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To stimulate discussion, post photos and exchange ideas, and (being an open public forum) help encourage others to try S scale modelling.

What's on your S Scale Workbench?


ScottW
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4 hours ago, ScottW said:

I continue to be impressed with the latest resin 3D printers, the level of detail produced is superb. Are you doing the whole wagon or just the hopper?

 

Scott,

 

Just the hopper - Mr. Greene will be doing the underframe, and Mr. Provan has done a nice wee etch of the brake gear. :-)

 

Jim.

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4 hours ago, ianb3174 said:

I was looking at a Mars Elegoo but will hold fire for now until I've looked into mono LCD's. Looks a very good finish

Ian,

 

The finish at 0.05mm layer height is excellent - you only start to notice it on the sides when I go in very close with the camera and use quite oblique lighting.   Apart from one or two test prints,  this is the only model I've printed so far,  so my experience of the printer is quite limited.   I will be digging out some of my files of wagon detail parts and maybe try 0.03mm layer height to see how good the results are since I have a few prints done of them on my older Shuffle.

 

Jim.

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4 hours ago, Rosedale said:

Wow Jim!! Those hoppers look superb and I'm glad they have tested out your new Phrozen. I can't wait to build the chassis to go with them. Thank you so much. 

 

Paul,

 

How many dozen do you need?  :-) :-) :-)

 

Jim.

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Just the 8 (8 not 8 dozen!!) Jim, as discussed today. The last thing I want to do is break your new machine! Thanks again. 

 

In building the chassis I will be closely following the techniques illustrated so well in Scot's articles. But I think I'm going to use internal rocking solebars for suspension. Because of the hopper it will be difficult to have a lateral rocking W-Iron. And I'm not sure I'll be able to get enough weight in (even with a large lump of ironstone!). But I can get an rocking solebar behind the actual solebar and this system works very well. 

 

Having spoken with Scott I am also going to treat these wagons to proper printed transfers instead of my usual crude hand lettering!! Then I'm going to cover them in copious amounts of ironstone weathering - these skips on railway wheels lived outside and got a right battering!

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@Rosedale

13 hours ago, Rosedale said:

In building the chassis I will be closely following the techniques illustrated so well in Scot's articles. But I think I'm going to use internal rocking solebars for suspension. Because of the hopper it will be difficult to have a lateral rocking W-Iron. And I'm not sure I'll be able to get enough weight in (even with a large lump of ironstone!). But I can get an rocking solebar behind the actual solebar and this system works very well.

 

I will be interested to see how you tackle these rocking solebars. The North British and Caledonian Railway had both tank & hopper wagons which sat on open frames. In the past I have pondered how best to compensate such wagons whilst retaining the openess of the frames. I must admit I hadn't considered a rocking solebar.

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Currently manufacturing some door hinges for my latest batch of wagons.

 

659409948_DoorHinges.jpg.7737708be58788d2d59f4ef45969a9b8.jpg

 

I'm finding it to be one of those laborious tasks that drag on a bit, confounded by the fact I have ten sides to do. Five down, five to go.

Edited by ScottW
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On 04/03/2021 at 20:15, ScottW said:

I continue to be impressed with the latest resin 3D printers, the level of detail produced is superb. Are you doing the whole wagon or just the hopper?

 

It is not just the printer we should be impressed with - the quality of the artwork is also superb - well done Jim - these look brilliant.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Not so many post recently so I thought I would get our mojo back and post what is on my bench....It is a rebuild of a Sharp Stewart Small Saddle Tank for the B&M.  I built one a few years back but this is a complete rebuild with 3D printed body and Saddle Tank together with 3D printed wheels.  The coupling rods are temporary and will be properly joined rather than joined on a crank pin.  It has a very long High Level Gear set with a Hornby Motor under the Saddle.  I will post an update when it is finished.

saddle.JPG

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That looks superb. The 3D tank especially is brilliant and being complete with boiler fittings is especially impressive. Are the cab sides, bunker and splashers etched with beading in place or did you add the beading seperately? I look forward to seeing the final result!

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It is a Hornby motor through a HL Gearbox.  The thing that has made the most significant improvement to my locos performance is the pickup system I am using.  I have started using plunger contacts from http://www.coda-systems.co.uk/catalog/info_PC7BS.html.  They are not cheap - but the quality of operation is better than anything else I have used.  There are no moving parts in the chassis so decent sized wire can be used to connect the pickup to the motor. 

 

I use the pickups with the lightest spring.  It sits in an insulated 2mm wheel bearing from Markits.  Chassis is drilled out 3mm after painting and the plastic bearing superglued to the frame.  I connect the wires before fitting as the bearing cannot take any heat.

 

Hornby motors are great value for money.  I have to modify the HL Gearbox by using a tapered reamer to open up the motor mounting.  I make it a tight push then super glue the motor in as there are no fixing holes.  But it seems to hold firm and true.

chassis.JPG

hornby.JPG

IMG_2331.PNG

IMG_2334.PNG

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1 hour ago, Timber said:

The thing that has made the most significant improvement to my locos performance is the pickup system I am using.  I have started using plunger contacts from http://www.coda-systems.co.uk/catalog/info_PC7BS.html.  They are not cheap - but the quality of operation is better than anything else I have used.

Thanks for replying.

 

Interesting, and useful information.

I built one chassis with wire wipers, and it ran fine, but I have to say that I prefer split frames myself - but like you with expensive plungers, this "costs" me more in time and effort.

 

They key to successful construction is not the method used, but how well it is implemented, and the quality of the components.

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On 04/04/2021 at 14:07, Timber said:

Not so many post recently......

 

Prompted by Timber's comment here are some shots of the progress made on my batch of mineral wagons. I did intend posting regular updates but kept getting sidetracked. Anyway, as you can see they are beginning to look more wagon like.

 

1.jpg.6262231a508fbbed9b4ed6dbcf29f3d3.jpg

 

20.jpg.882d2e1eead3261d9854dcc240e0c314.jpg

 

5.jpg.f02a447bcc9f1fc2982a280b460f2374.jpg

 

30.jpg.1c975a733b94e06e9860a2cf225fc256.jpg

 

Edited by ScottW
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  • 2 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Hello,

This is my first post. I thought it was worth recording that after 50 years of attempting to build something, every decade or so, I finally have finished a project. 

The model is a NER V1 brake van, built mainly in Styrene with society parts. Many thanks to Paul Greene for suggesting suitable parts and other assistance. It still needs lettering plus sprung buffers/coupling, all of which I am experimenting with.

I really enjoyed building in S Scale. I have manged to add detail I would have struggled with in 4mm, yet detail which may have appeared too crude in 7mm, although the close photo photo is not complimentary.

nerv1.jpg

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10 hours ago, apl31 said:

Hello,

This is my first post. I thought it was worth recording that after 50 years of attempting to build something, every decade or so, I finally have finished a project. 

The model is a NER V1 brake van, built mainly in Styrene with society parts. Many thanks to Paul Greene for suggesting suitable parts and other assistance. It still needs lettering plus sprung buffers/coupling, all of which I am experimenting with.

I really enjoyed building in S Scale. I have manged to add detail I would have struggled with in 4mm, yet detail which may have appeared too crude in 7mm, although the close photo photo is not complimentary.

 

Sorry, not sure of your name, but that looks superb.  I hope to have a go with S Scale at some point (building the society wagon kit I bought would be a start!) but other things keep taking precedence.  Well once tho, for a scratch build and your first completed project that is wonderful.  I agree with @Regularity we want to see more ;)

Rich

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Thank you for the kind comments but I should have explained earlier. I have not suddenly become sharp eyed and steady handed after all these years. Over recent years I converted (then rebuilt)  a small milling machine (Sieg S1 type) to CNC, so most  the parts were profile cut, engraved (planks) and holes drilled. The machine accuracy is not perfect (eg the body is about 2" oversize, if I made it again it could well be 2" undersize) however it is a lot more accurate and reproducible than I could achieve.

 

Rich I have been hanging round this S Scale site a while deciding whether to take the plunge. I joined when when the parts price and availability was  published on website recently. I saw parts such as track and wheels were readily available and prices are very reasonable. There are also some very interesting 3D printing developments. 

Aidan

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2 hours ago, apl31 said:

 I have not suddenly become sharp eyed and steady handed after all these years. Over recent years I converted (then rebuilt)  a small milling machine (Sieg S1 type) to CNC, so most  the parts were profile cut, engraved (planks) and holes drilled. The machine accuracy is not perfect (eg the body is about 2" oversize, if I made it again it could well be 2" undersize) however it is a lot more accurate and reproducible than I could achieve.

 

 

I got a Seig KX1 CNC machine about eleven years ago and that has made up for my increasing lack of hand and eye co-ordination. :-)

 

Jim.

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2 hours ago, apl31 said:

Thank you for the kind comments but I should have explained earlier. I have not suddenly become sharp eyed and steady handed after all these years. Over recent years I converted (then rebuilt)  a small milling machine (Sieg S1 type) to CNC, so most  the parts were profile cut, engraved (planks) and holes drilled. The machine accuracy is not perfect (eg the body is about 2" oversize, if I made it again it could well be 2" undersize) however it is a lot more accurate and reproducible than I could achieve.

 

Rich I have been hanging round this S Scale site a while deciding whether to take the plunge. I joined when when the parts price and availability was  published on website recently. I saw parts such as track and wheels were readily available and prices are very reasonable. There are also some very interesting 3D printing developments. 

Aidan

Hi Aidan,

 

How you make models is entirely up to you: you are (hopefully) doing this for your own satisfaction.

 

People often dither and put off taking the plunge, only to regret not doing so sooner. All I can say is, buy a few parts, and build a wagon. You don’t need many parts: wheels & bearings, axle guards (“W-irons”), castings for springs, axle boxes and buffer stocks. 4mm scale 15” buffer heads with rams, and maybe some brake gear castings and/or etchings, plus coupling hooks. Everything else can be made from whatever material you like: metal, wood, styrene, or any combination/permutation as you see fit. As you say, it won’t break the bank. 
The wagon kit is useful, and you get an idea of the size/mass of the scale and can rapidly build up a few wagons for shunting (and hence, maybe a small coal-yard diorama/cameo?) and it can be modified to create more variety, but at some point scratch building or alternatively CAD/CAM (etching and 3D printing) will be required, so I don’t necessarily think these are the best starting point for a beginner, unless they whet the appetite and encourage the assembler to start extending (or applying) their skills. Whether that’s hand-work, machine work, or computer based is irrelevant. A lot of the late Stan Garlick’s work was accurate machining followed by hand finishing, and very nicely done, too.

 

On your own, it is only really possible to control one train at a time, so the fact that a small amount of stock requires a small layout (and vice versa) is a good place to start. With careful design, it is easy to allow for expansion of the stud, and even a second operator, e.g. a goods only tramway, or extension to model the whole branch (Yaxbury!)

 

I think Wicken (MRJ 10) and Lydham Heath (see the link in my signature) are still outstanding examples of simple but effective layouts. 

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On 21/07/2021 at 12:41, apl31 said:

Hello,

This is my first post. I thought it was worth recording that after 50 years of attempting to build something, every decade or so, I finally have finished a project. 

The model is a NER V1 brake van, built mainly in Styrene with society parts. Many thanks to Paul Greene for suggesting suitable parts and other assistance. It still needs lettering plus sprung buffers/coupling, all of which I am experimenting with.

I really enjoyed building in S Scale. I have manged to add detail I would have struggled with in 4mm, yet detail which may have appeared too crude in 7mm, although the close photo photo is not complimentary.

nerv1.jpg

Hello Aidan, that model is absolutely superb and as said by Regularity, we want to see more! It will be very welcome on Blakey Junction, Rosedale Branch one of these days, covid and the resumption of exhibitions permitting. S has, as you have found, so many advantages. All the best, Paul

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