Planet Industrials - the story so far...

[James Hilton]

Planet Industrials 

We industrials

 

Steve (Stephen Fulljames) and I (James Hilton) formed Planet Industrials in late 2018 after the ExpoNG exhibition. We had worked together for many years producing a range of modern, easy to build narrow gauge kits combining a ready to run chassis with a new body formed of a 3D printed core with etched metal overlays. We had always been interested in industrials (more on that another time) and noticed that there didn’t seem to be anyone adopting our 'approach' to kit design in OO modelling...  so the idea of a ‘toe in the water’ to see if there was interest in a kit with the same ethos led to the development of our Hibberd Planet.

 

We’ve recently launched a new website alongside our Facebook page, and are very excited with a number of announcements to make in the coming weeks. For now, if you’re interested please do sign up to our newsletter (on the website) and take a look at our existing range available through the Narrow Planet marketplace.

 

www.planetindustrials.co.uk

 

If you’ve an interest for more, than read on…

 

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The story so far...

 

PIL-001: Hibberd Planet 18SCW

The first kit we produced to combine a ready to run chassis, 3D printed core with etched metal overlays was the Hibberd Planet. In this first kit we chose to use a tried and tested chassis, the Tenshodo motor bogie, which we secured a batch to allow us to offer a complete kit. A set of white metal cast weights were also developed and included to improve performance of the model. We released the kit at Warley in 2019 on the Narrow Planet stand with a lot of interest from the public and modelling press and have been excited to see it feature in the news and reviews pages of all the best British magazines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PIL-002A: Devonport Barclay

In the weeks leading up to Warley, Steve and I had been chatting about ideas and I’d suggested we looked at the Devonport dockyard as they had some interesting motive power over the years. The book arrived the day Steve left for Warley and we poured over it in the bar the first evening, leading to plans to develop a conversion kit for the Hatton’s Barclay. This kit was developed in a much shorter time scale and was an exercise in reverse engineering the Hatton’s model to ensure the cab would fit in the same way, and re-use as many of the details and wire handrails as possible. In the run up to release we were able to secure a batch of models from Hatton’s to sell alongside the kit, so again when we released this kit in February 2020 we were able to offer a complete kit.

 

 

 

 

 

PIL-002B: NCB Barclay

During the development of the Devonport Barclay which was documented on my blog and Facebook we were encouraged to look at other cab conversions. The flatter profiled NCB style cab was the result, and has been a strong seller in the range. This kit was essentially a re-design of the Devonport cab, allowing us to bring it to market in March 2020 before the pandemic struck the United Kingdom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PIL-001B: Hibberd Planet with Shunter step

The idea of taking one of our existing designs and re-working the parts to offer another variation is a good example of the benefits of today’s production methods. Our design work is done on CAD, and both 3D printed and etched in small batches. This allows us to offer variations fairly easily - a second version of the successful Hibberd Planet followed in April 2020 with the ‘shunters step’ variant, which also included a second etch to allow two styles of cab to be built from the same kit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the lock-down slowed production other kits began to be developed in this period, some of these are still in gestation (more on that later). I began to build my own slices of industrial OO with Mollington Road and Pont-y-dulais and found inspiration in this modelling for products that were not readily available.

 

Steve and I decided to offer a range of transfers, to allow our kits to be finished easily in industrial liveries - as well as sets to model rolling stock and industrial equipment that represent the wider industrial environment. I designed and prototyped the crossing gates and signage on Pont-y-dulais, and the etched wheel nut covers were needed for my own kit building projects from other industrial kits on the market when using Romford wheels.

 

PIC-001: Industrial Transfers (white) / PIC-008: Industrial Crossing Set

 

PIL-004: Peckett post-date

I’ve been a fan of the Hornby W4 Peckett since they released the model, a real catalyst in industrial RTR modelling. However, I was never a fan of the Victorian era styling and decided to strip my own model down to see if a cab conversion might be possible… in the end the conversion kit goes further, also including new buffer beams and chimney. Steve and I have been blown away by demand for this kit, which has sold out of every batch we’ve made in less than a week! Yes, the model it produces is a hybrid and not a true W6, but it’s a close approximation using the available parts. The development of this kit has led to a further two models (more on that next).

 

 

 

 

 

 

I mentioned earlier about the ethos behind our kits - they’re designed to encourage the beginner, someone new to kit building to take that first step, and with that in mind they’re designed to fit well, use simple tools and processes to assemble them following clearly illustrated instructions. I’ve had a hankering to take this one stage further and develop a simple to assemble, no solder, chassis design. This has been in development for about twelve months now and the result is a prototype that meets these criteria. It is a project that has meant we’ve had to invest in tooling up parts including bushes, pulleys and flywheels, bulk buy wheels and motors and go through a number of iterations in chassis design - I’m hoping the result will be worth it and we will have a product that encourages people to have a go at this first step into more complex kit design.

 

Kits and products in development at this moment...

 

PIL-001C: Flame proof Hibberd Planet

The first application of this chassis will be our third version of the Hibberd Planet, representing a flame proof example. The chassis will allow the kit to feature scale diameter wheels, offering a 60:1 reduction with a coreless motor with flywheel driving through a belt drive to a lay-shaft with worm and wheel transmission to a pair of driven axles with all wheels picking up power. We’re sourcing the final components for this kit and hoping to have it available soon.

 

 

 

 

 

PIL-002C: Pensnett Barclay

A third style of Barclay cab conversion, this time including some replacement 3D printed buffers, will allow modellers to represent one of the later Barclay’s used at the Round Oak steel works in the West Midlands on the remains of the Earl of Dudley’s system. We will be releasing this kit shortly, and at the same time release a set of transfers to allow some of the system’s coal wagons to be modelled using suitable 5, 6 or 7 plank wagons.

 

 

 

 

 

PIL-003: Clayton 25t

The second prototype to use the chassis will be a much more modern design. Clayton built a pair of 25t shunters for the Devenport dockyard for use in refurbishing nuclear submarines, our kit again features 3D printed core and etched overlays but allows a modular assembly and full cab interior detailing. Thanks to Clayton for the support in providing photographs and drawings to allow this model to be developed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PIL-004B: Peckett cut-down cab

Whilst developing the Peckett conversion I found a drawing for the Greenhithe class and wondered it it might be possible to cut down a Hornby W4 to allow a representation to be made using a RTR basis - the result, which initially was just a pet project for myself has gained so much of a following that we will be releasing this more complex conversion as a kit in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PIL-005: Ruston 165DE

Initial research into another diesel kit looked at one of the last Ruston standard gauge shunter designed, the LLSH… on the way I stumbled upon both the LPSE/H and the late model sloped cab front 165DE. It struck me the wheels looked a lot like those on the Hornby Peckett, and a quick check of the scale drawings showed they shared a common wheel base. The slope fronted 165DE was selected and the Hornby W4 chassis reverse engineered to allow use of it’s mounting points for a replacement 3D printed core to which etched overlays could be added. The biggest challenge for the modeller with this kit will be removing the connecting rod and cylinders, I think it will make an ideal ‘second’ kit, building confidence and producing a unique model. The hope is this kit will be released in early 2021.

 

 

So, that’s a brief (!!) over view of the journey so far, if you’ve got this far thanks for reading. We love hearing from you with your experiences of our kits and models, or ideas for future products or projects. Over time we will populate this section of RMWeb to include threads for each of our kits and products to allow you to engage with specific items and ask questions or make suggestions. In the meantime, sign up to the newsletter and we can’t wait to share more soon!

 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2020 by James Hilton
Formatting and adding links

[ColinK]

Subscribed, but it could get expensive!  Just need a Hunslet Wagonmaster in 0-16.5.

[James Hilton]

44 minutes ago, ColinK said:

Subscribed, but it could get expensive!  Just need a Hunslet Wagonmaster in 0-16.5.

Thanks Colin. We’re only talking standard gauge industrial here though! Spare a thought for me, every prototype means I need to build and buy all the parts myself too! I’m running out of space for them all!

[AMJ]

Keeping it standard gauge and industrial how about the Hunslet Yardmaster?

[James Hilton]

4 hours ago, AMJ said:

Keeping it standard gauge and industrial how about the Hunslet Yardmaster?

It's been on my 'list' for a while, I'm trying to get the new Planet chassis finished, which then allows the Clayton to be released too, and it would be perfect under the Yardmaster as well.

[cornelius]

 

We're honoured that Planet Industrials has been nominated for the "innovation" category in the British Railway Modelling Awards 2020, for the range of multi-media kits. Although not the first kits to be comprised of multiple materials to suit the parts being represented, our belief is that the combination of a 3D printed core with etched and cast detailing strikes the perfect balance between ease of construction and fidelity of detail. This ethos grew from what we started with Narrow Planet and we're proud to see it recognised.

 

Voting is open until 3rd March, if you feel so inclined!

 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScD0Vhi4x_IhbH6RBVWWs-euU31SLgOPyP9goq3oWZ5jIL6bA/viewform?fbzx=-1117740900478992753

[5050]

Any news on the Ruston 165 yet?

[cornelius]

On 27/02/2021 at 14:12, 5050 said:

Any news on the Ruston 165 yet?

 

Sorry, I missed this post. The Ruston will be on sale from March 13th at Light Railway Stores.

[5050]

2 hours ago, cornelius said:

Light Railway Stores.

?  Where's that ?  Can't say I've heard of it.  Thanks for the heads up though

[Moxy]

26 minutes ago, 5050 said:

?  Where's that ?  Can't say I've heard of it.  Thanks for the heads up though

 

New name for Narrow Planet https://www.lightrailwaystores.co.uk/

[5050]

On 05/03/2021 at 11:15, cornelius said:

 

Sorry, I missed this post. The Ruston will be on sale from March 13th at Light Railway Stores.

 

On 05/03/2021 at 11:15, cornelius said:

 

Sorry, I missed this post. The Ruston will be on sale from March 13th at Light Railway Stores.

Available now -

 

https://www.lightrailwaystores.co.uk/collections/locomotives/products/pil-005

 

Credit card poised!  I'll need to scratch build a chassis - but possibly arrange with Ruston to profile mill one perhaps?

 

EDIT - Done!

Edited March 14, 2021 by 5050

[Edwardian]

I enjoyed James Hilton's interview on the Virtual Show this weekend. I liked his approach.

 

I would, of course, be floating up to Heaven in a Hawthorn/Manning Wardle/Hunslet/Hudswell Clarke shaped balloon if the company were to turn its considerable powers and enthusiasm in the direction of late Victorian industrial steam, much of which survived far longer than their mainline counterparts.   

[5050]

On 14/03/2021 at 15:58, 5050 said:

 

Available now -

 

https://www.lightrailwaystores.co.uk/collections/locomotives/products/pil-005

 

Credit card poised!  I'll need to scratch build a chassis - but possibly arrange with Ruston to profile mill one perhaps?

 

EDIT - Done!

Arrived this morning (after a delay with post due to me not being in on Saturday when they first tried to deliver) and so has Ruston's.  Along with Mr Ruston we will be sorting out a scratch built chassis (for, in my case, P4) probably profile milled as is his wont.  Details in due course somewhere on the forum............

Edited March 24, 2021 by 5050

[PenrithBeacon]

Sold out...