My coming out of Lockdown workbench

[Penrhos1920]

Just as I was eating breakfast this morning the phone rang.  Work ”there’s only 1 client (out of the usual 6) coming in today so you don’t need to come in.  See you next week.”  Oh dear what shall I do?  Off to the modelling bench and pick up on my latest project.  I like to have several projects on the go so that I can switch to something different when I hit a problem.

 

This is what I picked up:

 

I’m cutting up the good old ratio GWR coach kits to make something different.  First off is a D27 Brake third.  Several sets of D27-E58-D27 were made for the Tondu area.  Here’s one I made earlier which has the ratio ends, floor and solebars:

 

This is how I cut up the pieces.  I’m using a quality mitre bock and Japanese saw, chosen because it is tall so it drifts less in the mitre and it is thin, only 0.6mm wide:

 

I’ve modified the mitre block with some plasticard so that the slot matches the saw blade width.  This is what the matching composite E58 looks like before I glue it all together:

 

This afternoon I’m off out in the garden as it’s sunny and I need to catch up with the post winter tidy up.

Edited June 7, 2021 by Penrhos1920

[Pete the Elaner]

11 minutes ago, Penrhos1920 said:

I like to have several projects on the go so that I can switch to something different when I hit a problem.

 

 

It is usually the way.

I often come across a problem, but instead of getting frustrated, I usually just get started on something else & often think of a solution while doing something totally unrelated.

I frequently go into the layout room with the intention of doing something in particular & end up doing something totally different.

[hayfield]

Several years ago I built 2 bogie coach bodies from Ratio kits whilst on holiday, cost me rather a lot as I set off a speed camera on my way back home from a friend who lent me the Vol 1 of Russells GWR coach book. Still took the naughty boy course rather than get the points. They were a holiday project and were built overlooking Mevagissey harbour  

 

I have some whitemetal GWR coach bogies now, so no excuses for not finishing them off, I used the door openings to hide the joins, not thought about the roof yet, may use the Ratio ones suitably modified 

[Penrhos1920]

On 17/03/2020 at 17:44, hayfield said:

..., I used the door openings to hide the joins, not thought about the roof yet, may use the Ratio ones suitably modified 

 

 

I try to use door openings to hide the joins, but there are only a few adjacent compartment choices on the ratio kits: 1st-1st, 1st-2nd & 3rd-3rd.  So on the brake third I was able to use a door joint in the 3rd class section, but I had to cut through a panel in the van section.  The E58 composite needed 1st-3rd, 2nd-2nd & 2nd-3rd compartments which meant that those joints have to be through the panels.

 

Today I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time putting together a white metal bogie kit from 247 for the brake third.  The problem was that it was supplied with flanged bearings which when used in the normal way meant that the stretcher was 1.5mm to short.  So after a bit of experimenting I drilled the bogie sides so that the bearings were recessed.

 

. 

 

Whilst the soldering iron iron was out I also made up a vacuum cylinder set,  fortunately no problems here.

 

The next coach I’m planning is a bit wider, by 6”, and needs different ends.  Now I can’t find anyone who sells ends for 8’6 coaches with false gangways.  So I’m experimenting with the spare ratio ends.  I’ve cut off the buffer beams to use on one end.  A second end has had the bottom cut off and then cut vertically in two.  Just need 125 thou of plastikard fill in.

[polybear]

On 16/03/2020 at 13:54, Penrhos1920 said:

This is how I cut up the pieces.  I’m using a quality mitre bock and Japanese saw, chosen because it is tall so it drifts less in the mitre and it is thin, only 0.6mm wide:

 

I’ve modified the mitre block with some plasticard so that the slot matches the saw blade width.  This is what the matching composite E58 looks like before I glue it all together:

 

 

Could you post some more pictures of the mitre block and saw you've mentioned please - looks to be an interesting alternative to those little aluminium jobbies...

Thanks

[Penrhos1920]

The mitre block and saw came from my favourite shop, eBay.  They weren’t cheap but they’ve earned the money.

 

 

 

Hopefully those photos will help @polybear find them in the eBay catalogue.  I bought them because I was going to cut whole OO coach bodies.

 

Today I’ve fitted compartments and seats into the composite and made a start on the roof.

 

This roof was made from roofs from the ratio third class and composite coaches.  The composite roof I in the middle with the ends cut off. The third roof has had a compartment cut out so that it goes either side of the composite roof.

 

 The seats aren’t the normal ratio seats as they are a bit big.  Instead I’ve used some I was given by a friend before he emigrated to France.  The problem is I don’t know where to buy some more as I can se I’ll need just a few soon.

 

 

 

 

[Penrhos1920]

Modelling today has been severely impacted by another distraction:

 

 

[polybear]

Many thanks :)

[Mikkel]

Excellent modelling, it's good to see that the art of Ratio 4-wheeler kit bashing is alive and well. Can't imagine anyone more knowledgeable than you to be doing it.

 

About those bottles: Are there rules to the game, and is there a secret society? 

[DCB]

Reminds me of the Eric Idle hit "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."   I can't afford Ratio kit bashing, I have to use Hornby Clarrie and Annabel.   I have some ancient Roxey Mouldings coaches to finish, a Comet chassis 28XX needing a new motor and various turntables to motorise and weird traversers to create, but I seem to be busier than usual delivering covid-19 leaflets and sorting out who delivers food to whom when all the volunteers who come forward seem to be themselves over 70 oh and the gearbox just cried enough on the wife's car. My cup runneth over.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

On ‎22‎/‎03‎/‎2020 at 23:10, Mikkel said:

Excellent modelling, it's good to see that the art of Ratio 4-wheeler kit bashing is alive and well. Can't imagine anyone more knowledgeable than you to be doing it.

 

About those bottles: Are there rules to the game, and is there a secret society? 

Never mind the bottles, a far more important test is afoot, here and elsewhere. Now is the moment when the plastic kit builders well known SABLE acronym gets tested...

 

And lovely kitbashing it is too.

[Penrhos1920]

Yesterday I needed to change to a different project as I waited for glue and filler to set.  So I picked on my PO wagons.  I’ve got about 50 that need metal buffer heads fitting.  By the end of the day 2/3rds had unsprung heads glued in and the others had been drilled for sprung buffers, the plastic collar fitted and painted black.

 

 

I’m close to running out of unsprung buffer heads like these.  Slaters kits come with them, but Cambrian kits come with plastic heads which aren’t round.  I’ve probably not looked hard enough, does anyone know where I can get them?

 

For the spring buffers I remembered to drill out the collar before cutting them from the sprue.  To fit them onto the body I slid one onto a reversed drill bit and then pushed the bit into the body, applied glue and used a pair of tweezers around the collar so that I could pull out the bit.

 

 

This is morning I did some gardening to keep the wife happy.  Now I’m going to get out the airbrush and paint the wagons.

[Penrhos1920]

Nothing done these last couple of days as it turned out that painting 55 wagons was to much for my CFS/ME and I’ve had to rest.  I did manage to spend 30 minutes in the modelling room yesterday and went through a few other wagons that are half finished.  I now have about 75 wagons that need transfers, weathering and couplings.  HELP

[Penrhos1920]

 

The wagons on the left just need couplings and weathering.  The Ocean wagons all need numbers and the 5 on the right need sprung buffers once I can find someone with stock of buffer heads.  I’ve got a similar number of wagons on the windowsill that need a bit of the paint touching up.

[Penrhos1920]

Here’s the fruit of yesterday’s labour, 24 wagons had their painting and transfers finished.  Every wagon is different, including 8 OCEAN wagons all with different numbers.

 

Todays plan is to tackle the harder wagons.  I’ve got several GWR wagons that have non standard lettering.  First on the bench are three 40ton loco coal wagons.

[Penrhos1920]

First up on the bench was bogie loco coal wagon, diagram N11, number 53999:

 

 

also on the bench is one that I finished last time to remind me where everything goes.  Written above the wagon on the wood is the wagon number so that I don’t forget.  I sometimes write the tare or anything else that needs to be remembered.  The key is to cross out numbers of previous wagons!!

 

Partly visible under the tissue is the HMRS methfix transfer sheet of 4mm condensed numbers and letters that I’m using for just the numbers.  Top of photo is the GWR sheet of transfers, these are pressfix.  Top right in the photo is a dish of water and jar of methfix solution, lid off as I’ve just ‘glued’ down 2 digits.  The only tools on the bench are those that I need for doing transfers.  a small knife for cutting methfix and pressfix sheets.  Scissors for cutting rubdown sheets.  A blunt pencil and small screwdriver for nudging transfers into place.  And most importantly, a pair of fine tweezers for holding transfers and the blunt end of the handle is used to press transfers into place using the tissue between the two.

 

After the N11 was my N17. Here I’ve removed the original doors and fitted taller doors that I 3D printed at Shapeways.  Then I’ve put on what feels like 1000 rivets from Archers.  ‘LOCO’ is not on the GWR sheet, instead they’ve been got for LMS and Scottish pre grouping sheets.  Fortunately I’ve got enough for my 8 wagons on 3 sheets!

 

 

This wagon won’t go any further as I’ve run out of numbers and large GWs.  Might be in for a long wait as HMRS sales is shutdown. :(

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by Penrhos1920

[Penrhos1920]

Next on the bench have been some Crocodiles which actually got built nearly 5 years ago!  

 

 

[Compound2632]

One can never have too many wagons but trying to do too many at once can take the edge off one's enthusiasm. Little and often!

 

Now seeing you slicing up those Ratio sides is encouraging me to get going on my stock of Slaters Midland sides - 40 ft, 43 ft, 45 ft, 54 ft even?

[Penrhos1920]

11 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

One can never have too many wagons but trying to do too many at once can take the edge off one's enthusiasm. Little and often!

 

I find that when I get in the swing building in batches of between 5 &10 works best and keeps me interested.  Although when it comes to making up 3 links for them all that’s a different matter.  I really enjoy painting in large batches as it reduces the amount of preparation.  When I’ve got only 2 wagons that need to be painted in a certain colour then I won’t paint them until I’ve got some more.

[Guest WM183]

Oh wow. I tend to build one at a time when I build wagons. This is impressive, and that coach bash is quite inspiring. You mention a GWR coach book; can you recommend a good one?

 

Amanda 

[Penrhos1920]

@WM183 if you’re interested in pre 1904 coaches like the Ratio kits then the best book is A Pictorial Record of GWR Coaches, part 1, JH Russell.  But it misses out a lot of designs and has a good number of errors.  Part 2 and the Appendix vol.1 & 2 cover latter coaches and together are much better with few in any errors.  The best resource for earlier coaches is my website, link below.

 

 The Ratio coaches can be converted to many other designs if you’re good with the saw and filler.  Almost any coach with a Lewis code of LE7N is possibly.  LE7W are also possible but they need wider ends, floor and roof.  If you can come up with a way of making clerestory roofs then designs with CxE7x codes are possible.

[Compound2632]

@WM183, @Penrhos1920 is being overly diffident in taking your question at face value. Whenever I try to identify a Great Western carriage of this era, my first port of call is the website in his footer.

[Penrhos1920]

Well, no modelling today.  Not even yesterday or the day before.  Instead I woke on Tuesday morning and took one look at the heap of railway books that wouldn’t fit on my shelves in the lounge and decided I was going to make them fit.  So I picked out all of the wagon books and took them up to the Railway Room.  Then I spent the rest of 3 days cataloguing them all and in the process I found 6 duplicates.  Oh, the good news that I’ve now got space for another 20 books which will take the total to 495 books.

 

Now where can I put books 496 to 500?

[Guest WM183]

Thank you for the information!  I'll be sure to snoop around your website. An old compartment composite brake would look right at home for some simple service on a Welsh valleys branch somewhere. 

[57xx]

On 24/03/2020 at 14:25, Penrhos1920 said:

I’m close to running out of unsprung buffer heads like these.  Slaters kits come with them, but Cambrian kits come with plastic heads which aren’t round.  I’ve probably not looked hard enough, does anyone know where I can get them?

 

If you're going unsprung, why not remove the whole buffer and replace with cast ones? I replace the whole buffer assembly on my Cambrian wagons with Lanarkshire Models ones. They are much more detailed overall. There's only been one or two very obscure buffer types I've not been able to find replacements for.