rivet detail on the inside of the body since it was thought that the wagons would normally be fully loaded.   But might have a look at adding some along the top inside edge since that will probably still be obvious when loaded.

 

Jim.