Broad Gauge on a Budget in 4mm

[Edwardian]

Good to see progress, though I worry that your tunnel profile looks far too Churchward to fit with your period.

[Hroth]

3 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

Good to see progress, though I worry that your tunnel profile looks far too Churchward to fit with your period.

 

Then again, the profile pretty well matches Brunels Maidenhead Bridge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidenhead_Railway_Bridge

 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

2 hours ago, Edwardian said:

Good to see progress, though I worry that your tunnel profile looks far too Churchward to fit with your period.

Yes I agree, unfortunately it’s the most Brunelian I could find. They do make kits of the Box Tunnel but those are $350 so quite out of reach.

[drduncan]

3 hours ago, Paul H Vigor said:

What/whose rails are you using?

Code 75 c&l/Exactoscale (from the time they were sold together)

[Florence Locomotive Works]

The embankment and tunnel structure has been completed. This means that plastering will begin within the next 48 hours. The loco is supposed to be shipped today, last I checked (about 3 hours ago), it was in the “packaging” stage. I find the Shapeways tracking system a wonder of modern technology. The motorization unit is pictured below, using a Keyser motor ( I know, I know).    Unfortunately it’s the only motor I had, and it seems very unwise to get something shipped in given the global situation. Plus the fact that it takes 3 weeks just to get through customs now. However the Railway Bobbie’s hut is also well on its way to completion, so it’s not all about anachronistic drive units.

Edited July 6, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Canadian broad gauge]

Hi my name is Chris I really enjoy the pists

 

the BGS do pin point axle for tender and rolling stock as well as 16 mm tender bogie and rolling stock

ultrascale will produce axles for driving wheels but the wai time is big

the chassis are made for P4 broad gauge Oo or EM wheels to thick to fit space.  

[Florence Locomotive Works]

31 minutes ago, Canadian broad gauge said:

Hi my name is Chris I really enjoy the pists

 

the BGS do pin point axle for tender and rolling stock as well as 16 mm tender bogie and rolling stock

ultrascale will produce axles for driving wheels but the wai time is big

the chassis are made for P4 broad gauge Oo or EM wheels to thick to fit space.  

Hi Chris, welcome to RMweb

 

I‘ve looked at their products quite a lot, but never bought any because of the wait time you spoke of above, otherwise I would have definitely used their axles. 
 

Do you model the Canadian Great Western? If you do, then I know a scratch aid for sale of this engine, well at least a very similar one.

Edited July 6, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Interesting new development. I have recently discovered the loco I bought is actually from the Pyracmon Class, which later became part of the Caesar Class. I discovered this by looking at the different designs of splashers. My engine has the splashers that are seen on Steropes, with the bits that cover a 1/3 or the wheel. Dido (of the later Caesar class) doesn't have these. So time to find a new name for it I guess.

Edited July 6, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works
incorrect info

[Ian Morgan]

Our version of Box tunnel, created for the final of GMRC series 1, was a photo-montage printed to scale and stuck onto some foamboard. I can probably dig out the artwork if you would like. Actually, the original was still knocking about in the clubroom, last time I managed to get in there. There is a car bulb behind it to replicate the sun shining through the tunnel on Brunel's birthday.

 

Also, Gaugemaster do a plastic kit (originally Pola, I think) for Mortimer station, one of the few Brunel Italienate wayside stations still standing. The distance between the platforms at Mortimer gives away its broad gauge origins.

 

 

The broad gauge track for the transfer siding and the Atmospheric Railway was top hat rail and PCB timbers from the Broad Gauge Society, but it would work out expensive for a large layout.

 

 

The carriage is a Hornby four-wheeler, sawn in half down the centre and about a centimeter of plasticard grafted in. Broad Gauge Society wheel sets were fitted. I have picked up another of these four-wheelers second hand for a couple of quid and will add it to my little diorama one day.

 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Ian Morgan
re-loaded images

[Florence Locomotive Works]

56 minutes ago, Ian Morgan said:

Our version of Box tunnel, created for the final of GMRC series 1, was a photo-montage printed to scale and stuck onto some foamboard. I can probably dig out the artwork if you would like. Actually, the original was still knocking about in the clubroom, last time I managed to get in there. There is a car bulb behind it to replicate the sun shining through the tunnel on Brunel's birthday.

 

Also, Gaugemaster do a plastic kit (originally Pola, I think) for Mortimer station, one of the few Brunel Italienate wayside stations still standing. The distance between the platforms at Mortimer gives away its broad gauge origins.

 

 

The broad gauge track for the transfer siding and the Atmospheric Railway was top hat rail and PCB timbers from the Broad Gauge Society, but it would work out expensive for a large layout.

 

 

The carriage is a Hornby four-wheeler, sawn in half down the centre and about a centimeter of plasticard grafted in. Broad Gauge Society wheel sets were fitted. I have picked up another of these four-wheelers second hand for a couple of quid and will add it to my little diorama one day.

 

 

 

That’s a very nice layout sir. I though t about buying one of the Mortimer kits, but it was originally a B&E or SDR structure and I wanted something that was early GWR, so decided on the tunnel. Can I ask who makes the figures? Not that I will have much use for them, unless they wish to watch the new modern spectacle of the railway.

Edited July 6, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[PatB]

1 hour ago, Ian Morgan said:

Our version of Box tunnel, created for the final of GMRC series 1, was a photo-montage printed to scale and stuck onto some foamboard. I can probably dig out the artwork if you would like. Actually, the original was still knocking about in the clubroom, last time I managed to get in there. There is a car bulb behind it to replicate the sun shining through the tunnel on Brunel's birthday.

 

Also, Gaugemaster do a plastic kit (originally Pola, I think) for Mortimer station, one of the few Brunel Italienate wayside stations still standing. The distance between the platforms at Mortimer gives away its broad gauge origins.

 

 

The broad gauge track for the transfer siding and the Atmospheric Railway was top hat rail and PCB timbers from the Broad Gauge Society, but it would work out expensive for a large layout.

 

 

The carriage is a Hornby four-wheeler, sawn in half down the centre and about a centimeter of plasticard grafted in. Broad Gauge Society wheel sets were fitted. I have picked up another of these four-wheelers second hand for a couple of quid and will add it to my little diorama one day.

 

 

 

From what I can see in the photo the Hornby 4 wheeler looks far better as a BG vehicle than it ever did as standard gauge. The additional width presumably is in better proportion to its normally excessive height. 

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

2 hours ago, PatB said:

From what I can see in the photo the Hornby 4 wheeler looks far better as a BG vehicle than it ever did as standard gauge. The additional width presumably is in better proportion to its normally excessive height. 

 

That's what struck me the moment I saw the carriage in the pic. I had to read the explanation before I could convince myself that it was the Hornby monstrosity. 

[Ian Morgan]

On 07/07/2020 at 00:01, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Can I ask who makes the figures? Not that I will have much use for them, unless they wish to watch the new modern spectacle of the railway.

 

 The figures are pewter, from  Andrew Stadden.   Set OO9.

 

I also used figures from Langley

 

 

And I found a progress photo of the coach

 

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Ian Morgan
re-loaded images

[Ian Morgan]

The Pewter ones look great

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Ian Morgan
re-loaded image

[wagonman]

A couple of things...

 

Alan Buttler of Modelu has added some 'Ragged Victorians' to his collection. As they are based on 3D scans of real people they can be scaled to any size and printed out. https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product-category/finescale-figures/ragged-victorians/

 

Mortimer was a GWR station – between Reading and Basingstoke (so strictly speaking Berks & Hants Railway).

 

Are you going to include Pictor's stone siding (on the left facing the tunnel entrance)?

 

Slicing coaches down the middle and inserting extra bits was what Holden did for the GER six a side stock – the exact opposite of what he had done at Swindon converting BG stock to the 'narrow' gauge after 1892.

 

 

[wagonman]

 

Forgot to add this!

 

 

[K14]

Re: Mortimer...

From Wikipedia:—

 

Quote

The brick-built single-storey main building has a ticket office and waiting room and is on the up platform. The down platform has a matching waiting shelter. Both buildings are Italianate,

designed by Brunel for the GWR. They are the only substantially intact survivors of this once-common design, although a much modified example exists at Chepstow.

The station was opened in 1848, along with the Reading to Basingstoke railway line and both it, and the station buildings, have been in continuous use ever since. The line was promoted by the nominally independent Berks and Hants Railway, but this company was absorbed into the GWR two years before Mortimer station opened.
 

Edited July 7, 2020 by K14
Formatting

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Well I stand happily corrected on Mortimer, but it shall not be included. For the stone I’m just using pieces of card that have been rolled to the correct shape. The tunnel portal is double track for HO so can only hold a single BG line, I say this because someone will point that out in future. 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

This isn't in any way supposed to be an accurate layout, its just supposed to be a place where I can run or display broad gauge locos and rolling stock in there natural environment, aka a piece of track in the West Country. 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Bristol & Exeter or early GWR wagon taking shape at the moment. Made from balsa wood, using some ancient Keyser wheels.

Edited July 7, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works
Forgot the pictures, he gets worse ...

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Plastering of the embankments has been done. I’m not very confident about it working, as the plaster was about 20 years old, so we shall see. I used old cloth dunked in plaster and then laid over the cardboard mesh. The tunnel structure unfortunately couldn’t support the weight so will be taken down and the area made into part of the fiddle yard. 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

The generic Broad Gauge wagon now has something they call “detail”, not much but it’s a start. I’m debating whether or not to add brake gear, as I presume it will be quite a fuss, and the B&E wagons (which this is based off) that I’ve seen were sorely lacking in the brake department. The load is a Langley Models Foster portable engine, which I’ve made to look like a Fowler. 
 

As for the embankments, the plaster has collapsed most of structure, so the embankment has more less lost its shape. So tomorrow I will build the embankment back up using a thicker mix of the plaster, which will also make it stronger. 

Edited July 8, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works
Forgot loads of stuff

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

A suggestion - the PoP is too heavy and moist for its supports. For that embankment could I suggest run a thin upright of ply or similar along the back to the height you want. Just tack it to the edge of the baseboard, you can vary the height a bit. Then attach to it some formers at 90 degrees which slope down to where the track runs. Make them out of some stiff card and space them about an inch and a half apart - attach them with little strips of paper bent to form a bracket shape and soaked in PVA. Let those dry.

 

Then cut up some newspaper into thin strips and apply PVA to one side and lay these at 45 degrees across the formers. Then apply another lot at 45 degrees but running at 90 degrees to the first lot. Any little gaps left just stick on a piece of paper to cover them. Let that lot dry for a day, then apply just a smear of PoP to the whole surface which should be strong enough, now it's dried, to support the weight. The smeared PoP if smoothed can be then painted with a base colour to match whatever your applied landscaping material will be. This is a much lighter and surprising strong structure once it has all dried. 

 

If you have it, instead of PoP which is heavy, you use a something like a commercial gap filler for wood or plaster lightly smeared on from the tube. That sets very hard and is very light and while setting can be form to create little variations on the surface. This is a very cheap way to do it as all you are using is basically scrap materials like cardboard and newspaper. 

 

  

Edited July 8, 2020 by Malcolm 0-6-0

[Caley Jim]

Instead of PoP or filler I use thinned down DAS modelling clay, coloured with powder or acrylic paint. Much lighter and more resilient to knocks etc. You can also adjust it and blend a new piece in just by wetting the original. For formers, cut up pieces of polystyrene packaging are lighter and stronger than card. 

 

Jim

Edited July 8, 2020 by Caley Jim
Typo

[Edwardian]

I wonder sometimes if I'm the only railway modeller left who still uses a species of papier-mâché? 

 

It's the simplest thing in the world to do, and can fill the void at little weight and be readily formed to the desired shape.  It's old tech but it works and I do wonder why people seem to want to make life complicated with other exotic ways of 'terraforming'.

 

I use very dilute PVA, so it's mainly water, and newspaper, or pretty much any paper going spare. This seems infinitely easier than messy polystyrene cutting or frigging about with plaster.  Some large bits of geography benefit from foundations  - polystyrene, insulation material etc - and, for instance, the basic land formation of the test track is cardboard 'bricks' than came with some flat-pack furniture, but the shapes and contours are all papier-mâché and I'm struggling to see the advantage of, say, cardboard lattice work.  Is this not an unnecessary faff?