Exhill Works and other adventures in 7/8ths

[John Besley]

The package arrived from Gaugemaster and with an alteration to the chimney by reducing it in height then by turning up a ferrule to slip inside close to the chimney cap I could slip the Smoke generator inside, extended the cable in matching multi strand intruder cable, wired up through a choc block and tested it.

The only issue I have is the generator quietly bubbles away but could be ignored as I also want to add background sound.  I have also discovered that a bottle of coal scented smoke oil is available 

 

As you can see the next task is to convert all the parts (around 50 of them) into the finished item

 

I might have to fit a mini extractor fan behind the pelmet as it's quite smoky in the corner 

 

I am also planning on making a low relief factory building to hide the corner...

 

 

Edited June 13, 2022 by John Besley
Correction

[mango]

looks fantastic so far, love the minature in minature model engineering 

 

where do you get those cartoony figures from?

[John Besley]

7 hours ago, mango said:

looks fantastic so far, love the minature in minature model engineering 

 

where do you get those cartoony figures from?

Most were from Rob Bennett's 7/8ths range of 'Busy Bodies' sadly dont think he is producing these anymore, the alternative is Model Earth's range of 'Small Staff' and a couple I have made or modified to my needs using spare heads I had

[John Besley]

Reached the finishing off stage, basic paint work done and reassembled, currently building the 'concrete slab' that this will sit on along with weathering.

Setting up the firebox and ashpan to make sure the fire bed is looking right before final assembly 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2022 by John Besley
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[John Besley]

Made up a jig to solder up cable basket, this will run from the control cabinet to the right hand side behind the stationary boiler 

 

 

 

Finished this section of cable basket, solder the 2 section onto some scrap rail and made up basket clips from a metal wine bottle wrapper. 

Fixed all the various sizes of cable to the basket with "stainless Steel" cable ties - made from single strand steel multi core intruder cable as a twisted pair, these in turn were threaded onto the cable and basket then twisted up tight to hold the cable in place.

 

The bottom entry cables into the control cabinet all have brass gland nuts that where aged on a patina solution.

 

The green cable running across the top and going into the back of the cabinet is the main earth bond

All of these oneday will vanish off into a cable duct into the factory backscene.

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by John Besley
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[John Besley]

This mini project is 99% complete currently building a control panel and waiting for a transformer from Gaugemaster... expected in March...

 

Meanwhile the lamp post was built to provide somewhere to hang the fire irons on and help finish off this corner, a pile of lighting up wood was stored under the boiler to keep dry and a pallet made ready for chopping up for firewood... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2022 by John Besley
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[John Besley]

Back onto the workshop now .... for sometime I had been bothered by the colour of the brickwork as it looked (a.) too dark and (b.) too uniform, so carefully dry brushed a lighter shade of brick by mixing a terracotta and light earth emulsion paint, next picked out individual bricks in various shades.

See the difference....

 

Glued the track in place and wired up the live rails on the turntable checking that this sat correctly on its axle pin.
 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by John Besley
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[John Besley]

Built up the floor with multiple layers of plaster filler over sections of thin ply to raise the floor to rail height, sanded back down and checked that the yard shunter will run on this - which it does despite dirty wheels  

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by John Besley
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[John Besley]

It's been a while since I added anything further here but as time allows between building or starting building a Garrett steam tractor and making traction engine parts...

 

The floor has been painted and walls weathered again inside, the roof trusses cut and fitted along with the the roof sheets and ridge section as this is going to be a galvinised sheet steel roof.

 

Currently working on the door at the moment and found that this is going to be a tight fit for one of my drivers as his arm sticks out too far... he will require surgery to reposition his arm...

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2022 by John Besley
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[Woody C]

Hello John, Can not say much more than total admiration for your modelling skills and the superb models you produce. 

Woody

[John Besley]

Finished off the ridge section and sprayed up the roof in grey primer ready for weathering, built up a ledge and brace door and fitted some of our new brass hinges adding in the nail holes with a scribbling pin,  these wont show too much at this stage but will be picked out later

 

 

Edited June 13, 2022 by John Besley
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[John Besley]

Gone through the various stages of roof painting... first brushed on a mix of very light grey and mid grey Humbrol enamel over the primer, mixing it as I went on each roof panel and keeping the brush going down the roof.

 

Then dry brushed dark brown on the bottom edges of the panels and picking out sections by the spacer trims.

 

Once this was dry for a day or two, washed over everything with a dirty rain wash making sure it streaked down the roof.

 

Lastly went over the area again but adding in a variation of dark brown to leather for tonal differences on the rust, again blending as I went "wet on wet"

 

        

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by John Besley
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[John Besley]

Made and fitted a long latch lever handle for the fire exit door and a ring tail monkey bolt for the workshop door, fitted and hung the workshop door.

Contemplating making a Briton T series door closer for the fire door

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by John Besley
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[John Besley]

Measured up a Briton T series closer and built one for the rear exit door, fitted this to the door along with the frosted glass glazed vision panel.

Made a start on the lighting, to support this cut up a couple of sections of Tenmile track, cut and fitted a 30mm drop in brass tube, then useing one of our brass lamp shades with a dolls house ceiling light - removed the pink over scale lamp shade threaded the lead through the tube.

Checked for fit and then sprayed the parts in primer.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by John Besley
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[John Besley]

Bit more time spent in the workshop on the Workshop, made up another batch of cable basket and sprayed up a light grey, altered some of our wall bracket with the addition of a pipe support and assembled a length of pipe from KS 5/16 tube.

 

 

Made up a girder from brass curtain rail for the chain hoist and the vertical supports from Plastistriut to brace this on the wall.

 

Salvaged a set of 009 wagon wheels to use on the chain hoist roller carrage and fabricated this up from 80thou brass plate

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by John Besley
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[Reno]

The light looks really good...

[John Besley]

Weatherd the cable tray and then loaded up the tray with cables salvaged from redundant USB mouse and intruder cable.

 

The chain hoist roller carriage has been assembled and painted pale machine blue fitted to the girder - to help it move easily I burnished up the flanges of the girder with a soft pencil which not only made a world of a difference looked like the typical wear mark's from the wheels.

 

Amused myself by making a wall mounted work light to go by the lathe, turned up a lamp shade to hold the grain of rice bulb silver soldered a strip of U shaped brass to the light tube and drilled through the U shape inserting a couple of cut down rivets. Drilled through the shade so these would locate to create a pivot for the shade.

 

Found a spare brass casting to form the wall bracket, sprayed these all up and threaded the lamp wire through.

Fabricated from scrap plasticard a "metal" back box with a double plate unswitched socket, along with a 13amp plug top, threaded the whole lot together and drilled through the workshop wall.

 

Made up a section of 1" steel conduit along with stand off mounts finally threaded some spare cable into the top of the conduit and into the cable tray.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by John Besley
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[John Besley]

Made up a workbench - currently being weathered also made up the exit box with silhouette cut lettering this is waiting for the LED bulb.

 

I also needed to make up a hatch door for the other exit out of the workshop to the fiddle yard, this had to have a pair of wide projection hinges to clear the frame work of the workshop and swing clear so as not to obstruct the track.... bearing in mind that 90% of the time it will be closed I can live with the gap... but I have plans to sort this...

 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2022 by John Besley
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[John Besley]

And the work bench... which is a work in progress..

 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2022 by John Besley
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[John Besley]

The blue crate on the workbench is a start on parts bins / tool boxes, more of this later suffice to say they started off life as a brick from a well known Swedish toy maker...

[John Besley]

The brass castings are now to hand for the gutter system,  this was something I use to produce fir 16mm as P&J Models and now launching as Uskin...

 

Trial fitted up all the brackets and made up the gutter run, running outlet, stop end along with down pipe and shoe.

 

Next up paint the components and fit to the building, this has been set up so the roof can lift off and locate on the swan neck 

 

I have also finished off the EXIT box and fitted a LED that I gave a light wash of brown / yellow to change the appearance to a old expiring filament bulb 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2022 by John Besley
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[Woody C]

There is only one word I can meaningfully use to describe your modelling John - Stunning! 

[John Besley]

1 hour ago, Woody C said:

There is only one word I can meaningfully use to describe your modelling John - Stunning! 

I was carrying out the Monthly emergency light service we do at Cooper Tires in Melksham today and showed the maintenance manager the picture of the fire door.... 

 

Asked him if he could spot anything... his only comment to start with was "the bulb is going in the exit box and the whole thing is proberly past it's best,  but I am struggling to recognize the location here"

 

When I told him it was a model based on their doors, signs and old light box, he couldn't believe me, until I showed him the whole model

[Woody C]

1 hour ago, John Besley said:

When I told him it was a model based on their doors, signs and old light box, he couldn't believe me, until I showed him the whole model

The finest compliment that someone can pay you John - I would have loved to have seen his face when he saw your model - priceless no doubt!

[John Besley]

On 23/09/2021 at 20:39, Woody C said:

The finest compliment that someone can pay you John - I would have loved to have seen his face when he saw your model - priceless no doubt!

He did a double take and asked his chippy what he thought